In the Headlines
Scientists discover why the Appalachian mountain chain bends
Scientists had known that volcanic rock ran under the chain, but “what we didn’t understand was the size of the structure or its implications for mountain-building processes,” a University of Rochester researcher explains.
And now for something completely different
While other vocal competitions just ask singers to sing, the Lenya Competition asks its contestants to create their own one-person musical narrative out of found materials and make us believe that it is all true.
On Saturday, April 12, from eleven o’clock in the morning until well after ten at night, the finals of the Lenya Competition, 2014 edition, ground through fourteen capaciously gifted young performers in the wood-paneled precincts of the Eastman School of Music’s Kilbourn Hall up in Rochester, New York.
When virtual job interviews go horribly wrong
Enough companies now interview for jobs and internships over Skype (MSFT) that career offices have started to train business students in the art of conversing on video chat.
Karen Dowd, assistant dean of career management and corporate engagement at University of Rochester’s Simon Graduate School of Business, says one student during a virtual interview last year wore all the right things—but only above the belt.
Science & Technology
NIH awards $9 million for study of immune system in action
The five-year grant funds work to adapt and develop cutting-edge imaging techniques. Researchers will make use of the University’s Multiphoton Core Facility, which contains state-of-the-art systems enabling in vivo (Latin for “in the living”) imaging and analysis.
Women feel threatened by ‘the lady in red’
In a new study, psychology graduate student Adam Pazda found that women believe that other women who wear red are more sexually promiscuous and were less likely to introduce their husband or boyfriend to a woman wearing red.
Robert Clark stresses need for federal research support at National Press Club
Universities can help drive regional economic development and strengthen American competitiveness — but only if the federal government continues to partner with institutions and commits to provide the sustained research funding that is required to, first, discover a good idea, then “translate” it into products and services that benefit society.
Society & Culture
Three things you didn’t know about the American Revolution
America typically celebrates the 4th of July as a unifying victory for the country, but the road to independence was more divisive and violent than most people realize, according to historian Thomas Slaughter.
Celebrating 59 Days of Independence
In their 59 Days of Independence project, artist and senior lecturer Heather Layton and Brian Bailey ‘09W (PhD) invite people around the world to celebrate the independence of countries other than their own. “By recognizing someone else’s independence, you’re showing that you care about his or her well-being in the same way you care about your own,” says Layton.
When it comes to learning numbers, culture counts
The findings of a new study suggest that number learning is a fundamental process that follows a universal pathway. However, the timing of the process depends on a child’s environment.
Photo of the Week
Like summer camp … for subatomic particles
Optical engineering major Sarah Bjornland ’19 (left) uses a telescope to study resolution versus pupil size with local high school students Justin Shetty, Tyler Acton, and Dan Duguay. During Photon Camp, a week-long effort by the Institute of Optics to introduce more students to the growing field of optics, high school upperclassmen work with University undergrads to learn about the relevance of optics to everyday life.
Student Life
Rochester students recognized for civic engagement
A closing ceremony for five Rochester Youth Year Fellows and 17 Rochester Urban Fellows is scheduled for Wednesday, July 30, in City Hall. The Fellows—22 undergraduates and recent college graduates from Rochester-area colleges—have spent from 10 weeks up to a year engaging in service projects and learning about urban issues in and around Rochester.
Rochester grad recipient of Rotary Global Grant Scholarship
The second Rochester graduate to earn this scholarship, Jordan Shapiro ’14 will use the grant to pursue a master’s degree at Aberystwyth University in Wales.
Mock trial concludes Youth Legislative Session for Latino students
150 high school students from across the country are gathered in Rochester this week for the National Hispanic Institute’s Lorenzo de Zavala Youth Legislative Session (LDZ). Students will debate policies related to education, social inequality, and economics, among other topics.
The Arts
University of Rochester is on the Fringe
The University of Rochester is a sponsor and major participant in the 2014 First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival, taking place Sept. 18–27 in Rochester’s East End. Student-sponsored shows this year will range from a laptop orchestra featuring local elementary school students, to After Hours A Cappella, and Diversity of Dance, which showcases performers from seven of the University’s dance clubs and students from the Program of Dance and Movement.
Jonathan Binstock named Memorial Art Gallery director
Binstock has worked as a curator at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia. He comes to Rochester from New York City, where he was a senior vice president and senior advisor in modern and contemporary art for Citi Private Bank’s Art Advisory & Finance group.
Young artists in concert: a celebration of winners
Several Eastman Community Music School (ECMS) students will be among six talented Young Artist Auditions award winners who will perform a free concert at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, July 6, in Eastman School of Music’s Kilbourn Hall.
University News
Teen Health and Success Conference focuses on self-esteem, professional networking
More than 80 Rochester high school students will attend the two-day Teen Health and Success Conference on River Campus to focus on developing strategies for successful employment and crafting a statement about career aspirations and future goals.
Beth Olivares appointed dean for diversity initiatives in Arts, Sciences & Engineering
As dean, Olivares will serve as the senior strategist on student and faculty diversity, responsible for providing a vision and a strategy to help AS&E administration proactively create an inclusive environment.
‘The end of the beginning’: A plan to save East High School
At the request of the Rochester City School Board, the University has submitted a plan intended to administer East High School, the largest high school in Rochester which is on the verge of being closed by the State because of inadequate performance.
