Science & Technology
Data, technology drive new approaches to Parkinson’s care
Medical Center researchers are reaching for new tools, such as algorithms, machine learning, computer simulations, and mobile technologies, to both improve care and identify new therapies for complex, multi-system diseases like Parkinson’s.
Field guide to fruit flies documents these surprisingly close human relatives
The common fruit fly is often deemed an annoying household pest. But these tiny insects are a boon to researchers. Rochester biologist John Jaenike has co-authored the first comprehensive guide to fruit flies published in nearly a century.
Ehsan Hoque, among ‘10 Scientists to Watch,’ is a study in resiliency
An expert in human-computer interaction and a pioneer in developing apps that help people hone their speaking and social skills, Hoque continues to apply lessons of resiliency he learned as an undergraduate.
Society & Culture
Political experts say U.S. democracy healthier than public thinks
The third Bright Line Watch survey, co-authored by Rochester political scientist Gretchen Helmke, focuses on the health of U.S. democratic institutions and compares the results from thousands of political professionals with the general public.
URMC’s SMILEmobile serves students at East High
The SMILEmobile—a self-contained traveling dental clinic—is wheelchair-accessible and designed to reach underserved or hard-to-reach populations.
East High: Education professor sees an environment in transition
Joanne Larson takes academic-scientific knowledge of best practices directly to East High’s classrooms, support staff, administrators, and teachers. She says the school feels “180 degrees different.”
The Arts
Gift makes city’s musical theater affordable for students
A new initiative of the Institute for Performing Arts, supported in part by a fund established by alumni Dan ’82 and Marcia Mantell ’83, makes it possible for more students to experience a professional performance in the city of Rochester.
Timely political drama plays out on stage
The play, created directly from transcripts, chronicles the 1954 Atomic Energy Commission hearing in which the physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer is called before the commission.
Elizabeth Poliner receives 2017 Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize
The annual prize was created in 1976 to recognize American women on the precipice of promising writing careers.
In Photos
Meliora Weekend 2017
Thousands of alumni, community members, and friends of the University returned to Rochester the weekend of October 12-14 to celebrate the annual Meliora Weekend traditions of reunions, thought-provoking conversations, and family fun. Keynote speakers included Robin Roberts, Peggy Noonan, and Jeffrey Toobin, and headline entertainers included comedian Mike Birbiglia and jazz great Chick Corea.
Student Life
Student group builds bridges by cleaning Genesee
The Inter-Class Living Community, a special interest housing group that promotes community engagement, turned their sights to the Genesee River this fall, removing more than 300 pounds of waste from the shore
Meet the Eastman School of Music’s student leaders
Naoki Toyomura ’17, ’18E (T5) and Seiji Yamashita ’20, ’20E, both dual-degree students at the Eastman School and on River Campus, will serve as president and vice president of the Eastman Students’ Association through 2018.
A different kind of college TOUR
A partnership between the University and local community organizations, the TOUR program has made a college experience accessible to hundreds of young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Voices & Opinion
Nobelist Ishiguro: Novelist of ‘quiet riskiness’
Adam Parkes ’93 (PhD) explores the writing of Kazuo Ishiguro, recipient of this year’s Nobel Prize in Literature, noting his fearless literary experimentation meshed with a simple austerity.
Doug Phillips on the role of universities in their cities
During a recent Bloomberg Markets podcast, Doug Phillips, the University’s chief investment officer, discussed his thoughts on the role urban universities play in their communities.
Remembering Tom Petty: ‘A new traditionalist’
John Covach, director of the University’s Institute for Popular Music, remembers the pop and rock values of Tom Petty. “Petty was not a new waver after all, but rather someone moving forward by looking back.”
University News
Professor Emeritus Dean Harper, influential researcher, dies at 88
Harper, a member of the Rochester faculty for six decades whose work influenced academic thinking on the sociology of mental illness, is being remembered as a dedicated researcher and thoughtful teacher.
Chronicle of Higher Education names Dahpon Ho teaching innovator
The assistant professor of history is known for having students reenact battle scenes, conduct “rocket” tests, and write propaganda campaigns to try to bring the era of the Korean War to life.
Three honored with Goergen Awards for teaching excellence
Established in 1997, the award recognizes distinctive teaching accomplishments of faculty in Arts, Science, and Engineering. “The recipients embody all that we value in teaching at the University,” says Dean of the College Jeffrey Runner.