Neil Varon, professor of conducting and ensembles at the Eastman School, directs Luca Antonucci of Watertown, MA on the Kodak Hall stage during the Summer Conducting Institute. During the intensive five-day program, each young conductor has the opportunity to rehearse with Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra musicians,

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.

A rainbow forms over Cutler Union at the University of Rochester’s Memorial Art Gallery.

A dogwood tree blooms in the courtyard of Rush Rhees Library.

Jamal Rossi, dean of the Eastman School of Music, reminded graduates that “with great power comes great responsibility … You not only have the power to transform lives, you have the responsibility. You have to make a difference in the community and in the people in those communities. Use your music to enrich your communities.” He concluded his address by saying, “There’s a little Spider-Man in all of us,” referencing the filming of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in front of Kodak Hall last summer.

Students mark the end of the semester with Dandelion Day celebrations on the quad.

Rochester artist Thievin’ Stephen works on a mural in Rettner Hall as part of Day of the Arts 2014: Street Art, a two-day series showcasing movement, dance, and art executed outside of traditional art venues.

The New Media Fermentation Workshop, a collaboration between University professors Leila Nadir (sustainability) and Cary Peppermint (art and art history) meets in Burton Hall. The workshop consist of students making their own personal vegetable ferments, such as kimchi, and new media art students who will be documenting and remixing the experience. The workshops are part of EcoArtTech’s new work-in-progress, Edible Ecologies, which involves collaborating with local communities to resuscitate historic food practices and foodways.

Columbia University president Lee C. Bollinger delivers the keynote address at the 5th Annual Diversity Conference in the Interfaith Chapel. ollinger is a prominent advocate of affirmative action who played a leading role in the twin Supreme Court cases—Grutter v Bollinger and Gratz v Bollinger—that upheld and clarified the importance of diversity as a compelling justification for affirmative action in higher education.

A snowstorm blankets a quiet River Campus in approximately 18 inches of snow.