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Science & Technology
June 22, 2015 | 11:57 am

How understanding GPS can help you hit a curveball

Our brains track moving objects by applying one of the algorithms your phone’s GPS uses, according to researchers at the University of Rochester. This same algorithm also explains why we are fooled by several motion-related optical illusions, including the sudden “break” of baseball’s well known “curveball illusion.”

topics: David Knill, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Duje Tadin, research finding, School of Arts and Sciences, vision,
Society & Culture
June 18, 2015 | 01:04 pm

Stress in low-income families can affect children’s learning

Children living in low-income households who endure family instability and emotionally distant caregivers are at risk of having impaired cognitive abilities according to new research from Rochester’s Mt. Hope Family Center.

topics: children, Department of Psychology, featured-post, Melissa Sturge-Apple, Mt. Hope Family Center, research finding, School of Arts and Sciences, stress,
Society & Culture
May 19, 2015 | 12:13 pm

Thinking alike changes how we speak

As social creatures, we tend to mimic each other’s posture, laughter, and other behaviors, including how we speak. Now a new study from brain and cognitive sciences researchers shows that people with similar views tend to more closely mirror, or align, each other’s speech patterns. In addition, people who are better at compromising align more closely.

topics: Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Florian Jaeger, language, research finding, School of Arts and Sciences,
Science & Technology
May 4, 2015 | 11:22 am

Defects in atomically thin semiconductor emit single photons

Until now, optically active quantum dots have not been observed in materials consisting of a single layer of atom, also known as 2D materials. Rochester researchers have shown how the 2D material tungsten diselenide can be fashioned into an atomically thin semiconductor that serves as a platform for solid-state quantum dots.

topics: Chitraleema Chakraborty, Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Institute of Optics, Nick Vamivakas, photonics, research finding, URnano,
Science & Technology
April 24, 2015 | 01:49 pm

Generating broadband terahertz radiation from a microplasma in air

Researchers in the Institute of Optics have shown that a microplasma created by focusing intense laser pulses in air emits not only visible light, but also electromagnetic pulses at terahertz frequencies that can be used to detect complex molecules, such as explosives and drugs.

topics: featured-post, Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Institute of Optics, lasers, radiation, research finding,
Society & Culture
April 6, 2015 | 01:27 pm

The Poitier Effect: New book by film scholar examines ‘change without change’

Sir Sidney Poitier became a cultural icon in the 1950s as the first black actor to break racial barriers in film. But as art and art history professor Sharon Willis argues in her new book, his image on screen creates a false sense of equality that continues to appear in the popular media and remains damaging to race relations today.

topics: book authors, Department of Art and Art History, film, Graduate Program in Visual and Cultural Studies, literature, racism, research finding, Sharon Willis,
Science & Technology
April 1, 2015 | 02:21 pm

Nanoparticles provide novel way to apply drugs to dental plaque

Therapeutic anti-bacterial agents intended to reduce dental plaque and prevent tooth decay are often removed by saliva and the act of swallowing before they can take effect. But a team of researchers has developed a way to keep the drugs from being washed away.

topics: Danielle Benoit, Department of Biomedical Engineering, drug treatments, Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Materials Science Program, nanoparticles, research finding, URnano,
Science & Technology
March 30, 2015 | 12:05 pm

Wearable technology can help with public speaking

Speaking in public is the top fear for many people. Now, students and faculty from the Human-Computer Interaction Group have developed an intelligent user interface for “smart glasses” that gives real-time feedback to the speaker on volume modulation and speaking rate, and have made the tool freely available for downloading.

topics: Department of Computer Science, Ehsan Hoque, Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Human-Computer Interaction Group, research finding,
Science & Technology
March 26, 2015 | 05:40 pm

Blocking cellular quality control mechanism gives cancer chemotherapy a boost

A University team found a way to make chemotherapy more effective by exposing cancer cells to a molecule that inhibits NMD (nonsense-mediated mRNA decay) prior to treatment with doxorubicin, a drug used to treat leukemia, breast, bone, lung and other cancers.

topics: cancer, Center for RNA Biology, Lynne Maquat, Medical Center, research finding,
Science & Technology
March 20, 2015 | 10:54 am

New approach uses “twisted light” to increase the efficiency of quantum cryptography systems

Rochester researchers and their collaborators have developed a way to transfer 2.05 bits per photon by using “twisted light.” The new approach doubles the 1 bit per photon that is possible with current systems that rely on light polarization and could help increase the efficiency of quantum cryptography systems.

topics: Institute of Optics, Materials Science Program, photonics, research finding, Robert Boyd, School of Arts and Sciences,