Rochester Review • University of Rochester

In the News

“As their gains accumulated, [investors] developed what I have called a ‘house money’ mentality, thinking that the money they had made in the last few years offered a psychological cushion against future losses, much like gamblers who have won some money early in the night feel as they are free to gamble.—Richard Thaler ’74 (PhD) in the Chicago Tribune, explaining some of the “behavior” found in behavioral economics.

Fleming’s Bel Canto Wins Grammy
The latest recording by Renee Fleming ’83E (MM) was a winner at this year’s 45th annual Grammy Awards ceremony hosted by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

Bel Canto, the soprano’s 2002 recording of scenes and arias from operas by Bellini, Donizetti, and Rossini, received the award for best classical vocal performance. The album, recorded with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s under the direction of Patrick Summers, is Fleming’s second to earn a Grammy in the category.

She also won a 1999 Grammy for A Beautiful Voice, featuring selections of arias by Charpentier, Gounod, Massenet, von Flotow, and others.

Composed for A Golden Jubilee
Composer John Weinzweig ’38E (Mas), professor emeritus at the University of Toronto and founder of the Canadian Music Centre in Toronto, was among a select group of Canadians to receive a commemorative medal awarded in honor of the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s ascension to the throne. The Golden Jubilee Medals were presented in 2002 to Canadians who have made “a significant contribution to Canada, their community, or to fellow Canadians.”

Followup: Building for Optics and Biomedical Engineering
The drive to build a 100,000-square-foot building to house new facilities for optics and biomedical engineering (Rochester Review, Winter 2002–03), got off to a $3 million start this winter, thanks to a gift from Charles Munnerlyn ’69 (PhD), a pioneer in laser vision correction. The gift is the largest in the 74-year history of the Institute of Optics.

Considered a founding scientist in a field that now is used on more than 1.4 million eyes a year, Munnerlyn, who earned his doctorate in optics, began developing ideas for using laser surgery to correct eyesight in 1983. In 2001, he was named the Engineer of the Year by Design News magazine.

Followup: Alzheimer’s Patient Dies
Greg Rice ’72 (PhD), a former professor of biology at Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, New York, whose battle with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease was briefly profiled in a story on Rochester-based research into the debilitating disease in the Winter 2002 issue of Rochester Review, died January 19. He was 59. His battle with the disease, including unsuccessful efforts to enroll in experimental studies, was also featured in The New York Times in 2001. Rice was diagnosed with the rare form of early-onset Alzheimer’s in 1997.