A match between Optics and Physics, the Photon Cup features undergraduate students, graduate students and faculty from each department in a friendly rivalry to name the best department of the year.

And, while Physics might have thought their knowledge of buckminster fullerenes would lead them to the win, the control of this particular soccer “buckyball” proved too much. Perhaps it was one group of atoms they couldn’t control with much “coherence.”

Optics triumphed over the department 4-3, coming back from a 3-0 half-time deficit. After some tactical adjustments at halftime, Optics went into an “excited state” and was able to control the run of play in the second half.

By all accounts Steve Gillmer of Optics was athlete of the match, scoring twice. One goal was a brilliant 30-yard half-volley.

Physics has yet to hoist the Cup with Optics winning the past 2 years and the first contest ending in a draw.

Watch Highlights from the 2012 Photon Cup

With bright blue t-shirts reading Stop. Ask. Clarify., organizers of the conference Survivor to Thriver: Confronting Sexual Assault on Campus spread a message of support and empowerment for survivors of sexual assault and gender violence. The conference, held on Tuesday, April 2, and Wednesday, April 3, gave participants the opportunity to hold difficult but critical conversations about sexual assault. More than 80 University of Rochester students, faculty, staff, and community members came together during the conference, which included a series of lectures, workshops, and panel discussions.

Catherine Cerulli, director of the University’s Susan B. Anthony Center for Women’s Leadership, one of the sponsoring organizations, said one purpose of the conference was to demystify the process survivors go through after an assault. “It’s important that they are making decisions based on knowledge and not on fear,” she said. Cerulli noted that discussing the many services in the community designed to help survivors can encourage them to reach out and break their silence.

On Tuesday evening, more than 40 participants attended a screening of the film Not My Life, which kicked off the conference. Narrated by Glenn Close, the film depicts the scourge of human trafficking on a global scale, taking viewers into a world where millions of children are exploited through practices including forced labor, sex tourism, and child soldiering.

University President Joel Seligman began Wednesday’s daylong series of events by offering remarks about the importance of combatting sexual violence, an area he said is of “fundamental importance” to the campus community. After expressing his gratitude to those who organized and supported the conference, Seligman said, “As a former law school dean who supported domestic violence clinics at two different law schools, I have been exposed first hand to the horror of sexual violence. I join those in our community who wish to take all appropriate steps to prevent sexual assault.”

Read President Seligman’s Full Remarks

During the conference’s keynote address, former Division III student-athlete Maggie Maloy shared her personal story of recovery after an assault. As Maloy recounted her attack, which occurred when she was 15 years old, she interwove stories of her healing process, turning what was “without question the most terrifying time” of her life into an inspiring story of empowerment, forgiveness, and advocacy. During her presentation, which she has delivered on college campuses around the country, she told audience members of the importance of taking control of how you respond to moments of trauma. “You have to pull strength from within,” she said. “You have to acknowledge what’s happened, but focus on what you can empower.”

A panel discussion followed the keynote address, which included representatives from University Security, University Counseling Center, Rape Crisis Service, Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Services, and the District Attorney’s Office. Panelists helped demystify the process by walking audience members through the many steps survivors can take after an assault, including medical examinations, interviews with law enforcement officials, and discussions with rape crisis counselors.

Activities moved to Wilson Commons in the afternoon, where attendees had the opportunity to view posters featuring ongoing efforts to prevent and respond to gender violence, while community and campus organizations shared information about their services in “Caring Circles.” Participants also had the chance to speak one-on-one with Maloy and panelists from the morning session. Two lectures delivered by English Professor David Bleich and Rev. Dr. C. Denise Yarbrough, director of Religious and Spiritual Life, rounded out the conference program.

The conference was made possible through the financial support of co-sponsors including Susan B. Anthony Center for Women’s Leadership, University Intercessor, UHS Health Promotion Office, Equal Opportunity Compliance Office, The College, Office of the Dean of Students, Athletics and Recreation, University Health Service, Rochester Center for Community Leadership, Susan B. Anthony Institute, Communal Principles Project (CPP), Greater Rochester Association of Women Attorneys, Graduate Organizing Group (GOG), Women’s Caucus, University of Rochester Pride Network, UR Cinema Group, and Southside Hall Council. Supporters also include Panhellenic Association, Multicultural Greek Council, GlobeMed, Monroe County District Attorney’s Office, University Security, Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Services, University Counseling Center, Rape Crisis, Monroe County Sheriff Office, Rochester Police Department, and Sexual Health Advocacy Group (SHAG).

Photos and video courtesy of Brandon Vick and Dawn Wendt, University Communications.

Former University of Rochester students Catie Hilliard ’10  and Katrina Furth ’10 recently saw two research papers written during their undergraduate studies published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition and Frontiers in Psychology. Working with Florian Jaeger, Wilmot Assistant Professor in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Furth and Hilliard examined how word choice is affected by phonological overlap, or how the sounds of words affect how we choose them in everyday conversation.

Furth became interested in the field of brain and cognitive sciences because she wanted to research psychiatric disorders and how the brain creates perceptions and thoughts. “I was inspired by a family member who dealt with episodes of mental illness to understand how normal brains work and develop in the hopes that we may be able to prevent serious mental illness someday,” she explained.  

As an undergraduate student working part time at Tim Horton’s, Furth sought out undergraduate research opportunities in the hopes of doing something with her summer that was more meaningful and relevant to her studies. She was referred to Michael Tanenhaus, who hired her to create videos that would be used in psycholinguistics experiments.

For one of her projects, Furth worked with Susan Cook to study people’s gestures as they described videos to their friends. “As we were making the videos, I noticed that people were using the verbs ‘hand’ and ’give’ at different frequencies to describe videos in which one character passes a gift or a hat to another character.”

This is where the idea for their project was born. “Dr. Jaeger had just joined the University and I started discussing my idea with him. He offered to continue paying me to figure out what was going on,” she said. “I was particularly curious to know if people avoided repeating the same initial syllables if they had the choice. No one knew whether people naturally avoided tongue twisters, though.”

The initial goal of the project was to examine if people avoid phonological overlaps (“hand hammer,” for example) when planning sentences. The project quickly expanded to include word order, speech rate, and fluency to see if people “strategically” avoid sentence constructions that may make them less fluent. “One idea that always really excited me was that we could make these choices without consciously thinking them through – people speak at about 3 syllables per second and so we certainly were not stopping to choose the best words,” she explains. “I was also really excited by the idea that information about how words will be produced can affect things that we think of as getting planned early – you choose your words and the sentence structure before you retrieve all of the sounds, right? Well, the whole premise of this work was that the sounds of words are getting accessed so early that they are affecting which words even get chosen, and in which order you produce those words.”

VIDEO: See a video clip used in the research study

Furth was tasked with designing the experiment, creating the videos that would be used to test the subjects, recruiting and testing subjects, and instructing other undergraduates on how to annotate the collected utterances. Once the data was collected, Furth sought Jaeger’s help to calculate statistics on word frequency. “I learned a great deal about experiment design and data analysis by working on this project. Since I had never designed an experiment before, I made a lot of mistakes at the beginning, but the biggest piece that I learned about experiments is that one extra hour of planning before you start can save 40 hours of careful analysis at the end of the experiment.” Jaeger, Furth, and Hilliard found that speakers are less likely to choose words that result in phonological overlap, and that this tendency is based on early effects on lexical selection rather than later corrective processes.

About a year and a half into the project, Hilliard joined the team as they began to design more experiments looking at word order and fluency when the words shared similar endings instead of similar onsets. “That was the most fun/weird part of it — having an idea in your head and trying to come up with a way to test it,” Hilliard said.

Hilliard had been on track to complete a major in linguistics, but after a family member experienced a stroke which resulted in a loss of nearly all language abilities, she became increasingly interested in brain and cognitive sciences. “Suddenly, all of these cognitive processes that I had taken for granted seemed so complex and laborious. I wanted to learn more about cognition, how it develops, and the neural structure underlying these abilities.”

Hilliard combined her interests to pursue a concentration in psycholinguistics within the BCS department. After taking a psycholinguistics class with Jaeger, she worked as an assistant in his lab for the summer. This experience with the research process led her to join Furth and Jaeger’s project for the following year.

Both Furth and Hilliard refer to their research with Jaeger as one of the most valuable experiences of their undergraduate career. “I was particularly blessed to have an opportunity to pursue my own research idea as an undergraduate, present the work at international conferences, and be an author on multiple manuscripts,” Furth says. “My mentor, Florian, also sent me to the Yucatan peninsula to help collect data working with native Mayan speakers. These were once-in-a-lifetime experiences as I navigated the world in Spanish and attempted to do basic research in rare languages.”

Furth said the research experiences were pivotal in the graduate school admission process. “I believe that these experiences, and the letters of recommendations that came from them, were the major reason that I was accepted by 12 of 14 graduate schools to which I applied.”

Hilliard has similarly positive things to say about her experience. “Before I had even realized I wanted to continue doing research in graduate school, working in a lab gave me a sense of responsibility and independence that I didn’t always feel for my classwork,” she said. “I became really invested in the projects I was working on. I thought about them a lot, and learned how to communicate my research ideas to other people.”

Like Furth, Hilliard said that conducting research as an undergraduate prepared her for graduate school. “I felt confident in my abilities, and continued to feel supported by Florian, Katrina, and other members of the lab. When I applied for admission, several lab members shared their own experiences and advice, and I ended up in the best program for my research interests.”

Jaeger also emphasized the importance of having Furth and Hilliard in his lab. “Katrina was the first RA I hired six years ago. It was wonderful having Caitie and Katrina in the lab, I got lucky,” he says. “I hope that the University will continue to expand their support for undergraduate research and that we can strike a balance between providing research opportunities for undergraduates and all the other responsibilities of faculty. I think it’s one of the most appealing properties of a place like Rochester that you can actually get your feet wet and get involved in research.”

Katrina Furth (Pictured top right with Professor Florian Jaeger) is now enrolled in the Graduate Program for Neuroscience at Boston University, and is working at the National Institutes of Health with Dr. Andres Buonanno. She is examining the role of the dopamine D4 receptor in modulating cognitive ability and neural network oscillations called gamma rhythms. “Children with an allelic variant of the D4 receptor are more likely to have ADHD and many antipsychotic medications target this receptor as well as others. I am recording from individual neurons using patch-clamp electrophysiology.”

Caitie Hilliard (pictured bottom left) received the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship for her work with Dr. Susan Cook, a full scholarship for three years of graduate study in the University of Iowa Psychology department under Dr. Cook, a former Post-Doc at the University of Rochester. Hilliard is studying the role of hand gesture in communication, focusing on how speakers modulate their gestures based on the shared information they have with their listeners. She has run two studies examining how speakers’ gestures change when they know that their listener lacks task-relevant information, and is currently investigating how the listeners’ perception of these gestures affects their own cognition.

Article written by Blake Silberberg, an intern with University Communications and a member of the Piggies. He is a senior majoring in political science.

The University of Rochester has partnered with nine peer institutions to establish a consortium to explore a new, for-credit, online course program called Semester Online. The consortium is working with the company 2U (formerly known as 2tor), which was created in 2008 to develop for-credit online courses.

“As a leading research university, Rochester has a responsibility to shape and define the use of technology to enrich the academic experience for our students,” said Robert Clark, dean of the Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and interim senior vice president for research. “This partnership allows us to explore the creation of online learning initiatives with peer institutions that share our mission of delivering education of the highest quality.”

VIDEO: Prof. John Covach Talks Semester Online with Marketplace

VIDEO: Undergrads Share Reaction with 13WHAM-TV

The other consortium members are Brandeis University, Duke University, Emory University, Northwestern University, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Notre Dame, Vanderbilt University, Wake Forest University, and Washington University in St. Louis.

The program is intended to offer academically qualified students an expanded selection of course offerings from some of the country’s most prestigious institutions while giving them the freedom to work, travel, participate in off-campus research programs, or manage personal commitments as they pursue their academic goals. More information about Semester Online courses and the application process will likely be available in early 2013.

Semester Online is one of many approaches Rochester is considering in terms of online education. For the last several months, a University-wide taskforce led by Clark has been assessing the current and future use of technology and digital media in the classroom from traditional, to web-facilitated, to blended courses, to full online.

“Rochester’s interest in online education rests in how it can leverage technology to build connectivity between students and faculty, and how it can develop and enhance the educational experience broadly,” Clark said.

Rochester’s nomination to the list was based on a number of factors, including both the quality and quantity of vegan options available to students on campus as well as feedback from students on the receptiveness and creativity of dining staff. SAVVY and Team Green are two groups on campus whose efforts have helped the University increase its vegan options. Team Green, in partnership with SAVVY, UHS, and Dining Services, was instrumental in organizing Meatless Mondays, while SAVVY has worked with Dining Services on initiatives including the Vegan Zone, consistent vegan soups, and various featured dishes. Check out some of SAVVY’s favorite vegan and vegetarian dishes here or for questions about the vegan/vegetarian lifestyle or vegan/vegetarian dining at Rochester, email Campus Nutritionist Christina Patterson at patterson-christina@aramark.com.

With presidential election preparations in full swing, on-campus political groups are getting their share of the limelight. Local Rochester news station WROC-TV News 8 featured both the College Republicans and the College Democrats as they gathered to watch their party’s National Convention.

On Thursday, August 30, the College Republicans held an event to celebrate Mitt Romney’s acceptance of the Republican nomination. The News 8 report featured interviews with several of the club’s officers including Trevor Parke ’14, Jaclyn Reinhart ’14, and Kelly Kasle ’14 about their reaction to Romney’s speech and candidacy. Students cited concerns about the economy and Obama’s health care plan as motivators for their support of Romney in the upcoming election.

Not to be outdone, the College Democrats held their own event Thursday, September 6, to view the Democratic National Convention, where President Obama accepted the party’s nomination. According to the News 8 segment, more than 50 students attended the event. The students discussed legislation supported by Obama that has positively affected their lives, including the Affordable Health Care Act and financial aid legislation. The clip featured Interviews with students Andrew Cutillo ’13, president of the College Democrats, club member Jenny Hansler ’15, and Anthony Salazar ’15.

Rochester’s thriving partisan organizations offer opportunities for students on both the red and blue sides of the November election. Additionally, students who would like to be involved in a non-partisan political organization can apply to be part of the Committee for Political Engagement (previously R’ World, R’ Vote), supported by the Rochester Center for Community Leadership.

Erica Messner ’12(T5) is an intern in University Communications. Messner, who majored in political science and music, was a member of the Urban Fellows Class of 2010 and also served as an Election Fellow, also a RCCL program.

Photo Credit: Emilien Auneau via Stock.XCHNG at http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1262660.

VIDEO: No Jackets Required Presents Beatlemania

This was a show that saw No Jackets Required return to its roots. When the student organization launched in 2007, the inaugural show also was a tribute to the British rock band, where musicians performed the legendary Magical Mystery Tour album in its entirety. In recent years, the group has collaborated with several campus performance groups, including UR Hip Hop, Off Broadway On Campus, and UR Swing Dance Club, to present an array of musical styles in an effort to strengthen the University’s music community.

“Our goal is to spread the performance and appreciation of popular music,” said Andrew Brink ’14, business manager for No Jackets Required. “By presenting popular music as performance art, we’ve been able to find really creative ways of bringing together musicians from around campus.”

This year’s concert featured three sets, the first of which took audience members through the Beatles’ earlier sound, including such Beatlemania classics as Please Please Me, A Hard Day’s Night, and We Can Work it Out.  The second set was devoted to the band’s groundbreaking psychedelic era, sampling heavily from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Magical Mystery Tour, and the eponymous White Album. For the final set, musicians aimed to “Come Together” and reproduced the entire Abbey Road medley, as well as other choice cuts from that iconic album.

Because of the complicated harmonies that occur in several of the numbers, two back-up singers accompanied each lead singer, in addition to traditional rock instruments, including guitars, bass, and drums. Orchestral instruments including trombones and trumpets replicated the horn arrangements heard on several of the albums and select songs featured the unique sound of melodicas and kazoos. In addition to the three larger sets, acoustic interludes such as Blackbird and Yesterday maintained the show’s momentum.

Brink was optimistic that the concert would provide both the University and Greater Rochester community with a venue for music appreciation. “This show was a strong candidate to blend those worlds together,” he explained. “We’re excited that it brought people together to celebrate one of the greatest and most influential bands to ever have existed.”

For additional information about No Jackets Required, visit them on Facebook or email nojacketsrequired@gmail.com.

Article written by Melissa Greco Lopes, editor of The Buzz and student life publicist in University Communications.

Photo courtesy of No Jackets Required.

In the video, released on Wednesday, March 7, popular all-male campus a cappella group, the Midnight Ramblers, rap in more than 20 locations, including the iconic Rush Rhees Library, I.M. Pei-designed Wilson Commons, and Rochester’s underground subway tunnel. The video’s chorus promises “one hundred percent reason you remember our name.”

“We wanted high school students to see the many options available,” said Satyajit Dattagupta, director of enrollment communications, who initiated the concept. “The music video captures the energy, enthusiasm, and creativity here.”

Admissions counselor Michael Shea ’09, ’11W (MS) lent his talents as an amateur lyricist, drawing on his own experiences in Rochester courses including History of Jazz, taught by senior presidential advisor and University Dean Paul Burgett, and an address from energy secretary and Nobel physics laureate Steven Chu ’70. Incorporating Rochester’s flexibility for students to build their own curriculum and its place on Kaplan’s 2007 “25 New Ivies” list made for an unusual rap challenge.

Along the way, Shea hoped high school students also will catch pop culture references like the Kardashian sisters and unique slices of Rochester life. “If we could have made it even better, we would see Alec Baldwin shopping with his mother,” Shea joked, referencing local ads from regionally-headquartered grocery giant Wegmans.

Shea’s collaborators included in-house videographer Chris Niswonger, who selected showcase University and city locations that would resonate with students. “You can watch it over and over again and learn something new,” Niswonger said. “If someone doesn’t know about the University, they can dig deeper and get a different experience each time.”

Noah Berg ’12, the general manager for the Ramblers, blended Shea’s lyrics with a derivative interpretation of Fort Minor’s Remember the Name. The fast rap at 2:14 shows Aaron Michalko ’14 riffing in real time from an Admissions Office brochure.

“We were reading the facts sheet and it just flowed,” Michalko, a native of Canandaigua, N.Y., explained. “What you hear is nearly verbatim.”

“The video was a way for us to spread our passion for the University musically and explain why it’s awesome to come here,” explained Jared Suresky ’12, a Ramblers soloist. “It adds spice and flare to Rochester. I think Mike and Chris fused that message.”

Added Shea, “We want proud alumni to say, ‘That’s where I went to college.’ ”

Article written by Melissa Greco Lopes, editor of The Buzz and student life publicist in University Communications. Photos courtesy of the Office of Admissions.

See Rocky in Action

In the next month, watch out for the Grassroots RecycleMania team, who will be randomly handing out prizes to those they see recycling during the competition. Check out RecycleMania on Facebook!

RecycleMania is sponsored by Grassroots, the University of Rochester’s premier environmental action and awareness group. The organization strives to act on behalf of a sustainable future and to raise awareness of the collective and individual responsibilities as stewards of the Earth and its natural environment.

Like Grassroots on Facebook or visit their page on the Campus Club Connection!

Video and photo are courtesy of Grassroots.

“We were looking for an event that could bring the campus community together in a fun way,” said Nicholas Lewandowski, a member of the council who has been organizing the attempt since the summer. “We knew that we wanted to set a record, because no class council has done that before, and we thought the taco record was something we could break.”

Video, Photos Tell a Tale of Tacos

More than 50 students and staff lined up 1,036 soft shells side-by-side, smashing the  current record of 853 tacos, held by Michigan State University. The 1,000 plus tacos required 20 pounds of chicken, 20 pounds of lettuce, 20 pounds of cheese, and 20 pounds of re-fried beans.

While organizers are still waiting for the results to be confirmed by officials at Guinness, they are confident that the variety of methods they used to document the attempt, including video, photographs, and witness testimonials, will help secure the record.

See news coverage from 13WHAM-TV, YNN, and the Henrietta Post

All of the food items needed for the attempt, which were given to students and staff to enjoy as a part of Wilson Commons Wednesdays, were compliments of Aramark, the University’s food service provider.