After a brief hiatus, SAS In Focus is back and ready to report what’s happening in the School of Arts & Sciences. In this edition, read updates from the dean, meet the new director of marketing and communications for SAS, discover an alumni on the move, and much more. 

 

The arrival of spring symbolizes a new beginning. So it seems only fitting that with the arrival of April, we bring back SAS in Focus with its new editor, Sheila Rayam.

Sheila recently joined our team as the Director of Marketing and Communications for the School of Arts & Sciences. In her new role, she will help SAS achieve its strategic goals, including sharing our story of groundbreaking research and educational excellence.

You’ll learn more about Sheila in today’s newsletter, and in the coming weeks she’ll be making the rounds of departments to meet faculty, staff, and students in person.

Spring is also the peak time for admissions activity on campus. Our admissions team has extended offers to a strong pool of high school students, and many of these students will be visiting the campus, either individually or as part of one of our Yellowjacket Experience Days (March 30, April 5, 15 & 18). This is a good time to say hello, welcome prospective students to campus, and ask them about their plans. Both students and their parents will be eager to learn about the many opportunities our school and university have to offer.

For faculty who would like to be more directly involved in the Yellowjacket Experience, please contact Amy Fisher (afish21@ur.rochester.edu) for additional information.

Duje Tadin

 

Learning a new job can be nerve-racking. It can also be fun, and that is exactly what I am having as the new director of marking and communications for the School of Arts & Sciences. As I settle in, I’ll connect with departments across SAS to discuss how we will spotlight the research, people and great things happening in Rochester’s largest school.

Here are three things to know about me.

1.  I have more than three decades of journalism experience. Most recently, I was the Executive Editor of The Buffalo News. I spent the bulk of my reporting and editing career at the Democrat and Chronicle and worked briefly at USA Today.  Two of my favorite interviews were with the late Rep. Louise Slaughter and gospel singer Cece Winans.
2.  I’m a graduate of Buffalo State College (now Buffalo State University), where I earned a bachelor’s in journalism. In 2024, I received the Distinguished Alumnus Award and was honored to give the School of Arts and Sciences Commencement Address at my alma mater.  That day remains the proudest moment of my life.
3. I’m a Rochester native, a graduate of Edison Tech, and the youngest of the eight children of the late Stella and Oscar Rayam Jr. Our family home was on Elmwood Avenue, across the street from Genesee Valley. Fun fact: As a child, I often rode my bike past the River Campus to visit Empire Comics. The University of Rochester was a part of my life long before I joined the staff.

Feel free to reach out to me with questions –  or just to say hello- at sheila.rayam@rochester.edu.

 

What does the future hold for free speech?

Professor David Primo will talk with former ACLU President Nadine Strossen about the future of free speech on college campuses in the United States and around the world at 7 p.m. April 14 at Wegmans Hall,1400, 250 Hutchinson Road.

A moderated Q&A is also planned for this event that is open to University of Rochester students, faculty and staff. The event is co-sponsored by the Politics and Markets Project at the University of Rochester and Voices for Liberty at George Mason University.

For more information, go to the event page.  For accommodations, contact Professor Primo at david.primo@rochester.edu.

 

University of Rochester alum Karl Mueller has been named the new director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames National Laboratory, operated by Iowa State University.

Mueller, who earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry at Rochester in 1985, begins his tenure at Ames National Laboratory on June 1. According to the announcement about the appointment, prior to being named the new director,  Mueller has served as the director of the Program Development Office for the Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate (PCSD) at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland, Washington since 2021.

Read more about the appointment and Mueller on the Ames website.

 

Art is in bloom inside the Dean’s suite in the School of Arts & Sciences.

“Mandarin Blossom of the South I and II” by artist and doctoral student Renee Yu Jin Renee now hang on a wall just inside the SAS entrance in Lattimore Hall. Jin was on hand recently to assist with the installation of her creation made of stainless steel, spray chrome, paper-mache, hand coloring, and bronze.

Learn more about Jin’s work

 

A paper by University of Rochester scientists, has been awarded the Cozzarelli Prize by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Eye Blinks as a Visual Processing Stage, authored by Michele Rucci, a professor in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, and graduate students Bin Yang and Janis Intoy, was awarded the Biological Sciences honor for the research that found that blinking plays a pivotal role in allowing our brains to process visual information.

“This work represents years of effort, from formulating hypotheses to testing experimental predictions,” said Rucci. “It stands as a testament to the dedication of the first author, Bin Yang, a graduate student in the laboratory, whose hard work was instrumental in bringing this study to completion. I am grateful for this recognition of our work.”

The annual Cozarrelli Prize is awarded to six research teams whose PNAS articles have made outstanding contributions to their field.

Learn more about why blinking is so important.

 

We’re live! “Make the World Ever Better,” Rochester’s first-ever enterprise marketing campaign, has launched.

The initiative developed by the University Marketing and Communications team is designed to elevate the University’s national and global profile, raise awareness, and deepen the understanding of who the University is, what it stands for, and how it’s unique.

Check out the “Make the World Ever Better” playbook for a detailed overview of the campaign strategy, creative activations, and what you can expect to see in the months ahead. You can also find additional information here, including a social media toolkit with a guide and images for social use.

 

Another successful Graduate Research Day is in the books.

Hosted by Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs, the event on March 28 featured 10-minute research talks, professional development workshops, and a research poster symposium.

Congratulations to the School of Arts & Sciences students who won awards in the following categories:

Best Research Talk:

Sumana Roy, Geoscience. Exploring the phosphorus content of the pre-4 Ga terrestrial crust. 

Best Humanities/Social Sciences Poster:

Qingzhi Ruby Zeng, Brain and Cognitive Sciences.  Prosodic and other paralinguistic features of speech differ across social contexts and roles.

Best Natural Sciences Poster:

Alana Huynh, Chemistry, Engineering. Cytochromes c of Different Organisms for Hydrogen Evolution.

Noah Reger, Biology. Deconvoluting the function of Anp32e in H2A.Z-dependent gene activity using fruit flies.

Braden Weight, Physics and Astronomy. Cavity Quantum Electrodynamics Enables para- and ortho- Selective Electrophilic Bromination of Nitrobenzene.

 

Send your SAS in Focus news tips to Director of Marketing and Communications Sheila Rayam at sheila.rayam@rochester.edu. Let her know about unique research, awards, publications, community collaborations and other interesting news. Please put “SAS in Focus” in the subject heading.