Welcome to the latest SAS In Focus, a newsletter that reports what’s happening in the School of Arts and Sciences.

In this edition, you will learn about a new global connection, Rochester research in the national spotlight and much more.

 

Rochester and Finland just grew a little closer.

Rector Marjo Kaartinen from the University of Turku  traveled to the University of Rochester recently to discuss opportunities for collaboration.

During a daylong visit on April 14, Kaartinen met with faculty and representatives from the School of Arts and Sciences, Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Simon Business School, School of Medicine and Dentistry, School of Nursing, and the Office for Global Engagement to discuss current initiatives and future opportunities for collaboration.

The visit culminated with a memorandum of understanding to formalize a partnership and commitment to global academic exchange and research.

Learn more about the University’s global connections.

 

Gretchen Helmke, a political science professor whose research focuses on the rule of law and democratic erosion in the United States and Latin America, has been named a Guggenheim Fellow for 2025.

The fellowships, among the most prestigious awards in academia and artistic communities, provide support to outstanding scholars and artists in midcareer, allowing them to pursue their work without restrictions.

“I am deeply honored to receive the Guggenheim Fellowship this year and so grateful for the opportunity to be able to pursue my latest research project, which focuses on the increasingly common and polarizing phenomenon of prosecuting former political leaders,” says Helmke, the Thomas H. Jackson Distinguished University Professor of Political Science.

Helmke was one of 198 scholars and artists across 53 fields to be recognized this year from a pool of 3,500 applicants, according to the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.

Read more about Guggenheim Fellow Gretchen Helmke.

 

Research by Rochester scientists made the national spotlight twice in April thanks to coverage by the U.S. National Science Foundation.

“Tiny lenses grown from bacteria and enzymes may help doctors see inside cells”  highlights how a  team of  researchers—including scientists from the University of Rochester, University of Colorado–Boulder, Delft University of Technology, and Leiden University—successfully made self-growing microlenses using bacteria and enzymes found in sea sponges.

“This research is the first to engineer light-focusing properties into bacteria cells, and I am excited to explore the different possibilities that our work has opened up,” says  Anne S. Meyer, an associate professor in Rochester’s Department of Biology.

Also on the NSF website, the article “Atmospheric winds have surprising impact on ocean weather” highlights Rochester research, published in Nature Communications, that explains how atmospheric wind affects eddies, an ocean weather phenomena of spinning ocean currents.

“Our theory and findings provide a roadmap for incorporating interactions between winds and ocean eddies into operational and long-term forecasting,” according to Hussein Aluie in the NSF article.  Aluie, a coauthor on the paper, is a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Department of Mathematics, and senior scientist at the University’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics.

 

Four Rochester students—Maria Ahmed ’26, Wimeth Dissanayake ’26, Aashay Mardikar ’26, and Marvin Wu ’26—have been selected as 2025 Barry Goldwater Scholars.

The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program honors exceptional undergraduate students across the United States interested in pursuing research careers in the sciences, engineering, and mathematics.

“Even after 25 years, Rochester’s Goldwater Scholars never fail to impress me with their relentless commitment to excellence in all their pursuits, their passion for inquiry and discovery, and their determination to achieve something great for the benefit of humanity through their scientific endeavors,” says Belinda Redden, director of fellowships at Rochester.

Read more about this year’s Goldwater Scholars, or peek at the list of our previous winners.

 

The University is launching UR Essentials, a program in partnership with Barnes & Noble that ensures undergraduate students receive all required textbooks and course materials before the first day of class.

Instead of buying books separately, the cost for undergraduates is now covered through tuition—no more surprise expenses. Physical books will be bundled for easy pickup, and digital materials will be available on Blackboard. Be on the lookout for an email from Barnes & Noble confirming your courses and method of delivery later this summer.

Faculty continue to select the best materials for their courses, and all formats and publishers are supported. To guarantee timely delivery, faculty should submit their course material selections to the bookstore by May 15.

 

University of Rochester’s annual Day of Giving has arrived and with it a chance to support the areas of the University that are important to you. Also, Day of Giving challenges and matches help your donation make an even greater impact.

Check out the challenges supporting the School of Arts and Sciences:

1. When 250 donors make a gift to any School of Arts & Sciences fund, Interim Dean Duje Tadin will contribute $7,500 to the School of Arts & Sciences Annual Fund.
2. The Friends of the UR Libraries will match all gifts directed to the Middle English Text Series (METS) fund, up to $2,000.
3. When 40 donors make a gift to Mt. Hope Family Center on the Day of Giving, Executive Director Jennie Noll will contribute $1,500.
4. Alumni Daniel Cohn ’12 and Heather Moynihan ’93 will match every gift to the Nancy Perini Chin Community Impact Internship Fund 2:1, up to $20,000.

Explore more ways you can make donations, including the One Rochester Faculty & Staff Campaign, by visiting the Day of Giving.

 

Send your SAS in Focus news tips to Sheila Rayam, director of marketing and communications for the School of Arts and Sciences, 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.