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

In this edition, we’ll spotlight newly funded research, faculty accolades and more.

 

 

Kat Sirico, a lecturer in dance production and lighting design at the University of Rochester, is being remembered for the excitement, organization, and creativity they brought to the world of dance.

Sirico died in an accident at Jacob’s Pillow, a national historic festival, training, and archival center for dance in Becket, Massachusetts, where they worked as a production manager.

“Whether the dance artists they worked with were well-known professionals in the field, faculty, or students, Kat was just as excited about the creative process, about the experimentation, and about making the dances come to life in multi-dimensional ways,” says Missy Pfohl Smith, the director of Rochester’s Program of Dance and Movement.

“Their lighting designs and production support were filled with that love and care, and they were equally as passionate about designing a dance production curriculum for our students that would prepare them for a career in dance.”

Read the full remembrance of Kat Sirico.

 

Congratulations to Amanda Larracuente, the Nathaniel and Helen Wisch Professor of Biology. Larracuente has been selected as this year’s recipient of the Society of Molecular Biology and Evolution Mid-Career Excellence Award. The prestigious honor is given to mid-career scientists who are recognized leaders in the field and have a record of truly outstanding research.

Read more about the SMBE 2025 Faculty Award Winners.

 

Congratulations to faculty members who recently secured funding for new research projects:

• Aparajeo Chattopadhyay,  a scientist in the Petrenko lab, and Vasilii Petrenko, professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences received $732,679 from the National Science Foundation for a project titled “Kinetic Isotope Effects in Atmospheric Sinks of Methane.”
• Alison Frontier, a professor in the Department of Chemistry, received $600,000 from the National Science Foundation for a project titled “Development and Characterization of Anomalous Cationic Cyclizations and Rearrangements.”
• Ellen Matson, the Marshall D. Gates, Jr. Professor of Chemistry and professor in the Department of Chemistry, has received  $599,999 for a project titled “CAS: H-atom Uptake and Transfer at the Surface of Vanadium-alkoxide and -carboxylate Clusters.”
• Tolulope Olugboji, an assistant professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, received $383,998 from the National Science Foundation for a project titled “Collaborative Research: Advances in African Crust and Upper Mantle Dynamics from Seismology, Geodesy, and Geodynamics.”

 

Welcome to Cynthia (Cindy) Emling who has joined the University of Rochester as an Sr. HR Business Partner. Emling will be supporting the School of Arts and Sciences, replacing Melissa Holmgaard who will support Academic Excellence and Student Life.

Emling joins the U of R with over 20 years of experience in human resources, across a variety of industries including recent roles at Lewis Services, Five Star Bank and Wegmans Food Markets. Emling has partnered closely with operational and corporate leaders to align HR strategy with business objectives and foster inclusive, thriving cultures.

Her expertise is in employee development, performance management, talent management, and organizational strategy. Emling holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with honors from St. John Fisher University along with a minor in Management and a concentration in Human Resources Management.

She looks forward to partnering with you and supporting our shared mission of helping our people thrive, grow, and deliver their best. She can be reached at cemling@ur.rochester.edu.

 

A new book by Thomas P. Slaughter, Arthur R. Miller Professor Emeritus of History, will reach shelves this fall.

The Sewards of New York: A Biography of a Leading American Political Family, published by Three Hills, an imprint of Cornell University Press, will be published on Oct. 15. William Henry Seward, the family’s most prominent member, was a state senator, governor, US senator, and secretary of state.  Through recently discovered family correspondence, Slaughter unveils the inner lives of the Seward family, tracing their joys and sorrows as the nation grappled with rapid expansion and deepening divisions on its path to the Civil War.

 

Send your 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.