Three new positive cases of COVID-19

There are three new cases of COVID-19 to report: two Medical Campus students and one River Campus student. Please note that the University’s COVID-19 Dashboard is updated when a new case is known. Find the latest COVID-19 messages and updates here.

University students: Remember to upload your proof of COVID-19 vaccination to the UHS secure portal.

University faculty and staff: Remember to upload your COVID-19 vaccination status to the faculty and staff vaccine participation form (VPN or on-campus network connection required).

Move-in day staff parking reminder

First-year student move-in day will have a significant impact on campus traffic flow and parking on Thursday, August 19. Valentine Lot, all of Zone 3 South (Park Lot), and the entire length of Intercampus Lot will be needed for the move-in process. Employees who regularly park in these lots will need to park in the AAC Lot, next to Bloch Alumni and Advancement Center, located at 300 East River Road. There will be a shuttle available from this lot from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Any cars left in Zone 3 South at the end of the night on Wednesday, August 18, will be towed to the far end of that lot at the owner’s expense.

For staff parking in Lot 1, the rear entrances and exits from Intercampus Drive to Lot 1 will be closed. You will need to enter and exit through the main lot entrance and the south entrance only.

Medical Center faculty and staff who park in lots accessed off Crittenden and Kendrick Roads are likely to encounter increased traffic on that morning and should adjust their travel times accordingly.

Employees may want to consider working remotely on Thursday, August 19, or take it as a vacation day, to reduce the load on alternative parking and traffic flow. While there are important departmental functions that must be maintained that day, departments are urged to approve vacation requests that will not excessively disrupt their activities. Contact the Parking Management Center at (585) 275-4524 with questions.

Laser fusion experiment unleashes an energetic burst of optimism

The New York Times, August 17

Riccardo Betti, chief scientist at the University’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics and the Robert L. McCrory Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, gave an analogy to how an automobile engine works. “You deliver energy in a very small fraction of the fuel through a spark in the spark plug, and then that energy gets amplified by the combustion of the fuel,” he said. “So, the same thing happened in the Livermore experiment.”

Mindful meditation drop-ins

Do you have 30 minutes for mindfulness in your week? Join every Wednesday from 7 to 8 p.m. EDT for one or both drop-in sessions. The mindfulness practices rotate each week and include formats such as body scans, breath awareness, and mindful movement. No prior meditation experience is necessary. Email Kyle Trenshaw for more information or to be added to the email list.

Career Path Modernization project employee forums

The Career Path Modernization project continues to move forward. To engage the University community, the Office of Human Resources is hosting employee forums to learn more about the project and engage directly with the project leadership team.

Details about the employee forums, including how to register, are available online. Each employee forum will be available for remote participation via Zoom. Following the sessions, a recorded presentation will be made available online.

Complete harassment and discrimination training in MyPath

Online tuition waiver application available for fall 2021

The online employee tuition waiver application is now available in HRMS using the following path: Self Service>Benefits>Tuition>Apply Employee Tuition Waiver. Submit your application within 30 days from the start of your course and it will go directly to your supervisor for approval. As a reminder, postdoctoral associates (093) are now eligible for a 95 percent tuition waiver for two credit-bearing courses per semester or mini-semester. Learn more.

Expanded patient safety course for health care professionals, students

The Department of Public Health Sciences Division of Healthcare Management is offering an expanded patient safety course. The “mini” course is designed for health care professionals, trainees, and students from medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, hospital administration, and health services research, and will meet twice per month from September 9 through January 13. The registration deadline is Wednesday, September 15. For more information and registration materials, visit the quality and safety intranet page. Call (585) 275-7712 or (585) 275-4064, or email judy_hughes@urmc.rochester.edu or rachel_ingham@urmc.rochester.edu with questions.

This year, Wilmot Cancer Institute hosted an internship program in partnership with the Rochester School for the Deaf. Over four weeks, six students met with oncologists, researchers, nursing staff, and others to learn about the field of medicine. Find photos of their experiences on the institute’s Instagram.

• Dr. Chat Bot: Non–Medical Center faculty, staff, and all students | Medical Center employees
• COVID-19 Resource Center | Medical Center’s COVID-19 update page
• Current campus face mask policies
• Faculty and staff vaccine participation form (VPN or on-campus network connection required)
• FAQ on COVID-19 vaccination
• What to do if you or your close contacts have symptoms or have been exposed