Thanks to civic leader Abby Bennett and Memorial Art Gallery and University Trustee Doug Bennett ’06S (MBA), and the Sands Family Foundation, the museum is halfway to its goal of offering free admission to everyone who walks through its doors. As part of For Ever Better: The Campaign for the University of Rochester, the Bennetts and the Sands Family Foundation have given $3 million to support permanent free access—and invite others to join their challenge. Read more about the gift and how to get involved.

Led by an international collaboration of researchers—including Dora Biro, the Beverly Petterson Bishop and Charles W. Bishop Professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences—new field observations of wild chimpanzees’ changing tool use suggest evolutionary origins of Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders.

During open enrollment, you can elect or boost your Group Universal Life insurance by 1x your annual salary—no health questions required. Eligible participants can secure coverage up to the lesser of six times their salary or $1,000,000 without proof of good health. For more information and to explore your options, visit Securian’s educational microsite.

The exhibition Frontiers of Impressionism: Paintings from the Worcester Art Museum
opens Sunday, November 2, at the Memorial Art Gallery.

All are invited to attend “America the Beautiful,” a Hopeman Memorial Carillon concert, on Sunday, November 2, from 2 to 3 p.m. Bring seating to listen from the Eastman Quadrangle or stream the concert live. Visitor parking is free in the Library Lot. This concert honors faculty, staff, students, alumni, and families who have served in the US Armed Forces.

The Veterans Recognition Ceremony takes place on Tuesday, November 4, beginning at 7:30 a.m. in the Sarah Flaum Atrium, School of Medicine and Dentistry. Hosted by the Office of University Engagement and Enrichment, this event honors faculty, staff, students, alumni, and families who have served in the US Armed Forces. Register to attend.

First-Gen Week kicks off with a day celebrating first-generation students. All are invited to attend the event in Hirst Lounge, Wilson Commons, on Tuesday, November 4, from 1 to 3 p.m.

In a webinar on Friday, November 7, from noon to 1 p.m., David Linehan, senior vice president for health sciences, CEO of the Medical Center, and dean of the School of Medicine and Dentistry, will focus on his vision for the Medical Center and the future of medical education at URochester. Register to attend the webinar. If you missed the webinar with Steve Dewhurst, vice president for research, you can read a recap here.

The annual Sex and Chocolate Carnival on Friday, October 31, provides students with safer sex supplies, information on campus and community resources, and more.

The New York Times, October 30

“We’re not talking about new genes,” says Andrei Seluanov, a dean’s professor of biology. That finding raises the possibility that similar changes could be reproduced in humans to extend our own healthy life span. “We need to just tweak our system a little bit to resemble what we’ve found in naked mole rats or bowhead whales.”

Seluanov led the study with Very Gorbunova, the Doris Johns Cherry Professor in the Department of Biology. Read more about the research.