Antonino Di Piazza, a professor of physics and a distinguished scientist at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, is part of an international team that has been awarded a six-year European Research Council Synergy Grant. Read more about the project.

Engage in this two-day course on Wednesday, December 10, and Thursday, December 11, to discover practical tools to increase your personal and professional effectiveness. After completing the course, participants gain access to Franklin Covey’s All Access Impact Portal, featuring award-winning content on leadership, productivity, change management, coaching, and more.

The request for proposals and online application for the 2026 University Research Awards will be available on Thursday, November 13. The awards provide seed money to enable the development of new, innovative research projects with a high probability of attracting external support in the short term, and further stimulating the research of faculty who have moved beyond research support provided by the University as part of their initial start-up period.

Applications must be received by 5 p.m. on Friday, January 30. Additional details on matching funds, eligibility, the application and review processes, the link to apply on InfoReady, and post-award follow-up requirements will be available here.

Well-U, part of your Total Rewards benefits package, offers eligible University employees the opportunity to earn up to $325 per calendar year by exploring wellness and taking steps toward better health. Check your eligibility and explore the wellness opportunities available to you.

Well-U’s Nutrition and You program allows you to get all of your specific dietary questions answered, in addition to receiving individualized nutritional advice and resources. Save your spot and get the keys to unlock the secret to reaching your wellness goals.

Interested in biking through the winter months? Join the winter biking class to learn about essential equipment for riding in snow and rain. This 15-minute online session will take place today, November 12, from noon to 12:15 p.m. via Zoom. Presented by the Department of Transportation and Logistics.

The Sustainability Office hosts a visit to Waste Management’s High Acres Landfill in Fairport, where much of the University’s waste and all of its compost is received, on Friday, November 14. Learn how landfill operations work with the environment in mind and how methane from waste is converted to energy, observe the composting process, and meet their unique workforce of falcons that help control the seagull population. Transportation is available.

Jens Kipper, an assistant professor of philosophy, presents “Why Vagueness Persists but Doesn’t Proliferate in Natural Language” on Friday, November 14, at 11 a.m. in Wegmans Hall, Room 1400. Learn more about the talk.

Join the NSF Center for Matter at Atomic Pressures for the seminar “Mapping Ultrafast Electron Collisions With an X-Ray Free Electron Laser,” with guest speaker Sam Vinko, a professor of physics at the University of Oxford. Attend via Zoom on Friday, November 14, at 4 p.m. Registration is not required. Email Adriana Cabiedes with questions.

Spend an evening in Mary Ann Mavrinac Studio X connecting Homer’s Odyssey to contemporary film and virtual reality. Learn more about the event and register to attend on Tuesday, November 18, at 5:30 p.m.

Attend a “Todd Talk” conversation with playwright, celebrity comedian, and performer Baron Vaughn, an artist-in-residence at Geva Theatre since 2023. Registration is required to attend via Zoom on Monday, December 1, at 6 p.m.

Sophomore and junior STEM majors can attend an information session with Leo Liang ’26, a 2025 DAAD RISE scholar, on Thursday, November 13, at 1 p.m. in the Greene Career Center, Dewey Hall. No registration is required.

Title IX and Health Promotion host “Destress and Reset: Somatic Processing Workshop” on Friday, November 14, from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Leibner-Cooper Room, Goergen Athletic Center. Find details here.

Congratulations to this year’s recipients of the Goergen Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, who were honored during a ceremony last week. Pictured from left are David Foster, a professor of chemical engineering; Katherine Grzesik, an associate professor of statistics; and Michael Clark, a professor of instruction in the Department of Biology. (University of Rochester photo / Matt Wittmeyer)