We spotlight the scholarly and service contributions of URochester community members to their fields. If you have news to share about a faculty or staff member, student, or department/unit that has recently achieved a significant professional accomplishment or received a prestigious national or international honor, please let us know so we can consider it for a future listing. Recent award recipients include:

• Robert Boyd, a professor of optics and physics, James Druckman, the Martin Brewer Anderson Professor of Political Science, and Maiken Nedergaard, the codirector of the Center for Translational Neuromedicine, have been named to Clarivate’s 2025 list of Highly Cited Researchers.
• Thomas Brown, director of the Institute of Optics and the Mercer Brugler Distinguished Teaching Professor, has been elected as director at large for the 2026–28 term of the Optica Board of Directors.
• Suzanne Karan, professor and vice chair of education in anesthesiology and perioperative medicine, has received the 2026 Parker J. Palmer Courage to Teach Award from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.
• Darren Mueller, an associate professor of musicology at the Eastman School of Music, has been named the winner of the 2025 Award for Excellence in Best Historical Research in Recorded Jazz for At the Vanguard of Vinyl: A Cultural History of the Long-Playing Record in Jazz.
• Duncan Moore, the Rudolf and Hilda Kingslake Emeritus Professor of Optical Engineering at the Institute of Optics, has been named an Optica Honorary Member.

• Henry Philofsky, a fourth-year resident in the Department of Psychiatry, was awarded the 7th Annual Austen Riggs Award for Excellence in Psychotherapy.

• Danae Polsin, a staff scientist at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics and an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, has received the American Physical Society’s 2026 Neil Ashcroft Early Career Award.
• David Turnbull, a scientist at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, was recently selected as an American Physical Society Fellow.

Open to all URochester instructors, this Teaching Center Zoom workshop offers an opportunity for you to join your fellow instructors for an hour of guided reflection and sharing about the successes, surprises, and areas for improvement discovered during the fall semester. Register to attend on Friday, December 5, from noon to 1 p.m.

The fall 2025 UR Medicine EAP Supervisor Series concludes with “Using EAP in Supervision” on Wednesday, December 10, from noon to 1 p.m. This session will provide all managers with an overview of EAP and will also help improve your ability to recognize employees who are having personal problems that are adversely affecting their performance. Search for “EAP Supervisor Series” in MyPath to register.

As part of an ongoing commitment to protecting payment card data and maintaining compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), all faculty and staff involved in handling, processing, or managing payment card information are required to complete the following steps. If you have questions, contact  Merchant_Support@ur.rochester.edu.

1. Complete the annual PCI compliance training. Search for the “What is PCI” training in MyPath and complete the course at your earliest convenience.
2. Review the University’s PCI Policy, which outlines procedures for protecting cardholder data, defines roles and responsibilities, and details safeguards to follow to remain compliant with PCI DSS.

Read the December blog from Behavioral Health Partners to learn how practicing the skill of radical acceptance can help you navigate difficult emotions, reduce rumination, and respond to challenges with greater self-compassion and calm.

Prepare for, respond to, and recover from bouts of IBS or IBD using positive lifestyle changes advised by a personal nurse coach through Well-U. Register to get started and earn $100 upon completion.

Join the Goergen Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence on Friday, December 5, at 11 a.m. for a talk by Caitlin Dreisbach, an assistant professor at the School of Nursing and Goergen-affiliated faculty member, on the All of Us Research Program, exploring how data science can address gaps in reproductive health research and improve maternal outcomes. Attend in person in Wegmans Hall, Room 1400, or via Zoom.

Strong Memorial Hospital’s Building Healthy Children and Baby Love programs help over 120 families by providing home-based support services and promoting positive birth outcomes. Contribute this holiday season by providing them with gift cards so they can shop for toys, activities, books, and other gifts on their own, while still affording household essentials such as diapers, cleaning supplies, and groceries for family meals during the holidays. All gift cards must be received by noon on Wednesday, December 10. Deliver unwrapped gift cards to the Friends of Strong Office, Room 1-1230, open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Receive an extra 10 percent off discounted pricing on in-stock clearance Apple laptops, desktops, and iPads. Receive an additional 25 percent off in-stock Ghostek accessories and Sony ULT Headphones. Discounts are automatically applied at checkout online or in-store. Shop online or in person in the Medical Center (G-7220B) or Rush Rhees Library. Items must be in stock to receive discounts. This offer ends December 12.

The University is exploring ways to make its website easier to use and is working with a third-party company to conduct testing. You’re invited to participate—your input will help create a website that best supports the University’s mission. In this short online activity, you’ll be given different scenarios and asked how you might use a website to find specific information.

Your answers will be used only to improve the website. No personal information will be collected or shared. If you have questions, contact digitalcomms@rochester.edu.

Students can take a break from studying at Destress Fest today, December 3, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Welles-Brown Room, Rush Rhees Library.

The Student Fellowships Office hosts a Fulbright 101 information session, in person and virtually, on Thursday, December 4.

CASC 104: Designing Your Life offers students the chance to make sense of the resources and opportunities available to them at URochester, so they can begin crafting career options that reflect their interests, experiences, and goals. Sign up through UR Student.

Horticulture and Grounds has been recognized with a Sustainable Winter Management certification for improvements to de-icing walkways and roads at the University, using data-based methods to reduce environmental impact while maintaining safe outdoor spaces.

The Green Reps program is growing, and the Sustainability Office wants to hear from you. Faculty and staff focus group participants are needed to complete some activities on their own time over a one-month period and attend a group session to discuss the program. Participants are expected to spend no more than four hours total as part of the focus group.