According to the commissioned report “Economic Engine and Community Catalyst,” URochester, UR Medicine, and affiliates are transformative economic forces. Through the analysis of fiscal year 2024 data, the report quantifies the University’s economic footprint and illustrates how it drives prosperity, innovation, and opportunity across the region and state.

A multi-university study led by URochester researchers finds that the demographics of scientists influence public trust and the fate of science-based public policy.

As a reminder, tomorrow we will send the last issue of @Rochester of 2025 before the newsletter takes a short break. If you have anything to share in tomorrow’s issue, please send us the details by noon today. We’ll resume our regular daily schedule on Monday, January 5.

Faculty and staff are invited to the River Campus winter social today, December 18, from 1 to 4 p.m. in Feldman Ballroom, Douglass Commons. Enjoy food and beverages, live music, and raffles.

A new supplier request and onboarding system, Graphite Connect, will launch on January 12. To support the transition, there will be a freeze on new supplier requests from January 1 to 11. Training sessions will begin January 6. Review the full details and training information to learn more about Graphite Connect and the updated process for requesting a supplier for purchases or payments.

Don’t miss the deadline to submit your 2025 flexible spending account (FSA) claims. All eligible expenses incurred in 2025 must be submitted within 120 days after January 1 to be reimbursed. Be sure to file your claims before the deadline to avoid forfeiting unused funds. For more information, visit the Total Rewards website or contact Lifetime Benefit Solutions at (866) 634-6508.

Clinical and Translational Science Institute Codirectors Martin Zand and Karen Wilson urge all faculty members to complete an online survey on their research collaborations. This biennial survey takes ten minutes or less and will help focus efforts to foster team science and support emerging investigators and networks. If you have any questions about the survey, contact Andrew Sherow.

In a recent Leadership Conversation, Rob Alexander, vice provost for enrollment, talks about enrollment strategy during a challenging time for higher education.

Eastman Performing Arts Medicine welcomes Sangmi Kang, an associate professor of music teaching and learning at the Eastman School of Music, and her family to the new music series hosted in the Strong Memorial Hospital’s Interfaith Chapel. The Kang family will share traditional and holiday Korean music today, December 18, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Live music will be hosted in the chapel weekly on Thursdays at 3:30 p.m. for visitors, staff, and patients, and will be streamed live on the hospital’s TV service on Channel 1.

The annual University Student Life Awards, also known as The Rockys, recognize undergraduate students and student organizations that have significantly and positively impacted URochester and surrounding communities through service to others, investment of talent and time, and pursuit of excellence. Nominations are due by Sunday, February 1, at 11:55 p.m. Sponsored by the Office of the Dean of Students.

The Solomon Islands government has officially designated Yato—a 25,000-acre region on Makira Island—as a federally protected conservation area. The designation makes Yato the largest protected forest in the entire country and solidifies the community-driven conservation framework that Al Uy, a Dean’s professor of biology and interim dean of the School of Arts & Sciences, has helped build for two decades.