As part of For Ever Better: The Campaign for the University of Rochester, University Trustee Emeritus John Bruning ’24 (Honorary), an optics and engineering leader and entrepreneur, and Barbara Bruning, a business and community leader, have committed $10 million to establish an endowed deanship. In the spring, following approval from the Board of Trustees, Wendi Heinzelman will be officially named the inaugural John and Barbara Bruning Dean for the Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences.

Per University IT, URochester staff have reported receiving unexpected emails from OnePay or Synchrony Bank regarding new Cash Rewards cards. If you receive such an unexpected email, do not reply or click any links. If you do not have a preexisting account with Synchrony or one of its partners, check your credit report to see if one has been opened in your name. You can get a free annual report at AnnualCreditReport.com.

If you have an existing account and have questions about this email, contact the company directly using the phone number on the back of your card or the official phone number listed on the company’s website.

Learn more about this incident, as well as what steps to take if you’ve been compromised, and to gain guidance to protect yourself against future fraud attempts.

The Mindful Professor Training Program—open to URochester faculty, instructors, postdoctoral fellows, and PhD students with teaching responsibilities—is a professional development opportunity rooted in mindfulness and contemplative pedagogy. This nine-session program from the Mindful University Project provides practical tools to support well-being, strengthen mindful leadership, enhance teaching effectiveness, and explore ways to support student learning and well-being in the classroom. The spring 2026 cohort will meet at the Eastman School of Music on select Thursdays from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the Ciminelli Lounge (Eastman Student Living Center).

Health Promotion is benchmarking the current availability of free menstrual products at URochester. Products are currently provided in several bathrooms across the campuses. Individuals, groups, and departments may also be providing products through more informal processes. Complete this survey if you supply free menstrual products or if you are aware of any other individual, department, or location that does. This information will ideally be used to centralize and expand the availability of these products.

It can take multiple attempts to quit nicotine before you find success. Well-U offers eligible University employees expert assistance with ending the nicotine habit for good. Find more information and enroll.

The Center for Integrated Research Computing will host its next symposium on Friday, January 16, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Wegmans Hall, Room 1400, featuring Duc Cao, a scientist at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, and Aditya Ranjan, a PhD student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Faculty and students from all areas are encouraged to attend to gain insights into computational techniques and methods of data analysis.

Brandon Brooks, curator of the John L. Wehle Gallery at Genesee Country Village & Museum, will present a focused exploration of sartorial representation within the Memorial Art Gallery’s Frontiers of Impressionism: Paintings from the Worcester Art Museum exhibit. Examine select extant garments from the Bruce & Susan Greene Costume Collection alongside paintings to consider technique, materiality, and social context. Limited tickets are available for this DeTOUR on Thursday, January 22, from 6 to 7 p.m.

Members of the University community and the greater Rochester area can attend the hybrid 4th Annual Research in Health Equity Symposium on Friday, February 6. This year’s symposium highlights the theme of building partnerships and will feature a keynote address by Olveen Carrasquillo, associate dean for clinical and translational research at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, along with a workshop panel on building community partnerships. Register to attend.

The dementia-friendly ENCORE Chorus, now entering its third year through the Eastman Community Music School, announces its spring session for loved ones living with early-to-middle-stage Alzheimer’s Disease or related dementias, together with a care partner. The session runs February 23 through May 18, with rehearsals taking place on Mondays from 1 to 2:30 p.m. There are no auditions, and no musical experience is required. Care partners register alongside their loved one as a “duet.” Find more details and register here.

A reminder that the spring 2026 semester will feature Rochester Monday, which will occur on the first Friday of the semester. That means on Friday, January 23, University faculty will teach their Monday classes, so students should attend their regularly scheduled Monday classes that day.

The Goergen Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, in partnership with the David T. Kearns Center, has received renewed funding from the National Science Foundation to continue its Research Experience for Undergraduates program, Computational Methods for Understanding Music, Media, and Minds. Find full eligibility details, project descriptions, and application information.

Since pre-college summer courses began in 1990, URochester has welcomed thousands of high school students for a sneak peek at campus life. Read more about some of their experiences.

Forbes, January 14

Adam Frank, the Helen F. and Fred H. Gowen Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, offers a brief overview of where astronomers are in the hunt for a truly Earth-like world.

Cheer on Rochester’s varsity teams at home contests scheduled for this coming week. Find more information on the Athletics website calendar and social media channels. Events are weather-dependent and subject to change.

Friday, January 16

• Men’s squash vs. Franklin and Marshall College, 6 p.m.