November 1, 2021
PhD students Renjie Liu, upper left; Jane Agwara, upper right; and Mitchell Juneau, lower right, and Stephany Correa-Diaz ’24, lower left, all of chemical engineering, are among the members of the student team participating in the XPRIZE competition. (Photos courtesy of the Marc Porosoff lab)
Dear members of the Hajim School community,
Mike Campbell is leaving a remarkable legacy as he steps down as director of the Laboratory for Laser Energetics effective December 31. He cemented LLE’s role as an international leader in research on fusion, high-intensity lasers and optics, and high-energy density physics. This included the creation in 2020 of the Center for Matter at Atomic Pressures (CMAP), bringing together researchers across campus and at other national labs to better understand the physics of matter under extreme pressures. Under his leadership, LLE expanded user access to the Omega Laser Facility and enjoyed increases in program funding from $71.95 million to more than $89 million a year with broadened sponsorship. This includes a five-year, $410 million cooperative agreement from the US Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration.
Above all, Mike fostered a refreshing spirit of collegiality and openness that created opportunities for collaboration with LLE for all of our Hajim departments. Mike did a phenomenal job of building bridges in so many ways. We’re going to miss Mike, but I’m confident the bridges he built will remain standing for years to come. Please join me in wishing Mike all the best! Read more.
STUDENTS EYE THE XPRIZE
Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur who recently launched the first all-civilian mission into space, has galvanized an exciting collaboration of Hajim School engineering students to address a pressing issue on Earth: climate change. More than 30 students are vying for a $250,000 prize as part of Musk’s XPRIZE Carbon Removal Competition. They are designing a device that removes carbon dioxide from the air and converts it into commercially viable raw materials. “We are doing something that affects the whole world, because the problem we are trying to solve is a global one. So being involved in this is really exciting,” says project leader Jane Agwara, a PhD student in the lab of project mentor Marc Porosoff, assistant professor of chemical engineering.
Team members expect to learn this month whether their proposal has been accepted, entitling them to $125,000 to go on to the next stage of the four-year-long competition: building a prototype. I am thrilled at the initiative the students and their mentors took in quickly putting together a proposal and submitting it. This is an outstanding example of ways our students can apply what they’ve learned in the classroom to real-world challenges.
The Meliora Emissions team includes four graduate students and 29 undergraduates, ranging from sophomores through seniors. They include students majoring in chemical, mechanical, and electrical and computer engineering, and geomechanics. The project will include senior design projects in three departments. Go team!!!!! (Read more and see a student-made video.)
WELLS AWARD RECIPIENTS
Left to right: George Funkenbusch, Helena Schreder, and Yiyao Yu, our 2021 recipients of the Wells Award.
This month we celebrate three outstanding students. George Funkenbusch, Helena Schreder, and Yiyao Yu–this year’s recipients of the Wells Award–excel not only in their engineering and computer science majors, but in the humanities as well. Knowledge in the humanities can help our engineers acquire the skills they need to create, convince, and see multiple points of view. That is why we place such importance on this award.
George, an optics major, appreciates the tightly knit sense of community at The Institute of Optics. “It can be really nice to have a personal relationship with most of the professors instead of just being a face in a crowd,” he says. George received the Fujimura Prize, presented to sophomores who represent the Institute’s values of academic excellence, research, and campus citizenship. He is the head teaching assistant for the physical optics labs for The Institute this school year. In addition, he is pursuing a minor in Japanese and participating in a River Campus cello choir. It is “really important to try to branch out and take a break from pure STEM every now and then,” he says.
The University’s cluster system attracted Helena because it allows her to pursue both of her passions. The problem-solving she does in her mechanical engineering major and the creativity she expresses in her studio arts minor complement each other well. “One of the most impactful things I’ve gained from art is that it’s helped me let go of some of my perfectionism,” she says. When drawing a tree, for example, “you don’t have to draw every single leaf; you just need some properly placed highlights and shadows, and you still get the same effect.” That’s helped her accept the approximations that need to be made even in a field as exacting as mechanical engineering.
In China, Yiyao used his computer programming skills to support a library system for underprivileged schools. Similarly, starting his first semester here, Yiyao worked at the University’s IT Center to help students with their technical issues. He also helped test the UR Student information system and continues to help iron out the wrinkles. Early on, Yiyao says, he believed software should be available to anyone to use. Now, his philosophy minor is helping him see how that discipline can “provide us a very nice analytical framework” to help ensure that new computer programs don’t cause more harm than good.
Congratulations to George, Helena, and Yiyao. Read more about their favorite mentors, the research they’ve done, and their plans after graduation.
STATE OF THE SCHOOL ADDRESS
I invite you to join me for a virtual State of the School with the latest news and updates from noon to 1 p.m. tomorrow, November 2. Please register in advance. If you have a question you would like to ask, be sure to include it on your registration form. I will answer as many as time allows.
WELCOME OUR NEW ADVISOR
Hana Goldstein, our newest member of the Hajim School advising team, joins our staff after receiving her master’s degree in science education from the Warner School this spring. Hana, who grew up on Long Island, became interested in teaching after taking a couple of honors seminars with Sue Brooks, a wonderful mentor and professor of secondary education at SUNY New Paltz, where Hana received a BA in geography and a minor in environmental studies. She spent a gap year gaining experience as a tutor, substitute teacher and working in an afterschool program before enrolling at Warner. While completing fieldwork in a local middle school, however, Hana realized she was more interested in working with students one on one as an academic advisor, rather than teaching in a classroom.
It’s great that Hana can share with students the importance of remaining flexible and exploring multiple options while in college. Hana is our primary college advisor for undergraduate computer science students as well as some engineering students. She also helps manage the Hajim social media accounts, codirects the GEAR program, and assists the Peer Advising team. “My team has been so welcoming and encouraging; it truly is a positive work environment that I’m so grateful for,” Hana says. “I love being able to ‘lighten’ the load or take a burden off student’s shoulders. It’s a very uplifting feeling for me as their advisor.” Welcome aboard, Hana!
WANTED: ALUMNI REAL READERS
WRTG 273 “Communicating your Professional Identity in Engineering” gives our students a huge advantage when they apply for internships, jobs, and graduate school. How? By teaching our students “real life” skills in preparing resumes, cover letters, LinkedIn profiles, elevator pitches, and being interviewed.
A key component of this course is the feedback provided by our volunteer Real Readers—alumni with three or more years of work experience. With as many as 240 of our students expected to take the course this coming spring, we need 74 of our engineering, computer science and data science alums to volunteer. I urge you to please consider doing so. One of our outstanding students recently said that WRTG 273 was one of the best courses he’s taken, and his only regret is that he won’t be able to take it again as a refresher before graduating!
The time commitment is only about 5 hours over the course of the semester. You can engage with students remotely. No special expertise in writing is required; you will be supplying the audience, not the instruction, as students practice their pitches and show their resumes. Here’s a video with more details. Please contact Michelle Marks-Hook by December 31 if you would like to apply.
STUDIO X DROP-IN SESSIONS
Studio X, Rochester’s new hub for extended reality (XR), has begun holding casual weekly events at 1 p.m. every Friday. Sometimes there will be student or faculty member presentations; other times, they will be demonstrating tech or playing Beat Sabre. No registration is required. Studio X is located on the first floor of the Carlson Science and Engineering Library.
LEARN ABOUT OUR MAJORS
Students, still undecided about which Hajim School major is best for you? Faculty from each of our majors are giving presentations as part of our Full Spectrum series to help you decide. This week’s presentation:
Computer Science with Sreepathi Pai, assistant professor, from 2 to 3 p.m. this Friday, November 5. You can attend in person at Goergen 109, or virtually on Zoom (https://rochester.zoom.us/j/95584338612) or Facebook Live.
CAREERS IN DATA SCIENCE
Join the Goergen Institute for Data Science for Careers in Data Science with rel8ed.to Analytics. rel8ed.to Analytics is a global data analytics firm, providing innovative data and predictive analytics to clients. Hear about what it’s like to work at a data analytics firm and how to become successful in the field of data science. 11 a.m. this Friday, November 5, in Wegmans 1400 (auditorium).
HELP HONOR LISA NORWOOD
Lisa Norwood, the Hajim School’s assistant dean for more than 26 years, retired earlier this semester. To honor Lisa’s legacy of supporting students and fostering diversity, we have created the Lisa Norwood Student Endowment Fund, which will be used to:
- Support student enrichment activities such as internships and education abroad.
- Alleviate travel costs to academic and professional conferences.
- Support student groups with programming, and more.
Learn more here about contributing and sharing your comments and favorite memories about Lisa, to be shared privately with her. Thank you for helping us celebrate all of Lisa’s contributions to the Hajim School!
Have a great week!
Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman
