October 14, 2024
University of Rochester photo / J. Adam Fenster
Dear members of the Hajim School community,
The Department of Chemical Engineering has a new leader who is placing an emphasis on communicating with the public about the field and the intricacies of higher education. Darren Lipomi, who joined the department as professor and chair in July, thinks chemical engineering is misunderstood and is on a mission to open eyes to its potential.
“Chemical engineering gets a bad rap because people associate it with developing the forever chemicals that are invading the environment, the microplastics catastrophe, global warming, and environmental degradation,” he says. “But you can’t have modern life without chemical engineering. The goal should be to make it better and part of the solution.”
Darren was featured in a profile on the News Center that explores his penchant for podcasting, research focus, and why he wanted to join the Hajim School. We are excited to have him join us to lead the Chemical Engineering department! Read a profile on Darren at the News Center.
UNDERSTANDING THE OPTICS OF THE NORTHERN LIGHTS
Shravan Gupta
This year has been a spectacular year for viewing the Northern Lights. The sun is at the peak of its solar cycle, producing geomagnetic storms that have allowed auroras to appear in places like Rochester where they’re not typically seen.
But often auroras that are only barely noticeable with the naked eye can appear in dazzling photographs. Professor Jim Zavislan from the Institute of Optics recently explained in a TV interview why cameras are able to pick up auroras in such incredible detail when our eyes fall short. Watch the interview.
BEST STUDENT PAPER AWARD AT THE AES CONVENTION
Congratulations to electrical engineering PhD students Benjamin Thompson and Jenna Rutowski for winning the Best Student Paper Award at the 157th Audio Engineering Society convention. They were recognized for their paper “A Survey of Methods for the Discretization of Phonograph Record Playback Filters,” which they authored along with recent alumnus Tre DiPassio ’23 and Associate Professor Michael Heilemann.
They accepted the award at the convention’s opening ceremony on October 8. This continues a great run for our students, who have won top student paper at the convention three times since 2017.
SYNOPSYS PROFILES SHERRY YI-TING FENG
Synopsys recently published a wonderful Q&A with Sherry Yi-Ting Feng, one of our outstanding optics PhD students who was recognized earlier this year with the Michael Kidger Memorial Scholarship. Sherry discussed what attracted her to optics, projects she’s currently working on, and advice for prospective students pursuing optics. Read the profile at the Synopsys website.
ED HAJIM TO SPEAK ON CAMPUS OCTOBER 23
I’m excited for Ed Hajim ’58 to return to campus next week, when he’ll talk with students during an event titled, “Lessons on How to Chart Your Path.” Ed will share his perspective on how to embrace curiosity early in your academic journey, build relationships, and begin to explore pathways that align with your interests and values.
Ed is a University of Rochester trustee, author of On the Road Less Traveled and Island of the Four Ps, and previous chairman of the University of Rochester board. In recognition of his generosity, the University named the Edmund A. Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences in his honor in 2009. His message of exploration, connecting with others, and discovering your path is powerful and I encourage students from all class years to attend.
The event takes place in the Gowen Room at Wilson Commons from 4-5 p.m. on Wednesday, October 23. Register in Handshake.
BOUNDLESS TOGETHER
Tomorrow the University will hold the event Boundless Together: How Do We Move Forward When We Disagree? The annual diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice conference aims to bring together leaders, practitioners, and social justice advocates within the University of Rochester, the Greater Rochester communities, and beyond.
The conference offers opportunities for everyone to collaborate, learn, and engage around strategies, implementation, and application of bringing together diverse voices committed to transformative environments when DEIJ is ever-evolving. All are welcome to attend, including University of Rochester students, staff, faculty, and trainees, as well as members of the Greater Rochester community. Learn more and register at the Office of Equity and Inclusion website.
BLACKBOARD ULTRA COURSES ARE COMING
Students and faculty—as you may have heard, the university is in the process of transitioning from Blackboard Original Courses to Blackboard Ultra Courses. Ultra courses live in the same Blackboard space as Original courses but have a different look and feel.
The Hajim School will transition in January 2025. Spring courses for 2025 will be created in November using Ultra for all courses offered. Information and registration about workshops for building your courses in Ultra are available on the University IT website and information about other support offerings will be provided in upcoming newsletters.
Faculty can learn more about Ultra in advance of the transition, by registering to attend the Online Learning Symposium event titled, “Faculty Involvement Using the Ultra Course Experience.” This session will be held virtually from 10-11 a.m. on Friday, November 1. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
NEWLY FUNDED RESEARCH
Congratulations to Nick Vamivakas, dean of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs and the Marie C. Wilson and Joseph C. Wilson Professor of Optical Physics at the Institute of Optics. Nick received $1,314,359 from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research for a project titled, “Structured Illumination for Superresolved Remote Sensing.”
Have a great week!
Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman
