November 4, 2024
University of Rochester illustration / Erik Patak
Dear members of the Hajim School Community
Our bodies contain billions of tiny packets of cellular material called extracellular vesicles (EVs) that are produced by cells and released into our blood, saliva, and other bodily fluids. EVs contain invaluable information, such as proteins and genetic material, from their original cell, which can provide insight about the status of the body. Scientists have been trying to leverage EVs for their diagnostic and therapeutic potential but have struggled to do so in a fast and cost-effective way.
In a study published in Small, researchers led by James McGrath, the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Biomedical Engineering, outline a new method for using ultrathin membranes to easily identify EVs for rapid liquid biopsies. The method, called catch and display for liquid biopsy (CAD-LB), holds promise for diagnosing cancer quickly and affordably, and assessing the progress of therapies used to treat diseases.
Read more about the study at the News Center.
WRITING 105 PREPARES STUDENTS FOR THEIR COLLEGE CAREERS AND BEYOND
University of Rochester illustration / Julia Joshpe
Each year, thousands of courses are offered to undergraduates enrolled in the School of Arts & Sciences and the Hajim School, but only one course is required as part of the program of study for all students: the primary writing requirement, or Writing 105: Reasoning and Writing. This four-credit course is run by the Writing, Speaking, and Argument Program and it teaches students fundamental and essential writing skills.
“Learning to write is about more than communication,” says Hajim School Associate Dean Paul Funkenbusch, a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and with the Materials Science Program. “It conditions the mind to sort and prioritize information, to be precise, and to organize complex ideas into logical patterns. In my experience, the ability to write well is strongly correlated with the ability to think well.”
Read more about this universal but also highly customizable course at the News Center.
PUMPKIN LAUNCH 2024
University of Rochester photo / J. Adam Fenster
Beautiful fall foliage. Dwindling daylight. Pumpkins flying across the Wilson Quadrangle. These are the sights I associate with fall on the River Campus.
The Friday before Halloween, our chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers held the annual Pumpkin Launch. Students from the Hajim School, Rochester Institute of Technology, and Monroe Community College used catapults, trebuchets, and pressurized cannon launchers to fire pumpkins at specific distances across the quad. It’s always an entertaining spectacle.
For sights and sounds from the event, check out the University of Rochester Instagram account or watch this story from News 10 NBC.
GIDS AWARDS SEED FUNDING TO SEVEN NEW PROJECTS
The Goergen Institute for Data Science (GIDS) announced seed funding awards for seven collaborative projects for the 2024-2025 year. The goal is to support projects that could eventually attract major external funding, with a particular focus on work aligned with data science research priorities.
The projects showcase an exciting array of interdisciplinary work. This year’s project titles and awardees are:
- Tackling Political Misinformation in the 2024 US Presidential Election
- Efficient Ultrashort-Pulse Optical Computation and Diagonally Sparse Neural Networks
- Algorithmic Synergy of Optimization and Sampling
- Active Control of Room Reverberation
- Development of a Metabolomics Data Analysis Pipeline
- Unsupervised Motif Detection for Richly Annotated Connectomes
- Pedagogical Agent for Supporting Relational Reasoning in Biology Gameplay
Go to the GIDS website to learn more about the projects.
SOCIETY OF WOMEN ENGINEERS CHAPTER HEADS TO CHICAGO
Ten students from our chapter of the Society of Women Engineers headed to Chicago for WE24: Together We Rise, the world’s largest conference for women in engineering and technology. The students who made the trip this year included: Hailey Epstein (MechE) ’26, Ireland Gable (MechE) ’26, Olaniyi Harty (ECE) ’25, Katie Jarvis (MechE) ’25, Julia Kubes (ChemE) ’25, Marietta Psarros (ChemE) ’27, Hannah Rickert (BME) ’25, Cagla Tutar (BME) ’27, Jessie Wang (BME) ’26, and Devin Wong (BME) ’25.
SWE secretary Hannah Rickert ’25 had this to say about the experience: “It’s always incredibly empowering to be able to learn how to better ourselves as women in STEM through SWE Conferences. With hundreds of workshop-style sessions about topics ranging from interviewing tips to being in a minority in the workplace, we were able to pick and choose topics that related to what we wanted to improve upon. The conference also gave us the opportunity to network with not only larger companies that were seeking new hires, but also with women in STEM from across the country. As the Society of Women Engineers Chapter here at the University of Rochester, we will move forward attending SWE conferences, building the confidence of our members, making global connections, and embodying the Meliora spirit of the University as we set out on our future endeavors.”
DATA SCIENCE STUDENTS ATTEND THE GRACE HOPPER CELEBRATION
Meanwhile, the Goergen Institute for Data Science sponsored six students to attend the Grace Hopper Celebration in Philadelphia. The cohort included Amisha Dubey ’24 (MS), Aakanksha Dutta ’26, Brynn Lee ’24 (MS), Aabha Pandit ’26, Yi Ren ’26, and Wanting Shan ’26.
Yi Ren had this to say about the celebration: “Attending the 2024 Grace Hopper Celebration (GHC) was an inspiring and amazing experience to me. It was so impressive that you could see so many women and non-binary individuals, all passionate about computer science and data science, coming together to celebrate and uplift each other. One of the most exciting aspects for me was the opportunity to engage with so many different people from diverse backgrounds. Listening to their unique journeys, challenges, and successes in the tech field was motivating and energizing. It was empowering to see how GHC makes us inspire one another and build each other up through our shared passion for technology.”
LAURA LYONS ’14 RECEIVES 2024 CHE YOUNG ALUMNI AWARD
The Department of Chemical Engineering announced that Laura Lyons is the winner of the 2024 Young Alumni Award. This award is given annually to recognize graduates within the last 15 years for their service to society, their professional and technical accomplishments, and their demonstrated leadership.
Laura works for the Minnesota State Energy Office, housed in Minnesota’s Department of Commerce and based in St. Paul. Since joining the office in 2023, Laura has overseen solar and battery programs, as well as a study to determine the optimal amount of energy storage needed for Minnesota to reach 100% clean energy by 2040.
Read more on the chemical engineering website about Laura’s fascinating job, her volunteer work, and ways she keeps connected to the University of Rochester community.
GEAR UP FOR ULTRA COURSES
Spring Ultra courses are coming, and faculty members can start building them as soon as they are available. Registration is open for the first set of workshops in November to help faculty prepare for the transition.
Workshop #1 – Building and Organizing Content in Ultra Courses
This workshop will help you learn how to best organize your Ultra course. It will also cover how to copy content from your Original course into Ultra.
Workshop #2 – Setting Up Graded Items in Ultra Courses
This workshop will cover how to use all of the Graded Items (Discussion, Journal, Tests, Assignments) in Blackboard Ultra. It will also briefly discuss how to connect to the external tools that the University has available for use with Blackboard.
Want to meet with someone for help building your course?
Book a 1-1 session (in person or Zoom) with an instructional technologist / designer today. Times are available starting the week of November 11.
Have a great week!
Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman
