November 25, 2024

A student in a lab with an electromagnetic generator.

University of Rochester photo / J. Adam Fenster

As we look ahead to the Thanksgiving Holiday, now is an important time to reflect on the things we are grateful for. I am tremendously proud of the strides we have made in broadening participation at the Hajim School over recent years, particularly with women in STEM.

That progress was reflected last week in a list of America’s Best Colleges for Women in STEM, compiled by Washington Monthly. Our electrical and computer engineering program ranked in the top 10 nationally. Using data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, the publication compared the gender distribution of every STEM program at 1,027 U.S. colleges and universities, then ranked the 20 undergraduate programs with the highest and lowest percentage of recent graduates who are female in 10 popular STEM fields.

The Hajim School’s other programs from computer science to optics have made important gains as well, and although more work remains to be done, I am pleased that the work our faculty, staff, and University leaders have been putting in to improve representation is paying off. View the full lists on the Washington Monthly website.

SOCIETY FOR WOMEN ENGINEERS HOSTS GIRLS’ WORKSHOP

A University of Rochester student demonstrates an optics experiment to elementary school students.

Our chapter of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) just hosted a fall Girls’ Workshop, providing local elementary school students a chance to immerse themselves in some of the engineering disciplines offered here on campus. The goal of this event is to not only showcase complex engineering concepts in a simplified manner, but to also empower young girls in STEM.

“Watching the young students’ enthusiasm grow as they explored light polarization, constructed a popsicle stick catapult, and broadened their overall understanding of engineering felt very rewarding,” says SWE outreach chair Marietta Psarros ’27 (chemical engineering). “Thank you to the volunteers from the Biomedical Engineering Society, Society of Physics Students, SPIE, Astronomy Club, and SWE for making this event possible. I would like to extend an additional thank you to the Institute of Optics Outreach Team for presenting an impressive laser fountain demonstration.”

Thank you to all involved! SWE is already planning a similar event in the spring.

NEIL ZHANG NAMED 2024 IEEE SIGNAL PROCESSING SOCIETY SCHOLAR

A graphic with light blue geometric shapes, a headshot of Neil Zhang, and text that says, "Neil Zhang, electrical and computer engineering student, IEEE Signal Processing Society Scholarship."

Congratulations to You (Neil) Zhang, an electrical and computer engineering PhD student advised by Associate Professor Zhiyao Duan, for earning an IEEE Signal Processing Society (SPS) Scholarship. The SPS Scholarship Program recognizes students who have expressed interest and commitment to pursuing signal processing education and real-world career experiences.

Neil is one of 45 outstanding students who were selected from a large field of more than 250 qualified applicants worldwide. Read more about Neil’s research at the News Center.

QIANG LIN APPOINTED DEAN’S PROFESSOR

A graphic with dark blue hexagonal shapes, a headshot of Qiang Lin, and text that says, "Qiang Lin, Dean's Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering and Optics."

I’m pleased to share that Qiang Lin, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and optics, has been appointed Dean’s Professor. These distinguished faculty appointments are assigned to individuals of outstanding research accomplishment in the School of Arts & Sciences and the Hajim School.

Qiang is a leading expert in photonics, including micro/nano, quantum, nonlinear and mechanical photonics. He works both on understanding the fundamental physics of these photonic phenomena but also on applications of these phenomena to signal processing and sensing.

Qiang has received numerous awards for his research, including being named Fellow of Optica, the PECASE award, and the NSF CAREER award. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles, leading to an H-index of 56 and more than 12,000 citations to his work. He publishes in top journals including Nature Communications, Nature Photon, Science, and Physics Review Letters, among many others. He has advised numerous students and has been involved in projects with funding of more than $30 million, including more than $10 million with Qiang as principal investigator. Congratulations, Qiang!

BOB BOYD NAMED HIGHLY CITED RESEARCHER BY CLARIVATE

A graphic with dark blue hexagonal shapes, a headshot of Robert Boyd, and text that reads, "Robert Boyd, Professor of Optics and PHysics, Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher."

Congratulations to Professor Bob Boyd from the Institute of Optics, who was recognized by Clarivate on their annual list of Highly Cited Researchers.

Each researcher selected has authored multiple Highly Cited Papers, which rank in the top 1 percent by citations for their fields and publication year in the Web of Science over the past decade. The list, based on citation activity, is then refined using qualitative analysis and expert judgment to observe for evidence of community-wide recognition from an international and wide-ranging network of citing authors.

Of the world’s population of scientists and social scientists, Highly Cited Researchers are 1 in 1,000.

HAJIM STAFF RECOGNIZED AS UR STARS

A blue, yellow, and white graphic that says "We See How You Shine."

Congratulations to the staff members at the Hajim School who were recently recognized by others at the University as UR Stars who embody Meliora values. UR Stars is a University-wide employee recognition platform designed to reinforce a culture of appreciation and collectively celebrate achievements together across the University, strengthening our shared values as “One University.”

The 20 staff members recognized in October and November include Kristina Abrams (Neuroscience), Nicholas Chodak (GEPA), Cynthia Daher (Optics), Kai Davies (Optics), Donna Derks (GEPA), Cindy Gary (Hajim Dean’s Office), Evelyn Goldman (ECE), Sonia Hamid (Hajim Dean’s Office), Kristi Kongmany (CS), Bonnie Lipari (BME), Alvin Lomibao (Hajim Dean’s Office), Paula Losey (CVS), Dustin Newman (Optics), Sara Peterson (CVS), Lori Russell (Optics), Jessica Stevens (Hajim Dean’s Office), Nate Trieste (Hajim Dean’s Office), Nick Valentino (Hajim Dean’s Office), Alissa White (CVS), and Tim Woodward (Hajim Dean’s Office). Thank you all for your support of our University mission!

Learn more about the UR Stars program and start recognizing others at the University on the Office of Human Resources website.

UNIVERSITY CLOSED FOR THANKSGIVING

The University will be closed on Thursday, November 28 and Friday, November 29 in observance of the holiday.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman