December 9, 2024

Silhouette of a person in profile speaking into a microphone with their sound waves changing in color, size, and intensity as they go through the microphone.

University of Rochester illustration / AJ Pow

Dear members of the Hajim School community,

Researchers from our Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering are helping to develop a new system that will allow people to speak anonymously in real time through computer-generated voices to help protect privacy and avoid censorship or retaliation. The technology is intended to help people such as intelligence officers carrying out sensitive missions, crime witnesses concerned about being identified by perpetrators, and whistleblowers who fear retaliation.

The three-year project, led by Honeywell and including collaborators from Texas A&M and the University of Texas at Dallas, is funded by the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) and part of the Anonymous Real-Time Speech (ARTS) program.

Associate Professor Zhiyao Duan is leading Rochester’s contributions to the project and he says, “In the end, a 30-year-old woman from Texas will be able to instantaneously transform her voice to be output by the virtual speaker to sound like a 50-year-old man with a British accent, for example, without producing artifacts that can be traced back to the identity of the user.”

Learn more about this fascinating project at the News Center.

DISTINGUISHED FACULTY CELEBRATION

A group shot of recipients of new distinguished professorships pose in Feldman Ballroom during the Distinguished Faculty Celebration.

University of Rochester photo / Matthew Wittmeyer

Last week, the Hajim School and the School of Arts and Sciences gathered to celebrate the faculty who have been appointed to distinguished professorships since 2022. The Hajim School faculty recognized at the event included:

Nick Vamivakas, the Marie C. Wilson and Joseph C. Wilson Professor of Optical Physics
Qiang Lin, Dean’s Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
James McGrath, the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor
Zhen Bai, the Asaro Biggar Family Fellow in Data Science
Fatemeh Nargesian, the James P. Wilmot Distinguished Assistant Professor
Jiebo Luo, the Albert Arendt Hopeman Professor of Engineering

Special thanks to the Hajim School’s Senior Faculty Affairs Officer Emily Prinzi for her work to organize such a wonderful event.

INAUGURAL DEBRA HARING EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH AWARD WINNERS

Side by side headshots of Rachel HAidu and Jiebo Luo.

During the Distinguished Faculty Celebration, we also acknowledged the recipients of the inaugural Debra Haring Excellence in Research Award. The award memorializes the late Haring, a former assistant dean for grants and contracts who worked tirelessly to advance the research of faculty in the School of Arts & Sciences and the Hajim School before her death in 2022.

The honor recognizes one faculty member from each school whose research has had a transformational impact on their field, or whose body of work has changed their field in positive ways.

The recipients of the distinction, Rachel Haidu, an associate professor of art history, and Jiebo Luo, a professor of computer science and the Albert Arendt Professor of Engineering, were selected for their accumulated bodies of research.

IGEM TEAM USES BACTERIA TO CREATE CLEAN ENERGY

Group of five students who work on synthetic biology products in white lab coats sitting around a table filled with beakers and other scientific equipment.

University of Rochester photo / Tim Amanga ’25

An interdisciplinary team of 11 undergraduate students recently created a carbon-negative energy source that uses bacteria to generate energy while simultaneously capturing and storing carbon dioxide. Their innovative approach not only addresses energy needs but also produces ethanol as a sustainable biofuel.

The team—called Team CyanoVolt—submitted their research to the 2024 International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition, where student-led teams from around the globe compete to tackle real-world challenges using synthetic biology. Synthetic biology leverages engineering principles to create biological components inspired by nature. They competed against more than 400 teams from around the world and were awarded a gold medal for their project.

Congratulations to the entire team, including biomedical engineering student Weronika Kierzenka ’26, who served as hardware manager. Special thanks to Assistant Professor Allison Lopatkin, who was the team’s modeling advisor.

Learn more about the project at the News Center.

AI HORIZONS INSTITUTE

A computer chip labeled "AI" on a glowing circuit board.

Getty Images photo

Last year, the University put out a call for proposals for new transdisciplinary centers and institutes and 42 teams of Rochester researchers submitted proposals. Ten were selected to receive planning awards. Between now and June 2025, the teams are refining their plans for final proposals for full-scale funding.

Better Things: The Boundless Possibility blog will be providing overviews of the ten proposals over the coming months, beginning with the AI Horizons Institute.

A transdisciplinary group of researchers led by Associate Professor Chris Kanan from the Department of Computer Science have proposed the “AI Horizons Institute,” which will engage in AI research to advance the state of the art in generative and agentic AI as well as to study its societal implications and applications to healthcare and education.

Learn more about the proposal at the Boundless Possibility website.

CAREER EXPLORATION SUMMIT

A graphic with a Career Exploration Summit spirit mark and the University of Rochester logo.

The Greene Center for Career Education and Connections will offer the inaugural Career Exploration Summit on Saturday, January 25. First- and second-year students will connect with, learn from, and be inspired by alumni as they share narratives about how the University of Rochester shaped their career and life’s journey.

More than 25 alumni will return to campus to share how they engaged in the campus community, what skills they discovered and nurtured, as well as details about their personal and academic experiences that helped shape the person they are now. Importantly, this summit supports the University’s strategic goals around experiential learning, academic success, and alumni engagement.

For more information about the day, including the schedule of events, keynote addresses, alumni breakout sessions, career education circuits, and experiential learning fair, visit the event page.

NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR THE SINGER FAMILY PRIZE

Members of the senior class in the Hajim School can recognize and honor a high school teacher who significantly influenced them by submitting a nomination for the Singer Prize for Excellence in Secondary School Teaching. Four teachers will be selected from the nominees; the winning teachers will be acknowledged in a ceremony in May. The winners and their schools will also receive a financial prize. Nominations may be completed online or emailed and are due December 15.

Have a great week!

Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman