February 10, 2025
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio photo
Dear members of the Hajim School community,
Researchers from our Department of Mechanical Engineering recently published important new findings that upend previous assumptions about how surface and ocean weather patterns interact. Hussein Aluie, a professor of mechanical engineering and mathematics and senior scientist at the University’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics, and his former student Shikhar Rai ’23 PhD published in Nature Communications a study that better explains the complexities of how atmospheric wind affects eddies.
Eddies are circular currents of water that are typically about 100 kilometers wide. Understanding how eddies and the strain patterns between them behave will help researchers design better ocean observation systems, improve climate models, and could have practical applications for fisheries and help better direct commercial ships where to navigate.
Read more about the study at the News Center.
BARBARA J. BURGER CHEMICAL SUSTAINABILITY SCHOLARS PILOT PROGRAM
John Smillie photo
I’m happy to share that a longtime supporter of the University has made a gift that will provide Hajim School students opportunities for research and innovation for years to come. Rochester Trustee Barbara J. Burger ’83 made a $2,000,000 commitment to establish a new endowed directorship at the iZone and launch a pilot undergraduate research program for chemistry and chemical engineering students.
Her gift will launch the Barbara J. Burger Chemical Sustainability Scholars pilot program. Open to chemistry and chemical engineering majors after their first or second years, the pilot program will provide a new pathway for exploring professional interests during a 15-month research project.
Additionally, her gift will establish the Barbara J. Burger iZone Directorship. Named in her honor, the Barbara J. Burger iZone is a collaborative creative problem-solving environment located in Rush Rhees Library, providing students with resources to explore ideas and develop innovative projects that drive social, cultural, and community impact.
Thank you to Barbara for this transformational gift! Read more on the Advancement website.
CENTER FOR HUMAN-CENTRIC AUGMENTED AND VIRTUAL REALITY
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 and are now refining their plans for final proposals for full-scale funding.
Better Things: The Boundless Possibility blog recently provided an overview of the Center for Human-Centric Augmented and Virtual Reality. The co-leads include:
With a fundamental focus on understanding human perception and cognitive and social functions, the team seeks to awaken the awesome potential of augmented and virtual reality. They aim to do it through a center that catalyzes fundamental research, advances in hardware, technology translation, enhancement of computing capabilities, and the development of applications.
Learn more about their vision at the Boundless Possibility blog.
CHLOE CHEN PROFILED BY INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR ETHICAL RESEARCH
Kaihua (Chloe) Chen, a biomedical engineering PhD candidate, recently received a nice spotlight from the International Foundation for Ethical Research (IFER). Chloe, who is a member of the McGrath Lab, received a IFER Graduate Fellowship to pursue her groundbreaking project, “In Vitro Studies of Biophysical and Molecular Determinants of the Blood-Brain Barrier During Sepsis and Systemic Inflammation.”
The fellowship is aimed at helping advance human-relevant research practices that reduce reliance on animal models. Learn more about Chloe’s project on the IFER Website.
ANANYA PAREEK ’14 MS PROFILED BY ‘LONDON LOVES BUSINESS’
A Hajim alumnus with experience as a performance engineer at Apple, Samsung, and Google was the subject of a terrific profile in London Loves Business. Ananya Pareek ’14 MS earned his master’s in electrical and computer engineering from the Hajim School.
While he was a student here, was awarded the Frank J. Horton Fellowship to work on optimizing the performance of particle physics simulators — specialized computer programs that predict how particles would behave in different experimental scenarios. He now works as a software engineer for ML performance at Google, where he focuses on predicting and optimizing the performance of machine learning models.
Read about his career path.
HAJIM ALUMNUS NAMED TO FORBES MIDDLE EAST 30 UNDER 30 LIST
The Middle East edition of Forbes named Anis Kallel ’17 to its “30 Under 30: Commerce and Finance” list. Kallel, who majored in computer science and business, cofounded Flouci in 2020. According to the magazine, the financial services app “had around 60,000 active users, opened 57,902 bank accounts, and issued 11,000 cards” as of October 2024. Flouci operates in Tunisia and is expected to go live in Algeria and Morocco in 2025.
Read more on the Forbes Middle East website.
HAJIM STAFF AND PARTNERS RECOGNIZED AS UR STARS
Congratulations to the Hajim School staff members and partners 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 Hajim School staff members recognized in January include Emily Boedo (Institute of Optics), Nicholas Chodak (GEPA), Kai Davies (Institute of Optics), Evelyn Goldman (Electrical and Computer Engineering), Kristina Lantzky-Eaton (GEPA), Lynn Reiner (Institute of Optics), Adrienne Snopkowski (Institute of Optics), and Kae-Lynn Wilson (Mechanical Engineering).
SUMMER 2025 PROGRAM REGISTRATION DUE FRIDAY
If your department or office is planning to host a conference, or a residential or day program during summer 2025, you must complete the Summer 2025 Program Registration Form by Friday, February 14 at the latest. This form is a required step in the planning process for all River Campus summer programs. If your program is not registered, it may not be allocated resources and space on the River Campus. Questions? Email the Office of Summer and Continuing Studies.
Have a great week!
Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman
