February 24, 2025

A black and white photo of Rick and Barbara Zuegel modeling their graduation regalia in 1957.

Rick and Barbara Zuegel model their cap and gown for the May 1957 edition of Rochester Review.

Dear members of the Hajim School community,

I’m pleased to share that Barbara Zuegel ’57 has established the Zuegel Family Professorship in Optics in honor of her late husband, Richard Zuegel ’57, and in recognition of her family’s ties to the University of Rochester.

Her gift, matched by the Wyant Challenge, will support an early career faculty member in laser science, technology, or engineering at the Institute of Optics. This marks the first fully funded early career professorship and the fifth made possible through the challenge, a $12 million fund established in 2022 to create 10 endowed professorships in 10 years.

The Zuegel family has a long history at the University. Barbara and Rick met at the University as undergraduate students and had three children: Stephen, a mechanical engineering major from the Class of 1983; and twins Jim and Jon. Jon earned his PhD from the Institute of Optics in 1996 and is now the Laser and Materials Technology division director, a distinguished scientist at the University’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE), and a professor of optics. His daughter, Hannah, continued the family tradition, graduating from Rochester in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in studio arts and minors in chemistry and business.

Thank you to the Zuegel family for this transformative gift! Read more on the Advancement website.

HAJIM RESEARCHERS FEATURED ON THE ACADEMIC MINUTE

Side-by-side headshots of Christopher Kanan, James McGrath, and John Tarduno.

Throughout last week, the University of Rochester was featured on The Academic Minute, which showcases researchers from colleges and universities around the world, keeping listeners abreast of what’s new and exciting in the academy. The daily program gave three Hajim researchers an opportunity to provide updates on their groundbreaking research:

Chris Kanan, an associate professor of computer science, talked about teaching artificial intelligence to learn like humans.
Jim McGrath, the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Biomedical Engineering, discussed the promise that tissue-on-chip technology holds in reducing animal testing.
John Tarduno, the William Kenan, Jr. Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and dean of research for the Hajim School and the School of Arts and Sciences, explained how a weak magnetic field millions of years ago may have fueled the proliferation of life.

Visit The Academic Minute’s website to listen to their episodes as well as episodes from other researchers across the University.

HOW THE BRAIN CUTS THROUGH NOISE TO UNDERSTAND CONVERSATIONS

A person wearing an electroencephalography cap uses a computer.

Spectrum News recently stopped by the lab of Associate Professor Ed Lalor from the Department of Biomedical Engineering to learn about his research investigating how the brain weaves together audio and visual information to comprehend speech. The visual system and audio system are located in different parts of the brain, and learning how they work together could help in the development of better hearing aids and other devices in the future for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Watch the interview on the Spectrum News website.

STUDENTS: APPLY FOR A SCHWARTZ DISCOVER GRANT TO FUND SUMMER RESEARCH

A compass surrounded by the phrase "Schwartz Discover Grant Scholars University of Rochester."

The Schwartz Discover Grant (SDG) for Undergraduate Summer Research supports immersive, full-time summer research experiences for undergraduate students at the University of Rochester. The goal of the program is to help students get involved in research early in their academic careers and enhance their competitiveness for future fellowships and other advanced research opportunities.

The deadline to apply is Sunday, March 2 at 11:59 p.m. Here are fast facts about the program:

Decisions announced: April 4, 2025
Purpose: Living expense support to be used toward early academic career, mentored summer research projects that are otherwise unpaid
Eligibility: University of Rochester undergraduates in the School of Arts & Sciences and the Hajim School of Engineering—with the exception of graduating seniors—working under the mentorship of a University of Rochester faculty member
Time requirement: Minimum of 300 hours of research-intensive involvement from May 19 – August 1, 2025
Funding: Up to $5000 fellowship to support living expenses. Funds will be disbursed no later than May 31; details about the payment process will be shared with grantees. Students with Research and Innovation Grants (RIG) who still have money left in their accounts will have that money drawn from first. The Office of Undergraduate Research will supplement the remainder to bring the total to $5,000.

Apply now on the Schwartz Discover Grant webpage.

Have a great week!

Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman