April 7, 2025

University of Rochester photo / J. Adam Fenster

Throughout his career, Professor Benjamín Castañeda ’09 (PhD) has focused on bringing medical technology to people who would otherwise not have access.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, he formed a team to rapidly design and manufacture hundreds of ventilators to support critically ill patients in Peru. Today, he leads collaborators from the Hajim School, URMC, and Johns Hopkins in efforts to augment biomedical ultrasound technology with photogrammetry and artificial intelligence techniques to bring prenatal and breast-cancer imaging to millions of women in rural areas.

Ben joined the Department of Biomedical Engineering in the fall after an accomplished stint at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP), one of the country’s most prestigious universities. Already, he established a new three-year collaborative research agreement between Rochester and PUCP to advance the ultrasound project and promote exchanges of faculty as well as undergraduate and graduate students.

Read about Ben’s impactful work and fascinating career arc at the News Center.

JIEBO LUO INDUCTED INTO AIMBE COLLEGE OF FELLOWS

Jiebo Luo, a professor of computer science and the Albert Arendt Hopeman Professor of Engineering, was inducted into the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering’s (AIMBE) College of Fellows. College membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to engineering and medicine research, practice, or education, and to the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of medical and biological engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to bioengineering education.

Jiebo was nominated, reviewed, and elected by peers and members of the College of Fellows for outstanding contributions to artificial intelligence and machine learning applications in medical image computing and predictive modeling of health outcomes. He was formally inducted during a ceremony held during the AIMBE Annual Event on March 31, along with 171 colleagues who make up the AIMBE College of Fellows Class of 2025.

Read about Jiebo’s induction at the AIMBE website.

HAJIM STUDENTS ADVANCE IN NEW YORK STATE BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION

Congratulations to several Hajim students who thrived at the regional level of the New York Business Plan Competition (NYBPC). Four University of Rochester teams advanced from the Finger Lakes regional competition to the finals, including two teams featuring Hajim students:

• Computer science student Tamuda Chimhanda ’25 (left photo, on the left) is part of the Formly team.
• Biomedical engineering PhD student Alex McMullen (right photo, on the left) leads the Portico Health team.

The NYBPC Finals connects students with business professionals, provides experiential learning opportunities through competitions, connects entrepreneurs with resources at the Entrepreneurship Expo, and awards up to $100,000 in cash prizes to help seed new ventures. The grand prize finals take place April 24 in Troy, NY. Best of luck to our teams!

ASPLOS 2025 BEST PAPER AWARD

Researchers from the Department of Computer Science won a best paper award at the ACM International Conference on Architectural Support for Programming Languages and Operating Systems (ASPLOS) 2025, a premier venue for computer systems. The paper, selected out of 912 entries, was authored by computer science PhD student Weikai Lin, alumnus Yu Feng ’23, and Associate Professor Yuhao Zhu.

The paper proposes a new rendering system that leverages characteristics of the human visual system. For the first time, the system achieves real-time photorealistic rendering on untethered virtual reality devices. The team plans to extend the work to augmented reality, which poses an even greater problem than VR.

OPEN SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS

The Open Scholarship Community Rochester recently presented its annual awards to several Hajim School students. The Open Scholarship Awards celebrate early career scholars who have demonstrated exemplary efforts in making their research open and accessible to the wider community. Congratulations to the following Hajim School PhD students who received awards in the engineering category:

• Outstanding Prize ($500)
  • Biomedical engineering student Isabella Linares (top left)
  • Electrical and computer engineering student Stella Wong (top center)
• Excellent Prize ($300)
  • Electrical and computer engineering student Jenna Rutowski (top right)
• Honorable Prize ($200)
  • Biomedical engineering student Hossein Abolhassani (bottom left)
  • Electrical and computer engineering student You (Neil) Zhang (bottom right)

OMAR ZAKARIA ’25 WINS AT PRO-AM SQUASH TOURNAMENT

Omar Zakaria ’25 (electrical and computer engineering), a standout member of the men’s squash team, joined several top players, including several ranked in the world top 200, for an exceptional display of squash in the PSA Challenger tournament at the University’s Lyman Squash Courts.

Omar, who is also a student worker in the dean’s office, pulled off an upset in the opening round of the Pro-Am tournament, outplaying his higher-ranked opponent to win in 5 games. Well done, Omar!

BRIDGE TO CAREER SUCCESS

Undergraduate and graduate students searching for jobs and internships should take advantage of the Bridge to Career Success initiative offered by the Greene Center for Career Education and Connections.

Students can opt into various events and programs, including group sessions for guidance and peer support, Alumni Office Hours for networking and career advice, and programs like Demystifying the Interview Process and Is a UR Master’s Program Right for You? The alumni office hours, in particular, feature opportunities to speak with well-connected Hajim School alumni who have generously volunteered their time to answer questions, share their experiences, and offer advice to students as they navigate their upcoming job and internship searches.

ORBITAL EDGE ACCELERATOR

The Ain Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation identified an exciting new opportunity for ambitious student entrepreneurs from the Hajim School. The Orbital Edge Accelerator will help six promising space innovators take the critical next step of launching their technologies into low Earth orbit.

The competition will provide $500,000 to six innovative startups and a pathway to launch with the International Space Station National Lab. If your company is ready to leverage the microgravity environment for your path to innovation commercialization, apply by 8 p.m. on May 19. Learn more on the Orbital Edge Accelerator 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 and partners recognized in March include Laura Barr (Provost’s Office), Anh Hoang (Computer Science), Ian Kuchinick (Medical Center Info Systems), Stephen Naum (University IT), Dustin Newman (Institute of Optics), Patti Pascarella (School of Arts & Sciences), Emily Prinzi (Hajim Dean’s Office). Recognize a colleague today.

Have a great week!

Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman