April 28, 2024
AIM Photonics photo
Dear members of the Hajim School community,
The Institute of Optics is helping students at U.S. colleges and universities gain practical experience with photonic integrated circuits (PICs) through hands-on testing and characterization. Our researchers, including Associate Professor Jaime Cardenas, partnered with others at AIM Photonics, MIT, RIT, Bridgewater State University, and Spark Photonics to develop a set of integrated photonics chips called the Hands-On Photonics Education Kit (HOPE Kit).
The goal of the HOPE Kit is to help foster the development of a highly skilled integrated photonics workforce in the U.S. by flattening the learning curve and removing barriers related to PIC testing for those institutions and students who may not own or have access to a state-of-the art test facility. The first shipments to educational institutions are being sent to the Labs for Education and Application Prototypes (LEAPs) at Western New England University, MIT, and Bridgewater State University.
Learn more about this important initiative at the AIM Photonics website.
SOUNDSPACE
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 SoundSpace. The co-leads include:
Combining Rochester’s strengths in music, engineering, and science, SoundSpace aims to become an institute that would extend the technical and artistic abilities of music and sound. The team is focused on developing a best-in-class hub for research, education, performance, and public engagement where music and technology meet.
Learn more about their vision on the Boundless Blog.
ED AND BARBARA HAJIM ART OF SCIENCE COMPETITION AWARDS CEREMONY
We are excited to reveal the winners of the Ed and Barbara Hajim Art of Science Competition during a ceremony that takes place at 1 p.m. on Thursday, May 1 in the Carlson Science and Engineering Library. The Rochester community is welcome to attend and refreshments will be available.
The competition explores and illuminates the aesthetic beauty that results when science, art, and technology intersect. This year, 64 faculty, students, and staff submitted entries to the annual competition. The awards ceremony will reveal the entries that placed first, second, and third place in the student competition, plus the People’s Choice Award winner. The winning entries will be placed on display in the Carlson Library.
I hope to see you there!
SENIORS: EXPLORE GRADUATE SCHOOL OPTIONS AT ACCELERATE UR
J. Adam Fenster / University of Rochester
Graduate schools from across the University, including the Hajim School, are coming together to provide seniors who are about to graduate the opportunity to engage with faculty from a variety of master’s programs. This is an opportunity to connect with program representatives, get personalized guidance to accelerate your next academic step, and explore graduate study options including brand new MS programs in healthcare data science and artificial intelligence and aerospace engineering.
The event takes place from 4-6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 6 in Schlegel Hall. Register now for the event.
CHARLES AND JANET FORBES BUSINESS PITCH COMPETITION
Photo of Alexa Trzpis by Rebecca Crocker
I’m pleased to note that Hajim School students who won the annual the Charles and Janet Forbes Business Pitch Competition. Established in 1989 by Charles and Janet Forbes, this event continues to honor their legacy of supporting entrepreneurial exploration among engineering students.
- First Place: Glucose Guardian—Alexa Trzpis ’25 (biomedical engineering), pictured above
- Second Place: DroneGurus—Guruansh Kohli ’26 (computer science and business), Jack Collings ’26 (chemical engineering), Nate Bogdan ’26 (digital media studies)
- Third Place: MeDescover—Ahmet Gurcan ’22, Joel DeVries, and Zack Farnam (all biomedical engineering master’s students)
Perhaps best of all, the competition saw a 250% increase in startup team participation compared to last year, and we matched the highest number of teams in Ain Center history with an incredible 14 teams! Great work to all who participated.
STUDENTS COMPETE AT E-HUMAN POWERED VEHICLE CHALLENGE
A team of mechanical engineering students traveled over the weekend to Charlotte, NC to compete in ASME’s e-Human Powered Vehicle Challenge. The engineering design and innovation competition gives students the opportunity to network and apply engineering principles through the design, fabrication, and racing of human powered vehicles.
Our team put in many hours and built the vehicle from scratch in the last 14 weeks as part of the senior design capstone project. The team won third place in the endurance race, completing 36 laps, each 1 kilometer long, in 2.5 hours. The course involved rumble strips, a big bump, a lot of hairpin turns, and requirements to pick up and drop off parcels along the way. The team also participated in a drag race tournament and a design competition.
Great work facing off against top teams from across the country!
TECHNOLOGY WOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARDS PRESENTED BY TECHROCHESTER
Congratulations to the 2025 finalists and winners of the Technology Woman of the Year Awards presented by TechRochester. The awards, which celebrate the achievements of women in high technology fields, were presented last week and featured two Hajim School connections.
Juniyali Nauriyal ’22 PhD (electrical and computer engineering), the CEO and co-founder of Photonect Interconnect Solutions, received the Emerging Technology Woman of the Year award. The Technology Woman of the Year award went to Karla George ’21 MBA, the CEO of FLX AI, Inc. and former director of operations of the Rochester Data Science Consortium.
ALLISON LOPATKIN NAMED FINALIST FOR RES YOUNG ENGINEER OF THE YEAR
Congratulations to Assistant Professor Allison Lopatkin from the Department of Chemical Engineering, who was named a finalist for the Rochester Engineering Society’s Young Engineer of the Year Award. The award recognizes outstanding achievements and contributions to the profession by young engineers in the Rochester region and to promote the importance of engineering practice to society.
Allison will be recognized alongside other nominees at the RES Annual Awards Presentation on Saturday, May 3.
TAU BETA PI INDUCTS NEW MEMBERS
Congratulations to the newest members of Rochester’s chapter of the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society. Throughout the academic year our chapter holds community service activities, social events, corporate information sessions, and study sessions to help other engineering students succeed. Please join me in congratulating the following students who were initiated earlier this month:
- Khoi Truong Anh Phan ’26 (electrical and computer engineering), third from right
- Tyler Liao ’26 (mechanical engineering), second from right
- Andy Feng Chen ’26 (computer science), far right
UR ESSENTIALS INITIATIVE LAUNCHES THIS FALL
The University is launching UR Essentials, a program in partnership with Barnes & Noble that ensures undergraduate students receive all required textbooks and course materials before the first day of class.
Instead of buying books separately, the cost for undergraduates is now covered through tuition—no more surprise expenses. Physical books will be bundled for easy pickup, and digital materials will be available on Blackboard. Students should be on the lookout for an email from Barnes & Noble confirming your courses and method of delivery later this summer.
Faculty continue to select the best materials for their courses, and all formats and publishers are supported. Materials will be delivered as a package for physical items and through Blackboard for digital content. To guarantee timely delivery, faculty should submit their course material selections to the bookstore by May 15.
The Students’ Association will host an informational town hall about the program from 6–7 pm on Tuesday, April 29, in the Humanities Center. Program staff and representatives from Barnes & Noble will be on hand to discuss the program and answer any questions.
HOST A GRAD PROGRAM
The Host a Grad program is designed to celebrate our graduating students by pairing them with a host when their loved ones cannot attend their graduation ceremony. Hosts offer support by cheering on the students during their special day, capturing memorable moments, and helping share the joy with the students’ loved ones.
Students: If you are graduating this May but your loved ones cannot attend commencement in person, members within the UR community are ready and excited to connect with you and celebrate your graduation! Our wonderful hosts can help capture the excitement of this big milestone and accomplishment! If you would like to have someone who can take photos and videos to send home and make your day extra special, fill out this form to be matched with a host.
Rochester community members: If you would love to get to know one of our amazing students, take lots of pictures and videos, and can attend a department ceremony on Saturday, May 17, or Sunday, May 18, show your interest here. Your presence can make a graduating student’s day special!
The deadline to submit a request is Monday, May 5. Email isop@rochester.edu for more information and questions.
NEWLY FUNDED RESEARCH
Congratulations to Associate Professor Sreepathi Pai from the Department of Computer Science, who received $366,160 from the National Science Foundation for a collaborative project with University of Utah and Lawrence Livermore National Labs titled, “Formal Methods for Scientific Computing Bridging the Data-Numerics Behavior Tug-of-War.”
Have a great week!
Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman
