April 20, 2026

Alumnus Rick Carl and a URochester graduate student manipulate a Moog synthesizer.

University of Rochester photo / J. Adam Fenster

Dear members of the Hajim School community,

I’m proud to officially share that the Hajim School has launched its first new department in more than 25 years in conjunction with the Eastman School of Music. The Department of Sound Arts and Engineering (SAE) will advance research, education, creative practice, and public engagement at the nexus of sound, technology, and the musical arts.

SAE unites Hajim programs (the bachelor of science in audio and music engineering and the bachelor of arts in audio arts and technology) with Eastman’s Beal Institute for Film Music and Contemporary Media, which houses the master of music in contemporary media/film composition, as well as future programs in music creation and technology.

Chaired by Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Mark Bocko, the department will be composed of faculty from both schools, providing students with opportunities to learn from both areas of expertise, engage in collaborative projects, and take courses at both campuses. Learn more about the department at the News Center.

USING LARGE LANGUAGE MODELS TO DISCOVER NEW MATERIALS

Robot hand preparing to lift a flask of blue liquid with beakers and tubes of other liquids in the background.

Getty Images

Researchers from the Department of Chemical and Sustainability Engineering are harnessing the benefits of large language models (LLMs) similar to ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini to empower more people to use AI to discover new materials and accelerate experiment workflows.

In a study published in ACS Central Science, a team led by Associate Professor Marc Porosoff and Andrew White, visiting associate professor and the cofounder and chief technology officer of Edison Scientific, describes an AI based-method they developed that allows users to input natural language prompts about the materials they want to create and suggest optimal procedures for experiments to produce them.

Now that they have shown the model works as a proof of concept in the lab, Porosoff aims to take the method further using nearly $3 million in funding announced through ARPA-E’s Catalytic Application Testing for Accelerated Learning Chemistries via High-throughput Experimentation and Modeling Efficiently (CATALCHEM-E) program.

Learn more about the research at the News Center.

LEADERSHIP CONVERSATION WITH REITUMETSE MABOKELA

A graphic featuring a headshot of Reitumetse Mabokela on a shield against a bright yellow background.

Since October 2025, Reitumetse “Reitu” Mabokela, the vice provost for global engagement, has led the University in rethinking how it globally attracts talent, establishes partnerships, and delivers education and scholarship. In a Leadership Conversation, she discussed her charge: help URochester remain competitive, connected, and forward-looking in a rapidly shifting global higher education landscape. Read five takeaways from her conversation at the News Center.

SONIA IRAKOZE ’28 ONE OF TWO UROCHESTER PROJECTS FOR PEACE GRANT RECIPIENTS

Side-by-side headshots of URochester students who won Projects for Peace fellowships.

Congratulations to Sonia Irakoze ’28 (mechanical engineering), who received a prestigious Projects for Peace grant to lead work in her country-of-origin Rwanda this summer. Her project, titled “AquaSolve Rwanda: Solar-Powered Filtration for Peace,” aims to bring solar-powered water filtration to the Lake Mirayi area of the Bugesera District. She plans to collaborate with a local water and sanitation engineer for technical support while leading the construction and maintenance of one or two solar-powered water filtration kiosks in the Gashora sector along Lake Mirayi, a non-potable water source that many residents use despite risks of parasites, bacteria, and attacks from crocodiles.

URochester is among a select group of academic institutions invited to nominate student-led, grassroots projects focused on conflict transformation and peacebuilding. As a Davis United World Colleges (UWC) Scholars partner institution, URochester has been nominating students for the Projects for Peace summer grant since 2013. Institutions can nominate two projects, and this year both of URochester’s nominees were selected (international relations student Lina Abdou ’26 is the other recipient).

Thank you to the Student Fellowships Office (SFO) for helping our students to secure these incredible opportunities. Learn more about Sonia and Lina’s projects on the SFO website.

BOND FAMILY FOUNDATION FACULTY SCHOLAR GRANT RECIPIENTS

Side-by-side headshots of Zhen Bai and David Foster.

Congratulations to Zhen Bai, an assistant professor of computer science and the Biggar Family Fellow in Data Science at the Goergen Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, and Professor Dave Foster from the Department of Chemical and Sustainability Engineering, for receiving Bond Family Foundation Faculty Scholar Grants.

The program provides instructors who teach undergraduate students in the School of Arts and Sciences, Hajim School, and the Barry Florescue Undergraduate Business Program the opportunity to integrate career education, experiential learning, and Project-Based Learning (PBL) into the classroom. PBL is an experiential, high-impact teaching and learning practice in which student teams design solutions to complex, real-world problems through the application of course content as an academic assignment.

As Bond Faculty Scholars, they will receive $4,000 to use for compensation or operational needs. Zhen will use her grant for the CSC 216/416: AR/VR Interaction Design course and Dave will apply his grant toward the CHE 250: Separation Processes course.

FIRST-GENERATION STUDENTS AND FAMILIES RECEPTION

Please join the David T. Kearns Center for Leadership and Student Success and University Student Life for the First-Generation Students and Families Reception from 4-5:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 14 in the Feldman Ballroom. Food will be provided at the celebratory event and first-gen students can invite up to two guests. RSVP to attend.

OPPORTUNITIES TO SUPPORT INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

The International Services Office (ISO) is connecting graduating international students whose families or friends can’t attend commencement with University of Rochester community members who can celebrate with them. Both students and hosts must sign up by Monday, May 4.

ISO is also recruiting peer mentors to be paired with new international students. It’s a paid position with great community involvement opportunities. Any current undergraduate or graduate students can apply. Interested mentor applicants must apply on Joblink (Job ID: 27352). Learn more at the ISO website.

K-12 CS/MATH/SCIENCE TEACHER PREPARATION SCHOLARSHIP

A high school student in gloves spreads a substance on a piece of paper with a stick.

The Warner School of Education invites students with BA/BS degrees in a STEM discipline to apply for the Noyce K-12 teacher preparation scholarship. The program is designed to support STEM majors who are interested in becoming K-12 teachers in computer science, math, or science. Please note that although the official application deadline was April 1, exceptional applications will still be considered after that date. Find out more about the program on the Warner School website.

NEWLY FUNDED RESEARCH

A dark blue graphic with a headshot in a shield and text that says "Cristiano Tapparello, Research Associate Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering."

Congratulations to Associate Professor of Research Cristiano Tapparello from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, who received $202,526 from the NIH National Institute on Aging for a project led by Stanford University titled “A facial expression-based personalization engine (FPE) for monitoring and modulating real-time effective engagement in cognitive training in older adults at risk for AD-dementia.”

Have a great week!

Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman