A modular µSiM (m-µSiM) tissue chip platform.

URochester photo / J. Adam Fenster

Dear members of the Hajim School community,

Tissue chips, also known as organs-on-a-chip, have the potential to reduce reliance on animal testing, speed the drug discovery process, and fill gaps where animal models fail to predict harmful side effects in humans. Researchers at URochester’s Translational Center for Barrier Microphysiological Systems (TraCe-bMPS) recently made an important advancement toward making FDA-approved versions available for evaluating cancer immunotherapies. Their chips were recently accepted into the FDA’s Innovative Science and Technology Approaches for New Drugs (ISTAND) pilot program, which helps evaluate new tools for developing drugs.

The tissue chips are being developed specifically to test immunotherapies for adverse effects such as cytokine release syndrome (CRS)—an inflammatory response that can lead to organ failure—and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS), which causes the immune cells to attack nerves. The effort to seek FDA approval is led by Jim McGrath, the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Professor Ben Miller from the Department of Dermatology, and Joan Adamo, director of regulatory support services at URochester Medicine’s Clinical & Translational Science Institute.

Q&A WITH DARREN LIPOMI ON PURSUING A PHD IN STEM

Darren Lipomi sits at his desk behind a mic he uses to record a podcast.

URochester photo / J. Adam Fenster

For nine years dating back to his time as a faculty member at the University of California, San Diego, Darren Lipomi, the Arthur Gould Yates Professor of Engineering and chair of the Department of Chemical and Sustainability Engineering, has provided honest, unfiltered advice for aspiring graduate students through his Molecular Podcasting podcast and YouTube channel. This summer, he published Science Nonfiction: Behind the Scenes in University Research (Buckland Creek Press), a memoir tracing his path from a self-described “nerdy kid” to his current role as a distinguished professor at a top-rated R1 university.

Darren argues that one of the most misunderstood parts of academia is the life of a doctoral student in science and engineering. In a recent Q&A, Darren offers candid advice on choosing a graduate program, finding the right advisor, funding your education, and building a career in research.

Read the Q&A at the News Center.

STEVE ROESSNER ENGINEERS NEW EASTMAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC ALBUM

The album cover for "In Plain Sight."

I’m happy to share that a Hajim School faculty member helped the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music expand its discography with the release of IN PLAIN SIGHT: The Black Anthology on Lexicon Classics. Associate Professor Steve Roessner from the Department of Sound Arts and Engineering engineered the double album for Stereo and ATMOS Audio.

The new double album showcases selections from the Anthology of Art Songs by Black American Composers, shining a light on one of the nation’s richest but most overlooked musical traditions. It features outstanding young students from all studios of Eastman’s Voice, Opera, and Vocal Coaching department, together with three stars of the school’s distinguished faculty – Grammy nominee Joshua Conyers, BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Nicole Cabell, and Marian Anderson Competition winner Kiera Duffy.

Read about the album on the Eastman website and watch a behind-the-scenes video about its making on Instagram.

FIVE STUDENTS WIN ROBERT S. HILBERT MEEMORIAL OPTICAL DESIGN COMPETITION

A composite of five headshots of students who won an optical design competition.

Congratulations to Hajim School students who won the 2026 Robert S. Hilbert Memorial Optical Design Competition. This annual competition recognizes the innovative work of students in the field of optical design, showcasing their skills and creativity using Keysight’s Optical Design Engineering software. This year’s winners impressed the Keysight team with their projects, and Keysight is proud to share their accomplishments. Our winners and the titles of their projects are:

Julia Barber ’27 (optical engineering)—Drone Mounted LWIR Zoom Lens for Downed Pilot Rescue Operations
Ren Lian ’27 (biomedical engineering)—No Where to Hide: NBI Large FOV Gastroscope for Early Stomach Cancer Diagnosis
Isabelle Settle ’27 (optics)—PebbleVision – Visible Camera for Olympic Curling Ice Characterization
Martin Sipowicz (MS in optics)—Reverse Engineering the Plasma Diagnostic Collection Lens Within the SMART Tokamak
Zihan (Frannie) Zheng ’27 (optical engineering)— Wide Angle Lens design for Go-pro style video camera for snowboarding/skiing

FALL WELCOME WEEK BEGINS AUGUST 24

More than 1,200 new undergraduate students in the School of Arts & Sciences, Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences, and Simon Business School, as well as their families, will arrive on the River Campus on Monday, August 24 and Tuesday, August 25.

Following move-in and check-in, more than 100 Welcome Week events and activities will take place from Monday, August 24 through Saturday, August 29, planned by the Office of Orientation and New Student Programs (ONSP). All Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences faculty and staff are invited to join ONSP and University leaders for New Student Convocation on the Eastman Quad on Wednesday, August 26 from 4-5 p.m.

You can see the full event schedule by downloading the Guidebook app or viewing the web version. Questions? Contact ONSP at orientation@rochester.edu.

NEWLY FUNDED RESEARCH

Congratulations to Professor Gary Wicks from the Institute of Optics, who received $99,174 from the Air Force Research Lab through a subaward with MIT for a project titled “Barrier Infrared Detector with Surface Engineering Enhanced Detectivity.”

Have a great week!

Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman