University of Rochester photo / Derek Swanson
Dear members of the Hajim School community,
I want to thank all the alumni, students, faculty, and staff who helped to make this year’s Meliora Weekend a memorable one. The weekend featured engaging alumni panels, bustling open houses showcasing student work, and touching tributes to retiring faculty including Professor Emeritus Michael Scott from the Department of Computer Science and Professor Emerita Amy Lerner from the Department of Biomedical Engineering.
We were also proud to present Alexis Vogt ’00, ’08 PhD (optics) with the Hajim School Distinguished Alumni Award. As professor and chair of Optical Systems Technology at Monroe Community College, she has reshaped the program—growing the number of graduates 325 percent. The Introduction to Optics course she developed is now taught in 20 local high schools, introducing hundreds of young people to careers they may never have imagined. She has also been a key leader and co-PI of the URochester-led NSF STELLAR Engine, helping to position our region as the nation’s leader in lasers.
We also presented Carol Karp ’74, P’11 with the Dean’s Medal, which recognizes extraordinary service, philanthropy, and leadership to the School of Arts & Sciences and the Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences, and dedication and commitment that inspire others to take leadership roles at the University. A Trustee Emeritus, member of the Hajim National Council, and member of the Libraries National Council, Carol was recognized for her decades of impact—as a leader in her profession, philanthropist, strategist, and University advocate for excellence in research and education.
Meliora!
WILL RENNINGER NAMED MOORE FOUNDATION EXPERIMENTAL PHYSICS INVESTIGATOR
University of Rochester photo / J. Adam Fenster
A Hajim researcher’s ambitious aims to discover novel ways to couple light with sound earned him a recognition and funding as one of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation’s 21 new Experimental Physics Investigators. Congratulations to William Renninger, an associate professor at the Institute of Optics, whose work could open new possibilities for quantum computing, high-speed networking, and dark matter detection.
Will intends to leverage the quantum properties of both light and sound to build more exact communication and sensing tools to study how matter behaves, from defects in crystals used in semiconducting materials to the limits of quantum physics.
Learn more about Will’s exciting research at the News Center.
WHY ICY LANDSCAPES FORM WAVE-LIKE SOIL PATTERNS
Photo: David Cúñez
In some of Earth’s coldest places, soil freezes, thaws, and slowly creeps downhill, creating large, wave-like patterns across entire hillsides. The patterns resemble those made by familiar fluids—think paint dripping down a wall or icing down the side of a cake. But the physics behind those everyday materials can’t explain how the icy landscapes form.
So URochester researchers went looking for a better comparison. They found one in an unlikely place: oobleck.
In a study published in AGU Advances, Rachel Glade, an assistant professor in the Departments of Earth and Environmental Sciences and Mechanical Engineering, and her URochester colleagues used mathematical modeling to compare how different fluids behave. Their analysis suggests that solifluction patterns—the ripples formed as frost-heaved, water-saturated soil slowly moves downhill—form through a process analogous to the unusual behavior of oobleck, a mixture of cornstarch and water that becomes harder to move the harder it’s pushed.
Read more about Rachel’s research at the News Center.
HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAMS PROVIDE A PATH TO UROCHESTER
University of Rochester Medicine photo / Kelsie Smith-Hayduk
James Pichardo ’30 first came to URochester the summer after his sophomore year in high school to study optics as part of the Upward Bound STEM-ternship program. The following summer, in 2025, he was one of seven high school students accepted into the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience Commission’s NEURO-RocHS program. The Rochester native grew up minutes from campus and is now a freshman at URochester, majoring in psychology on a pre-med track. Pichardo came on a full ride after graduating as valedictorian from Padilla High School in the Rochester City School District (RCSD).
A great story on the University of Rochester Medicine Newsroom explores how programs like NEURO-RocHS and Upward Bound can open avenues for talented students to pursue fields they did not know existed. Read more at the Newsroom.
CONGRATULATIONS TO STEADMAN AWARD WINNERS
As part of National Postdoc Appreciation Week, ten postdoctoral scholars presented their interdisciplinary and innovative research at this year’s Steadman Family Awards celebration hosted by the Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs (GEPA) office. It was an opportunity to hear about cutting-edge research happening across the University by postdoctoral scholars and to be able to recognize their contributions to our community.
This year’s winners included two Hajim School postdocs. Pejman Hadi Sichani (second from the left) from the Department of Mechanical Engineering received the Award for Innovative Research and Arjun Iyer (second from the right) from the Institute of Optics received the Steadman Award.
Congratulations!
JOIN ROCHESTER IGEM 2027
A diverse team of motivated undergraduate students will spend the summer of 2027 designing and building their own engineered biological system with the URochester International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) team. iGEM projects aim to solve local, real-world problems, for example by engineering bacteria that can break down plastic waste. Students will choose their own project, construct new DNA parts, and validate their designs using new characterization assays. iGEM students will travel to Paris and interact with students from more than 400 universities across the globe.
Students from any study program are very welcome on the team. Participation in the project is worth 8 credits, which can be used to fulfill elective requirements. iGEM team members must be enrolled in Fall 2027.
An informational session takes place at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, October 16 Morey 205. To join the iGEM team, apply by emailing your CV, a letter of intent, and your academic transcript to Professor Anne Meyer by November 1.
NEWLY FUNDED RESEARCH
Congratulations to the following faculty who received new sponsored research awards:
- Professor Ben Castañeda from the Department of Biomedical Engineering received a $289,790 NIH Fogarty International Center (FIC) award for a project titled “Rapid Automated Diagnosis of Palpable Breast Lumps Without a Radiologist or Sonographer.”
- Assistant Professor Cherice Hill from the Department of Biomedical Engineering received $19,717 from the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society for a project titled “Point of Care Comprehensive Analysis of Insertional Achilles Tendinopathy Patients.”
Have a great week!
Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman
