Science & Technology

Apt analogies help veteran convey his HIV research
‘Three Minute Thesis’ Competition winner Jeffrey Beard demonstrates how to communicate science to the public.

Room temperature superconductor? Rochester lab sets new record toward long-sought goal
In a pair of studies, University physical scientists synthesized new superconducting materials, developing processes that may help ‘open the door to many potential applications.’

Laser-driven experiments provide insights into the formation of the universe
Researchers at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics have captured for the first time in a laboratory setting the process thought to be responsible for generating and sustaining astrophysical magnetic fields.
Society & Culture

History project tells a more complete story of Frances Seward
Three women in the history PhD program have completed a video project showing the wife of Lincoln’s secretary of state as more influential than typically depicted.

Rochester Himalayan climate history project receives environmental history award
Work to preserve testimonies of a people and their culture is recognized as an “outstanding model of applied environmental history scholarship.”

Republican and Democratic voters agree on one thing—the need for generous COVID-19 relief
The latest Bright Line Watch survey finds that voters support COVID-19 relief spending, but partisan divides remain over the election and impeachment.
The Arts

Memorial Art Gallery exhibit presents G. Peter Jemison’s experience of Haudenosaunee culture
Multimedia artist Jemison (Seneca, Heron Clan) has had a career that spans decades and nations, influencing generations of contemporary Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists alike.

3 collections from the River Campus Libraries worth your time this National Poetry Month
Celebrate rhythm, rhyme, alliteration, and other literary techniques by exploring the collected papers of poets John A. Williams, Samuel Greenlee, and Vince Clemente.

Eastman School alumni take home Grammy awards
Three Eastman School alumni were winners at the 63rd Grammy Awards. A composition by the late Christopher Rouse, who taught at Eastman from 1981 to 2002, also garnered an award.
In Photos

University community marks COVID-19’s one-year anniversary
Moment of silence and other activities mark the one-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ways in which the University community responded
Student Life

17 sophomores honored with O’Brien Book Award
Seventeen sophomores are recognized with the Suzanne J. O’Brien Book Award for their exceptional academic and leadership accomplishments during their first year of college.

New advisory board will help address the challenges that international students and scholars face
The University-wide board will work to address broad issues that international students and scholars encounter while pursuing their academic and career goals.

Campus Dining Services: Putting the fun—and safety—in food
Masks and social distancing have mixed with creative specialty foods at River Campus dining halls this year.
Voices & Opinion

Is it time for a universal wage for housework?
In an essay in the Washington Post, history PhD student Kevin Sapere argues the pandemic has made it “all the more relevant” to compensate housework.

Will Biden’s immigration plan encourage illegal immigration?
By enabling undocumented workers to travel freely between the US and their home countries, it may actually enable them to return home, writes Daniel Reichman.

Campaign finance reform will not restore trust in democracy, say two social scientists
Proposed campaign finance legislation is “riddled with claims that do not hold up when subjected to scientific scrutiny,” argues Rochester political scientist David Primo.
University News

Mentoring undergraduates through ‘uncharted territory’ in chemistry research
Chemistry professor Ignacio Franco is the 2021 recipient of the College Award for Undergraduate Teaching and Research Mentorship.

Search for Rochester’s next provost gets under way
President Sarah Mangelsdorf has appointed an interim provost and an interim vice president for research along with introducing a new leadership structure.

Frederick Douglass Institute announces two postdoctoral fellows
Mia Alafaireet and Ricardo Milhouse will join the University for the 2021–22 academic year to teach and continue their research.