Science & Technology
Quick COVID-detecting nasal swab card, tested at URMC, is approved for use
Evaluated in a clinical trial at the Medical Center, a $5 diagnostic test that quickly detects COVID-19 has received FDA approval for use by health care providers.
Rochester researchers document record-setting optical fiber
Work shows the innovative fiber—made of seven capillaries surrounding a hollow core—may be a promising platform for quantum information processing and other applications.
Rochester leads novel research project on how the brain interprets motion
Brain and cognitive scientists are leading an NIH-funded multi-university project that may have applications for disorders like schizophrenia and offer insights for artificial intelligence.
Society & Culture
Getting fewer ‘likes’ on social media can make teens anxious and depressed
Lack of positive feedback on social media can decrease adolescents’ feelings of self-worth, multi-institutional team of psychologists finds.
Like rose-colored glasses, a ‘sexy mindset’ helps you see what you want to see
Researchers find that having a “sexy mindset” makes people perceive potential partners as way more attractive.
Watchdog report: US democratic indicators plummet amid racial justice protests and pandemic
Latest Bright Line Watch analysis finds erosion “across the board” on measures of democratic principles and how well the US is abiding by them.
The Arts
Rochester artists look to avant-garde past in new site-specific installation
Where traces of a once vibrant artistic residency program still stand, University art professor Allen Topolski and his artist daughter, Aster, seek to understand the present through what came before.
Memorial Art Gallery reopens as Finger Lakes region enters Phase Four
With masks, social distancing, and other safety measures in place, the University’s museum has reopened and is once again welcoming visitors.
This year’s Art of Science competition a welcome respite from COVID-19
A student’s dazzling image of recrystallized urea, viewed under a microscope and shot with an iPhone, takes the top prize in the annual Art of Science competition.
In Photos
An adapted classroom: Students and faculty find new ways to engage in teaching and learning
Students and faculty members adapt to new—and safety-conscious—ways of interacting as teachers, scholars, and researchers.
Student Life
Masked and ready, the Class of 2024 begins moving onto campus
Health and safety were the order of the day for a “slow roll to move in” for the Class of 2024 and other University students living in campus housing this fall.
Students keep busy during two-week quarantine
Undergraduates who arrived August 1 for a New York State–required quarantine are finding plenty to do while they prepare for the fall semester.
Students arrive for mandated COVID-19 quarantine
Wearing masks and following physical distancing guidelines, students from New York’s restricted travel states arrived August 1 to begin a 14-day quarantine.
Voices & Opinion
Detained migrants susceptible to a range of reproductive abuses and medical neglect
The history of eugenics in the United States leaves today’s migrant women vulnerable, argues University of Rochester history professor Brianna Theobald in a Washington Post “Made by History” op-ed.
NFL owners are now willing to support players’ protests
“[T]he National Football League’s newfound appreciation for its players’ civil rights gestures is likely to be tested by the election season and by fans’ spending power,” says political scientist Bethany Lacina.
Déjà vu: What happens to America when one candidate wins the popular vote but not the Electoral College?
Political scientists explore how the November election will be viewed if there’s a split between the popular vote and the Electoral College count.
University News
Eight appointed to named professorships
Eight University faculty members were appointed to named professorships this fall.
Three professors earn honors for teaching excellence
Annual Goergen Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching recognize faculty members in Arts, Sciences & Engineering.
Col Raimond named first AS&E staff ombudsperson
In the newly created position, Raimond focuses on providing impartial, confidential assistance to Arts, Sciences & Engineering staff in resolving University-related issues or concerns.