There are no lazy days of summer at the University of Rochester. As we prepped for—and then welcomed—students, take a look back at all the ways we kept busy during July and August. Photos by senior University photographer J. Adam Fenster unless otherwise noted.
BUMP, SET, SPIKE: Members of the community play recreational volleyball behind Susan B. Anthony Hall during a July sunset.
GOTTA JET: A US Navy EA-18G Growler jet belonging to VAQ-135 (Electronic Attack Squadron 135) makes a low wheels-down pass over the Eastman Quadrangle.
MEASURE FOR MEASURE: Earth and Environmental Sciences professor John Kessler and PhD candidate Katherine Gregory ride specially equipped kayaks down the Genesee River and Erie Canal to gather continuous measurements of dissolved methane, carbon dioxide, and oxygen.
THE YEAST WE COULD DO: Department of Biology professor Justin Fay samples bark and soil around a tree for the presence of yeast in the Tionesta Scenic Area of Pennsylvania’s Allegheny National Forest. By probing proteins from the yeast, Fay’s research shows how organisms may adapt to rising global temperatures.
TO BEE OR NOT TO BEE: A bumblebee visits a plant in a River Campus pollinator garden. The Suboptimal Sanctuary, an environmentally themed bee domicile, highlights the vital role of native bees in local ecosystems and the suboptimal conditions they face due to human activities causing habitat destruction, deforestation, and pollution.
THE EYES HAVE IT: Derek Power, lab manager, is photographed in the lab of Jesse Schallek, an assistant professor of ophthalmology, at the Flaum Eye Institute. Together, they discovered an unexpected response to retinal disease using ultra-precise imaging technology pioneered at the institute.
SMELLS LIKE TEAM SPIRIT: From left, Yellowjacket football players AJ Buckler ’28, Daniel Santos ’26, Lucas Villanueva ’26, and Jake Adelmann ’26 share a laugh as they prepare to undergo a blood draw in the Goergen Athletic Center. The lab of Jeff Bazarian, a professor of emergency medicine and of neurology, along with four other institutions, is recruiting football players for baseline data for a study on repetitive head hits.
A FRESH COAT: Melody Gebremedhin receives a white coat from Erik Rueckmann, an assistant professor of emergency medicine, at the School of Medicine and Dentistry’s annual Dr. Robert L. & Lillian H. Brent White Coat Ceremony.
TAKE A HIKE: Students in the University’s First-Year Orientation Outing Treks (UR FOOT) program hike through Letchworth State Park. (University of Rochester photo / Lauren Petracca)
HAVE CART, WILL TRAVEL: Residence assistant Joey Stempien helps first-year students in the Class of 2029 move in. Relive Welcome Week here. (University of Rochester photo / Lauren Petracca)
CLOSE QUARTERS: Ella Zack throws a stuffed animal over to her new roommate, Mia Sakonju, in their dorm room at the Eastman School of Music Student Living Center. (University of Rochester photo / Lauren Petracca)
PRESIDENTIAL AID: University President Sarah Mangelsdorf talks with students during move-in at Susan B. Anthony Hall. (University of Rochester photo / Lauren Petracca)
NIGHT TO REMEMBER: Members of the Class of 2029 enjoy the Candlelight Ceremony, which gathers new students for a moment of tradition, history, and celebration. (University of Rochester photo / Adrian Kraus)
WE’LL KEEP THE LIGHTS ON: It’s a sight that never gets old: Rush Rhees Library pictured via aerial drone at twilight.
POPCORN FOR DINNER: Students gather on Wilson Quadrangle to watch A Minecraft Movie during Welcome Week’s Outdoor Movie Night.
PIER EVALUATION: Toxicology PhD candidate Alma Avila Oropeza retrieves a sample jar from Lake Ontario, off of Charlotte Pier, as part of research through the Lake Ontario MicroPlastics Center. Hosted jointly by the University and Rochester Institute of Technology, the center is a hub for research, translation, and community engagement on how different types of plastics enter and move through the Great Lakes ecosystems, and how microplastics may affect human health under different environmental conditions.
MULCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING: Melissa Dong ’29 shovels mulch at the MK Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence during Wilson Day, an annual tradition that increases incoming students’ awareness and knowledge of the local community and introduces community engagement as part of their undergraduate experience.
WE’VE GOT CLASS: Eastman School of Music students walk to class on the first day of the fall semester.
BRANCHING OUT: Justin Lipschutz ’27 studies in a hammock on the Eastman Quadrangle on the first day of classes. Hot tip for students: Relaxing in a hammock on River Campus is one of our top essential experiences during your time at Rochester. Start your to-do list now.
