
Open Letter awarded National Endowment for the Arts grant
The literary translation press recently received one of this year’s largest Arts Works grants in literature. The $60,000 grant will support the publication and promotion of several books in 2015, including Rochester Knockings, a novel based on the Rochester-based religious movement of Spiritualism and the famous Fox Sisters.

2014: The year in pictures
University photographer J. Adam Fenster selects his favorite photos from a memorable year.

Qiang Lin receives inaugural Leonard Mandel Faculty Fellow Award
Qiang Lin, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering and of optics, has been named the first Leonard Mandel Faculty Fellow. The award, which includes a two-year, $25,000 stipend, recognizes exceptional achievement by a junior faculty member in coherence and quantum optics.

American Musicological Society presents Einstein Award to Melina Esse
An associate professor of musicology at the Eastman School of Music, Esse received the award honoring an article of exceptional merit published by a scholar in the early stages of his or her career for her study of female improvisation in 19th century Italian opera.

Allan Greenleaf named a fellow of American Mathematical Society
The AMS awards fellowships to recognize “members who have made outstanding contributions to the creation, exposition, advancement, communication, and utilization of mathematics.” Greenleaf is being singled out for his “contributions to inverse problems with applications to cloaking, as well as for service to AMS.”

Esther Conwell, pioneering professor of chemistry, dies at 92
Esther M. Conwell, research professor of chemistry, pioneer in the field of semiconductor research, and recipient of the National Medal of Science, died in a motor vehicle accident Sunday at the age of 92.
Statement from Rob Clark, Sr. VP for Research, on the value of scientific peer review
“The House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology is currently conducting a review on grants issued by the agency for some 60 merit-reviewed projects, including one from the University of Rochester. Scientific research awarded through peer-review process should not be subject to political or ideological interference.”

University offices prepare to move into College Town
Seven University departments and offices — including some offices within Human Resources and University IT — will transition from their current spaces into the new second and third-story office space in Building 3 of College Town, located on Celebration Drive, beginning in November.

University appoints Public Safety Deputy Director
Since 2001, Gerald L. Pickering has served as Webster police chief, overseeing a force of 32 sworn officers and 10 civilian professionals. Pickering will start in the new position at the University on Jan. 5.
Mellon Foundation grant to support Humanities Corridor endowment
Founded in 2006, the Central New York Humanities Corridor is an interdisciplinary collaboration among research institutions and liberal arts colleges focused on enhancing scholarship in the humanities. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has committed a matching grant of $500,000 to the University of Rochester, which will establish an endowment for the University’s continued partnership.