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rendering of a planet
Science & Technology
September 7, 2017 | 09:37 am

Climate change for aliens

For more than 50 years, the Kardashev scale has been the gold standard for classifying hypothetical “exo-civilizations” by their ability to harness energy. A team of researchers led by Rochester astrophysicist Adam Frank have devised a new system that takes into account the impacts of that energy use.

topics: Adam Frank, climate change, Department of Physics and Astronomy, exoplanets, planets, research finding, School of Arts and Sciences,
Ang Lee holding a camera
Science & Technology
September 7, 2017 | 07:42 am

Conference, expo puts spotlight on light and sound technologies

Rochester has the ingredients to create its own Silicon Valley in emerging imaging and audio technologies. That’s the vision of the organizers of Light and Sound Interactive, a conference and expo that will showcase how Rochester can play a leading role in such growing fields as augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), and interactive games and media. Oscar-winning filmmaker Ang Lee is among this year’s keynotes.

topics: augmented reality, featured-post, Light and Sound Interactive, virtual reality,
close-up of monkey
Science & Technology
September 6, 2017 | 08:23 am

Monkey sees. . . monkey knows?

Monkeys had higher confidence in their ability to remember an image when the visual contrast was high. These kinds of metacognitive illusions—false beliefs about how we learn or remember best—are shared by humans, leading brain and cognitive scientists to believe that metacognition could have an evolutionary basis.

topics: Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, featured-post-side, research finding, School of Arts and Sciences,
large group of students standing around a small red machine with their professor
Science & Technology
August 31, 2017 | 11:39 am

An appreciation: David Quesnel, 1952–2017

The professor of mechanical engineering was remembered by friends, family members, and colleagues at a recent memorial service in Rush Rhees Library for his “unbounded curiosity.”

topics: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, obituaries,
tents on an icy landscape
Science & Technology
August 24, 2017 | 12:51 pm

Icy air reveals human-made methane levels higher than previously believed

Professor Vasilii Petrenko and his team are studying the air trapped in ice cores that date back nearly 12,000 years, long before mankind’s use of fossil fuels, to separate man-made from naturally occurring methane sources.

topics: climate change, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, featured-post-side, research finding,
statue of George Eastman wearing solar eclipse glasses
Science & Technology
August 17, 2017 | 09:17 am

When and how to see the partial solar eclipse in Rochester

Physics and astronomy professor Dan Watson will be experiencing Monday’s total solar eclipse from Tennessee, and he shares more eclipse answers and tips, as well as places at the University of Rochester where you can safely view the eclipse.

topics: Dan Watson, Department of Physics and Astronomy, featured-post, School of Arts and Sciences,
student in lab
Science & Technology
August 11, 2017 | 04:13 pm

Undergraduate’s summer research is a glass act

Chemical engineering major Tianhao Yu ’19 has a unique job this summer: testing organic light-emitting diodes that may help improve the screen displays of devices such as cell phones and televisions.

topics: Department of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemistry, Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Materials Science Program, OLED, research finding, School of Arts and Sciences, summer-of-research-2017, undergraduate research,
two students in a lab
Science & Technology
August 11, 2017 | 03:06 pm

Student work opens the brain to help surgeons remove tumors

Brain research does not take a summer vacation, and neither does Magdalena Granados ’19. The McNair Scholar is working on “awake language mapping” research designed to help neurosurgeons operate with greater precision.

topics: Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, research finding, Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program, School of Arts and Sciences, summer-of-research-2017, undergraduate research,
man smiles for a photo while working in a lab
Science & Technology
August 11, 2017 | 12:20 pm

Summer research that’s totally (nano)tubular

Chemistry major Austin Bailey ’18 (T5) has spent his summer developing a special polymer to attach other molecules to nanotubes, and his work could have significant applications for creating renewable energy sources.

topics: Department of Chemistry, energy, featured-post-side, research finding, School of Arts and Sciences, summer-of-research-2017, sustainability, undergraduate research,
young man in a lab coat, holding up a transparent polymer in a gloved hand
Science & Technology
August 10, 2017 | 02:35 pm

Shape-memory polymers expand with student research

A mechanical engineering student visiting from the University of Maryland, Ricardo Cardoza stretched himself—and the shape-memory polymers he worked with—in Mitchell Anthamatten’s chemical engineering lab this summer.

topics: Department of Chemical Engineering, engineering, Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, research finding, summer-of-research-2017, URnano,