
Optical Scientist and Educator M. Parker Givens Dies at 96
Although Givens “officially” retired in 1981 at the mandatory age of 65 (at that time a federal law), he continued to teach for another 22 years, and was primarily responsible for the senior laboratory course.

Your Brain on Big Bird
Using brain scans of children and adults watching Sesame Street, cognitive scientists are learning how children’s brains change as they develop intellectual abilities like reading and math.

Electronic Imaging Researcher Recognized
Sharma is being recognized for contributions to electronic imaging and media security. His work has had a lasting impact in both the academic community and in industry, and he holds over 50 US patents.

Smartphones: the New Mood Ring?
If you think having your phone identify the nearest bus stop is cool, wait until it identifies your mood. Rochester engineers are developing a new computer program that gauges human feelings through speech, with substantially greater accuracy than existing approaches.

Dark Matter Detector Installed Underwater, Underground
An experiment to look for one of nature’s most elusive subatomic particles is underway in a stainless steel tank nearly a mile underground beneath the Black Hills of South Dakota. And among the dozens of scientists involved in the research is physics Professor Frank Wolfs.

“Space Gems” Share a Dramatic Origin Story
These meteorites, or pallasites, were likely formed when a smaller asteroid crashed into a planet-like body about 30 times smaller than earth.

$1M Awarded to Mt. Hope Family Center Founder
Cicchetti is widely recognized for his research with high-risk and disenfranchised populations, including children from families struggling with abuse and depression.

Diagnostic Devices to Feature Super-Thin Filters
DNA analysis and pathogen testing relies on filtration. These new membrane filters will be about 1,000 times thinner than the sponge-like filters used now, lending themselves to yet smaller, portable instrumentation for use in the field.

‘Holy Grail’ of Hydrogen Fuel
Work by a group of graduate students and chemistry professors is advancing what is sometimes considered the “holy grail” of energy science: lowering the cost while increasing the output of sunlight-powered hydrogen-production systems. The solution: nanocrystals and nickel catalysts.

How Do Blind Mole Rats Ward Off Cancer?
Blind mole rats and naked mole rats—both subterranean rodents with long life spans—are the only mammals never known to develop cancer. Rochester biologists have now determined that the mechanism for fighting off cancer differs between the two.