ISLANDS IN THE STREAM: Using a self-made device, Anshul Yadav, a postdoctoral student in the lab of Rachel Glade, an assistant professor of Earth and environmental sciences and of mechanical engineering, tracks the movement of RFID-tagged rocks in a stream in Webster, New York.
ANTS MARCHING: Takao Sasaki, an associate professor of brain and cognitive sciences, collects acorns in Genesee Valley Park that host temnothorax curvispinosus, a species of ant he uses to study the phenomenon of collective cognition. His research reveals the surprising power of genetics in shaping social organization and group behavior.
HER HIGHNESS: A queen from the temnothorax curvispinosus—or, acorn ant—species.
LATHER, RINSE, REPEAT: Memorial Art Gallery staff members wash, rinse, wax, and buff Versus, a bronze sculpture by Tony Cragg, during a semiannual cleaning event.
IN FOCUS: Ophthalmologist Janice Lee and resident Greg Sanda implant an intraocular lens in the eye of a cataract patient at Rochester’s Flaum Eye Institute.
SCALE UP: An intraocular lens shown on a fingertip for scale. Susana Marcos, the Nicholas George Endowed Professor in Optics and the David R. Williams Director of the Center for Visual Science, is the lead editor of a special issue of the journal Biomedical Optics Express that focuses on these lenses.
HIGH-FIBER DIET: Ever wonder how fiber optic cables (pictured) make modern telecommunications possible? Govind Agrawal, the Dr. James C. Wyant Professor of Optics, explains.
LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE BOIS: An adult groundhog and several pups seem right at home near Trustee Lot and Elmwood Avenue on the University’s River Campus.
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT PLASTICS: University of Rochester researchers led by Katrina Korfmacher, the codirector of the Lake Ontario MicroPlastics Center and a professor of environmental medicine, and Jane van Dis, an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology, are at the forefront of efforts to understand the complex role that plastics play in human health. Pictured above are microplastic source items, collected samples, and synthesized lab research versions.
QUANTUM KEYNOTE: Optical physicist and Nobel Prize laureate Donna Strickland ’89 (PhD) delivers the keynote address at the Rochester Conference on Coherence and Quantum Science. 2025 is the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, according to the United Nations, so it’s fitting that the signature international conference be hosted at the University, which boasts strengths in quantum sciences and technologies.
GOING SOLO: Senior Oscar Fenster plays a solo on the alto saxophone with the Bloomfield High School jazz band during the Rochester International Jazz Festival.
CAN I BUY A VOWEL?: Biomedical engineering PhD student Fazla Mashrur wears an electroencephalography cap during an experiment focused on brain-computer interfaces. Researchers record the brain’s electrical activity to try to decipher and predict what letter the subject types.
HEALING IN HARMONY: ROC City Concerts, launched by Associate Professor of Piano and Chamber Music Elinor Freer, brings Eastman School of Music students and faculty into underserved Rochester communities. Since 2024, the series has reached more than 200 listeners—from detention centers to recovery homes—contributing to the healing of many through the power of music. Above, Freer and baritone Joshua Conyers, an assistant professor of voice, perform at East House. (University of Rochester photo / Lauren Sageer)
