
Engineering students recognized for excelling in humanities
Astra Zhang ’18, a double major in electrical and computer engineering and in studio arts, and Ivan Suminski ’18, a mechanical engineering major who is earning a dual degree in violin performance will share this year’s Wells Award.

Knox elected fellow of National Academy of Inventors
As a teenager, Wayne Knox ’79, ’84 (PhD) “sometimes filled the house with smoke” while building short wave radios and other electronic gadgets from scratch. Now the optics professor is among this year’s NAI fellows.

Two University researchers each receive $1.5 million grants
Chunlei Guo, with the Institute of Optics, and Kirsi Jarvinen-Seppo, with the Department of Pediatrics, were recently awarded separate $1.5 million grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the largest Gates Foundation grants ever awarded in the University’s history.

Four LLE members receive awards for fusion development research
The non-profit organization Fusion Power Associates awarded its Distinguished Career Award to recently retired director Robert McCrory, as well as other awards to the Laboratory for Laser Energetics at their annual meeting.

William Riker Prize in Political Science goes to MIT’s Acemoglu and Chicago’s Robinson
The long-time collaborators and co-authors of Why Nations Fail were honored by the University’s Department of Political Science for their work toward essentially building a new theory of political economy.

Sixteen sophomores honored with O’Brien Book Award
The University’s Iota Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa recognizes students who excelled both academically and in leadership roles during their first year at Rochester.

Dustin Trail wins award for studies of early Earth
The assistant professor of earth and environmental sciences has been selected as the recipient of the 2017 Mineralogical Society of America Award, a major honor in the field.

Groundbreaking research in brain injuries wins over Meliora Weekend judges, audience
What if researchers could find a way to bypass damaged areas of the brain to maintain the flow of information? That is the problem postdoctoral fellow Kevin Mazurek is working to solve.

Chronicle of Higher Education names Dahpon Ho teaching innovator
The assistant professor of history is known for having students reenact battle scenes, conduct “rocket” tests, and write propaganda campaigns to try to bring the era of the Korean War to life.

Three honored with Goergen Awards for teaching excellence
Established in 1997, the award recognizes distinctive teaching accomplishments of faculty in Arts, Science, and Engineering. “The recipients embody all that we value in teaching at the University,” says Dean of the College Jeffrey Runner.