
Former Institute of Optics director Kenneth Teegarden dies
Teegarden joined the Institute of Optics in 1954 and served as its director from 1981 until 1987. He was also the first director of the University’s Materials Science program, and led the New York State Center for Advanced Optical Technology.

Giving virtual reality a ‘visceral’ sound
Using recital halls as their “labs,” and recording some of the best music students in the world, University researchers are creating virtual reality videos of concerts that literally immerse viewers “within” the performance onstage.

Augmented reality lets students operate a chemical plant
Coffee mugs and popsicle sticks are transformed into chemical reactors as part of an innovative teaching experiment that allows student engineers to simulate reactions in a real-life, sprawling chemical plant.

Virtual reality app offers personalized psychotherapy
A multidisciplinary team of University doctors, engineers, and musicians is working together to create an immersive, customized experience that brings cognitive-behavioral therapy to a patient’s smartphone.

Building the right mobile app for caregivers of children with FASD
A researcher and a computer engineer team up to build a mobile app that is already starting to help parents and caregivers facing fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

On stage, in the lab
Thanks to the Dual Degree Program with the University’s Eastman School of Music, Ivan Suminski ’18, ’18E finds himself in an enviable dilemma. Should he apply to graduate school to continue his violin studies? Or to research the biophysics of the inner ear?

Ching Tang inducted into National Inventors Hall of Fame
Ching Tang is being recognized for his part in helping pioneer development of the organic light-emitting diode, or OLED, found in today’s flat panel displays in computers, cell phones, and televisions.

Rochester team casts light on a hidden problem in domestic violence cases
While existing technology for detecting bruises works well for light-skinned victims, it’s less effective for people of color. An interdisciplinary team at the University of Rochester has set out to change that.

Adapted toys a godsend for parents and their children with special needs
Toys that beep. Toys that light up and sing. All adapted by engineering students for children with special needs. For parents visiting the University of Rochester Medical Center, taking home a toy their child can play with themselves is “really awesome.”

Supercomputer aids Rochester’s quest for inertial confinement fusion
Hussein Aluie, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, has been awarded an additional 90 million hours of computer time in 2018 by the US Department of Energy to produce detailed simulations of fluid instabilities that hinder fusion “ignition.”