
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.

Freeform optical device packs more punch in a smaller package
Spectrometers are used in a variety of applications, from environmental monitoring to astronomy to healthcare diagnostics. A new design using freeform optics upends more than a century of optical design.

What we learn when a machine ‘listens’ to Miles Davis
Two undergraduates are spending their summer analyzing a recording that was first released nearly four decades before they were born.

One question sparks student’s research around race in America
Why does racism play a part in motivating some students to go on to college, while it seems to deter others? Winston Scott ’19 is spending his summer preparing a study into how children react when they begin to perceive racism.

With automatic transcription, musicians can save themselves the treble
Two undergraduates have joined a summer research project focused on building a machine-learning interface that generates musical scores from audio files.

Student follows liquid metal flow to build a better battery
Meghan Patrick ’18 has spent her summer studying the use of liquid metal batteries on a scale large enough to power entire cities in conjunction with solar and wind power. Patrick is helping the lab figure out where to place ultrasound probes that can capture detailed measurements of how fluids flow in those batteries and how that affects their performance.

Summer in Malawi brings student researchers closer to community
For the past 15 years, the University’s Malawi Immersion Seminar has offered students a research experience in the remote village of Gowa, carrying out individual projects, and living and working among the community members.

Physics students keep their cool in summer labs
From near-Earth objects to quantum computing, physics students come to Rochester to get an early start on their research careers this summer, working on federally funded and University sponsored projects.

It’s one community for Kearns summer researchers
In their labs, the 61 Kearns Center summer researchers work among one another, and in their dorms they live among one another, forming tight friendships that will be vital as they move on to graduate school and professional careers.

Summertime is prime time for undergraduate research
What’s true for many faculty members is also true for college students. There’s no better time than summer—away from coursework and distractions of the school year—to take a deep dive into research.