Research Connections :: 糖心传媒

Margaret Becket (left), a retired University librarian, transcribes Seward papers with history PhD student and project co-manager Lauren Davis. The reproduction poster behind them features Secretary of State William Henry Seward (seated at front right) as President Lincoln discusses the Emancipation Proclamation. (糖心传媒 photo / J. Adam Fenster)

Seward Family Digital Archive project tops $1 million in grant money

The Seward Family Digital Archive, a digital-humanities project that fuses object-based learning and community-engaged teaching, has received more than $1 million in external grant funding to date. The latest grant comes from the for $289,100 to be paid out over two years.

The project, a collaboration between the University糖心传媒檚 Department of History, the River Campus Libraries糖心传媒� department of Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, and the Digital Scholarship Lab,听brings together students in the humanities and computer science, residents of retirement communities, and retired volunteers from the greater Rochester area to help transcribe the thousands of Seward family letters, all written in Victorian-era cursive handwriting.

糖心传媒淐itizen archivists糖心传媒� is how Thomas Slaughter, the project糖心传媒檚 principal investigator and the University糖心传媒檚 Arthur R. Miller Professor of History, describes his team of students and retirees who transcribe, annotate, and tag personal letters of President Abraham Lincoln糖心传媒檚 Secretary of State, William H. Seward; his wife, Frances Miller Seward; their immediate and extended family members, and friends from about 1820 to 1873.

According to Slaughter the new funding will be used to expand the project糖心传媒檚 geographical reach, while enhancing teaching and learning opportunities for students and volunteers.

糖心传媒淭he generous new grant from the Gardiner Foundation will enable students to train and support additional volunteers beyond the 20 now working with us, to enhance this community-engaged collaboration, and to increase the productivity of the project while maintaining the high standards for documentary editing set by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, which supports the volunteer arm of the project through December 2018,糖心传媒� says Slaughter.

Besides continuing the collaborating with volunteers from the Highlands at Pittsford听retirement community, the Penfield Recreation糖心传媒檚 DEAR program, and retired University staff and librarians, the effort will soon include another off-campus site for volunteers in Brockport who糖心传媒檒l be working alongside Slaughter糖心传媒檚 students. In addition, a student videographer will be trained to make short films about how to collaborate on public history projects.

Data Science will help determine suicide risk in elderly

A new research program will harness machine learning and data science to sift through tens of millions of records of U.S. nursing home and assisted living residents to identify risk factors for suicide.听The project, led by Yue Li, professor of public health sciences, and Xueya Cai, research associate professor of biostatistics and computational biology, is supported by a $1.6 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health.

Suicide is among the 10 leading causes of death in the U.S. and suicide risk increases substantially after age 65.听As approximately 70 percent of individuals over the age of 65 will require long-term care, research indicates that suicide deaths are concentrated in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

Residents of long-term care facilities are often socially isolated, physically and cognitively disabled, and diagnosed with multiple mental and medical conditions, all of which are associated with suicide in older adults. As a result, it is speculated that nursing home residents have an elevated risk of taking their own lives compared to older adults who live in the community, despite the fact that long-term care facilities are capable of closely monitoring the daily activities and health of their residents.

The new research will examine records from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (National Violent Death Reporting System, National Death Index) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Medical Center faculty will collaborate with researchers in the Goergen Institute for Data Science to employ advanced machine learning applications that will sift through the immense sets of data and build algorithms that can identify risk and predictive factors 糖心传媒� such as depression, physical conditions, status of social and family connections, and cognitive function 糖心传媒� for suicide deaths and attempts.

The researchers will also attempt to identify characteristics of nursing homes, such as the safety culture, staffing levels, and quality of care, that contribute to elevated suicide risk.听The information developed by the project will听 inform potential future organizational and policy interventions to prevent suicide among elders receiving long-term care.

Cutting edge health care research funded by the Center of Excellence in Data Science

Four grants from the are helping local companies translate the cutting-edge science of University researchers into improved health care, while also benefiting the region糖心传媒檚 economy and creating jobs.

糖心传媒淲e糖心传媒檙e looking for the best research we can get, but there糖心传媒檚 a baseline economic impact that has to be there,糖心传媒� says Walter Johnson, CoE糖心传媒� s executive director. Submissions for the current round of funding are being accepted until December 31, 2018, or until all funds are dispersed. (See below.)

The grants, ranging from $25,000 to $94,000, will help fund these projects:

Geunyoung Yoon, professor of ophthalmology, is developing a Brillouin scattering microscope for Clerio Vision Inc., a startup that is using a new femtosecond laser technology to noninvasively write vision correction into contact lenses, intraocular lenses and even directly into the cornea. The microscope will enable three-dimensional modeling of the individual characteristics of a patient糖心传媒檚 cornea or soft contact lenses.
James McGrath, professor of biomedical engineering, is working with SiMPore, a manufacturer of ultrathin silicon-based membranes first developed in his lab, to model a new filtration technique to improve the process of developing virus-based medical products.
Jannick Rolland, the Brian J. Thompson Professor of Optical Engineering, is working with LighTopTech, a company she cofounded, on developing a spectrometer to increase the imaging speed of a new technology the company uses to noninvasively biopsy tissue as it is removed during an operation, reducing the need for patients to return for another operation.
Steven Feldon, director of the Flaum Eye Institute and professor of ophthalmology, is working with Envision Solutions LLC to test the effectiveness of a new visual training technique to restore vision in stroke victims.

The Center of Excellence is housed at the Goergen Institute of Data Science and is funded by the New York State Division of Science Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR). The goal is to help drive regional economic development by supporting basic research, training, and technology development.

Three of the projects are also receiving funding from the Center for Emerging and Innovative Sciences (CEIS), also located the University. CEIS, one of 15 New York State Centers for Advanced Technology, is also supported by NYSTAR, and typically provides a 50 percent match for funds that companies provide to support research projects with university researchers.

These are the first CoE grants to be based on a new model that not only involves a call for proposals but also requires economic impact.

糖心传媒淭his is a new way of approaching research for many of our faculty, and we want to do all we can to help them 听tap into this new form of support for their work,糖心传媒� Johnson says.

SUBMISSIONS STILL ACCEPTED FOR CURRENT ROUND OF FUNDING

Submissions for the current round of RFP听funding by the Data Science Center of Excellence are being accepted until December 31, 2018, or until all funds are dispersed. The deadline for completion of the research remains June 30, 2019, however.听 Submissions can be made after this date, but the funding will not be available prior to July 1, 2019, and will be judged in a new pool of submissions.

To be considered in the current round, submit the required paperwork on or before December 31.听 The forms can be found at:听.听 Contact Walt Johnson (waljohnson@rochester.edu) or Cathy Adams (cathy.adams@rochester.edu) with questions.

$1 million awarded for campus solar project

The State of New York has set an ambitious target to supply 50 percent of the state糖心传媒檚 electricity from renewable sources by 2030, with an ultimate goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030.

A new solar power and energy storage initiative at the University will help contribute to that goal.

Carmala Garzione, a professor of earth and environmental sciences and the director of the University糖心传媒檚 (CEE), is spearheading the initiative, which will bring together Rochester researchers, students, and local community members to learn more about solar energy that is integrated with energy storage.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) recently awarded the University a $1 million grant for the project, as part of NYSERDA糖心传媒檚 , which recognizes New York universities for their commitments to clean energy. The 糖心传媒 was one of three NY schools to receive similar NYSERDA grants, announced at a ceremony at RIT.

The Rochester project is part of the CEE糖心传媒檚 efforts to 糖心传媒渄evelop technology for improved energy systems and to advance fundamental science that promotes understanding of the impacts of energy technology on the environment and human health.糖心传媒� The project includes installation of a 335-kilowatt integrated solar and energy storage system on the roof of the Goergen Athletic Center. The solar power will offset the majority of the energy needs of a new, net-zero office building that will be constructed on the south side of Hutchison Hall.

“We need to be moving toward renewable energy to mitigate the effects of carbon dioxide emission from burning fossil fuels. One of the goals of the Center for Energy and the Environment is to support the University in setting an example for the larger Rochester community and the state of New York,” Garzione explains in a Q and A with Lindsey Valich. “This project will provide critical data on the performance of integrated solar power and energy storage systems so that these renewable energy technologies can be more widely deployed across New York.”

Study points to new method to deliver drugs to the brain

Medical Center researchers have discovered a potential approach to deliver therapeutics more effectively to the brain.听The research could have implications for the treatment of a wide range of diseases, including Alzheimer糖心传媒檚, Parkinson糖心传媒檚, ALS, and brain cancer.

糖心传媒淚mproving the delivery of drugs to the central nervous system is a considerable clinical challenge,糖心传媒� said Maiken Nedergaard, co-director of the Center for Translational Neuromedicine and lead author of the article, which appears in the journal JCI Insight. 糖心传媒淭he findings of this study demonstrate that the brain糖心传媒檚 waste removal system could be harnessed to transport drugs quickly and efficiently into the brain.糖心传媒�

Many promising therapies for diseases of the central nervous system have failed in clinical trials because of the difficulty in getting enough of the drugs into the brain to be effective.听This is because the brain maintains its own closed environment that is protected by a complex system of molecular gateways 糖心传媒� called the blood-brain barrier 糖心传媒� that tightly control what can enter and exit the brain.

For example, it is estimated that only two percent of antibodies administered intravenously to treat the buildup of amyloid beta plaques in brains of people with Alzheimer糖心传媒檚 actually reach their target.

The new research taps into the power of the glymphatic system, the brain糖心传媒檚 unique process of removing waste that was first discovered by Nedergaard in 2012.听听 The system consists of a plumbing system that piggybacks on the brain糖心传媒檚 blood vessels and pumps cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) through the brain糖心传媒檚 tissue, flushing away waste.

In experiments conducted on mice, the researchers took advantage of the mechanics of the glymphatic system to deliver antibodies directly into CSF.听They then injected the animals with hypertonic saline, a treatment frequently used to reduce intracranial pressure on patients with traumatic brain injury.

Congratulations to . . .

Qiang Lin, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and of optics, who has been elected to the . Principal factors for election as an OSA Fellow include candidates糖心传媒� achievements in business leadership, education, research, engineering, and service. Lin is being honored specifically for outstanding and sustained contributions to the research and development of nonlinear fiber optics, silicon photonics, nano-optomechanics, and integrated quantum photonics.

Introducing a new faculty member

Michael Giacomelli joins the Department of Biomedical Engineering as an assistant professor after serving as a postdoctoral fellow and research scientist in the Research Laboratory of Electronics at MIT. At MIT, Giacomelli developed two photon imaging methods to assist in the surgical treatment of breast cancer. The research could improve the success rate of surgery by enabling surgeons to evaluate tissue as it is removed from the body. At Rochester, Giacomelli will explore the applications of advanced imaging technology to other surgery and in medicine in general with the goal of improving diagnosis and surgical management of cancer. He is the author or coauthor of more than 25 journal articles and was the recipient of a postdoctoral fellowship from the National Institutes of Health. Giacomelli received BS degrees in computer science and computer engineering from the University of Arizona and a master糖心传媒檚 degree in electrical engineering and PhD in biomedical engineering from Duke University.

Important changes to human subject research training requirements

In an effort to reduce administrative burden on the research community, the Office for Human Subject Protection (OHSP) is revising the human subject protection training requirements set forth in .

Effective October 17, 2019, training will be categorized into either Biomedical or Social-Behavioral-Education (SBE).脗听 This change will reduce the total number of modules each group is required to complete for initial training (see table).

The length of refresher training is consistent, if not shorter, with what is currently required.脗听 This should be a seamless transition. OHSP will work with the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) to make this change, so faculty and staff are not required to do anything.

Current	# Modules
Greater than Minimal Risk Biomedical	18
Greater than Minimal Risk Behavioral	18
Minimal Risk	16
Future
Biomedical	12
Social/Behavioral & Educational	11

Principal investigators are responsible for ensuring study staff are adequately trained and, therefore, a PI may require staff to complete additional training.脗听 Similarly, the Research Subjects Review Board may also require additional training.

OHSP will no longer provide certification letters following course completion within CITI.脗听 Documentation of course completion is available directly within CITI and may be provided to funding agency, sponsors, etc.脗听 When necessary, OHSP staff are able to download this documentation directly from CITI for study staff.

Questions concerning these policy revisions?脗听 Contact Kelly Unsworth.

Town hall for study coordinators will highlight new eRecord Research functions, clinical trial management

Mike Ritz, research compliance officer for Research & Project Administration, will highlight the new features for the eRecord Research functionality coming with the November upgrade at 2 p.m., Tuesday, Class of ’62 Auditorium. He will also share best practices for maintaining study patient records and performance of Research Billing Review, describe some expected future enhancements, and answer questions.

Patricia Ames, director of the Office of Clinical Research with the University’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute, will provide a high-level overview of the plans for implementing a new clinical trial management脗听system.

NIH policies to address sexual and gender harassment

The National Institutes of Health takes sexual and gender harassment seriously. When harassment occurs, not only is it a personal violation, it can cause lasting damage to an individual糖心传媒檚 professional development and training.

Michael Lauer, NIH’s deputy director for extramural research, recently wrote an article addressing this issue. to learn more about NIH policies regarding sexual and gender harassment.

The 糖心传媒 provides access to sexual misconduct reporting options and support services, even if someone does not wish to formally report an incident.

Annual World AIDS Day Scientific Symposium Is November 30

Join脗听the脗听Center for AIDS Research for脗听the脗听Annual CFAR World AIDS Day Scientific Symposium脗听on脗听Friday, November 30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.脗听in recognition of World AIDS Day.

脗听will be presented in脗听the脗听Class of ’62 Auditorium by Marguerita Lightfoot, professor of medicine at脗听the脗听University of California in San Francisco, and脗听Douglas Nixon, professor of immunology in medicine at Weil Cornell Medical College.

A脗听 will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Flaum Atrium. Poster deadline is November 1.脗听

Contact脗听Laura Enders脗听for more information about World AIDS Day events and poster registration.

PhD dissertation defenses

Zhen Tan, Biophysics, 糖心传媒淢odeling RNA Secondary Structure Using Structure Conservation.糖心传媒� Noon, November 2, 2018. Neuman Room, Medical Center. Advisor: David Mathews.

Kyle Rugg, Chemistry, “1. 2nd Generation Total Synthesis of (-)-Nakadomarin A 2. Studies Toward the Total Synthesis of (-)- Apoptolidin A.” 11 a.m., November 6, 2018. 473 Hutchison Hall. Advisor: Robert Boeckman.

Fanju Meng, Genetics, 糖心传媒淩egulation of Stem Cell Proliferation and Differentiation by Drosophila Sox21a and Sox100B in the Adult Intestine.糖心传媒� 3 p.m., November 8, 2018. Adolph Lower Auditorium 1-7619, Medical Center. Advisor: Benoit Biteau.

Mark your calendar

Today: Deadline to apply for the 2018 (WUN) If you are interested in leading a proposal effort, contact the University糖心传媒檚 WUN coordinator, Ruth Levenkron.

Oct. 29: 糖心传媒淭raining Future Researchers: Running an All-Undergraduate, Lean, and Competitive Research Lab,糖心传媒� presented by Jeffrey Miller 糖心传媒�66, a professor of microbiology, immunology, and molecular genetics at the UCLA Geffen School of Medicine. Noon, Hawkins-Carlson Room, Rush Rhees Library. Lunch provided to those who register in advance to ase.events@rochester.edu or to Rachel Lawrick, 275-6166, by October 24.

Oct. 29: “The Future is Today: Transforming the Care of Childhood Onset Chronic Health Conditions.” UR Complex Care Center’s Second Annual Conference, co-sponsored by UR CTSI’s UNYTE Translational Research Network. 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Class of ’62 Auditorium. Click to register.

Oct. 30: Town Hall for Study Coordinators. New features for eRecord Research functionality coming with November upgrade, best practices for maintaining study patient records and performance of Research Billing Review, and overview of plans for a new clinical trial management听system. 2 p.m., Tuesday, Class of ’62 Auditorium.

Nov. 1: “Shijing: The Matter of Painting,” presented by Lihong Liu, assistant professor of art history. Jesse L. Rosenberger Work-in-Progress Seminar. Noon to 2 p.m., Humanities Center Conference Room D, Rush Rhees Library. Lunch provided. RSVP by selecting “I’m Interested”听 .

Nov. 3: 4^th Annual Immune Imaging Symposium, a forum to share the newest developments in understanding immune function through visualizing immunity “in action.” featuring a distinguished group of international speakers, an interactive poster session, and opportunities for oral presentations from students and postdoctoral fellows. Saunder糖心传媒檚 Research Building. is free but closes on October 22. Hosted by the听Program for Advanced Immune Bioimaging.

Nov. 5: Deadline for collaborative biomedical research teams to apply to the Center for Leading Innovation & Collaboration for funding to write a Synergy Paper. Questions can be directed to synergy_papers@clic-ctsa.org.听Click for the RFA.

Nov. 5: Annual Medical Student Research Poster session, noon to 1 p.m. Flaum Atrium, Medical Center. Medical students present their summer and year-out research projects. Contact听omecached@urmc.rochester.edu with questions.

Nov. 6: Inaugural Biomedical Ultrasound Symposium Day. Lectures by听Frederick W. Kremkau, professor of radiologic sciences and director of the Program for Medical Ultrasound at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, and Theresa Tuthill ’84, ’87 (MS), ’91 (PhD), senior director of clinical and translational imaging at Pfizer Inc. Also includes graduate student presentations, a poster session, lunch, and networking. 8:15 a.m. to 5 p.m., Feldman Ballroom in Douglass Commons. RSVP to carlalboff@rochester.edu. Include your name, affiliation, any dietary restrictions, and whether you will be presenting a poster. Hosted by the Rochester Center for Biomedical Ultrasound (RCBU).

Nov. 12: Initial abstracts due for the School of Medicine and Dentistry糖心传媒檚 Scientific Advisory Committee糖心传媒檚 (SAC) Incubator Program. . Contact Anne Reed for more information.

Nov. 13: Wilmot Cancer Institute annual scientific symposium. Keynote speaker is Judith Campisi, professor of biogerontology at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging. Oral presentations and poster session. 9 a.m. 3 p.m., Class of ’62 Auditorium and Flaum Atrium. Questions about submitting a poster or about the symposium in general can be emailed to Chelsea Costanzo or call 585-273-1447. The deadline for poster registration submission is 4 p.m., Wednesday, October 31.

Nov. 30: Annual CFAR World AIDS Day Scientific Symposium. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Keynote addresses by Marguerita Lightfoot, professor of medicine at听the听University of California in San Francisco, and听Douglas Nixon, professor of immunology in medicine at Weil Cornell Medical College.Class of ’62 Auditorium. Poster session 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Flaum Atrium. Poster deadline is November 1.听 Contact听Laura Enders听for more information about World AIDS Day events and poster registration.

Dec. 5:听 Phelps Colloquium series: Ajay Kuriyan, assistant professor of ophthalmology, “The Bionic Eye, Computer Vision, and Drug Discovery: The Gamut of Retina Research.” Kara Bren, professor of chemistry, “Making Fuel and Fertilizer from Sun, Air, and Water.” 4 p.m. Feldman Ballroom Douglass Commons. Register here. Questions? Contact Adele Coelho or call 273-2571.

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