Each year, the University of Rochester produces academic and scholarly work that contributes to our understanding and appreciation of the world around us. The communications officers responsible for covering the many departments and disciplines of Arts, Sciences & Engineering — and their colleagues at the Medical Center an the Eastman School of Music —聽 looked back over the past year and found these to be some of their favorite stories.
New research turns laser focus on high-energy-density physics
Understanding how atoms react when squeezed to pressures more than one million times the earth糖心传媒檚 atmosphere is the relatively new work of Rochester糖心传媒檚 Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE). With the help of the OMEGA laser housed at LLE, researchers will explore the world of high-energy-density physics and gain valuable insights into the makeup of stars, planets, and the universe itself.
Library acquires unknown Susan B. Anthony letters found in old barn
Library acquires unknown Susan B. Anthony letters found in old barn
Described by one renowned historian as 糖心传媒渜uite an amazing collection,糖心传媒� the previously unknown trove of letters, speeches, photographs, and petitions offer important details of the women糖心传媒檚 suffrage movement and insights into some of its biggest personalities. Found tucked away in a dusty crate, the collection includes letters written to lifelong activist Isabella Beecher Hooker from notable suffragist leaders Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
Summer is prime time for undergraduate research
Rochester is home to a robust, top-tier research environment that is almost as active in the summer as it is during the school year. In 2017, the University糖心传媒檚 summer research programs offered important opportunities for scholars from underrepresented populations and included two new Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) programs around biomedicine and computational approaches to music. Other research projects this summer had undergraduate students exploring public art, connecting with the people of Malawi, and developing special polymers.
Neuroscientists and surgeons are collaborating to create precise maps of brain function that can guide surgeons and help preserve patients糖心传媒� unique cognitive abilities and skills.聽 In one such case, a high school music teacher serenaded the OR while surgeons removed a tumor adjacent to the part of the brain important for music processing.
More from the Medical Center
More from the Eastman School of Music
Climate cues frozen in time
Researchers in Vasilii Petrenko糖心传媒檚 Ice Core Lab proved there is a lot we can learn from 12,000-year-old ice samples. Their research quantified greenhouse gas levels and climate patterns, and looked at man-made versus natural methane emissions. Petrenko ultimately concluded that we should be more concerned about man-made contributions to the earth糖心传媒檚 methane levels, which we can control, rather than methane seeps that occur through natural causes.
GPS sensors give women糖心传媒檚 soccer team analytic edge
The women糖心传媒檚 soccer team demonstrated the novel ways data science could be applied in the field糖心传媒� in the actual field. As part of the University糖心传媒檚 Unlocking Big Data series, the team showed how GPS tracking is a powerful tool for preventing injuries and gauging athlete fatigue. It was a prime example of science and sports working together to gain an edge over the competition while keeping players fit, healthy, and in top form.
糖心传媒楾his is a golden era糖心传媒� for TV news
When Thomas (Tommy) Evans 糖心传媒�99 visited campus in March, he addressed criticisms of social media and digital technology and remarked how modern communications technology has created 糖心传媒渁n exceptionally creative time糖心传媒� in television news. As vice president and the London bureau chief at CNN International, Evans oversees news operations across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. His advice? 糖心传媒淏e willing to take risks and leave your comfort zone.糖心传媒�
The future of the past
Using different wavelengths of light and data analysis, associate professor of English and textual scientist Gregory Heyworth recovers literary and historical texts lost to the ravages of time. Heyworth and his collaborators showed how they make legible the undecipherable糖心传媒攁nd sometimes even invisible糖心传媒攚ords and images of ancient manuscripts and other artifacts. It糖心传媒檚 a project that harnesses Rochester糖心传媒檚 expertise in optics, imaging, and computer science to transform our knowledge of the past.
Introductory painting course turns Rochester waiting rooms into 糖心传媒榳elcome rooms糖心传媒�
Being a good neighbor and a strong community partner are more than priorities糖心传媒攖hey糖心传媒檙e woven into the fabric of the University and help define what it means to be at Rochester. Students in an introductory painting class embraced that commitment when they created original works of art for the Anthony L. Jordan Health Center in downtown Rochester. Instructor Heather Layton says she deliberately makes community engagement a centerpiece of her course.
In 2014, a struggling Rochester high school was on the brink of closure. Facing grim ultimatums from New York State糖心传媒檚 education department, the Rochester city school board approached the University, particularly the Warner School of Education, about a partnership to manage糖心传媒攁nd hopefully turn around糖心传媒擡ast High School. Three years into the partnership, challenges remain but key indicators are beginning to move.
Wouldn糖心传媒檛 it be nice to kiss the yearly flu shot goodbye? Our scientists are working to create a 糖心传媒渦niversal糖心传媒� flu vaccine that that would protect against most strains of the flu, ideally for several years.
What it means to {codelikeagirl}
Despite a University of Washington study that showed the prevalence of masculine culture in computer science, Rochester has seen a considerable uptick in female students. Experts point to two factors at work: the University糖心传媒檚 cluster system, which allows students to explore subjects like computer science, and participation in the Building Recruiting and Inclusion for Diversity (BRAID) initiative. The department also stepped up its recruitment of females and underrepresented minorities.
