Love in a Village, Act I University of Rochester 2021-10-13 | In October 2018, thanks in large part to a generous grant from the Humanities Project, the University of Rochester was able to stage and professionally record a truly historic musical-theatrical event: the first modern production of the 18th-century comic opera Love in a Village, performed to its original score. This production took place in the University’s Strong Auditorium, complete with period instruments, historically based choreography, and professional musicians. The opera follows a pair of genteel young lovers who disguise themselves as servants in order to avoid the marriages their parents have arranged for them. This work reflected many of the middle-class values slowly overtaking 18th-century British culture, and which were increasingly being reflected in the “new” genre of the novel. (Indeed, Jane Austen is known to have attended Love in a Village multiple times.) It is often seen as the sentimental counterpart to John Gay’s famous ballad-opera, The Beggar’s Opera (1728). This video is the first of three parts. View the other parts:Act II: youtu.be/LyrMVvppgbkAct: III: youtu.be/vyKTfGv8iwYSubscribe to the University of Rochester on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCZRLVZGCUZWYUEj2XQlFPyQFollow the University of Rochester on Twitter: twitter.com/UofRBe sure to like the University of Rochester on our Facebook page: facebook.com/University.of.Rochester
Student Summer Research at Rochester: Lalita Dahal University of Rochester 2023-10-03 | Whether in the lab, in the classroom, or when presenting her work to the scientific community, Lalita Dahal ‘24 has found that her hands-on experience has deepened her appreciation for the field of biology. The Burack Laboratory at the University of Rochester Medical Center caught Lalita's attention as a biological sciences major, and after shadowing Dr. Richard Burack and meeting her mentors, she knew Rochester would be the ideal place for her research.In her project titled “Mapping the Microscopic Localization of Splenic Lymphomas”, Lalita uses immunofluorescent staining methods to differentiate between splenic diffuse red pulp lymphoma and hairy cell leukemia. Lalita is a participant in the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program with the David T. Kearns Center.“I think research is amazing because in a classroom it can be very difficult to retain information. But with hands-on experience, you’re really learning much more than you would in a typical classroom. In addition, it’s great to have the opportunity to network with graduate students and faculty members.” ⭐️#URochesterSummer #URochesterResearch #UndergraduateResearch #BiologyMajor #CollegeResearch #StudentLife #uofr #universityofrochester
In a Neuro Minute: Does what we see impact our brain function? University of Rochester 2023-09-26 | Duje Tadin, chair of the University of Rochester Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, studies how visual perception differs in people with autism, stroke, schizophrenia, etc. #shorts #brain #neuroscience #asd #vision
Student Summer Research at Rochester: Max Neiderbach University of Rochester 2023-09-12 | Research doesn't stop during the summer at Rochester.Max Neiderbach ‘24 is a physics major who has conducted research at the University for the past 3 years. Max is currently working on understanding quantum computation in his project titled, “Quantum Simulation of a Lattice Gauge Theory.” Under guidance from Professor Alice Quillen and Professor Machiel Blok, he has found a passion for application of the quantum theory.Max's featured research centers on using microwave pulses to model fundamental particles, which is an important application for quantum computers. When precise pulses are employed, these computers surpass traditional devices in solving complex mathematical problems. Max's technique involves solving systems of equations and employing Python coding. “Professors love their research. Don’t be afraid to talk with them in-person and make that personal connection. “ ⭐️#URochesterSummer #URochesterResearch #universityofrochester
Welcome to Rochester, Class of 2027! University of Rochester 2023-08-29 | The University of Rochester welcomed more than 1,500 first-year undergraduate students in the College and at the Eastman School of Music to campus. The first-year students in the College hail from 47 states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and include 15 students from the Rochester City School District; international students comprise 25 percent of the incoming class. The new Eastman undergraduates, meanwhile, represent 27 US states and six countries. Among the new members of the Class of 2027 are first-generation students, US veterans, junior Olympians, accomplished performers—and even a national Scrabble champion.In addition, nearly 100 transfer students, approximately 200 School of Nursing students, and more than 1,500 graduate students will join the University community this academic year.Subscribe to the University of Rochester on YouTube: youtube.com/user/UniversityRochester?sub_confirmation=1Follow the University of Rochester on Twitter: twitter.com/UofRBe sure to like the University of Rochester on our Facebook page: facebook.com/University.of.Rochester
Welcome to Rochester, Class of 2027! 🐝💙 #universityofrochester #moveinday #college #rochesterny University of Rochester 2023-08-22 | ...
Meliora Global Scholars Grants: A New Program Sending Humanities Graduate Students Abroad University of Rochester 2023-06-05 | Offered by the Humanities Center, the Meliora Global Scholars grant provides doctoral candidates an opportunity to conduct thesis research in archives and communities abroad. University of Rochester graduate students Jeffrey Baron, Bridget Fleming, and Christian de Mouilpied Sancto are inaugural recipients of Meliora Global Scholars grants. Read more about these candidates and their experience: https://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/new-award-sends-humanities-graduate-students-abroad-543932/ Subscribe to the University of Rochester on YouTube: youtube.com/user/UniversityRochester?sub_confirmation=1Follow the University of Rochester on Twitter: twitter.com/UofRBe sure to like the University of Rochester on our Facebook page: facebook.com/University.of.Rochester
2023 Commencement Ceremony Broadcast University of Rochester 2023-05-12 | Watch a recording of the University of Rochester's Class of 2023 Commencement Ceremony.Subscribe to the University of Rochester on YouTube: youtube.com/user/UniversityRochester?sub_confirmation=1Follow the University of Rochester on Twitter: twitter.com/UofRBe sure to like the University of Rochester on our Facebook page: facebook.com/University.of.Rochester
University of Rochester Class of 2023 University of Rochester 2023-05-11 | Subscribe to the University of Rochester on YouTube: youtube.com/user/UniversityRochester?sub_confirmation=1Follow the University of Rochester on Twitter: twitter.com/UofRBe sure to like the University of Rochester on our Facebook page: facebook.com/University.of.Rochester
Intimacy Coordinators and Intimacy Directors in the Performing Arts and Beyond University of Rochester 2023-05-09 | Intimacy directing is making a difference on stage and beyondIn Rochester’s International Theatre Program, intimacy directing is playing a growing role. On-stage intimacy work has become a pillar of the theater industry, and it’s becoming a more integral part of performances by the International Theatre Program at the University of Rochester. Leading the program’s effort is Sara Penner, a senior lecturer of theatre in the Department of English and a voice and acting coach for the International Theatre Program. She compares the work of an intimacy director to the role of a fight director.“Any time you do a fight on stage, you have a skilled fight director on a set, so actors can be safe doing the work and not hurt each other,” she says. A fight director makes a safe space by carefully choreographing scenes. Intimacy directors help honor actors’ needs for bodily autonomy and boundaries by taking a similar approach. The field of intimacy direction, coordination, or choreography began informally, about 10 to 15 years ago. Its growth accelerated along with the #MeToo movement, and training programs started to appear, as well as an accrediting agency. Access to theatrical intimacy training, through virtual workshops, grew nationwide during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Penner, it’s not necessary to be certified as an intimacy coordinator or director, but you do need certain skills. “You need to have a movement background that gives you the skills and language to explain movement in a desexualized way,” she says. Penner’s interest in intimacy direction grew out of her work on a 2019 production for JCC CenterStage called Indecent. While playing Manke/Freida, she worked for the first time with an intimacy director. Says Penner, “I thought, ‘Why wasn’t this the way we have always worked?’” From that experience, Penner went on to shape consent policies and practices for the International Theater Program. She was awarded a Teaching Innovation Grant in 2022 to support her work building new courses and practices. Penner also began teaching a consent and performance course through the Institute for Music Leadership at the Eastman School of Music. While the International Theatre Program is no stranger to intimacy work in its repertoire, the spring 2023 production of Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses offered a suitable opportunity to introduce an intimacy director. A contemporary retelling of the ancient poem by Ovid, the play contains abstract sexual scenes, as well as depictions of drowning, incest, and simulated violence. “There needs to be a clear chain of communication for the students,” says Penner. Brittney Broadus ’24, one of the performers in Metamorphoses, is grateful for Penner’s intimacy direction. Recalling a difficult role she played in a high school theater production, Broadus says she wishes she could have advocated for herself more and is now realizing things could have gone differently. She describes the experience of working with Penner as “being taught that it’s okay to talk about my boundaries as a person and knowing that there would be no repercussions for that.” Learn more: https://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/intimacy-directors-theater-intimacy-coordinators-on-screen-558652/Subscribe to the University of Rochester on YouTube: youtube.com/user/UniversityRochester?sub_confirmation=1Follow the University of Rochester on Twitter: twitter.com/UofRBe sure to like the University of Rochester on our Facebook page: facebook.com/University.of.Rochester
Mae Cooke: Odysée of Performance University of Rochester 2023-05-08 | Dual degree student and graduating senior Mae Cooke ’23E, ’23 finds an innovative path to integrating their studies of harp and studio arts.Cooke began playing the harp at age five and dreamed early on of attending the Eastman School of Music. Like most Eastman students, they have devoted several hours a day to practice and spent months on a single piece. But as part of the University of Rochester, Eastman enables students to branch out into other areas of study as well. Cooke found that they needed the visual arts in their life, too. Studio arts were something they had begun to take up seriously in high school. One class in Rochester’s studio arts program led to several more, and eventually, another major. “I definitely feel like I have pushed myself artistically,” says Cooke.Cooke is the recipient of support from three Eastman School scholarship funds: the Eileen Malone ’28E Scholarship Fund, named for the legendary figure in the harp world who taught at Eastman from 1930 to 1989; the Emily Lowenfels Oppenheimer ’43E Harp Scholarship Fund; and the Doris Johnson Hults Dean’s Performance Scholarship Fund, offered to students with the most extraordinary abilities in musical performance, as demonstrated in the admissions audition.If you could walk into the mind of a musician performing on stage, what would the scene look like? It depends, of course, on the musician. And on the piece. But suppose that the musician is Mae Cooke ’23E, ’23, who this spring will earn two degrees from the University of Rochester: a bachelor of music in harp, which they have studied at the Eastman School of Music, and a bachelor of arts in studio arts, which they have studied in the School of Arts & Sciences. Imagine, too, that the piece they are performing is Odyssée for solo harp, by Caroline Lizotte. Cooke performed Odyssée in the spring of 2022 for their performance jury, a milestone required by most Eastman majors in which students perform annually before a faculty panel. Reflecting on that experience, Cooke posed a question: What if, as they were performing the piece, “people could see what is going on in my brain? What if I could make that into a physical thing?”Cooke brought the idea to fruition as their senior thesis project in studio arts. Read more: https://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/mae-cooke-audiovisual-journey-into-performers-mind-558092/Subscribe to the University of Rochester on YouTube: youtube.com/user/UniversityRochester?sub_confirmation=1Follow the University of Rochester on Twitter: twitter.com/UofRBe sure to like the University of Rochester on our Facebook page: facebook.com/University.of.Rochester
Sam Becker: From Cancer Survivor to Sled Hockey Star University of Rochester 2023-03-21 | In earning a spot on the US development team, Becker moves one step closer to his dream of the Paralympic Games. When he was 15, Sam Becker ’25 was faced with a grueling choice: keep the metal prosthesis in his weakened right leg and endure more infections, or have the leg amputated below the knee.His parents did plenty of research and talked to numerous doctors. “But in the end, it was Sam’s decision,” his mother, Karen Becker says. “The toughest decision of his life.”Becker had been diagnosed five years earlier with osteosarcoma, a bone cancer prevalent among children and teens. The tumor and bone in his leg were removed, and doctors inserted a metal prosthesis. Becker learned to walk again and endured months of chemotherapy.But bacterial infections twice forced doctors to replace the prosthesis, and each time Becker followed the same routine: wheelchair, crutches, cane, walking. The process took months, and he was in constant discomfort, with little mobility. Doctors believed it was a chronic condition that could reappear at any time.It was sled hockey that ultimately convinced Becker to choose amputation. Becker had begun playing the sport two years earlier. In sled hockey, players with mobility limitations sit in specially designed sleds atop two skate blades. Each player uses two sticks instead of the traditional one.“I saw that amputees were more active than I was,” he says. “They were playing a sport they loved and having fun. Having my leg amputated below the knee was the hardest decision of my life, but I had found something that would keep me active. Sled hockey gave me back my competitive spirit.”Five years later, Becker is an optics major at the University of Rochester and a member of the US development squad, with his eyes set on the 2026 Paralympic Games in Italy. He’s pursuing two career paths—academics and athletics. And he’s more active, and happier, than ever.Read more of Sam's story: https://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/sam-becker-us-sled-hockey-development-team-554052/Rotationplasty animation courtesy of MD Anderson Cancer CenterCopyright held by, and used with permission of, The Board of Regents of theUniversity of Texas System through The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.Subscribe to the University of Rochester on YouTube: youtube.com/user/UniversityRochester?sub_confirmation=1Follow the University of Rochester on Twitter: twitter.com/UofRBe sure to like the University of Rochester on our Facebook page: facebook.com/University.of.Rochester
Anthea Butler & Valeria Sinclair-Chapman: 2023 Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Address University of Rochester 2023-01-21 | The University of Rochester’s annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Address took place in a new format this year: a moderated discussion held Friday, January 20, 2023, in Feldman Ballroom at Frederick Douglass Commons.Two scholars were invited to campus to discuss the intersection of social justice, politics, and religion—how they impact each other, and how they affected King and the civil rights movement in the 1960s.Anthea Butler is chair of religious studies at the University of Pennsylvania, an opinion writer for MSNBC, and president of the American Society for Church History.Valeria Sinclair-Chapman is a professor of political science at Purdue University and director of Purdue’s Center for Research on Diversity and Inclusion.The discussion was moderated by Jeffrey McCune, director of the Frederick Douglass Institute for African and African-American Studies and was sponsored by the Office of Minority Student Affairs (OMSA) and the Office of the President.Subscribe to the University of Rochester on YouTube: youtube.com/user/UniversityRochester?sub_confirmation=1Follow the University of Rochester on Twitter: twitter.com/UofRBe sure to like the University of Rochester on our Facebook page: facebook.com/University.of.Rochester
For Eastman Musician, Piano Has Been the Key to Life University of Rochester 2022-11-21 | By age 12, pianist James Wilson ’23E had performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, and Carnegie Hall in New York City. He was a finalist in an international competition in Paris.But at 13, Wilson was playing at an unscheduled venue: Akron Children’s Hospital in Akron, Ohio, where he was battling a rare cancer called Ewing Sarcoma. Weeks of treatment left him with numbness in his fingers and weakness in his ankles, common side effects of chemotherapy. His music career—and his life—were in jeopardy. But through the piano came healing. A music therapist brought a keyboard to Wilson’s hospital room so he could strengthen his fingers by playing. From his bed, the teenager performed everything from Mozart to Taylor Swift, entertaining other children and hospital staff."It was like having our own Symphony Hall channel in the oncology department every day,” says Laurie Schueler, a communications specialist at Akron Children’s Hospital. “It was wonderful.”The therapy helped Wilson recover the use of his fingers. The strength in his ankles eventually returned. And doctors performed surgery to remove the tumor. Now cancer free, Wilson is a piano performance major at the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music. Since his illness, he has performed three more times at Carnegie Hall, and in Italy and the Netherlands. But he says the hospital in Akron is the concert venue that has had the greatest impact on his life. It gave him hope—and humility.Read more on James's story: https://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/for-james-wilson-piano-the-key-to-life-542792/Subscribe to the University of Rochester on YouTube: youtube.com/user/UniversityRochester?sub_confirmation=1Follow the University of Rochester on Twitter: twitter.com/UofRBe sure to like the University of Rochester on our Facebook page: facebook.com/University.of.Rochester
Rochester Alumni: In Their Own Words | Favorite Memories at the UofR University of Rochester 2022-11-04 | There's nothing like college memories. During Meliora Weekend 2022, we asked Rochester alumni about their favorite memories from their time at the UofR.Subscribe to the University of Rochester on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCZRLVZGCUZWYUEj2XQlFPyQFollow the University of Rochester on Twitter: twitter.com/UofRBe sure to like the University of Rochester on our Facebook page: facebook.com/University.of.Rochester
2022 Commencement: Charles E. Schumer, US Senator from New York University of Rochester 2022-05-17 | The Honorable Charles E. Schumer, US Senator from New York, delivers a message to graduates upon their degree conferral by the University of Rochester.Subscribe to the University of Rochester on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCZRLVZGCUZWYUEj2XQlFPyQFollow the University of Rochester on Twitter: twitter.com/UofRBe sure to like the University of Rochester on our Facebook page: facebook.com/University.of.Rochester
2022 Commencement Ceremony Broadcast University of Rochester 2022-05-17 | Watch a recording of the University of Rochester's Class of 2022 Commencement Ceremony.Subscribe to the University of Rochester on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCZRLVZGCUZWYUEj2XQlFPyQFollow the University of Rochester on Twitter: twitter.com/UofRBe sure to like the University of Rochester on our Facebook page: facebook.com/University.of.Rochester
Love in a Village, Act III University of Rochester 2021-10-13 | In October 2018, thanks in large part to a generous grant from the Humanities Project, the University of Rochester was able to stage and professionally record a truly historic musical-theatrical event: the first modern production of the 18th-century comic opera Love in a Village, performed to its original score. This production took place in the University’s Strong Auditorium, complete with period instruments, historically based choreography, and professional musicians. The opera follows a pair of genteel young lovers who disguise themselves as servants in order to avoid the marriages their parents have arranged for them. This work reflected many of the middle-class values slowly overtaking 18th-century British culture, and which were increasingly being reflected in the “new” genre of the novel. (Indeed, Jane Austen is known to have attended Love in a Village multiple times.) It is often seen as the sentimental counterpart to John Gay’s famous ballad-opera, The Beggar’s Opera (1728). This video is the third of three parts. View the other parts:Act I: youtu.be/FB0HfULuvsIAct II: youtu.be/LyrMVvppgbkSubscribe to the University of Rochester on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCZRLVZGCUZWYUEj2XQlFPyQFollow the University of Rochester on Twitter: twitter.com/UofRBe sure to like the University of Rochester on our Facebook page: facebook.com/University.of.Rochester
Love in a Village, Act II University of Rochester 2021-10-13 | In October 2018, thanks in large part to a generous grant from the Humanities Project, the University of Rochester was able to stage and professionally record a truly historic musical-theatrical event: the first modern production of the 18th-century comic opera Love in a Village, performed to its original score. This production took place in the University’s Strong Auditorium, complete with period instruments, historically based choreography, and professional musicians. The opera follows a pair of genteel young lovers who disguise themselves as servants in order to avoid the marriages their parents have arranged for them. This work reflected many of the middle-class values slowly overtaking 18th-century British culture, and which were increasingly being reflected in the “new” genre of the novel. (Indeed, Jane Austen is known to have attended Love in a Village multiple times.) It is often seen as the sentimental counterpart to John Gay’s famous ballad-opera, The Beggar’s Opera (1728). This video is the second of three parts. View the other parts:Act I: youtu.be/FB0HfULuvsIAct: III: youtu.be/vyKTfGv8iwY Subscribe to the University of Rochester on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCZRLVZGCUZWYUEj2XQlFPyQFollow the University of Rochester on Twitter: twitter.com/UofRBe sure to like the University of Rochester on our Facebook page: facebook.com/University.of.Rochester
Welcome to Rochester, Class of 2025! University of Rochester 2021-08-20 | It's move-in day for the Class of 2025, and even though things look a little different, this class is ready for whatever lies ahead.Subscribe to the University of Rochester on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCZRLVZGCUZWYUEj2XQlFPyQFollow the University of Rochester on Twitter: twitter.com/UofRBe sure to like the University of Rochester on our Facebook page: facebook.com/University.of.Rochester
Using Lasers to Rapidly Create Catalysts for Change University of Rochester 2021-07-30 | Chemical catalysts are the change agents behind the production of just about everything we use in our daily lives, from plastics to prescription drugs. When the right catalysts are mixed with the right chemical compounds, molecules that would otherwise take years to interact do so in mere seconds.However, developing even one catalyst material to trigger this precise choreography of atoms can take months, even years, when using traditional wet chemistry procedures that use only chemical reactions, often in the liquid phase, to grow nanoparticles. University of Rochester researchers say there is a way to shorten that process dramatically-by instead using pulsed lasers in liquids to quickly create carefully tuned, systematic arrays of nanoparticles that can be easily compared and tested for use as catalysts. The process is described in a Chemical Reviews article by Astrid Müller, an assistant professor of chemical engineering at the University of Rochester who has adapted the technique for her work on sustainable energy solutions. Three PhD students in her lab-coauthors Ryland Forsythe, Connor Cox, and Madeleine Wilsey-conducted an exhaustive review of almost 600 previous papers involving the use of pulsed lasers in liquids. As a result, their article is the most comprehensive, up-to-date survey of a technology that was first developed in 1987.So how does pulsed-laser-in-liquid synthesis work?• A pulsed laser is directed at a solid material immersed in liquid. This creates a high-temperature, high-pressure plasma near the surface of the solid. • As the plasma decays, it vaporizes molecules in the surrounding liquid, leading to a cavitation bubble. Within the bubble, chemical reactions begin to occur between particles from the liquid and particles that were ablated, or knocked loose, from the solid.• After periodic expansions and contractions, the cavitation bubble violently implodes, causing shock waves and rapid cooling. Nanoparticles from the bubble condense in small clusters that are injected into the surrounding liquid and become stable. The pulsed-laser-in-liquids technique offers multiple advantages over traditional wet-lab synthesis of nanomaterials. According to Müller:• Because the reactions are confined primarily within the cavitation bubble, the resulting nanoparticles have remarkably uniform properties. "Every particle that is made is created under the same conditions," she says. • The properties of the nanoparticles can be easily fine-tuned by adjusting the laser pulses and the chemical compositions of the solid and surrounding fluid. • Laser-made nanocatalysts are intrinsically more active than those obtained by wet chemistry methods.• Metastable nanomaterials with non-equilibrium structures and compositions can easily be produced. Such materials cannot be made under moderate temperatures and pressures. • Laser synthesis can be controlled remotely, increasing the potential for large scale industrial applications.• Pulsed-laser-in-liquids synthesis of nanomaterials is also far more rapid than traditional methods. The technique can prepare bulk quantities of a nanoparticle in an hour or less. Systematic arrays of 70 materials can be made in a week."These advantages make this an indispensable as a tool for discovery," says Müller, whose background includes work in lasers, materials, and electrocatalysis. While working as a staff scientist at Caltech, Müller pioneered an adaption of the laser-in-liquids technique to prepare nonprecious water-splitting electrocatalysts that liberate oxygen from water to produce clean hydrogen. At Rochester, the Müller group expands on her expertise to study laser-made electrocatalysts as a way to turn climate damaging carbon dioxide (CO2) into a closed cycle of useful liquid fuels, such as methanol or ethanol."If you were to burn these fuels again, you make CO2 again, so you go round and round. The carbon always stays within the cycle, and does not contribute to more climate change," Müller says. "For that to work we need catalysts, and no one knows yet what those catalysts would be-what would work and why, and why other catalysts don't work."Hence her interest in using pulsed-laser-in-liquid synthesis to accelerate the process. "It is hugely important, because we can't just sit and hope for the best with climate change; we need to work on successor technologies now," she says.So far, pulsed-laser-in-liquid synthesis has had only limited commercial use. The start-up cost of investing in laser technology is a stumbling block for many companies, Müller says. "But that will change as this method gets more and more traction," she believes.Subscribe to the University of Rochester on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCZRLVZGCUZWYUEj2XQlFPyQFollow the University of Rochester on Twitter: twitter.com/UofRBe sure to like the University of Rochester on our Facebook page: facebook.com/University.of.Rochester
Learning to Have End of Life Conversations Using Artificial Intelligence University of Rochester 2021-07-16 | As many as 68 percent of late-stage cancer patients leave their doctor’s offices either underestimating the severity of their disease, overestimating their life expectancy—or both. These misunderstandings can hinder the ability of patients and their families to make realistic decisions about whether to continue aggressive treatments or instead turn to palliative care.To address the problem, University of Rochester computer scientists, palliative care specialists, and practicing oncologists are perfecting SOPHIE (Standardized Online Patient for Healthcare Interaction Education)—an online virtual “patient” that helps physicians practice how to communicate effectively with late-stage cancer patients about their disease.Effective communication in this context often means demonstrating empathy and understanding of the complex emotions patients are experiencing. “During difficult conversations about facing the potential of one’s own death, patients are frightened and don’t know how to ask the right questions, and clinicians may oversimplify, omit, or sugar-coat information, or feel too pressed for time to address patients’ emotions,” says Ehsan Hoque, an associate professor of computer science at Rochester’s Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. The COVID-19 pandemic has made effective communication even more difficult by causing increasing reliance on virtual rather than in-person interactions between patients and physicians, adds Hoque.Hoque DELETED REFERENCE TO HIS DATA SCIENCE AFFILIATION, NO LONGER APPLIES is a pioneer in the area of research that shows it is possible for people to learn and improve their social and interpersonal skills by interacting with automated systems. For example, he helped develop LISSA (Live Interactive Social Skills Assistant)—a tool that’s been used effectively by people on the autism spectrum—in collaboration with professor of computer science Len Schubert.SOPHIE is possible because of a body of nearly 400 conversations that were recorded between late-stage cancer patients and their oncologists, and initially analyzed by palliative care expert Ronald Epstein and his collaborators at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Epstein’s Center for Communication and Disparities Research focuses on how to improve communication between clinicians, patients, and their loved ones.A paper in IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing describes how lead author Mohammad Rafayet Ali, a postdoctoral researcher, and PhD student Taylan Sen, both members of Hoque’s Rochester Human-Computer Interaction (ROC HCI) Lab, created algorithms that could be applied to the transcripts of these conversations, so the researchers could develop metrics to assess a physician’s ability to communicate clearly with patients. The metrics focus specifically on the extent that physicians engage in lecturing—delivering a lot of information without giving the patient a chance to ask questions or to respond—or, on the plus side, how well they employ “sentiment trajectory”—using positive words and phrases in ways associated with increased patient understanding.The researchers used a physician communication training protocol, developed by Epstein and his collaborators, to script SOPHIE’s practice sessions, and enlisted nine practicing oncologists at the University to try out the system. “We received a lot of feedback from the doctors on how natural the conversation was, the kinds of questions SOPHIE should ask, and the concerns a typical patient might raise,” Ali says.“In our prior research, physicians practiced with trained actors to learn how to bring up difficult issues, such as prognosis and end of life care,” Epstein says. “But actors can be costly. The online format can provide training at a fraction of the cost and be made available to physicians worldwide. And Ehsan Hoque’s group is on the cutting edge.”The researchers are now fine-tuning SOPHIE. “Our hope is that once we have demonstrated its efficacy through a randomized controlled experiment, first-year students at the Medical Center can practice with it,” Hoque says.The demo has been designed to be available through a computer browser, allowing physicians from anywhere around the world to practice their skills live and receive feedback on their speaking rate, turn-taking, type of questions asked and sentiment trajectory. Other collaborators coauthors of the paper include Thomas Carroll, associate professor of medicine; Lenhart Schubert, professor of computer science; Benjamin Kane (advised by Schubert); and Shagun Bose, an undergraduate researcher in the Hoque lab.Subscribe to the University of Rochester on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCZRLVZGCUZWYUEj2XQlFPyQFollow the University of Rochester on Twitter: twitter.com/UofRBe sure to like the University of Rochester on our Facebook page: facebook.com/University.of.Rochester
Thats the Rochester Effect: Featuring Lynne Maquat, PhD University of Rochester 2021-07-01 | Lynne Maquat, PhD, reflects on her research journey and the incredible potential for RNA-based therapies to treat a wide variety of diseases.Rochester is a way of thinking. Always pushing and questioning, learning and unlearning. Disrupting the world as we know it, fueled by the relentless quest to improve humankind.
The University of Rochester Orchestras present “Awakening, A Spring 2021 Digital Performance” University of Rochester 2021-06-01 | Program:University of Rochester Chamber OrchestraDebussy, Petite SuiteFine, Piece for Muted Strings- In collaboration with Missy Pfohl Smith and the UR Program of Dance and Movement – Copland, Appalachian Spring Suite University of Rochester Symphony OrchestraYin Chengzong, Chu Wanghua, Xian Xinghai, Yellow River Piano Concerto, 3. The Wrath of the Yellow RiverYue Wang, PianoGershwin, arr. Brubaker, Rhapsody in BlueJacob Rose, PianoShore, arr. Whitney, Symphonic Suite from Lord of the RingsDonovan Snyder, ConductorShostakovich, Suite for Variety Orchestra No. 1Link for Donations to Our Program: https://rochester.edu/giving/urorchestraAdditional Performance Links:Fall 2020 Virtual Gala, Fundraiser, and Concert: youtu.be/LYI9oghtk3E Beethoven, Choral Fantasy: youtu.be/07m_u2z8ciQ Toprak, arr. Chang, Selections from Captain Marvel: youtu.be/h5Alwc5h_2Y Strings Virtual Masterclass: youtu.be/nwTg3dgwqW0 Piano Virtual Masterclass: youtu.be/KFt7D0BKMQE Stephen Roessner, Recording and Mixing EngineerRachel Waddell, Music Director, Conductor, and Video ProductionUniversity of Rochester Chamber and Symphony Orchestras
Class of 2021: Looking Back and Moving Forward University of Rochester 2021-05-25 | Four years ago, we interviewed a group of first-year students about their expectations coming to study at the University of Rochester. As the Class of 2021 graduates, we tracked down the same students to show them what they said as incoming students, and how it compares with what they experienced.Subscribe to the University of Rochester on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCZRLVZGCUZWYUEj2XQlFPyQFollow the University of Rochester on Twitter: twitter.com/UofRBe sure to like the University of Rochester on our Facebook page: facebook.com/University.of.Rochester
2021 Commencement: Eastman School of Music Ceremony Highlights University of Rochester 2021-05-24 | Highlights from the commencement ceremony for the Eastman School of Music, held at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre on May 23, 2021. The speaker for the occasion was Kelly Hall-Tompkins '93E, violin soloist and founder of Music Kitchen- Food for the Soul.Subscribe to the University of Rochester on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCZRLVZGCUZWYUEj2XQlFPyQFollow the University of Rochester on Twitter: twitter.com/UofRBe sure to like the University of Rochester on our Facebook page: facebook.com/University.of.Rochester
2021 Commencement: Eastman School of Music [FULL CEREMONY] University of Rochester 2021-05-23 | The Eastman School of Music ceremony took place May 23, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. ET. in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre. Learn more: https://www.rochester.edu/class-of-2021/eastman-school-of-music/
2021 Commencement: Warner School of Education [FULL CEREMONY] University of Rochester 2021-05-23 | The Warner School of Education ceremony took place May 22, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. ET in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre. Learn more: https://www.rochester.edu/class-of-2021/warner-school-of-education/
2021 Commencement: Master’s Degrees [FULL CEREMONY] University of Rochester 2021-05-23 | The AS&E and SMD Master’s Degrees ceremony took place May 22, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. ET in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre. Learn more: https://www.rochester.edu/class-of-2021/masters-degrees/
2021 Commencement: School of Nursing [FULL CEREMONY] University of Rochester 2021-05-22 | The School of Nursing ceremony took place on May 21, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. ET. in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre. Learn more: https://www.rochester.edu/class-of-2021/school-of-nursing/
2021 Commencement: Doctoral Degree [FULL CEREMONY] University of Rochester 2021-05-22 | The Doctoral Degree ceremony took place May 21, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. ET in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre.Learn more: https://www.rochester.edu/class-of-2021/doctoral-degrees/
2021 Commencement: Wade Norwood Speaker Highlight University of Rochester 2021-05-22 | An excerpt from the College Commencement address delivered by Wade Norwood, CEO of Common Ground Health and a New York State Regent, at the ceremony held on May 20, 2021 in Eastman Quadrangle.Subscribe to the University of Rochester on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCZRLVZGCUZWYUEj2XQlFPyQFollow the University of Rochester on Twitter: twitter.com/UofRBe sure to like the University of Rochester on our Facebook page: facebook.com/University.of.Rochester
2021 Commencement: College Ceremony Highlights University of Rochester 2021-05-21 | Highlights from the commencement ceremony for the College, which took place on Eastman Quadrangle on May 20, 2021. The speaker for the occasion was Wade Norwood '85, CEO of Common Ground Health and a New York State Regent.Subscribe to the University of Rochester on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCZRLVZGCUZWYUEj2XQlFPyQFollow the University of Rochester on Twitter: twitter.com/UofRBe sure to like the University of Rochester on our Facebook page: facebook.com/University.of.Rochester
2021 Commencement: The College [4PM FULL Ceremony] University of Rochester 2021-05-20 | The College in Arts, Sciences & Engineering held four undergraduate Commencement ceremonies on May 20, 2021 and additional Diploma ceremonies throughout the weekend. Wade S. Norwood, CEO of Common Ground Health in Rochester, will deliver the College commencement address.Learn more: https://www.rochester.edu/class-of-2021/arts-sciences-engineering/ceremonies/
2021 Commencement: The College [2PM FULL CEREMONY] University of Rochester 2021-05-20 | The College in Arts, Sciences & Engineering held four undergraduate Commencement ceremonies on May 20, 2021 and additional Diploma ceremonies throughout the weekend. Wade S. Norwood, CEO of Common Ground Health in Rochester, will deliver the College commencement address.Learn more: https://www.rochester.edu/class-of-2021/arts-sciences-engineering/ceremonies/
2021 Commencement: The College [12PM FULL CEREMONY] University of Rochester 2021-05-20 | The College in Arts, Sciences & Engineering held four undergraduate Commencement ceremonies on May 20, 2021 and additional Diploma ceremonies throughout the weekend. Wade S. Norwood, CEO of Common Ground Health in Rochester, will deliver the College commencement address.Learn more: https://www.rochester.edu/class-of-2021/arts-sciences-engineering/ceremonies/
2021 Commencement: The College [10AM FULL CEREMONY] University of Rochester 2021-05-20 | The College in Arts, Sciences & Engineering held four undergraduate Commencement ceremonies on May 20, 2021 and additional Diploma ceremonies throughout the weekend. Wade S. Norwood, CEO of Common Ground Health in Rochester, will deliver the College commencement address.Learn more: https://www.rochester.edu/class-of-2021/arts-sciences-engineering/ceremonies/
2021 Commencement: Simon Business School [9AM Full Ceremony] University of Rochester 2021-05-20 | The first Simon Business School ceremony took place May 16, 2021 at 9 a.m. ET. at the University of Rochester. Learn more: https://www.rochester.edu/class-of-2021/simon-business-school/
2021 Commencement: Simon Business School [11:30AM Full Ceremony] University of Rochester 2021-05-20 | The second Simon Business School ceremony took place May 16, 2021 at 11:30 a.m. ET. at the University of Rochester. Learn more: https://www.rochester.edu/class-of-2021/simon-business-school/
2021 Commencement: School of Medicine and Dentistry [Full Ceremony] University of Rochester 2021-05-19 | The School of Medicine and Dentistry medical degree ceremony took place on May 14, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. ET in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre. Learn more: https://www.rochester.edu/class-of-2021/school-of-medicine-and-dentistry/
Making Their Mark: Class of 2021 University of Rochester 2021-05-14 | Note: Many of the featured photo and video clips were captured before the pandemic.Each year in the lead up to Commencement, we take a moment to gather some members of the graduating class for some parting thoughts on their time here. This year, we selected five students from different backgrounds and courses of study to find out what brought them here, how they have grown in the last four years, and what they will take with them in the next phase of their lives.Subscribe to the University of Rochester on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCZRLVZGCUZWYUEj2XQlFPyQFollow the University of Rochester on Twitter: twitter.com/UofRBe sure to like the University of Rochester on our Facebook page: facebook.com/University.of.Rochester
The Seward Family Digital Archive: A Guide to Editing University of Rochester 2021-05-13 | Carrie Knight, PhD Candidate and Volunteer Manager, describes the editing process for the SFDA.Subscribe to the University of Rochester on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCZRLVZGCUZWYUEj2XQlFPyQFollow the University of Rochester on Twitter: twitter.com/UofRBe sure to like the University of Rochester on our Facebook page: facebook.com/University.of.Rochester
The Seward Family Digital Archive: A Guide to Text Encoding Initiative (TEI) University of Rochester 2021-05-13 | Thomas Slaughter, Arthur R. Miller Professor of History and Director of the SFDA, Rhianna Gordon, PhD Candidate and TEI/Digitization Manager, and Anna Remus and Jiahang Wu, Undergraduates and SFDA team members, discuss the process of text encoding.Subscribe to the University of Rochester on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCZRLVZGCUZWYUEj2XQlFPyQFollow the University of Rochester on Twitter: twitter.com/UofRBe sure to like the University of Rochester on our Facebook page: facebook.com/University.of.Rochester
The Seward Family Digital Archive: A Guide to Digitization University of Rochester 2021-05-04 | Rhianna Gordon, TEI and Digitization Manager and PhD Candidate, and Lisa Wright, Digitization Specialist, discuss the process of digitizing nineteenth-century letters and bound volumes for the Seward Family Digital Archive.Subscribe to the University of Rochester on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCZRLVZGCUZWYUEj2XQlFPyQFollow the University of Rochester on Twitter: twitter.com/UofRBe sure to like the University of Rochester on our Facebook page: facebook.com/University.of.Rochester
A More Compact Solution for Augmented and Virtual Reality Eyewear University of Rochester 2021-05-01 | "Image" is everything in the $20 billion market for AR/VR glasses. Consumers are looking for glasses that are compact and easy to wear, delivering high-quality imagery with socially acceptable optics that don't look like "bug eyes."University of Rochester researchers at the Institute of Optics have come up with a novel technology to deliver those attributes with maximum effect. In a paper in Science Advances, they describe imprinting freeform optics with a nanophotonic optical element called "a metasurface."The metasurface is a veritable forest of tiny, silver, nanoscale structures on a thin metallic film that conforms to the freeform shape of the optics-realizing a new optical component the researchers call a metaform.The novel device is able to defy the conventional laws of reflection, gathering the visible light rays entering an AR/VR eyepiece from all directions, and redirecting them directly into the human eye. Nick Vamivakas, a professor of quantum optics and quantum physics, likened the nanoscale structures to small-scale radio antennas. "When we actuate the device and illuminate it with the right wavelength, all of these antennas start oscillating, radiating a new light that delivers the image we want downstream." "Nobody's done that before," says Jannick Rolland, the Brian J. Thompson Professor of Optical Engineering and director of the Center for Freeform Optics.Adds Rolland, "This kind of optical component can be applied to any mirrors or lenses, so we are already finding applications in other types of components" such as sensors and mobile cameras.The goal is to direct the visible light entering the AR/VR glasses to the eye. The new device uses a freespace optical combiner to direct light into the eye. When the combiner is used without the imprinted antennas, on freeform optics that curve around the head to conform to an eyeglass format, not all of the light is directed to the eye. Freeform optics alone cannot solve this specific challenge. "Integrating these two technologies, freeform and metasurfaces, understanding how both of them interact with light, and leveraging that to get a good image was a major challenge," says lead author Daniel Nikolov, an optical engineer in Rolland's research group. Another obstacle was bridging "from macroscale to nanoscale," Rolland says. The actual focusing device measures about 2.5 millimeters across. But even that is 10,000 times larger than the smallest of the nanostructures imprinted on the freeform optic. "From a design standpoint that meant changing the shape of the freeform lens and distributing the nanostructures on the lens in a way that the two of them work in synergy, so you get an optical device with a good optical performance," Nikolov says.This required Aaron Bauer, an optical engineer in Rolland's group, to find a way to circumvent the inability to directly specify metasurfaces in optical design software. In fact, different software programs were used to achieve an integrated metaform device.Fabrication was daunting, Nikolov says. It required using electron-beam lithography, in which beams of electrons were used to cut away sections of the thin-film metasurface where the silver nanostructures needed to be deposited. Writing with electron beams on curved freeform surfaces is atypical and required developing new fabrication processes.The researchers used a JEOL electron-beam lithography (EBL) machine at the University of Michigan's Lurie Nanofabrication Facility. To write the metasurfaces on a curved freeform optics they first created a 3D map of the freeform surface using a laser-probe measuring system. The 3D map was then programmed into the JEOL machine to specify at what height each of the nanostructures needed to be fabricated."We were pushing the capabilities of the machine," Nikolov says. Fei Cheng, a postdoctoral associate in the Vamivakas group; Hitoshi Kato, a JEOL representative from Japan, and the Michigan staff of the nanofabrication lab, collaborated with Nikolov on achieving successful fabrication "after multiple iterations of the process.""This is a dream come true," Rolland says. "This required integrated teamwork where every contribution was critical to the success of this project." The research was supported partially by a fellowship to Nikolov from the Link Foundation and funding from the Center for Emerging and Innovative Sciences at the University of Rochester. Also, the research critically benefitted from advanced knowledge in freeform optics developed in collaboration with the NSF Center for Freeform Optics (CeFO). Subscribe to the University of Rochester on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCZRLVZGCUZWYUEj2XQlFPyQFollow the University of Rochester on Twitter: twitter.com/UofRBe sure to like the University of Rochester on our Facebook page: facebook.com/University.of.Rochester
Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation and the Seward Family Digital Archive University of Rochester 2021-04-23 | Autumn Haag, Assistant Director of Rare Books, and Melinda Wallington, Library Section Supervisor, discuss their work with the Seward Family Digital Archive.Subscribe to the University of Rochester on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCZRLVZGCUZWYUEj2XQlFPyQFollow the University of Rochester on Twitter: twitter.com/UofRBe sure to like the University of Rochester on our Facebook page: facebook.com/University.of.Rochester
The Seward Family Digital Archive: A Guide to Uploading Letters University of Rochester 2021-04-23 | Rhianna Gordon, TEI and Digitization Manager and PhD candidate, describes the process of uploading transcriptions and digitized images to the Seward Family Digital Archive.Subscribe to the University of Rochester on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCZRLVZGCUZWYUEj2XQlFPyQFollow the University of Rochester on Twitter: twitter.com/UofRBe sure to like the University of Rochester on our Facebook page: facebook.com/University.of.Rochester
Community Volunteers and the Seward Family Digital Archive University of Rochester 2021-04-08 | Community volunteers Barbara Tomasso, Bonnie Gibbin, and Nancy Hare describe their work on the Seward Family Digital Archive.A note on picture quality: All interviews for this video were conducted over Zoom to adhere to COVID-19 safety precautions. Because of this, not all of the videos have the same image and sound quality.Subscribe to the University of Rochester on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCZRLVZGCUZWYUEj2XQlFPyQFollow the University of Rochester on Twitter: twitter.com/UofRBe sure to like the University of Rochester on our Facebook page: facebook.com/University.of.Rochester
Adapting the Laboratory for Laser Energetics to the Pandemic University of Rochester 2021-04-06 | Many of us have experienced what it's like to work remotely over the past year, but not everyone works at a facility that houses one of the largest lasers in the world. So, how do researchers that would normally travel to the Laboratory for Laser Energetics accomplish their work remotely?On March 18, 2020, the facility went on a safe standby in accordance with New York State's PAUSE order in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. From that day until they were able to safely reopen two months later, the staff at LLE went to work on a plan for how they would conduct experiments with restricted access to the facility.The innovations ranged from creating more physical distance for staff members inside the building, to developing new software tools to ensure they could continue to operate with the normal schedule of a laser shot occurring every 45 minutes throughout the day, even with principal investigators only able to join remotely.A year later, LLE continues to operate with scientists from all over the world, but instead of the investigators coming to LLE, LLE has come to them. Communication is handled between remote locations and staff throughout the facility from an enhanced video stream they call ShotStream. This allows principal investigators to keep in constant contact with LLE staff, wherever they are in the building. Built into the video stream are other tools such as diagnostics to help position targets and understand the results of the experiment. Another challenge is delivering the high-resolution imaging required for principal investigators to discern what took place during the experiment, and what adjustments need to be made before the next shot. Due to the nature of the experiments, many images need to be captured on x-ray or other types of film and then processed in a darkroom. Under normal operations, researchers would crowd into darkroom around the freshly processed film and assess what adjustments are needed for the next shot. The pandemic made this impossible. With these shots coming every 45 minutes, there is little time to process and scan the films at a high enough resolution and quickly deliver the rather large files over the internet. Innovations in the way film is processed, scanned, and delivered allowed for just the right balance of resolution and speed of delivery so that the shot schedule could be accomplished without sacrificing the quality of the experiments.As things slowly begin to return to normal, there is the hope that soon there will be more activity inside the building from researchers near and far. Even after the pandemic restrictions have lifted completely, there is agreement that some of these innovations are here to stay. And this should serve to expand the capability of LLE to conduct experiments with its international collaborators with the precision and efficiency that the science requires. Subscribe to the University of Rochester on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCZRLVZGCUZWYUEj2XQlFPyQFollow the University of Rochester on Twitter: twitter.com/UofRBe sure to like the University of Rochester on our Facebook page: facebook.com/University.of.Rochester
Michael Beschloss: What makes a great US president? University of Rochester 2021-03-24 | What makes a president great? Presidential historian and best-selling author Michael Beschloss sat down for a virtual talk on that topic with Donald Hall, the University's Robert L. and Mary Sproull Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Sciences & Engineering.Beschloss is the fifth speaker in the Difficult Conversations as a Catalyst for Change series. Beschloss will discuss "What Makes a Great US President," originally streamed over Zoom on March 8th.Beschloss is the author of 10 books, most recently the New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-seller Presidents of War. He is a frequent guest on television, serves as NBC News' presidential historian, and is a regular contributor to the PBS NewsHour and the New York Times. "Michael Beschloss knows more about America's presidents than perhaps anyone on earth," the Charlotte Observer says. Newsweek calls him "the nation's leading presidential historian."Subscribe to the University of Rochester on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCZRLVZGCUZWYUEj2XQlFPyQFollow the University of Rochester on Twitter: twitter.com/UofRBe sure to like the University of Rochester on our Facebook page: facebook.com/University.of.Rochester
