Andrew Ainslie Jamal Rossi

U n i v e r s i t y o f R o c h e s t e r

RetirementRichard Pifer looks back on 15 years with the University

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HonorsFaculty to be recognized for teaching excellence

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Design DayEngineering students show off their senior projects

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ProfessorshipsThree faculty members are installed to endowed positions

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Currents147 Wallis HallRochester, NY 14627

The next issue of Currents

will be published in September.

Send submissions by Sept. 5

to currents@rochester.edu.

ThursdayMay 15, 2014Vol. 41, No. 8

www.rochester.edu/currents

David Williams named to National Academy of SciencesBy Leonor Sierralsierra@ur.rochester.edu

David Williams, one of the world’s leading experts on human vision, has been named a member of the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of his distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. The honor is one of the highest given to a scientist in the United States. Williams was one of 84 scientists selected for 2014.

Williams has pioneered new technologies that are improving the eyesight of people around the globe, from the legally blind to those with 20/20 vision. He is the William G. Allyn Professor of Medical Optics, dean for research and director of the Center for Visual Science.

“David’s election to the Na-tional Academy recognizes a re-markable record of truly brilliant contributions to our understand-ing of how we see,” says Peter Lennie, provost and the Robert L. and Mary L. Sproull Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Sciences & Engineering. “His work ranges from fundamental discoveries about the organization of the photoreceptors in the eye, to the development of inventive tech-niques that greatly improve the outcomes from refractive surgery and greatly improve our prospects for understanding retinal disease.”

“David Williams has been a force in the field of vision science, and his induction into the Na-tional Academy of Sciences is very

well deserved,” says Rob Clark, senior vice president for research and dean of the Hajim School. “His work and his mentorship of students and colleagues exemplify the high academic values that we strive for here at Rochester.”

In 2012 Williams received the most prestigious award in the field of vision, the António Champalimaud Vision Award. He is the author of more than 100 papers, a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and recipient of the Friedenwald Award from the As-sociation for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, among other honors. In 2003, his adaptive optics phoropter, which allows for more precise corrective lens prescriptions, was named one of R&D magazine’s top 100 inven-tions of the year. He joined the University in 1981 after earning a doctorate in psychology in 1979 from the University of California at San Diego.

David Williams

Commencement celebrates scholarship, achievementThe University will recog-nize the achievements of about 3,000 graduates who have earned bachelor’s, master’s, and doc-toral degrees across all schools. Commencement ceremonies will also recognize the outstanding contributions of distinguished leaders and scholars who will receive honorary degrees, medals for exemplary service, and awards for scholarship and teaching.

Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC’s nightly talk show, Hardball with Chris Matthews, will deliver the 164th Arts,

Sciences & Engineering com-mencement address on Sunday, May 18. During the 9 a.m. cer-emony on the Eastman Quad-rangle, Matthews will receive an honorary doctor of letters degree.

Samuel Hope ’67E, formerly executive director of the National Association of Schools of Music, is the speaker at the Eastman School’s commencement, which begins at 11:15 a.m. Sunday, May 18, in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre.

Other honorees include Barry Meyer ’64, longtime Warner Bros. Entertainment executive and

founder and chairman of North Ten Mile Associates, will receive an honorary doctor of laws degree.

For nearly 14 years, he served as chairman and CEO of Warner Bros., leading one of the most successful collections of enter-tainment brands and companies in the world. A life trustee of the University, in 2004 Meyer delivered the Arts, Sciences & Engineering commencement address and received the Hutchi-son Medal, the highest award

Vera Gorbunova to lead 5-year project on longevityThe National Institute on Aging awards $9.5 million to investigate why certain rodent species live so long

By Peter Iglinskipeter.iglinski@rochester.edu

Vera Gorbunova, professor of biology, whose innovative research on DNA repair and the aging process has been interna-tionally recognized, has been awarded a $9.5 million grant from the National Institute on Aging to study longevity.

Gorbunova will lead a five-year project, which includes colleagues at Rochester, Harvard University, and the Albert Einstein Col-lege of Medicine, to explore the factors responsible for longevity in various rodent species, with the goal of developing treatments

to improve the aging process in people.

“Professor Gorbunova has made tremendous strides with her research on the anti-cancer mechanisms of naked mole rats,” says President Joel Seligman. “We are extremely proud that she will now build on this groundbreak-ing work by leading colleagues at Harvard University and the Al-bert Einstein College of Medicine to advance our understanding of problems associated with aging.”

Researchers will focus on rodents because they are geneti-cally similar to humans and have a diverse range of lifespans. Mice and rats, for example, typically

live two to four years, while naked mole rats, beavers, porcupines, and squirrels have lifespans in excess of 20 years. Naked mole rats, which have been known to live more than 30 years, are of special interest since they remain free of age-related problems and disease—including cancer—until the very end of their lives.

“As people age, they are more likely to come down with a variety of diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and osteoporosis,” says Gorbunova. “By working together, researchers at the three institutions will be

See “Gorbunova,” page 10

See “Commencement,” page 10

Leadership changes announcedChanges have been announced to three deanships at the University

Andrew Ainslie has been named the seventh dean of the Simon Business School, succeeding Dean Mark Zupan, whose term ends on June 30.

Jamal Rossi has been named the Joan and Martin Messinger Dean of the Eastman School of Music, pending board approval.

Joanna Olmsted has also announced that she will be leaving her position as dean of the School of Arts & Sciences on July 1 after two decades of University leadership.

Read more on page 8.

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2 Currents | Thursday, May 15, 2014 www.rochester.edu/currents

Mini-grants available for community-engaged learningIn an effort to increase experi-ential learning opportunities for students, Arts, Sciences & Engi-neering will award 10 mini-grants (maximum value of $500 each) to instructors for courses offered in fall 2014 and spring 2015. The grants can cover, for instance, the cost of student transporta-tion to sites off campus or costs associated with collaborating on projects with community organizations. All courses taught across the University to AS&E undergraduates are eligible. Ap-plications must be submitted by Monday, June 2. Grant recipients will be notified by Friday, June 13. Learn more at www.rochester.edu/college/rccl/faculty/mini-grants.html.

President Seligman issues diversity reportIn his eighth annual diversity re-port, President Joel Seligman dis-cusses progress in the University’s diversity initiatives, including an increase in the proportion of faculty and staff who are women or who identify themselves as members of an underrepresented racial or ethnic minority group, and the diversity strategic plan for the next five years. “I am gratified to be associated with a University where a commitment to diversity

is consistently reflected in the decisions of our board and senior leadership,” Seligman says. Read the full report at www.rochester.edu/president/assets/pdf/ DiversityReport2014.pdf.

Best Translated Book Award winners announcedSeiobo There Below, Laszlo Krasznahorkai’s follow-up to last year’s Best Translated Book Award winner, Satantango, won the 2014 Best Translated Book Award for Fiction, presented by Three Percent. The book was translated from the Hungarian by Ottilie Mulzet and published by New Directions. This year’s top poetry prize was awarded to The Guest in the Wood by Elisa Biag-ini, translated from the Italian by Diana Thow, Sarah Stickney, and Eugene Ostashevsky, and pub-lished by Chelsea Editions.

Genomics Research Center acquires new equipmentWith funding from the recent Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council award and the School of Medicine and Dentistry, the Genomics Re-search Center will purchase a new ABI QuantStudio 12K FLEX to replace the ABI 7900HT qPCR system. The center anticipates the transition to the QuantStudio

12K to occur in July. Current users are encouraged to finish ongoing projects on the 7900HT system. If you have any questions or concerns, contact John Ashton at john_ashton@urmc.rochester.edu.

Total Compensation Statement available on HRMSSee the full value of your 2013 wages and benefits together in your Total Compensation State-ment—now available on HRMS with your NetID login.

Sign up for parking noti-fication emailsGet parking-related notifica-tions—including shuttle changes, holiday schedules, parking lot projects, and announcements—sent directly to your inbox. Sign up at www.rochester.edu/parking/about/parkingmailinglist. Ques-tions? Call 275-5953.

Fun Fitness Camp starts June 23The URMC Fitness and Wellness Center hosts a day camp for chil-dren ages 7 to 12. The camp runs from 8 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. (7:45 a.m. drop-off option available for a nominal fee) June 23 to Aug. 22 and includes activities such as swimming, sports, games, crafts, plus a weekly theme and field trip. You can pick single days or full weeks as needed. Learn more at www.urmc.rochester.edu/fit-ness-wellness-center/programs/youth.

Blood pressure chal-lenge this monthThe University is participating in the second annual Community Blood Pressure Challenge. You can participate by having your blood pressure taken at least once and entering it at bpchallenge.org during the challenge (May 1 to 31). For every blood pressure reading taken, a $1 donation will be made to support ongoing blood pressure initia-tives and community outreach, up to $50,000. Well-U is offering free blood pressure screenings throughout the challenge. Blood pressure kiosks are available in Cafe 601 and the Employee Pharmacy in the Medical Center for those who cannot attend a screening. Direct questions to well-u-info@rochester.edu.

Warrior Walk honors cancer survivorsWilmot Cancer Center is spon-soring its second Warrior Walk in celebration of National Cancer Survivors Day on Sunday, June 1, on the River Campus.

Participants can choose among a 13.1-mile walk beginning at 8 a.m.; a 13.1-mile run beginning at 10:30 a.m.; a 6.6-mile walk be-ginning at 10:30 a.m.; or a 1-mile walk beginning at noon.

Register online by May 31 at 10 a.m., or June 1 on-site, 30 minutes prior to the start of each walk or run. The cost is $25, which is waived with $100 in pledges. For more information, visit: http://teamraiser.rochester.edu/site/TR?fr_id=1050&pg=entry.

Safety corner: ergo-nomic equipmentThe University’s Occupa-tional Safety Unit provides a range of services to the University community, including individual ergonomic assessments, assistance with the evaluation and selection of ergonomic equipment, and er-gonomic training. Learn more at www.safety.rochester.edu/safety-info/helpwithergoconcerns.html.

Rib Fest Supports Goli-sano Children’s HospitalBarbeque lovers and festival fans will fill the north side of Genesee Valley Park over Me-morial Day weekend, May 23 to 26, for food and live music at this year’s Roc City Rib Fest.

The seventh annual competi-tion begins at 5 p.m. May 23 and includes more than 100 profes-sional barbequers from across the country who compete to win $22,000 in prizes. One dollar of every $5 ticket benefits Golisano Children’s Hospital.

In Brief

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Taking a spinCarnival rides, food, music, and other

activities drew students, faculty, and

staff out for Dandelion Day on April 25.

www.rochester.edu/currents Currents | Thursday, May 15, 2014 3

Richard Pifer to retire in MayPifer has led Facilities and Services since 1999

By Sara Millersmiller@ur.rochester.edu

Richard Pifer, associate vice president for facilities and ser-vices, will retire this May after nearly 15 years at the University.

Pifer came to the University in August 1999 and has since made significant contributions to the department and its services and has led several major initiatives.

Facilities and Services encom-passes the River Campus, Medical Center, Eastman School, the Memorial Art Gallery, and other properties totaling more than 12 million gross square feet of the University’s multisite campus. Facilities and Services is a large, complex piece of the institution, and, according to Pifer, utility infrastructure, deferred mainte-nance, and campus appearance have been consistently at or near the top of his priority list.

Among the many improve-ments to the infrastructure is an expansion of the chilled water plant with the upgrade of 8,000 tons of chilling capacity—an improvement of fundamental importance to a stable, reliable utility system supporting health care, research, education, and residential life activities. The upgrade, which now allows the University to meet the cooling requirements of the Medical Cen-ter and the River Campus with limited redundancy for the first and only time since Pifer’s arrival, is part of the Utilities Master Plan developed under his leadership.

Pifer also created a framework for efficient and cost-effective campus infrastructure planning. “We developed a system that pro-vides a total facilities needs-sum-mary for the campuses as they develop and implement their strategic plans,” says Pifer. “We know more about the condition of our facilities and are in a better position to advise the divisions about wise investments in the physical plant than ever before.”

More visibly, higher standards for campus appearance have been established virtually every year since Pifer’s arrival. Among the enhancements are Wilson Boulevard’s tree-lined median and other campus roadway im-provements, restored vistas to the

Genesee River, and thousands of square feet of crumbling asphalt walks replaced with concrete. Large segments of River Campus have been irrigated, and Univer-sity gardens have been enlarged and improved. The result, says Pifer, is a softer, more inviting campus that assists in attracting and retaining high-quality stu-dents, staff, and faculty. Addition-ally, Facilities and Services has earned national recognition for excellence in grounds mainte-nance, as well as sustainability.

Above all, Pifer says he is most proud of “the men and women in the department who quietly and professionally provide quality support around the clock, day in and day out.”

“Richard has done a remark-able job in keeping our campuses safe, attractive, and operating with a high degree of reliability and efficiency,” says Ron Paprocki, senior vice president for admin-istration and finance and CFO. “He also has played a pivotal role in representing the University to our surrounding neighborhoods.”

With a home in Herndon, Va., Pifer says retirement will bring an end to the long, multi-state commute that he has done for years, and he’s going to take some time to figure out where and how to spend the next phase of his life. “I spent the first 24 years of my adult life as an infantry soldier and the next 23 plus years as a facilities guy. I was not sure what I would do when I left the Army, and I am not certain what my fu-ture will be. I do know that I want to spend more time with my wife and pursue hobbies for which I never had time.”

Richard Pifer

Faculty installed to endowed professorshipsRon Kaniel, Joanna Wu, and Stephen Kates honored at recent ceremonies

Ron Kaniel is the inaugural Jay S. and Jeanne P. Benet Pro-fessor of Finance at the Simon Business School. Kaniel’s research interests are in asset pricing, financial intermediation with a focus on portfolio delegation, and investments. Among other things, his scholarship has enhanced the understanding of how fund man-agers’ incentives influence invest-ment decisions and how they affect security prices, the information contained in trading volume for predicting returns, and how herd behavior in financial markets can be rational. Kaniel has published articles in the Journal of Finance, Review of Financial Studies, and Journal of Financial Economics, among others.

Kaniel earned a bachelor’s de-gree in mathematics and computer science and a master’s in computer science from Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He received his PhD in finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Kaniel joined Simon in 2011 from the Fuqua Business School at Duke University.

The professorship was estab-lished through a $1.5 million commitment from Jay S. Benet ’76S (MBA), vice chairman and CFO of The Travelers Compa-nies Inc., and his wife, Jeanne, in support of The Meliora Challenge. A longtime supporter of Simon Business School, Benet is an actively involved member of the school’s National Council and Ex-ecutive Advisory Committee and is a charter member of the George Eastman Circle, the University’s leadership annual giving society. In recognition of his career accom-plishments and his service to the University, he received the 2010 Distinguished Alumnus Award.

Joanna Wu will be installed as the first Susanna and Evans Y. Lam Professor at the Simon School on May 15. Wu has been a faculty member at the University since 1999. Her research spans the areas of international financial reporting, the behavior of financial analysts, management compensation, voluntary disclosure, and mutual fund performance. Her work has been published in the Journal of Accounting and Economics, Journal

of Finance, Journal of Accounting Research, and Accounting Review, among others. Wu has been named to the Simon School Dean’s Teach-ing Honor Roll numerous times. She is an editor of the Journal of Accounting and Economics. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in international economics from Peking University in Beijing, China, Wu earned a master’s in economics and a doctorate in business admin-istration from Tulane University’s Freeman School of Business.

The Lam professorship was established through a $1.5 million gift from Hong Kong native and University Trustee Evans Lam ’83, ’84S (MBA) and his wife, Susanna. Lam is senior vice president of wealth management and senior portfolio manager at UBS Financial Services Inc. His wife, Susanna, is a certified public accountant and an accomplished Chinese opera singer and per-former. Lam serves on the Simon School’s National Council and Executive Advisory Committee, is a member of the University’s Los Angeles Regional Cabinet, and with his wife, is a charter member of the George Eastman Circle. Lam was recognized with the Da-vid T. Kearns Medal of Distinction in 2012 and the John N. Wilder Award in 2010.

Orthopaedic surgeon Stephen Kates ’89M (Res), director of the Geriatric Fracture Center, is the inaugural holder of the Hansjörg Wyss Professorship.

Kates and the professorship’s creator, Swiss entrepreneur and philanthropist Hansjörg Wyss, were recognized by the University community on April 2.

Kates has created an inter-nationally renowned geriatric fracture care program at High-land Hospital and has developed a model of care for the aging population that is emulated across this country and in several others. He has lectured extensively on geriatric fractures, system improvement, infections, and osteoporosis in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Wyss, born and raised in Bern, Switzerland, and now a resident of Wyoming, joined the Giving Pledge, a global initiative

created by Warren Buffet and Bill Gates that encourages the world’s wealthiest individuals to commit to giving a majority of their wealth to philanthropy. His gift was made to support the Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation’s clinical work and research related to geriatric fracture care, which is currently led by Kates in the department’s Center for Musculoskeletal Research.

Ron Kaniel

Joanna Wu

Stephen Kates

Gifts from Wilmot Family, Foundation launch $30 million campaign for cancer researchCiting a commitment to can-cer research that spans three generations of Wilmot family members, Jonathan Friedberg, the Samuel E. Durand Chair and Wilmot Cancer Institute director, announced combined gifts total-ing $4 million from the Wilmot family and the James P. Wilmot Foundation, to support cancer research as part of a new $30 mil-lion research-focused campaign at UR Medicine.

“The Wilmot family’s commit-ment to cancer research is mea-sured not simply in dollars, but in decades,” said Friedberg. “Their

sustained commitment to cancer research is advancing science, while at the same time elevating the level of cancer care available to the people of our region.”

A portion of the Wilmot gift will be placed into an endowment that will fund the Wilmot Distin-guished Professorship in Cancer Genomics, and the remaining portion will help to pay the start-up costs for setting up his or her laboratory.

Last week, UR Medicine announced the creation of the Wilmot Cancer Institute, a new organizational structure for all of

its clinical and research programs in cancer, including its growing network of satellite locations throughout the region. In addi-tion, it announced a $30 million campaign to support cancer research.

The institute’s goal is to provide the highest level of care to indi-viduals throughout western New York, by making the institute’s expertise and capabilities avail-able to patients closer to home. Research—and bringing scientific discoveries directly to patients—is also an integral part of the insti-tute’s mission.

With the Wilmot Cancer Center as its hub, the new insti-tute encompasses seven satellite cancer treatment facilities and all cancer research activities at the University.

“Wilmot has been thriving under Jonathan’s leadership, and it’s exciting to see so many important initiatives moving forward at a rapid pace,” says Bradford Berk, CEO of UR Medicine and University senior vice president for health sciences. “He truly understands and pushes the institute’s broad mission: to deliver exceptional care locally

and regionally and to be a leader in cancer research.”

Philanthropists Richard Bell Sr. and Robert Kessler are leading the campaign. University Trustee Thomas Wilmot Sr. will serve as honorary chair of the campaign. Funds raised in the Wilmot campaign will be used to expand Wilmot’s research program by creating endowed professorships for cancer researchers, endowed program support for multidis-ciplinary research funding, and “seed grants” to allow research-ers to explore new avenues of research.

4 Currents | Thursday, May 15, 2014 www.rochester.edu/currents

Andes mountains formed by ‘growth spurts’Scientists have long been trying to understand how the Andes and other broad, high-elevation mountain ranges were formed. New research by Carmala Garzione, professor of earth and environmental sciences, and colleagues sheds light on the mystery.

In a paper published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Garzione explains that the Altiplano plateau in the central Andes—and most likely the entire mountain range—was formed through a series of rapid growth spurts.

“This study provides increasing evidence that the plateau formed through periodic rapid pulses, not through a continuous, gradual uplift of the surface, as was tradi-tionally thought,” says Garzione. “In geologic terms, rapid means rising one kilometer or more over several millions of years, which is very impressive.”

It’s been understood that the Andes mountain range has been growing as the Nazca oceanic plate slips underneath the South American continental plate, causing the Earth’s crust to shorten and thicken. But that left two questions: how quickly have the Andes risen to their current height, and what was the actual process that enabled their rise?

Garzione worked in the south-ern Altiplano, collecting climate records preserved in ancient soils at elevations close to sea level, where temperatures remained

warm over the history of the An-des, and at high elevations where temperatures should have cooled as the mountains rose. She found that the southern Altiplano region rose by about 2.5 kilometers between 16 million and 9 million years ago, which is considered a rapid rate in geologic terms.

“What we are learning is that the Altiplano plateau formed by pulses of rapid surface uplift over several million years, separated by long periods (several tens of million years) of stable eleva-tions,” says Garzione. “We suspect this process is typical of other high-elevation ranges, but more research is needed before we know for certain.”

Read more at www.rochester.edu/newscenter.

Off-season doesn’t allow brain to recover from football hitsSix months off may not be long enough for the brains of football players to completely heal after a single season, putting them at even greater risk of head injury the next season.

“I don’t want to be an alarm-ist, but this is something to be concerned about,” says Jeffrey Bazarian, associate professor of emergency medicine at the School of Medicine and Dentistry and lead author of the study, pub-lished in PLOS ONE.

“At this point we don’t know the implications, but there is a valid concern that six months of no-contact rest may not be enough for some players,” he says.

“And the reality of high school, college, and professional athletics is that most players don’t actually rest during the off-season. They continue to train and push them-selves and prepare for the next season.”

Bazarian investigated the brains of 10 Rochester football play-ers before the start of the 2011 season, at the conclusion of the season, and after six months of no-contact rest. All took part in daily practices and weekly games, but none of them suffered a concussion.

Imaging scans showed changes consistent with mild brain injury in about half of the players six months after the season ended, despite the fact that no one had a concussion. Brain changes in the football players were compared to a control group of five college students who didn’t play contact sports.

The new data also suggest that inflammation may be a key factor in whether players recovered within six months. Levels of inflammatory markers present in a player’s blood sample correlated with a lack of complete brain recovery. Read more at urmc.rochester.edu/news.

Crowdsourcing can deliver real-time support for physiciansA new study shows that physi-cians can successfully harness the power of crowdsourcing to help diagnose and treat patients in real time. The pilot project, the results of which appear in the Journal of Hospital Medicine, could help providers make more informed decisions and improve the quality of care.

The findings were the result of an eight-month field test of a mobile software application that involved 85 health care providers with UR Medicine. The project was led by Marc Halterman and Max Sims from the Department of Neurology, and Jeffrey Bigham

and Henry Kautz from the De-partment of Computer Science.

The team developed an applica-tion called DocCHIRP for mobile and desktop use. Devices using the software were encrypted and password protected. The program allowed a provider to send inquiries to individual or groups of physi-cians and nurses that were part of the 85-person “crowd.” The ques-tions could require either a written or an agree/disagree response.

The most common inquiries were related to the effective use of medication, navigating complex medical decisions, guidance regarding standard of care, the selection and interpretation of diagnostic tests, and patient refer-rals. The fastest response time was 4 minutes and the median time it took for the first response to arrive was 19 minutes.

Despite the fact that physicians have at their disposal a wealth of resources that enables them to research medical questions, the authors found that many pro-viders feel that the opinion and guidance of trusted peers were as or more valuable.

Read more at www.urmc. rochester.edu/Research/blog.

Drug improves vision in individuals with neuro-logical disorderThe drug acetazolamide, com-bined with a low-sodium weight reduction diet, improves vision in individuals with idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), a condition brought about by abnormal pressure on the brain that is not the result of a tumor or other diseases.

That’s according to a new study, which appears in the journal JAMA, coordinated by Karl Kieburtz and Michael McDer-mott from the Center for Human Experimental Therapeutics and also involved Steven Feldon with the Flaum Eye Institute.

IIH is associated with obesity and, consequently, is on the rise.

The college players who participated

in Jeffrey Bazarian’s study wore

accelerometers mounted inside their

helmets. Researchers were able

to track every hit, from seemingly

light blows in practice to the most

dangerous type of hit—a bobble-head

phenomenon known as rotational

acceleration.

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Rocks near Cerdas in the Altiplano

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soils used to decipher the surface

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It is most prevalent in overweight women of child-bearing age. Most people with the condition suffer debilitating headaches and, because of pressure on the optic nerve, 86 percent experience vi-sual loss, and 10 percent develop severe visual loss.

While acetazolamide is com-monly used to treat the condi-tion, there has not been strong evidence to support its use.

The researchers found that the participants who took acetazol-amide experienced better vision, a reduction in swelling in their eyes, and a higher self-reported quality of life. Additionally, peo-ple on the drug also experienced a greater reduction in weight.

Read more at www.urmc.roch-ester.edu/Research/blog.

Experiment on earth demonstrates effect observed in spaceStreaming jets of high-speed matter produce some of the most stunning objects seen in space. Astronomers have seen them shooting out of young stars just being formed, X-ray binary stars, and the supermassive black holes at the centers of large galaxies.

Theoretical explanations for what causes those beam-like jets have been around for years, but now an experiment by French and American researchers using extremely high-powered lasers offers experimental verification of one proposed mechanism for creating them.

“This research is an example of how laboratory experiments can be used to test mechanisms that may produce what we observe in space,” says Eric Blackman, pro-fessor of physics and astronomy and one of the coauthors. Black-man says that he and his collab-orators wanted to recreate condi-tions in the lab that lead to jets in space becoming collimated—or beam-like—rather than diverg-ing. Theory and computational simulations had suggested the possibility that jets might be created by “shock focused inertial confinement.” Blackman adds that the experiment “confirms that this particular mechanism is viable,

even though other effects are likely to also be taking place.”

The research shows evidence of the “shocks” predicted by theory, and which give the mechanism its name.

In the paper, published in Physical Review Letters, the researchers explain how they used the laser laboratory facility, LULI, at the Ecole Polytechnique in France, to recreate the space jets. Collaborators at the University of Chicago supplied a sophisticated computer code FLASH that they developed and adapted to help analyze the results.

Read more at www.rochester.edu/newscenter.

Lower Hispanic participation in drug benefit may point to barriersHispanic seniors are 35 percent less likely to have prescription drug coverage despite the exis-tence of the Medicare Prescrip-tion Drug Plan—also known as Part D—and the availability of assistance to help pay insurance

premiums. That is the finding of a study in the journal Health Affairs.

“These results indicate that disparities in prescription drug coverage exist between Hispanic and white Medicare beneficia-ries, despite the existence of a potentially universal entitlement program,” says Brian McGarry, a graduate student in the Depart-ment of Public Health Sciences at the School of Medicine and Dentistry. “This study suggests that, in spite of the overall success of the Part D program, future policies need to focus on the dis-proportionately low enrollment of vulnerable populations.”

McGarry, Robert Strawderman, chair of the Department of Biosta-tistics and Computational Biology, and Yue Li, associate professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences, coauthored the study.

The researchers used 2011 data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study, a new and highly detailed source of data about Medicare beneficiaries which includes information on demographic characteristics,

finances, and health. The re-searchers found that Hispanic seniors were 35 percent less likely than whites to have any form of drug coverage after controlling for demand for prescription drugs and ability to afford a plan. That is despite the fact that an estimated 65 percent of Hispanics without coverage were eligible to receive premium support.

The general complexity of applying for premium subsidies and the financial skills required to accurately determine the value of drug coverage and choose from among a large number of plans may contribute to this phenome-non, the researchers say.

Read more at urmc.rochester.edu/news.

Gene discovery links can-cer cell ‘recycling’ system to potential new therapyRochester scientists have discov-ered a gene with a critical link to pancreatic cancer, and further in-vestigation in mice shows that by blocking the gene’s most import-ant function, researchers can slow

the disease and extend survival.Published online in Cell

Reports, the finding offers a po-tential new route to intrude on a cancer that usually strikes quickly, has been stubbornly resistant to targeted therapies, and has a low survival rate. Most recent improvements in the treatment of pancreatic cancer, in fact, are the result of using different combi-nations of older chemotherapy drugs.

The research was led by Hartmut (Hucky) Land, chair of biomedical genetics at the School of Medicine and Dentistry and director of research at Wilmot Cancer Center, and Aram Hezel, associate professor of medicine. The work identifies a new target in the process of garbage recy-cling that occurs within the can-cer cell called autophagy, which is critical to pancreatic cancer’s progression and growth.

“What makes this an exciting opportunity is that the gene we’re studying is critical to the cancer cell’s machinery but it is not es-sential to the function of normal cells,” says Land. “By targeting these types of non-mutated genes that are highly specific to cancer, we are looking for more effective ways to intervene.”

The study underlines Wilm-ot’s overall approach to cancer research. Rather than investigate single faulty genes linked to single subtypes of cancer, Rochester scientists have identified a larger network of approximately 100 non-mutated genes that cooperate and control the shared activities of many cancers.

Read more at urmc.rochester.edu/news.

Making Headlines

“Despite decades of effort by presidents and advocacy groups to promote minority and female candidates to the bench, our 1,355 sitting fed-eral judges remain 81 percent white and 76 percent male.”

—Maya Sen, assistant professor of

political science, writes in a New York

Times op-ed that appeared May 2.

“Racism is the American tragedy. And in recent years there has been a series of social dynamics that has been making things worse.”

—University President Joel Seligman

says in a Democrat and Chronicle

article covering a racial equality panel

hosted by the YWCA.

“We’re trying to improve our understanding of the Earth’s climate system by looking into the past—seeing how the temperature was changing, how greenhouse gases were changing.”

—Vasilii Petrenko, assistant profes-

sor of earth and environmental sci-

ences, told the Antarctic Sun. He is

principal investigator on a three-year

field project to mine tons of ice from a

glacier in Antarctica.

“The concern is that a sub-sequent season will lead to cumulative brain injury. The concern is that it just adds up.”

—Jeffrey Bazarian, associate

professor of emergency medicine at

the School of Medicine and Dentistry,

tells USA Today. Bazarian is lead au-

thor of a study that indicates repeated

blows to the head common in sports

or combat cause structural damage to

the brain.

An example of a collimated jet in

space: images of the young stellar

object HH 30, showing changes over

a five-year period in the disk and jets

of the newborn star, which is about

half a million years old.

NA

SA

AN

D A

. WAT

SO

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INS

TITU

TO D

E A

STR

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6 Currents | Thursday, May 15, 2014 www.rochester.edu/currents

National Faculty AwardsAble Muse PressPoetry Book AwardMelissa Balmain, Adjunct Instructor

of English

Academy of Eating DisordersLeadership AwardRichard Kreipe, Dr. Elizabeth R.

McAnarney Professor of Pediatrics Funded by Roger and Carolyn Friedlander

American Academy of Arts and LettersArts and Letters Award in LiteratureJames Longenbach, Joseph Henry

Gilmore Professor of English

American Academy of Hospice and Palliative MedicineVisionaryTimothy Quill, Georgia and Thomas

Gosnell Distinguished Professor in Palliative Care

American Academy of Nurse Practitioners FellowCraig Sellers, Associate Professor of

Clinical Nursing

American Association for the Advancement of ScienceFellowKarl Kieburtz, Robert J. Joynt Professor

in Neurology; Director, Clinical and Translational Science Institute

Xi-Cheng Zhang, M. Parker Givens Professor of Optics; Director, Institute of Optics

American Association of Colleges of Nursing, Graduate Nursing Admissions ProfessionalsSandy J. Cody Service AwardElaine Andolina, Assistant Professor of

Clinical Nursing; Director of Admissions, School of Nursing

American Association of Teachers of Slavic and Eastern European LanguagesBest Scholarly TranslationKathleen Parthé, Professor of Modern

Languages and Cultures

American Council of Learned SocietiesFellowshipShin-yi Chao, Associate Professor of

Religion and ClassicsJohn Osburg, Assistant Professor of

AnthropologyHolly Watkins, Associate Professor of

Musicology, Eastman School of MusicElya Zhang, Assistant Professor of

History

American Educational Research AssociationSecretary of the Fiscal Issues, Policy, and Education Finance Special Interest Group Karen DeAngelis, Associate Professor

of EducationTreasurer of the Politics of Education Special Interest GroupKara Finnigan, Associate Professor,

Warner School of Education

American Geophysical UnionFellowCindy Ebinger, Professor of Earth and

Environmental Sciences

American Mathematical SocietyFellowAlex Iosevich, Professor of Mathematics

American Physical SocietyFellowSuxing Hu, Senior Scientist, Laboratory

for Laser Energetics

American Political Science AssociationRichard F. Fenno Jr. Prize for Best Book in Legislative PoliticsLynda Powell, Professor of Political

Science

American Professional Society On the Abuse of ChildrenOutstanding Research Career Achievement AwardSheree Toth, Professor of Clinical and

Social Sciences in Psychology, Execu-tive Director, Mt. Hope Family Center

American Psychological Associ-ationDistinguished Scientific Contribution AwardRichard Aslin, William R. Kenan Jr.

Professor, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences

American Public Health Associ-ationArthur J. Viseltear AwardTheodore Brown, Charles and Dale

Phelps Professor of History

American Society of Health-Sys-tems Pharmacists Foundation2013 Pharmacy Residency Excel-lence Award—New Preceptor AwardNicole Acquisto, Clinical Pharmacy

Specialist for Emergency Medicine, Department of Pharmacy

Association for Computing Ma-chineryFellowHenry Kautz, Chair and Professor of

Computer Science

Association for Humanistic Coun-selingLifetime Achievement AwardHoward Kirschenbaum, Professor

Emeritus, Warner School of Education

Association of Women in Mathe-maticsRuth Michler Memorial PrizeSema Salur, Associate Professor of

Mathematics

Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal NursesMarch of Dimes Comerford Freda “Saving Babies, Together” AwardSusan Groth, Associate Professor,

School of Nursing

Associations de Prévoyance SantéAllianz Longevity Research PrizeVera Gorbunova, Professor of Biology

Biomedical Engineering SocietyDistinguished Service AwardRichard Waugh, Chair and Professor of

Biomedical Engineering; Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics; Profes-sor of Pharmacology and Physiology

Brain and Behavior Research FoundationNARSAD Distinguished Investigator AwardBenjamin Hayden, Assistant Professor

of Brain and Cognitive Sciences

Clinical Reproductive Scientist Re-search Training Scholars Program2013–14 CREST ScholarWendy Vitek, Assistant Professor of

Obstetrics and Gynecology; Director, Fertility Preservation Program, Strong Fertility Center

Clinical and Translational Science Awards ProgramCommunity Engagement Key Func-tion Committee CochairNancy Bennett, Director, Center for

Community Health

Consumer Electronics AssociationHall of FameChing Tang, Professor of Chemical

Engineering

Council of Academic Family MedicineChairThomas Campbell, William Rock-

taschel Professor and Chair, Depart-ment of Family Medicine

Eduard Rhein FoundationEduard Rhein AwardChing Tang, Professor of Chemical

Engineering

Foundation for High Energy Accel-erator ScienceSuwa PrizeKevin McFarland, Professor of Physics

and Astronomy

Fulbright ProgramFellowshipCindy Ebinger, Professor of Earth and

Environmental Sciences

Fusion Power Associates Board of Directors2013 Leadership AwardDavid Meyerhofer, Deputy Director,

Experimental Division Director, and Associate Director for Science, Labora-tory for Laser Energetics; Professor of Mechanical Engineering and of Physics and Astronomy

International Book Industry’s Excellence AwardsLiterary Translation Initiative AwardUniversity of Rochester’s Best Trans-

lated Book Award, launched by Three Percent

International College of DentistsHonorary FellowAliakbar Bahreman, Clinical Professor,

Eastman Institute for Oral Health

International Economics and Finance SocietyDistinguished FellowRonald Jones, Xerox Professor of

Economics

International Society of Infrared, Millimeter, and Terahertz Waves2014 Kenneth J. Button PrizeXi-Cheng Zhang, M. Parker Givens

Professor of Optics; Director, Institute of Optics;

Ching Tang, Professor of Chemical Engineering

International Society for Self and IdentityLifetime Career AwardEdward Deci, Helen F. and Fred H.

Gowen Professor of Clinical and Social Sciences in Psychology

Richard Ryan, Professor of Clinical and Social Sciences in Psychology

International Union of Pure and Applied PhysicsYoung Scientist Prize in Quantum ElectronicsNick Vamivakas, Assistant Professor

of Optics

Japanese Foundation for Cancer ResearchPrince Hitachi PrizeVera Gorbunova, Professor of Biology

Kavil FoundationFellowDaniel Weix, Assistant Professor of

Chemistry

NASPA—Student Affairs Adminis-trators in Higher EducationFaculty FellowLogan Hazen, Assistant Professor,

Warner School of Education

National Academies of PracticeDistinguished Practitioner and FellowTobie Olsan, Professor of Clinical

Nursing

National Academy of SciencesMemberDavid Williams, Dean for Research,

Arts, Sciences & Engineering; William G. Allyn Chair of Medical Optics; Director, Center for Visual Science

National Association for Geriatric Education and National Associa-tion of Geriatric Education CentersPresidentThomas Caprio, Assistant Professor,

School of Medicine and Dentistry

National Council of Teachers of English—Assembly for ResearchSecretaryJayne Lammers, Assistant Professor,

Warner School of Education

National Science FoundationCareer AwardSina Ghaemmaghami, Assistant Profes-

sor of BiologyFaculty Early Career Development Program GrantQiang Lin, Assistant Professor of

Electrical and Computer Engineering and of Optics

New York Public LibraryDorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers 2014–15 FellowshipKenneth Gross, Alan F. Hilfiker Distin-

guished Professor of English

Optical Society of America2014 David Richardson MedalJannick Rolland, Brian J. Thompson

Professor of Optical Engineering; Director, Hopkins Center for Optical Design and Engineering

FellowChunlei Guo, Professor of OpticsJonathan Zuegel, Senior Scientist,

Laboratory for Laser Energetics

Orthopaedic Research SocietyDistinguished Investigator AwardRegis O’Keefe, Marjorie Strong Wehle

Professor of Orthopaedics; Chair of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation

Packard FoundationFellowVasilli Petrenko, Assistant Professor of

Earth and Environmental Sciences

Percussive Arts Society2013 Lifetime Achievement in Educa-tion AwardRuth Cahn, Jack Frank Instructor of

Percussion, Eastman Community Music School

Poetry InternationalC. P. Cavafy AwardJennifer Grotz, Associate Professor of

English

Polish Physics SocietyMarian Smoluchowski MedalDouglas Cline, Professor of Physics and

Astronomy

Royal Academy of Music Honorary MemberSteven Doane, Professor of Violoncello,

Eastman School of Music

Royal College of PhysiciansFellowRobert McCann, Professor of Medicine;

Chief of Medicine, Highland Hospital

Royal Institute of PhilosophyHonorary ProfessorshipRandall Curren, Professor of

Philosophy

Sloan ConsortiumSloan-C FellowEric Fredericksen, Visiting Assistant

Professor, Warner School of Education

Society for Personality and Social PsychologyCarol and Ed Diener Award in Person-ality PsychologyAndrew Elliott, Professor of Clinical

and Social Sciences in Psychology

Society of Teachers of Family Medicine2013 Curtis G. Hames Research AwardKevin Fiscella, Professor of Family

Medicine

SPIE—International Society for Optics and PhotonicsFellowXi-Cheng Zhang, M. Parker Givens

Professor of Optics; Director, Institute of Optics

Robert Boyd, Professor of Optics and of Physics

Tetrahedron PublicationsYoung Investigator AwardRudi Fasan, Assistant Professor of

Chemistry

Triological SocietyCareer Scientist AwardBenjamin Crane, Assistant Professor of

Otolaryngology

University of Northern ColoradoDistinguished Alumnus of the Year AwardRichard Killmer, Professor of Oboe,

Eastman School of Music

Vision Sciences SocietyElsevier/VSS Young Investigator AwardDuje Tadin, Associate Professor of

Brain and Cognitive Sciences

Wissenschaftskolleg zu BerlinFellowJack Werren, Nathaniel and Helen

Wisch Professor of Biology

Faculty Teaching AwardsEdward Peck Curtis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate TeachingWilliam Marvin, Associate Professor

of Music Theory, Eastman School of Music

Eisenhart Award for Excellence in TeachingEastman School of Music (2012–13)Chien-Kwan Lin, Associate Professor of

Saxophone

G. Graydon Curtis ’58 and Jane W. Curtis Award for Nontenured Faculty Teaching ExcellenceElizabeth Colantoni, Assistant Profes-

sor of ClassicsVasilii Petrenko, Assistant Professor of

Earth and Environmental Sciences

Goergen Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate TeachingBonnie Meguid, Associate Professor of

Political Science Anne Meredith, Senior Lecturer, De-

partment of Religion and ClassicsJohn Michael, Professor of English and

of Visual and Cultural Studies

Lifetime Achievement Award in Graduate EducationDouglas Turner, Professor of Chemistry

William H. Riker University Award for Excellence in Graduate Teach-ingEric Phizicky, Professor of Biochemis-

try and Biophysics

University AwardsCharles Force Hutchison and Mar-jorie Smith Hutchison MedalHarriet Kitzman, Loretta C. Ford

Professor of Nursing; Senior Associate Dean for Research, School of Nursing

Hajim School of Engineering & Applied SciencesLifetime Achievement AwardRiccardo Betti, Robert L. McCrory

Professor of Mechanical Engineering; Professor of Physics and Astronomy; Assistant Director for Academic Af-fairs, Laboratory for Laser Energetics

Meliora AwardNora Dimmock, Director, Digital

Humanities CenterDavid Long, Lean Performance Im-

provement Manager, Strong Memorial Hospital

Messinger Libraries Recognition AwardNora Dimmock, Director, Digital

Humanities Center

Presidential Diversity AwardJohn Cullen, Research Associate Profes-

sor, Department of SurgeryOffice of Minority Student Affairs

Susan B. Anthony Center for Women’s LeadershipLifetime Achievement AwardJane Possee, Associate Director of

Athletics

The University of Rochester Celebrates Faculty and Student Honors 2013–14

The University of Rochester congratulates those faculty and students who have earned national recognition and teaching awards

during the past academic year, through May 1, 2014.

www.rochester.edu/currents Currents | Thursday, May 15, 2014 7

Witmer Award for Distinguished ServiceShirley Brignall, Administrative

Assistant, Department of Physics and Astronomy

Kelly Luther, Director of Social Work and Patient and Family Services, Strong Memorial Hospital

Suzanne O’Brien, Associate Dean of the College

Marjorie Searl, Chief Curator, Memo-rial Art Gallery

Staff Community Service AwardKim Robinson, HR Assistant, Strong

Staffing

National Student AwardsAll-American HonorsNeil Cordell ’16, York, UK; Political

Science; First Team, SquashMario Yanez Tapia ’17, Aguascalientes,

Mexico; Business; First Team, SquashRyosei Kobayashi ’17, Yokohamashi,

Japan; Business; First Team, SquashDanielle Neu ’17, Hammondsport, N.Y.;

Chemical Engineering; Honorable Mention, Diving

Lauren Bailey ’16, Ossining, N.Y.; Chemical Engineering; Honorable Mention, Swimming

Vicky Luan ’16, Surrey, British Colum-bia; Film and Media Studies; Honor-able Mention, Swimming

Khamai Simpson ’16, Cutler Bay, Fla.; Health, Behavior, and Society; Honor-able Mention, Swimming

Emily Simon ’17, Olean, N.Y.; Biology; Honorable Mention, Swimming

Karen Meess ’14, Hamburg, N.Y.; Biomedical Engineering; Honorable Mention, Swimming

Alex Veech ’17, Binghamton, N.Y.; Psychology; Honorable Mention, Swimming

Aetna Foundation/National Healthcare Leadership ProgramDavid Paul, Doctoral Student, School of

Medicine and Dentistry

Alpha Omega AlphaCarolyn Kuckein Research FellowshipCorey Walker ’14M (MD)

American Association of Neuro-logic SurgeonsNeurosurgery Research and Educa-tion Foundation Summer FellowshipJoshua Haswell ’17M (MD)

American Council of Engineering Companies of New YorkScholarshipKoji Muto ’15, Hamden, Conn.; Me-

chanical Engineering

American Council of Teachers of RussianNational Postsecondary Essay Con-test, Gold MedalOleg Didovets ’14, Webster, N.Y.;

Chemistry

American Federation for Aging ResearchMedical Student Training in Aging Research AwardAndrew Portuguese ’17M (MD)Erica Lash ’17M (MD)

American Psychiatric Nurses AssociationStudent ScholarshipsJennifer Schneider, Graduate Student,

School of Nursing

American Society of HematologyMinority Medical Student AwardPhysician-Researcher Initiative FellowLauren Patrick ’16M (MD)

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation/AclsDissertation Completion FellowshipIskandar Zulkarnain, Graduate Stu-

dent, Visual and Cultural Studies

Aspen Peay State University Cen-ter of Excellence for the Creative Arts2013 Young Composer’s CompetitionChristopher Chandler, Doctoral Stu-

dent, Eastman School of Music

Association of Counselor Educa-tion and SupervisionEmerging Leaders FellowAtiya Smith, Doctoral Student, Warner

School of Education

DAAD-RISE (German Academic Exchange Service-Research Internships in Science and Engi-neering)Corey Garyn ’15, Newtown, Pa., Cell

and Developmental BiologyAustin Mottola ’15, Katonah, N.Y.,

BiochemistrySeth Schober ’16, Sutton, Alaska, Elec-

trical and Computer EngineeringNatalie Tjota ’16, Federal Way, Wash.,

Biomedical EngineeringSteven Torrisi ’16, Tivoli, N.Y., Physics

Davis Projects for Peace Fellow-shipJohn Dawson ’13, ’14 (T5), Pittsford,

N.Y., Molecular GeneticsKatherine Wegman ’15, Pittsford, N.Y.,

Anthropology and Biology

Downbeat Student Music AwardsLarge Jazz Ensemble, Outstanding Undergraduate College PerformanceEastman Chamber Jazz EnsembleOriginal Composition for Large En-semble, Graduate College (for “West Point”)Michael Conrad ’13E (MM)

Finnish Academy of Science And LettersGraduate Study GrantAku Antikainen, Doctoral Student,

Optics2014 Research GrantPhilip Pierick, Doctoral Student, East-

man School of Music

Fulbright ProgramScholarshipSavannah Benton ’14, Los Angeles;

International Relations Anisha Gundewar ’14, Marlborough,

Mass.; Health, Behavior, and Society Philip Pierick, Doctoral Student,

Eastman School of Music, Iowa City; Saxophone

Erin Slocum ’12, Rochester; Brain and Cognitive Sciences

Shyam Venkateswaran ’14, Manhasset Hils, N.Y.; Biology

Simone Zehren ’14, Washington, D.C.; Archaelogy, Technology, and Historical Structures

AlternatesMandy Brefo ’14, Arlington, Texas;

Anthropology and Political ScienceNicholas Giangreco ’14, Williamsville,

N.Y.; Biochemistry

Fulbright UK Summer InstituteScholarshipLeah Schwartz ’17, Cranford, N.J.;

Anthropology

Goldwater ScholarshipHonorable MentionMolly Finn ’16, Marshalltown, Iowa;

Physics and AstronomyBrian McDonald ’16, Carmel, Ind.;

Mathematics

Hertz FellowshipFinalistCatherine E. Lambert ’13, ’14 (T5),

Elmira, N.Y.; Geological Sciences/English

HIV Vaccine Trials NetworkResearch and Mentorship Program ScholarOluchi Iheagwara ’17M (MD)

Howard Hughes Medical InstituteSummer Medical FellowJames Bates ’15M (MD)Medical Research Fellow at JaneliaBenjamin Cocanougher ’15M (MD)Year Fellows ProgramJeffrey Zimering ’16M (MD)

Humanity in Action FoundationFellowshipLendsey Achudi ’14, Western Province,

Kenya; International RelationsJonathan R. Johnson ’14, Beverly

Hills, Fla.; Anthropology and Political Science

IBMPhD FellowshipXiaochen Guo, Doctoral Student, Elec-

trical and Computer Engineering

Iberdrola USA FoundationEnergy and Environment ScholarshipSamuel Steven, Graduate Student, Op-

tics and Technical Entrepreneurship and Management

Samuel Sowden Garcia, Graduate Student, Chemical Engineering

Jose Alberto Medina Jimena, Graduate Student, Chemical Engineering

FellowshipChantal Gaudet, Graduate Student,

Chemical Engineering

IEEE Power And Energy SocietyScholarship Plus Initiative awardJeremy Warner ’15, Riverhead, N.Y.;

Electrical and Computer Engineering

International Championship of Collegiate A CappellaQuarterfinals WinnerQuarterfinals Award for Outstanding ArrangementSemifinals Second PlaceSemifinals Award for Outstanding ChoreographyYellowJacketsQuarterfinals Award for Outstanding ArrangementTom Downey, Midnight Ramblers; Sel-

kirk, N.Y.; Environmental Sciences

Institute for International EducationGilman International ScholarshipJasré Ellis ’15, Raleigh, N.C.; Japanese

and PsychologyJohnson Truong ’15, Rochester;

ChemistryBreanna Madrazo ’15, Torrance, Calif.;

Financial EconomicsJenny Quintero ’16, Houston; Biomedi-

cal EngineeringCatherine Sbeglia ’15, Sunnyside, N.Y.;

English and Film and Media Studies

Jack Kent Cooke Foundation2013 Graduate Arts AwardErika Pinkerton, Master’s Student,

Eastman School of Music

Jazz Education Network Conference2014 Mary Jo Papich Cofounder Women in Jazz ScholarshipAlexa Tarantino ’14E, West Hartford,

Conn.; Jazz Saxophone

Kelly ServicesKelly Future Engineers ScholarshipKoji Muto ’15, Hamden, Conn.; Me-

chanical Engineering

Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield and Byers KPCB Engineering FellowDan Hassin ’16, Millburn, N.J.; Com-

puter Science

Meg Quigley Vilvalde Competition and Bassoon Symposium First PlaceIvy Ringel ’16E, Hillsborough, N.C.;

Bassoon MTNA National Performance Com-petitionFirst Place, Chamber Music WindFinja QuartetAinsley Kilgo ’15E, Fairfax, Va.; Alto

SaxophoneDaniel Stenziano ’15E, Wayland, N.Y.;

Baritone SaxophoneTyler Wiessner ’15E, Ellicott City, Md.;

Tenor SaxophoneKevin Zhao ’15E, Beijing; Soprano

SaxophoneFirst Place, Piano Senior PerformanceYiou Li ’17E, Nanyang, China; PianoThird Place, Piano Young Artist Perfor-manceThomas Steigerwald ’15E, Uvalde,

Texas; Piano

NASASpace Technology Research Fellow-shipAlex Iaccetta, Doctoral Student, Optics

National Health Service CorpsScholarshipJared Lunkenheimer ’14M (MD)

National Hispanic Health FoundationStudent Scholarship ProgramNallely Saldana-Ruiz ’15M (MD)

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney DiseasesSummer FellowshipSarah Ackroyd ’16M (MD)Medical Student Research AwardPooja Prasad ’17M (MD)

National Institute of Mental HealthF30 FellowshipDaniel Marker, Doctoral Student,

School of Medicine and DentistryMedical ResearchMichael Feldman ’15M (MD) Medical Students’ Sustained Training and Research Experience in Aging and Mental Health Nicholas David ’17M (MD)

National Science FoundationEast Asia and Pacific Summer Insti-tutes FellowshipDaniel Marnell, Doctoral Student,

Biomedical EngineeringNational Science Foundation Re-search FellowshipAmanda Chen ’14, Danville, Calif.;

Biomedical EngineeringGraduate Research FellowshipAlyssa Kersey, Graduate Student, Brain

and Cognitive SciencesSarah Koopman, Graduate Student,

Brain and Cognitive SciencesNicole Peltier, Graduate Student, Brain

and Cognitive SciencesAlena Stasenko, Graduate Student,

Brain and Cognitive Sciences

National Trumpet Competition2014 BlackBurn Trumpets Graduate Division, First PlaceJames Peyden Shelton, Doctoral Stu-

dent, Eastman School of Music

North American Saxophone Alli-ance Collegiate Solo CompetitionFirst PrizeMyles Boothroyd, Master’s Student,

Eastman School of MusicThird PrizeJonathan Wintringham, Master’s Stu-

dent, Eastman School of Music

Oleh Krysa International Violin CompetitionFirst PrizeDa Sol Jeong ’14E, Thornhill, OntarioMarkiyan Melnychenko, Master’s Stu-

dent, Eastman School of Music

Orthopaedic Research SocietyOrthopaedic Video Competion, First Place (2013), Second Place (2014)Youssef Farhat, MD/PhD Student

Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New AmericansFellowRyaan Ahmed, Master’s Student, East-

man School of Music

Percussive Arts Society Interna-tional Convention2013 Percussion Ensemble Competi-tion WinnerEastman Percussion Ensemble

Rotary InternationalGlobal Grant ScholarJordan Shapiro ’14, Bennington, Vt.;

International Relations and History

Society for the Exploration of Psychotherapy Integration2014 Dissertation AwardDeborah Hudson, Doctoral Student,

Warner School of Education

U.S. State DepartmentCritical Language ScholarshipsDaniel Webb ’14, Lexinton, Ky.; Spanish

and Russian

Westfield International Organ CompetitionFirst PrizeMalcolm Matthews, Master’s Student,

Eastman School of Music

Whitaker International Program Scholarship GrantsEchoe Bouta, Doctoral Student, Bio-

medical Engineering Jason Inzana, Doctoral Student, Bio-

medical Engineering Amanda Chen ’14, Danville, Calif.;

Biomedical Engineering

University Student AwardsEdward Peck Curtis Award for Excellence in Teaching by a Grad-uate StudentDavid de Jong, Doctoral Student,

PsychologyMeredith Martin, Doctoral Student,

PsychologyWilliam Spaniel, Doctoral Student,

Political ScienceFred Moolekamp, Doctoral Student,

PhysicsNikolaus Wasmoen, Doctoral Student,

EnglishMatt Bayne, Doctoral Student, EnglishSarah Fuchs Sampson, Doctoral Stu-

dent, Eastman School of Musci

Student Employee of the Year AwardWilson CommonsEmi Hitomi ’14 (Wilson Commons),

Beachwood, Ohio; Neuroscience

Cynthia Ebinger, professor of earth

and environmental sciences, was

named a fellow of the American Geo-

physical Union for her “fundamental

work on the evolution of continental

rifts toward seafloor spreading in East

Africa and Afar.” Ebinger was also

awarded a Fulbright Scholarship for

research in Peru.

Timothy Quill, the Georgia and

Thomas Gosnell Distinguished

Professor of Palliative Care, was

recognized as one of the 30 most

influential leaders in hospice and

palliative medicine by the American

Academy of Hospice and Palliative

Medicine. The organization recog-

nized Quill for his efforts to advance

the medical specialty.

Ching Tang, professor of chemical

engineering, was inducted into the

Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame,

which credits Tang and Steven Van

Slyke for their “pioneering work” that

led to OLED displays. The Eduard

Rhein Foundation of Germany also

recognized Tang for “inventing the

first highly efficient organic light-emit-

ting diode and further contributions

to the development of organic semi-

conductor devices.” The International

Society of Infrared, Millimeter, and

Terahertz Waves also awarded Tang

its 2014 Kenneth J. Button Prize for

his contributions to the science of the

electromagnetic spectrum.

8 Currents | Thursday, May 15, 2014 www.rochester.edu/currents

Leadership changes announcedAndrew Ainslie named Simon Business School dean

“I am delighted that Andrew Ainslie has accepted this appoint-ment. He has had an outstanding career at UCLA Anderson School of Management,” President Joel Seligman says. “He will be an outstanding dean. He is a creative and dynamic leader in business education.”

Ainslie has been senior associ-ate dean, full-time MBA program, at UCLA Anderson School of Management since 2010, where he is responsible for admissions, student services, and career placement.

“The Simon Business School has an incredible history,” Ainslie says. “It has been at the forefront of an analytic, rigorous approach to business from its inception, and today the business commu-nity is just beginning to under-stand the importance of that

approach. I am delighted to take on this opportunity.”

During his tenure as associ-ate dean for the full-time MBA program at Anderson, the school has increased its admissions more than 60 percent, increased place-ments more than 20 percent, and revised its curriculum.

“Andrew Ainslie has had practical experience in multiple phases of business. His emphasis is on faculty quality, admissions, and career placement. He should be a great fit for Simon,” says Ed Hajim, chair of the University’s Board of Trustees.

Ainslie has been associate professor of marketing at Ander-son since 2005; he was assistant professor of marketing there from 2000 to 2005. From 1997 through 2000 he was assistant professor of marketing at Cornell University’s

Johnson Graduate School of Management.

Before beginning his academic career, Ainslie had a 10-year career in business, including as an electrical engineer for AECI (South Africa), sales and market-ing for Hewlett Packard (South Africa), corporate finance with Standard Merchant Bank, and marketing and development for Compustat.

“Andrew Ainslie impressed us with his leadership experience, his commitment to the research mission, and his farsighted approach to the challenges facing all MBA programs,” says Trustee Janice Willett ’78 (MBA), chair of the Trustees and Friends Advisory Committee for the search.

Ainslie received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Cape Town

in 1983 and an MBA in market-ing from Cape Town in 1990. He received a PhD in marketing and statistics from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 1998.

“Mark Zupan leaves an inspir-ing legacy,” Seligman says. “Under his leadership, Simon has re-versed the decline in MBA enroll-ment, created several successful new master’s programs, and met its targets for endowment draw for several years running. It is a significant record of achievement. Mark deserves our gratitude for a job well done.”

Zupan, dean since 2004, plans a sabbatical, after which he will become the John M. Olin Distin-guished Professor of Economics and Public Policy and director of the Bradley Policy Research Center at Simon.

“We conducted an extensive national search. I want to thank two outstanding committees: the search committee and the trustees and friends advisory committee, as well as the many others who interviewed the finalists,” Selig-man says.

The search committee consisted of Joel Seligman (chair), James Brickley, Robert Clark, Paul Ellickson, Phillip Lederer, Robert Novy-Marx, Michael Raith, Abraham (Avi) Seidmann, Greg Shaffer, Toni Whited, Joanna Wu, Jerold Zimmerman, and Lamar Murphy (staff to the committee).

The trustees and friends advisory committee members included Janice Willett (chair), Peter Simon, Mark Ain, Mike Ryan, Evans Lam, Ron Fielding, and Colleen Wegman.

Jamal Rossi appointed Joan and Martin Messsinger Dean of the Eastman School of MusicJamal Rossi came to Eastman in 2005 as senior associate dean. He served as executive associate dean at Eastman from 2007 until September of 2013, when he was appointed dean of the school fol-lowing the illness and resignation at that time of former Messinger Dean Douglas Lowry.

“Jamal Rossi’s appointment comes at the conclusion of an international search by a faculty committee chaired by Provost Peter Lennie” President Joel Seligman says. “Jamal was se-lected because of an outstanding track record of accomplishment, including his leadership of the Eastman Theatre renovation and expansion project, his indisput-able ability to lead the school, and his determination to work with the faculty, staff, alumni ,and students to craft a new strategic plan that will take Eastman to a new level of even greater accom-plishment as the nation’s leading school of music.”

Rossi has served in leadership roles in music for more than two decades, has spearheaded signifi-cant collaborative educational and community initiatives, and has wide-ranging experience in aca-demic scholarship and leadership, teaching, performance, recording, and fundraising.

“It has been a privilege to serve my colleagues and students at the Eastman School of Music these past nine years, and it is an even greater privilege to be asked to serve as Eastman’s dean,” Rossi says. “Eastman’s rich history in-cludes the creation of innovative models for music education, a fo-cus on comprehensive education to prepare students for meaning-ful lives as outstanding musicians and leaders, and an unwavering commitment to excellence. With its superb faculty and staff, its talented and motivated students and accomplished alumni, and a commitment to making a differ-ence in the world through music,

Eastman is uniquely positioned to help shape the future of music. It is the greatest honor to be asked to help lead it to that future.”

As executive associate dean, Rossi was responsible for East-man’s academic programs and personnel, including faculty hiring and promotions, and for academic and student affairs and enrollment management, among other duties. From 2006 to 2010 he supervised all aspects of the award-winning $47 million proj-ect to renovate Eastman Theatre and construct the Eastman East Wing. He oversaw a review of the undergraduate curriculum and led the school’s recent reaccred-itation review by the National Association of Schools of Music. He also founded RocMusic, a col-laborative partnership of arts and education institutions in Roches-ter to establish a free after-school music program for Rochester inner-city students.

“Jamal Rossi has proved over

the years that he has the vision, skills, and commitment to serve as an outstanding leader of a school that is one of the most outstanding of the musical world,” said Ed Hajim ’58, chairman of the University’s Board of Trustees. “We are fortunate that he is will-ing to now do that at the highest level.”

“The deanship of the Eastman School of Music is a key posi-tion in the music world, and the search for a new dean produced for us a remarkable pool of can-didates from around the world,” says Lennie, who chaired the dean search committee. “But none of the other candidates could offer Jamal Rossi’s combination of vi-sion, unwavering commitment to the highest musical and academic values, deep and broad knowl-edge of the Eastman community and its mission, and the personal integrity and commitment that have earned him the greatest re-spect from the Eastman faculty.”

Before joining Eastman, where he is a saxophonist and professor of woodwinds, Rossi was the dean of the School of Music at the University of South Carolina in Columbia for five years. Previ-ously, Rossi served as assistant dean and then as associate dean of the School of Music at Ithaca College between 1989 and 2000.

Rossi earned his bachelor of music degree at Ithaca College in 1980, his master of music degree at the University of Michigan in 1982, and his doctor of musical arts at Eastman in 1987.

The search committee con-sisted of Christopher Azzara; Paul Burgett; Jeff Campbell; Douglas Humpherys; Chien-Kwan Lin; Patrick Macey; Elizabeth Marvin; Honey Meconi; Carol Rodland; Reinhild Steingrover; Robert Swensen; William Weinert; David Ying; Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon; and Alan Czaplicki (staff to the committee).

Joanna Olmsted steps down as dean of Arts & Sciences“Joanna has contributed immeasurably to the progress that has been made in strengthening arts, sciences, and engineering, and we are hugely in her debt,” says Peter Lennie, provost and the Robert L. and Mary L. Sproull Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Sciences & Engineering. “In every dimension of our activities, Joanna’s distinctive attributes—incisive thinking, unflinching integrity, great personal humility, and unfailing generosity—have moved us powerfully forward and have earned the respect and affec-tion of all those who have worked with her.”

In the coming weeks, Lennie will announce transitional lead-ership for Arts & Sciences as well as a committee to lead a national search for Olmsted’s successor.

“Joanna has been an exemplary dean, and her influence extends far beyond Arts & Sciences,” says

President Joel Seligman. “She has been a particularly valuable advisor in fostering collaborations among all of our schools. I will really miss her.”

Olmsted juggles one of the largest portfolios among the Uni-versity’s deans, working closely with chairs and faculty from 18 departments and 12 programs in the humanities and the arts, social sciences, and natural and phys-ical sciences. She is admired by colleagues for her broad interest in and genuine respect for re-search across all disciplines. “She embraces the whole University,” says Richard Feldman, dean of the College.

Olmsted’s legacy is perhaps most strongly reflected in the University’s core strength: the high caliber of the faculty she has helped recruit and retain over the years. “Joanna meets all candi-dates and works tirelessly with

departments to help them hire the strongest faculty. Her involve-ment has often been crucial to the success we have enjoyed,” says Lennie.

Olmsted’s wisdom and com-prehensive understanding of the University are a godsend for new-comers, says Rob Clark, senior vice president for research and dean of the Hajim School, who arrived from Duke University in 2008. “If I need to come in and talk about an issue, she always has an open door.”

Olmsted joined the Depart-ment of Biology in 1975 after completing a postdoctoral appointment at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and her doctorate at Yale Univer-sity. In 1995, she was appointed the inaugural associate dean of faculty, later serving as dean of faculty development and interim vice provost and dean of faculty,

before becoming dean of Arts & Sciences in 2007.

Olmsted’s scientific grounding shines through in her leadership style, say colleagues.

“She always approaches issues from an impartial, calm, analyt-ical perspective,” says Lamar Mur-phy, University general secretary and the president’s chief of staff. “Joanna defines precisely what the goal is, and from the goal, she finds the right strategy. In a quiet but powerful way, she has made immensely valuable contributions to the University. She is a wonder-ful colleague and has earned the trust and respect of faculty and staff throughout the institution.”

As a successful researcher at a time when few women made it into the ranks of faculty, and now as one of the University’s most respected administrators, Olmsted has helped to open doors for women, adds Murphy.

Her example of excellence and unfailing high standards are an inspiration to both women and men, she says.

Above all, Olmsted “has made the University a much better place for faculty and students,” says Lennie.

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Engineering students showcase projectsBiomedical engineering seniors Casey Dahlbeck and Max Winkelman, part of the team behind

Project Hemo-Box, presented their project at Hajim School Design Day earlier this month. Their

project involved redesigning a blood transport container for the Medical Center’s blood bank.

Other innovations showcased at Design Day included medical devices, a small wind turbine, a

motion-sensing robot, and a redesigned lava lamp.

From philosophy to physicsBridging Fellowships allow faculty to pursue fields outside their areas of expertise

By Leonor Sierralsierra@ur.rochester.edu

Common sense tells us that causes always precede their effects. But Alyssa Ney knows that in the world described by Einstein’s gen-eral theory of relativity, causation no longer appears straightforward and intuitive. Now, thanks to an innovative fellowship based in the provost’s office, the associate professor of philosophy is spend-ing the entire semester exploring the subtleties of those concepts as a visiting member of the De-partment of Physics. A program known as the Bridging Fellowship has, since 1980, allowed Rochester faculty members to spend a se-mester in a different department—sometimes even at a different school within the University—and pursue intellectual pursuits in fields other than their own.

Studying physics is not new for Ney. She holds a BS degree in physics and philosophy, and the philosophy of physics and meta-physics are her areas of research.

Until now, much of Ney’s work has focused on the counterintui-tive area of quantum mechanics; she recently edited a book on the subject, The Wave Function, and has published several papers on how quantum theory forces us to revise a common sense picture of the world.

As part of her fellowship she is attending classes and discussing with faculty members in the phys-ics department topics such as the standard model of physics, which describes subatomic particles, and is also studying general relativity.

“This fellowship has given me time that I wouldn’t have otherwise had to struggle through textbooks and articles,” says Ney. “And everyone in the physics department has been so friendly and welcoming. I’ve learned so much, especially from my classes with Regina Demina and Andrew Jordan.”

“Bridging Fellowships have a long history within the University of opening up new and interesting opportunities for our faculty,” says Peter Lennie, provost and Robert L. and Mary L. Sproull Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Sciences & Engineering. “Alyssa’s project perfectly exemplifies the benefits of the fellowship, both to the indi-vidual and to the University.”

Many Bridging Fellowships have led to ongoing collabora-tions, books on related topics, and even new courses. Mark Bocko, Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Electrical and Computing Engineering, headed to the Eastman School for his Bridging Fellowship. A dedicated amateur bassoonist, Bocko spent his time studying music theory with Dave Headlam, professor of music theory. Bocko’s fellowship and his interaction with Headlam led to a new major in audio and music engineering last year. This May, a student will graduate with this major for the first time.

Astrophysicist Adam Frank’s book The Constant Fire—Be-yond the Science versus Religion Debate grew out of his Bridging Fellowship, spent in the Depart-ment of Religion and Classics. In

the book, Frank delves into the history of science and religion and also examines current issues to explore the intersection among science, myth, and religion.

Claudia Schaefer, the Rush Rhees Chair and professor of Spanish and comparative literature and of film and media studies, was interested in learning how Spanish culture in the 19th and early 20th centuries assim-ilated innovations in science in sometimes unexpected ways. During her fellowship in 2010, Schaefer attended a class jointly taught by Brad Weslake, assistant professor of philosophy, and Allen Orr, University Professor and the Shirley Cox Kearns Professor of Biology on Darwin and Religion. Discussing the course, Schaefer said that it made her rethink the work she was proposing by “opening my eyes to all the places one can find science, such as new photographic methods and the science of cultural geography.” This realization led to a collabora-tion with Weslake on a human-ities project on “Observation.” Schaefer also has a book coming out later this year entitled Lens, Laboratory, Landscape: Observing Modern Spain.

Other Bridging Fellowships have included English scholar Jeffrey Tucker exploring visual arts and culture in preparation for a course on comic books and illustrated novels and music edu-cator Donna Brink Fox studying organizations and entrepreneurs with a view to applying it to musicians.

Eastman School announces new concert seasonBy Helene Snihurhsnihur@esm.rochester.edu

Renowned guest artists, ranging from musical theater and television stars Jason Alexander and Bernadette Peters to the classical music world’s Emerson and Dover String Quartets, will appear on Eastman School stages during the 2014–15 concert season.

Alexander and Peters are among the headliners for East-man Presents, a new series of monthly concerts that premieres Oct. 17 and features international artists from a variety of musical genres. In addition to the two singer-actors, the series brings the Vienna Boys Choir, pianist Peter Serkin (as guest soloist with the Eastman Philharmonia under conductor Neil Varon), the Kodo Drummers, and Cuban jazz trum-peter Arturo Sandoval to Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre.

The new season of the East-man-Ranlet Series kicks off Sun-day, Oct. 5, with the Dover String Quartet, Grand Prize winners of the 2013 Banff International String Quartet Competition. The Emerson String Quartet brings a three-decade list of achievements and awards to its series perfor-mance next February. In addition, the Ying Quartet, Eastman’s lauded and Grammy Award–win-ning quartet-in- residence, will play their tradi-tional fall and spring series con-certs in November and February.

German violinist Christian Tetzlaff opens the Kilbourn Concert Series Sept. 16, after

appearing with his quartet in the series last year. Rounding out the Kilbourn schedule is the Toron-to-based Gryphon Trio, one of the world’s preeminent piano trios with a repertoire ranging from European classicism to mod-ern-day multimedia, in Novem-ber; the March 2015 appearance of Third Coast Percussion, a new music group that gained national attention for its blend of rock mu-sic energy and classical chamber precision; and award-winning mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe, who has performed in opera and as a recitalist around the world. She’ll be joined in March 2015 by Warren Jones, Musical America’s 2010 “Collaborative Pianist of the Year.”

Season subscription sales for Eastman Presents, Eastman- Ranlet, and Kilbourn Concert series can be purchased at the Eastman Theatre Box Office, 433 East Main St., in the Eastman East Wing; by phone, 454-2100; fax, 454-7885; or online at eastmant-heatre.org.

The subscription packages for the six Eastman Presents performances range from $106 to $408. Subscription packages for the Eastman-Ranlet or the Kilbourn series range from $55 to $80. The cost a subscription for both the Eastman-Ranlet and Kilbourn series ranges from $94 to $140. Subscription packages for the Eastman-Ranlet and Kilbourn series carry a discount with University ID and subscription renewals.

10 Currents | Thursday, May 15, 2014 www.rochester.edu/currents

presented to alumni for their career achievements and service.

Harriet Kitzman ’61W (MS), ’84N (PhD), a nurse and interna-tionally recognized scientist who has demonstrated the value of early and sustained home-based nursing intervention for high-risk mothers and their children, will receive the Charles Force Hutchi-son and Marjorie Smith Hutchi-son Medal, which recognizes alumni for outstanding achieve-ment and notable service.

Kitzman is professor of nursing and pediatrics at Rochester and serves as senior associate dean for research, as well as director of the Center for Research Implementa-tion and Translation. She has held the Loretta C. Ford Professorship during her 45 years on the faculty.

Hutchison Medal recipient Robert Rich Jr. ’69S (MBA), chair-man of Rich Products Corpora-tion, will be the keynote speaker during the Simon Business School commencement ceremony on Sunday, June 8.

As chairman of Rich Products Corporation, he led the company to more than $3 billion in world-wide sales revenue, earning the distinction as a dynamic business

leader. Throughout his career, he has received numerous awards for his business, community, and professional sports endeavors.

Yuh-geng Tsay ’77 (PhD), retired senior vice president of Thermo Fisher Scientific, will be awarded the Rochester Distin-guished Scholar Award.

Tsay is considered one of the nation’s foremost organic/bioan-alytical chemists. He has helped refine clinicians’ understanding of the value and applicability of immunoassays.

Over the past five decades, Tsay has helped influence diagnostic medicine, introducing new analyti-cal methods and improving existing clinical tests that pinpoint the pres-ence of small molecules, such as drugs like cocaine, and macromol-ecules such as viruses, bacteria, and allergens. Thanks to Tsay’s work as a chemist and entrepreneur, physi-cians can more accurately diagnose patients, and hospitals can better ensure the safety of those they treat.

Several teaching awards will also be presented during commence-ment ceremonies. Read more about the recipients on page 12.

Visit www.rochester.edu/commencement for details and updates.

better equipped to make progress in countering age-related health problems in people.”

The work done by Gorbunova and her research partner, Andrei Seluanov, assistant professor of biology, has largely focused on DNA repair and cancer resistance in naked mole rats in order to better understand the mechanisms responsible for longevity. In papers published last year, they identified a chemical that triggers the antican-cer response in the naked mole rat

and attributed the rodent’s longev-ity to a process that results in nearly perfect protein synthesis.

Gorbunova says the University will serve as an ideal center for the research project, given the advances already made by her lab and its catalog of tissue and cell samples from 18 rodent species.

“Research grants of this mag-nitude are extremely difficult to get,” says Gorbunova. “We were successful because of the unique expertise found at the three insti-tutions and the need to study the issues related to aging.”

Gorbunova

Commencement

Continued from page 1

Continued from page 1Commencement 2014 scheduleFriday, May 16

� School of Nursing, 1 p.m., Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre.

� School of Medicine and Dentistry, 4 p.m. Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre.

Saturday, May 17

� Doctoral Degrees, 9:30 a.m., Kodak Hall at East-man Theatre.

� School of Medicine and Dentistry Master’s Degrees, 12:15 p.m., Kilbourn Hall, Eastman School.

� Warner School, 2:30 p.m., Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre.

Sunday, May 18

� Arts, Sciences & Engineer-ing 9 a.m., Eastman Quad-rangle, River Campus

� Eastman School 11:15 a.m., Kodak Hall at East-man Theatre

Sunday, June 8

� Simon School, 10 a.m., Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre.

Student teams honored in statewide competitionOvitz and SmartDialysis were named

winners at the New York Business

Plan Competition finals last month.

Ovitz—including Joung Yoon (Felix)

Kim ’14, Pedro Vallejo-Ramirez ‘16,

Samuel Stevens ‘13, and Len Zhele-

znyak ‘05, ‘06 (MS), ‘14 (PhD)—was

awarded second place and $5,000

in the biotechnology/health care

category. SmartDialysis—including

Christopher Wong ‘16, doctoral

candidate Aizhong Zhang ‘14 (MS), Li

(Adam) Deng ‘14 (MS), Bowei Zhang

‘14 (MS), doctoral candidate Steven

Gilmer ‘11, ‘13 (MS), and doctoral

candidate Kenneth Goodfellow—re-

ceived the Rookie of the Year award

in the biotechnology/health care

category. Pictured, from left: Deng,

Kim, Vallejo-Ramirez, Gillmer, Aizhong

Zhang, and Bowei Zhang.

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3 Bedroom House BrightonAvailable from August 25th, 2014 until February 21st, 2015; 3 Bedrooms, 1 1/2 Baths, Washer/Dryer; Fully fur-nished with large fenced-in backyard; $1250/month, phone, internet, lawn care and snow removal included; Lo-cated in Brighton near Indian Landing School (Penfield School District)

Email john.osburg@rochester or call John at 585-730-1158 if interested or for more pictures

$1,250

josburg@z.rochester.edu

Two housemates looking for a thirdThere is a bedroom opening up in a very nice three bedroom house on Crittenden Blvd right across from the hospital. There are currently two third year Med Students living in it and they are looking for a third. It is a large and generous house; the bedroom is also large and generous. It has off street parking with a long driveway and two car garage; laundry facilities included, two full baths, beautiful large kitchen, big living room. Finished attic and a full basement. Share of the rent is: $500.00 plus a third of utilities. Water included, and house has wireless access. Pictures available.

Please contact: Bob Good: bob_good@urmc.rochester.edu, or 585.275.2781. Available August 1st. One year lease (renewable).

Access to a large garden of farm-fresh vegetables, spices, fruits, flowers included. Landlords have good references.”

$500 plus a third of utilities

bob_good@urmc.rochester.edu

3bdrm, 1.5 bath, Hamlin, NY1520 sq. ft vinyl sided SplitLevel on a 95 x 251 foot lot, large eat-in kitchen, all appliances including washer , dryer, riding lawn mower and snowblower. Finished family room, call Anne 585-733-1521

$114, 900

anne_clevenger@urmc.rochester.edu

Brighton Townhouse 10 Min. from UR/URMCNewly Remodeled: 3 Bedrooms Town-house, 1 1/2 Bathrooms, Patio, Base-ment. Stove, Refrigerator, Dish Washer, Built-In Microwave oven. Central Air, Washer and Dryer. Parking Adjacent to Unit Entrance. Water, Trash collection, Snow removal, Lawn care all included. Near JCC. 10 Minutes drive from U. of R. and Strong Medical Ctr. No Pets. Call Dana 585-381-8265.

$1,250

ysha@pas.rochester.edu

Apartment sublet, East Ave/Park Ave/Penfield RoadSingle female is spending the summer in Rochester. Looking for a large studio/one bedroom furnished appt. No pets involved. Must be first or second floor or have elevator. Primarily interested in East Ave/Park Ave/Pen-field Road area.

Price: Negotiable

ppate@uhs.rochester.edu

Honeoye Lake – 1,025 sq ftMLS # 244270. Charming year round home on Honeoye with 55ft of level lake front. Large entry way that leads to the quaint covered side porch. Newer carpet throughout. Kitchen opened up to allow more fantastic water views and to dining area. Vinyl siding, newer roof, electric and win-dows. Nicely landscaped yard and one car detached garage.

$199,400.

kaec@ur.rochester.edu

Corona 12 foot tree trimer$40

dharper@mail.rochester.edu

16 foot ladder$80.

dharper@mail.rochester.edu

Sunny Health & Fitness An-ti-Burst Gym Ball–75cmThis is a brand new ball; I ordered it for my mom, based on her approximate measurements of the one she used for physical therapy. Of course, a 75cm ball is WAY too big for a little 4´11˝ lady! I paid $16.19 + tax two weeks ago, and it’s now up to $17.09 on Am-azon. Rather than pay return shipping or have the hassle of returning it, I’m offering it for an even $15.00 to the first taker. These balls are really du-rable and great for exercise routines, especially if your back bothers you. The 75cm (approximately 30″ across) is intended for someone about 6″ tall. It comes with a foot pump that pumps it up quickly. (Ignore Amazon’s nega-tive ratings saying this isn’t 75cm; trust me, it is when it is pumped up!)

MY LOSS IS YOUR GAIN. Call me at 273.3383 any afternoon.

$15

ccassano@warner.rochester.edu

Vera Gorbunova

Classifieds

View more ads at blogs.roches-ter.edu/classifieds.

www.rochester.edu/currents Currents | Thursday, May 15, 2014 11

Exhibits

Through May 23Cultivating Color: 19th-century Fruit and Flower PlatesRare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, Rush Rhees Library.

Through May 23Digital PageReference Department, Rush Rhees Library.

Through June 8Matisse as Printmaker: Works from the Pierre and Tana Matisse FoundationGrand Gallery, Memorial Art Gallery.

Through June 8Alexander Matisse: New CeramicsGrand Gallery, Memorial Art Gallery.

Through July 11Acquiring Minds: Building Special Collections 2009–2014Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, Rush Rhees Library.

Through Aug. 15Bring Back These Colors with Honor: The University of Rochester and the Civil WarGreat Hall, Rush Rhees Library.

May 16 through Aug. 17Visions in Black and White: The Graphic Work of Max KlingerLockhart Gallery, Memorial Art Gallery.

July 13 through Sept. 216th Rochester BiennialGrand Gallery, Memorial Art Gallery.

Through Sept. 12Beyond Rochester’s ’64 Riots: 60 Years Seeking to Make One City Out of TwoRare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, Rush Rhees Library.

Music

May 17 Jessie Kneisel Lieder Competition Winner’s ConcertKilbourn Hall, Eastman School. 8 p.m.

May 18, 25; June 1, 8, 15, 22, 29; July 6, 13, 20, 27, Aug. 3, 10, 17, 24, 31Going for BaroqueFountain Court, Memorial Art Gallery. 1 and 3 p.m.

May 19Eastman Community Music School: Trumpet EnsembleKilbourn Hall, Eastman School. 6 p.m.

Eastman Community Music School: New Horizons Concert/Symphonic BandsKodak Hall at Eastman Theatre. 7 p.m.

May 20Eastman Community Music School Spring Festival: Eastman Youth Chamber/Youth StringKilbourn Hall, Eastman School. 7 p.m.

May 21Eastman Community Music School: New Horizons String Orchestra/ Symphony OrchestraKodak Hall at Eastman Theatre. 7 pm.

Eastman Community Music School Spring Festival: Young Children’s Choir, Children’s Choir, and Youth Chamber SingersKilbourn Hall, Eastman School. 7 p.m.

May 22Eastman Community Music School Spring Festival: Nights of JazzKilbourn Hall, Eastman School. 4:30 p.m.

May 23Eastman Community Music School Spring Festival: Nights of JazzKilbourn Hall, Eastman School. 4 p.m.

May 24Eastman Community Music School: Chamber Music ConcertKilbourn Hall, Eastman School. 1 p.m.

Eastman Community Music School: Adieu RecitalKilbourn Hall, Eastman School. 4 p.m.

May 28Eastman Community Music School Spring Festival: Drum Joy and Rhythm AdventureKilbourn Hall, Eastman School. 7 p.m.

May 29New Horizons Vintage Jazz Ensemble and New Horizons Big BandKilbourn Hall, Eastman School. 7 p.m.

May 30Eastman Community Music School Spring Festival: Chamber SingersKilbourn Hall, Eastman School. 7:30 p.m.

July 7, 14, 21, 28Hopeman Memorial Carillon Summer ConcertsEastman Quadrangle, River Campus. 7 p.m.

July 8Eastman Summer Sing: Bach— Mass in B-minorHatch Recital Hall, Eastman School. 7:30 p.m.

July 15Eastman Summer Sing: Mozart— RequiemKilbourn Hall, Eastman School. 7:30 p.m.

July 22Eastman Summer Sing: Poulenc Kilbourn Hall, Eastman School. 7:30 p.m.

July 29Eastman Summer Sing: BrahmsKilbourn Hall, Eastman School. 7:30 p.m.

Special Events

June 13–14Art & Treasure SaleMemorial Art Gallery. 10 a.m.

June 15Art & Treasure SaleMemorial Art Gallery. Noon to 3 p.m.

June 19Art and Story Stroll Memorial Art Gallery. 11 a.m.

June 27Stem Cell SymposiumClass of ’62 Auditorium and Flaum Atrium, Medical Center. 8 p.m.

May 30Genetics DayClass of ’62 Auditorium and Flaum Atrium, Medical Center. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

May 31Devour RochesterMemorial Art Gallery. 2 to 9 p.m.

Talks

May 25Lecture: Plein Air PaintingMemorial Art Gallery. 2 p.m.

June 1What’s Up: Modern Painting Memorial Art Gallery. 2 p.m.

June 6, 13, 20, 27Summer in the City SeriesLocation TBA. Noon.

June 10Healthbites: Keep Your Couple Relationship Healthy3-6408 (K307), Medical Center. Noon.

Film May 16Alternative Music Film FestivalMemorial Art Gallery. 7 p.m.

June 13Alternative Music Film FestivalMemorial Art Gallery. 7 p.m.

EventsSummer

Hopeman Memorial Carillon Summer RecitalsTop: Stop by the Eastman Quadrangle Monday evenings in July (7, 14, 21, 28)

for concerts featuring the familiar sound of the bells.

6th Rochester Biennial Middle: Crucible #14 (2012) by Richard Hirsch is among the items on exhibit at the

6th Rochester Biennial at the Memorial Art Gallery from July 13 to Sept. 21.

Visions in Black and White: The Graphic Work of Max Klinger Bottom: The exhibition runs May 16 through Aug. 17 at the Memorial Art Gallery.

For more events, visit the University Events Calendar at www.rochester.edu/calendar.

12 Currents | Thursday, May 15, 2014 www.rochester.edu/currents

2014 faculty teaching awards

Lifetime Achievement Award in Graduate EducationFor more than 35 years, Douglas Turner, professor of chemis-try, has been a world leader in understanding the structure of RNA. He has an active research program in the area of chemical, structural, and computational studies of RNA and has authored more than 200 publications, which have been cited more than 15,000 times. He joined the chemistry faculty in 1975.

Together with his collaborators, Turner has discovered many of the fundamental principles that determine RNA structure. The principles are used in almost ev-ery RNA structure prediction al-gorithm. His research has helped advance methods for predicting both structure and RNA-RNA interactions from sequence. These methods are widely used by bio-chemists and biologists.

Turner trains his students to think deeply about their research and involves them in projects as true equals. He played a key role in establishing the biological chemistry cluster and provided leadership as cluster chair for the first eight years. Turner’s work has been recognized with Sloan and Guggenheim Fellowships, election as a fellow of the Ameri-can Association for the Advance-ment of Science, selection by the American Chemical Society as a Gordon Hammes Lecturer, and continuous funding of an NIH grant that started in 1976. He teaches courses from first-year chemistry to graduate-level laboratories, as well as serves on several NIH Study Sections, the advisory board of the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry in Poznan, Poland, and the editorial board of the Biophysical Journal. He holds a PhD in physical chemistry from Columbia University and a bache-lor’s degree from Harvard.

William H. Riker Uni-versity Award for Ex-cellence in Graduate TeachingEric Phizicky is professor of bio-chemistry and biophysics at the School of Medicine and Dentistry. His fascination with genetics, biochemistry, and functional ge-nomics has transformed the field of transfer RNA (tRNA) research.

He has served as either director or codirector of the biochemistry PhD program since 1995. During this time, he has developed a rigorous course curriculum, set up the current system for carrying out qualifying exams, and insti-tuted a student seminar course in which every student in the program participates and presents an annual seminar.

Phizicky has served on more than 130 thesis advisory commit-tees, a testament to his dedication to the mentoring of all students, regardless of the lab in which they are doing their doctoral research. He has received the departmental teaching award six times and the University Alumni Award for Excellence in Graduate Education during his tenure at the Univer-sity. He holds a PhD in biochem-istry from Cornell University and a bachelor’s degree in biochemis-try from McGill University. He is an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Academy of Microbiology.

Edward Peck Curtis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate TeachingWilliam Marvin ’02E (PhD) is as-sociate professor of music theory at the Eastman School of Music. He joined the Eastman faculty in 2002 after having taught music theory and aural skills at Oberlin College Conservatory of Music.

Marvin’s work in theory has focused on problems of tonal-ity according to Schenkerian definitions. His published work can be found at Music Theory Online, Journal of Musicology, Intégral, Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy, Theory and Practice, Nineteenth-Century Music Review, and in several books. Marvin is president of the Music Theory Society of New York State.

From 1997 through 2001, Marvin worked individually with blind students, teaching aural skills and overseeing the rehearsal and performance of an ensemble work for 12 student performers, written by a blind composer and taught completely without notation. He oversees the undergraduate aural musicianship curriculum at Eastman. His cur-riculum emphasizes immediate recognition, apprehension, and expressive performance of mu-sical material as heard and seen. His reputation as an outstanding theory teacher has been long-standing among undergraduate students.

Marvin completed his PhD in music theory at Eastman in 2002. He received his bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Binghamton.

G. Graydon Curtis ’58 and Jane W. Curtis Award for Nontenured Faculty Teaching ExcellenceElizabeth Colantoni and Vasilli Petrenko are each receiving the G. Graydon Curtis ’58 and Jane W. Curtis Award for Nontenured Faculty Teaching Excellence.

Colantoni is an assistant professor of classics who joined the University faculty in 2008. In her first two and a half years at Rochester, Colantoni introduced 12 new courses. She teaches a range of courses on the archaeol-ogy, history, and literature of the classical world.

Colantoni’s primary area of re-search is ancient Roman religion, in particular studying physical evidence for ancient religious practices. She is director of the University’s archaeological exca-vations at the San Martino site in Torano di Borgorose, Rieti, Italy. She and the students she super-vises on the excavation project in the summer have recovered pre-Roman and Roman artifacts and have found archaeological evidence that will help determine the sixth-century border between what remained of the Roman Empire and Lombard incursions. As part of the archaeological proj-ect, Colantoni teaches a course on field methods in archaeology, and last summer she added a new course on the ancient Roman aqueduct in Arezzo, Italy.

Colantoni holds a PhD and master’s degree in classical art and archaeology from the University of Michigan; a master’s degree in Latin, also from Michigan; a master’s degree in anthropology from Florida State University; and a bachelor’s degree in classics and French from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Petrenko is assistant professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. His pri-mary area of research is natural and anthropogenic climate and environmental change, partic-ularly from the perspective of atmospheric composition and

chemistry. In his research, Pet-renko uses records from ancient glacial ice to answer questions about the Earth’s climate system.

Petrenko’s work is highly relevant to the understanding of modern global warming and projections of future warming associated with greenhouse gas emissions.

He was a 2013 recipient of a Packard Foundation Fellowship, which provides the nation’s most promising early career scientists and engineers with flexible fund-ing to explore new frontiers in their fields of study.

He teaches a wide range of classes, including Introduction to Climate Change—an advanced undergraduate core class on atmospheric geochemistry—and focused graduate and advanced undergraduate level courses on paleoclimate and ice core records. He engages students in hands-on learning, using computer models to help understand various as-pects of the climate system.

Petrenko holds a PhD in earth sciences from Scripps Institu-tion of Oceanography, a master’s degree in education with an individualized focus on science teaching from Harvard Univer-sity, and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of New Hampshire.

Douglas Turner Eric Phizicky William Marvin ’02E (PhD) Elizabeth Colantoni Vasilli Petrenko

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