At the Frontier of Innovation

AT THE FRONTIER OF INNOVATIONU N I V E R S I T Y O F R O C H E S T E R

Meliora is at the foundation of

the University’s mission to

Learn, Discover, Heal, Create—

And Make the World Ever Better.

MelioraEver Better

The University of Rochester’s motto—Meliora—is Latin for “ever better.” For us, though, it is more than a motto: it is a shared value and a way of life that has set us apart as an edu-cational community since our founding in 1850.

With the needs of a global society becoming more com-plex, the demands on a research university are increasingly urgent. In these pages, you will learn how we are driving inno-vation in the fields of science, medicine, and business as well as in the humanities and creative arts.

Our compact campus, flexible curriculum, and receptivity to interdisciplinary endeavors create an environment where learning and discovery flourish. Our students work alongside prominent faculty and graduate as problem solvers, critical thinkers, and innovators—poised to become global leaders in their fields.

In everything we do, we seek to be “ever better” not just for ourselves and our region but also for our nation and the world. We are committed to the tradition of teaching and research excellence. And we continually strive to build on our distinctive strengths and seek new solutions that advance the experience here and benefit humankind everywhere.

Meliora.

Joel SeligmanPresident

Peter LennieProvost and Robert L. and Mary L. Sproull Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Sciences & Engineering

Welcome

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Located in western New York less than a

two-hour drive from Niagara Falls and six

hours from New York City, the University of

Rochester is one of the world’s top research

universities, attracting nearly $400 million

in research grant funding annually. Re-

search is embedded in the culture here and

is broadly evident across the entire Univer-

sity system. Core research strengths span

the biomedical sciences; arts, humanities,

and social sciences; applied sciences and

engineering; and business.

The University’s 170 buildings house

2,000 faculty and instructional staff—half

of whom were born outside the United

States—and more than 200 undergraduate

and graduate programs offered to more than

11,000 students, including more than 4,800

graduate and medical students and more

Rochester at a Glance

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2 ROCHESTER AT A GLANCE

QUALITY OF LIFE

Faculty, staff, and students

join the more than one

million people who live in

Rochester and its surround-

ing suburbs. With the culture

of a large city, Rochester

offers a vibrant arts scene,

an annual international jazz

festival, art galleries and

museums, convenient shop-

ping, and local and interna-

tional cuisine and markets.

Rochester’s fine parks, trails,

world-class golf courses, and

close proximity to the Gen-

esee River, the Erie Canal,

Lake Ontario, and the Finger

Lakes region provide ample

opportunities for outdoor

recreation.

than 250 postdoctoral trainees engaged

in scientific research. Across the entire

University system, including the University

of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) and

affiliated health system, more than 22,000

faculty and staff work here, making the Uni-

versity the seventh-largest private employer

in New York State.

The University spreads across more than

500 acres. Its main campus, the River Cam-

pus, runs along the beautiful Genesee River.

URMC, one of the nation’s leading academic

medical centers, is just a 10-minute walk

away and the University’s world-renowned

Eastman School of Music is located only

10 minutes away by car. The proximity of

the University’s schools and units provides

unique opportunities for cross-disciplinary

study, research, and collaboration.

University of Rochester Academic Schools and Units

■ Arts, Sciences & Engineering

■ The College

■ Hajim School of Engineering &

Applied Sciences

■ School of Arts & Sciences

■ Eastman School of Music

■ School of Medicine and Dentistry

■ School of Nursing

■ Simon Business School

■ Warner School of Education

University of Rochester Medical Center and UR MedicineThe University’s academic medical center

and health system is internationally recog-

nized for its research and medical expertise.

It includes the

■ School of Medicine and Dentistry

■ School of Nursing

■ Eastman Institute for Oral Health

■ Strong Memorial Hospital, Highland

Hospital, and Thompson Health

■ Medical Faculty Group

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ROCHESTER AT A GLANCE 3

Research Snapshot

Research happens in all intellectual disciplines of the University of Rochester. It can be aesthetic, sociopolitical, scientific, technical, philosophical, mathematical, medi-cal, musical, or artistic. It includes the pursuit of research questions in labs, classrooms, and around the world. It spans studying the details of a neutrino beam near Tokyo, the haunts of Dante in Italy, the proliferation of blindness in sub-Saharan Africa, public health in Denmark, and cancerous tumors in a lab at URMC.

Rochester faculty members have pioneered statistical methods of research in economics, political science, med-icine, and clinical and social sciences. They have made seminal discoveries in evolutionary biology, vision, and visual and cultural studies. They are at the forefront of brain and cognitive science, biomedical science, high- energy physics, and quantum optics. They are known for their medical expertise and health-related break-throughs. And their efforts in alternative energy confront such societal grand challenges as dwindling petroleum reserves and fossil fuel pollution.

A water droplet hangs on the edge of a metal surface that has been

treated to repel moisture with a Rochester-developed process using lasers.

Potential applications for such “super-hydrophobic” materials include

sanitation and other areas where repelling water-borne pathogens is

important.

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Undergraduate ResearchThe self-directed curriculum designed by

and unique to Rochester has for two de-

cades fostered undergraduates who have the

ability and drive to participate in serious re-

search. Many have contributed to published

research projects and work with distinction

alongside graduate students. Through our

extensive seed funding programs, support

from University resources and donors has

helped thousands of Rochester undergradu-

ates begin careers that will lead an excep-

tional fraction toward successful graduate

study and the receipt of prestigious awards,

such as National Science Foundation Gradu-

ate Fellowships, on matriculation.

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6 RESEARCH SNAPSHOT

A Culture of Innovation Rochester, N.Y., is the seat of great inno-

vation. It gave rise to such international

companies as Bausch & Lomb, Eastman

Kodak Company, and Xerox. The entrepre-

neurial spirit and its accompanying culture

of innovation is part of the fabric of the

community, which has one of the nation’s

highest patents-per-capita ratios.

The University contributes as an educa-

tional institution and also has one of the most

effective technology transfer programs in the

country. The local community’s historic tradi-

tion as a center of manufacturing excellence,

especially in optics and photonics, has helped

it transition to a knowledge-based economy.

As a leading medical research facility and

technology incubator, the University has

been a key catalyst for this transition and

helps put Rochester on the map as an inter-

national center of innovation.

Technology TransferUR Ventures, the University’s technology

transfer operation, is focused on identifying

and securing the resources necessary to

get Rochester’s groundbreaking research

to the public through technology

licensing and/or startup formation.

Some of the latest discoveries from

the University’s laboratories include

methods to treat neurodegenera-

tive diseases based on the brain’s

ability to cleanse itself; an on-chip

network to provide scalable power

delivery, allowing for ever-smaller

electronic devices; and potential

cancer therapies based on the

unique physiological properties of the

naked mole rat.

Xi-Cheng Zhang, M. Parker Givens

Professor of Optics and director of the In-

stitute of Optics, is often counted among

modern day luminaries in the field. His

research on THz (terahertz) waves led to

the detection of defects in foam insula-

tion following the space shuttle Columbia

tragedy. Zhang expects that research on

THz waves will advance knowledge in

many areas, including medical imaging,

homeland security, and manufacturing.

JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE

Nearly a quarter of the 65 scientists on

NASA’s advisory board for the James

Webb Space Telescope are University

alumni or faculty members.

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A CULTURE OF INNOVATION 7

BY THE NUMBERS

Research Profile

• Sponsored research

expenditures: $375

million

• Inventions: 140, from

220 inventors in 48

departments with 34

collaborators from 22

outside institutions

• Patents: 56 granted,

covering 45 different

technologies

• Licensing revenue: $29.4

million

Source: 2013 ORPA Annual Report, UR Ventures

Making History: Optics and High-Energy PhysicsIn 1929, with a grant from Kodak and Bausch & Lomb, the University founded the Institute of Optics,

the nation’s first educational program devoted to optics—the study of light. Today, the institute’s

reputation as a leader in optics research and innovation continues with educational and research

opportunities that span optical physics, applied optics, and optical engineering. The institute has

granted more than 2,400 degrees—approximately half of all optics degrees ever awarded in the

United States. The environment breeds a spirit of entrepreneurism. For example, over the last 50

years, more than 160 companies have been founded by the institute’s faculty, staff, and alumni.

As the largest user facility for fusion and high-energy density physics research, Rochester’s Labo-

ratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) has played a similarly significant role in its field. Founded in 1970

and supported by approximately $70 million annually, mostly from the federal government, the

lab has laid the foundation in laser inertial confinement fusion research and serves as a global

resource for researchers. In collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy, ongoing work here

is targeted toward developing fusion power for the production of electricity. LLE is home to the

Omega 60-beam laser, which can deliver up to 40 trillion watts of power. EUG

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Research PrioritiesAs new global needs, challenges, and professions emerge, bringing together talents from

multiple disciplines is increasingly important. The University has forged uniquely produc-

tive partnerships across its schools based on common interests that draw on our unique

strengths in many areas, including priority areas of data science; vision, hearing, and lan-

guage; energy and the environment; and medicine and health.

Energy and the Environment Coming up with alternative

energy solutions is a complex,

global issue that Rochester

researchers are addressing

from multiple perspectives.

The University’s core research expertise in science,

engineering, and medicine forms the foundation

for internationally recognized research programs in

energy technology, ones that focus on developing

carbon-neutral technology, understanding the health

implications of energy resources, and investigating

the implications of global climate change.

Data ScienceThis is one of the defining disci-

plines of the 21st century. Just

as the Gutenberg press revolu-

tionized the dissemination of

information, the production of

books and newspapers, and the

development of knowledge, data science is changing

how the world consumes, uses, applies, and under-

stands information. The field has evolved as a hybrid

of research in statistics, computer sciences, and

related disciplines.

In 2013, the University announced plans to create the

Institute for Data Science, recruit 20 new faculty in

departments in which data science plays a significant

role, and focus initially on three areas of research do-

mains related to data science: predictive health ana-

lytics, cognitive systems, and analytics on demand.

Medicine and HealthBiomedical research represents

the largest segment of the

University’s research portfolio.

In the Medical Center alone,

there are 550 faculty members

with federal funding for their

research programs, with total research topping $230

million in FY 2013. The proximity of the Medical

Center to the River Campus provides myriad oppor-

tunities for collaboration. Critical areas of research

include cancer, infectious diseases, musculoskeletal

diseases, environmental medicine, RNA biology,

imaging, neuromedicine, drug development and de-

livery, molecular signaling and aging, public health,

and the health consequences of energy policies.

Vision, Hearing, and LanguageLight and sound constitute two

major interconnected research

areas at the University and

span vision and optics as well

as hearing and sound. Areas of

strength include vision restoration and correction

and imaging of the eye. Rochester is pioneering

revolutionary technologies such as the development

of retinal prosthetics. The University is also recog-

nized as a world leader in its research of sound in

music and entertainment; medicine and biology; and

speech, hearing, language, and communication.

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RESEARCH PRIORITIES 9

Improving Health and the Human Condition

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Improving Health and the Human Condition

Researchers across the University are advancing discoveries in medicine, public health, vision science, and myriad fields that relate to the betterment of individual health and the collective human condition. Their work is focused on improving our daily lives and contributing to a promising future for all.

At the University of Rochester’s Wilmot Cancer Center, Michael R. O’Dell (left), research assistant,

and Aram Hezel, associate professor and vice chief of hematology/oncology, study intrahepatic

cholangiocarcinoma (IHCC), a type of aggressive liver cancer that’s eluded scientists for years. Hezel

and his team have invented the first genetically engineered mouse model of IHCC, allowing them to

research the early biological steps that lead to full-blown malignancy.

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Medical Research of the Highest OrderResearch progress can be charted in

the laboratory, in the clinic, and most

importantly, in the lives of patients

around the globe. The University of

Rochester Medical Center is renowned

for two vaccines now used worldwide

to combat cervical cancer and bacterial

meningitis and has played an important

role in the clinical development of many

others, including a vaccine for bird flu.

Research at URMC involves thousands

of experts, touching upon nearly every

area of medicine, and often involving

collaboration with faculty members on

the River Campus.

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12 IMPROVING HEALTH AND THE HUMAN CONDITION

Respiratory ResearchRespiratory Pathogens Research CenterURMC was chosen as the home of a federally

funded center to study the germs that cause

lung disease. The Respiratory Pathogens

Research Center (RPRC), a mix of clinicians

and researchers, helps protect citizens against

bacteria and viruses that take aim at the

respiratory system, including pneumonia and

the flu. First-year research funding from the

National Institutes of Health (NIH) is nearly $5

million, with the opportunity for a longer-term

seven-year contract of $35 to $50 million.

Health Sciences Center for Computational Innovation The Health Sciences Center for Computational

Innovation (HSCCI), an evolving partnership

between the University and IBM, is vital to the

success of the RPRC. The center is home to

IBM Blue Gene/Q super computers, making

it one of most powerful computer systems in

the world. Data science and high-performance

computing hold the potential to revolutionize

the way diseases are studied, monitored, and

treated by allowing scientists to sift through

and analyze huge volumes of data and create

complex models and simulations that would

previously not have been possible.

New York Influenza Center of Excellence Research at the New York Influenza

Center of Excellence (NYICE)

involves collaboration between

investigators in the fields of

immunology, virology, biochemistry,

medicine, pediatrics, statistics, and

bioinformatics. The center’s goal is to

provide a truly transforming approach to

influenza research. It was launched in 2007 as

one of six centers nationwide that will receive

a total of approximately $140 million in flu

research funding over a multiyear period.

Chasing PathogensBiologist and influenza researcher David

Topham serves many roles. He is a University

vice provost and executive director of the

Health Sciences Center for Computational In-

novation (HSCCI), director of the RPRC, codirec-

tor of the NYICE, and professor of microbiology

and immunology in the David H. Smith Center

for Vaccine Biology and Immunology.

As a research biologist, Topham has con-

centrated his work on immune responses to

viral infections, with an

emphasis on respiratory

infections and influenza. He

is involved in clinical and

translational studies of hu-

man immune responses to

natural infection and exper-

imental vaccines. He also

collaborates closely with

computational biologists

and has developed highly

sophisticated mathematical

models that simulate the

adaptive immune response

to influenza. Topham’s

research is making strides

against the infections that

are responsible for a great

deal of illness and death

among the world’s

population.

The flu causes 36,000 deaths

and up to 200,000 hospital

stays in the United States

each year.

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RESPIRATORY RESEARCH 13

Neuroscience ResearchUnlocking the Mysteries of the BrainFor the last 25 years, URMC has served as the

hub of an international network of researchers

from North America, Europe, and Australia and

has overseen more than 80 clinical trials, spon-

sored by the NIH, foundations, and industry,

in neurological diseases. They have also been

pioneers in mastering the use of stem cells

to explore new treatments for neurological

disorders, and have made breakthroughs on a

possible new treatment that could reduce the

symptoms of muscular dystrophy.

Taking Steps to Treat Muscular DystrophyURMC neurologist Charles Thornton is dedi-

cated to research that could lead to successful

treatment of muscular dystrophy. One of its

most common forms is myotonic dystrophy, an

inherited disorder than is marked by progres-

sive muscle weakness and stiffness. Eventually

many patients have difficulty walking, swallow-

ing, and breathing. While there are medications

to treat some symptoms, there is no drug to

stop its progression.

Several scientists, including Thornton, discov-

ered that the genetic defect that triggers the

disease works quite differently than most other

inherited diseases. Here, the defect results in

the creation of toxic RNA, which stops other

proteins from doing their jobs. Thornton and

his colleagues have discovered a way to re-

verse symptoms of myotonic muscular dystro-

phy in mice by eliminating the buildup of toxic

RNA in muscle cells. Although it is too soon

to know whether the approach will work on

patients, the research indicates the possibility

of developing a treatment that could funda-

mentally alter the disease.

Charles Thornton

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Nedergaard (pictured here

with Qiwu Xu, a research

associate) is also conducting

research that shows that the

brain is cleansing itself in

a more organized way and

on a much larger scale than

has been realized previously.

These findings may have

implications for many condi-

tions that involve the brain,

such as traumatic brain injury,

Alzheimer’s disease, stroke,

and Parkinson’s disease.

Understanding Brain Function to Treat DiseaseA research team led by URMC neurologists

Steven Goldman and Maiken Nedergaard are

unlocking the complex cellular mechanics that

instruct specific stem cells in the brain to con-

tinue to divide. This discovery ensures that an

abundant supply of cells is available to study

and ultimately treat people with myelin-related

diseases. Damage to myelin lies at the root of a

long list of diseases, such as multiple sclerosis,

cerebral palsy, and a family of deadly child-

hood diseases.

The Center for RNA Biology: From Genome to Therapeutics The center provides a means

of conducting interdisciplinary re-

search into the function, structure, and

processing of RNA. Led by Lynne Maquat,

research delves into many areas that show

the clinical ramifications of basic science,

including mining information encoded in the

genome, developing mechanisms of protein

synthesis, and investigating how viruses defeat

drug therapies.

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NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH 15

ENGINEERING BETTER HEALTH

At URMC’s Center for Musculoskeletal

Research, biomedical engineering and

medical experts collaborate on innovative

tissue engineering research. Their work is

helping to advance treatment in one of the

most complex, costly areas of health care:

when joints, bones, tendons, cartilage, and

associated muscle deteriorate with age,

become diseased, or suffer massive trauma.

The center gives engineers an opportunity

to learn from their medical colleagues about

the underlying pathology and biology of

the problems they address. Engineers, in

turn, offer insights about the best way to

build a scaffold to promote bone healing, for

example, or deliver a therapeutic drug with

pinpoint accuracy and timing.

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Cardiovascular ResearchTransforming Heart CareArthur J. Moss, a cardiology professor and a world-renowned expert

on electrical disturbances of the heart, has made some of the most

important and long-lasting discoveries in the treatment of cardiac

arrhythmias. Moss has demonstrated that preventive therapy with

an implantable cardioverter defibrillator or ICD (a device that detects

potentially fatal arrhythmias and shocks the heart back into a normal

rhythm) significantly reduces the risk of death in heart attack survivors.

This finding, published in 2002, changed medical guidelines nation-

wide and led to the use of ICDs in

millions of patients each year.

In other studies, Moss found that

cardiac resynchronization therapy,

which improves the mechanical

pumping action of the heart,

plus defibrillator—a combination

device known as CRT-D therapy—

prevents the progression of heart

failure in patients living with mild

forms of the disease. Guidelines

from Moss’s trials have saved hun-

dreds of thousands of lives.


Cancer ResearchHarnessing the Immune System to Fight Lymphoma The hematologic malignancies team is study-

ing cancer stem cells in relation to leukemia,

as well as how the immune system can be har-

nessed to fight lymphoma. Preclinical research

on an experimental treatment for relapsed

T-cell lymphoma resulted in a clinical trial for

the drug Alisertib, led by national principal

investigator Paul Barr, an oncologist at the

James P. Wilmot Cancer Center, and Jonathan

Friedberg, director of the center. In addition,

Michael Becker and Laura Calvi are jointly

funded to study therapies that target leuke-

mia’s microenvironment (the region in the

bone marrow where leukemia cells bloom).

One of the greatest breakthroughs in cancer prevention has its origins

in research done by three URMC virologists. Richard Reichman, William

Bonnez, and Robert Rose discovered a method to protect against several

strains of human papillomavirus (HPV), including those that cause cervical

cancer. This research led Merck & Co. to develop Gardasil®, the first pure

anticancer vaccine to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administra-

tion, in June 2006.

Developing Innovative, Effective Cancer Treatments Chawnshang Chang, director of the George

Whipple Laboratory for Cancer Research, has

developed an experimental treatment for

metastatic prostate cancer. The drug, known

as ASC-J9, was developed as a derivative of

the main ingredient in ginger. Since 2004, two

dozen patents around the world have been

issued for his work. Chang’s research at URMC

is licensed to AndroScience Corp. of San Diego,

a biotech company he cofounded. (The Uni-

versity owns a stake in the company.) Chang

collaborates with members of the URMC

genitourinary cancers group, China Medical

University in Taiwan, and Tianjin Medical

University to study potential uses for ASC-J9 in

combination with existing approved drugs to

treat acne; prostate, bladder, and liver cancer;

and other medical conditions

related to androgens.

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CANCER RESEARCH 17

Public Health ResearchStudying Air Pollution in BeijingPollution in China has been an issue for years.

A team of researchers led by David Q. Rich

used the unique circumstances around the

2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China—one

of the most polluted cities in the world—to

examine the link between air pollution and

health. Their work, published in the Journal

of the American Medical Association, showed a

direct correlation between pollution levels and

specific physiological changes that increase

risk for cardiovascular disease.

In India, air pollution is responsible for nearly

530,000 deaths per year. Wendy Heinzelman,

professor of electrical and computer engineer-

ing and of computer science, and colleagues

from Northeastern University and IIT Delhi and

IIT Hyderabad, both in India, are collaborating

on an NSF-funded remote pollution monitor-

ing system, one that relies on wireless sensor

networks. These sensors operate by harvesting

energy from the environment and optimize en-

ergy usage through on-demand wake-up radio

technology. The system could play a key role in

emergency warnings and contribute to societal

well-being in densely populated regions of the

world. Heinzelman is also dean of graduate

studies for Arts, Sciences & Engineering.

Center for AIDS ResearchThe University of Rochester was named an

official Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) by the

National Institutes of Health. With $7.5 million

in new funding, CFAR is establishing multidis-

ciplinary collaborations across the University

and supporting the early career development

of HIV/AIDS investigators. Stephen Dewhurst,

director of the CFAR, is working with other

University HIV researchers to study the virus’s

effect on aging and to apply our understand-

ing of HIV RNA biology to the development of

new drugs.

The University’s Rare Books

and Special Collections

department houses more than

6,200 AIDS posters from 124

countries in 68 languages. The

collection—one of the world’s

largest—documents efforts

to educate people about HIV/

AIDS prevention, risks, social

advocacy, and compassion for

those affected.

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Preventing Suicide: NIH-Funded Research in China In 2011, the National Institutes of Health awarded the

University $1.1 million in support of a program that

has been training people in China to investigate the

causes and prevention of suicide. Eric Caine, chair of

URMC’s Department of Psychiatry, is the program’s

principal investigator. Caine and colleague Yeates

Conwell are cofounders of the University’s Center

for the Study and Prevention of Suicide. Caine is

also head of the China-Rochester Suicide Research

Program. In China, suicide is the fifth-leading cause of

death overall and the leading cause for people in the

15- to 34-year-old age range.

Leading the Way: Evolutionary BiologyThe University’s faculty members have made pioneering discoveries in evolutionary biology. H. Allen

Orr, the Shirley Cox Kearns Professor of biology, is the recipient of the Darwin-Wallace Medal, an

award that is presented to the leading minds in evolutionary science only once every 50 years. John

H. Werren, the Nathaniel and Helen Wisch Professor of Biology, is a leading expert in the field and a

fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. For his research on potential ways to control

river blindness (a disease that is especially prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa) and on ways to protect

crop plants from parasitic roundworms, John Jaenike has received two Gates Foundation grants.

Daven Presgraves was awarded the Dobzhansky Prize by the Society for the Study of Evolution in

recognition of his accomplishments as an outstanding young evolutionary biologist.

Orr’s innovative combination of studies on the biology of Drosophila (a genus of small flies whose

members are often referred to as fruit flies) and theoretical work proved the “dominance theory” of Haldane’s

rule—a hypothesis that has been controversial since it was proposed in 1922.

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PUBLIC HEALTH RESEARCH 19

Vision ResearchPioneering New Technologies to Improve EyesightOne of the world’s leading experts on human

vision, David Williams—the William G. Allyn

Professor of Medical Optics—has pioneered

new technologies that are improving people’s

eyesight. Williams received the 2012 António

Champalimaud Vision Award in Lisbon, Por-

tugal, in recognition of his work on adaptive

optics. In awarding the prize, the jury said that

Williams and his research group “have opened

up new possibilities for imaging retinal struc-

tures in the living eye.” The methods that Wil-

liams’s team developed are used throughout

the world in Lasik procedures today. Williams is

a faculty member of the University of Roches-

ter’s Institute of Optics, director of its Center for

Visual Science, and dean for research in Arts,

Sciences & Engineering.

The Center for Visual Science Founded in 1963, the University’s Center for

Visual Science (CVS) lies at the hub of vision

research on the River Campus and URMC.

Research themes include exploring the neural

mechanisms that underlie visual experience,

the role of vision in guiding behavior, and

advanced technologies of ophthalmic optics.

The center brings together scientists from a

variety of disciplines with the common goal

of pursuing excellence in vision research. With

more than 30 research laboratories, faculty

members from the departments of brain and

cognitive sciences, neurobiology and anatomy,

neurology, the Flaum Eye Institute, and optics

work collaboratively to address the grand

challenges in eye care.

With the help of computerized eye trackers, a

recent cognitive science study finds that at least

50 percent of people can see the movement of

their own hand even in the absence of all light.

David Williams’s laboratory

invented a high-resolution

camera to take the first

pictures ever of all three of the

classes of cone, the cells in the

retina responsible for daytime

vision and our perception of

color.

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Members of the student-led company Ovitz pose with a portable eye-diagnosis instru-

ment that they developed and are working to commercialize. Developed with the Institute

of Optics and the Flaum Eye Institute, the “EyeProfiler” is designed to be smaller, cheaper,

and more accurate than existing devices and especially suited for use with children.

The Flaum Eye InstituteAt the institute, teams of biologists, physicists,

engineers, and physicians from around the

University work together, along with corporate

partners, to conduct translational research fo-

cused on high-priority issues identified by the

National Eye Institute. Current areas of focus

include thyroid research, refractive research,

stroke research, and researching the optical

quality of the eye. The Flaum institute’s teams

of physicians and researchers are developing

new diagnostics and treatments to help pre-

serve vision in patients from around the world.

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VISION RESEARCH 21

Discoveries in the Humanities and Sciences

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With diverse areas of expertise, the University is uniquely po-sitioned to pursue research that spans the humanities and the arts to the sciences and technology. Combining the collective strength of faculty with hands-on opportunities for research, undergraduates and graduate students alike embrace the spirit of creativity here, one that infuses the cultural environment and enriches a broad range of scholarly pursuits.

Researchers at the University of Rochester and George Eastman House International

Museum of Photography and Film are using nanotechnology to understand and poten-

tially reduce image degradation. Pictured here, an American daguerreotype, circa 1841.

Discoveries in the Humanities and Sciences

23

Art and Digital Scholarship Joan Saab, associate professor of art and art

history and of visual and cultural studies,

is contributing to the evolution of how

humanities scholarship is carried out. For

several years, she has been an investigator

for the Alliance for Network Visual Culture,

a group that aims to enhance scholarly

understanding of visual practices in digital

culture and to create scholarly context for

the use of digital media. This work has been

supported by a grant from the Andrew W.

Mellon Foundation.

Saab’s new book project, Searching for

Siqueiros, about Mexican muralist David

Alfaro Siqueiros, has become a test case for

the future of “born digital” scholarship—

scholarship expressly created for, not simply

adapted to, a digital format. As part of the

Mellon grant, three university presses—

Duke, MIT, and the University of Califor-

nia—have agreed to publish the projects

using Scalar (a digital platform) as part of

the Mellon grant.

Physics and Photo Preservation Nicholas Bigelow, the Lee A. Dubridge

Professor of Physics, is bringing his

expertise in nanotechnology to bear on

the field of photo preservation through

research on 19th-century daguerreotypes.

Using 21st-century technology, Bigelow

and curators at the George Eastman House

International Museum of Photography and

Film, located a few miles away from the

University, are studying why these unique,

nonreproducible images are starting to de-

teriorate. The Eastman House holds one of

the world’s largest collections of daguerreo-

types, with about 5,000 images.

Through microscopy, the research team

has found that the silver daguerreotype plate

is a biologically active surface, a remarkable

finding because silver is naturally antimicro-

bial. The team is finding that small colonies of

fungi are growing and damaging the surface

on nearly every daguerreotype they exam-

ined. “There’s a miraculous piece of all this.

Forget about the daguerreotype for a minute:

what on earth is going on in the physics that

underlies this and the chemical process that

forms this?” says Bigelow. At the University’s

Integrated Nanosystems Center, known as

URNano, Bigelow and others are trying to

find answers to these questions.

BY THE NUMBERS

• One-third of the Univer-

sity’s graduate students

and about 15 percent of

its undergraduates come

from outside the United

States, with the largest

numbers coming from

China followed by India,

South Korea, and Taiwan.

• More than 70 percent of

the University’s graduate

housing residents are

international students.

• There are nearly 11,000

University of Rochester

alumni living abroad, with

the largest numbers living

in China and India.

• The University teaches a

dozen languages, includ-

ing English as a second

language.

24 DISCOVERIES IN THE HUMANITIES AND SCIENCES

Music and Technology ResearchBy combining the resources of the electrical and computer engineering department in

the Hajim School and the expertise at the Eastman School of Music, the University has

become the home of leading research and educational programs in audio and music

technology. Some research projects explore teaching computers how to “listen” to and

transcribe music from audio recordings; creating new, more expressive computer-

generated musical sounds and music; searching huge music databases using data sci-

ence; and even developing television screens that can radiate sound and perform double

duty as the display and loudspeaker in home entertainment systems.

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MUSIC AND TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH 25

Cognitive Science and Music Professor Elizabeth Marvin is both a cognitive researcher and a trained soprano—a rare com-

bination. She is professor of music theory at the University’s renowned Eastman School and

also professor of brain and cognitive sciences on the River Campus. Marvin is an expert in

music theory—the study of harmony and musical structure—and the coauthor of three widely

taught music theory textbooks. She investigates music cognition, an interdisciplinary field that

uses the neurological, computational, and experimental methods of cognitive science to inves-

tigate musical issues. She also conducts research on the acquisition of absolute pitch.

Along with Joyce McDonough, associate professor of linguistics and of brain and cognitive

sciences, and Anne Luebke, associate professor of biomedical engineering, Marvin has also

investigated the relation between music and speech processing. For the people who participated

in their research study, years of music training correlated significantly with lower ratios of speech

signal to interfering noise. These findings provide support for shared processing of music and

speech, and the tests they developed have potential applications in the hearing aid industry.

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Translation, Globalization, and CommunicationMost of the best books ever created were

written in a language other than English, yet

only three percent of all books published

in the United States are translated works.

In this age of globalization, one of the best

ways to preserve the uniqueness of cultures

while simultaneously recognizing their

connections is through the translation and

appreciation of international literature. The

literary translation studies program at the

University of Rochester takes a multifaceted

approach to the research involved in and the

art, technique, and business of translation.

Open Letter Books, Rochester’s literary

publishing house, connects readers with the

works of great international authors. Pub-

lishing 10 new books each year, recent titles

include Tirza by Arnon Grunberg and Maid-

enhair by Mikhail Shishkin. Open Letter also

runs the Best Translated Book Award and the

online literary website Three Percent.

As affiliates of the University’s literary

translation program (an interdisciplinary

program in the humanities that offers under-

graduate students an opportunity to study the

theory and practice of literary translation),

undergraduate and graduate students learn

the art and the technology involved in pub-

lishing and in literary translation.

Literature, History, and Digital Technology University faculty members are changing the

way knowledge is transferred, especially in

fields connected to literature and history. For

instance, Morris Eaves, the Richard L. Turner

Professor in the Department of English, coedits

the William Blake Archive, one of the first and

most complete online multimedia resources

designed for scholars. His undergraduate and

graduate students produce scholarly work that

is available in the archive. Russell Peck, the John

Hall Deane Professor of English, championed

the Consortium for Teaching Middle Ages project and its Middle English Text Series, which

have changed the study of medieval literature by making it more available and accessible to

students and teachers, both online and in print. Thomas P. Slaughter, the Arthur R. Miller

Professor of History, works on projects that provide students with hands-on skills in the digital

humanities, history, and historical editing. These include digitizing the documents of iconic

figures in American history, including William Seward, Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony,

and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

THE MEMORIAL ART GALLERY

The gallery’s permanent

collection of 12,000 works

showcases 50 centuries

of world art and includes

important pieces by

Monet, Cézanne, Matisse,

Homer, and Cassatt. It also

features the only full-size

Italian Baroque organ in

North America, which is on

permanent loan from the

Eastman School of Music.

Outside the gallery, the

Centennial Sculpture Park

features anchor installations

by renowned international

artists Tom Otterness, Jackie

Ferrara, Wendell Castle, and

Albert Paley. The gallery was

founded in 1913 and was

given in trust to the Univer-

sity of Rochester. It is one of

the few university-affiliated

art museums in the country

that also serves as a public

art museum.

These are just some of the

books produced by Open Letter

Books, Rochester’s literary pub-

lishing house.BLA

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LITERATURE, HISTORY, AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY 27


Excellence in Music and ArtThe Eastman School of MusicAs one of the world’s premier music schools, the Eastman

School has long been known for its high standards of

performance, learning, creativity, and teaching. More than

900 students, 100 full-time faculty, and 1,800 community

education students engage in the variety of musical classes

and programs available. The school presents more than 700

performances each year and is home to more than 20 student

ensembles, including its Eastman Wind Ensemble, the first of

its kind in the country and a pioneering force in the

symphonic wind band movement.

Undergraduate and graduate students here embrace the

highest levels of musicianship and scholarship. They also

have access to Eastman’s Sibley Music Library. Founded

in 1904, it is the largest academic music library in North

America. Eastman graduates are found in the best orchestras,

chamber groups, jazz ensembles, opera companies, and

bands and on Broadway, in Hollywood, and around the world.

And Eastman students and faculty regularly collaborate with

colleagues throughout the University.

The school’s Eastman Theatre serves as Rochester’s preemi-

nent performance space. Its grand Italian Renaissance-style

Kodak Hall serves as host to world-famous musicians and

conductors. It is also the primary performance space for the

Eastman Opera Theatre and the Eastman School’s larger

ensembles, including its orchestras, wind ensembles, jazz

ensembles, and chorale. It also is the principal hall for the

Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.

Eastman School faculty

members have trained

musicians who have become

leaders in their fields. These

include Alexander Courage,

composer of television and

movie music, including

the Star Trek theme; Renée

Fleming, Grammy Award–

winning operatic soprano;

Chuck Mangione, jazz

musician; Mitch Miller,

oboist, conductor, record

producer, and television

producer best known from

his “Sing Along with Mitch”

programs in the 1950s;

composer Kevin Puts, who

received the 2012 Pulitzer

Prize in Music; and William

Warfield, internationally

acclaimed bass-baritone

known for his work in Show

Boat and Porgy and Bess.

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EXCELLENCE IN MUSIC AND ART 29

A History of InnovationThe Eastman School has led the way in

terms of musical innovation. In 1925, How-

ard Hanson, the school’s director, estab-

lished the American Composers Orchestral

Concerts. These provided unprecedented

opportunities for creating and perform-

ing American music. Never before had a

platform like this existed. Recognizing the

changing shape of music and the need to

innovate new ways to perform and market

consumer music, the school established

the Institute for Music Leadership. This was

the first center of its kind in the country fo-

cused on preparing students for entry into

the challenging and changing music world

of the 21st century.

An Incubator for Music Research In 2013, the Eastman School of Music inaugurated the Paul R. Judy Center for Applied Research, a

new incubator for alternative music ensembles and part of the school’s acclaimed Institute for Mu-

sic Leadership. The center was established to provide young musicians with the tools they need

to create their own performance opportunities and become self-sustaining artists. The center’s

establishment comes when many of America’s orchestras are faced with the long-term challenges

of aging audiences, financial

pressures, and competition

from other cultural programs.

At the same time, smaller

artist-led ensembles such as

Alarm Will Sound (which got its

start at the Eastman School),

eighth blackbird, and the

International Contemporary

Ensemble have emerged in

stature and grown in acclaim

and budget. The center will

encourage discussion on how

to rejuvenate orchestral perfor-

mance interest while fostering

new models of artistic innova-

tion, organization relationships,

and operational sustainability.

Alarm Will Sound

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The Institute for Popular MusicWith a unique expertise in this genre, the University of Rochester recently formed

the Institute for Popular Music on its River Campus. Classes explore a variety of music

popular throughout the world’s history, including during the 14th- to the 17th-century

Renaissance, mid-19th-century Civil War, late-19th-century Victorian era, the roaring

1920s, the groundbreaking 1960s, and today’s contemporary music. The institute

enhances River Campus and Eastman School offerings, builds on the musical strengths

inherent here, and promotes the scholarly research of popular music.

As the institute’s director, John Covach works with a group of seven faculty from the

University of Rochester and an advisory board of 13 professors from the United States

and the United Kingdom to develop programs that support research in fields including

musicology, music theory, ethnomusicology, and music performance. Covach has dual

appointments, as the Mercer Brugler Distinguished Teaching Professor of music and

chair of the River Campus’s Department of Music and as professor of music theory at

the Eastman School.

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EXCELLENCE IN MUSIC AND ART 31

Understanding How the World Works

32

Whether it is on a personal, community, or societal level, Rochester researchers are making discoveries that lead to an im-proved understanding of how the world works. Many provide insight into how we—as individuals and communities—think, behave, and communicate. Others are com-mitted to studying history and culture in order to gain perspective into what it means to be human. Still others contribute ideas, policies, and programs that help businesses, governments, and communities thrive.

Vasilii Petrenko, professor of Earth and Environmental

Sciences, holds a 50,000-year-old ice sample from

Antarctica in his University of Rochester lab.

Understanding How the World Works

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At Work in the Baby LabRichard Aslin, the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor, professor of brain and cognitive sciences, and direc-

tor of the Rochester Center for Brain Imaging, is a pioneer in the field of cognitive development. His

work has shown how infants and toddlers develop cognitive abilities in both language and object

recognition based on the statistics of their environment or, in other words, the probability that

something will or will not happen. Within his on-campus Baby Lab, Aslin and his colleagues observe

children as they interact with objects and people (either “live” or in videos), while simultaneously

monitoring their eye-gaze patterns and brain activity. The Baby Lab is expanding with the addition

of a new faculty member, Celeste Kidd, who studies how infants and children make decisions about

allocating their attention or seeking rewards in a variety of lab-based tasks and online video games.

Grasping How People Think, Behave, and CommunicateThe Value of Intrinsic Motivation All people are motivated by a variety of factors, good grades,

rewards, reviews, people’s opinions, and more. Just as impor-

tantly, they are motivated from within by interests, curiosity, and

personal values. The interplay between these factors and the

needs of human nature is the basis of the groundbreaking work

of psychologists and professors Edward L. Deci and Richard M.

Ryan. In the 1980s, they revolutionized the study of motivation

by looking at it from a humanistic perspective and developing

the Self-Determination Theory (SDT). The theory maintains that

motivation develops from within us—grounded in our basic

human needs to develop our skills and capacities—to act of our

own accord and to connect to others and to our environment.

Today, health care professionals around the world embrace this

fundamental research finding.

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34 UNDERSTANDING HOW THE WORLD WORKS

Out of the Lab, Into the WorldRochester researchers in the brain and cognitive sciences department

work collaboratively with others across the University to help improve

the health and well-being of babies, children, and adults. And they are

driving new educational and medical therapies along the way.

Gaming and DevelopmentThe skills needed to play high-level games require our brains to work

in advanced ways. Rochester researchers have found that some video

games can enhance perception, learning, and decision making. Video

gaming research could drive the development of educational-

oriented games that help close gaps for those with attention deficit

disorders or who are on the autism spectrum.

Making DecisionsRochester researchers are investigating our perceived value of objects

and ideas, the value of rewards, and restraint. By understanding

how the brain makes decisions, new therapies can be developed to

address obsessive compulsive disorders, drug addiction, gambling

habits, and much more.

Adding It All UpResearchers in Rochester’s Kid NeuroLab explore numerical cogni-

tion and have determined that a primitive math system exists in the

brain—a precursor for understanding numerical computations—

which helps predict future math IQ performance. This helps them

identify potential learning issues and develop educational strategies.

Training the BrainResearchers in the University’s Center for Brain Imaging study stroke

victims and those with brain damage to better understand dysfunc-

tional parts of the brain and how to encourage the brain to think dif-

ferently. This helps patients overcome injury and helps neurosurgeons

identify the safest ways to operate.

The “marshmallow test” is a

classic experiment designed to

measure children’s self-control.

A recent University of Rochester

study demonstrates that delay-

ing gratification is influenced as

much by the environment as by

innate ability.

OUT OF THE LAB, INTO THE WORLD 35

Making Discoveries about Ourselves, Our Communities, and Our CulturesThe Social Meanings of Cultural ArtifactsA few years ago, Robert Foster, professor and chair of the Department

of Anthropology, came upon a unique and little-known treasure at

the Buffalo Museum of Science in upstate New York. Tucked away in

storage for 50 years was one of the largest and oldest collections of

Pacific Island artifacts anywhere in the world, the P. G. T. Black Collec-

tion. According to Foster, Buffalo was not a place one would expect to

find more than 6,200 objects from remote villages and colonial out-

posts across the islands of Melanesia. The collection, he says, provides

a glimpse of early encounters between Pacific Islanders and European

traders, missionaries, and collectors circa 1900. His scholarly work

will showcase the social meanings of the artifacts and culminate in

a book, a museum exhibit, and an online catalog. He is also working

with colleagues in Australia and Papua New Guinea to help make the

artifacts accessible to Pacific Islander communities and to provide a

rich set of resources for constructing local histories.

These body ornaments

from Papua New Guinea

are part of the P. G. T. Black

Collection.

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Training STEM Educators to Help Young Students ThriveThe Warner School of Education

is committed to preparing its

graduate students to teach and

advocate for the critical science,

technology, engineering, and

math (STEM) skills needed by

the next generation to thrive.

Global challenges will require

strong math and science skills.

For many, including those

traditionally underserved by

schooling, this is an issue. April

Luehmann, associate professor,

designed a program rooted

in helping Warner students

advance STEM knowledge. Her

“Get Real! Science” program

uses hands-on, inquiry-based

activities to get middle and

high school students excited

about investigating real science

questions, including those

related to water quality.

Keeping It Local: the Mt. Hope Family CenterAt the Mt. Hope Family Center, located just off campus, faculty

members from the Department of Clinical and Social Sciences

in Psychology and their students make a difference in many

local lives by providing resources parents and children need

to build strong, healthy family and peer relationships. The

community connections provide a unique way to offer treat-

ment, prevention, research, and training programs focused

on human development, child maltreatment, and mental

disorders in children and families. Researchers here explore

many areas including addiction, depression, autism, and other

developmental disorders, parenting, and education reform

and develop knowledge that is critical to health and wellness.

MAKING DISCOVERIES ABOUT OURSELVES, OUR COMMUNITIES, AND OUR CULTURES 37

Advancing Knowledge about the EarthMixing Oil and WaterJohn Kessler, associate professor in the Depart-

ment of Earth and Environmental Sciences, is a

chemical oceanographer concerned with how

methane dynamics across the world’s oceans

affect climate change. His expertise was called

on after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion

and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Along with

researchers from Texas A&M University, he found

that more than five months after the catastrophic

event, naturally occurring hydrocarbon-eating

bacteria that exist in the Gulf had consumed

and removed at least 200,000 tons of oil and

natural gas that spewed into the gulf from the

ruptured well head. This research is fundamental

to understanding the consequences of this spill

and predicting the behavior of future releases,

be they natural or industrial.

Ice Cores and Climate ChangeVasilii Petrenko (below), assistant professor in

the Department of Earth and Environmental

Sciences and the University’s first climate

specialist, holds a 250-year-old ice core sample

from a glacier in Greenland, while in the freezer

boxes around him are 50,000-year-old ice core

samples from the Antarctic. After melting the

ice in a special device, he studies the gases

from the air bubbles trapped inside to learn

about ancient climate. Petrenko is the recipient

of a Packard Fellowship, which allows promis-

ing scientists to pursue research early in their

careers.

Plumes of smoke formed

during efforts to remove oil

from the surface of the Gulf of

Mexico after the 2010 Deep-

water Horizon explosion.

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Gaining Political and Economic Insight The Influence of Powerful CountriesRandall Stone, professor of political science

and director of the University’s Skalny Center

for Polish and Central European Studies,

researches the hidden politics in international

organizations. Stone argues that organizations

such as the International Monetary Fund and

the World Trade Organization are governed by

informal processes that allow the most pow-

erful countries to exert greater influence than

would be allowed by legal procedures and

formal vote shares. The downside of informal

power, he says, is weakened credibility and

legitimacy. Stone is a prize-winning author

and sought-after expert on the topic of inter-

national relations.

The Contemporary Consequences of SlaveryA recent study by Rochester political scientists

Avidit Acharya, Matthew Blackwell,

and Maya Sen shows that, although

slavery was abolished 150 years

ago, its political legacy still

lingers. The researchers

conducted a county-

by-county analysis of

census data and opinion

polls of more than

39,000 southern whites.

They found that white

Southerners who live today in

the Cotton Belt where slavery and

the plantation economy dominated are much

more likely to express more negative attitudes

toward blacks than their fellow Southerners

who live in nearby areas that had few slaves.

The data, says Sen, points to the importance

of institutional and historical legacy when

understanding political views and the lingering

economic effects of slavery.

Tradition of ExcellenceThe University is known worldwide for its study

of political science, economics, and business

practices. It is well regarded for its pioneering

game theory principles and for developing the

principal-agent problem, now known as the

economic theory of organizations. In 2012, U.S.

News & World Report ranked Rochester in the

top 10 for political methodology.

Looking back, Lionel Mackenzie established

the University’s doctoral program in economics

in 1957 and led the program to national prom-

inence. And in 1962, the University’s William

Riker, founder of the now mainstream field of

positive political theory, and Richard F. Fenno

Jr. produced what has been hailed by many as

the best doctoral program in political science

in the world.

Rochester economists have played key roles in

shaping policies. For instance, the late Walter Y.

Oi, the Elmer B. Milliman Professor of Econom-

ics, testified before the U.S. Congress as a staff

member of the draft review commission that

President Richard Nixon had established. As

one of the first people to point out the eco-

nomic inequalities of military conscription, his

analysis detailed the hidden costs of the mili-

tary draft and contributed to its repeal in 1973.

In recognition of his work, Oi later received the

U.S. Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstand-

ing Public Service.

Randall Stone, professor of

political science and director

of the University’s Skalny

Center for Polish and Central

European Studies

Walter Oi receives the

Secretary of Defense Medal

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GAINING POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC INSIGHT 39

Contributing Ideas that Shape Business and SocietySome of the Leading Voices in Business The Simon Business School is a leading force

in researching and influencing management

theory and practice and educating future

business managers. Its faculty members make

up an elite group of 72 of the most recognized

leaders in their fields.

Robert Novy-Marx (left), associate professor

of finance at the Simon School, is a leading

voice on the national discussion on govern-

ment pensions and has even testified before

Congress and at state capitals on the topic.

His research has been covered in the New York

Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Financial

Times of London.

Abraham Seidmann (below), Xerox Professor of

Computers and Information Systems and Op-

erations Management, has expertise in medical

informatics, electronic commerce, and health

care management and is on the forefront of

researching and understanding the business

implications of information systems.

Toni Whited (above), the Michael and Diane

Jones Professor of Business Administration and

professor of finance, researches the effects of

financial frictions on corporate investment,

econometric solutions for measurement error,

the benefits of debt, and other aspects of

corporate finance. She was one of the founding

coeditors of Finance Research Letters.

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Using Data Science to Make Informed PredictionsFaculty scholars like John Duggan, who has a dual appointment in

the Departments of Political Science and Economics, are using data

science to predict how individual choices aggregate into larger be-

haviors affecting groups. Such analyses are useful in predicting voting

behavior and election outcomes and understanding the ups and

downs of financial markets.

Other scholars such as Curt Signorino of the Department of Political

Science are using it to understand why countries go to war. By aug-

menting data mining tools from the areas of genetics and finance, he

is comparing data on every combination of countries from the years

1900 to 2000, creating a model that fits the data more than three

times better than standard techniques.

Transforming Economic ResearchRonald W. Hansen, William H. Meckling Profes-

sor of Business Administration at the Simon

Business School, senior associate dean for pro-

gram development, and director of the Bradley

Policy Research Center, has led transformative

research on the economics of pharmaceutical

innovation. In the 1970s, he was the first to

estimate the full cost of developing new phar-

maceuticals including the cost of failure and

the time value of money. In framing this as an

investment process, the industry changed how

pharmaceutical research and development

would be pursued in years to come. Today, the

Simon School continues to shape ideas that

affect how the world does business.

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CONTRIBUTING IDEAS THAT SHAPE BUSINESS AND SOCIETY 41

Making Connections

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Recognizing that opportunities and challenges no longer exist solely on a local or national scale, the Univer-sity is focused on educating global citizens. Through partnerships, research, and educational programs across its entire system, the Univer-sity of Rochester is making research discoveries that serve those around the world.

43

Worldwide Universities Network (WUN) PartnershipIn 2012, Rochester joined WUN, a consortium of 17 global universities

focused on collaborating to accelerate the creation of knowledge and

developing leaders who will be prepared to address the significant chal-

lenges and opportunities in a rapidly changing world. WUN’s mission

is to be one of the leading international higher education networks.

Rochester is the only private university in the network.

WUN combines the resources and intellectual power of its members

through a research development fund that is focused on collabora-

tively addressing climate change, cultural understanding, international

research and education, and public health and noncommunicable

disease. WUN also hosts more than 85 interdisciplinary research groups,

promotes short-term overseas research visits, and coordinates

research-oriented events and conferences, as well as virtual seminars.

An undergraduate student and study

abroad participant stands in front of the

Aurora, a former Russian cruiser, and now

museum in St. Petersburg.

44 MAKING CONNECTIONS

Davis United World College Scholarship ProgramRochester is a new partner of the Davis United World

College Scholarship Program, the largest undergradu-

ate scholarship program in the world. The program has

increased global diversity on campuses in the United

States by awarding more than $70 million to more

than 4,000 disadvantaged students from United World

College high schools since 2000. The high schools are

located in such places as Bosnia and Herzegovina,

China, India, Norway, and Swaziland.

Internationally Focused Programs on the River CampusThe University offers a variety of programs that build

on students’ increasing interest in world affairs. For

instance, it offers undergraduate degree programs in in-

ternational relations and in area studies, including East

Asian studies, a program that provides interdisciplinary

approaches to global questions.

Study abroad is also an important part of the under-

graduate experience. In fact, more than one-third

participate in these programs—double the national

average. Students in English, history, engineering, and

virtually all majors benefit from the rich opportunities

available to them.

The University has also been designated as one of

the “Top Producers of U.S. Fulbright Student Scholars,

2013–14.” In 2013 alone, 15 students received that

honor, giving them opportunities to advance their

studies, perform research, and teach English abroad

while serving as young ambassadors to their host coun-

tries. Since 2001, 83 students here have been named

Fulbright student scholars.

In 2012, the University established an Intercultural

Center on the River Campus. This is a dedicated place

for cultural groups to interact, collaborate, and foster in-

creased understanding and appreciation of each other.

More than 3,000 students

receive their bachelor’s, mas-

ter’s, and doctoral degrees at

Commencement each year.

In 2013, Steven Chu, a 1970

graduate, Nobel laureate in

physics, and U.S. Secretary

of Energy from 2008 to 2013,

inspired them with his Com-

mencement address. Chu is

recognized worldwide for his

significant contributions to

global energy solutions.

J. A

DA

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ER (T

OP

AN

D R

IGH

T); Y

ELEN

A K

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OG

ITSK

I

MAKING CONNECTIONS 45

If your institution is interested in visiting the University of Rochester, please send

details of your delegation to

University of Rochester Office of the Provost

200 Wallis Hall

Rochester, NY 14627 USA

[email protected]

UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS · 0942-1M-414SV www.rochester.edu/provost/innovation-book

At the Frontier of Innovation

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