蘑菇传媒

Welcome to the latest SAS in Focus, a newsletter that reports what鈥檚 happening in the School of Arts & Sciences.

In this edition you’ll learn about newly funded research, faculty and student awards, and more.

 

Dean Sam Thomas met with the School of Arts & Sciences National Council, a group of dedicated 蘑菇传媒 alumni, trustees, and supporters who gather twice a year to advise on key aspects of the school鈥檚 direction. The February meeting in New York City coincided with the For Ever Better New York City campaign launch.

In the photo, from left to right: 听Bob Glowacky, BA 鈥�84, MS 鈥�85; George Semien, BS 鈥�98, MD 鈥�02 RES 鈥�06; Heather Moynihan, 听BA 鈥�93, PP 鈥�20; Danny Sabbah BA 鈥�74, MS 鈥�78, PHD 鈥�82, PP 鈥�09; 听Steve Sibener BS 鈥�75; 听Dean Sam Thomas 鈥�00; Jill Cohen BA 鈥�77; Amy Lesch BA 鈥�93, 听Trustee (Chair); 听Debbie Drumheller BA 鈥�74; 听Erick Bond BA 鈥�77 PP 鈥�13; Barbara Birnbaum BA 鈥�81; Ria Nova BA 鈥�98 Trustee; Bennett Keiser BA 鈥�75 PP 鈥�08.

The School of Arts & Sciences National Council provides valuable guidance on curricular priorities, capital needs, admissions and retention trends, career and internship opportunities, and broader issues facing the School. During the February meeting, the group discussed the influence of AI and what higher education should do to adapt and harness the power of artificial intelligence.

 

Congratulations to , an assistant professor in the . Paton has been awarded an ACS Early Career Award from the American Chemistry Society.

Paton received the award for the project titled听鈥淩egenerative Dual Enzyme Biocatalytic System for the Construction of Enantiopure Small Molecules Under Ambient Conditions.鈥� The Paton Lab is developing sustainable syntheses towards critical small molecules to unlock a new class of biocatalysts to synthesize complex natural products. Through the development of this recycling system, Paton鈥檚 lab will investigate their applications towards more generalizable chemical synthesis and realize novel synthetic pathways to complex bioactive small molecules.

 

Congratulations to SAS student Christina Wang 鈥�26, who received first prize of the from River Campus Libraries. The annual award recognizes excellence in the early phases of undergraduate research, demonstrated by the initiation and organization of a project leading towards a senior thesis, capstone project, or independent research project.

Wang was awarded for her project 鈥淣etrin-1 Promotes Metastasis in Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors.鈥� Wang was recognized during a virtual ceremony earlier this semester. Well done!

 

Congratulations to faculty members who recently secured funding for new research projects:

• , professor of Economics, received $27,060 from Structural Transformation and Economic Growth (STEG) for the project 鈥淐arnegie-Rochester-NYU Public Policy Conference 2026.鈥�
• , associate professor of History and associate director of the Humanities Center, received $10,000 from the Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes (CHCI) for the project 鈥淛ust and Inclusive Climate Havens and the Humanities: An Interdisciplinary Symposium.鈥�
• , Mercer Brugler Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of Biology, received $3,113,086 from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences for the project 鈥淓lucidating the Biological Roles Of tRNA Modification Enzymes.鈥�
• , assistant professor of Astronomy, received $194,307 from Space Telescope Science Institute听for the project 鈥淓mpirically anchoring the physics of silicate clouds using L0- T9 benchmark brown dwarfs.鈥�

 

Raise your hand if you鈥檝e stared at your four-legged friend and wanted to know what was going on inside their mind. Without a common language, we can鈥檛 simply ask.

For , Beverly Petterson Bishop and Charles W. Bishop Professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, the question of animal thought extends beyond pets. She studies how individual minds come together in coordinated groups, from pigeons navigating home in flocks, fish shifting direction in unison, and primates negotiating social life.

鈥淎s humans, when we have to make a collective decision, we often do this by using verbal language,鈥� Biro says. 鈥淎nimals don鈥檛 have that, but they still manage to coordinate.鈥�

Learn more about how animals make group decisions and check out the latest

 

In her book (University of California Press, 2025), , assistant professor of Black studies, 听examines how natives of Veracruz, Mexico, reckon with the Afro-Caribbean roots of their history, traditions, and culture.

The Afro-Mexican population, which has struggled for recognition, was added as a category in the Mexican census for the first time in 2020.

鈥�Local color听is an homage to the people who have been on the receiving end of a new-to-them narrative about Mexico鈥檚 Blackness and what they did with that narrative,鈥� says Frierson.

Read more about Frierson鈥檚 research and Veracruz

 

Here鈥檚 your chance to learn what PhD and master鈥檚 students are researching: On April 2, all are welcome to support 蘑菇传媒 graduate students during Graduate Research Day.

Sit in on 10-minute research talks听from 9 a.m. to noon at the Hawkins-Carlson Room. From 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., check out the graduate posters – and vote for your favorite poster – in the Feldman Ballroom. An Awards Reception will be held from 4 to 5 p.m. in Feldman Ballroom. Appetizers and drinks will be available听during the event.

Learn more about Graduate Research Day 听补苍诲 view the event program听补苍诲听abstracts to see view presenters.

 

“History, Culture, and Healing” and “Music and the Body” are among the panel discussions planned during the 鈥淐ross-Campus Health Studies Symposium鈥� scheduled from 8:30 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. April 3 in the Hawkins-Carlson Room, Rush Rhees Library.

The free interdisciplinary event will bring together scholars from across 蘑菇传媒 to engage in dialogue, debate, and collaboration around health-related research and teaching. The symposium highlights the cross-campus nature of public health and its connections to the humanities, social sciences, and biomedical fields.

Complimentary food and beverages will be provided throughout the day. No registration is required. For more information, contact Tali Ziv, , Program in Public Health-Related Majors at tziv2@ur.rochester.

 

Send your SAS in Focus news tips to Director of Marketing and Communications Sheila Rayam at sheila.rayam@rochester.edu. Let her know about unique research, awards, publications, community collaborations and other interesting news. Please put 鈥淪AS in Focus鈥� in the subject heading.