February 23, 2026
Getty Images photo
Dear members of the Hajim School community,
Social media is notorious for producing echo chambers—where familiar ideas are amplified, dissenting voices fade, and beliefs can harden rather than evolve. But new research by Ģą˝´«Ă˝ computer scientists, physicists, and political scientists shows that echo chambers are partly a design choice—one that could be softened with a surprisingly modest change: introducing more randomness into what people see.
The interdisciplinary team of researchers, led by Professor  from the , created experiments to identify belief rigidity and assess whether introducing more randomness into a social network could help reduce it. Read about their findings at the News Center.
GRAND CHALLENGES SCHOLARS SPOTLIGHT: LIZMAIRI VARGAS SANTA
The Hajim School’s Grand Challenges Scholars Program (GCSP) empowers students to tackle one of 14 major global engineering challenges across sustainability, health, security, and quality of life through interdisciplinary study and reflection, culminating in a capstone reflection or presentation and recognition at graduation. GCSP is an interdisciplinary capstone project open to all majors. Throughout the semester, we’ll highlight GCSP students in Hajim Highlights and . This week we feature Lizmairi Vargas Santa ’26 (economics and business).
“My Grand Challenges Scholars Program project reflects my continued engagement with advancing personalized learning as a means of addressing educational inequality,” says Lizmairi. “Shaped by research and community-based work in the Dominican Republic, this project deepened my understanding of how educational systems often overlook students’ cultural and social ties with educational opportunities. Framing my work within the National Academy of Engineering’s Grand Challenges allowed me to analyze local educational barriers within a broader global pattern of inequity. This perspective has influenced my commitment to developing educational approaches that are both empirically grounded and responsive to the lived experiences of students.”
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AI IN THE ENGINEERING AND TECH INDUSTRIES
The Greene Center will wrap up National Engineers Week by hosting an event from 4-5:30 p.m. on Friday, February 27 in the May Room (Wilson Commons). In collaboration with the Rochester Engineering Society and cosponsored by a handful of student organizations, this event will provide a space for students to learn more about how AI is being utilized in the engineering and tech industries. Students will have time to talk with at least three different alumni/industry professionals in a round-robin format, along with a “speed-sharing” activity that allows them to reflect on what they’ve learned.
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REGISTER TO PRESENT AT THE XR RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM
Presented by the Center for eXtended Reality in partnership with Mary Ann Mavrinac Studio X, the  showcases cutting-edge XR research and experimentation from across disciplines at URochester, Rochester Institute of Technology, and the broader Rochester community. Connect with researchers, spark new collaborations, and explore emerging ideas. Researchers, faculty, staff, and students are invited to submit proposals for lightning talks and a tabling and lab showcase. The event is on May 1, and the .
REMEMBERING PROFESSOR EMERITUS THOMAS HSIANG 1948-2026
Sadly, the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering has lost another beloved former faculty member. Professor Emeritus died peacefully on February 12 at age 77. Tom joined the Ģą˝´«Ă˝ faculty in 1981 and served until his retirement in 2017.
A pioneer in superconducting electronics, silicon and III-V compound devices, and terahertz transmission lines, he authored more than 150 journal articles and several book chapters and delivered over 30 invited international talks. His innovations in picovolt and sub-picosecond measurement techniques advanced experimental physics, and he was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society—one of the youngest recipients of that honor.
Tom’s colleagues and former students have many fond memories of him. Professor Ming-Lun Lee calls him “a respected and dedicated colleague” and Professor Roman Sobolewski says he will forever remember Tom as “a vibrant teacher and researcher, who was actively pursuing his academic career.” In addition to being a wonderful professor, I remember being astounded to learn he was a globally respected player and advocate for the game Go.
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Take care.
Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman
