April 13, 2026
J. Adam Fenster / Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ photo
Dear members of the Hajim School community,
On Friday, the Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ community gathered to honor our colleague and friend , the William F. May Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences and dean emeritus of the Hajim School. While Kevin’s loss brings abundant sadness, it also brings us together, reminding us of the deep connections that give our lives meaning and of the gratitude we feel for having known Kevin.
During the event, we were honored to posthumously present Kevin the Debra Haring Excellence in Research Award, which his wife and children accepted on his behalf. The award memorializes the late Debra Haring, a former assistant dean for grants and contracts who worked tirelessly to advance the research of faculty in the  and the Hajim School before her death in 2022. Each year, the honor recognizes one faculty member from each school whose research has had a transformational impact on their field, or whose body of work has changed their field in positive ways.
Read about Kevin’s impact as well as the work of SAS recipient , the Doris Johns Cherry Professor in the  and of Medicine, the director of the , and a researcher with the ’sÌýÌý²¹²Ô»åÌý.
EVA CIUFFETELLI ’27 AND TREVOR SHOOSHAN ’27 NAMED GOLDWATER SCHOLARS
I’m delighted to share that two Hajim School students were awarded prestigious Goldwater Scholarships. Named after the former senator and presidential candidate, the  is a highly competitive national award for high-achieving undergraduate science students who are US citizens. Students are nominated by their college or university, and applicants typically rank in the top quarter of their class while demonstrating outstanding research skills, potential for advanced study in their fields, and a strong commitment to the pursuit of research-oriented careers.
Eva Ciuffetelli ’27 is a chemical engineering major from Westgrove, Pennsylvania who will spend this summer as an intern working on chemical looping analysis at the in Golden, Colorado, as part of the . Trevor Shooshan ’27 is an optical engineering major from Fairport, New York who will work this summer as part of the optics team at BAE Systems’ space and mission systems division in Boulder, Colorado.
Read more about these outstanding students at the Student Fellowships Office website.
UROCHESTER FACULTY AND STUDENTS RECOGNIZED BY ROCHESTER ENGINEERING SOCIETY
The Hajim School will once again have a strong contingent of students and faculty recognized at the Rochester Engineering Society’s annual awards presentation at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 2 at Goergen Hall. This year, Assistant Professor from the was named a finalist for the RES Young Engineer of the Year award. We also had five outstanding students earn RES scholarships:
- Taha Abdou ’27 (electrical and computer engineering)—IEEE
- Marlena Berger ’27 (optical engineering)—DHURJATY Family Scholarship
- Samantha Tapuwa Magowo ’27 (biomedical engineering)—Susan L. Costa Memorial Scholarship
- Siena Maislin ’27 (electrical and computer engineering)—IEEE
- Natalie Maye ’27 (biomedical engineering)—Joseph W. Campbell Memorial
Read more about all this year’s recipients in the magazine. Congratulations to all!
ROBERT AUGUSTINE PROMOTED TO COMMANDER
Congratulations to our acting human resources assistant, Robert Augustine, who was promoted by the Navy from lieutenant commander to commander for his excellence of service. Commander Augustine is an instructor of naval science for the NAVS 093 Intro to Naval Science and NAVS 249 Ships Systems II courses.
I was honored to attend the promotion ceremony at the Wells-Brown Room in the Rush Rhees Library, where Captain Sanchez readministered the oath of officers to Commander Augustine, and his family changed his shoulder boards and the service stripes on his sleeves to reflect his new rank.
SUSANA MARCOS AND COLLEAGUES RECEIVE 2025 OBSTBAUM AWARD
Congratulations to , the David R. Williams Director of the , the Nicholas George Professor in , and a professor of ophthalmology at Rochester, whose paper received the 2025 Obstbaum Award for the best original article published in the Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.
Susana served as the scientific coordinating author of the , which reports results from a novel measurement of ocular dominance using a binocular visual simulator in several eye clinics, and represents a major multidisciplinary, multi-centric milestone for improvements in the correction of presbyopia.  Dr. Scott MacRae, director of refractive services in the Department of Ophthalmology at URochester, is a co-author. The award was presented at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Annual Meeting on Sunday, April 12 in Washington DC.
EDGE SCHOLARS TRAVEL TO WASHINGTON FOR SEMICONDUCTOR SUPPLY CHAIN COURSE
The (Expanding Dynamic Growth in Engineering) Scholars Program recently concluded a dynamic weeklong engineering short course in Washington, DC, hosted in collaboration with the NobleReach Foundation. Seven Hajim School students were part of a group of 20 high-achieving engineering students from nine leading universities convened in the nation’s capital to tackle one of the most pressing challenges facing the U.S. technology sector: the semiconductor supply chain.
Working in interdisciplinary teams of four, students applied the Innovation to Impact methodology—developed by the NobleReach Foundation—to formulate and present actionable solutions to a real-world semiconductor supply chain challenge question. Our students who took the course were Salsabel Al-Ani ’27 (electrical and computer engineering), Adelya Sabirova ’26 (computer science), Jassem Toumi ’27 (computer science), Javlonbek Khamzaev ’27 (computer science), Jay-Brian Randone ’26 (chemical engineering), Jack Rochkind ’27 (electrical and computer engineering), and Razak Abdulai ’27 (electrical and computer engineering).
CELEBRATING RESEARCH WEEK
is a series of University-wide events in which Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ students at all levels and in all areas of study are invited to present their investigative and creative work. CRW reflects the passion for learning that enlivens the University, professors and students alike, and that finds expression in varied forms, in every area of study. Remaining events include:
- Lightning Talks: Wednesday, April 15
- Symposium: Friday, April 17
The events are open to all in the Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ community and the general public. Good luck to all the students participating this week!
STUDENTS: DINE AND TALK WITH WENDI HEINZELMAN
Hajim School students are invited to an upcoming lunch with me to discuss their experiences and hear about developments at the Hajim School. I host these throughout the semester and always love the chance to talk with our students in an open and informal setting. Lunch will be provided by the Hajim School Dean’s Office. The next event takes place at noon on Wednesday, April 22. .
BUILDING AND EVALUATING AGENTIC PIPELINES
Join the Goergen Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (GIDS-AI) from 12-1 p.m. on Wednesday, April 15 for Building and Evaluating Agentic AI Pipelines, a virtual lunch and learn on AI with Priyanshu Rawat ’25 MS, a machine learning engineer at the Center for Integrated Research Computing at URochester. ,
Have a great week!
Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman
