Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences: University of Rochester

09/24/2026

Join us TOMORROW in New York City or virtually for 𝘈 𝘍𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘗𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘭: 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘐𝘥𝘦𝘢 𝘵𝘰 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵.

Hear directly from successful University of Rochester entrepreneurs about the real, nonlinear journey of building a business—from validating an idea and winning early customers to navigating setbacks, limited resources, and tough decisions.

The conversation will feature Vlad Cazacu ’20, Wasim Khaled ’02, Coco Sellman ’96, and Naushad UzZaman ’09 (MS), ’12 (PhD), moderated by David Chen ’88.

Cohosted by URochester Entrepreneurs Network, Simon Business School, Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences: University of Rochester, Ain Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Rochester, and the Women’s Network.

09/23/2026

Ten University of Rochester student interns recently helped 10 New York–based startups, small businesses, and nonprofits harness the power of data science and AI through the Center of Excellence in Data Science and AI at University of Rochester’s summer internship program. The internships provide students real-world experience working with data and AI to help local businesses improve their bottom lines.

Hear from students about what they learned, as well as business leaders from KidsOutAndAbout.com and Corn Hill Navigation about the impact these students had on their organizations.

https://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/internships-new-york-small-businesses-data-ai-719752/

The New York State Center of Excellence in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence connected 10 local businesses with student interns.

09/23/2026

Data science master’s student Sherry Wang helped Rochester By Water (formerly Corn Hill Navigation), a small nonprofit that offers boat tours of the Erie Canal and Genesee River, harness the power of data and AI this summer. She is one of 10 University of Rochester student interns who paired with New York-based startups, small businesses, and nonprofits through URochester’s Center of Excellence in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence summer internship program 🐝

09/21/2026

Congratulations to all the finalists, we hope to see Hajim School alumni win big next week! The Finals offer a chance to meet 10 startups transforming optics, photonics, imaging, and laser technologies into real-world solutions for healthcare, defense, manufacturing, quantum, and beyond. Hear what’s ahead for the NSF-backed STELLAR Engine, vote live for the $10,000 Audience Choice Award, and watch as up to $2 million in follow-on funding—including a $1 million Company of the Year investment—is revealed.

Less than three weeks until Luminate Finals 2026!🥳

Be there as the deep-tech startups of Luminate cohort 9 take the stage for their shot at up to $1 million in follow-on funding. Meet the teams, see the breakthroughs, vote for your favorite to help them win $10K, and feel the pulse of progress in downtown Rochester.

🎟️ Join us in person or online on September 30: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/luminate-finals-2026-tickets-1996117570387?aff=social

09/18/2026

Two longtime supporters of the University of Rochester are investing in the next generation of optics leaders. Stephen Fantone ’79 (PhD) and Elizabeth Fantone have established the Stephen & Elizabeth Fantone Professorship in Optical Engineering at the University of Rochester’s Institute of Optics.

Their $600,000 gift, amplified by $900,000 through the Wyant Optics Challenge, creates a $1.5 million endowed professorship supporting emerging faculty and their research and teaching. For Stephen Fantone, it’s a way to pay forward the investment others made in him as a graduate student: “This gift is a thank you—an acknowledgment of what the University of Rochester has meant in my life, my family’s life, and my career.” 🐝

It's a powerful example of how University of Rochester Alumni can create opportunities for the next generation of faculty, students, and researchers.

09/18/2026

Big news for science! 🔬 The University has received National Science Foundation (NSF) funding to advance the NSF OPAL project into its final design phase — bringing us another major step closer to construction.

Once built at our Laboratory for Laser Energetics, the facility will hold the world's most powerful laser system, giving researchers around the globe advanced tools to explore quantum electrodynamics, recreate conditions from the early universe, and power the most powerful electron accelerator on Earth. NSF OPAL will help reestablish US leadership in ultrahigh-intensity laser science and drive breakthroughs in national security, fusion energy, semiconductor manufacturing, and medicine.

🔗 More on this exciting new step in laser science at URochester: https://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/funding-nsf-opal-construction-ready-design-719072/

09/11/2026

09/04/2026

09/03/2026

Can scientists predict—and control—turbulence? URochester researchers are helping to discover the answer. ✨

The new NSF-funded TEMPEST project will allow eight universities to build predictive models of real-world turbulence, working towards long-awaited breakthroughs in energy, transportation, and fusion.

Read more about the partnership: bit.ly/3V4jQ2c

08/30/2026

We’re so proud of the dozens of Hajim School alumni who helped design, build, and test this remarkable space telescope!