Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences: University of Rochester

The University of Rochester fielded one of 47 teams from across the country that competed in the Lunabotics Challenge at the Kennedy Space Center in May. The event invites college students to apply NASA’s systems engineering principles to design and prototype off-world construction robots. Inspired by the Artemis missions, students were tasked with creating autonomous robots that can build a berm, or a raised mound of soil used to provide structure, support, or protection.

The team ranked 26th for autonomy and 38th for berm construction. Congratulations to the students who competed on URochester's behalf-- Samuel Scheinbach ’27 (mechanical engineering), Gurami Mgebrishvili ’28 (electrical and computer engineering), Joshua Chou ’27 (mechanical engineering), Ezra Potter ’29 (optical engineering), and Sarah Jeong ’27 (computer science and philosophy), along with their advisor, Professor Tom Howard.

Good luck to the University of Rochester's Yellowjacket Racing as they prepare for the Baja SAE New York event that runs from tomorrow through Sunday! More than 100 teams from universities across the the US, Canada, and South America are set to compete. The team designed an impressive car and we'll have a strong contingent of students on hand aiming to do well on our "home turf." Meliora!

The Hajim School Dean’s Office is pleased to provide funding to five students to support study abroad experiences in the fall of 2026. We offer grants for undergraduate students to pursue academic studies or credit-bearing, career-oriented, and research internships abroad. This international exchange is intended to better prepare Hajim students to assume significant roles in an increasingly global economy and interdependent world. Congratulations to the following recipients:

Ngoc Le Bao Dao ’27 (data science)—Nanyang Technological University

Elisa Espinola Hernandez ’28 (biomedical engineering)—Chinese University of Hong Kong

Samuel Mateyos Yacob ’27 (data science)—DIS - Study Abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark

Kebron Zewda ’27 (data science)— IES Abroad Barcelona - Engineering

Naod Wondosen Zewede ’27 (computer science)—IES Abroad Barcelona - Engineering

Congratulations to Assistant Professor Yanan Guo from the Department of Computer Science, who is the senior author of a study that won a Distinguished Paper award at the 47th IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy.

Yanan and her colleagues from Zhejiang University in China and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore were recognized for their paper titled “Demystifying and Exploiting ASLR on NVIDIA GPUs.” The conference is the premier forum for presenting developments in computer security and electronic privacy, and for bringing together researchers and practitioners in the field.

Check out the latest issue of Rochester Review to read about how researchers like Professor Douglas Kelley from the Department of Mechanical Engineering are conducting pioneering research on the science of sleep, plus much more!

Don’t snooze on the latest issue of Rochester Review magazine—now in mailboxes and online! 👀

This exciting technology developed by researchers at the Institute of Optics led by Professor Chunlei Guo could help address global water shortages and growing mineral demand. Read more at the University of Rochester News Center: https://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/what-is-desalination-definition-ocean-water-704732/

Additive-free and brine-discharge-free solar-thermal desalination with simultaneous complete mineral mining from ocean water - Light: Science & Applications Solar-thermal interfacial desalination is a sustainable solution to meet the ever-increasing global freshwater demand. However, when treating actual ocean water, salt accumulation on the evaporator surfaces and brine discharge are major issues limiting the performance and posing environmental concer...

During Commencement weekend, the Hajim School presented exceptional students with endowed awards and prizes that recognize their extraordinary achievements in academics, research, and service. Congratulations to this year’s winners!

Sreejato Chatterjee (data science) received the The Charles L. Newton Prize, which recognizes engineering students who show a special proficiency in an engineering subject and have conducted research, given a presentation or published a paper.

Annika Deans (biomedical engineering) and Emily DeVeyra (optics) were awarded the Harold Hook Prize, which is presented to a student who has demonstrated outstanding interest in engineering.

Courtney Palmeri (chemical engineering) received the Lisa Norwood Student Endowment Fund Prize, which recognizes students who have shown commitment and service to the Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences by building community and belonging.

Kyra McCracken (biomedical engineering), Martin Trpceski (electrical and computer engineering), and Nyasha Gwaza (electrical and computer engineering) received the Tau Beta Pi Prize, awarded to seniors who, through academic achievement, proven leadership, and character have excelled and inspired fellow students.