Departmental News
Recent departmental news items will be posted here. For more news see our news archive or the news from the University of Rochester Newscenter.
DAAD RISE Scholars
URochester boasted an impressive 13 DAAD RISE scholars this year, including five Hajim School students. With support from the Student Fellowships Office, these scholars secured internships at top German universities and research institutions. Students are matched with a host university or institute based on their area of interest (biology, chemistry, physics, earth sciences, engineering, or a closely related field) and work with PhD student mentors or researchers.
Undergraduate Research Symposium - April 2026
Congratulations to Ulizes Atlixgueno, an ECE Junior, who won the Deans Award for best presentation at the 2026 Symposium.
Newly Funded Research
Congratulations to Associate Professor of Research Cristiano Tapparello from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, who received $202,526 from the NIH National Institute on Aging for a project led by Stanford University titled “A facial expression-based personalization engine (FPE) for monitoring and modulating real-time effective engagement in cognitive training in older adults at risk for AD-dementia.”
Grand Challenges Scholar Spotlight
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 on Instagram. This week we feature Nyasha Gwaza ’26 (electrical and computer engineering).
Ever Better Graduate Mentors
Congratulations to our ECE faculty who have named along with several other Hajim School members and partners who were recognized as Ever Better Graduate Mentors through the Graduate Mentorship Recognition Program. This initiative, organized by the Office of Graduate Education & Postdoctoral Affairs for the School of Arts & Sciences and the Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences, celebrates mentors who have gone above and beyond in supporting graduate students’ academic and professional development.
Remembering Professor Emeritus, Thomas Hsiang 1948-2026
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering has lost another beloved former faculty member. Professor Emeritus Thomas Hsiang died peacefully on February 12 at age 77. Tom joined the University of Rochester faculty in 1981 and served until his retirement in 2017.
Hajim School International Experience Scholarship Awardees
Eight students have been awarded Hajim School International Experience Scholarships for the spring or fall semesters. These scholarships provide students up to $500 to help defray the costs of studying abroad, including program tuition, room and board, books, local transportation, insurance and international airfare.