University of Rochester

A shift starting in the late 1960s has targeted poor families with unnecessary investigations and child removals at the expense of services, says Mical Raz, an associate professor of history at the University and a physician at Strong Memorial Hospital. In her latest book, "Abusive Policies: How the American Child Welfare System Lost Its Way," she traces the history of child abuse policy in the US over the last half-century. Read our Q-and-A with Raz, in which she talks about the effects of bias and poverty on the American child welfare system, and what could be done to fix the problem.

The newly approved Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine has arrived at the University of Rochester. Researchers and volunteers in Rochester have been involved in the testing of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine since May. The Pfizer vaccine has proven safe and effective in rigorous scientific trials involving tens of thousands of persons. Hope for the end to this pandemic is on the horizon, says Michael Apostolakos, chief medical officer at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Patient... transport worker Carlos Rosa was the first of a small group of Medical Center employees to get the first dose of the vaccine this week. "I've been really looking forward to this, so I can lead the way, and to be closer to my family," he says. Learn more about how the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine study traces its roots back to decades of research conducted at Rochester to improve the efficacy of vaccines and develop new vaccines: http://uofr.us/3mnFyr1

The conflict between health priorities and economic policies can create spiraling crises, especially in emerging economies. In a new study led by Rochester professor Yan Bai, economists argue that debt relief programs from the International Monetary Fund and other international organizations could play a crucial role in supporting these emerging market countries and help to save lives.

Tonight orchestras and chamber singers from the University's Arthur Satz Department of Music will join the Oberlin Arts and Sciences Orchestra for a unique online collaboration, featuring works such as the "Captain Marvel" soundtrack and Beethoven's "Choral Fantasy" in celebration of Beethoven's 250th birthday. You can watch this virtual concert at https://uofr.us/34eykzr

Congratulations to this year's recipients of the Goergen Awards, an annual recognition of teaching excellence by faculty members in Arts, Sciences & Engineering at the University! They are: Tanya Bakhmetyeva, associate professor of instruction in gender, sexuality, and women’s studies at the Susan B. Anthony Institute for Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies Rudi Fasan, a professor in the Department of Chemistry and the Andrew S. Kende Endowed Chair in Synthetic Organic... Chemistry Scott Seidman, a professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering Learn more about each of the awardees and their contributions as educators: https://uofr.us/3oieN9t

As we continue to physically distance and limit the capacity of large spaces on our campuses, Rochester musicians have found creative ways to stay connected with their audiences. I think we can challenge our views of what we think of as being an audience, says Rachel Waddell, musical director and conductor in the College's Department of Music. As they say, the show must go on(line)! Check out how Waddell and her students adapted the traditional end-of-year performance of Tchaikovsky’s "1812 Overture" finale, an experience they're using as inspiration for performances this fall: https://uofr.us/37fJXsi

It may be online this year, but a holiday tradition continues.

The events of the past seven months have added more stress for prospective students and parents navigating a college admissions process already fraught with anxiety. Robert Alexander, the dean of undergraduate admissions, financial aid, and enrollment management for Arts, Sciences & Engineering at the University, offers advice for anyone laying out a path to college over the next several months.

For the first time ever, Rochester engineers and physicists have created material that is superconducting at room temperature. How did they achieve this important discovery in condensed matter physics? By compressing simple molecular solids with hydrogen at *extremely* high pressures. Their breakthrough is part of the University's leading efforts to understand how atoms react under high-pressure conditionsand it could have valuable applications for energy, transportation, and medical imaging. #URochesterResearch

Rochester alumnus Will Schlageter ’20 (T5)who triple majored and then completed a year as a Take Five Scholarhas raced, swung, jumped, and climbed his way into the national semifinals of NBC's "American Ninja Warrior." He's one of 62 people taking on the 10-obstacle course and competing to be the 2020 champion. Tune in this Wednesday at 9 p.m. (EDT) to see if he made it through to this year's finals! #GoJackets

The algorithms that social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram use to recommend who we should follow are designed to steer us to people who likely share the same ideas and interests. But new University of Rochester research shows that these and other platforms could help us become more creativea quality that is increasingly valued in our societyif they instead steered us to people with ideas and interests different from our own. #URochesterResearch

Conspiracy theories, democratic backsliding, the integrity of mail ballotsit's an election cycle like no other. So we asked Rochester political scientists to weigh in, and they say concerns about this year’s electoral process are challenging some fundamental ideas about the nation and democracy.

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, we're highlighting some of the extraordinary women who had their roots in Rochesterand who made an impact worldwide. We will continue to share their stories throughout 2020. Naomi Lee ’07 (MS), ’13 (PhD) is a Native American scientist and professor engaged in biomedical research, STEM education, and mentoring, with a focus on American Indian and Alaska Native health. Born and raised on the Seneca C...attaraugus Indian Reservation in western New York, Lee mentors Native American and other young people of color to pursue their interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Sarwat Malik and Nadia Malik ’92, ’94S (MBA) cofounded the Global Partnership for Women and Girls (GPWG), a project dedicated to the advancement of Muslim women worldwide. Nadia and Sarwat both served their community and achieved a great many things in banking and medicine, respectively. Sarwat established a successful medical practice while raising a family in Rochester, and was the founding president of the American Medical Women’s Association of Rochester (AMWAR); Nadia continues to carry on the mission at GPWG. Learn more about each of these women at the Celebration 2020 website: www.rochester.edu/2020-celebration

As part of our Meliora Month lineup, author, political analyst, and Georgetown University sociology professor Michael Eric Dyson will speak on racial profiling during a virtual event tonight from 6 to 7:15 p.m. EDT. His talk, In Caricature: Racial Profiling and Its Impact on Black America, is the fourth in the Difficult Conversations as a Catalyst for Change series. Dyson was scheduled to speak on campus last March, but the event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event is open to everyone. Register online to attend: https://uofr.us/317Sg5i

Puerto Rican students who arrived as guests after Hurricane Maria have made their mark on campusand helped the College attract more students from the island. Of the 33 undergraduates currently at the College from Puerto Rico, 17 were enrolled in the Kinesis Foundation. This San Juan-based nonprofit provides Puerto Rican students with mentorship and resources to succeed in higher education. Rochester now has more Kinesis alumni enrolled than any college on the US mainlandsurpassing Notre Dame, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, and MIT. Discover why they chose Rochester https://uofr.us/318UMsh

Historian and Rochester alumnus John Barry ’69 (MA) is the author of "The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History." He says that although the virulence of the 1918 flu made it a very different disease than COVID-19, the lessons of that pandemic still resonate. The fundamental lesson, according to Barry? Those in authority must retain the public’s trust. The way to do that is to distort nothing, to put the best face on nothing, to try to manipulate no one. Read more in our Q-and-A with Barry: https://uofr.us/3d4UoQ9

University of Rochester graduate Harvey Alter ’56, ’60M (MD) was awarded a Nobel Prize last week for his role in the discovery of hepatitis C. The New York City native came to Rochester as an undergraduate in part because of its medical school. Once in medical school, he was drawn to pathology, then ophthalmology, then pediatrics, then internal medicine. There was not a course or rotation in medical school that I did not like, he remembers. His was a long route to hematology. Alter would spend nine years in Rochesterfirst as an undergraduate then as a medical student and finally as a resident at Strong Memorial Hospitalbefore his appointment at the National Institutes of Health ultimately led him down a path of medical research that would extend 50 years to the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.