On Campus FOCUSED ON DIVERSIFYING STEM STUDENT POPULATIONS Scientists and Physicians of the Future A LEADING RESEARCH University of Rochester medical and engineering schools offer unique graduate programs BY MICHELLE LEMIEUX institution, the University of Rochester is at the forefront of dynamic graduate and Ph.D. programs full of innovation and collaboration. Its mission: to learn, discover, heal, create — and make the world ever better. UR students are doing just that. Located in the fourth-largest urban area in the state of New York, UR prides itself on being a leader in learning. Creating cutting-edge programs geared at students with a passion for research and STEM, UR provides the skills needed to succeed from the classroom to a full-time career. Dr. Marvin Doyley, UR professor and chair, Depart-ment of Electrical and Comput-er Engineering, says the school is ahead of the curve when it comes to developing medical and engineering courses. In fact, the Musical Acoustics and Signal Processing and the Sci-ence in Diagnostic Imaging pro-grams are the first of their kind in the United States. UR is also working to bring back programs in manufacturing to leverage the country’s national need for more jobs in the field. “Collaborating with other disciplines is critical to the future of tech,” says Doyley. “When clinicians and engineers work together, they realize how transferrable their skills are Marvin and enhance Doyley their strengths.” UR’s graduate programs have become popular for their smaller class sizes, which allow profes-sors to work more closely with students. Doyley says UR’s faculty consists of award-win-ning scholars and inventors, in addition to industry leaders and fellows. Alumni relations are also strong, which helps in job placement and mentorship opportunities. One of the standouts of UR is that it allows every student to grow into their potential, achieved in part by offsetting the cost of its graduate pro-grams. For example, its Ph.D. program not only offers a stipend but health insurance as well, which helps students focus solely on their research goals. Ranked #36 in U.S. News & World Report ’s Best Colleges (National Universities) and a leading R1 institution, UR is home to a first-class medi-cal center and has 60 research centers within its Arts, Sciences and Engineering school. The university has received millions of dollars in grants from the National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense and National Science Institute. All graduate courses are held in person as the research being conducted is very “hands-on.” “With the funds we receive, we have been able to offer our students state-of-the-art equip-ment and labs to perform their cutting-edge research to make a difference in today’s world,” says Doyley. Staying “novel” and part-nering with companies like Facebook, Apple, Tesla and Qualcomm, as well as nonprofit and government agencies, is an important part of UR’s focus. Many students who attend UR want to strengthen their current skill sets, while others are work-ing to expand or further their careers. Building diversity throughout University of Rochester’s medi-cal and engineering programs is immensely important to Doyley and one of his primary goals. He says it’s his “life’s mission to diversify STEM for underrepre-sented students in the space.” University of Rochester Total Student Enrollment: 2,000 graduate students in STEM programs between the School of Arts, Science and Engineering and the School of Medicine & Dentistry Types of Degrees Offered: 5 Ph.D.s, 27 Master’s, 1 post-bac, 5 summer REUs all within biological, biomedical, health sciences and engineering fields Ways to Matriculate: Full-time, part-time, online op-tions vary by program Website: diversityinaction.urmc.edu PHOTOS COURTESY OF DR. MARVIN DOYLEY/UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER Campus Location: Rochester, New York 74 Diversity in Action | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2023