News

2020

Chicago Quantum Exchange welcomes six new partners, including company founded by UChicago CS Alum

November 13, 2020

A Hamamatsu Photonics scientist tests optical equipment in the company’s Central Research laboratory.

The Chicago Quantum Exchange, a growing intellectual hub for the research and development of quantum technology, has added to its community six new partners in technology, finance, manufacturing, and consulting that are working to bring about and primed to take advantage of the coming quantum revolution. New corporate partners are Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS), Hamamatsu Photonics, Protiviti, Quantum Machines, and Super.tech, a company founded by a recent UChicago CS graduate, Pranav Gokhale.


Meteorologist Tetsuya Theodore Fujita (1920–1998) led a tempestuous career

November 12, 2020

Singing for the pine trees are stormy winds. Meteorologist Tetsuya Theodore Fujita (1920–1998) led a tempestuous career


UChicago scientists turn IBM computer into a quantum material

November 12, 2020

Gold quantum IBM computing device

UChicago scientists turn IBM computer into a quantum material


First inaugural PSD Staff Awards honors five members for dedication and hard work

November 11, 2020

Zoom gathering, images of faces

On Tuesday, November 10, 79 members of the University of Chicago Physical Sciences Division attended the first inaugural PSD Staff Awards. Alex Filatov, Carla Strickland, Sarah Lippert, Anne Collard, and Melinda Moore were recognized.


Meet geophysical sciences student, Andy Heard

November 6, 2020

Andrew Heard

Meet geophysical sciences student, Andy Heard, who studies geochemistry and uses precise measurements of iron isotope ratios in sedimentary rocks to learn about the history of oxygen on the ancient Earth.


Computer Science HandMorph Project uses tech to simulate children’s experience

November 4, 2020

wearable exoskeleton on a hand holding an orange demonstrating a new wearable tech device simulating a child's grasp

A new grasp on empathy: Computer Science HandMorph Project uses tech to simulate children’s experience.


Chicago Quantum Summit to foster national center collaborations, build quantum economy

October 30, 2020

blue glowing orb against dark background

Quantum technology experts from around the country will convene virtually on November 11-13 to forge new partnerships amid an exciting year for quantum research. This year, the three-day virtual Summit will include presentations and discussions that focus on building collaborations between large-scale quantum research centers, companies, and innovators; fostering a quantum economic ecosystem and growing the quantum startup community; and developing a quantum-ready workforce. It will also include a public event on Nov. 12, featuring a presentation by Scott Aaronson, the David J. Bruton Centennial Professor of Computer Science at The University of Texas at Austin; and a fireside chat with Aaronson and David Awschalom, the director of the Chicago Quantum Exchange.


PSD in the News - October 2020

October 28, 2020

Physical Sciences data map logo

This month PSD researchers have been featured for their efforts to discover how a small molecule is the key to HIV forming capsules, adapt laboratory research during COVID-19, and design nanotechnology that provides hope for a personalized vaccination for treating cancer.


Building better robot teammates

October 28, 2020

Sarah Sebo

Sarah Sebo, who joined UChicago CS this fall as an assistant professor, sees a brighter future where robots productively team up with humans in all lines of work, helping humans understand themselves a little better along the way. Sebo’s research focuses on human-robot interaction, a subset of the human-computer interaction field.


Three computer science students selected for Rising Star Program

October 28, 2020

Three PhD students from the Department of Computer Science, Yi Ding, Jean Salac, and Junwen Yang, have been selected for the 2020 edition of the Rising Stars workshop, a prestigious program for boosting the careers of women in CS and related fields. 


For the first time, scientists demonstrate self-repair mechanism in cells

October 27, 2020

woman sits at microscope. images on screen are pink and purple

In an innovative new study published Sept. 28 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, UChicago researchers demonstrated how a protein detects forces inside the cell and initiates a repair.


UChicago report reveals Illinois school leaders support new teaching credential for elementary math

October 27, 2020

Teacher with students at a table

A 2020 University of Chicago landscape study revealed that statewide, the vast majority of Illinois school district leaders and school leaders support new teaching credentials in Illinois for mathematics specialist teachers in the elementary grades.  
 


UChicago to host interdisciplinary workshop to address COVID-19

October 26, 2020

Physical Sciences data map logo

On Oct. 29-30, the Institute for Mathematical and Statistical Innovation (IMSI) at the University of Chicago will host an interdisciplinary workshop to address the COVID-19 pandemic. The event, “Dealing with COVID-19 in Theory and Practice,” will bring together key stakeholders with diverse backgrounds and expertise from across academia, industry and government—including biomedical experts, epidemiologists, public health officials, economists, business professionals and bioethicists.
 


Watch Nobel laureate Andrea Ghez explain how to prove a black hole exists

October 26, 2020

Andrea Ghez

Physicist explains challenges, triumphs at University of Chicago’s Maria Goeppert Mayer Lecture


UChicago scientists reveal new clues into how Earth got its oxygen

October 23, 2020

Earth’s thin shell of oxygen atmosphere keeps us alive, though we still don’t know exactly how it formed. A new study from the University of Chicago reveals clues in the role that iron had to play. Image courtesy of NASA

In a new study published Oct. 23 in Science, UChicago graduate student Andy Heard, Prof. Dauphas and their colleagues used a pioneering technique to uncover new information about the role of oceanic iron in the rise of Earth’s atmosphere. The findings reveal more about Earth’s history, and can even shed light on the search for habitable planets in other star systems.