News

2026

New chip technology enables real-time insights from scientific data

April 4, 2026

Silicon chip that integrates both imaging sensors and data compression, shown next to a U.S. penny and resting on grains of sand. This chip was co-designed by Argonne and SLAC.

Argonne’s chip compresses and processes detector data instantly, letting scientists analyze results and steer experiments as they happen.


Winter 2026 Capstone Showcase highlights innovative data science projects

April 4, 2026

Pickleball paddle.

The Winter 2026 Capstone Showcase for the University of Chicago’s Master’s in Applied Data Science (MS-ADS) program featured 14 student teams presenting projects that applied data science to real-world challenges.


Can practical superconductors work without extreme cooling?

April 4, 2026

Argonne’s Advanced Photon Source. (Image by Argonne National Laboratory.)

Argonne’s Advanced Photon Source unlocks secrets of high-temperature superconductors.


Assessing and addressing students’ prior knowledge

April 4, 2026

Combined image of Julia Brazas and Fausto Cattaneo.

In a Chicago Center for Teaching and Learning interview, Fausto Cattaneo and Julia Brazas discuss the challenges of teaching courses that require prior understanding of concepts.


Pedagogy of AI as normal technology

April 4, 2026

Photo of Nick Feamster.

In a Chicago Center for Teaching and Learning interview, Nick Feamster discusses how he integrates and encourages AI use in his courses.


Mapping the new rules of “AI slop”: How social media platforms are managing AI-generated content

April 4, 2026

An Instagram post by BBCnewsindia that shows the fake, AI generated photos of Zendaya’s wedding

Third-year PhD student Lan Gao studies how social platforms govern a changing online ecosystem.


To teach social-emotional skills, does a robot need to pretend to be human?

April 4, 2026

Robots don’t replace the human element in teaching, the scientists said, but can serve as supplemental one-on-one tutoring.

UChicago scientists team up with Chicago Public Schools to test if robots need fictional personalities to teach effectively.


CSEI announces latest research awards

March 30, 2026

Climate Systems Engineering Initiative logo

Eight new projects led by University of Chicago faculty and researchers will deepen understanding of climate interventions and their potential tradeoffs.


Four UChicago scientists named Association for the Advancement of Science fellows in 2026

March 26, 2026

Vincenzo Vitelli (left) and Carlos E.M. Wagner

Congratulations to Vincenzo Vitelli and Carlos E.M. Wagner, who were named 2025 fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for their distinguished contributions to the sciences. 


The 2026 Schmidt Science Fellows will break down barriers and advance discovery

March 25, 2026

Di Wang

Congratulations to Chemistry alum Di Wang, PhD'25, who has been named a 2026 Schmidt Science Fellow! He aims to improve the production of nanomaterials by overcoming their biological limitations.


How realistic is the science in Project Hail Mary?

March 24, 2026

Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace, reluctant astronaut, in Project Hail Mary

From the viability of waterless life to how researchers should handle cosmic emergencies, astronomer Wendy Freedman weighs in on the new sci-fi film.
 


Scientists discover ultra-red star from the dawn of the universe

March 24, 2026

A Stellar Fossil Pushes Boundaries (Image Credits: Unsplash)

Researchers, including members of the University of Chicago, find the lowest abundance of iron in any ultra-faint dwarf galaxy, reshaping our understanding of cosmic chemistry. 


Most data center water usage comes from electric supplying plants

March 24, 2026

Photo of professor Andrew Chien.

Andrew Chien, director of the Center for Unstoppable Computing at the University of Chicago, warns the rapid boom of data centers is slowing the decarbonization of the power grid.


AI, nuclear weapons, and the lab looking to mitigate risks

March 24, 2026

Some scholars have growing concerns about how AI and nuclear weapons might intersect.

At the University of Chicago’s Existential Risk Laboratory, researchers study how emerging technologies like AI could amplify global threats such as nuclear war.
 


How did animals conquer the deep sea? Mussels and clams point to two different strategies

March 24, 2026

Beds of Bathymodiolus mussels provide important habitat for other deep-sea critters, including sea stars, scaleworms and limpets.

New research shows why some shelly critters flourished in the ocean’s harshest habitats — and others didn’t.