News

2021

Asst. Prof. Sarah King awarded Air Force Office of Scientific Research Award

November 11, 2021

Sarah King

Neubauer Family Assistant Professor Sarah King, Dept. of Chemistry, is among 36 researchers receiving Air Force Office of Scientific Research Awards. A three-year grant of $450,000 will support her project, “Enhancing MXene catalysis on the nanoscale.”


Data scientists aim to detect internet censorship in real time

November 10, 2021

An illustration of a person in front of a computer with traffic signs floating above the desk, to demonstrate Internet censorship

A new multi-institutional study led by University of Chicago Prof. Nick Feamster will build new AI and data science tools to monitor and detect internet censorship, develop new statistical techniques to identify censorship with greater levels of confidence, and ultimately create a “weather map” for certain types of nation-state interference and control of online information.


Astrophysicists unveil glut of gravitational-wave detections

November 9, 2021

black holes merge

Professor Daniel Holz, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, comments on the latest bounty of 35 events reported via gravitational wave detections, including patterns in black hole mergers.


University of Chicago to award four honorary degrees at 2022 Convocation

November 9, 2021

Katherine H. Freeman and Nergis Mavalvala

Two physical scientists will be among the four scholars awarded honorary degrees at the University of Chicago 2022 convocation. Katherine H. Freeman, an organic biogeochemist, developed the paleo-carbon dioxide proxy record that has contributed to the study of climate change. Nergis Mavalvala, a leading astrophysicist and LIGO collaborator, is notable for her work on the discovery of gravitational waves and for developing precision quantum optomechanics.


Priorities for next 10 years of astronomy include exoplanets, early days of universe

November 5, 2021

On Nov. 4, the National Academy of Sciences released its Astro2020 decadal survey, "Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 2020s," which outlines a strategy and vision for a decade of transformative science at the frontiers of astronomy and astrophysics. Several University of Chicago projects were endorsed by the report and will lead the field for the next decade and beyond.


US Extremely Large Telescope Program ranked as top Astro2020 initiative

November 5, 2021

Giant Magellan Telescope illustration

Astro2020 ranked the US Extremely Large Telescope Program (US-ELTP) as the top frontier project for ground-based observatories, recommending federal support for the final construction stages of the Giant Magellan Telescope. The recommendation detailed that building an extremely large telescope “is absolutely essential if the United States is to maintain a position as a leader in ground-based astronomy.”


Prof. David Awschalom discusses the quantum revolution on NPR

November 5, 2021

David Awschalom

Prof. David Awschalom discusses the quantum revolution on WBEZ 91.5 FM Chicago prior to the opening of the fourth annual Chicago Quantum Summit.


Prof. Laura Gagliardi, Department of Chemistry, elected Foreign Member of the Italian National Academy

November 4, 2021

Laura Gagliardi

Laura Gagliardi, the Richard and Kathy Leventhal Professor in the Department of Chemistry, has been elected Foreign Member of the Italian National Academy, called Academia Nazionale Dei Lincei. This is an august body of scholars, whose Vice-President is Giorgio Parisi, recipient of the recent Nobel in physics.


Asst. Prof. Blase Ur comments on Facebook rebranding as Meta to emphasize ‘metaverse’ vision

November 4, 2021

A still of Blase Ur on WTTW television Chicago Tonight

Asst. Prof. Blase Ur, Department of Computer Science, discusses the meaning of the ‘metaverse’ on WTTW, in light of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg rebranding his company as Meta in an effort to encompass its virtual-reality vision for the future — what Zuckerberg calls the 'metaverse.'


Using chemistry to extract water from the air, even in the desert

November 3, 2021

Desert scene

Laura Gagliardi, the Richard and Kathy Leventhal Professor in chemistry, and a team of scientists developed a device to extract water out of air. The breakthrough can work even in dry climates like deserts, and could have implications for water shortages associated with climate change.


Scientists are one step closer to error-correcting quantum computers

November 2, 2021

David Schuster with a quantum device

Prof. David Schuster, Department of Physics, comments on why demonstrating quantum error correction is a necessity for building useful quantum computers.


Technique opens ‘new window’ to understanding planets in other solar systems

October 29, 2021

An artist’s concept of a planet in another solar system that is as large as Jupiter, but close enough to its sun to be very hot.

An international team of scientists using the Gemini Observatory telescope in Chile has found a way to measure the amount of both water and carbon monoxide in the atmosphere of a planet in another solar system, roughly 340 light years away.


PSD in the News - October 2021

October 28, 2021

PSD against a white and turquoise background

This month PSD researchers have been featured for their efforts to create materials that can move and block heat, use a massive accelerator to analyze dust from an asteroid, and build wearable devices for signing ASL and playing piano.


Chicago Quantum Summit will gather leaders Nov. 4 to help build quantum ecosystems

October 28, 2021

Illustration of high energy physics at the quantum scale

On Nov. 4, the fourth annual Chicago Quantum Summit will bring together academic, government, and industry leaders to discuss how the field can strengthen and expand the quantum ecosystem, on local and global scales.


MicroBooNE’s new findings provide clues on longtime mystery in neutrino physics

October 27, 2021

A scientist stands inside the tunnel chamber of MicroBooNE neutrino detector at Fermi National Lab

Four complementary analyses released by the international MicroBooNE collaboration at Fermi National Laboratory show the same thing: no sign of the theoretical particle known as the sterile neutrino. Instead, the results align with the Standard Model of Particle Physics prediction: there are only three kinds of neutrinos.