News

2022

Trending now: How Netflix chills our free will

November 29, 2022

hands navigating Netflix on a tablet

A group of researchers from the Amyoli Internet Research Lab (AIR Lab) led by Asst. Prof. Marshini Chetty of computer science conducted a study to investigate how certain Netflix features quietly undermine our agency and keep us watching curated content longer.


Meet astronomy and astrophysics student, Madison Brady

November 25, 2022

Madison Brady

Madison Brady was born in a rural town in Northeastern Ohio, an hour’s drive out of Cleveland. She lived there until she attended Caltech in Pasadena, CA, for undergrad, earning a BS in astrophysics. She is in her third year as a graduate student in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics. She is primarily interested in studying rocky planets around very small nearby stars (M dwarfs), which provide us with key information on the formation, composition, and evolution of planets like Earth.


The James Webb telescope shows how starlight transforms a distant, Jupiter-like planet

November 23, 2022

This illustration shows how the gas giant planet WASP-39 b might look as it orbits its host star.

The James Webb Space Telescope has identified a rich mix of gases swirling in the skies of a hot, Jupiter-like world orbiting a star that's around 700-light years from Earth.


Many planets could have atmospheres rich in helium, study finds

November 22, 2022

An artist’s illustration of a faraway planet with an atmosphere rich in helium.

A new study explains how faraway planets with helium atmospheres may be very common and why.


James Webb Space telescope reveals a faraway planet’s band of clouds

November 21, 2022

This artist's illustration also displays newly detected patches of clouds scattered across the planet.

New observations of WASP-39b with the James Webb Space Telescope have provided a clearer picture of the exoplanet, showing the presence of sodium, potassium, water, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide in the planet's atmosphere.


UChicago CS research finds new angle on database query processing with geometry

November 21, 2022

Sanjay Krishnan

A new paper from the research group of UChicago CS assistant professor Sanjay Krishnan caps three years of research on how computational geometry can make approximate query processing more efficient.


Meet 3 LGBTQ+ scientists putting pride in STEM

November 21, 2022

Jas Brooks, Computer Science Student, and two other LGBTQ+ scientists in The Advocate

University of Chicago computer science Ph.D. student Jas Brooks was interviewed by The Advocate for Pride in STEM Day, Nov. 18, for being a successful LGBTQ+ person in STEM.


PSD Spotlight: Meredith Davis

November 15, 2022

Meredith Davis

The PSD November Spotlight is Meredith Davis, media relations manager for the Physical Sciences Division and Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering. She began at UChicago in November 2021.


Nine PSD members named Highly Cited Researchers

November 15, 2022

PSD in white against a maroon background

The Highly Cited Researchers™ list from Clarivate™ identifies scientists and social scientists who have demonstrated significant influence through publication of multiple highly cited papers during the last decade. Ten PSD members made the 2022 list.


Chemists create an ‘artificial photosynthesis’ system that is 10 times more efficient than existing systems

November 10, 2022

Illustration of artificial photosynthesis happening in a leaf

A new study from six UChicago chemists shows an innovative new system for artificial photosynthesis that is more productive than previous artificial systems by an order of magnitude and could produce ethanol, methane, or other fuels.


A slime mold turns your smartwatch into a living Tamagotchi

November 10, 2022

A wrist and hand sporting an experimental device called at Slime Mold Smart Watch, with a close up of living slime housed in the watch.

What if your ‘90’s Tamagotchi pet wasn’t digital? What if your devices were really alive, at least a little bit, and you had to care for them in order for them to work? These are the questions grad student Jasmine Lu and Assoc. Prof. Pedro Lopes of UChicago Computer Science set out to answer with their Slime Mold Smart Watch.


$9.2M grant to UChicago computer scientists will improve graph analytics

November 10, 2022

Andrew A. Chien

UChicago computer scientists will lead a $9.2M grant from ARPA for the UpDown System, to speed up graph analytics. The effort will reinvent computer architecture, dramatically increasing efficiency and scalability for graph computing. Prof. Andrew Chien wil head a team including Henry Hoffmann, Yanjing Li, and Michael Maire.


Pranav Gokhale, PhD’20, among Crain’s Chicago Business 40 Under 40 for 2022

November 7, 2022

Pranav Gokhale

Pranav Gokhale, PhD‘20 Computer Science, was among Crain’s Chicago Business 40 Under 40 for 2022. Prof. Fred Chong comments on his success in co-leading their quantum startup, Super.tech. 


2022 Chicago Quantum Summit to gather leaders defining the emerging field

November 4, 2022

quantum communication illustration

The fifth annual Chicago Quantum Summit, hosted by the Chicago Quantum Exchange, will convene academic, government, and industry leaders in quantum information science and engineering on Nov. 14-15. The public can attend on Zoom.


A massive space rock impact may have kickstarted Earth’s magnetic field

November 4, 2022

Depiction of interplanetary crash with explosion of heat and light

A new study led by Prof. Fausto Cattaneo, Dept. of Astronomy and Astrophysics, informs Earth-Moon formation theories. Through analysis of the dynamics of fluids and electrically conducting fluids, the researchers concluded that the Earth must have been magnetized either before the impact of an interplanetary collision or as a result of it.