2023
Research suggests that privacy and security protection fell to the wayside during remote learning
October 19, 2023
A qualitative research study conducted by faculty and students at the University of Chicago and University of Maryland revealed key tensions and breakdowns in the sociotechnical infrastructure of emergency remote learning that contributed to elementary school children’s privacy and data being compromised.
The toll of heat deaths in the Phoenix area soars after the hottest summer on record
October 19, 2023
In Arizona Daily Sun article, Geophysical Sciences Prof. Noboru Nakamura says that "when the jet stream meanders, it creates a heat dome, a pool of very warm air under this displaced jet stream...it's almost like a warm blanket."
Can language models replace programmers?
October 19, 2023
MarkTechPost article highlights UChicago researchers' SWE-bench framework, which focuses on real-world software engineering issues, like patch generation and complex context reasoning, offering a more realistic and comprehensive evaluation for enhancing language models with software engineering capabilities.
FeetThrough tech guides walking users ... by shocking their feet?
October 13, 2023
New Atlas article features FeetThrough, a prototype being developed by Assoc. Prof. Pedro Lopes.
In defense of DEI in science
October 13, 2023
For a Chicago Maroon op-ed, Assoc. Prof. Andrew Ferguson, Prof. Benoît Roux, Assoc. Prof. John Anderson, Biophysical Sciences Curriculum Director Adam T. Hammond, Assoc. Prof. Graham Slater, Prof. Henry Hoffmann, and Prof. Aaron P. Esser-Kahn argue that DEI initiatives in higher education fundamentally align with scientific rigor and institutional policies and play an important role in ensuring that we recruit and retain the absolute best scholars and provide a supportive climate within which all of us can pursue world-class research and teaching.
Arctic sea ice resumes its slide
October 13, 2023
Forbes article mentions a 2018 lecture by James Anderson.
What’s inside Earth?
October 10, 2023
GeoSci Asst. Prof. Sunyoung Park says Earth's mantle isn't liquid, but it's less rigid than sinking oceanic crust, adding that "in geological timescale[s], it's almost acting like a fluid, although it's solid rock."
How many animals have ever existed on Earth?
October 9, 2023
GeoSci Prof. David Jablonski says, "The standard estimate is that 99.9% of species that have ever lived are extinct," but adds that that is "a crude approximation."
UChicago researchers identify a novel function of RNA-binding protein RBFOX2 that drives leukemia
October 6, 2023
To understand how RBFOX2 modifies cell function, Chemist Chuan He and colleagues grew malignant hematopoietic stem cells with RBFOX2 deactivated in petri dishes and found that the proliferative capacity of the cells was markedly reduced, indicating that there might be higher expression of RBFOX2 in leukemia cells.
UChicago professor wins ‘genius grant’
October 5, 2023
Crain's Chicago Business reports on Prof. Rina Foygel Barber being awarded a "genius grant" from the MacArthur Foundation.
Illinois makes play for billion-dollar National Semiconductor Technology Center
October 5, 2023
In an Axios article, UChicago President Paul Alivisatos comments on the combined efforts of UChicago and University of Illinois to land a new flagship federal center of advanced semiconductor research and manufacturing, saying, "We have a long and deep history of being at the forefront of the study of quantum science, physics and chemistry."
Congrats to statistician Rina Foygel Barber for winning MacArthur Fellowship!
October 4, 2023
University of Chicago Prof. Rina Foygel Barber, a statistician known for her work in quantifying uncertainty, has been awarded a 2023 MacArthur Fellowship.
Predicting spin defect formation for use in quantum technologies
October 4, 2023
AzoQuantum article highlights a computational analysis led by Chemistry Prof. Giulia Galli forecasting the circumstances necessary to produce certain spin defects in silicon carbide.
For first time, scientists follow sodium and potassium inside cell organelles
October 4, 2023
UChicago chemists create sensors to track potassium, sodium in organelles.
New 6G networks are in the works. Can they destroy dead zones for good?
October 3, 2023
Commenting on the FCC's broadband map in a Scientific American article, Director of the Internet Equity Initiative Alexis Schrubbe says, “The way that data decisions were made in the creation of this map will have ramifications for generations...this map is probably the highest-stakes data product that the federal government has ever created."