2023
PSD in the News - January 2023
January 26, 2023
This month PSD researchers have been featured for their efforts to determine why the Southern Hemisphere is stormier than the Nothern Hemisphere, explain how the HIV virus replicates itself, and gather and analyze data on the funding, location, and research status for more than 230 GMO crop varieties in Africa.
Where is physics headed (and how soon do we get there)?
January 24, 2023
The New York Times interviewed the co-chairs of the national committee on Elementary Particle Physics: Progress and Promise, emeritus Professor Michael Turner, Depts. Physics and Astronomy and Astrophysics, and Maria Spiropulu, to discuss the group’s progress, the disappointments of the last 20 years and the challenges ahead.
Doomsday Clock moves closest to apocalypse than ever before, at 90 seconds to midnight
January 24, 2023
The 2023 unveiling of the Doomsday Clock at a Jan. 24 event in Washington, D.C. showed hands of the clock at 90 seconds to midnight. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which includes Profs. Holz and Rosner of PSD, cite ‘unprecedented danger’ amid war in Ukraine, concerns over climate change.
Tiny ion is crucial for HIV replication, say UChicago chemists
January 24, 2023
A study by UChicago chemists has uncovered a new key step in the process that HIV uses to replicate itself. “The thought is that if we could stop the capsids from forming, or cause them to malform, we could prevent HIV from being infectious and replicating,” said senior author, Prof. Greg Voth, Dept. of Chemistry.
Prof. Ka Yee Lee named Biophysical Society Fellow
January 19, 2023
Prof. Ka Yee C. Lee, Dept. of Chemistry, was named a Fellow of the Biophysical Society in 2023 “for her impactful and creative contributions to our understanding of the structure and stability of lipid membranes and their interactions with proteins.”
How sleep affects human health, explained
January 19, 2023
Sleep research began at UChicago, when in 1953, Nathaniel Kleitman and Eugene Aserinsky identified REM sleep, the stage when most dreaming occurs. Today, UChicago researchers study sleep’s relationship to body weight, disease, learning, and mood.
Professor Heather Zheng named ACM Fellow
January 18, 2023
Neubauer Professor of Computer Science Heather Zheng was elected as a Fellow of the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM), the world’s largest and most prestigious society of computing professionals, for her work in wireless networking and mobile computing.
New DSI Open Spatial Lab brings expertise to social impact organizations
January 17, 2023
The Open Spatial Lab (OSL), a collaboration of the Data Science Institute and the Center for Spatial Data Science, is a new hub for the tools and partnerships essential for maximizing the potential of spatial data science.
ML bias & ethics researcher Kristian Lum joins Data Science Institute
January 13, 2023
Kristian Lum has joined the DSI as a research associate professor after time at Twitter, the Human Rights Data Analysis Group, and in academia examining fairness, accountability and transparency in machine learning and its applications.
High school students find their place in computing through wearables workshop
January 13, 2023
Sixteen high school students expanded their view of what computer science is by participating in a “Make Your Own Wearables From Scratch” workshop hosted by the University of Chicago.
Robert Rosner, 2023 APS President, takes the helm
January 13, 2023
An interview with theoretical physicist Prof. Robert Rosner as he becomes the American Physical Society President in 2023.
Chemist John Anderson comments as substance from chemical plant fire rains down
January 12, 2023
Chemist and Assoc. Prof. John Anderson comments on the dangerous, reactive residue residents of La Salle are encountering after a chemical plant burned down.
Asst. Prof. Sarah Sebo presents robot-human interaction research to Northwestern
January 10, 2023
Asst. Prof. Sarah Sebo, Dept. of Computer Science, presented her research on human and robot interactions and their effect on emotions at Northwestern University.
UChicago launches Polsky Deep Tech Ventures to support startups bringing science, tech to market
January 5, 2023
UChicago unveiled Polsky Deep Tech Ventures, a new $20m initiative offering accelerators, entrepreneurial training, and funding dedicated to supporting startups that bring world-changing science and technology to market.
Asst. Prof. Robert Rand receives Air Force Young Investigator Grant
January 4, 2023
Asst. Prof. Robert Rand of computer science received a $450,000 early career grant from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Research Program. The grant will fund his research on the formal verification of the ZX-calculus, a graphical system for representing quantum programs.