2021
Professor Elena Shevchenko joins Chemistry faculty
January 29, 2021

Professor Elena Shevchenko joins Chemistry faculty. She is recognized as one of the top scientists worldwide in the synthesis of colloidal nanocrystals and nanocrystal superlattices.
Roger Hildebrand, Manhattan Project veteran and ‘giant’ of physics and astrophysics, 1922-2021
January 27, 2021

Roger Hildebrand, Manhattan Project veteran and ‘giant’ of physics and astrophysics, 1922-2021. Prof. Emeritus Hildebrand, who revolutionized sub-millimeter astronomy and the Dean of the College during the Vietnam era, died Jan. 21. He was 98.
New self-assembly method creates bioelectronics out of microscopic structures
January 27, 2021

New self-assembly method creates bioelectronics out of microscopic structures. Scientists in Prof. Bozhi Tian’s lab use a “bottom-up” approach to yield highly customizable bioelectronics.
Cosmologist Brian Nord on his coalition of physicists and computer scientists promoting algorithmic accountability
January 26, 2021

Cosmologist Brian Nord is interviewed by Gizmodo about building a coalition of physicists and computer scientists promoting algorithmic accountability. Nord is a machine learning expert at Fermi National Laboratory who studies strong gravitational lensing and deep learning.
UChicago CS team led by Prof. Nick Feamster receives $1.2M to map the digital divide in Chicago
January 26, 2021

UChicago CS team led by Prof. Nick Feamster receives $1.2M to map the digital divide in Chicago. Grant from data.org to fund ‘moonshot’ to bring high-speed internet accessible to all
The Doomsday Clock will be unveiled again this week
January 26, 2021

The Doomsday Clock is a metaphor that represents how close humanity is to self-destruction, due to nuclear weapons and climate change. The clock hands are set by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a group formed by Manhattan Project scientists at the University of Chicago who helped build the atomic bomb but protested using it against people. Jan. 26 they will unveil where the hands are for 2021.
PUEO mission led by Assoc. Prof. Abigail Vieregg chosen for NASA Pioneers Program
January 26, 2021

As part of its new Pioneers Program, NASA has chosen four small-scale astrophysics missions for further concept development, including PUEO, a balloon mission led by Assoc. Prof. Abigail Vieregg, that will launch from Antarctica and detect signals from ultra-high energy neutrinos.
PSD in the News - December 2020 and January 2021
January 22, 2021

There were 39 news articles featuring Physical Sciences Division research and accomplishments in December and January. Scientists created the first computational model of the entire virus responsible for COVID-19, pioneered measurements of electricity in cells, and charted the evolution of U.S. energy consumption. Several valued members of PSD were memorialized, including a Nobel lareaute and a graduate student. See highlights below and read the full list.
Prof. Voth interviewed about the first usable computational model of the entire virus on Fox 32
January 20, 2021

Chemist Prof. Gregory Voth was interviewed about the first usable computational model of the entire virus that is responsible for COVID-19 on Fox 32 Chicago.
NanoPattern Technologies, ReAx Biotechnologies receive $150,000 each to commercialize research
January 15, 2021

NanoPattern Technologies, co-founded by Prof. Dmitri Talapin, and ReAx Biotechnologies, founded by Asst. Prof Raymond Moellering, receive $150,000 each to commercialize research.
Prof. Benson Farb resurrects Hilbert’s 13th Problem and mines web of connections
January 15, 2021

Prof. Benson Farb is among mathematicians resurrecting Hilbert’s 13th Problem. Long considered solved, David Hilbert’s question about seventh-degree polynomials is leading researchers to a new web of mathematical connections.
Dark Energy Survey releases catalog of nearly 700 million astronomical objects to the public
January 14, 2021

On January 14, Dark Energy Survey released a catalog of nearly 700 million astronomical objects to the public. The pioneering Fermilab-led survey, directed by Astronomy & Astrophysics Prof. Emeritus Rich Kron, covered 5,000 square degrees of the southern sky
Prof. Gladders’s undergrads discover bright lensed galaxy in the early universe
January 13, 2021

Prof. Gladders's undergrads discover bright lensed galaxy in the early universe
Preeminent statistician Leo Goodman, who spent 36 years in the PSD, 1928–2020
January 12, 2021

The PSD community mourns the passing of the preeminent statistician Leo Goodman, who spent 36 years in the PSD and greatly innovated social sciences research. He died at 92.
After decades of effort, scientists are finally seeing black holes—or are they?
January 8, 2021

After decades of effort, scientists are finally seeing black holes—or are they? Gravitational theorist Prof. Robert Wald weighs in on the sudden observability of black holes.