News: Newsclips

2024

Cosmology and community

July 25, 2024

KICP sign at Adler

UChicago’s Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics celebrates 20 years of discovery.


Experiment uses quantum techniques to stimulate photons, enhancing search for dark matter

July 24, 2024

Ankur Agrawal looking through a transparent disk

A UChicago and Fermilab-led experiment reported the ability to enhance signals from dark matter waves using novel quantum techniques. This work will help advance dark matter research, allowing scientists to save both time and resources.


NASA’s Webb telescope peers into the boundary between day and night on a distant world

July 24, 2024

James Webb Space Telescope

Researchers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have observed new details about the boundary of a tidally locked planet—where half of the planet is always exposed to its star while the other is always shrouded in darkness. University of Chicago's Maria Steinrueck, Jacob Bean, and Diana Powell were co-authors of the paper presenting these results.


Enhancing multitasking efficiency: the role of muscle stimulation in reducing mental workload

July 24, 2024

4 hands working on a laptop

PhD student Romain Nith, research collaborator Yun Ho, and Associate Professor Pedro Lopes propose increasing the efficiency of multitasking by incorporating electrical muscle stimulation called “SplitBody.”


The feds’ cutting-edge tech arm plants a quantum-computing flag in Illinois

July 24, 2024

Bright quantum icon between outstretched hands

Under Governor Pritzker, state quantum-computing investments began at the University of Chicago, the University of Illinois, and Argonne and Fermi National Laboratories. Together, they have since secured $275 million in federal grants for quantum computing. Now, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) plans to create a new quantum-testing facility in the Chicago area.


Will burying biomass underground curb climate change?

July 24, 2024

biomass power plant

Some climate experts say carbon removal start-ups will limit global warming, but significant questions remain. David Keith, head of the Climate Systems Engineering initiative at the University of Chicago, comments on the rise of carbon removal strategies. 


Argonne’s giant X-ray microscope gets an $815M upgrade

July 24, 2024

Argonne National Laboratory

The Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory, already one of the world’s brightest lights, just became 500 times brighter. University of Chicago researcher Joanne Stubbs explains the wide range of new possibilities this upgrade will offer to Argonne scientists.


A multitalented atom-transfer reagent

July 24, 2024

A model of Hansmann's new reagent

Researchers combined the characteristic parts of two well-known reagents into a versatile new compound for transplanting carbon atoms into organic molecules. Chemistry professor Guanbin Dong comments on the scientific interest behind the research. 


Artists are taking things into their own hands to protect their work from generative AI

July 24, 2024

art on gallery walls overlaid with geometric pattern

UChicago researchers have created Glaze and Nightshade, programs aimed at protecting artists' work from AI scraping. Artists and researchers are embracing these tools as a first step toward fighting against unregulated AI practices.


Monumental proof settles geometric Langlands Conjecture

July 24, 2024

math symbols

In work that has been 30 years in the making, mathematicians have proven a major part of a profound mathematical vision called the Langlands program. Justin Campbell and Kevin Lin from the University of Chicago are part of this team of researchers.


Scientists call for ‘major initiative’ to study whether geoengineering should be used on glaciers

July 15, 2024

Graphic of a glacier melting

Propelled by UChicago’s Climate Systems Engineering initiative, a group of scientists has published a landmark report. It represents the first public effort by glaciologists to assess potential technological interventions that could help address catastrophic sea-level rise scenarios.


Three UChicago undergraduate students earn 2024 Goldwater Scholarships

July 15, 2024

from left: Sarah Kress, Eva McCord, and Joshua Pixley

University of Chicago rising fourth-year students Sarah Kress, Eva McCord, and Joshua Pixley have been awarded 2024 Barry Goldwater Scholarships. Kress and Pixley are chemistry majors.


From wildfires to bird calls: Sage redefines environmental monitoring

July 15, 2024

Image of the Volcanoes National Park on Hawaii welcome sign

After a devastating wildfire in Hawaii, researchers are deploying Sage nodes, AI-enabled sensors developed at Argonne National Laboratory, for environmental monitoring and disaster preparedness.


Eight books to add to your summer 2024 reading list

July 15, 2024

student studying on the quads

The 2024 winners of UChicago’s annual Quantrell and PhD Teaching awards share their summer reading recommendations.


Universities don’t want AI research to leave them behind

July 15, 2024

classroom with a frame around part of the image

With the rapid development of AI technologies in the private sector, universities are expanding their research to participate in the conversation. Professor Hoffman, chair of the Computer Science Department, comments on UChicago's computing infrastructure.