2024
Can $500 million save this glacier?
January 10, 2024
A New York Times article highlights GS Prof. David Keith's Climate Systems Engineering Initiative, mentioning a recent two-day workshop on glacial geoengineering hosted by the initiative, and quotes Professor Emeritus Doug MacAyeal on how predictions have changed since the 1970s.
Anna Wuttig honored with NSF Career Award
January 10, 2024
Assistant Professor of Chemistry Anna Wuttig has received an NSF CAREER Award, which supports junior faculty in the sciences through the Faculty Early Career Development Program. The highly regarded honor is bestowed annually upon researchers who have demonstrated exceptional promise in their respective fields. For Wuttig, it carries with it a five-year grant to support the project within the Chemical Catalysis Program of the Chemistry Division.
Wallman challenge gets first match from PSD donor
January 5, 2024
Long-time PSD Council member and chair Mihir Worah, PhD’95, and spouse Anupama Worah are the first donors to meet the Wallman fundraising challenge, endowing the Worah Family Chair in the Physical Sciences Division.
Two scholars to receive honorary degrees at UChicago’s 2024 Convocation
January 5, 2024
The University of Chicago will present an honorary degree to distinguished scholar Bernd Sturmfels at its Convocation ceremony in June 2024, in recognition of his significant contributions to the field of mathematics.
2024 Mitsuyoshi Tanaka Dissertation Award in Experimental Particle Physics
January 5, 2024
Charles Mark Lewis, PhD'23 (Physics), is recognized for "the development of techniques expanding the low-energy reach of new particle detector technologies, with applications in neutrino physics, dark matter searches, and the study of charged-lepton flavor violating modes of muon decay."
Using electricity, scientists find promising new method of boosting chemical reactions
January 3, 2024
Asst. Prof. Anna Wuttig and her team found a way to use electricity to boost a type of chemical reaction often used in synthesizing new candidates for pharmaceutical drugs, which may lay the foundation for greener chemistry.
Targeting “undruggable” proteins that drive cancer
January 3, 2024
Cancers are often driven by proteins created by specific oncogenes. Drugs aimed at these proteins take advantage of their surface configurations to latch on and prevent them from interfering with cells, but some families of proteins lack pockets or crevices on their surfaces that the drugs can use. Attacking them is like climbing up a wall with no footholds. For decades, these proteins have been considered “undruggable,” but chemist Raymond Moellering is working to change that.
Eighteen UChicago faculty members receive named, distinguished service professorships in 2024
January 3, 2024
Three computer science professors have received named professorships: Henry Hoffmann, Bo Li, and Ce Zhang.
What astronomers are learning from the James Webb Space Telescope
January 3, 2024
In a WBEZ Morning Edition audio segment, astrophysicist Jacob Bean discusses the initial research frenzy following the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope and the process of settling into a reasonable pace.
How to create a black hole out of thin air
January 3, 2024
In a NYT article, astrophysicist Daniel Holz discusses new research that shows black holes may form in different ways than expected.
CS Assistant Professor Robert Rand receives Air Force Young Investigator Grant
January 3, 2024
The three-year, $450,000 grant will fund Rand’s work on formal verification of the ZX-calculus, a graphical system for representing quantum programs.
Fermilab’s ‘muon shot’ could see suburban lab become site of revolutionary particle collider
January 3, 2024
Prof. Abigail Vieregg discusses the possible construction of a new particle collider, one more powerful than any ever created, at Fermilab.
Photo by Ryan Postel / Fermilab
PSD Spotlight: Josh Kurutz
January 3, 2024
The PSD January Spotlight is Josh Kurutz, NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) Facility Manager, Chemistry Department.
"My most recent but ill-fated creative project was a ballet about chemical elements."
2023
New technique could make modeling molecules much easier
December 15, 2023
Chemists Daniel Gibney, David Mazziotti, and Jan-Niklas Boyn invented a new way to allow computers to simulate certain quantum mechanical effects in complex electronic materials with far less effort.
What to read and watch over winter break 2023
December 14, 2023
UChicago teaching award winners, including Michael Gladders, Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics and Quantrell Award winner, share their selections for the holidays.