2023
AI can steal passwords in virtual reality from avatar hand motions
November 15, 2023
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In a NewScientist article, CS Prof. Heather Zheng discusses AI's ability to figure out what someone is typing in VR meetings, saying, "You don't even need to know the person. As long as you can get in the same VR room as them, they're done."
Six PSD members named Highly Cited Researchers
November 15, 2023
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Six UChicago physical and mathematical scientists were named in Web of Science's 2023 report of highly cited researchers. According to Web of Science, researchers on the list have demonstrated significant and broad influence in their fields and contribute “disproportionately to extending the frontiers of knowledge and gaining for society innovations that make the world healthier, more sustainable and more secure.”
Three Argonne scientists inducted as Fellows of American Physical Society
November 14, 2023
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Congratulations to Katrin Heitmann, a Senior Associate for the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, for being inducted as an American Physical Society Fellow!
Heitmann’s research currently focuses on computational cosmology, in particular, on trying to understand the causes for the accelerated expansion of the Universe, and the role of dark matter and dark energy.
A crack at solving the asymmetry mystery
November 10, 2023
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APS Ramsey Prize winner David DeMille describes his groundbreaking ACME experiment and how it puts the Standard Model to the test.
PSD Spotlight: Miranda Redenbaugh
November 10, 2023
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PSD's November spotlight is Miranda Redenbaugh, Assistant Director of Communications, Dept. of Computer Science
Records reveal hidden history of female astronomers at Yerkes Observatory
November 9, 2023
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UChicago team chronicles dozens of women who worked and made discoveries in early 20th century.
The good, the bad, and the ugly of all that screen time
November 9, 2023
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In a WBEZ-FM Chicago audio segment, CS Prof. Marshini Chetty discusses how too much screen time on devices can hurt health by increasing anxiety, depression, and a sedentary lifestyle and how to change that.
A delicate balance
November 9, 2023
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An interview with the new chair of Mathematics
Ngô Bảo Châu, the Francis and Rose Yuen Distinguished Service Professor, was named the Department of Mathematics chair, starting July 1, 2023. In this Q&A, he discusses his priorities for the department, the exciting work of his colleagues, and his vision for collaboration.
Machine learning
November 8, 2023
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High school students in the Collegiate Scholars Program get to know robots, with Assistant Professor of Computer Science Sarah Sebo.
If you can’t stand the heat …
November 8, 2023
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A new book by Chemistry alumna Sandra Greer, SM’68, PhD’69, brings hard science to the kitchen.
Exploring the hottest research topics on atoms and molecules at the coldest temperatures
November 8, 2023
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Over 180 researchers joined the MCAW 2023 (Midwest Cold Atom Workshop) held at the University of Chicago November 3–4, 2023, to discuss their research interest in tutorials, invited talks, and poster presentations, and to brainstorm on the future of quantum science with atoms and molecules.
NASA telescopes discover record-breaking black hole
November 8, 2023
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Phys.org article reviews a paper describing the most distant black hole ever seen in X-rays, on which Astro Asst. Prof. Irina Zhuravleva is an author.
Regenstein’s ‘Capturing the Stars’ honors the women of Yerkes Observatory
November 8, 2023
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Hyde Park Herald article features "Capturing the Stars: The Untold History of Women at Yerkes Observatory," an exhibition at the Regenstein Library.
James Hansen’s new climate warning and controversial plan to cool the planet
November 8, 2023
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In a Newsweek article, GeoSci Prof. David Keith discusses his research on solar geoengineering, saying that it is "at best a weak supplement to what we must do to cut emissions," rather than a climate solution in and of itself, adding that the risks of solar geoengineering must be weighed against the risks of continued warming without it.
What happens to illustrators when robots can draw robots?
November 8, 2023
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New York Times article highlights CS Prof. Ben Zhao's "Nightshade," a tool that aims to “poison” A.I. models by allowing artists to upload their images with code intended to mislead A.I. art generators.