News: Research

2020

In new step toward quantum tech, scientists synthesize ‘bright’ quantum bits

November 17, 2020

In new step toward quantum tech, scientists synthesize ‘bright’ quantum bits


A search for supersymmetric particles in the ATLAS detector at CERN

November 17, 2020

UChicago researcher Lesya Horyn inside of the ATLAS detector.

Supersymmetry is a proposed theory to expand the Standard Model of particle physics. Akin to the periodic table of elements, the Standard Model is the best description we have for subatomic particles in nature and the forces acting on them. But physicists know this model is incomplete—it doesn’t make room for gravity or dark matter, for example. Supersymmetry aims to complete the picture by pairing each Standard Model particle with a supersymmetric partner, opening up a new class of hypothetical particles to detect and discover. In a new study, UChicago physicists have uncovered limitations for what properties these superpartners, if they exist, could have.
 


Globus celebrates 10 years of connecting the research universe

November 16, 2020

100 billion files later, Globus celebrates ten years of connecting the research universe


Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks at UChicago event about impact of quantum research

November 16, 2020

Prof. Juan de Pablo on the left, Gov. JB Pritzker on the right, in a Zoom conversation as part of the Chicago Quantum Exchange Summit.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks at UChicago event about impact of quantum research


Carl-Gustaf Rossby, first director of UChicago Institute of Meteorology, changed weather research from a descriptive to a predictive science

November 13, 2020

Historic photo of two men releasing an early radiosonde—a balloon-borne instrument for taking atmospheric measurements

Carl-Gustaf Rossby, first director of UChicago Institute of Meteorology, changed weather research from a descriptive to a predictive science


Chicago Quantum Exchange welcomes six new partners, including company founded by UChicago CS Alum

November 13, 2020

A Hamamatsu Photonics scientist tests optical equipment in the company’s Central Research laboratory.

The Chicago Quantum Exchange, a growing intellectual hub for the research and development of quantum technology, has added to its community six new partners in technology, finance, manufacturing, and consulting that are working to bring about and primed to take advantage of the coming quantum revolution. New corporate partners are Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS), Hamamatsu Photonics, Protiviti, Quantum Machines, and Super.tech, a company founded by a recent UChicago CS graduate, Pranav Gokhale.


Meteorologist Tetsuya Theodore Fujita (1920–1998) led a tempestuous career

November 12, 2020

Singing for the pine trees are stormy winds. Meteorologist Tetsuya Theodore Fujita (1920–1998) led a tempestuous career


Computer Science HandMorph Project uses tech to simulate children’s experience

November 4, 2020

wearable exoskeleton on a hand holding an orange demonstrating a new wearable tech device simulating a child's grasp

A new grasp on empathy: Computer Science HandMorph Project uses tech to simulate children’s experience.


PSD in the News - October 2020

October 28, 2020

Physical Sciences data map logo

This month PSD researchers have been featured for their efforts to discover how a small molecule is the key to HIV forming capsules, adapt laboratory research during COVID-19, and design nanotechnology that provides hope for a personalized vaccination for treating cancer.


Building better robot teammates

October 28, 2020

Sarah Sebo

Sarah Sebo, who joined UChicago CS this fall as an assistant professor, sees a brighter future where robots productively team up with humans in all lines of work, helping humans understand themselves a little better along the way. Sebo’s research focuses on human-robot interaction, a subset of the human-computer interaction field.


For the first time, scientists demonstrate self-repair mechanism in cells

October 27, 2020

woman sits at microscope. images on screen are pink and purple

In an innovative new study published Sept. 28 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, UChicago researchers demonstrated how a protein detects forces inside the cell and initiates a repair.


UChicago report reveals Illinois school leaders support new teaching credential for elementary math

October 27, 2020

Teacher with students at a table

A 2020 University of Chicago landscape study revealed that statewide, the vast majority of Illinois school district leaders and school leaders support new teaching credentials in Illinois for mathematics specialist teachers in the elementary grades.  
 


UChicago scientists reveal new clues into how Earth got its oxygen

October 23, 2020

Earth’s thin shell of oxygen atmosphere keeps us alive, though we still don’t know exactly how it formed. A new study from the University of Chicago reveals clues in the role that iron had to play. Image courtesy of NASA

In a new study published Oct. 23 in Science, UChicago graduate student Andy Heard, Prof. Dauphas and their colleagues used a pioneering technique to uncover new information about the role of oceanic iron in the rise of Earth’s atmosphere. The findings reveal more about Earth’s history, and can even shed light on the search for habitable planets in other star systems.


UChicago scientists teach a neural net to find baby star flares

October 23, 2020

An X-class solar flare from our sun in November 2013. Scientists trained a neural network to find such flares in data taken of distant planets around other stars.

Scientists with the University of Chicago and the University of New South Wales taught a type of artificial intelligence called a neural network to detect the telltale light patterns of a stellar flare, then asked it to check the light curves of thousands of young stars; it found more than 23,000 flares.


How one scientist reshaped what we know about tornadoes

October 23, 2020

University of Chicago Professor Tetsuya

UChicago Prof. Tetsuya Theodore "Ted" Fujita shaped the field of meteorology in the 20th century. His scale for classifying the strength of a tornado is still used today (F scale), half a century after its introduction; he made pioneering contributions to our understanding of tornadoes as well as to the use of satellites; and he is responsible for saving hundreds of thousands of lives through the discovery of microbursts—a breakthrough that helped transform airline safety.