News: Students

2026

Students highlight the 130-year history of UChicago physicists and their books

March 24, 2026

Architectural drawing of the University of Chicago's Ion Accelerator Building

The University of Chicago Library exhibit "Binding Energy: Books by Chicago Physics Faculty" explores the work of researchers from Enrico Fermi to the only woman on the Pile-1 team.


Farmer’s Fridge shares career and industry insights with UChicago Data Science Society

March 24, 2026

The Data Science Institute hosted Taylor Marx (MS-ADS ‘17), Head of Enterprise Data at Farmer’s Fridge and UChicago alum, for a talk with the undergraduate Data Science Society earlier this month.

MS-ADS alum and Head of Enterprise Data Taylor Marx spoke with students about his career at the innovative Midwestern startup.


University of Chicago PhD student Riki Otaki receives MongoDB PhD Fellowship Award

March 24, 2026

Photo of Riki Otaki.

Fourth-year PhD student Riki Otaki receives the prestigious MongoDB PhD Fellowship for his work making data systems more efficient and scalable.


How Chicago robot tutors are teaching SEL effectively–without pretending to be human

March 24, 2026

A pair of high tech goggles with eyes upon them.

Chicago researchers, teachers, and curriculum leaders partnered to test if robots need fictional personalities to boost students’ social-emotional learning. Their results show that honest, factual robots can effectively supplement classroom instruction—challenging conventions and illuminating a new, ethical path for educational technology. The study was honored with the Best Paper Award at the prestigious 2026 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction.
 


Could AI help us be more thoughtful voters?

March 24, 2026

Chenhao Tan (Faculty Co-Director of Novel Intelligence at the DSI and Associate Professor of Computer Science and Data Science) and his team have launched CivicChats, an AI platform designed to help voters engage more critically and thoughtfully with ball

UChicago researchers launch civic chatbot to educate and challenge voters.
 


NASA X-ray spacecraft stares into the ‘eye of the storm’ swirling around supermassive black holes

March 2, 2026

(Main) An illustration of the supermassive black hole M87* (Inset) the NASA/JAXA mission XRISM

Scientists have dived deeper into the "eye of the storm" swirling around supermassive black holes than ever before. This unprecedented investigation of the turbulent and violent conditions around these cosmic titans, including the first black hole ever imaged by humanity, was possible thanks to the joint Japanese Aerospace Agency (JAXA)/ NASA X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM).
 


From India to University of Chicago: how studying in the US transformed my academic & personal journey

March 2, 2026

Photo of Rahul Kukreja.

Rahul Kukreja, pursuing an MS in Statistics at the University of Chicago, shares his transformative journey from India to the US. He highlights academic rigor, the fast-paced quarter system, cultural adjustment, emotional resilience, and building networks. Beyond studies, he learned self-reliance, cooking, and the value of relationships, emphasizing growth through challenges and curiosity.


This spring at UChicago: TEI’26 unites technology, art, and design on campus

March 2, 2026

This March, the University of Chicago will become a crossroads for researchers, designers, artists, and technologists from around the world as it hosts the 20th ACM Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction, TEI’26, from March 8–11, 2

This March, the University of Chicago will become a crossroads for researchers, designers, artists, and technologists from around the world as it hosts the 20th ACM Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction, TEI’26, from March 8–11, 2026. For UChicago students, faculty, and staff, it’s a chance to engage with leaders at the forefront of human-computer interaction and help celebrate two decades of innovation in tangible, embedded, and embodied technologies.


UChicago scientists find better way to make infrared light—using quantum dots

March 2, 2026

University of Chicago scientists created tiny structures that use quantum dots to emit infrared light much more efficiently than previous methods. Above, a row of the tiny “bow-tie” structures revealed by electron microscopy.

New infrared light sources mark 100-fold efficiency boost, could improve broad range of sensors, technology.


U.S. weather and climate disasters could top $1 trillion by 2030

March 2, 2026

Cars and people moving through flooded streets.

Analyzing NOAA's billion-dollar weather disaster database, a UChicago-led study projects sharply rising costs driven by climate change and expanding development.


A week in the life of a part-time online MS in Applied Data Science student

March 2, 2026

Photo of Monica Para.

Monica Para balances a full-time Data Analyst role with part-time online studies in the University of Chicago’s MS in Applied Data Science program. Her week includes office work, AI projects, evening Zoom lectures, assignments, and tech community involvement. She uses weekends for coursework and hiking, emphasizing strong time management.


MS in Applied Data Science students build end-to-end data engineering systems

February 24, 2026

Photo of a computer set up with multiple screens that contain lines of code.

​​In a Data Engineering course taught by Steve Barry, a team of Master’s in Applied Data Science students built a full end-to-end data pipeline, from raw public datasets to an interactive, AI-powered interface. The project gave students hands-on experience designing the kind of data infrastructure that underpins real-world applications, developing the technical skills.


Univision Chicago features Space Explorers

February 23, 2026

Universidad de Chicago impulsa programas para estudiantes de CPS. Students working on telescope equipment.

On February 17, Univision Chicago aired a feature on Space Explorers, a signature program of UChicago’s Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics.


Meet Yuelong Li, Computational & Applied Mathematics

February 4, 2026

Yuelong Li

Yuelong Li, in his second year of the Master's Program in Computational and Applied Mathematics, focuses on the mathematics of topological insulators. We interviewed him about his experiences at UChicago.


‘What UChicago taught me about thinking, not just studying’ | Life in a foreign university

January 31, 2026

Photo of Anand Nakhate.

Anand Nakhate chose the University of Chicago's FinMath program because it matched exactly what he was looking for – deep mathematical rigor combined with structured, real-world application.