News: 2019

August

DOE grants awarded to UChicago faculty in photosynthetic systems and geosciences research

August 5, 2019

Physical Sciences data map logo

Congratulations to Greg Engel, professor in the Department of Chemistry, Mark Rivers, Executive Director of the Center for Advanced Radiation Sources (CARS), and research professors, Peter Eng and Yanbin Wang, for earning grants from the Department of Energy's Office of Basic Energy Sciences. Read more about their projects.


Asst. Prof. Blase Ur on how people can protect themselves in light of the latest data breach

August 2, 2019

Screenshot of Blase Ur speaking during the recorded interview with WWTW

Capital One's data breach leaves millions vulnerable—Ur shares 5 tips to help individuals better manage their information with WTTW. 


Physics Prof. Sidney Nagel discusses principles of universality in Quanta interview

August 2, 2019

Photo of waterdroplet falling from faucet

Nagel explains how his findings in droplet and bubble experiments affect universality. 


CS alumna uses technology as a ‘powerful tool’ to tackle inequality

August 2, 2019

Devshi sitting with another individual and working together on the same laptop

Computer science BX/MS alumna Devshi Mehrotra has utilized her technical background to tackle issues ranging from criminal justice reform to income inequality. She led compileHer, a group dedicated to computer science education for young girls, particularly those of color.


Visiting Research Asst. Prof. Brian Nord awarded UChicago grant to bring AI to cosmology

August 2, 2019

Headshot of Nord

The awarded grant will help Nord, utilize AI to design an experiment optimized to measure the expansion rate of the universe. Nord will also be working with Asst. Prof. Yuxin Chen. 


New exoplanet is smallest to be precisely measured

August 2, 2019

Illustration of NASA's Kepler Spacecraft in space

Assoc Prof. Frabrycky's research group noticed a star's irregular dimming pattern, leading to the discovery and precise measurement of a new exoplanet's mass. 


Prof. Freedman contributes to the universe expansion debateĀ 

August 2, 2019

Illustration of the 'distance ladder' used to measure the universe

Prof. Wendy Freedman discusses the possibility of systematic errors in Hubble constant calculations with Science News.


PhD student Adina Feinstein co-authors paper on the discovery of three new exoplanets

August 2, 2019

Illustration of Tess Object of Interest 270d

Feinstein and her colleagues have discovered one exoplanet slightly larger than Earth and two exoplanets of a type not typically found in our solar system. 


UChicago and Sony CSL researchers create muscle stimulators designed to speed up human reflexes

August 2, 2019

Subject's Hand touching ipad with experiment displayed on screen

Through the precise timing of  electrical muscle stimulators, UChicago scientists Pedro Lopes, Jun Nishida, and Shunichi Kasahara of Sony CSL have found a method to accelerating human reaction time. 


UChicago and Argonne scientists collaborate with researchers in Israel to understand aquifer system

August 2, 2019

Assoc. Prof. Yokochi on-site at Nubian Sandstone Aquifer system in Israel

Through a recent publication by Research Assoc. Prof. Yokochi, scientists are now able to tell when water was deposited, its origins, and the climate conditions that produced it nearly 400,000 years ago.


PSD in the News - July 2019

August 2, 2019

Ship that says Lake Guardian on side

This month, PSD researchers have been featured for determining a new measure of the disputed Hubble constant, discovering new exoplanets, and analyzing the microbiome of the Great Lakes. In case you missed it, review our news headlines from July 2019.


July

UChicago Magazine features Prof. Margaret Gardel’s path to biophysics

July 30, 2019

Picture of migrating fibroblast

Prof. Gardel describes her path to biophysics and her collaboration with labs across the PSD and BSD to study how physical forces such as pressure and deformation act on individual cells. 


Coleman Lab researchers continue water sampling of the Great Lakes

July 30, 2019

Coleman on research vessel with a helmet and life jacket on

Asst. Prof. Maureen Coleman leads initiative to study the microbiome of the Great Lakes in order to keep this fresh water source in good shape.  


Computer scientists work to improve electric muscle stimulation (EMS) technology

July 30, 2019

Profile of lab volunteer wearing a virtual reality headset with two illustrations. One illustration depicts the virtual box that the volunteer is directed to touch. The second illustration depicts the haptic prediction error through EEG waves.

With the help of fMRI imaging, Lopes designed a system that allowed researchers to isolate differences between the motor and sensory systems of the brain. This data could be used to guide engineers in designing the next wave of EMS devices. 


Geophysical scientists publish study on how viruses could potentially affect climate

July 30, 2019

Image of a large bloom of carbon-capturing cyanobacteria

By feeding cyanobacteria virus-infected nitrogen, Asst. Profs. Coleman and Waldbauer obtain findings that illustrate virus-driven nutrient flow in marine ecosystems.