News: 2023

In this audio segment, atmospheric scientist Elisabeth Moyer discusses bad air quality that has affected the Chicago region this summer.

Geophysical sciences professor David Archer says underground climate change is not the same as what we think of as climate change in the atmosphere, which is largely driven by greenhouse gases and has far-reaching effects, adding that “calling it climate change seems like a bit of a coattail thing.”

In an audio piece, Physics chair Peter Littlewood discusses the legacy of the Manhattan Project on scientific research.

Photo by Robert Kozloff

The American Physical Society has designated the Chicago Pile “Site A” and Stagg Field at the University of Chicago as Historic Sites to recognize the world’s first self-sustaining, controlled nuclear chain reaction. Each site will receive a plaque, acknowledging its exemplary contributions to physics.

Photo courtesy of the University of Chicago Special Collections Research Center

Data Science for Everyone Director Zarek Drozda mentions that California is one of 17 states now offering data science to high school students in some form, and that Oregon and Ohio offer it as an alternative to Algebra II.

The 2023 Alice W. Chandler Staff Service Recognition Ceremony was held June 22. Meet some of the staff members who are celebrating this year the longest tenures at the University.

Mitzi Nakatsuka celebrates year 45 at UChicago. She started at the University as a secretary in the Statistics Department, later moved into Web Services, before eventually returning to the department she started in as a web developer.

UChicago chemists, including Gregory Voth, use simulation to reveal key mechanism in microtubule growth.

Article mentions astronomy and astrophysics postdoctoral fellow Michael Zhang's plan to measure the spectrum of light from exoplanet TOI 2445b, a rocky world about twice the size of Earth that orbits perilously close to its host star.

Article mentions the slime mold watch developed by computer scientist Pedro Lopes and doctoral candidate Jasmine Lu.

Astronomy and astrophysics professor Robert Rosner discusses the potential of nuclear power.

Geophysical sciences professor Noboru Nakamura says Chicago has made smart changes by implementing heat emergency plans, routine wellness checks, and cooling centers, but that "a systemic problem of a resource inequity is something that you can’t really get rid of overnight...that aspect still is a big, big, big, big unsolved problem."

New exascale machine is one step closer to enabling transformative science.

Image courtesy Argonne National Laboratory

Created by The University of Chicago Yuen Campus in Hong Kong, The Course podcast is a compilation of personal conversations with UChicago professors. Over a dozen PSD professors answer how they found their passion in the academic field, what they were like as kids, and what it takes to become a professor at The University of Chicago.
 

University of Chicago chemist and professor Laura Gagliardi has been selected as the recipient of the 2023 Linus Pauling Medal Award for outstanding achievements in Chemistry. Gagliardi is honored for the development of groundbreaking electronic structure theories and combined classical/quantum methodologies that have accelerated the design of new materials, including reticular frameworks.
 

CS professor Ben Zhao discusses the timing of Meta's Threads launch.