2026
Todd Frank Dupont, inventive computational and applied mathematician, 1942–2026
October 13, 2026
Remembered for innovative curiosity, leadership, and contagious enthusiasm.
At EPIC, MSCAPP students used data to surface overlooked policy questions
October 12, 2026
MSCAPP students Sinan Grehan and Wendy Wang spent the summer at the Energy Policy Institute at UChicago using data, econometrics, and environmental research to investigate policy questions that range from wetlands regulation to the hidden costs of climate change.
New simulation projects what the Milky Way looked like at ‘cosmic dawn’
October 12, 2026
Most complex rendering of its kind provides insight into early days of our home galaxy.
UChicago space program takes stratospheric science to new heights
October 12, 2026
Undergraduate-built experiment collects particles 23 miles above Earth aboard a NASA high-altitude balloon.
Mathematicians harness randomness to crack a 55-year-old conjecture
October 12, 2026
After a long hiatus, a problem that was likely inspired by juggling has finally been resolved by a group of young mathematicians.
The value of basic science celebrated with the 2026 “Golden Goose” awards
October 12, 2026
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has announced the 2026 Golden Goose Awards, celebrating federally funded basic research that initially seemed trivial but yielded major societal benefits. This year's honorees include discoveries leading to histotripsy, a non-invasive cancer treatment using ultrasound, and the "Black Marble" satellite data, which maps power outages and aids disaster recovery by observing holiday lighting from space. Another award recognizes work on the physics of everyday phenomena like coffee spills, impacting inkjet printing and manufacturing. The awards originated to counter past ridicule of basic science, highlighting how unexpected discoveries, often from obscure beginnings, are crucial for health, safety, and technological advancement, underscoring the importance of sustained federal investment in scientific research.
Astronomers discover a cold lava planet that may resemble early Earth
October 12, 2026
"We think early Earth might have looked a lot like a lava world."
University of Chicago theoretical physicist honored as MacArthur Fellow
October 12, 2026
Vincenzo Vitelli’s work focuses on a new way of thinking of collections of “agents” — such as robots — as a form of material.
Rogue OpenAI agent probed online Chicago City Database | chicagolive
October 12, 2026
OpenAI recently alerted the city of Chicago that it's technology probed an online city database. University of Chicago Professor Hank Hoffman joins ChicagoLIVE to breakdown what this means and how concerned Chicagoans should be.
Learning is a blast – and a bang – at the South Side Science Festival
October 6, 2026
Dancing robots, mutant Legos and rocks that rock mark the fifth annual UChicago STEM community outreach event.
Mateo Díaz named Faraco Family Assistant Professor
October 6, 2026
An assistant professor in the Department of Statistics and the Data Science Institute, Mateo Díaz has been named the inaugural Faraco Family Assistant Professor.
A place for ideas: Faraco Family Commons opens at UChicago Data Science Institute
October 6, 2026
As a 2004 graduate of the University of Chicago’s Master of Science in Financial Mathematics program, Faraco recalls how his small FinMath cohort became its own sort of family, spending the majority of their days together in Eckhart Hall.
From inspiration to reality: building an AI home design system
October 6, 2026
For people looking to refresh their homes, generative AI offers an enticing possibility: Upload a photograph of a room and, within seconds, see what it might look like with a different color palette, new furniture or an entirely new style.
XENON experiment finds quietest neutrinos ever detected
October 6, 2026
Ultra-sensitive detector designed by UChicago team to search for dark matter captures elusive low-energy neutrino particles from the sun.
The evolving quest to build life in a lab
October 6, 2026
Scientists want to create cells from scratch, to unveil life’s origins or provide specialized functions. Are they close?