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Research Highlights 

Click on a research highlight to vote for your favorite submission to the Research Highlight Science Writing Contest for graduate students.

Donor support for undergraduate research is funding student participation in cross-disciplinary study of dark matter

Donor support for undergraduate research is funding student participation in cross-disciplinary study of dark matter

Illinois Physics rising junior David Balut, the 2024 A.C. Anderson Undergraduate Research Scholar, has been a member of the Peter Abbamonte research group since November 2022. This summer, his donor-supported research includes collaborating with the Yoni Kahn group on the physics of dark matter, using organic scintillators for anisotropic detection. He will also continue to study strange metals in the Abbamonte lab. In addition to the AC Anderson Award, Balut is a recipient of the T.R. Schlaeder Engineering award, the Robert M. Stephens Engineering award, and has been a James Scholar since Fall 2022.

The A.C. Anderson Undergraduate Research Scholar award is made possible by Illinois Physics donors. The award is named for Ansel C. Anderson, an alumnus (PhD, 1961), faculty member (1962-1992), and department head (1986-1992) who  made seminal contributions to low-temperature physics, particularly on the thermal properties of metals and glasses. 

Learn more about how to become a donor and support initiatives like undergraduate research opportunities!

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ENGINEERING VISIONARY SCHOLARSHIPS 

Give to the Engineering Visionary Scholarship.

EVS attracts the brightest students, ensures a diverse and talented class, and helps reduce student debt.

“I love cosmology—the study of the large structures of the universe, the Big Bang, and the questions of dark energy and matter. I have a strong interest in developing astronomy instrumentation—telescopes, satellites, and sounding rockets. The Engineering Visionary Scholarship freed me up to pursue these interests while exploring the fundamentals of the universe through physics.”

— Kayleigh Excell, Class of '24, EVS Scholarship recipient

Learn More

Kayleigh Excell
Kayleigh Excell, Class of '24

 

Watch Illinois Physics and Astronomy Professor Charles Gammie on The UIUC Talkshow. From the origins of black holes to the nature of time itself, enjoy this captivating odyssey through the cosmos, guided by a brilliant scientific mind. 

 

Watch "The Physics PhD," a parody of the Barbie movie's "I'm just Ken" scene, created by graduate students in the Fahad Mahmood research group with support from the Illinois Physics graduate student community. Earning a PhD in physics is long road that can leave one feeling like they are living in a world of plastic... or maybe a graphene lattice.

Ask
the
Van

 

 

I am working on my science fair project- I am freezing orange juice and soda to see which will freeze faster. My orange juice froze before the soda- is it because of the carbonate water in the soda or the sugar?

Molly (age 10)

Find Out Now

The Illinois Physics Van is a traveling science show for kids! Visit the Physics Van

Upcoming Events

November
14

Physics Careers Seminar: "The Meandering Path of Multidisciplinary Science at Argonne National Laboratory"

Dr. Azton Wells, Computational Scientist, Argonne National Laboratory

204 Loomis (Interaction Room)

1:00 PM

November
14

Mathematical and Theoretical Physics Seminar: "Black hole interiors from the boundary"

Shadi Ali Ahmad, New York University

Loomis Room 464

1:00 PM

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November
20

Physics Colloquium: "Dark-Matter Challenges of the Solid State"

Piers Coleman (Rutgers)

Loomis Lab 141 and via Zoom

4:00 PM

November
27

Physics Colloquium: No Colloquium

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Loomis Lab 141 and via Zoom

8:30 AM

December
4

Physics Colloquium: Title TBA

TBA

Loomis Lab 141 and via Zoom

4:00 PM

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November
14

Physics Careers Seminar: "The Meandering Path of Multidisciplinary Science at Argonne National Laboratory"

Dr. Azton Wells, Computational Scientist, Argonne National Laboratory

204 Loomis (Interaction Room)

1:00 PM

November
15

Physics Careers Seminar: "Exceptional Service: Careers at Sandia National Laboratories"

Dr. Laura Biedermann and Dr. Shannon Murray, Sandia National Laboratories

276 Loomis

12:00 PM

November
21

Physics Careers Seminar: "The Traveling Salesman Solution"

Dr. Michael Highman, Government Accounts Manager, TOPTICA Photonics, Inc.

204 Loomis (Interaction Room)

12:00 PM

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