Illinois Physics | The Grainger College of Engineering | UIUC

Illinois Physics Professor Jacob Covey has been selected for an Early Career Research Program (ECRP) award by the U.S. Department of Energy. 

Covey’s winning ECRP research proposal titled “Simulating nuclear physics with nuclear spin qudits” will leverage techniques, recently analyzed and proposed by his group, to encode multiple quantum bits (“qubits”) within a single atom. These techniques offer a route to improve the hardware efficiency of certain quantum computing and networking applications.

“Instead of viewing AI as an enemy, what we really should be doing is to help people develop skills to properly use AI, and understand its abilities and limitations,” says Zhongzhou Chen of the University of Central Florida, who presented his physics education research on ChatGPT at this year’s meeting of the APS Division of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics in Fort Worth, Texas.

A better understanding of the inner workings of neutron stars will lead to a greater knowledge of the dynamics that underpin the workings of the universe and also could help drive future technology, said University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign physics professor Nicolas Yunes. A new study led by Yunes details how new insights into how dissipative tidal forces within double — or binary — neutron star systems will inform our understanding of the universe. 

University of Maryland Physics Professor Gregory Sullivan has been named a 2024 Distinguished Scholar-Teacher. Established in 1978, the Distinguished Scholar-Teacher title is awarded to a select number of faculty members who have blazed trails in their classrooms and their areas of expertise. Honorees receive $5,000 to support their professional activities and are asked to give a public presentation on a topic relevant to their fields.