Illinois Physics | The Grainger College of Engineering | UIUC

Covey selected for DOE’s Early Career Research Program award

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.

Illinois Physics PER alumnus Zhongzhou Chen on benefits of ChatGPT in physics education, in APS News

“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.

Gravitational waves unveil previously unseen properties of neutron stars

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. 

Illinois Physics alumnus Gregory Sullivan named UMD 2024 Distinguished Scholar-Teacher

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.


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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

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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.

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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?

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

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September
17

IQUIST Seminar: "Exploring selective radiance with trapped atoms on a nanophotonic resonator," Chen-Lung Hung, Purdue University

Chen-Lung Hung, Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Purdue University

190 Engineering Sciences Building, 1101 W Springfield Ave, Urbana, IL 61801

11:00 AM

September
17

Unveiling The Nuclei of Galaxies with JWST and ALMA near Cosmic Noon

Professor John Silverman

134 Astronomy Building

3:45 PM

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18

Physics Colloquium: Title TBA

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Loomis Lab 141 and via Zoom

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September
25

Physics Colloquium: Title TBA

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Loomis Lab 141 and via Zoom

4:00 PM

October
2

Physics Colloquium: Aaron Sharpe (Stanford), McMillan Award Winner

Aaron Sharpe (Stanford), McMillan Award Winner

Loomis Lab 141 and via Zoom

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September
27

Physics Careers Seminar: "Notes on Science Journalism from a Physicist Turned Writer"

Dr. Karmela Padavic, Physics Reporter, New Scientist

276 Loomis

12:30 PM

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22

Physics Careers Seminar: "From Physics to Nursing. Yes Really"

Dr. Courtney Krafczyk, RN, MSN, Carle Foundation Hospital

464 Loomis

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14

Physics Careers Seminar: ""

Dr. Azton Wells, Computational Scientist, Argonne National Laboratory

204 Loomis (Interaction Room)

1:00 PM

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