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The role of magnetic fields in the Moon's origin

Research

In the Media
Research

In APS Physics : 'The Uncertain Future in How a Virus Spreads'

News

APS adopts Phillips and Weissman's proposal to consider police conduct in choice of meeting locations

APS has updated its criteria for the selection of future venues for its scientific meetings. Cities in which APS meetings might be held will be asked to report demographic statistics on police use of force, policies on strangleholds and other restraint methods, and the status of independent investigations into instances of deaths while in custody, among other issues.

According to Susan Gardner (University of Kentucky), chair of the APS Committee on Scientific Meetings, the change was primarily in response to a proposal to the Committee by Philip Phillips and Michael Weissman (both at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)—a proposal based on letters they had published in Science (June 19, 2020) and Physics Today (July 2020). The committee also considered other factors, including discussions at a recent APS webinar "From Passion to Action" hosted by APS President-Elect S. James Gates, Jr.

Accolades

Benner, Donnelly, and Sturdyvin receive Gary Kelly Staff Excellence Award

The Department of Physics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign presented three staff members with the second annual Gary Kelly Staff Excellence Award during a virtual reception on October 27, 2020. This year’s recipients are Janice Benner, Denise Donnelly, and Kelly Sturdyvin.

Graduate Student News
In the Media

Illinois Physics grad student Donny Pearson on the election and growing up biracial, in The Huffington Post

In my last conversation with my dad, I expressed my disappointment that Donald Trump won the first election I voted in. My memory of our final talk has faded with time, but I remember he told me to never think my vote doesn’t matter. He was a proud voter, but did anything really change between his graduation and mine? I’ll vote again in just a few days, but by the time I finish my doctorate, will anything have changed? If I have children, will anything change by the time they graduate? Was the pride my dad had in this country ? and the hope that it would someday, finally, treat its Black citizens as truly equal and truly human ? for naught?

Events

Starting November 4, three ACDIS symposiums, '75 Years after Hiroshima: A New Nuclear Arms Race?'

On August 6 and 9, 1945, over 120,000 people were killed by the atomic bombs dropped over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Decade by decade, the billions of people at risk from direct and indirect effects of nuclear war continue to grow. The recent U.S. withdrawal from arms control treaties and the pursuit of new nuclear weapons capabilities by nuclear weapon states suggest submarine-launched ballistic missiles.

Outreach

Happy Dark Matter Day from the scientists at ICASU

Physicists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have made significant contributions to our understanding of dark matter, through their work on multiple large-scale collaborative experiments. In the past two years, several new faculty hires at Illinois Physics have added their expertise and insight to the search for this elusive particle. And now a newly founded campus center, the Illinois Center for Advanced Studies of the Universe (ICASU), has taken on dark matter as a main research focus, synergizing efforts and supporting collaboration across scientific disciplines at Illinois and beyond.

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Research Highlights

Research

Coulomb barrier creation by means of electronic field emission in nanolayer capacitors

Research

When Stars Attack! A Near-Earth Supernova as the Origin of the end-Devonain Extinction

In the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, we point out that a nearby supernova can explain the ozone loss and thus may be the trigger for one or more late Devonian biological extinctions.

Research

Non-dissipative viscosity and the relationships between anisotropy, internal angular momentum, and Hall viscosity

Research

In Science : "Evidence for dispersing 1D Majorana channels in an iron-based superconductor"

Research

Testing Einstein when gravity waves

More research highlights

donor stories

Alumnus gift continues legacy of excellence at Illinois Physics

“We deeply appreciate Gary Kelly’s generosity and his investment in our department’s core missions of research, teaching, and outreach,” comments Head of Department and Professor Matthias Grosse Perdekamp. “Unrestricted funds such as these are applied where they will make the greatest impact. Through his generosity, Gary Kelly’s legacy at Illinois will include his support of important new opportunities directly in line with our core missions. A large portion of Gary’s gift will support the research of exceptional women faculty early in their careers, enabling Illinois Physics to attract and retain promising women physicists.”

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.

“The relief of financial burden this scholarship has lifted from my family’s shoulders is truly a priceless gift, and the generosity of donors that have made this possible inspires me to want to give others this same gift of relief, security, and most of all educational opportunity, as it has done for me.”

— Sara Shahid, Engineering Physics Class of '22, EVS Scholarship recipient

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