Physics and Astronomy

NATURAL SCIENCES, SOCIAL SCIENCES, HUMANITIES — The annual sponsored research report highlights research projects across disciplines, from the Oregon Coast to Papua New Guinea.

PHYSICS - A research team led by College of Arts and Sciences physicist Stephanie Majewski received a $662,000 phase one grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as part of the Genesis Mission, a national initiative to bring together universities, DOE national labs, and industry together to integrate artificial intelligence into science, energy, and national security. Majewski will collaborate with collaborators at Brown University and Brookhaven National Laboratory to use AI to save time and computing costs for experiments at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world’s most famous particle accelerator.

PHYSICS - In June, Professor Brian Smith’s team was awarded a two-year, $4 million grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a prototype quantum network on the UO campus. “We have our work cut out for us, but our research will transform communications, sensors and computers,” said Smith, director of the Oregon Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science.

Highlights from the June 15 University of Oregon College of Arts and Sciences commencement ceremonies at Autzen Stadium and Matthew Knight Arena.

NEUROSCIENCE, PHYSICS - PhD candidate Saumya Keremane's research, conducted in the labs of Richard Taylor, a professor and head of the Department of Physics, and Dr. Bala Ambati, an ophthalmologist and research professor in the Department of Bioengineering, focuses on understanding and preventing neuron degradation to treat inherited blindness.

PHYSICS -At the University of Oregon’s Institute for Fundamental Science, a growing number of faculty have earned prestigious honors from the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy, which signal both individual excellence and the institute’s positive research trajectory. The most recent winner is CAS physicist Tien-Tien Yu, who received an NSF CAREER Award followed by the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.

PHYSICS, CHEMISTRY, BIOCHEMISTRY, BIOLOGY — A new cutting-edge major in the University of Oregon College of Arts and Sciences prepares students to drive technological change through high-demand careers in fields such as semiconductor manufacturing, energy and sustainable materials development.

PHYSICS - A supermassive black hole with a case of cosmic indigestion has been burping out the remains of a shredded star for four years — and it’s still going strong, new research led by University of Oregon College of Arts and Sciences astrophysicist Yvette Cendes. Cendes and her team published findings about this one-of-kind black hole in the Feb. 5 issue of Astrophysical Journal Astrophysicists.

PHYSICS - About 15 feet below 13th Avenue, scientists in the Center for Advanced Material Characterization in Oregon (CAMCOR) are using a brand-new scanning transmission electron microscope (S/TEM) to enable cutting-edge research at the atomic scale. You’d never know that the busy University of Oregon street is nearby; the facility was built into bedrock to prevent vibrations that could affect delicate instrumentation.