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KICP News
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KICP News, 2018
KICP plays a major role in 2 of Science magazine's 2017 Breakthroughs of the Year! January 4, 2018 ![]() Read the full story. Related Links: KICP Members: Juan I. Collar; Joshua A. Frieman; Daniel E. Holz Scientific projects: Coherent Germanium Neutrino Technology (CoGeNT); Dark Energy Survey (DES); Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) The KICP will welcome 3 new Fellows in the Autumn of 2018 January 12, 2018 ![]() Yonatan (Yoni) Kahn received his Ph.D. from MIT in 2015, and spent the past 3 years as a postdoctoral research associate at Princeton University working on new proposals for dark matter detection experiments. As a theoretical physicist with strong connections to the experimental community, Yoni was a driving force behind the ABRACADABRA axion experiment recently launched at MIT, and he hopes to tap into the network of expertise in cosmology at KICP and the wider University of Chicago community to devise new searches for dark matter. Dan Baxter will receive his PhD from Northwestern University, where he has spent his graduate career working with the PICO collaboration to search for dark matter using bubble chambers. The primary result of his thesis is the first run with C3F8 of the PICO-60 detector, which represented the first background-free run of a bubble chamber dark matter detector at the 40L scale. As a joint KICP and EFI Fellow, he is excited to continue the search for dark matter with the DAMIC collaboration and looks forward to contributing to the numerous rare event searches in the department. Related Links: KICP Members: Daniel Baxter; Anne Gambrel; Yonatan Kahn Scientific projects: COUPP/PICO; Dark Matter in CCDs (DAMIC); South Pole Telescope (SPT) 2018 APS Medal for Exceptional Achievement in Research Awarded to Eugene Parker February 2, 2018 ![]() Read more Congratulations to Dr. Zubair Abdulla February 8, 2018 ![]() "Zubair has done it all, from building 10 ultra-sensitive receivers, commissioning them on CARMA, developing the data reduction pipeline, to imaging and analyzing the first Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect imaging of x-ray cavities in galaxy clusters. His thesis places tight constraints on the nature of plasma within the cavities and mechanisms for heating of the inter cluster medium." - John Carlstrom, Ph.D. advisor Related Links: KICP Members: John E. Carlstrom KICP Students: Zubair Abdulla Congratulations to Abigail Vieregg and Eduardo Rozo February 14, 2018 ![]() "The Cottrell Scholar (CS) program champions the very best early career teacher-scholars in chemistry, physics and astronomy by providing these significant discretionary awards," said RCSA President and CEO Daniel Linzer. Cottrell Scholars engage in an annual networking event, providing them an opportunity to share insights and expertise through the Cottrell Scholar Collaborative. This year’s Cottrell Scholar Conference will be held July 11-13 in Tucson, Ariz., and is expected to draw about 100 top educators from around the U.S. Related Links: KICP Members: Eduardo Rozo; Abigail G. Vieregg Joshua Frieman will become the Head of Particle Physics Division at Fermilab February 19, 2018 ![]() Related Links: KICP Members: Joshua A. Frieman; Michael S. Turner Scientific projects: Dark Energy Survey (DES); South Pole Telescope (SPT) Congratulations to Dan Hooper March 5, 2018 ![]() Congratulations Dan! John E. Carlstrom Subramanyan Chandrasekhar Distinguished Service Professor and Chair Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics Related Links: KICP Members: John E. Carlstrom; Daniel Hooper KICP Director Michael Turner presented the 2018 Oppenheimer Lecture at the University of California at Berkeley March 6, 2018 ![]() Big ideas like the deep connections between quarks and the cosmos and powerful instruments like the Hubble Space Telescope and Large Hadron Collider have advanced our understanding of the universe. We can now trace its history from the big-bang beginning 13.8 billion years ago through an early state of quantum fluctuations to a soup of quarks and other particles, from the formation of nuclei and atoms to the emergence of stars and galaxies, and finally to its expansion today. This lecture describes what we know, what we are trying to figure out and the excitement of the adventure. Video Related Links: KICP Members: Michael S. Turner Kaeli Hughes won a 2018 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship April 3, 2018 ![]() "Dear Kaeli Hughes: I am pleased to inform you that you have been selected to receive a 2018 National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Fellowship. Your selection was based on your demonstrated potential to contribute to strengthening the vitality of the U.S. science and engineering enterprise. Your selection as an NSF Graduate Fellowship awardee is a significant accomplishment. We wish you success in your graduate studies in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) or in STEM education, and continued success in achieving your career aspirations. We look forward to learning about your achievements and contributions during your graduate study and beyond. Sincerely, Dean Evasius Division Director Division of Graduate Education" Related Links: KICP Members: Abigail G. Vieregg KICP Students: Kaeli Hughes Scientific projects: Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA) Katrina Miller won a 2018 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship April 3, 2018 ![]() Katrina is a member of the XENON collaboration, an international research group operating a 3.3-ton liquid xenon detector in search for dark matter. Her current project focuses on characterizing processes that produce single electron events in our detector as a source of low-energy background that would mask potential dark matter signals interacting via electronic, rather than nuclear, recoil. The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) has announced the offer of 2,000 fellowship awards, following a national competition. The program recruits high-potential, early-career scientists and engineers and supports their graduate research training in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. Related Links: KICP Members: Luca Grandi KICP Students: Katrina Miller Scientific projects: XENON1T Congratulations to Nora Shipp April 5, 2018 ![]() "Nora Shipp has carried out an analysis of the wide-field distribution of stars in the Dark Energy Survey (DES) footprint on the sky and identified several known stellar streams and discovered new streams. Stellar streams are an "archeological" record of the accretion history of the Milky Way and can be used as probes of properties of dark matter and of the Milky Way gravitational potential. This project resulted in a paper that presented one of the most spectacular scientific results of the first year DES data and the results were a subject of a number of press releases and were widely covered in the media. In collaboration with DES scientists at Fermilab, Nora is continuing to characterize the streams analyzed in the DES and is planning to search for gaps in the streams and to model them using techniques developed by a former KICP student, Denis Erkal, as part of his postdoc work with Vasily Belokurov at Cambridge. Nora also plans to carry out N-body simulations for more detailed modeling of the streams. This program can potentially provide a new and unique probe of existence of dark matter clumps of mass $approx 10^6-10^7$ solar masses in the Milky Way, thereby constraining properties of dark matter itself, and to constrain properties of the Milky Way potential itself. DoE and URA fellowships that Nora received will help to carry out the first stages of this longer term PhD thesis program." - Andrey Kravtsov, scientific advisor Related Links: KICP Members: Andrey V. Kravtsov KICP Students: Nora Shipp Paolo Privitera has been awarded an Advanced Grant by the European Research Council April 9, 2018 ![]() Related Links: KICP Members: Paolo Privitera Scientific projects: Dark Matter in CCDs (DAMIC) Kavli Foundation profiled by Inside Philanthropy May 4, 2018 ![]() Turns out, it was a lot.... Read more >> Adler Planetarium's "Fabric of the Universe" display May 14, 2018 ![]() Related Links: KICP Students: Benedikt Diemer Congratulations to Chihway Chang May 29, 2018 ![]() I am pleased to report that Chihway Chang will be an Assistant Professor with the Astronomy & Astrophysics Department and a senior member of the KICP, starting October 1, 2018. - John E. Carlstrom Subramanyan Chandrasekhar Distinguished Service Professor and Chair Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics Related Links: KICP Members: John E. Carlstrom; Chihway Chang Xenon1t 1 year of data June 1, 2018 ![]() Read more UChicago, Luca Grandi's group "I am really happy with the performance of the XENON1T detector" said Luca Grandi. "XENON1T displays an impressive sensitivity to WIMP spin-independent interaction, about 7 times better than the concurrent leading experiments in the field (for WIMP masses above 6 GeV/c^2). This result shows the potential of combining multi-tonne detectors with low background techniques. Despite this accomplishment, dark matter remains still to be discovered. The search continues!". The contributions of Grandi's group to the XENON projects included several activities. After the initial contribution to the construction and assembly of the XENON1T Time Projection Chamber, the group worked hard to make UChicago the single analysis hub serving the entire international collaboration. The system, developed in collaboration with Robert Gardner and Benedikt Riedel at the UChicago Computational Institute, allows for easy access both to remote grid resources (needed to process the large data volume produced by XENON1T) and local resources available at the UChicago Research Computing Center. The latter, thanks to the support from Runesha Birali and KICP, have been intensively used in these last several months to converge on the results presented in the paper. The UChicago group, with its postdoc Jacques Pienaar and graduate students Katrina Miller and Evan Shockley, contributed to several aspects of the presented analysis, including the development of the neutron background models and Monte Carlo simulations and the study of the response and efficiency of the detector at low energy. The group will continue its involvement in XENON1T analysis by searching for alternative dark matter candidates. In the meanwhile Grandi's group is also heavily involved in the upgrade of the detector to the next phase, known as XENONnT, which will feature a fiducial target mass about 4 times larger and is expected to start data taking in about one year from now. The group, with support from Ben Stillwell at the Enrico Fermi Institute, is leading the design of the new Time Projection Chamber, coordinating its production and assembly, as well as preparing the upgrade of the data processing infrastructure to allow the handling of the even larger data volumes. The larger fiducial mass and the implementation of new innovative techniques will enable further suppression of the already ultra-low background levels, and will allow XENONnT to further explore the WIMP paradigm and improve its sensitivity by about an order of magnitude. "Dark Matter is still out there" Grandi concludes "... and we will do our best to continue to stay on the front line of this uncharted territory!" Related Links: KICP Members: Luca Grandi; Jacques Pienaar KICP Students: Katrina Miller; Evan Shockley Scientific projects: XENON1T Congratulations to Dr. Pavel Motloch June 4, 2018 ![]() Pavel has recieved a Postdoctoral Fellow position at the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics. Related Links: KICP Members: Wayne Hu KICP Students: Pavel Motloch Angela V. Olinto has been appointed Dean of the Division of the Physical Sciences June 7, 2018 ![]() Angela brings depth of University experience and scholarly expertise to this leadership role, making her an excellent choice as dean. She joined the University of Chicago faculty in 1996, and served as chair of the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics from 2003 to 2006, and from 2012 to 2017. Her research interests are in astroparticle physics and cosmology. Recently, she has focused on understanding the origin of high-energy cosmic rays, gamma rays, and neutrinos. Angela's leadership has extended to large and complex projects. She is the leader of the POEMMA and EUSO space missions and a member of the Pierre Auger Observatory. These international projects aim to discover the origin of high-energy cosmic rays. She is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and was chair of the APS Division of Astrophysics in 2013. She was a trustee of the Aspen Center for Physics, and serves on many advisory committees for the National Academy of Sciences, Department of Energy, National Science Foundation, and NASA. Among numerous other awards and honors, Angela received the Chaire d'Excellence Award of the French Agence Nationale de la Recherche in 2006, the Llewellyn John and Harriet Manchester Quantrell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching in 2011, and the Faculty Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching and Mentoring in 2015. Angela's appointment was informed by the recommendations of an elected committee of faculty in the Division of the Physical Sciences, chaired by Stuart A. Kurtz, Professor in the Department of Computer Science. We want to express our appreciation to the committee for their thoughtful work and their commitment to the Division of the Physical Sciences. We would also like to thank Rocky Kolb for his leadership of the Division of the Physical Sciences over the past five years. Under Rocky's leadership, the Division of the Physical Sciences built important initiatives, enhancing its historic strengths as a leading center of scientific discovery and education, and expanded and renovated the Physics Research Center. Rocky will be returning to his full-time work on the faculty at the end of his term as Dean. Please join us in congratulating Angela on this appointment and thanking Rocky for his service. Robert J. Zimmer, President, and Daniel Diermeier, Provost Related Links: KICP Members: Edward W. Kolb; Angela V. Olinto Scientific projects: Pierre Auger Observatory (AUGER) Congratulations to Dr. Cameron Liang June 15, 2018 ![]() Related Links: KICP Members: Andrey V. Kravtsov KICP Students: Cameron Liang Congratulations to Daniel Holz June 18, 2018 ![]() Congratulations Dan! John E. Carlstrom Subramanyan Chandrasekhar Distinguished Service Professor and Chair Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics Related Links: KICP Members: John E. Carlstrom; Daniel E. Holz Honoring Rocky Kolb for his service as Dean of the Physical Sciences June 27, 2018 ![]() Related Links: KICP Members: Edward W. Kolb Congratulations to Dr. Ross Cawthon July 18, 2018 ![]() Ross has received a position of Research Associate at the Department of Physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Related Links: KICP Members: Joshua A. Frieman KICP Students: Ross Cawthon Scientific projects: Dark Energy Survey (DES); South Pole Telescope (SPT) Congratulations to Mike Gladders July 25, 2018 ![]() Congratulations Mike! - John E. Carlstrom Subramanyan Chandrasekhar Distinguished Service Professor and Chair Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics Related Links: KICP Members: John E. Carlstrom; Michael D. Gladders Congratulations to Brad Benson July 26, 2018 ![]() Congratulations Brad! - John E. Carlstrom Subramanyan Chandrasekhar Distinguished Service Professor and Chair Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics Related Links: KICP Members: Bradford A. Benson; John E. Carlstrom Scientific projects: South Pole Telescope (SPT) "On the Future: Prospects for Humanity" with physicist Martin Rees August 11, 2018 ![]() Cindy Pritzker Auditorium Harold Washington Library Center, Chicago Public Library 400 South State Street World-renowned scientist Martin Rees offers his look at the future of humanity and science in this talk based upon his new book On the Future: Prospects for Humanity. Rees argues that humanity's future is bound to the future of science, and our prospects hinge on how successfully we harness technological advances to address the challenges to our collective future. If we are to use science to solve our problems while avoiding its dystopian risks, Rees shows how we must think rationally, globally, collectively, and optimistically about the long-term future. Advances in biotechnology, cybertechnology, robotics, and artificial intelligence - if pursued and applied wisely- could empower us to boost the developing and developed world and overcome the threats humanity faces on Earth, from climate change to nuclear war. Rees offers fascinating insights into cutting-edge science and technology while providing a unique perspective on the critical issues that will define the future of humanity on Earth and beyond. Presented in collaboration with the Chicago Public Library. Doors to the Cindy Pritzker Auditorium open at 5 p.m. and seating is available first come, first served. The event is free but registration is recommended. Books are available for purchase from Seminary Co-op Books and the author will autograph books at the conclusion of the program. Read more Read more >> Film screening: "The Atomic Cafe (1982)" August 22, 2018 ![]() Artfully culled from newsreel footage, government archives, and pop-culture artifacts (cocktails, fashions, cartoons, jukebox songs, etc.), THE ATOMIC CAFE is a mind-boggling compendium of misinformation that was aimed at selling nuclear war to the postwar American public like a new brand of laundry detergent. As singing Polynesians are evacuated from Bikini Atoll and Burt the Turtle tells schoolchildren how to "Duck and Cover," public officials promote a devil-may-care attitude toward the dangers of nuclear attack and radioactive fallout. This groundbreaking, often-imitated documentary created a sensation when first released in 1982; now, with fake news in ascendancy, and the "Bulletin of Atomic Scientists" famous Doomsday Clock set at its furthest point (two minutes to midnight) since 1953, it seems as timely as ever. New 4K DCP digital restoration. (MR) Read more Josh Frieman became President Elect of the Aspen Center for Physics August 27, 2018 ![]() Aspen Center for Physics Related Links: KICP Members: Joshua A. Frieman Elizabeth Buckley-Geer, Salman Habib and Liantao Wang have all been elected Fellows of the APS September 25, 2018 ![]() Citation: For the creation and leadership of the Dark Energy Survey Strong Lensing Group including discovery and confirmation of numerous strong lenses and multiply lensed quasars and their application to new measurements of cosmic dark matter and dark energy. Salman Habib, KICP senior member Citation: For outstanding contributions and leadership in the study of quantum-to-classical transitions in nonlinear dynamical systems and the development of the Hybrid/Hardware Accelerated Cosmology Code providing the most detailed simulations of the universe using the world's most advanced supercomputers. LianTao Wang, KICP senior member Citation: For novel contributions to jet sub-structure studies (jet-trimming), facilitating LHC searches for Higgs boson, dark matter, supersymmetry and new dynamics in the electroweak sector, and pioneering explorations for future e+e- and hadron colliders. Related Links: KICP Members: Salman Habib; Lian-Tao Wang Response to Claims On Gender and Physics October 13, 2018 ![]() John E. Carlstrom, Chair, Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics Young-Kee Kim, Chair, Department of Physics Michael S. Turner, Director, Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics Related Links: KICP Members: John E. Carlstrom; Michael S. Turner Congratulations to Grayson Rich October 23, 2018 ![]() Citation: "For outstanding contributions to the first observation of coherent elastic neutrino nucleus scattering as a member of the COHERENT neutrino experiment at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory." The Dissertation Award recognizes a recent Ph.D. in nuclear physics. The annual award consists of $2,500, a certificate, travel reimbursement, and a registration waiver to receive the award and give an invited talk at a Division of Nuclear Physics session at the APS April Meeting. Related Links: KICP Members: Grayson Rich Congratulations to Abigail Vieregg December 12, 2018 ![]() The J. and J. Neubauer Faculty Development Fellowships are funded through the generosity of Joseph and Jeanette Neubauer in support of excellence in teaching. The purpose of the fellowship is to recognize innovative and effective teaching on the part of Assistant and Associate Professors who regularly participate in the College's instructional programs. The Neubauer Fellowships are awarded upon the recommendation of the Dean of the College and the Masters of the Collegiate Divisions. Related Links: KICP Members: Abigail G. Vieregg |