From the Departments
Catch up on the latest news from our academic departments.
Biological Sciences
Professor Adam Hartstone-Rose led a study on animal behavior at the Fort Worth Zoo in Texas during the April 8 solar eclipse.
Assistant Research Professor Adrian Smith teamed up with artist Xavi Bou to turn images of insects in motion into photographic works of art.
Chemistry
Researchers including Associate Professor Yi Xiao developed a new generation of high-performance DNA aptamers and highly accurate drug sensors for cocaine and other opioids.
Goodnight Innovation Distinguished Chair Felix Castellano’s research group is tackling future energy challenges by enhancing the visible light-harvesting capabilities of a series of copper iodide complexes.
Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Assistant Professor Sarah Larson co-authored a study revealing that getting the winds right is key to accurately modeling Pacific Ocean warming.
Professor Lian Xie has predicted there will be between 15 and 20 named storms during the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season — a higher-than-average number.
Mathematics
Professor Emeritus Nicholas J. Rose recently turned 100. During his tenure as head (1968-1977), the department transitioned from mostly a service department to a full-fledged modern research and teaching department.
Distinguished Professor Patrick Combettes was named to the 2024 Class of SIAM Fellows in recognition of his contributions to the theory and applications of convex optimization, especially proximal methods.
Physics
Associate Professor Dali Sun and a team of researchers found that a printable organic polymer allowed them to explore chirality and spin interactions at room temperature.
Postdoctoral research scholar Will Fox studied the process of potassium destruction in globular clusters — groups of gravitationally bound stars — to better understand the universe.
Statistics
Gertrude M. Cox Distinguished Professor Brian Reich and Associate Professor Shu Yang worked on a project to measure the efficacy of marine protected areas, or areas where fishing is either prohibited or controlled in hopes of conserving ocean resources and protecting species and habitats.
Goodnight Doctoral Fellow James B. Robertson — who already has a bachelor’s and master’s from the department — discussed how private support has enabled him to earn multiple degrees from the College of Sciences.
