Eight undergraduate students in the Department of Physics and Astronomy were recently awarded scholarships. They include: Emerson Peters, Avi Kaufman, Eric Biedke, Mary Haag, Phillipe Jay, Aditya Venkatesh, and Zachary Piker.

Physics and Astronomy graduate students Rui Huang, Hossein Zandipour, Hassan Bukhari, Yuanzheng Wen, Jodie McLennan, Eudes Gomes da Silva were recently awarded scholarships.

In a new study, a physics team at the University of Iowa designed a special microscope that can precisely study the interaction between light and matter that underpins electronic devices, such as those used in interior home lighting, smartphones, televisions and solar panels. The infrared cryo-microscope, designed by a team led by Thomas Folland, assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, uses off-the shelf components to make precise measurements of different materials’ properties.

Dustin Swarm, a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, is part of the 2025 Dare to Discover banner campaign, showcasing 80 undergraduate, graduate student, and postdoctoral scholars engaged in promising research, scholarship, and creative activities.

In this Scientific American article, Associate Professor Allison Jaynes discusses peculiar bursts of energy called chorus waves detected in deep space far from our planet. These waves could pose problems for long-distance space travel.

In this article from the Associated Press, Associate Professor Allison Jaynes comments on chorus waves, which ripple at the same frequency as human hearing. When converted to audio signals, their sharp notes mimic high-pitched bird calls. Researchers have captured such sounds in space before, but now they have sensed the chirping waves from much farther away: over 62,000 miles (100,000 kilometers) from Earth, where they’ve never been measured before.

Iowans who bundle up to brave the evening chill will be able to see a relatively rare event in the January night sky, what some are calling the Parade of Planets. Allison Jaynes, a physics and astronomy professor at the University of Iowa, says Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are all shifting into near-alignment, and two more planets — Uranus and Neptune — will join the celestial conga line later this month.

Jun Wang, University of Iowa’s Lichtenberger Family Chair in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, was awarded the 2024 Joanne Simpson Medal for mid-career scientists in recognition of significant contributions to Earth and space science. Wang has a secondary appointment in the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

In this video, "Hawkeyes at Home: Hawkeyes in Flight," from the University of Iowa Center for Advancement, our faculty and staff discuss the opportunities for physics and astronomy students to do hands-on research.

Several Department of Physics and Astronomy students were candidates for degrees at the University of Iowa Fall Commencement ceremonies on Dec. 20 and 22.