Articles from February 2025

Faculty and Staff: Submit grant awards, honors, research publications, accepted talks, and other news items through the faculty and staff news form.
Allison Jaynes

How to See the Planet Parade in the Night Sky

Thursday, February 27, 2025
On Iowa Public Radio's River to River program, Associate Professor Allison Jaynes talked about "planet parade" in our night sky, where seven other planets in our solar system will be visible from North America.
Graffic showing how to view a planetary alignment

Jaynes Comments on Rare Planetary Alignment

Wednesday, February 26, 2025
In this article from the Iowa City Press Citizen and Des Moines Register, Associate Professor Allison Jaynes comments on a rare planet parade in the night sky at the end of February.
Optical fiber

Switching fiber optic cables from round to rectangular shown to enhance data speeds

Tuesday, February 25, 2025
In a recent study, Henry Hammer and Ravitej Uppu from the University of Iowa discovered that an alternative fiber geometry — rectangular rather than the conventional circular cross-section — can significantly enhance information transfer rates. Their findings could improve not only telecommunications but also the emerging field of photonic quantum computing.
Ramachandra Bangari explains the cooling system for a infrared microscope

New microscope crafted by UI Physics researchers aids understanding material behavior

Sunday, February 23, 2025
This Daily Iowan story tells how a team of researchers led by Thomas Folland, a professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Iowa created a new infrared cryo microscope. The homemade microscope was created to enable the recent study aimed at deepening the understanding of material behavior, particularly semiconductors at very low temperatures.

Undergraduate Students Awarded Scholarships

Monday, February 17, 2025
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.

Graduate Students Awarded Scholarships

Monday, February 17, 2025
Physics and Astronomy graduate students Rui Huang, Hossein Zandipour, Hassan Bukhari, Yuanzheng Wen, Jodie McLennan, Eudes Gomes da Silva were recently awarded scholarships.
Asst. Prof. Tom Folland in lab

UI team designs microscope to study interaction of light and matter in electronic devices

Monday, February 3, 2025
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.