The National Science Foundation has awarded Assistant Professor Tom Folland and Professor John Prineas a $411,378 grant to develop long wavelength infrared detectors that can measure atmospheric chemicals using optical antennas.

Physics student Owen Fiedorowicz and students in the Edge of Space Academy presented their research at the Summer Undergraduate Research Conference on July 26 at the Iowa Memorial Union. Sponsored by the University of Iowa Graduate College, this conference brought together undergraduate students who have been conducting summer research projects in UI departments and programs across the University's colleges.

Congratulations to three graduate students in the Department of Physics and Astronomy who successfully defended their doctoral theses in July!

Assistant Professor Casey DeRoo and his research group will collaborate with researchers at Pennsylvania State University on a NASA grant entitled “Large-Format X-ray Zone Plates: Enabling Flight-like Calibrations for Future Missions.”

When the full moon rises over Iowa next Monday night, it’ll be the first of what may end up being three “supermoons” in each of the next three months. University of Iowa astronomy professor Casey DeRoo says supermoon isn’t a scientific term, as it comes more from astrology, but whatever the origin, it’ll be a sight to see. “It looks like we’re going to have at least two pretty dramatic supermoons, one in July, one in August,” DeRoo says, “and then depending on how you want to classify it, perhaps one in September as well.”

Professor and Department Chair Mary Hall Reno was quoted in a news article in the June 23, 2023 edition of Science about the NSF's plans to delay new astroparticle/astronomy projects in Antarctica to focus on infrastructure improvements at polar facilities. 

A leading space physics journal recently published a paper written by Graduate Research Assistant Kenton Greene, who devised a low-cost method to understand how temperature changes experienced in space affect fluxgate magnetometer measurements.

NASA has awarded two grants to Assistant Professor Casey DeRoo for his work developing technologies for X-ray astronomy.

Assistant Professor Thomas Folland has received a $235,000 grant from the University of Iowa Office of the Vice President for Research Interdisciplinary Scholars program to develop a quantum sensor to detect polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and hydrogen molecules.

University of Iowa International Programs awarded Assistant Professor Tom Folland a $1200 travel grant to visit Professor Nabil Bassim at the Canadian Center for Electron Microscopy.