James Merrill receives the 2022-2023 Montag Award

James Merrill has been awarded the Jim and Ethel Montag Graduate Physics Award for the 2022-2023 academic year.  The Jim and Ethel Montag Graduate Physics Award is awarded annually to an exceptional graduate student for accomplishments in physics research. James Merrill recently published an exciting first author paper in ACS Macro Letters, along with his advisor … More James Merrill receives the 2022-2023 Montag Award

Barbara Conner wins Outstanding Program Administrator

Barabara Conner has won the Laney Graduate School’s annual award for Outstanding Program Administrator. Barbara is the Senior Program Administrator for the Physics Graduate Program. This honor follows her 10+ years of service and dedication. She consistently provides our graduate students with the best educational experience and serves as the anchor for their well-being. Congratulations … More Barbara Conner wins Outstanding Program Administrator

A needle in a haystack that you can’t see

“A needle in a haystack that you can’t see” – Emory Professor Erin Bonning discusses runaway black holes in this latest piece from Scientific American! Erin Bonning (center left) is a senior lecturer and Director of the Planetarium in the Emory Physics Department. She is the author of numerous scholarly publications and specializes in black … More A needle in a haystack that you can’t see

Susan Cook wins Emory Award of Distinction

We are proud to honor Susan De’Vita Cook, who received Emory’s 2023 Award of Distinction. She is the Senior Academic Degree Program Coordinator for the Physics Department and has dedicated over 29 years to Emory. The Award of Distinction Program is the highest award for university staff which annually recognizes approximately 10-15 university employees who … More Susan Cook wins Emory Award of Distinction

Emory physicists to study airborne microbes, funded by $1.2 million Keck Award

The Keck Foundation awarded Emory physicists Minsu Kim (left) and Justin Burton $1.2 million to explore how microbes adapt to living in the Earth’s atmosphere and the broader role that these organisms may play in the planet’s ecosystem. Microbes have an incredible ability to thrive in different environments. Extensive research has shown the vital roles … More Emory physicists to study airborne microbes, funded by $1.2 million Keck Award

As the worm turns: New twists in behavioral association theories

Physicists have developed a dynamical model of animal behavior that may explain some mysteries surrounding associative learning going back to Pavlov’s dogs. The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) published the findings, based on experiments on a common laboratory organism, the roundworm C. elegans.  “We showed how learned associations are not mediated by just … More As the worm turns: New twists in behavioral association theories

Superconductivity in Hofstadter Materials

Topology and the Renormalization Group (RG) are powerful concepts guiding our understanding of modern materials. Topology classifies emerging properties robust to local perturbations seen in a host of latest quantum materials. RG monitors changes in physical behavior according to the scale of observation, providing a framework to characterize universal behavior near phase transitions. Bringing these … More Superconductivity in Hofstadter Materials

Professor Connie Roth Receives NSF Special Creativity Award

Professor Connie Roth is awarded an NSF Special Creativity grant in 2022 for her unique research into polymer material properties at the local nanoscale level. The National Science Foundation (NSF) Special Creativity Award is a two year extension of funding on an existing research grant “to offer the most creative investigators an extended opportunity to … More Professor Connie Roth Receives NSF Special Creativity Award

How gene transcription navigates roadblocks

RNA polymerase is an enzyme that catalyzes gene transcription, the first step in the process of turning a DNA sequence into proteins, the components of cellular machinery and structure. The journal, FEBS Letters, featured research led by Professor of Physics, Laura Finzi, showing how RNA polymerase navigates “roadblocks” along template DNA, that are composed of wraps and loops in the DNA created by DNA-binding proteins. … More How gene transcription navigates roadblocks

Bigger, better bubbles: Physicist seeks ultimate formula for fun

When he’s not conducting high-level research on fluid dynamics and granular materials, physics professor Justin Burton is on an ever-expanding quest: testing formulas and techniques to make the ultimate giant soap bubbles. Emory News recently interviewed Prof. Burton and his family on his quest to make the biggest bubble. Read more: https://news.emory.edu/features/2022/08/esc_quest-for-bigger-better-bubbles_01-08-2022/index.html