Author: emoryphysics

Prof. Shashank Shekhar is awarded $1.94M R35 MIRA Grant

August 25, 2021

This grant will fund his work on multi-component mechanochemical molecular mechanisms underlying cellular actin dynamics. More on the MIRA Award: Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA) (R35) MIRA provides support for the research in an investigator’s laboratory that falls within the mission of NIGMS. The goal of MIRA is to increase the efficiency of NIGMS funding … More Prof. Shashank Shekhar is awarded $1.94M R35 MIRA Grant

One of our Physics Graduates Andrew Wilson will participate in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

July 22, 2021

Former Emory swimming standout Andrew Wilson made history Monday night, becoming the first Division III swimmer to ever qualify for the Olympics. In an incredible three-way finish in the 100 Breaststroke, Wilson accomplished a goal years in the making as he earned a qualifying spot on Team USA for the upcoming Olympic Games in Tokyo, … More One of our Physics Graduates Andrew Wilson will participate in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Stopping an Iceberg

June 1, 2021

Shortly before Jakobshavn Isbræ, a tidewater glacier in Greenland, calves massive chunks of ice into the ocean, there’s a sudden change in the slushy collection of icebergs floating along the glacier’s terminus, according to a new collaborative paper led by Dr. Ryan Cassotto (CIRES, UCBoulder) and Emory Physics faculty, Justin Burton. The work, published today … More Stopping an Iceberg

The Scientist and Nature recently interviewed David Dunlap…

May 10, 2021

Journalists from The Scientist (www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/some-viruses-use-an-alternative-genetic-alphabet-68726) and Nature (www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01157-x) recently interviewed David Dunlap, PhD,. He was asked to comment on recent discoveries reported in three articles published in Scie nce on April 29, 2021 of 60 organisms whose genome contains diaminopurine (DAP) instead of adenine and enzymes responsible for incorporating DAP into DNA. For over forty … More The Scientist and Nature recently interviewed David Dunlap…

Physicists develop theoretical model for neural activity of mouse brain

May 10, 2021

The dynamics of the neural activity of a mouse brain behave in a peculiar, unexpected way that can be theoretically modeled without any fine tuning, suggests a new paper by physicists at Emory University. Physical Review Letters published the research, which adds to the evidence that theoretical physics frameworks may aid in the understanding of … More Physicists develop theoretical model for neural activity of mouse brain

NYT Posts Article Featuring New Faculty Member Dr. Jennifer Rieser

February 8, 2021

The New York Times recently published the article “The Skin-Deep Physics of Sidewinder Snakes” featuring our newest faculty member, Dr. Jennifer Rieser. The article’s focus is on how snake skin helped Dr. Rieser and other members of the team to understand how snakes move in different environments, such as on sand. They discovered that the … More NYT Posts Article Featuring New Faculty Member Dr. Jennifer Rieser

Emory Undergraduates Reach for the Stars

January 25, 2021

Each year there are many undergraduate research opportunities with astronomy faculty and staff in the Physics Department at Emory. Engaging in astronomy research can be an excellent way to enhance a student’s critical thinking skills and qualifications for graduate school in physics and astronomy (or any related field). Many students elect to enroll in research … More Emory Undergraduates Reach for the Stars

Santos Group Advances Frontier of Topological Phases in Graphene Superlattices

January 11, 2021

Prof. Luiz Santos and his graduate student Jian Wang have proposed a new framework for the realization of topological phase transitions in graphene superlattices. Two-dimensional superlattices, where electrons experience a long length scale periodic potential, have emerged in recent years as versatile platforms to realize exotic forms of quantum matter. A remarkable example of such … More Santos Group Advances Frontier of Topological Phases in Graphene Superlattices

Universal Features of Annealing and Aging in Compaction of Granular Piles.

January 4, 2021

This paper links the nonequilibrium glassy relaxation behavior of otherwise athermal granular materials to those of thermally activated glasses. Thus, it demonstrates a much wider universality among complex glassy materials out of equilibrium. Our three-dimensional molecular dynamics simulations, fully incorporating friction and inelastic collisions, are designed to reproduce experimental behavior of tapped granular piles. A … More Universal Features of Annealing and Aging in Compaction of Granular Piles.

Modulus of Neighboring Rubbery Domain Strongly Impacts Local Glass Transition of Glassy Polymers

December 13, 2020

Physics PhD graduate student Yannic Gagnon and Professor Connie Roth have demonstrated that the local glass transition temperature Tg, the temperature at which the material locally transitions from an equilibrium liquid to a non-equilibrium solid glass, is strongly impacted by the modulus of a neighboring polymer domain. Polymer materials are often made of blends of … More Modulus of Neighboring Rubbery Domain Strongly Impacts Local Glass Transition of Glassy Polymers