Natural & Physical Sciences

Uranus’s new moon, the impact of vaccines on Alzheimer’s onset, 3D images of an embryo, among many others. All these stories have a wow factor that makes you feel like we are turning on the lights in a dark room, only to realize the room we are in is much bigger than we imagined.

Call it a prison break, because golden oyster mushrooms have managed to wiggle their way out of cultivation captivity and into Midwestern ecosystems. 

A mathematician and a philosopher walk into a bar … and they debate the concept of uncertainty.

Matthew Otten, an assistant professor of physics, looks to a future where quantum computing can support finding solutions to some of society’s biggest problems. 

Norman C. Craig Professor of Chemistry Helen E. Blackwell and John D. MacArthur Professor and Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor of Mathematics Jordan Ellenberg have been elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences national honorary society and research center.

Five receive L&S Academic Staff Career Award honors in three categories: Early Career, Mid-Career, and the Judith Craig Distinguished Service Award.

The Dean of the College of Letters & Science honors outstanding instructional academic staff for their excellence in teaching and mentoring undergraduate students.

The University Staff Excellence Awards honor staff members for their excellence in effectiveness, innovation, creativity, originality, leadership, climate, and service to the university.

Congratulations to L&S faculty Kathy Cramer, Erika Marín-Spiotta, Jenny Saffran and Dan Vimont for receiving the 2026 Faculty Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Mentoring.