In the news

Chandralekha Singh was one of the two team leaders of the US delegation to the 6th International conference on Women in Physics (ICWIP) in Birmingham, UK, in July 2017. She is also a co-editor of the American Institute of Physics Proceedings for this ICWIP 2017 conference to be published in 2018. This picture of Dr. Singh is with Malala Yousafzai, a Nobel peace prize winner, who was a presenter at the conference and Shamima Choudhury, a Physicist from Bangladesh. 

The new Center for Research Computing (CRC), formerly known as the Center for Simulation and Modeling (SaM), is among the first in the nation to have access to Intel’s powerful new computing systems. The system will dramatically increase the speed of computation available to researchers through Pitt’s Center for Research Computing, said Ralph Roskies, associate vice provost for research computing.

In a joint experimental and theoretical study, Di Xiao and collaborators from several groups across the country and from China observed out-of-plane magnetism in a monolayer of chromium triiodide (CrI3). The study, entitled further described the dependence of the magnetic ordering on the number of layers in the material—bilayer CrI3 displays suppressed magnetization, whereas in trilayer CrI3 the interlayer ferromagnetism is restored. This thickness-dependent behavior is typical of van der Waals crystals. The findings are reported in an article entitled “Layer-dependent ferromagnetism in a van der Waals crystal down to the monolayer limit” that was published in this month’s issue of Nature. 

John Keith was among the Emerging Investigators in 2017 recommended by experts in the field of materials chemistry research in a themed issue of the Journal of Materials Chemistry A, published by the Royal Society of Chemistry. His article “Computational investigation of CO₂ electroreduction on tin oxide and predictions of Ti, V, Nb and Zr dopants for improved catalysis” published in the issue outlines the work of Keith and his team on improving the performance of tin electrocatalysts for CO₂ reduction.

University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Patrick Gallagher brings up the challenge of climate change and defends the history of our city in a Science article entitled "Pittsburgh myth, Paris reality".

When announcing his decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement, President Trump reminded the world that, “I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris.” In doing so, he repeated a tired trope: that Pittsburgh is a rusty urban relic—a manufacturing city of steel that has fallen on hard times, held back by unfair global competition and onerous environmental regulation. But such a nostalgic version of Pittsburgh, and of many other communities across the country, is a myth. If the president truly wants to represent the interests of Americans, he would learn from the real histories of these regions and promote economic and environmental progress through research, education, and innovation.

Subra Suresh will resign as president of Carnegie Mellon University on June 30, making his tenure the shortest in the school’s 117-year history and placing it in uncharted waters as it seeks a new leader for the second time in less than five years.

In a letter Thursday to the CMU community, he wrote, “My wife Mary and I have reflected on the long-term commitment needed to implement the university’s strategic plan, and we feel Carnegie Mellon would be best served now by a president who is ready to make that extended commitment to generating resources and guiding the university toward reaching these objectives.”

Mr. Suresh has been at CMU for four years.

Research from Giannis Mpourmpakis' group was recently featured on the inside front cover of the Royal Society of Chemistry journal, Catalysis Science & Technology. The team’s investigations into a more energy-efficient catalytic process to produce olefins--the building blocks for polymer production--could impact potential applications in diverse technology areas from green energy and sustainable chemistry to materials engineering and catalysis. 
 

Jennifer Laaser has been selected to participate in the Cottrell Scholars Collaborative (CSC) New Faculty Workshop that will take place in Washington, DC in the ACS National Offices on August 3- 5, 2017.

The CSC, in partnership with the Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA) and the American Chemical Society, is implementing a New Faculty Workshop program to improve the penetration of research-validated pedagogies in chemistry departments around the country.

This program is designed to aid newly-hired faculty in the Chemical and Physical Sciences at research intensive universities to develop strong research and teaching programs. The workshop will focus on effective time management, new teaching practices, and integrating teaching and research.

Federal agencies funding research and development activities in nanotechnology under the auspices of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), with support from the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO), are working to highlight the accomplishments of and build community around the NNI, and to educate the general public about nanotechnology. 

Share your thoughts and ideas on nanotechnology by submitting a short video for the Nano Film contest or an image for the EnvisioNano contest.

THE PQI VIDEO TEAM CAN HELP YOU!

National Science Foundation (NSF) Director France A. Córdova today publicly presented President Donald J. Trump's Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 NSF budget request to Congress.

The FY 2018 NSF budget request of $6.65 billion reflects NSF's commitment to establishing clear priorities in areas of national importance and identifying the most innovative and promising research ideas that will yield the highest return on investment for the nation. It supports fundamental research that will drive the U.S. economy, support our nation's security, and keep the U.S. a global leader in science, engineering and technology.

NSF expects to evaluate over 50,000 proposals in FY 2018 and, through its competitive merit review process, make nearly 11,000 awards, including 8,000 new research grants.