Small science, big honor

The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters announced in June that UChicago president Paul Alivisatos, AB’81, will share the 2024 Kavli Prize in Nanoscience. The $1 million prize recognizes scientists for breakthroughs in astrophysics, nanoscience, and neuroscience. Alivisatos was honored alongside MIT’s Robert Langer and Northwestern’s Chad Mirkin for research that “revolutionized the field of nanomedicine by demonstrating how engineering nanoscale materials can advance biomedical research and application.”

Academic distinction

Twelve faculty members were elected to national scholarly societies this spring. Named to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences were Diane Brentari, PhD’90, the Mary K. Werkman Professor of Linguistics; Bonnie Fleming, professor of physics; Chuan He, the John T. Wilson Distinguished Service Professor in Chemistry; Erik Hurst, the Frank P. and Marianne R. Diassi Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at Chicago Booth; Deborah L. Nelson, the Helen B. and Frank L. Sulzberger Professor of English and dean of the Humanities Division; and Amir Sufi, the Bruce Lindsay Distinguished Service Professor of Economics and Public Policy at Chicago Booth.

Guangbin Dong, the Weldon G. Brown Professor of Chemistry, and Benoît Roux, the Amgen Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, were named to the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Joining the National Academy of Sciences were Nicolas Dauphas, Louis Block Professor of Geophysical Sciences; David DeMille, AB’85, professor of physics; Michael Greenstone, LAB’87, the Milton Friedman Distinguished Service Professor in Economics; Nipam Patel, director of the Marine Biological Laboratory and Biological Sciences Division professor; and new American Academy of Arts and Sciences member Fleming.

Critics’ choice

Tina Post, assistant professor of English, received the 2023 National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism for Deadpan: The Aesthetics of Black Inexpression (New York University Press, 2023). The book traces what Post calls “the performance of purposeful withholding” across multiple artistic genres from the mid-20th to the early 21st century. Deadpan also received the Association for the Study of the Arts of the Present Best Book Prize.

Top teachers

The 2024 winners of the Llewellyn John and Harriet Manchester Quantrell Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching are Fred Chong, the Seymour Goodman Professor in the Department of Computer Science; Anton Ford, associate professor of philosophy; Michele Friedner, professor of comparative human development; Nicholas Hatsopoulos, professor of organismal biology and anatomy; and Chris Kennedy, professor of linguistics. Faculty Awards for Excellence in PhD Teaching and Mentoring went to Marcus Clark, professor of medicine; Mikhail Golosov, the Homer J. Livingston Professor in Economics; Sidney Nagel, the Stein-Freiler Distinguished Service Professor of Physics; and Miwa Yasui, associate professor in the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice.

Press prize

Margareta Ingrid Christian, associate professor of Germanic studies, received the 2024 Gordon J. Laing Award for Objects in Air: Artworks and Their Outside around 1900 (UChicago Press, 2021). The Laing Award has been given annually since 1963 to the faculty author, editor, or translator whose book, published in the last three years, has brought the greatest distinction to the University of Chicago Press.

Campus upgrades

Summertime renovations have begun—on the main quadrangles and Rockefeller Chapel. Quadrangle enhancements will provide new pedestrian walkways, add native plantings, and improve drainage. The improvements will include more durable walkway surfaces that can handle heavy service vehicle use and snow management. At Rockefeller Chapel, meanwhile, both the exterior limestone and stained-glass windows are undergoing restoration. The chapel will remain open throughout the project.

A joyful surprise

The 2024 graduates of the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice each received a $1,000 gift from an anonymous donor. In brief remarks at their ceremony read by Dean Deborah Gorman-Smith, the unnamed benefactor noted that “carrying the burden of making the world a better place can be exhausting” and encouraged the graduates to “do something unexpected. Do something for you.”

Premed, postgrad

Beginning in 2024–25, UChicago will offer a postbaccalaureate premedical certificate program aimed at preparing recent alumni for the medical school application process. Along with scientific coursework, the program features personalized guidance on course selection and study, mentorship for medical school application preparation, and support in seeking research and clinical opportunities. The program is accepting applications from recent UChicago graduates and current third- and fourth-year College students.

Lab life

A new UChicago multimedia series offers a behind-the-scenes look at the labs where the institution’s scholars make breakthrough discoveries. Inside the Lab features videos and Q&As with the faculty, staff, and students at work in these advanced facilities. To learn more, visit news.uchicago.edu/inside-the-lab.