Honoring MLK

Jacqueline Stewart, AM’93, PhD’99, the Edward Carson Waller Distinguished Service Professor in Cinema and Media Studies, delivered the keynote address at the University’s Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Celebration on January 28 in Rockefeller Memorial Chapel. She discussed King’s strategic use of the media. “He leveraged media, especially photojournalism and television, to raise awareness and empathy, to bring evidence in front of indifferent and even hostile White audiences,” she said.

New studies, new shores

Two College fourth-years, Logan Hanssler and Elijah Jenkins, have been selected as 2026 Marshall Scholars to study in the United Kingdom for two years. Hanssler, who is interested in space-to-ground data transmission, will pursue a master’s degree in optics and photonics at Imperial College London and then a master’s by research in physics at Durham University. Jenkins is interested in global policy, especially in the Pacific. He plans to pursue a master of studies degree in global and imperial history at the University of Oxford and then a master’s of philosophy in development studies at the University of Cambridge.

Fermilab leadership

Norbert Holtkamp was appointed director of Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, the premier particle physics and accelerator laboratory in the United States, effective January 12. The laboratory is operated and managed by UChicago for the US Department of Energy. Holtkamp served as deputy laboratory director at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory from 2014 to 2022. In that role he oversaw the laboratory’s enterprise risk portfolio, including more than $2.5 billion in construction activities. Holtkamp previously worked at Fermilab from 1998 to 2001.

Scholar of languages

Andrew Ollett, associate professor in South Asian Languages and Civilizations, was awarded the Infosys Prize 2025 in Humanities and Social Sciences in recognition of his work as a philologist, linguist, and intellectual historian of India, and especially for his scholarship on how the Prakrit languages have interacted with Sanskrit and Indian vernaculars over time. Established in 2009, the Infosys Prize is given annually across six disciplines “to elevate the prestige of science and research in India and inspire young Indians to choose a vocation in research.”

Humanities evolving

In January the Neubauer Collegium for Culture and Society launched its Future of the Humanities project to assess the present and future of the humanities in higher education. Supported by a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation grant, this interdisciplinary initiative will bring together scholars and nonprofit and government representatives over two years to articulate defining principles and core qualities of humanities work, including strategies for adapting to recent shifts in political discourse, public perception, and the research and teaching landscape.

Clock-watchers

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announced on January 27 that the Doomsday Clock—a representation of how much time humanity has left to avert global catastrophe—moved forward four seconds and now sits at 85 seconds to midnight, the closest the symbolic clock has ever been to apocalypse. The Bulletin cited expiring nuclear treaties, climate change, and artificial intelligence and disinformation as major threats that have worsened in the past year.

Science advisers

Nadya Mason, dean of the UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, the Robert J. Zimmer Professor of Molecular Engineering, and interim vice president for science, innovation, and partnerships, and Supratik Guha, a professor in PME and senior adviser to Argonne Physical Sciences and Engineering, have been named to the newly created US Department of Energy Office of Science Advisory Committee, which combines the functions formerly handled by six committees. It will provide independent guidance on scientific and technical challenges across the Office of Science.

Bioelectronic promise

Chemistry professor Bozhi Tian received the 2026 Marian and Stuart Rice Research Award, a $100,000 award from the Physical Sciences Division for intellectually exciting and innovative ventures that enable new research directions. Tian is a materials scientist whose work integrates semiconductor science, electrochemistry, and living systems to develop sustainable bioelectronic platforms for nongenetic, drug-free medical interventions. His team plans to pursue fundamental surface chemistry studies at semiconductor–cell interfaces.

Schwarzman Scholars

Two UChicagoans were selected as 2026 Schwarzman Scholars in January. The Schwarzman Scholars program is designed to create a community of leaders with a broad understanding of China’s changing role in the world. Joe Zhang, a fourth-year in the College, and Samuel Levy, AB’24, will both pursue master’s degrees in global affairs at Tsinghua University in Beijing later this year. Zhang, an economics major originally from Beijing, plans to do legal work related to global institutions. Levy, who studied political science and global studies in the College, with a focus on East Asian affairs, will use his time in Beijing to deepen his understanding of China while building policy decision-making skills.