Graduate student Matthew Verosloff, hangs by one arm off a dirt ledge as he leans his body over the edge of a river. His free arm is reaching down with a test tube to collect a sample of water. He’s in Costa Rica escaping the frigid cold of winter in Chicago …
Read moreUsing cryoEM, amorphous ice allows scientists to observe specimens in a near-natural state Ice often evokes images of cold drinks on a summer’s day, icicles dripping off a roof in winter, or frost spreading on a windowpane. Its appearance and…
Read moreIt’s a Friday morning in the painting conservation offices at the Art Institute of Chicago. I’m ushered through security and brought to a staging room. It’s cavernous. I tilt my head up: Towering black matte walls meet a black ceiling somewhere out of sight, and I can …
Read moreLast week, my mother called from the other side of the Pacific Ocean. After chatting about the weather in Chicago and what I had for dinner recently, she turned to my work. “Can you tell me again what you do for research? Do you observe the stars every night?” …
Read moreWhen then Senator Barack Obama visited Google in 2008, one of the questions he was asked was “what is the best algorithm to sort a million different numbers”? Obama, being up to speed on all the programming jargon, promptly replied …
Read moreThe discovery of fire was a turning point in human history for many reasons. Fire offered portable warmth, light, protection, and a new way of preparing food. It was also one of mankind’s most successful attempts to harness energy. Other major efforts include …
Read moreWhen an oven bakes you can feel the heat, and on a stovetop you can see the flames emanating from the surface. A microwave oven, on the other hand, can cook food quickly, without any visible source of heat. They work because of the type of radiation …
Read moreThe 2016 Summer Olympic Games were a chance to celebrate the world’s greatest athletes, who strive to constantly push the boundaries of what the human body is capable. As a biomedical engineer, I can fully appreciate the pinnacle of fitness these athletes have …
Read moreIf you watch television at all, you’ve seen advertisements suggesting that some new medicine is the best remedy for a particular disease. In stark contrast to a montage of agile women practicing yoga in a field of flowers and a pain-free granddad tossing a football to …
Read moreMy father’s voice faltered as my family sat around the kitchen table. He was young for such a diagnosis. No one expected prostate cancer. I was speechless. At first, time seemed to slow down while I tried to process the news. As a daughter, my heart …
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