Illinois Physics | The Grainger College of Engineering | UIUC

A performance about a journey of two voyagers exploring the quantum realm has inspired a group of professors at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to launch a new art and science collective.

In 2018, physics professor Smitha Vishveshwara and theater professor Latrelle Bright created an interdisciplinary performance called “Quantum Voyagers,” which presents the story of two people guided by the spirit of knowledge, Sapienza. 

Now, in collaboration with UIUC music professor Stephen Taylor, Vishveshwara and Bright are launching the Collective for Art-Science, Creativity and Discovery, etc., or CASCaDe.

Illinois Professor of Physics and Astronomy Charles F. Gammie was named the Ikenberry Endowed Chair in January 2024. This campus-level appointment was established in honor of Stanley O. Ikenberry’s tenure as the 14th President of the University of Illinois, funded by a gift from Geraldine B. Cooke and other sources. On March 26, a ceremony was held to honor Gammie and another distinguished faculty member, Andrew Leakey, recently appointed the Aiken Chair in Plant Biology.

Illinois astronomy professor Leslie Looney discusses the significance of solar eclipses and viewing tips for the upcoming total solar eclipse occurring April 8.

The first atom-level model of a DNA-packed viral capsid reveals genome structure and possible new drug targets, University of Illinois researchers report. Pictured, from left: physics professor Aleksei Aksimentiev and research scientist Christopher Maffeo.