University of Chicago

Eugene Robinson Jr., Chicago Public Schools’ first director of Black student success, discusses the challenges of implementing the Black Student Success Plan amid federal funding disputes and community expectations. The initiative, aligned with state law and the district’s strategic plan, faced delays in forming a guiding committee and legal scrutiny from the Trump administration.

President Trump cannot lift sanctions on Turkey without congressional approval, according to Professor Paul Poast, as the sanctions were imposed after Turkey purchased a missile defense system from Russia.

Biologists created a synthetic cell from nonliving components that grew, replicated its DNA, and divided, mimicking key life functions. The achievement was described as 'an impressive step' by Jack Szostak, a researcher at the University of Chicago.

A Gallup survey shows Russians are more pessimistic about their economy than in the past 20 years, with a majority reporting worsening living standards. Konstantin Sonin, a professor at the University of Chicago, claims this does not threaten Vladimir Putin, stating 'Putin doesn't care much about the quality of living of Russians.'

Iran and the U.S. are engaged in a 'shadow war' over control of the Strait of Hormuz, with recent Iranian attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain threatening a ceasefire. The U.S. is defending an alternate shipping route through the strait, which Iran seeks to block to assert control, risking further escalation.

The resurgence of great power politics is central to global strategic discourse, as discussed by Professor John Mearsheimer at the SCMP Plus fireside chat at HKU iCube. The event featured a conversation moderated by SCMP Executive Editor Zuraidah Ibrahim.

Nvidia announced a new AI server infrastructure using liquid cooling to eliminate water consumption in data centers. The system circulates a water-propylene glycol coolant in a closed loop, allowing higher operational temperatures and reducing reliance on water-intensive air-cooling. Microsoft and the United Nations have also highlighted water conservation efforts in data centers.

New Tennessee laws effective July 1, 2026, include measures on immigration enforcement privacy, free-speech protections for universities, penalties for violating deportation orders, and drink spiking testing requirements. The laws aim to restrict public access to immigration records, mandate policies modeled after the University of Chicago’s free-speech framework, and criminalize drug-facilitated crimes.

A 2025 University of Chicago survey found 72% of American teens used AI chatbots as companions, with some seeking emotional support. However, AI systems like ChatGPT have been shown to provide harmful advice on self-harm and suicide, prompting calls for teens to seek human connections instead.

Former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama surprised the first 100 visitors to the newly opened Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. The event included a book reading and a dedication ceremony with notable attendees. The center features a museum, library branch, and public spaces near the University of Chicago.

Former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama surprised the first 100 visitors to the newly opened Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. They read 'Where the Wild Things Are' to children and interacted with guests at the center, which features a museum and public spaces. The center's Juneteenth opening followed a dedication ceremony with notable attendees, and tickets are sold out through November.

Barack and Michelle Obama surprised the first 100 visitors to the new Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, personally greeting them and reading 'Where the Wild Things Are' with LeVar Burton. The museum, which includes a Chicago Public Library branch and public spaces, opened on Juneteenth with sold-out tickets through November.

Caltech researchers discovered a chemical reaction involving benzene and hydrogen cyanide that could explain the formation of DNA and RNA nucleobases on early Earth and potentially Mars. The study suggests sunlight and asteroid impacts may have driven this pathway, offering a simpler explanation than previous theories.

Solar geoengineering, aimed at cooling the planet by reflecting sunlight, faces significant practical challenges. Researchers are exploring aircraft designs like Iris Aero's stratospheric plane and determining optimal particles for atmospheric scattering, but technical and logistical hurdles remain unresolved.

Jim Franke, a University of Chicago researcher, is working on solar geoengineering to cool the planet by releasing materials in the stratosphere via high-altitude aircraft. The approach faces engineering and scientific challenges, including aircraft design, material dispersion, and monitoring effectiveness.

A person is in custody in Chicago after a cross was burned in Grant Park, a site historically significant to Barack Obama's 2008 election. A 21-year-old man claimed responsibility, stating the act was a protest against Donald Trump and Christian nationalists, not a racist statement, but cross burnings are historically linked to hate symbols like the Ku Klux Klan.

A study found that closing 50 Chicago schools in 2013 led to a 10% increase in gun violence near vacant buildings compared to similar areas without closures. Repurposed school sites did not show significant increases in shootings, but most closed schools remained unused, failing to deliver promised community benefits.

The article discusses the University of Chicago's Pape analyzing the US-Iran Deal. Key focus is on Pape's perspective regarding the agreement between the United States and Iran.

A 2025 study linked eviction rates to increased gun violence in Chicago, finding a 1 percent rise in evictions correlated with 2.66 more shootings near residents' homes. Researchers analyzed data from 13,900 people, noting personal eviction experiences were strongly associated with shootings. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson recently proposed eviction protections, aligning with the study's implications for violence prevention.

James Heckman, an economics professor at the University of Chicago, discusses the value of risk-taking and China's 'common goal' in an interview. His research focuses on social and economic issues such as inequality, social mobility, and labor market regulation, including studies on China's labor market.

A team at the University of Chicago discovered a simple method to create powerful quantum states by adjusting energy levels of atoms in an optical cavity, enabling the generation of highly entangled states without complex hardware.

Pangram, an AI detection tool, has been central to recent controversies over AI-generated writing, including accusations against a horror novel, newspaper articles, and a Pope's encyclical. While Pangram claims high accuracy, concerns remain about its error rates and potential for misuse in academic and professional settings.

Megan Chung, a pancreatic cancer patient, joined a clinical trial for daraxonrasib, an experimental drug nearing regulatory approval that has significantly extended survival rates for the disease. The treatment, considered revolutionary, marks a breakthrough in addressing one of the deadliest cancers, with Chung describing its impact as 'miraculous.'

The Chicago school board postponed charter school renewal decisions for six of seven schools until June 10, citing ongoing oversight debates. District officials proposed a new monitoring process with longer renewal terms, but some board members, aligned with the Chicago Teachers Union, demanded stronger oversight due to recent financial instability in the charter sector. The Acero network, which closed seven campuses, received a five-year renewal recommendation.

A former Chicago couple, Guillermo Jafett Hidalgo Ortiz and Zafar Padamsee Mawani, have been missing in Mexico City for over a week. They were caring for Mawani’s mother, who has Alzheimer’s disease, and were in the process of buying a lift chair when they disappeared on May 20. Ortiz’s phone was turned off, and bank withdrawals occurred, prompting family cooperation with authorities.

Robert Pape, a University of Chicago professor and director of the Chicago Project on Security and Threats, warns that control over the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's nuclear capabilities are zero-sum issues blocking progress toward a U.S.-Iran peace deal.

Los Angeles parents received letters with data on high school effectiveness in 2019 as part of an experiment by economist Chris Campos. While individual letters had little impact, widespread distribution at a single school influenced community decisions, leading to more students choosing high schools with higher growth scores and improved college enrollment rates.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is taking a low-profile approach to media interviews, similar to President Biden's strategy, despite being a potential presidential contender in 2028. She has done few interviews with national outlets, with her last one being on February 28 with NPR. This approach has drawn comparisons to Biden's limited press access during his presidency.

President Trump's rhetoric on Iran has fluctuated as a ceasefire deadline approaches, raising questions about potential negotiations. CBS News reports on the situation with insights from University of Chicago professor Robert Pape.

The article discusses UpDown, a manycore processor architecture designed for efficient parallel computing using many threading and scalable memory parallelism. It references a research paper and a HN comment thread, indicating academic and technical interest in the technology.