The Institute for Physical Science and Technology (IPST) at the University of Maryland (UMD) invites outstanding young scientists to apply for the inaugural IPST Postdoctoral Fellowship in Artificial Chemical Intelligence.

Edward Daschle & Nicole Yunger Halpern to teach course in spring 2025:

Writing Quantum Steampunk: Science-Fiction Workshop

Steampunk is a science-fiction genre in which futuristic technologies populate Victorian-era settings. Recently, steampunk has come to life in the scientific field of quantum thermodynamics. Thermodynamics, the study of energy, grew out of the Industrial Revolution. Two centuries later, quantum physics is transforming computing and cryptography. Quantum science is now revolutionizing 19th-century thermodynamics in quantum thermodynamics, which features quantum engines, automata, and more. Quantum thermodynamics inspired the growing subgenre of quantum steampunk. In this course, you will read science fiction, write quantum-steampunk short stories, receive feedback, and critique classmates’ writing. In parallel, you will learn about quantum physics, technologies, and thermodynamics.

Chris Jarzynski (IPST/Chemistry and Biochemistry) with Mohammad Hafezi (ECE) and graduate student Alireza Seif, published an article in Nature Physics, September 21, entitled "Machine Learning the Thermodynamic Arrow of Time". The authors found that a machine learning algorithm that is trained to infer the direction of time’s arrow identifies entropy production as the relevant physical quantity in its decision-making process.