The Institute for Physical Science and Technology and the Department of Physics announce the 22nd Annual Shih-I Pai Lecture. This year's lecture will be presented by Carlos J. Bustamante, Professor of Physics, Chemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology and the Raymond and Beverly Sackler Chair of Biophysics at the University of California, Berkeley. His talk, "The Folding Cooperativity of a Protein is Controlled by the Topology of its Polypeptide Chain", will be given on Tuesday, October 4, 2016 at 4 pm in room 1412 of the Physics building at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Within social networks, information spreads and ideas compete. People can be persuaded by strong arguments on social media to change their opinions on, say, who is the best presidential candidate in the 2016 race. However, the level of difficulty in changing an individual’s opinion through social media varies—while some people stand firm, others waver in their opinions on certain issues.

Dr. Richard Remsing, who received his Ph.D. in 2013 in Chemical Physics under the supervision of Distinguished University Professor John Weeks (IPST / Chemistry), has been awarded a Postdoctoral Research Award from the Physical Chemistry Division of the American Chemical Society. The award cites his research in electron transfer reactions within layered manganese dioxides, with his postdoctoral advisor, Professor Michael Klein (Temple University). Dr. Remsing's Ph.D.

Three evenings a week, Mathematics Professor Konstantina Trivisa and her teammates carry their rowing shell down to the Potomac River for a workout on the water.  For Trivisa, it’s more than good exercise, it's a celebration of teamwork.

David Fushman, Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Interim Associate Director of the Maryland Biophysics Program, and Sergei I. Sukharev, Professor in the Department of Biology and Interim Director of the Maryland Biophysics Graduate Program, were considered by IPST faculty in February 2015 for appointment as Affiliate Professors in IPST. Both candidates’ nominations were unanimously approved by the Institute’s faculty. Congratulations and welcome to the Institute for Physical Science and Technology to both of them.

Sergei Sukharev has been appointed Interim Director of the Maryland Biophysics Program for the coming year. Sukharev is a Professor of Biology, and has served as the Associate Director of the Maryland Biophysics Program. His research focuses on mechanosensitive ion channels, which convert mechanical forces into electrical or chemical signals in cells. He and the members of his research group study these channels using a combination of experimental approaches and computational modeling.