CWRU Department of Physics

05/30/2026

Scientific American recently published an article highlighting research conducted by Case Western Reserve University Physics researchers who are part of the Collaboration for Observations, Models and Predictions of Anomalies and Cosmic Topology (COMPACT). Our very own Professor Glenn Starkman serves as the unofficial lead of the collaboration.

The article discusses COMPACT's mission to explore possible global topologies of our universe. For decades, cosmologists have largely embraced the idea of a flat, infinite universe, or one so close to infinite that the distinction is negligible. COMPACT is challenging that assumption by investigating a wide range of alternative Euclidean topologies that could describe the true shape and structure of the cosmos.

Read the Scientific American article here:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/we-thought-we-knew-the-shape-of-the-universe-we-were-wrong/

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Decades of data have suggested the universe is flat, much like an infinite plane. But a new analysis reveals deep flaws in that simple conclusion

05/10/2026

Thank you, Physics Seniors, for an amazing 4 years!

On Thursday the Department of Physics held its annual gathering celebrating our graduating seniors! This moment is both meaningful and bittersweet for our department. While we will miss the students we've come to know so well over the years, we are incredibly proud of their accomplishments and are excited for their futures!

The celebration included a poster session centered on senior research projects, dinner in Little Italy, and Professor Bob Brown's traditional narration of stories about each student. Janet Brown presented the gifts of books, with each senior receiving an individual selection carefully curated just for them. We learned where the students come from, their degrees and minors, where they plan to go after graduation, and wonderful personal stories about each. Special thanks to the faculty, especially the capstone advisors, who provided anecdotes and gift ideas.

Case Western Reserve University CWRU College of Arts and Sciences Case Alumni Association

05/08/2026

The 6th edition of NANOPLASM Conference, a high-profile international conference series launched in 2014 and chaired by professor Giuseppe Strangi from the Department of Physics at Case Western Reserve University, will bring together an extraordinary international lineup of leaders in optics, photonics, plasmonics, metamaterials, and quantum nanoscience. Over the years, NANOPLASM has established itself as a premier forum at the frontier of light–matter interaction and nanophotonic science. The NANOPLASM 2026 conference will take place in the stunning setting of Cetraro-Italy, on the Tyrrhenian coast, hosting discussions on transformative advances in quantum and topological photonics, extreme optical materials, nonlinear and chiral nanostructures, AI-driven photonic design, and emerging technologies shaping the future of photonics and life sciences.

Find more information at https://www.nanoplasmconference.com

Case Western Reserve University CWRU College of Arts and Sciences

05/05/2026

Congratulations to our undergraduate physics majors Daniel Passmore ('26) and Rae Dugger ('25) on their National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) honorable mentions!🎉💫👏🏾Daniel and Rae are part of the 9 awardees and 6 honorable mentions in the 2026 GRFP class from Case Western Reserve University overall! Daniel is shown here at Case's recent Intersections poster session with his senior research project 'Evolutionary Dynamics of MicroRNA Noise Filters' advised by Prof. Michael Hinczewski. Rae is now an applied physics PhD student at the University of Michigan. Her 'Field Inversion Asymmetry of Dynamic Radical Pair Systems' senior research project was advised by Prof. Peter H**e (Chemistry, University of Oxford) and Prof. Lydia Kisley.

The CWRU Department of Physics ran a multiweek GRFP Writing Bootcamp in the fall of 2025 to help students from all departments develop their applications and apply to graduate programs. We plan to run the bootcamp in the future to support CWRU undergraduate and graduate students in writing competitive fellowships.

The NSF GRFP is one of the nation's most prestigious fellowship programs. Out of a highly competitive pool of nearly 14,000 applicants nationwide, NSF awarded 2,500 fellowships and an additional 1,470 applicants were named as Honorable Mentions. For more than 75 years, GRFP has played a critical role in developing the talent pipeline required for sustaining U.S. leadership in science.

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04/29/2026

Associate Professor Lydia Kisley will be the guest panelist in the ThinkForum and Alumni Association of Case Western Reserve University's virtual book club, CWRU Page Turners on Monday, May 4 at 3 p.m. In this installment, CWRU Page Turners will discuss The Beauty of Falling by Claudia de Rham, featured speaker for CWRU's 2026 Millis Lecture. This conversation will be facilitated by Karen F. Kaler. Learn more and register here: https://case.edu/alumni/stay-involved/cwru-page-turners

Case Western Reserve University CWRU College of Arts and Sciences Case Alumni Association

04/27/2026

The Department of Physics is giving a huge congratulations to our CWRU physics students for their achievements at Spring Intersections!

Antonio Maria Verissimo Lopes Maia earned 1st place in Physical Sciences & Mathematics for his project “Shear Thickening and Jamming in Dense Suspension: Impact of Particle Rotation,” mentored by Abhinendra Singh (Case School of Engineering).

Moq Al-Yasiri took 3rd place in Computer Science & Data Science for “Estimating Tail Risks in Indices Using Machine Learning.” His mentor was CWRU Physics Professor Cyrus Taylor!

We’re proud of all your hard work and accomplishments, great job!

Case Western Reserve University Case School of Engineering Case Alumni Association CWRU College of Arts and Sciences

04/27/2026

The CWRU Department of Physics is very excited to announce that we are having our CWRU PHYSICS SENIOR PROJECT SYMPOSIUM on April 29th.

This annual symposium is a chance for each of our CWRU physics seniors to share their research they have been conducting in the Senior Capstone project. Don't miss out on a chance to hear from them before they graduate! Refer to the spreadsheet to see what talk will be given!

Wednesday, April 29, 10am–4:20pm | Foldy Room, Rockefeller 221
https://cwru.zoom.us/j/96924016861?pwd=0HJ7QTPwARMPsCcNgeLf3wPkcjeY4I.1
Meeting ID: 969 2401 6861 Passcode: senior

Case Western Reserve University CWRU College of Arts and Sciences Case Alumni Association

04/26/2026

Robert Brown and Ed Caner's Life After Graduation course had a great finale hearing from Dr Smith!

While this talk was framed through a military lens, the lessons reached far beyond it. It was clear this presentation holds real value for any audience, in any setting. The key takeaways from his talk were universal: keep building your expertise (don’t let AI short-circuit it!), show your organization what you can do, communicate results with impactful visuals, and take ownership of your career while supporting those around you. The emphasis on education, research, and the thoughtful use of data analytics, AI, and advanced computation resonated with everyone in the room.

We can't wait for next year to hear from more of these amazing speakers!

Case Alumni Association CWRU College of Arts and Sciences Case Western Reserve University

04/25/2026

Please join us Tuesday, April 28 for our Particle Astrophysics Seminar!

“The Terahertz Intensity Mapper: a stratospheric view of cosmic evolution”
with Jeffrey Filippini (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)

Foldy Room, Rockefeller 221 at 11:30 AM

Free and open to all, we hope to see you there!

Case Western Reserve University CWRU College of Arts and Sciences

04/25/2026

Professor Pavel Fileviez Pérez is organizing the 2026 International Workshop on Baryon and Lepton Number Violation (BLV2026), marking the return of the meeting after a 10 year hiatus. He is organizing it in collaboration with Prof. Reina Maruyama, Prof. Karsten Heeger, and other colleagues.

The workshop will be hosted by the Yale Wright Laboratory, the Yale Center for the Invisible Universe, and the Physics Department at Yale University.

BLV2026 will take place in New Haven from October 22–24, 2026.

For more information, please see: https://indico.wlab.yale.edu/event/906/

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