
Photon camp gives high school students exposure to optics
During their week at Photon Camp, 18 students from several local high schools and the Bergen Academy in New Jersey will attend lectures in the mornings, and get some hands on experience in the laboratory during the afternoons.

“Compressive sensing” provides new approach to measuring a quantum system
Physicists have shown that a technique called compressive sensing offers a way to measure both variables at the same time, without violating the Uncertainty Principle.

Monkeys also believe in winning streaks, study shows
Humans have a well-documented tendency to see winning and losing streaks in situations that, in fact, are random. Now in the first study in non-human primates of this systematic error in decision making, researchers find that monkeys also share our unfounded belief in lucky streaks.

University of Rochester previews new data visualization lab
The new VISTA Collaboratory, located in the Carlson Science and Engineering Library, completes a high performance supercomputing system on a massive scale and is one of only a handful of similar labs in the U.S. The display consists of an array of 24 monitors, is 20 feet wide and 8 feet tall, and has a resolution approaching that of IMAX theaters.

Trapping light: a long lifetime in a very small place
Physicists have created a silicon nanocavity that allows light to be trapped 10 times longer than in other similarly-sized optical cavities. Nanocavities are key components of nanophotonics circuits.

Protein anchors help keep embryonic development “just right”
Findings on the cellular-level regulation of proteins called histones by lipid droplets, or “fat depots,” shines light on chromosome production – and possible manipulation of that process.

Better tissue healing with disappearing hydrogels
When stem cells are used to regenerate bone tissue, many wind up migrating away from the repair site, which disrupts the healing process. A new technique keeps the stem cells in place, resulting in faster and better tissue regeneration.

CEIS awarded grant to fund national photonics roadmap
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has awarded $500,000 to the Center for Emerging and Innovative Sciences to lead the development of a national roadmap for photonics.

Experiment on earth demonstrates effect observed in space
Streaming jets of high-speed matter produce some of the most stunning objects seen in space. an experiment by French and American researchers using extremely high-powered lasers offers experimental verification of one proposed mechanism for creating them.

Biologist Vera Gorbunova to lead 5-year project on longevity
A $9.5 million grant from the National Institute on Aging will support research into the factors responsible for longevity in various species of long-lived rodents, with the goal of developing treatments to improve the aging process in people.