School of Arts and Sciences

Combat GIs dominate the history of Americans abroad during World War II. But these soldiers constituted only a small fraction of the unprecedented millions of Americans who mobilized for war. Brooke Blower, a Boston University historian, explores the backstories of a diverse group of noncombatants and their paths into global war.

Some of the most energetic phenomena in the universe produce high-energy gamma rays, and a new observatory in Mexico aims to expand the catalog of known gamma ray sources.

Rochester researchers and their collaborators have developed a way to transfer 2.05 bits per photon by using “twisted light.” The new approach doubles the 1 bit per photon that is possible with current systems that rely on light polarization and could help increase the efficiency of quantum cryptography systems.

Shakespeare’s play The Taming of the Shrew is often criticized for its portrayal of women as weak and submissive. But on Thursday, April 9, the University's International Theatre Program will present a new take on the classic comedy in a production performed by a largely male cast.

For the past five decades the Rolling Stones have enjoyed tremendous success as the original bad boys of rock for their image based on sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll. But what many people don’t realize is that this hasn’t always been the case for the group, according to John Covach, director of the Institute for Popular Music.

Edward Ayers will appear on campus as the 2015 Distinguished Visitor in the Humanities. Ayers’ digital archive project, The Valley of the Shadow: Two Communities in the American Civil War, has been used in thousands of classrooms around the world.

In his new book, professor of history Stewart Weaver chronicles journeys of discovery from the pre-historic trek of humans across the land bridge over the Bering Strait some 12,000 years ago to the mid-20th century deep sea voyages of Jacques-Yves Cousteau.

The Kindrick-CARA Award is presented annually to a member of the organization for their leadership in developing, organizing, and sponsoring work in medieval studies. Peck has been a faculty member at the University for 54 years, during which time he has received numerous commendations.

From the archives: Philip Levine, former poet laureate of the United States, was a keynote guest when the Department of English's Plutzik Reading Series celebrated its centennial in 2012. The Pulitzer Prize-winning poet died Sunday at the age of 87.

A recently discovered dim star likely passed some 70,000 years ago through our solar system’s distant cloud of comets known as the Oort Cloud. No other star is known to have ever approached our solar system this closely.