Yale part of quantum simulation effort
Yale University is a key partner in the new Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Robust Quantum Simulation, an institute supported by the National Science Foundation. The institute focuses on developing quantum simulation devices that can understand the behaviors of complex quantum systems. Yale’s participation is led by Shruti Puri, assistant professor of applied physics. With the University of Maryland serving as the lead institution, other partners include Duke University, Princeton University, North Carolina State University, and researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
A summer of STEM projects
Connecticut governor Ned Lamont ’80MBA launched the Governor’s Summer STEM Challenge, a statewide initiative developed with the state Office of Workforce Strategy, the Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science, and the Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges. The program presented students in grades 3 through 12 with a series of hands-on design projects to keep them engaged over the summer while developing high-quality STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) skills for the future. Weekly challenges introduce students to virtual instruction with Yale student organizations and building projects with everyday materials.
Water treatment at the atomic level
Over the past couple decades, using nanomaterials to create efficient catalysts for various applications—including water treatment—has been the gold standard in the field. But a new study led by the lab of Jaehong Kim, the Henry P. Becton Sr. Professor and Chair of Chemical & Environmental Engineering, goes even smaller: down to a single atom. The results show a big improvement in efficiency, with surprising new properties that cannot be achieved by nanomaterials. For water treatment, the smaller the catalyst, the better. That’s because the surface area of catalysts—which break down pollutants in water—is crucial to their efficacy.