News – STROBE

Congratulations to Margaret Murnane for Being Named Optica Honorary Member

WASHINGTON — Optica, Advancing Optics and Photonics Worldwide, has named Margaret M. Murnane an Optica Honorary Member, the most distinguished of all Optica Member categories. Murnane is recognized for pioneering advances in ultrafast laser technology and XUV science, as well as exceptional service to the optics community through sustained mentorship and leadership. She is currently a Distinguished Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, USA.

“Margaret is a global leader in ultrafast, high-intensity laser research, but her impact extends far beyond the lab through her mentorship, volunteerism and innovative work with KMLabs,” said Gisele Bennett, Optica’s 2026 President. “It is with great pleasure that I welcome her into the esteemed group of Optica Honorary Members.”

Congratulations to Benjamin Hammel for Receiving the Outstanding Graduate Award from the CU Boulder Materials Science and Engineering Program

Benjamin Hammel was recognized with the “Outstanding Graduate Award” and served as the Graduation Speaker for the Materials Science and Engineering Program’s Graduation Ceremony at the University of Colorado Boulder on Saturday, May 2, 2026. Benjamin was recognized for “outstanding research” and “all around contributions” to the Materials Science and Engineering community. Congratulations, Benjamin!

Congratulations to Leo Illing for Receiving an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

The purpose of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is to help ensure the quality, vitality, and strength of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States. Since 1952, the program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing full-time research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, including STEM education. NSF GRFP was established to recruit and support individuals who demonstrate the potential to make significant contributions in STEM, including STEM education. NSF encourages applications from the full spectrum of talent that the U.S. has to offer.

Atomic Musical Chairs: How Tiny Nanocrystals Are Informing the Future of Energy-Efficient Electronics

While most people, when asked about energy innovation, think about some of the “large” technologies, such as wind turbines, long transmission lines, or massive power plants, some of the most important advances in how we use energy are happening at a scale so small that millions of the “machines” involved could fit on the head of a pin.

New research from a team led by RASEI Fellow Gordana Dukovic, working in collaboration with RASEI Fellow Sadegh Yazdi and Prof. Dmitri Talapin from the University of Chicago, reveals new insights on a high-speed game of “atomic musical chairs.” This collaboration involved two large teams working together. Researchers from two United States National Science Foundation Science and Technology Centers (STCs) including IMOD and STROBE, employed cutting-edge microscopy techniques to directly visualize, for the first time at this scale, how atoms swap places inside tiny semiconductor nanocrystals, which is a crucial step toward understanding the composition, and ultimately the properties, of these materials.

Congratulations to Anya Grafov for Receiving the 2025 Women in STEM Award from the Zonta Foundation

Anya Grafov, a graduate student in the Kapteyn-Murnane research group at JILA, has received the 2025 Women in STEM Scholarship Award from the Zonta Foothills Club of Boulder County Foundation. The Zonta Women in STEM Award uplifts innovation and celebrates the remarkable accomplishments of women between 18-35 years of age in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields and acknowledge their groundbreaking research, pioneering discoveries, and/or exemplary contributions to advancing knowledge and innovation in a STEM field. By recognizing and supporting these exceptional women, Zonta aims to inspire future generations and foster inclusivity and diversity in the world of STEM. Congratulations, Anya!

3D, atom-by-atom maps of disordered materials

Researchers at the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA published a step-by-step framework for determining the three-dimensional positions and elemental identities of atoms in amorphous materials. These solids, such as glass, lack the repeating atomic patterns seen in a crystal. The team analyzed realistically simulated electron-microscope data and tested how each step affected accuracy. The team used algorithms to analyze rigorously simulated imaging data of nanoparticles — so small they’re measured in billionths of a meter. For amorphous silica, the primary component of glass, they demonstrated 100% accuracy in mapping the three-dimensional positions of the constituent silicon and oxygen atoms, with precision about seven trillionths of a meter under favorable imaging conditions.

Congratulations to Yueyun Chen for Receiving the 2025 Castaing Award for Best Student Paper from M&M

Congratulations to Yueyun Chen, a graduate student in Chris Regan’s group, for receiving the 2025 Castaing Award for Best Student Paper from Microscopy & Microanalysis!

Congratulations to Chris Regan for Receiving a 2024 APS Topical Group on Instrument and Measurement Science Fellowship

Prof. Chris Regan received a 2024 APS GIMS Fellowship in recognition “for advancements in the capabilities of in situ transmission electron microscopy, liquid-cell microscopy, and nanometer-scale thermometry, with applications ranging from improvements in computer memories to batteries. This work has an impact on both basic research and industrial applications.”

Fellowship in the American Physical Society is a great honor. In accordance with the APS Constitution, “there shall be elected to Fellowship only such Members who have contributed to the advancement of physics by independent, original research or who have rendered some other special service to the cause of the sciences. Congratulations, Chris!

Congratulations to Andrew Minor for Being Elected as a 2025 Microscopy Society of America (MSA) Fellow

Prof. Andy Minor has been elected as a 2025 MSA Fellow. The designation “MSA Fellow” is intended to recognize those who have been conferred the Society’s Distinguished Scientist Awards, as well as senior distinguished members of the Society who have made significant contributions to the advancement of the field of microscopy and microanalysis through a combination of scientific achievement and service to the scientific community and the Society itself. MSA Fellows duly elected by recommendation of the Fellows Committee. Congratulations, Andy!

Congratulations to Jianwei (John) Miao for Receiving the 2026 APS Joseph F. Keithley Award For Advances in Measurement Science

Prof. Jianwei (John) Miao has been selected to receive the 2026 Joseph F. Keithley Award For Advances in Measurement Science from the American Physical Society (APS). This award recognizes physicists who have been instrumental in the development of measurement techniques or equipment that have impact on the physics community by providing better measurements. Congratulations, John!