UChicago Alumni

In July's µChicago, explore current research into climate change and weather shifts as well as new technologies that could mitigate their devastating effects.
📸 UChicago geophysical sciences professor Tiffany Shaw seeks to understand the physics of atmospheric circulation. Photography by Jean Lachat. alumni.uchicago.edu/science

As the Democratic National Convention heads to Chicago, get the rundown on the contentious, 200-year history—and lesson—of political conventions in the Windy City.

Featuring Bill Daley, former US Secretary of Commerce, author and journalist Jonathan Alter, Chicago Tribune columnist Ron Grossman, and Chicago journalist and political consultant Don Rose.

"There were 25 political conventions in the city of Chicago before the one that we're going to have this summer, and it turns out that a lot of them were historic at a time when conventions actually had the capacity to be historic." —David Axelrod, AB'76 (moderator)

Watch The University of Chicago Institute of Politics panel discussion via . Plus: don't miss tomorrow's Harper Lecture on the 2024 election.
https://alumniandfriends.uchicago.edu/s/uchicago-review-story/a4XVw0000002G3tMAE/night-at-the-coliseum-a-history-of-political-conventions-in-chicago?utm_source=com-fy25&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=uchicago-review

🏅✨ As American gymnasts soared to Olympic glory, co-head physician of the USA Gymnastics women’s team Marcia Faustin, MD’13, was there to support them through every flip and twist. Take a look back at Dr. Faustin's incredible journey and her vital role with the team, as discussed in University of Chicago Magazine.
https://mag.uchicago.edu/science-medicine/medal-worthy-care

UC Davis Health, USA Gymnastics, The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine

Remember to join UChicago faculty experts online August 9 for an objective take on the election and the current moment in US politics.
The University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy
Register here!
https://alumniandfriends.uchicago.edu/s/activities-event?name=When%20Unprecedented%20Becomes%20the%20Precedent%3A%20Virtual%20Harper%20Lecture

Hot off the digital press!

Our Summer/24 issue is online now (and in your mailboxes soon)! Sample Rebecca McCarthy’s (AB’77) biography of Norman Maclean, PhD’40; explore the new materials invented by UChicago researchers; listen in as deans discuss the future of higher ed; and more: https://mag.uchicago.edu/current-issue

The Young Professional Summer Series has officially come to a successful close! 🙌 Over 30 young alumni in San Francisco, Chicago, NYC, LA, and Seattle gathered for intimate, industry-themed dinner conversations led by experienced alumni, fostering learning, connection, and community building. Additionally, 150+ alumni participated in online webinars, gaining valuable insights on networking and salary negotiation.

Major shoutout to our alumni who volunteered their expertise in creative writing, venture capital and start-ups, law, and non-technical tech! If you want to attend similar young professional events like this next year, let us know which city and industry theme in the comments.

What are you reading this summer? One of the Reg Reads top five? A favorite from your time in the College? Something you had always been meaning to get around to? A book written by a UChicago faculty member or an alum? Drop your book reviews below or email [email protected]!

We seem to be living through a critical moment in US history. “Unprecedented” events now seem to happen every few weeks. For an objective analysis, join UChicago experts for a virtual Harper Lecture August 9.
The University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy

Register here!
https://alumniandfriends.uchicago.edu/s/activities-event?name=When%20Unprecedented%20Becomes%20the%20Precedent%3A%20Virtual%20Harper%20Lecture

What an incredible night at our 11th Broadway-themed Grant Park Music Festival event! Hosted by the wonderful Charmaine Owens, MLA’98, the evening was filled with enchanting performances and insightful conversations.
The event kicked off with a pre-concert reception, where attendees had the chance to network and mingle. We were honored to have Amy Lee Boonstra, AB’91, Grant Park Music Festival board member, share her thoughts on the vital role of the arts in our community. Bill Michel, AB’92, MBA’08, executive director of the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, also joined us, adding depth to the discussions about fostering creativity and cultural enrichment.

Thank you to everyone who attended and made this night memorable. Your support for the arts keeps our community vibrant and inspired. https://www.uchicago.edu/life-at-uchicago/arts

Missed out? Visit upcoming Alumni Club of Chicago at https://alumniandfriends.uchicago.edu/s/community?clubGroupName=Alumni%20Club%20of%20Chicago

What are your classmates up to at this stage of their lives? A new job, marriage, kids, publications, travel, hobbies, get-togethers with other alumni? As class correspondent for the University of Chicago Magazine , you can be the one who finds out all about it and lets everyone else know. We’re currently looking to fill the following College graduation years:
1957
1961
1964
1991
1993
2012
2017
2022
Dm or email [email protected] for more information, or to volunteer as a class correspondent! You could be the next Hildy Johnson! 🎥 Rosalind Russell in the 1940 comedy "His Girl Friday"

The University of Chicago's Olympic scholar: anthropologist and Norman Maclean Faculty Award winner John J. MacAloon, AM’74, PhD’80, was a pioneer of the multidisciplinary field of Olympic studies.

"The Olympic Games are a kind of—not a laboratory, because they’re so huge that you can’t control variables—but a theater of the encounter of cultures on a world scale, and of global forms imposed from without on a succession of host cultures." —John MacAloon

Read the University of Chicago Magazine Q&A via .
https://alumniandfriends.uchicago.edu/s/uchicago-review-story/a4XVw00000022DpMAI/light-bearer?utm_source=com-fy25&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=uchicago-review

LET'S GO!!

In honor of the , the UChicago Alumni Relations and Development office gathered for a fun-filled Breakfast of Champions! 🏅✨ We enjoyed a delicious breakfast, cheered for our teams, and even had some friendly competition. Let the games begin!

The UChicago men's and women's tennis teams were honored Monday at the White House, in recognition of their NCAA national championships in May. Congratulations, Maroons! 🏆🎾

📸Colin Terrill

From Math to Olympic Gold! Ken Ono, AB’89, has revolutionized swimming performance through data analysis. Starting at Emory University, Ono's work with swimmer Andrew Wilson led to Olympic gold in 2021. Now at UVA, his innovative techniques have propelled numerous athletes to success, including nine new U.S. Olympians. Discover how Ken Ono's mathematical brilliance is making waves in the sports world! 🌊🔢💪

Olympics UChicago College Quanta Magazine
Read more! https://www.quantamagazine.org/how-americas-fastest-swimmers-use-math-to-win-gold-20240710/
Photo credit: Raymond McCrea Jones

We're thrilled to congratulate John Jayne, AB’19, for representing the United States in Judo at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games! With the opening ceremony just around the corner, our excitement is off the charts! We’re all behind you, John, and can't wait to see you bring your best to the global stage! NBC Olympics & Paralympics , University of Chicago Athletics, UChicago College

📸: Photo Credits: Di Feliciantonio Emanuele, IJF-Internationaljudofederation, UChicago Wrestling

“What advice would you give to a brand-new Maroon?” Read more advice – from faculty, alumni, students, and classic texts – in the Core. University of Chicago Magazine, University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice https://mag.uchicago.edu/university-news/word-advice

🍨 Happy National Ice Cream Day! 🍨 Dive into the sweet story of Frönen, a delicious, alumni-founded, nondairy ice cream company.

From pulling all-nighters at the Reg to scaling unexpected challenges, continue reading the delicious journey of Jessy Gartenstein, AB’17, and Erik Nadeau, AB’18, from University of Chicago Magazine. Frönen

Frönen by the numbers The cold, hard figures behind an alumni dessert company.

June’s µChicago features recycled wastewater, energy efficient microelectronics, and “pluripotent plastic”: new technologies developed by UChicago engineers working to solve pressing environmental problems. alumni.uchicago.edu/science
♻️ 📸 Supratik Guha, professor in Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago and senior advisor at Argonne National Laboratory

What makes something memorable (or forgettable)?

Psychologist Wilma Bainbridge discusses the Mandela effect and a new AI tool to predict what we remember—from art to people’s faces.

"Understanding why we remember certain images over others might really tell us what’s happening between seeing something and remembering something in the brain," she says.

Listen on Big Brains Podcast via .
https://alumniandfriends.uchicago.edu/s/uchicago-review-story/a4XVw0000001lkrMAA/what-makes-something-memorable-or-forgettable?utm_source=com-fy25&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=uchicago-review

Congratulations to 16 outstanding researchers selected for the inaugural Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Network Investigator cohort!

Luis Barreiro, Ph.D., Marcus Clark, M.D., Ph.D., Bryan Dickinson, Ph.D., Aaron Esser-Kahn, Ph.D., Margaret Gardel, Ph.D., Aly Khan, Ph.D., Yang Li, Ph.D., Peter Mauer, Ph.D., Alex Pearson, M.D., Ph.D., Samantha Riesenfeld, Ph.D., Benjamin Shogan, M.D., Allison Squires, Ph.D., Melody Swartz, Ph.D., Savas Tay, Ph.D., and Vincenzo Vitelli, Ph.D.

These talented researchers are part of a group of 48 innovative scientists and engineers from The University of Chicago, Northwestern University, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. They will be pursuing groundbreaking, high-risk, high-reward projects on topics such as instrumented tissues, inflammation, and immune system functions.

Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Chicago CZ Biohub Chicago brings together leading academic institutions to pursue scientific challenges in inflammation and the immune system

“What advice would you give to a brand-new Maroon?” Read more advice – from faculty, alumni, students, and classic texts – in the Core. University of Chicago Magazine, UChicago Social Sciences https://mag.uchicago.edu/university-news/word-advice

A massive congratulations to Jesse Ssengonzi, AB’24, for representing Uganda in the 100 meter butterfly at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games! The excitement begins with the opening ceremony on July 26, 2024. We're cheering you on and can't wait to watch you shine on the world stage! NBC Olympics & Paralympics, University of Chicago Athletics Olympics

📸 Photo Credits: images 1-2 Jacob Brown, image 3 , image 4 Marlins of Raleigh

Continue your education past graduation with the Young Professionals Series! This summer, build professional relationships with industry alumni, gain new skills, and advance your career by joining exclusive webinars, dinners, and more. https://alumniandfriends.uchicago.edu/s/careers-young-professionals

Learn more about Megha Bhattacharya, AB'19!
https://alumniandfriends.uchicago.edu/s/activities-event?name=Young%20Alumni%202024%20Feature%3A%20Megha%20Bhattacharya

Congratulations Andre Castro Racing, AB’22, for his performance at NASCAR Chicago Street Race! Andre showcased his incredible talent and determination. We are proud to see our Maroon making waves in the racing world!
📸 Photo credit: Jesse Iwuji Racing eRacing Association

📺 Exciting news! In the latest season of The Bear, Uncle shares wisdom from The University of Chicago’s lecture series "The Day Tomorrow Began” with Carmy. We agree, Uncle—together, we can change the world. Check out the new season!

How do Americans view climate in 2024?

A new poll from Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago - EPIC explored Americans’ attitudes on climate change, key climate and energy policies, and electric vehicles:

- 54% believe climate change is human-driven
- 1 in 5 consider moving due to extreme weather
- A majority support wind and solar energy

See the findings—summarized in 12 charts—via .
https://alumniandfriends.uchicago.edu/s/uchicago-review-story/a4XVw0000001qPZMAY/americans-views-on-climate-change-and-policy-in-12-charts?utm_source=com-fy24&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=uchicago-review

The University of Chicago, Chicago State University formalize partnership meant to grow collaborations, build inclusive pathways to emerging scientific fields The universities’ presidents signed a Memorandum of Understanding and led a discussion amongst collaborating faculty and staff at an event on Chicago State’s campus this week The University of C...