CWRU Department of Physics

Researchers from Case Western Reserve University and the University of Chicago have published a new paper introducing Multi-Mapping, a novel approach for modeling beam systematics in cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiments.

The work features contributions from CWRU Physics graduate student Cesiley L. King and faculty members John Ruhl and Johanna Nagy. By improving simulations of instrumental effects, Multi-Mapping helps researchers better understand and reduce potential sources of error, enabling even more precise measurements of the oldest light in the universe.

Read the preprint: https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.24605

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Bob and Janet Brown attended the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) conference in Pasadena, California, from July 18-22.

During the conference, they were recognized for their most recent Doc Brown Future Award (see first photo). They also had the opportunity to spend time with Kathy Harper, whose many contributions to AAPT are highlighted by the collection of ribbons on her conference badge.

Additionally, they gathered with AAPT leadership, including the president, members of the executive team, and two previous Doc Brown Future Award recipients (see 2nd photo).

The conference concluded with another former student dinner, where Bob and Janet enjoyed reconnecting with past students, including Qiaoyi "Joey" Liu.

Congrats on your recent Future Award and involvement in AAPT Professor Brown!

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The CWRU Department of Physics interviewed Engineering Physics major Benjamin Mellick about his research experience in the Kisley Lab. Keep reading to learn more about his work, his research journey, and his advice for students interested in pursuing research opportunities.

Q: Can you give a brief overview of your research project?
I worked in the Kisley Lab on Tensile Expansion Microscopy, a method of super resolving cells by making them physically larger. My project focused on printing small structures and studying how they stretch during the expansion process.

Q: What was your favorite part of the project?
Getting to use the Nanoscribe G2 Photonic Professional. It's a type of stereolithography 3D printer that uses lasers to cure resin and can print structures with resolutions down to about 100 nanometers.

Q: What advice would you give to students interested in getting involved in research?
Schedule your time and manage it well. That's what I've struggled with the most in research. Also, be ready for things to go wrong. Sometimes equipment is broken or already in use, and sometimes experiments just don't work out.

Thank you, Benjamin, for sharing your project and experiences with us! Stayed tuned to hear from more of our undergrads!

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Distinguished University Professor of Physics Glenn Starkman was featured in Science magazine, where he shared his perspective on new research exploring whether the Universe may be more "stringy" than previously thought.

The new paper contradicts the general consensus that the Universe appears homogeneous (the same) in all directions. Two scientists have found that the Universe may appear "stringy" on large scales, meaning it is not homogeneous! Professor Starkman describes that this has many implications for our modern understanding of the cosmos and may challenge physicists to rework preexisting frameworks!

Read the article here: https://www.science.org/content/article/universe-unexpectedly-stringy-which-could-unravel-theory-cosmos

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Calling all undergraduate students, graduate students, and researchers in the CWRU Department of Physics!

We've seen incredible research happening across our department this summer, and we'd love to help showcase it.

Create a flyer or submit a few photos with a brief description of your research, then send your submission to [email protected].

Selected submissions will be featured on the Department of Physics social media pages, giving your research its well-earned recognition. As a bonus, everyone who participates will also be entered into a random drawing to win a Mitchell's gift card!

We can't wait to share the exciting work happening throughout our department. Submit your research and help show the CWRU community what you've been working on!

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We're proud to congratulate three graduate students in the Department of Physics on receiving this year's Joint Graduate Awards!

The Art Walker Award for Outstanding Service, named in honor of Case alumnus and pioneering physicist Art Walker, recognizes exceptional service and leadership within the department.

This year's recipients are Ilteris K. Turan, who was recognized for organizing the Condensed Matter Journal Club, mentoring fellow students, and making outstanding research progress with two published papers, and Amirhossein Samandar, who was honored for his years of service organizing weekly blackboard talks for the Particle Astrophysics Theory Group.

The Mary Chilton Noyes Award for Outstanding Research was presented to Akeshi Aththanayake in recognition of her exceptional research accomplishments, including multiple publications, a recent paper published in February 2026, and being selected as a CWRU GSSCE grant recipient.

Congratulations to Ilteris, Amirhossein, and Akeshi on these well-deserved honors!

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Take a look at 'FLAVOR HIERARCHIES THE RIGHT WAY,' by Prof. Pavel Fileviez Perez (Case Western Reserve University) and Dr. Clara Murgui (CERN), a preprint posted on arXiv, where they propose a framework for fermion mass generation based on a universal seesaw. The framework provides a simple setting in which the hierarchies of charged-fermion masses, neutrino masses, and CP-violating parameters can be accounted for within a common extension of the Standard Model. See full paper here: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2607.07794 🎉

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Check out another amazing submission from the Beauty in Physics Art Competition! This piece, "Perched on the Edge of Perfection," was created by Aidan Selkirk and submitted to the Aesthetics and Astronomy category.

Pictured is a circuit printed with silver ink through aerosol jet printing, an additive manufacturing process that deposits conductive ink onto a substrate. This research focused on optimizing the printing parameters using iterative Bayesian optimization to improve the process for commercial applications.

This print displayed high ink deposition on a low-temperature substrate, resulting in pooling and discoloration as it oozed from the center. The beauty resides in the partially visible perfect square clouded by the dripping ink blots surrounding it, highlighting the abstract beauty found in an imperfect print.

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Congratulations to four CWRU students who have received Graduate Research Fellowship Program awards from the U.S. National Science Foundation!

Among this year's recipients is Cataldo Strangi, son of Professor Strangi in the CWRU Department of Physics. During his time at CWRU, Cataldo has focused on improving education for patients and medical professionals working with cardiovascular disease. His work uses interactive 3D models that allow users to walk through, examine, and engage with complex anatomical structures.

https://case.edu/news/meet-four-students-who-received-graduate-research-fellowship-program-awards-us-national-science-foundation?utm_source=sfmc&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=thedaily_people

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Meet four students who received Graduate Research Fellowship Program awards from the U.S. National Science Foundation | CWRU Newsroom | Case Western Reserve University Four Case Western Reserve University students and five alumni are among those selected nationwide to receive Graduate Research Fellowships from the U....

CWRU alumna Yvette Cendes recently wrote an article for Scientific American titled "Could Mysterious Black Hole Burps Rewrite Physics?"

Read the article here: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-some-black-holes-keep-burping-light-after-eating-a-star/

Yvette earned both her BS and MS in Physics from CWRU, graduating in 2011. In an episode of the Astrophysics Podcast, "Dr. Yvette Cendes -- Black Holes on the Radio," she reflects on her time at CWRU and discusses why she chose to major in physics instead of astronomy. Listen to it here: https://rss.com/podcasts/astrophysics/1949013/

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