Analysis of the composition of meteorites by a research team at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL) has turned up evidence that microscopic dust particles imbedded in some meteoritic materials show signs of possibly having been produced in stellar explosions long before the solar system formed.

Chris Adami, Professor in the Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy, has partnered with Kamil Brádler of the University of Ottawa to create a detailed model of a black hole's interaction with its surrounding field of Hawking radiation.

Abrams Planetarium has a new featured show, "Skywatchers of Africa", which explores African cultural uses of astronomical information which have developed over time. Aspects of societies in Africa, ranging from spirituality to ritual to ordinary survival needs, have for thousands of years been influenced by their knowledge of the sky.

Physics and Astronomy Professor Mark Voit is one of ten winners of the 2016 William J. Beal Outstanding Faculty Award. This award will be one of many which will be presented to various accomplished members of the MSU Community at the annual MSU Awards Convocation at 3:30 pm on February 9th at Wharton Center's Pasant Theatre.

Marcos Dantus, University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy, is a leading expert on ultrafast laser pulse technology.

MSU Physics and Astronomy Assistant Professors Sean Couch and Chris Wrede are among the 49 scientists nationwide to be selected by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Office of Science to receive significant funding for their research as part of the DOE's 2016 Early Career Research Program. Of these 49 recipients, 27 are from U.S universities and 22 are from DOE's national laboratories.

Advances in the speed of computer hardware have been accompanied by massive increases in the amount of memory which the faster processors can handle. While these advances enable systems to process larger and more detailed sets of data ranging from scientific analysis to website content to online gaming to streaming video, the vast amount of information needs to be stored for access, and that takes a considerable amount of electrical power.

MSU Physics & Astronomy Assistant Professor Kendall Mahn has been named a recipient of a 2016 Sloan Research Fellowship.

The Sloan Research Fellowships seek to stimulate fundamental research by early-career scientists and scholars of outstanding promise. These two-year fellowships are awarded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation yearly to 126 researchers in recognition of distinguished performance and a unique potential to make substantial contributions to their field. They provide $55,000 of research funding over the two years of the fellowship.