Millennium Café

Undergraduate students have been central to my research journey. They have asked questions with fresh eyes, made mistakes that taught us something new, followed surprising results, and shaped the direction of our research. I’ll share stories from our work in functional and quantum materials, including how these students have influenced both the science and my career. I’ll also share what I’ve learned about recruiting and mentoring undergraduate researchers. Their curiosity, dedication, and willingness to try something new make them the heart of our group.

Saeed Almishal  | Materials Science & Engineering

Scholars in the Arts seek to improve lives through the research and application of arts and design practices to health and wellbeing. Projects from the Arts & Design Research Incubator are typically collaborative and interdisciplinary in nature, push methodological boundaries, link research and teaching, make innovative use of technology, and engage with university-wide research initiatives and priorities. We encourage faculty to register as affiliates of the Research Incubator and to promote their own and others’ scholarly output through seminars, colloquial, installations, and symposia. Please visit our website to learn more about individual faculty interests.

Bryan Nichols  |  School of Music

Artificial intelligence is transforming science and society, but it is also driving unprecedented growth in the energy needed to power data centers. In this talk, I will show how physics-based digital twins help us understand and optimize these complex systems, and how they provide the foundation for the next generation of Physical AI. 

Wangda Zuo  |  Architectural Engineering

In this talk, I will explain how we are using machine learning to improve materials synthesis using concrete examples and by making an analogy to chocolate chip cookie baking. In addition to describing our scientific efforts, I will also give a brief overview of our DOE Genesis project and how the Genesis program is operating.

Stephanie Law | Materials Science & Engineering

Millennium Café is coming back this fall—mark your calendar for September 2026!

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Much research has explored the impact of different teaching methods (e.g., traditional lecture vs. active learning). But what about interpersonal dynamics? Things instructors do or say in class; do they impact student success? Let's talk about it!

Nate Brown | Mathematics