Constitutional scholar had served as university’s provost for nine years

Pastora San Juan Cafferty, one of the nation’s leading scholars of race and ethnicity and a specialist on Hispanics, died April 16 in her Near North Side home in Chicago. Cafferty, professor emerita at the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration, was 72.

In addition to her research, she was heavily involved in Chicago civic life. She was appointed to the founding board of directors of the Regional Transportation Authority, serving from 1974 to 1977...

Ian H. Solomon, who brings experience in international development, diplomacy, business and higher education, has been appointed Vice President for Global Engagement at the University of Chicago, effective June 1.

Since 2010, Solomon has served the Obama administration as United States Executive Director of the World Bank Group, championing innovation in international development.

Prior to the World Bank, Solomon served as senior advisor to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner...

At a time when technological proficiency is a prerequisite for most careers, about half of sixth- through 12th-graders in Chicago Public Schools report using technology for school less than once a week, according to a new report from the University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research.

Between 20 and 30 percent of students report never or rarely using technology for school—at most once or twice a semester, the report found. At the same time, 92 percent report having...

Update, 7 a.m. April 19: Officials have reopened the part of the Midway Plaisance that was closed on Thursday due to viaduct flooding. All of the Midway viaducts are now clear, and the roadway is open to traffic.

The Office of the University of Chicago Registrar will move as of April 29 from the Administration building to the University of Chicago Press building.

The Registrar’s office will close its current location on Friday, April 26 and reopen Monday, April 29 in the Press building at 1427 E. 60th St.

The office will continue to expand its online services, which already are the chief registration resource for students and faculty...

Update, 7:00 a.m., April 19: Officials have re-opened the part of the Midway Plaisance that was closed on Thursday due to viaduct flooding. All of the Midway viaducts are now clear, and the roadway is open to traffic.

Update, 3:30 p.m.: The eastbound lane of the Midway Plaisance remains closed at Dorchester Avenue. UChicago community members are advised to seek alternate routes for afternoon commutes.

Due to the heavy rain and severe weather, the eastbound lane of the Midway Plaisance at Dorchester Avenue is being closed as a result of viaduct flooding. Please remember to be cautious of standing water when driving through the area. Updates will be available at...

Janet Davison Rowley, the Blum-Riese Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine, Molecular Genetics & Cell Biology and Human Genetics, is one of three physician-scientists who will receive the Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research for 2013.

The prize, one of the largest for medicine and science discoveries in the United States, honors those “whose landmark research helped transform the...

Rayid Ghani, chief scientist of the highly regarded Obama for America data analytics team, has joined the University of Chicago to explore using data to solve complex social problems.

During the 2012 campaign season, Ghani’s team applied advanced data-mining and machine-learning methods to create new tools for fundraising, voter turnout, advertising and campaign strategy. Now, working with the Computation Institute and the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy,...

The University of Chicago community has a new child care option, which opened its doors to 124 children at 5610 S. Drexel Avenue earlier this month. Spaces are available to everyone, with priority given to faculty, staff, students, academic appointees and postdoctoral researchers at the University and the University of Chicago Medicine.

“High-quality child care options on campus will be a great benefit for our research and patient care missions, while enhancing the quality of...

The University of Chicago community has a new childcare option, which opened its doors to 124 children at 5610 S. Drexel Avenue earlier this month. Spaces are available to everyone, with priority given to faculty, staff, and students at the University and the University of Chicago Medicine.

“High-quality childcare options on campus will be a great benefit for our research and patient care missions, while enhancing the quality of life for our workforce,” said Kenneth...

Two major gifts will build momentum behind the University of Chicago’s leadership in biomedical computation by assembling experts in the field and furnishing them with the tools to use “big data” to understand disease and solve today’s health-related challenges.

These two gifts will fund related projects that are central to a much larger plan at UChicago that includes multiple data-driven discovery programs to improve health and medical care.

The gifts...

Nobel laureate James Cronin, SM’53, PhD’55, will receive the Alumni Medal, the highest honor for a UChicago alumnus, while 13 others will be recognized for their career accomplishments during Alumni Weekend.

Cronin shared the Nobel Prize in physics in 1980 for showing that the laws of nature operate differently on matter and...

In the aftermath of the tragic bombing at the Boston Marathon on April 15, Campus and Student Life is providing opportunities for students, faculty and staff to receive support and to grieve.

Student Counseling Services is available to all students and also available for staff/faculty support. SCS is located at 5737 S. University Ave. and can be reached at 773-702-9800. 

Drop-in hours: Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 5737 S. University Ave.

After...

Rénu Kulkarni, founder and executive director of FutureMedia at the Georgia Institute of Technology, will join the University as Associate Vice President for Strategic Initiatives on April 15, 2013.

In her new position, Kulkarni will lead and support a range of major initiatives at the University of Chicago and will help develop important University partnerships and affiliations. She will work closely with...

Prof. Edward “Rocky” Kolb has been appointed dean of the Division of the Physical Sciences for a five-year term, President Robert J. Zimmer and Provost Thomas F. Rosenbaum announced. Kolb’s appointment will take effect July 1.

Kolb is the Arthur Holly Compton Distinguished Service Professor of Astronomy & Astrophysics and the College and...

Pioneering University of Chicago cosmologist Michael S. Turner will present the annual Nora and Edward Ryerson Lecture, titled “Quarks and the Cosmos,” at 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 17. The free public lecture will take place in the Max Palevsky Cinema of Ida Noyes Hall, 1212 E. 59th St.

Turner is the Bruce V. and Diana M. Rauner Distinguished Service Professor in Astronomy & Astrophysics, director of UChicago’s Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, and...

The Oriental Institute will mark the 10th anniversary of the looting of artifacts from the Iraq National Museum in Baghdad with a special exhibit and a seminar on Tuesday, April 16.

Experts from around the country will speak at the seminar, “Catastrophe! Ten Years Later: Looting Destruction, and Preservation of Cultural Heritage in Iraq and the Wider Middle East,” which will be from 2 to 4 p.m....

David D. Awschalom has been elected to the European Academy of Sciences. The academy, which elects relatively few non-European scientists, bases its selections on pioneering new research fields that have substantial scientific impact.

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