The Synapse
Updates from the Sciences at Loyola University Maryland
Save the date for the Grand Seminar - Wednesday, October 29, 2025!
In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Laudato Si’, which coincides with the launching of the Environmental Science and Environmental Studies degree programs, the Natural and Applied Sciences is pleased to announce this year's Grand Seminar, titled "Science and Solutions for a (rapidly) Warming World." The event will take place on Wednesday, October 29th at 6 PM, McGuire Hall.
Our keynote speaker is Dr. Kim Cobb, Director of Brown University's Institute for Environment and Society and Professor, Environment and Society & Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, Brown University.
The lecture will also be accessible via Zoom. Please register here to attend the 2025 Grand Seminar.
Meet the 2025 Nobel Prize Winners!
Each year, from the first Monday in October to the second Monday of the month, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announces Nobel Prize recipients in various fields. The 2025 Nobel Prizes were awarded in the following categories:
- The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute has decided to award the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi “for their discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance.”
- The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret and John M. Martinis “for the discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling and energy quantisation in an electric circuit.”
- The 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded toto Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar M. Yaghi “for the development of metal–organic frameworks.”
The 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded to the Hungarian author László Krasznahorkai, “for his compelling and visionary oeuvre that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art.”
The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize goes to Maria Corina Machado “for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy”.
Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2025:
- Joel Mokyr “for having identified the prerequisites for sustained growth through technological progress”
- Philippe Aghion “for the theory of sustained growth through creative destruction”
- Peter Howitt “for the theory of sustained growth through creative destruction”.
Register for a 2-day Experiential Workshop and Pitch Competition!
With the guidance of Loyola University Maryland’s Simon Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, three first-year Loyola engineering students are developing a new recyclable battery for electric vehicles. They won Loyola’s inaugural Greyhound Pitch Competition and progressed to the $1M Hult Prize, a national competition in Boston. The same team has since been selected for a National Science Foundation program they participated this summer. Read more on Loyola News.
The two-day workshop and Greyhound Pitch Competition will take place on November 14-15, 2025. This event offers a fantastic opportunity for all Loyola students, including first-year students, to expand their networks and develop critical thinking, analytical, and presentation skills in an engaging hands-on program. Participants might also win a cash prize or a trip to Boston.
For questions, please contact Prof. Jon Weinstein
Experience something new this semester! Learn a new skill! Do it all for the plot! Be sure to register by close of the day before classes to receive Zoom link.
If you attend 5 LNDL Side Quest events this semester (all pop-up classes are eligible!) you could win a $50 Ekiben gift card! Pick up a Side Quest punch card at the library’s help desk today!
If you have any questions, ideas for potential pop-up classes, or would like to teach a future class, contact Clara Love at cmlove@loyola.edu.
Prof Richard Auer, Mathematics and Statistics Department
Prof. Richard Auer, Assistant Professor in the Mathematics and Statistics department, delivered a lecture on Statistical Sports Modelling: What to Teach and How to Teach It! on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, Knott Hall B01, 3:00 P.M.
Hoyeon Kim, Ph.D, Department of Engineering
This issue aims to gather research activities focusing on, but not limited to motion control for autonomous vehicles, navigation, perception, and intelligent decision-making for better performance. These topics are traditional in robotics; however, the Special Issue also wants to solicit papers on new research achievements and challenges in autonomous vehicles.
Donnelly Science Center Addition & Construction Livestream
The Donnelly Science Center has been the hub for Loyola’s science programs since 1978. As part of the University’s strategic plan Together We Rise: Loyola University Maryland's Strategic Plan for 2030, we aim at enhancing our STEM offerings, thus, university is making significant investments to strengthen STEM and health programs including extensive renovation and expansion of Donnelly Science Center.
More info and to view the Donnelly Science Center Addition & Construction Livestream.
Interested to support our Growth: To learn about making a gift to the Donnelly Science Center project, contact Mary Lineburger, '99, assistant vice president for major gifts, at mlmazzuca@loyola.edu or 410-617-2797.
Register for the MS Data Science Virtual Info Session on Wednesday, November 19th!
Join us for an upcoming information session to learn more about Loyola University Maryland's Online Graduate Data Science program. The academic program director and the director of program operations will be present to answer your questions regarding program formats, application requirements, and the admission process.
By attending any of our information sessions, you can save yourself from paying the $60 graduate application fee.
Join us and explore the opportunities that await you! Please register here.
