University of Denver Spring 2025

PUBLIC GOOD

Research Roundu p From studying space dust to solving a decades-old math problem, here’s what DU researchers have been up to lately.

Carbon dust discoveries in space University of Denver astronomers have revealed new insights into how carbon-rich dust—which is crucial for planet formation—forms and expands in space. Led by doctoral student Emma Lieb, the research team, including DU professor and astronomer Jennifer Hoffman, used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to study time-lapse images of the Wolf-Rayet 140 system taken in 2022 and 2023. This system is made up of two stars which orbit each other over an eight year cycle and, as they move past each other, winds collide and create dust. Wolf-Rayet 140 is seen as a meaningful contributor to the “dust budget,” which, as Lieb describes it, is the number one factor to consider when determining how many planets are formed in a galaxy in a certain region of the universe. “We're starting to have the capability to measure these very short time scales of what's going on around us in our neighborhood of the universe,” Hoffman says. “It makes it feel like we’re in a much more dynamic cosmic neighborhood.”

WHY IT MATTERS: This discovery helps researchers better determine how much carbon-rich material there is in the galaxy and, therefore, where and when planets will form. Game-changing device for detecting cancer Detecting malignant cells is a crucial first step in improving health outcomes for the approximately 2 million Americans diagnosed with cancer each year. That's why Dali Sun, associate professor in the Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science, and his fellow researchers are developing a new, miniature elliptical dichroism spectrometer, a device that determines the structure and number of molecules by measuring how they absorb polarized light. Such a device is used to detect cancer cells, a job that has traditionally required the use of a circular dichroism spectrometer, which takes up a lot of space— requiring a table for the machine, a nitrogen tank and a computer—costs hundreds of thousands of dollars, and requires specialized training to operate. The miniature spectrometer uses an

innovative approach that combines structural and absorption analysis and, along with a compact design and a far lower cost (up to 300 times less than a traditional spectrometer), the device is shaping up to be a game changer. WHY IT MATTERS: The new spectrometer will equip a wide range of researchers, students and entrepreneurs with the tools to study cells and molecules quickly and accurately.

10

UNIVERSITY OF DENVER MAGAZINE | SPRING 2025