April 4, 2023    
 
Short List
 
 
News for the UChicago community
 
 
 
When it reaches a certain point, a dying star will collapse on itself and become a neutron star or a black hole. Below, we tell the story of how Nobel laureate Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar determined that point, now known as the Chandrasekhar limit, and the long road he traveled before his theory came to be accepted by the astronomy community.
 
Looking for a little pop culture with your science? Keep reading to the Postscript, where you’ll find a completely different kind of physics as illustrated in a recent Marvel movie.
 
 
       
  Top of mind    
 
 
1. To the limit
 
The research that launched Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar’s Nobel-winning career had its genesis on a maritime voyage from India to England. More ➞
 
Listen to a Big Brains podcast on Chandrasekhar’s scholarly legacy.
 
 
 
2. When mourning becomes essential
 
What role does mourning play in a life well lived? Philosopher Jonathan Lear discusses the value of mourning in an episode of the Big Brains podcast. More ➞
 
Learn about Lear’s concept of “radical hope.”
 
 
 
3. They never give you credit
 
The organization 9to5, founded in 1973 by Ellen Cassedy, EX’72, and Karen Nussbaum, EX’72, helped empower women office workers. More ➞
 
Meet an alumna who pioneered the study of women’s roles in the economy.
 
 
       
  Plus . . .    
 
 
Back to the Arctic  +  Black women filmmakers reunite  +  Plato goes to China  +  Grow rice, slow COVID?  +  Sleep well for greater vaccine effectiveness  +  See more stories
 
 
       
  Things to do    
 
April 5
 
Eat, drink, and mingle in person with the Alumni Club of Ohio ➞
 
 
 
Beginning April 11
 
Expand your mind with Zoom-based Alumni & Parent University seminars ➞
 
 
 
April 15
 
Take a 10-mile hike along the San Gabriel River with the Alumni Club of Los Angeles ➞
 
 
 
April 16
 
 
 
Beginning April 21
 
Join an online series examining the role of language and media in today’s global politics ➞
 
         
         
    See more things to do    
         
         
 
       
  On the job    
 
Job of the week
 
Associate director, alumni communities and volunteer engagement, University of Chicago ➞
 
         
         
    See more jobs    
         
         
 
 
 
Professional development
 
Throughout April
 
Zoom in to the Young Professionals Series—no matter where you are in your career ➞
 
         
         
    See more job resources    
         
         
 
 
       
  In memoriam    
 
 
Roman Weil
 
 
Roman L. Weil, EX’72 (1940–2023)
 
The longtime Chicago Booth professor was the coauthor of more than 12 textbooks and a consultant to the Securities and Exchange Commission, the US Treasury, and the Financial Accounting Standards Board. More ➞
 
       
  Postscript    
 
 
Quantumania!
 
 
 
The editors welcome letters about our content or about the life of the University. Send your comments or updates for Alumni News to uchicago-magazine@uchicago.edu.
 
 
 
UChicago Alumni
 
 
 
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