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epratherstafford.bsky.social
epratherstafford.bsky.social
@epratherstafford.bsky.social
190 followers 630 following 82 posts
Media Relations Manager | Science & Technology at #SMU
https://www.smu.edu/news/research
Sharing discoveries from Dallas, Texas
PhD student
Posts Replies Media Videos
epratherstafford.bsky.social
When COVID shut labs, SMU doctoral student Juliana Antonio pivoted to computer modeling—reshaping her career. Her latest research in Pure and Applied Chemistry's quantum science issue shows how fine-tuning proteins could lead to more efficient treatment development. 🧪

www.smu.edu/news/researc...
SMU doctoral student Juliana Antonio holds a Mustang Fellowship from SMU's Moody School of Graduate and Advanced Studies. Antonio is part of the university's Computational and Theoretical Chemistry Group (CATCO).
November 17, 2025 at 4:42 PM
epratherstafford.bsky.social
SMU computer scientists have discovered that even with cameras turned off and virtual backgrounds in use, attackers can actively and covertly probe a user’s physical location by exploiting the two-way audio channels of video conferencing apps. www.smu.edu/news/researc... 💻👀
New research by SMU highlights potential privacy risks in video conferencing applications. A man participates in a video conference with several people on a laptop.
October 28, 2025 at 6:40 PM
epratherstafford.bsky.social
Smithsonian's "Sea Monsters Unearthed" is going on a road trip. A collaboration between Angolan, American, Portuguese and Dutch paleontologists excavated and studied the fossils, which were then prepared for the exhibition by a team of SMU scientists and students.🦕🦖🧪
www.smu.edu/news/researc...
October 23, 2025 at 7:33 PM
epratherstafford.bsky.social
Mitch Thornton, Executive Director of the Darwin Deason Institute for Cybersecurity, has been awarded $2.7 to lead research in autonomous systems testing, establishing SMU as a leader against emerging cybersecurity threats in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. 💻👨‍💻👩‍💻
www.smu.edu/news/researc...
With a $2.7M grant, SMU's Darwin Deason Institute for Cybersecurity aims to identify cyber vulnerabilities in AI- and machine-learning-powered autonomous systems. Picture of drone flying.
October 17, 2025 at 3:03 PM
epratherstafford.bsky.social
Asking people to imagine future regret could be a tool for increasing flu vaccination rates, according to new research from SMU. The research suggests the technique could apply to other preventive health behaviors involving single decisions, such as cancer screenings. 🧪🩺
www.smu.edu/news/researc...
Picture of person with band-aid on arm after shot administered.
September 23, 2025 at 3:18 PM
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SMU PhD student Jake Klinkert is testing LLMs to create non-playable characters that act and respond more like real people. Klinkert and colleagues found GPT-4 achieved 73.98% accuracy in maintaining consistent personality traits.
www.smu.edu/news/researc...
August 26, 2025 at 9:04 PM
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In a breakthrough that could significantly improve medical imaging techniques used to detect cancer and monitor treatments, SMU researchers have solved a decades-long puzzle about why certain light-producing molecules glow brighter in thicker solutions. 🧪⚕️
www.smu.edu/news/researc...
Chemiluminescent compounds.
August 12, 2025 at 4:50 PM
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With fossils and seismic images, a team led by SMU paleontology researchers has chronicled the history of Louisiana in the interval leading up to, during and soon after the dinosaur-killing asteroid hit Earth roughly 66 million years ago.🧪🦖🌎 www.smu.edu/news/researc...
Picture of two dinosaurs and an asteroid in the background.
August 11, 2025 at 8:17 PM
epratherstafford.bsky.social
A new study led by SMU fire scientist Christopher Roos reveals that Western Apache communities had far greater control over fire patterns across Arizona than scientists previously believed possible. 🧪🌎 www.smu.edu/news/researc...
New research on fire-scarred trees reveals Western Apache communities had far greater control over landscape fire patterns than scientists previously thought possible. Picture of wildfire in forest.
August 7, 2025 at 4:45 PM
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Dinosaurs were singers. That revelation struck SMU faculty member Courtney Brown during a cross-country road trip, inspiring her to spend over a decade recreating the voices of creatures that went silent millions of years ago. 🧪🦕🎶
www.smu.edu/news/researc...
Current Dinosaur Choir instruments were inspired by the Corythosaurus, a duck-billed dinosaur that used its large head crest and nasal passages to create resonant vocal calls. SMU faculty member Courtney Brown plays one of the instruments during a performance at SMU.
June 17, 2025 at 4:50 PM
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Recent research reveals how AI is revolutionizing the centuries-old practice of wine evaluation, with implications for the industry and consumers alike. SMU researcher Jing Cao has been conducting research in wine economics since the early 2010s. www.smu.edu/news/researc...
June 6, 2025 at 4:51 PM
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An SMU-led research team has developed a more cost-effective, energy-efficient material called high-entropy oxide (HEO) nanoribbons that can resist heat, corrosion and other harsh conditions better than current materials.
www.smu.edu/news/researc...
Picture of Amin Salehi-Khojin, who led a team of researchers who created a more cost-effective, energy-efficient nanoribbon material that can better resist harsh conditions than current materials.
May 29, 2025 at 6:58 PM
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For more information: www.smu.edu/news/researc...
Pueblo Bonito is the largest Great House built by Chacoans as a gathering place for visitors throughout the region. Ancient DNA has established a genetic link to Pueblo Bonito for the Picuris Pueblo tribe.
April 30, 2025 at 6:59 PM
epratherstafford.bsky.social
A recent study by SMU researchers reveals that glaciers don't necessarily erode mountains faster now than in the past. Instead, glacial erosion occurs in episodic bursts followed by periods of minimal activity. 🧪⛰️❄️
www.smu.edu/news/researc...
SMU researchers present new glacial erosion rates from Lago Argentino, Patagonia. Here is a picture of glaciers in that area.
April 4, 2025 at 4:58 PM
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Tony Award-winning set designer and SMU alumnus John Arnone has donated his archives to the university! 🎭

The collection spans 40+ years of groundbreaking designs, sketches, and papers and is a treasure trove of theatrical innovation for researchers and artists. www.smu.edu/news/latest/...
March 28, 2025 at 3:58 PM
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SMU and George Washington University have created a magnetic tweezer system that could one day make it possible for doctors to do remote, non-invasive, highly precise medical procedures on their patients using a microrobot. www.smu.edu/news/researc... 🧪🤖⚕️
March 26, 2025 at 4:00 PM
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SMU nanotechnology expert MinJun Kim is working with Applied Research Associates, Inc. to create tiny robots that could offer a less invasive way to treat vitreous hemorrhage. 🧪 🤖⚕️
www.smu.edu/news/researc...
March 19, 2025 at 5:51 PM
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SMU professor Leanne Ketterlin-Geller was awarded a $14 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to nationally scale a math intervention designed to help students improve their fraction skills. The five-year project will provide support to 4th and 5th graders. www.smu.edu/news/researc...
A teacher works with two young students on learning fractions. An understanding of fractions is key to understanding proportions, ratios, algebra and higher levels of math.
March 3, 2025 at 4:32 PM
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MinJun Kim, Robert C. Womack Endowed Chair Professor in Engineering at SMU, has been named a Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors. He is internationally known for his contributions to the development of nano- and microbiotics. www.smu.edu/news/researc...
February 20, 2025 at 4:55 PM
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A new $100,000 grant awarded to SMU engineering professors J.-C. Chiao and Ali Beskok will assist in their development of a fast, portable tool for point-of-care medical diagnoses. 🧪 www.smu.edu/news/researc...
SMU engineering professors Ali Beskok and J.-C. Chiao.
January 6, 2025 at 7:38 PM
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The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded SMU engineering professor Digvijay Boob a five-year CAREER grant to pioneer quicker, streamlined solutions that could speed up how AI learns from data to make predictions and decisions. www.smu.edu/news/researc...

#AcademicSky #Academia
SMU faculty member Digvijay Boob poses with computer. The engineering professor was awarded a five-year CAREER grant to pioneer quicker, streamlined solutions that could speed up how AI learns from data to make predictions and decisions.
March 20, 2024 at 5:01 PM
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SMU nanotechnology expert MinJun Kim worked with a team of researchers at UT Austin to develop a less expensive tool to detect nuclease digestion in the body – 1 of the critical steps in many nucleic acid sensing applications, , such as those used to identify COVID-19. 🧪 www.smu.edu/news/researc...
February 13, 2024 at 7:15 PM
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Coming soon!

Kneedle Knight: Control a mouse knight and use his magical needle to sew fabric which he can merge into; move back and forth between 3D and 2D.

Asurya's Embers: First-person, single-player, bow-and-arrow adventure game; save your home from the wrath of a vengeful god.
Cover art for game Kneedle Knight, shows knight as a mouse with sorceress behind him. Cover art for Asurya Embers. Shows protagonist standing amongst embers with dragon rising behind her.
February 6, 2024 at 3:42 PM
epratherstafford.bsky.social
Attention gamers! The Guildhall is SMU's graduate-level video game development program, and anyone can play students' final gaming capstone projects for FREE on Steam. www.smu.edu/News/Researc... 🎮🕹️
February 6, 2024 at 3:34 PM
epratherstafford.bsky.social
Can AI be used to make traffic intersections safer? SMU and its research partners think so. www.smu.edu/News/Researc...
February 5, 2024 at 4:09 PM