The Hillman Digital Research Wall overlooking the main atrium on the first floor of Hillman Library now has a total of 8 new exhibits created during Spring 2026.
According to the University of Pittsburgh Library System, "This digital display visualizes the Pitt community’s diverse creative, intellectual, and scholarly output in order to celebrate our community's achievements, engage in conversations, connect across disciplines, and inspire new works."
Three of the eight exhibits come from our own Physics and Astronomy professors. Read more about them below.
Chandra X-ray Images of Supernova Remnants
Author: Dr. Carlos Badenes (Professor of Physics & Astronomy)
Research Question: What do X-ray telescopes like NASA’s Chandra reveal about the lives of stars that have exploded as supernovae?
Project Description: These images were taken by the Chandra X-ray telescope, one of NASA’s flagship telescopes, launched in 1999 and currently in orbit around the Earth. Each object is a Supernova Remnant: the debris from the spectacular death of a star (a Supernova) that exploded hundreds or thousands of years ago. The unique ability of Chandra to take images in the X-rays allows us to map the gas in these objects, which is at temperatures of millions of degrees Kelvin. Professor Badenes and his group at the University of Pittsburgh build theoretical models that are used to interpret the images and spectra obtained by Chandra, and connect them to the properties of the exploding stars.
URL: https://carlesbadenes.github.io/
UNCOVERing Pandora’s Cluster and Beyond Using the James Webb Space Telescope
Author: Dr. Rachel Bezanson (Associate Professor of Physics & Astronomy)
Research Question: How do astronomers use gravitational lensing due to the Pandora mega-cluster to see further and in greater detail to answer questions about galaxy formation and the early Universe?
Project Description: UNCOVER (Ultradeep NIRSpec and NIRCam ObserVations before the Epoch of Reionization) is a major public survey using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and a premier target of extensive subsequent study. By pointing JWST at galaxy cluster Abell 2744, it exploits gravitational lensing — the cluster's gravity bends and magnifies light from far more distant galaxies — to achieve the deepest views of the universe ever taken. It was imaged at many infrared wavelengths to produce beautiful, rich multicolor images (shown here) and spectra of nearly 1000 sources. Discoveries include some of the most distant known galaxies, extreme examples of a puzzling new class of growing supermassive black holes, and many more!
URL: https://jwst-uncover.github.io/#releases
Supercomputer-Powered Galaxy Simulations
Author: Dr. Evan Schneider (Associate Professor of Physics & Astronomy) and Helena Richie (Physics Ph.D. Student)
Research Question: How do supercomputer simulations enable astronomers to study how galaxies form and evolve?
Project Description: Telescope observations have shown that galaxies have changed drastically since their formation 13 billion years ago. One major challenge in astronomy is understanding what drives this evolution. This exhibit focuses on galactic winds: large-scale flows of gas and dust ejected from galaxies by powerful supernova explosions. By removing the raw material needed to form new stars, these winds play a key role in regulating galaxy growth. Simulations are a powerful tool for studying the processes that shape galaxy evolution. Unlike telescopes, which capture a single moment in a galaxy's history, simulations let us watch billions of years of evolution unfold before our eyes.