Quantum computing, COVID-19, and particle physics were just a few of the areas where the Department of Energy’s Office of Science made a difference in 2020. Over the course of the year, the Office of Science shared more than 1,000 articles describing research we supported.
Our stories fall into four categories, each focusing on a different aspect of our work: original features, laboratory articles, university articles, and research highlights. We’ve compiled the most popular articles of each type published in 2020.
Original Feature Articles
The Office of Science’s Communications and Public Affairs team’s original feature articles provide perspectives on our work that readers will find nowhere else. Longform feature articles provide big picture views of major research topics, from materials science to project management. Profiles of user facility directors and Early Career awardees put a personal spin on some of our nation’s greatest resources.
Top five original feature articles:
- New Centers Lead the Way Towards a Quantum Future
- The Big Questions: Sally Dawson on the Higgs Boson
- Meet the Director: Guy Savard
- Marivi Fernández-Serra: Then and Now / 2010 Early Career Award Winner
- Creating the Heart of a Quantum Computer: Developing Qubits
National Laboratory Articles
The Office of Science’s 10 national laboratories report on their latest research news with timely press releases and features. They also profile scientists to highlight the passion and commitment behind the research.
Top five national laboratory articles:
- Monitoring Intermediates in CO2 Conversion to Formate by Metal Catalyst (Brookhaven National Laboratory)
- A Day in the Life of an X-ray Laser Coach (SLAC National Laboratory)
- Particle Physics Turns to Quantum Computing for Solutions to Tomorrow’s Big-Data Problems (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)
- History of Insightful HIV Research Inspires Neutron Scattering Approach to Studying COVID-19 (Oak Ridge National Laboratory)
- Argonne Scientists Use Artificial Intelligence in New Way to Strengthen Power Grid Resiliency (Argonne National Laboratory)
University Articles
The Office of Science supports scientists, engineers, and students at nearly 300 academic institutions across the United States. These universities tell the stories of the discoveries that emerge from this research.
Top five university articles:
- Princeton Scientists Discover a Topological Magnet that Exhibits Exotic Quantum Effects (Princeton University)
- New Satellite-Based Algorithm Pinpoints Crop Water Use (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)
- Discovery by UMass Lowell-led Team Challenges Nuclear Theory (University of Massachusetts Lowell)
- A Quantum Breakthrough Brings a Technique from Astronomy to the Nano-Scale (Columbia University)
- Computer Model Solves Mystery of How Gas Bubbles Build Big Methane Hydrate Deposits (University of Texas at Austin)
Research Highlights
Research highlights summarize published journal articles based on work at national laboratories and universities, supported by the Office of Science. These articles feature findings that the Office of Science programs themselves choose to amplify.
Top five research highlights:
- Facemask Fabric Filtration Efficiency
- Discovering the Elusive Quantum Spin Liquid State
- Climbing the Staircase to Fusion
- Machine Learning Accelerates Metamaterial Design
- Half-Quantum Step Toward Quantum Advantage
