Nebraska
Nebraska professor Mathias Schubert honored as National Academy of Inventors Fellow
LINCOLN, Neb — Mathias Schubert, a leading figure in optical ellipsometry, has been named a 2025 National Academy of Inventors Fellow, the highest accolade from the organization. Schubert, a J.A. Woollam Distinguished Professor of Engineering at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, joins 13 other faculty members from the university who have received this honor. The recognition is awarded to researchers whose work has been transformed into inventions and technologies with societal impact.
Schubert has dedicated 20 years at Nebraska to tackling significant challenges, from ellipsometry to international collaborations. His university faculty webpage lists nine patents and 11 papers, but Schubert believes there may be hundreds more. “To tell you the truth, I have no idea how many patents or papers there are with my name on them. I’m not focusing on that,” Schubert said. “Other people say I should write a patent or a paper for so many things. I tell them I’d rather try this or I want to try that because new things keep popping up on my radar and pursuing those things is what makes my work so exciting.”
His research focuses on using ellipsometry to explore ways to enhance the electrical capabilities of materials, leading to advancements in semiconductors, optics, and displays. Schubert’s work has resulted in multiple inventions, including the optical Hall effect in semiconductors and ellipsometric instrumentation development.
Currently, Schubert is part of an international team working to identify new semiconductor materials for high-power applications. The team is particularly interested in gallium oxide, a material with wide-bandgap semiconductor properties suitable for high-voltage switches and power devices. Due to the scarcity of high-quality gallium oxide crystals in nature, the team employs a process akin to farm-to-table methods to create semiconductor wafers.
James Speck at the University of California, Santa Barbara, initiates the process by “growing” crystals from raw materials. These are then transformed into ultrathin film wafers by Debdeep Jena from Cornell University and Zbigniew Galazka from the Leibniz Institute for Crystal Growth in Germany. Schubert’s team in Nebraska evaluates the wafers’ quality and performance before they are made available to consumers.
Schubert expressed excitement about the ongoing project and the potential discoveries ahead. “I actually, honestly, have the opinion that if what I do is of interest, the problems will find me,” Schubert said. “There’s this concept of doing things at different frequencies, different mathematical approaches, that’s what you see all over the place. So many brilliant minds out there, and everyone’s going to have ideas. That’s exciting, to work with those people together, just listening to them and learning.”
The 2025 class of fellows includes 169 researchers from across the U.S., collectively holding over 5,300 U.S. patents and including Nobel Prize recipients.
Nebraska Game and Parks is offering residents a chance to win prizes simply for getting outside and moving, as part of a challenge honoring America’s 250th birthday.
The Outdoor Nebraska 250-Mile Challenge invites participants to log miles through activities like walking, running, kayaking, horseback riding and more using any fitness app. The goal is to reach 250 miles before the end of the year. Once completed, participants fill out a form on the Nebraska Game and Parks website to become eligible for prizes.
Mike Selman, a regular walker at Zorinsky Lake, said the challenge caught his attention.
“I think it’s great, as long as you put in the time and effort,” Selman said.
Selman said getting outdoors is already a big part of his routine.
“I absolutely love it, I love being outdoors, just the beauty, the nature, the trees, the water,” Selman said.
He said one of his favorite aspects of the challenge is the opportunity to explore Nebraska’s many outdoor spaces.
“Especially here, around Zorinsky, Standing Bear, Flanagan, you got great opportunities and great places to go,” Selman said.
When asked if he planned to submit his miles, Selman did not hesitate.
“I’ll definitely think about it, most definitely,” Selman said.
Between Memorial Day and the end of the year, logging just over 1 mile a day would be enough to reach the 250-mile goal and qualify for prizes.
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We’ll have to wait a bit longer to get into the Cowgirls’ Super Regional.
A rainy night in Lincoln meant the teams only managed to get four outs into the Super between Oklahoma State and Nebraska. The game is tied at 0. The weather delay lasted about two hours before they called it.
The game will resume at 4 p.m. Friday and be televised on ESPN2. They will not play another game Friday, as Game 2 will now take place at 4 p.m. Saturday.
The Nebraska football team added its third 2027 offensive line commitment and addition from the state of Georgia on Wednesday.
Loganville (Ga.) Grayson offensive lineman KD Jones officially announced his commitment to NU this week. The 6-foot-4, 270-pound Jones picked the Huskers over Georgia Tech, Auburn, Kentucky and Virginia Tech. He visited Lincoln on May 6 and is scheduled to take his official visit to Nebraska on June 6.
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The Huskers first offered Jones in April, after offensive line coach Geep Wade had previously been recruiting him at Georgia Tech.
“Coach Wade called me and offered me today,” Jones told HuskerOnline on Apr. 25. “He has been on me for a long time, ever since he was at Tech. So his interest wasn’t anything new to me. He came to watch me train at school and was amazed. He offered the next day.”
Jones joins safety Corey Hadley from the state of Georgia in NU’s 2027 recruiting class.
“I knew nothing about Nebraska before the offer,” Jones said in April. But now that Coach Wade and Coach (Lonnie) Teasley are there, I know I can trust them.”
Jones had planned to take official visits to all the schools recruiting him, but his early commitment to NU appears to have shut down those visits.
He jones Omaha (Neb.) Millard North’s Matt Erickson and fellow Grayson product Jordan Agbanoma are the other offensive linemen in the Huskers’ 2027 recruiting class. He’s now the 10th commitment in Nebraska’s class of 2027.
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