Author: Neil Schoenherr

Carbon dioxide, which enters the atmosphere through the burning of coal and other fossil fuels, is a significant contributor to U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Last year, President Barack Obama proposed a sweeping climate action plan to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Washington University in St. Louis, a leader in advanced coal research and technology, will be contributing to the president’s plan with research funded by a $3.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

At St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, a section of the dome called the Whispering Gallery makes a whisper audible from the other side of the dome as a result of the way sound waves travel around the curved surface. Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have used the same phenomenon to build an optical device that may lead to new and more powerful computers that run faster and cooler.

Olin Business School celebrated its 97th birthday March 28 with barbecue, arcade games and fun in the school’s newly opened Knight and Bauer halls. Pictured is Olin employee Nate Quest.

Former U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, of Maine, will have an informal conversation with Washington University in St. Louis students and faculty at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 1, in the Women’s Building Formal Lounge. The event is sponsored by the Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government, and Public Policy.

Placing a bet with a few friends on the NCAA basketball tournament this year? You might not enjoy the experience as much as if you hadn’t laid down any money. “Predictions have a negative effect on enjoyment when the outcome is relatively uncertain,” as in the upcoming basketball tournament, says Stephen M. Nowlis, PhD, the August A. Busch, Jr. Distinguished Professor in Marketing at Olin Business School.

As big data moves to the forefront of the boardroom, how do businesses keep up and find qualified people to manage it all? Olin Business School aims to help solve this problem with the launch of its Master of Science in Customer Analytics degree, offered in partnership with IBM.

This spring, the Supreme Court will consider whether freedom of religious expression applies to for-profit businesses, as well as individuals, in Hobby Lobby’s challenge to the Affordable Care Act’s contraception mandate. Elizabeth Sepper, JD, associate professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis, says that discrimination based on a person’s religious or sexual preferences is a serious harm to society.

Joe Fox, associate dean and director of MBA programs at Olin Business School, has been named president of the MBA Roundtable, a collaborative, nonprofit organization that facilitates the exchange of information and resources on MBA curricular innovation.

Using an inexpensive 3-D printer, biomedical engineers, including Igor Efimov, PhD (left), the Lucy & Stanley Lopata Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering have developed a custom-fitted, implantable device with embedded sensors that could transform treatment and prediction of cardiac disorders.

Freshman Annie Brinza works during a butter-sculpting contest in Lopata Hall, part of WUSTL’s annual En Week. Sponsored by the School of Engineering & Applied Science, the goal of En Week, held Feb. 16-21, is to increase the school’s visibility on campus, celebrate how engineers make a difference and increase public dialogue about the need for engineers.