Science & Technology

Faculty at WashU follow the natural world for inspiration and ideas for innovative and “wild” solutions.

Thunderstorms that swept the central U.S. in 2022 were unprecedented, but their extreme precipitation may not be that rare — especially with global warming, according to a new analysis from researchers in Arts & Sciences.

WashU is among 13 colleges participating in the Campus Compact EnviroCorps initiative, a federal AmeriCorps program to reduce waste, boost energy efficiency and protect natural resources. WashU’s EnviroCorps fellows are planting trees, weatherizing homes and donating items from the WashU Circularity Center to local nonprofits in need.

Rob Bilott, the attorney who exposed DuPont’s water contamination cover-up, will speak April 7 for the Assembly Series. “Dark Waters,” a film based on his fight for justice, screens in advance.

Rooted in public health, WashU’s new FARM initiative reimagines agriculture to improve nutrition, sustainability and food access for communities worldwide.

WashU’s Center for the Environment, together with its partners, is gearing up for Environmental Research & Creativity Week, Feb. 24–28.  

Pawpaws are the state fruit tree of Missouri. But the trees tend to choke out woody bushes and flowering plants nearby, exerting a haphazard kind of pressure on would-be neighbors, according to research from WashU.

WashU sophomores work with villagers in rural Madagascar to conserve biodiversity.

Bird wing shape — a proxy for long-distance flying ability, or dispersal — is a trait that influences biodiversity patterns on islands around the world, according to research from WashU biologists.

When the Meramec River flooded, students in the “Geospatial Field Methods” course in Arts & Sciences had an opportunity to study a significant regional event in real time. Bring on the “big drone.”