Science & Technology

For the first time, a study by researchers including biologist Susanne Renner in Arts & Sciences helps solve the mystery of the timing of falling leaves in autumn by revealing the pivotal role of the summer solstice.

Researchers from Zhen (Jason) He’s lab at the McKelvey School of Engineering use advanced technologies to recover valuable resources from wastewater. They recently demonstrated a promising pathway to treat solid sludge and recover usable phosphorus.

Roger Michaelides, an assistant professor of earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences, is co-investigator of a new NOAA-funded project that aims to improve the warning systems for flash floods that often threaten areas recently denuded by fire.

Biologist Matthew Austin in Arts & Sciences published a study in the American Journal of Botany that describes changes to the flowering time and other important life cycle events in Leavenworthia species, a group of small flowering plants found in glades in Missouri.

As a biology faculty member, Professor Emerita Ursula Goodenough invited non-science majors to understand and reflect on the history of life on Earth. The second edition of her book, The Sacred Depths of Nature: How Life Has Emerged and Evolved, brings the wondrous saga to a new audience.

The legacy of Train, a retriever who assisted in conservation research, continues with a new study and a statue in Argentina.

Ecologist Solny Adalsteinsson, at the Tyson Research Center, and virologist Jacco Boon, at the School of Medicine, are part of a One Health team studying how tick-borne Bourbon virus spreads through the environment, wildlife and people.

Washington University is leading a new effort to address the grand challenge of developing the next generation of high-performance, sustainably sourced and biodegradable plastics that advance engineering while also protecting the environment.

Faculty from Arts & Sciences, the McKelvey School of Engineering and the School of Medicine received seed grants and other funding from the Taylor Geospatial Institute totaling more than $950,000. The grants are designed to encourage collaborative research and provide resources to advance geospatial science through innovative projects.

Lee Sobotka, a professor of chemistry and of physics in Arts & Sciences, will moderate an April 26 technical forum to explain the science behind recent reports of radioactive substances at Jana Elementary school in Hazelwood, Mo. Saint Louis University’s College for Public Health and Social Justice is hosting the event.