Science & Technology

Frank J. Stadermann, PhD, senior research scientist in physics, member of the Laboratory for Space Sciences and director of the NanoSIMS and Auger laboratories at Washington University in St. Louis, died of a cerebral hemorrhage Oct. 4, 2010. He was 48. “He never uttered an angry word in all his years at the university,” said a friend, “always seeking to use patience, humor and reason to undermine conflict and promote harmony. He was a true friend and beloved colleague.”

Tyson Research Center’s Living Learning Center has achieved full certification under the Living Building Challenge run by the International Living Building Institute. The challenge, launched in November 2006, is widely recognized as the world’s most rigorous green building performance standard.

Dreadful zoonoses — animal diseases that now infect people  — have jumped species in distant parts of the world, such as Asia or Africa. But Missouri has its own zoonoses, as well: tick-borne diseases whose spread is encouraged by pest species such as white-tailed deer and invasive plants such as bush honeysuckle. In Missouri, as in Africa or Asia, the loss of a biodiversity takes a toll in human health.

The St. Louis section of the American Chemical Society (ACS) and Washington University will hold a symposium from 2-5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 15, to celebrate William E. Buhro’s receipt of the St. Louis Award, which is presented to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the chemistry profession. Buhro, PhD, the George E. Pake Professor in Arts & Sciences, is chair of the Department of Chemistry and a Fellow of the American Chemical Society.

The WUSTL flag has been lowered as a mark of respect for the memory of Frank J. Stadermann, PhD, a senior research scientist in physics in Arts & Sciences and member of the Laboratory for Space Sciences, who died unexpectedly Oct. 4. 

A memorial service for Frank J. Stadermann, PhD, a senior research scientist in physics in Arts & Sciences and member of the Laboratory for Space Sciences, will be held at 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 8, at the Ethical Society of St. Louis, 9001 Clayton Road, St. Louis.

Astronaut Walt Cunningham will share his experiences as Lunar Module Pilot for Apollo 7, the first manned Apollo mission, during a 3 p.m. talk Thursday, Oct. 7, in Washington University’s Brookings Hall, Room 300. He also will present Washington University in St. Louis senior Kaitlin E. Burlingame with a $10,000 scholarship from the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation during a public presentation and ceremony.

Stephen F. & Camilla T. Brauer Hall, the second building in a new engineering complex at Washington University in St. Louis, was dedicated in a ceremony held on Friday, Oct. 1. Brauer Hall includes state-of-the-art laboratories, a distance-learning classroom, instrumentation and imaging facilities, and electronically equipped collaboration points in the halls near the labs. The three-story building, which includes many other innovative features, has received LEED Gold certification.

Academic leaders from some of the world’s premier universities will gather at Washington University in St. Louis Oct. 1-5 to discuss the world’s energy future at the “McDonnell International Scholars Academy Symposium: Global Energy Future.”

A novel design for a catalytic converter disperses nanoparticles of the catalytic noble metal platinum on nanowires and then sheaths the wires is a layer of silica pierced with holes. The silica prevents the platinum catalyst from aggregating, while the pores allow gases to reach the platinum catalyst. The design might one day reduce the amount of platinum needed to  detoxify exhaust gases.