Science & Technology

Raymond Arvidson, the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor Emeritus in Arts & Sciences, has been awarded an Outstanding Public Leadership Medal from NASA. The honor — his fourth service medal from the space agency — marks the culmination of a storied career in planetary exploration that goes back to the first Viking Mars landers in the 1970s.

A new analysis of fine particulate matter exposure led by researchers in Randall Martin’s lab in the McKelvey School of Engineering illuminates ways to improve health in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar.

Proof-of-concept device could also monitor for flu, RSV, other respiratory viruses.

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.

A sense of purpose in life — whether it’s a high-minded quest to make a difference or a simple hobby with personal meaning — can offer potent protection against loneliness, according to research from Patrick Hill in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis.

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.

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis found the first abiotic pathway for RNA hydrolysis in iron-rich soils and sediments. Understanding how RNA breaks down under given conditions is critical to harnessing the molecule for use in emerging technologies.

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.

Neal Patwari and graduate students Francesca Bonetta-Misteli and Di Huang at the McKelvey School of Engineering found that even while pulse oximeters have been adjusted to account for darker skin tones, bias remains and must be fixed.