Science & Technology

Research from the lab of Fangqiong Ling at the McKelvey School of Engineering finds SARS-CoV-2 material in wastewater reflects illnesses in communities. It also helps establish guidance for future studies.

Paul Byrne, associate professor of earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences, is a science collaborator for a prototype aerial robotic balloon, or aerobot, built by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Near Space Corp.

Bruce Carlson, professor of biology in Arts & Sciences, recently won a $980,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to study neuronal plasticity and the evolvability of animal behavior.

Yixin Chen will work with two McKelvey School of Engineering alumni on a collaborative project with the U.S. Department of Energy and Lincoln University to improve biomanufacturing.

McKelvey School of engineering faculy Zhen (Jason) He, Young-Shin Jun, Vijay Ramani and Fuzhong Zhang will lead new projects focused on clean energy technologies thanks to $10.7 million in new funding, collectively, from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Arts & Sciences’ Calvin Lai received a $230,000 grant from the Templeton World Charity Foundation to lead an interdisciplinary effort to develop discrimination interventions.

Drawn from more than 20 years of observations at Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park in the Republic of Congo, a long-term study led by primatologist Crickette Sanz in Arts & Sciences documented social ties between individual chimpanzees and gorillas that persisted over years and across different contexts.

A team of researchers including Joshua Yuan at the McKelvey School of Engineering has developed a system that uses carbon dioxide to produce biodegradable plastics. They could someday replace the nondegradable plastics used today.

Pioneering research at Washington University helped people understand the fundamental role of gut microbes in human health and disease. Now a community of local scientists is learning more about the diverse microbial systems that support animals, plants and ecosystems.

Jane Goodall, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace, will share insights on her evolution from scientist to global icon during the lecture “Inspiring Hope Through Action” at 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 9, at Washington University in St. Louis.