Science & Technology

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.

Shantanu Chakrabartty, at the McKelvey School of Engineering, will lead a project funded by a three-year $1.1 million grant from the National Science Foundation to make artificial intelligence systems more energy-efficient.

An award from Wellcome Leap will support Michelle Oyen’s study of fetal growth restriction during gestational development. The program aims to reduce stillbirth rates by half.

Geo-resolution 2022, hosted by the Taylor Geospatial Institute, will bring together experts and students to use geospatial tech to predict and mitigate climate change.

Sociocultural anthropologist Pascal Boyer, in Arts & Sciences, received a $2 million grant from the Templeton Religion Trust to examine historical and modern religious customs that fall outside of institutionalized religion.