Page 27 – The Source | Washington University in St. Louis

New hydrogel treatments turn water waste into fertilizer

an ai generated image of droplets and earth

Environmental engineers at WashU have developed hydrogels to transform wastewater nutrients into useful feedstocks and fertilizers.

Appointments & Promotions

Wendland to complete role as provost

Beverly R. Wendland, provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs, will complete her provost appointment after a successful five-year term in the role. Her transition is effective July 31, according to Chancellor Andrew D. Martin.

Appointments & Promotions

Phillips-Cremins named BJC investigator

Jennifer Phillips-Cremins, a pioneer in understanding 3D genome structure and its impact on the brain, will join WashU Medicine as BJC Investigator.

Alzheimer's

Grant renewal funds research on longevity in mammals

WashU Medicine researcher Benjamin Garcia will receive $18.5 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study how long-lived mammals stay healthy into old age.

Obituaries

Jeremy Goldbach, Brown School professor, 42

Jeremy Goldbach, a nationally recognized scholar on LGBTQ+ mental health and the inaugural Masters & Johnson Distinguished Professor in Sexual Health and Education at the Brown School, died Saturday, June 7, 2025, of cancer. He was 42.

Appointments & Promotions

Board grants faculty appointments, tenure

At the WashU Board of Trustees meeting in May, numerous faculty members were appointed, promoted or granted tenure, with most taking effect July 1.

Awards & Notables

Isabelle receives Gloria White Award

The Rev. Callista Isabelle, the inaugural director for religious, spiritual and ethical life at WashU, received this year’s Gloria W. White Distinguished Service Award, which is given to a staff member who exceeds their daily work duties to make a positive impact on employees and the university at large.

Advancement

Sinclair installed as Thomas F. Eagleton University Professor of Public Affairs and Political Science

Betsy Sinclair, who studies how politics influence social relationships, was installed recently as the Thomas F. Eagleton University Professor of Public Affairs and Political Science in Arts & Sciences.

Physical Sciences

Uncovering how cells allocate space to make way for new growth

A study led by physicist Shankar Mukherji in Arts & Sciences uses a new technique to simultaneously visualize how six major organelles within a cell change as the cell grows. The work has implications for how cells regulate metabolism and growth, which is important in both health and disease.

Academics

Students don’t learn the way they think they do

A new study reveals that students learn best through prediction activities, even though they don’t realize it. This idea is at the center of research published by biologist Elise Walck-Shannon and her co-instructors for an introductory genetics course in Arts & Sciences.