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COVID-19 Exposure Notifications system launches for university community

Faculty, staff and students at Washington University will now be able to use a COVID-19 exposure notification system through their smartphones. The university is piloting the system, called MO/Notify, launched with approval from the state of Missouri.

Biology

Depth of perception

Minuscule tunnels through the cell membrane help cells to perceive and respond to mechanical forces, such as pressure or touch. A new study led by biologists in Arts & Sciences directly investigates what PIEZO channels are doing in the tip-growing cells in moss and pollen tubes of flowering plants, and how.

Aging

NIH funds Rudra, Jackrel to improve vaccines for elderly

Doctor preparing to give a shot to an elderly woman

Washington University’s Meredith Jackrel and Jai Rudra and are researching nanofiber materials that will eliminate the need for vaccine adjuvants.

Engineering

Two strands are tougher than one

Research from the lab of Kimberly Parker at the McKelvey School of Engineering reveals key differences between single- and double-stranded RNA, insights that may prove useful to fields from agriculture to medicine.

Campus & Facilities

7.28.21

Images from on and around the Washington University campuses.

Popular Culture

Wanzo wins Eisner Award, Hatfield Book Prize

Rebecca Wanzo, professor and chair of women, gender and sexuality studies in Arts & Sciences, has won two major awards in the field of comic book studies.

Physical Sciences

Krawczynski to examine role of water in volcanoes, Earth’s evolution

Michael J. Krawczynski, assistant professor in Arts & Sciences, received a National Science Foundation CAREER Award to research the evolution of super-hydrous magmas in the Earth’s crust. Krawczynski will explore how volcanoes work, especially how water affects the evolution of volcanoes and their behavior.

Chemistry

Moeller wins Heyrovsky Prize for electrochemistry

Kevin Moeller, professor of chemistry in Arts & Sciences, won the 2021 Jaroslav Heyrovsky Prize for Molecular Electrochemistry from the International Society of Electrochemistry. His research focuses on using electrochemistry as a synthetic tool for constructing everything from complex organic molecules to two-dimensional addressable surfaces.

Law

Epps testifies before Supreme Court commission

Dan Epps, the Treiman Professor of Law, testified before the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States on July 20.

Awards & Notables

Carter receives ‘leaders who care’ award

Dedric Carter, vice chancellor for operations and technology transfer at Washington University, received the Campus Leaders Who Care Award from the Campus Safety, Health, and Environmental Management Association.