The Big Pivot: How WashU innovated through one of its greatest challenges

Title graphic for The Big Pivot
One year ago, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. Shortly thereafter, Washington University in St. Louis made the painful but necessary decision to move students out of on-campus housing, extend Spring Break a week, and shift to remote learning. In the months that followed, the university community—administrators, faculty, students and staff—has risen […]

Mathematician wins NSF grant

Francesco Di Plinio
Francesco Di Plinio, assistant professor of mathematics and statistics in Arts & Sciences, won a $197,616 grant from the National Science Foundation for research in harmonic analysis, a branch of mathematics concerned with the rigorous description of signals and their processing.

Cheng honored for work to advance pain relief without adverse effects

Wayland Cheng, MD, PhD, assistant professor of anesthesiology at the School of Medicine, has received the 2021 Frontiers in Anesthesia Research Award from the International Anesthesia Research Society. The prestigious $750,000 award, which is given only once every three years, funds projects with an eye toward developing future leaders in anesthesiology.

Mark Franklin, former professor of engineering, 81

Former professor Mark Franklin's headshot
Mark A. Franklin, former professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the McKelvey School of Engineering, who taught for four decades, died May 25 from complications of Alzheimer’s disease in Berkeley, Calif. He was 81.

What makes us sneeze?

A team led by researchers at the School of Medicine has identified, in mice, specific cells and proteins that control the sneeze reflex. Better understanding of what causes sneezing may point to treatments to slow the spread of infectious respiratory diseases.