Page 482 – The Source | Washington University in St. Louis

Biden energy plan is aggressive, but much can be done

Geophysicist Michael Wysession, professor of earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, teaches a popular undergraduate course called “Energy and the Environment.” He breaks down President-elect Joe Biden’s 9-point Energy Plan, point-by-point.

Politics

Gibson recognized by Academy of Science of South Africa

Picture of Political Science professor James Gibson

James L. Gibson, who has studied and written extensively about the evolution of South Africa’s democracy in the post-apartheid era, has been elected to the Academy of Science of South Africa as an honorary foreign associate.

Religion

Scholars of religion and politics respond to the Capitol insurrection

Leaning on their expertise in history, ethics and religious studies, faculty from the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics reflect on the Jan. 6 Capitol Insurrection.

Public Health

Rapid blood test identifies COVID-19 patients at high risk of severe disease

A new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that measuring mitochondrial DNA in the blood of patients with COVID-19 can help predict which patients are at highest risk of severe disease, requiring more intensive care.

Campus & Community

Who Knew WashU? 1.13.21

Question: When a flu pandemic broke out in 1918, it spread around the world over the course of two years. The university offered its buildings to the Red Cross to help keep St. Louis safe during the pandemic. What was Graham Chapel used for?

Medicine

Acute itching in eczema patients linked to environmental allergens

New School of Medicine research indicates that allergens in the environment often are to blame for episodes of acute itch in eczema patients. Researchers found the itch signals are being carried to the brain along a previously unrecognized pathway that current drugs don’t target.

Campus & Community

Center for the Humanities faculty fellows named

The Center for the Humanities in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis recently announced its 2021-22 cohort of faculty fellows. Faculty fellows spend a semester in residence at the center, giving them space and time to make great progress on their research and book projects.

Appointments & Promotions

Board of Trustees grants faculty appointments, promotions

At the Washington University Board of Trustees meeting Dec. 4, several faculty members were appointed or promoted with tenure or granted tenure, effective that day unless otherwise indicated.

Physical Sciences

Put a flake on it: A new way to add electrical charge

Gaining control of the flow of electrical current through atomically thin materials is important to potential future applications in photovoltaics or computing. Physicists in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis have discovered one way to locally add electrical charge to a graphene device.

Space

NASA selects astrophysics mission to detect ultrahigh-energy neutrinos

Physicists in Arts & Sciences, including Brian Rauch, are part of a team funded by NASA to develop the concept for the most sensitive survey of cosmic ultra-high energy neutrinos ever conducted.