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Registration open for Equalize 2020

Registration for Equalize 2020, a first-of-its-kind pitch competition designed to showcase female faculty startup founders, is underway. The event takes place June 25 via Zoom.

Science & Technology

Silicon ‘neurons’ may add a new dimension to computer processors

Research from the McKelvey School of Engineering shows that energy constraints on a system, coupled with an intrinsic property of systems, push silicon neurons to create a dynamic, at-a-distance communication that is more robust and efficient than traditional computer processors. And it may teach us something about biological brains.

Medicine

Antibiotic-destroying genes widespread in bacteria in soil and on people

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have found that genes that confer the power to destroy tetracyclines are widespread in bacteria that live in the soil and on people.

Economy

Disappearance of sports inflicts pain on entire economy

The U.S. sports blackout because of the pandemic has left at least a $12 billion crater in the national economy. And even if stadiums and arenas light up anew soon, they won’t look the same. A sports business expert from the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis doesn’t expect the NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball to welcome fans if/when they return in 2020, for example.

Biology

How to build better highways in plants

The Dixit lab at Washington University in St. Louis, which in a study published in 2018 found molecular brakemen that keep the Arabidopsis Fragile Fiber 1 (FRA1) motor protein in check, uncovered in continuing research that FRA1 cinches its track in place through cellulose synthase-microtubule uncoupling proteins.

Humanities & Society

Suppression of COVID-19 spread possible, model suggests

Suppression of the spread of COVID-19 is an attainable goal, and it can be done through strategies that ease social distancing guidelines, suggests a new model developed by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis and the Brookings Institution.

Bose receives NSF grant to study the conversion of electricity and carbon dioxide to sustainable biofuels

Arpita Bose, assistant professor of biology in Arts & Sciences, received a $1,029,281 grant from the National Science Foundation to better understand the molecular underpinnings of the process in which photoautotrophic microbes convert electricity and carbon dioxide to sustainable biofuels. The research aims to address fundamental gaps in knowledge surrounding extracellular electron uptake (EEU), or what Bose […]

Affordable mental health care for employees and their children

In addition to the physical effects of COVID-19, threats to mental health should not be discounted. The WashUDirect Psychiatry service offers convenient, affordable mental health care for employees and their children.

Bondy receives grant to investigate link between inflammation and anhedonia

Erin Bondy, a graduate student in the BRAIN Lab in the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences in Arts & Sciences, has received a $45,520 grant from the National Institute of Mental Health, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) . Bondy will investigate behavioral mechanisms that may underlie a link between inflammation and anhedonia, the […]

Campus & Community

Washington University announces 2020 College Prep scholars

Washington University in St. Louis has admitted 50 rising high school sophomores to its innovative College Prep Program, a multiyear initiative that prepares high-achieving students with limited financial resources for college. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, summer programming will move online. However, students still will have opportunities to study with top faculty, learn about the college application process and reflect on their own goals and interests.