Embracing resiliency: Meet new football coach Aaron Keen

No one could have foreseen a fall without football when Aaron Keen was named head coach last January. But the 1994 WashU graduate is tackling the challenge of his first season head on, with resiliency and a positive mental attitude learned under his friend and mentor, Larry Kindbom.

Teaching high school chemistry with real-world examples

White coral on reef
Michael Wysession, professor in earth and planetary sciences, and Bryn Lutes, a lecturer in chemistry, both in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, believe that high school students will learn chemistry better when they crunch actual climate data, rather than memorize the periodic table by rote. They helped write a national chemistry curriculum that is loaded with real-world examples — like ocean acidification — and is already being rolled out by school districts in Los Angeles and other parts of California.

Take part in people’s ecochallenge this month

The Office of Sustainability invites members of the university community to take part in the people’s ecochallenge Oct. 7-28. Join the WashU team and take individual actions in areas such as waste, energy, health and justice.

Team of McKelvey aerosol scientists receive grant to establish air quality data network

An internationally renowned team of McKelvey School of Engineering aerosol scientists plans to work with colleagues at other institutions to establish a global network of networks that will collect real-time air quality data and develop ways to solve air pollution with a five-year $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation. Randall Martin, professor of energy, environmental […]

Hengen awarded $1.8M to study sleep’s contribution to brain function

Keith Hengen
Keith Hengen, assistant professor of biology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, received a three-year $1.8 million grant to study the role of sleep and waking behavior in shaping the brain’s neural dynamics. His research will help scientists understand how sleep contributes to healthy cognition and shed light on the mechanisms by which disrupted sleep worsens neurodegenerative and mental health disorders.

Schwarz elected vice president of radiation research society

Schwarz
Julie K. Schwarz, MD, PhD, professor of radiation oncology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been elected vice president of the Radiation Research Society. She will go on to serve as president beginning in October 2022.