Building smarter, safer infrastructure

A team of engineers from Washington University in St. Louis is turning to small sensors and cloud computing for a smarter self-monitoring solution that can better sound the alarm in specific cases of infrastructure failure. It’s a solution that will get its first test Sept. 21 when it’s installed on Michigan’s Mackinac Bridge.

Alberti Program introduces kids to power, potential of architecture

Architecture shapes our environment – but studying architecture shapes how we see, understand and interpret the world around us. Over the last 10 years, the Alberti Program in Washington University’s Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts has introduced hundreds of kids, ranging from 8- to 15-years-old, to the power and potential of architecture and design.

New explanation offered for symptoms of fragile X syndrome

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found another possible explanation for some of the symptoms of fragile X syndrome. The study, published Sept. 20 in Cell Reports, provides a new way of looking at the underlying causes of the syndrome and suggests new targets for treatment.

Flying high

On Sept. 19, Washington University scientist Henric Krawczynski, announced that the X-Calibur X-ray telescope had landed safely near the border between Arizona and New Mexico, completing a long stratospheric balloon flight with disks full of data about neutron stars and black holes.

Washington People: Mary M. McKay

Mary M. McKay joined the Brown School as dean in July, bringing her expertise that blends social work, public policy and public health. Read more about McKay’s work, her reasons for joining the university and her goals on the Brown School website.

Clinical Trials Symposium planned Oct. 21

Researchers will discuss the latest in clinical trials in cancer, Alzheimer’s and more at a symposium Oct. 21 at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center.

ISP receives funding for STEM teacher program

The Monsanto Fund has awarded the Institute for School Partnership (ISP) at Washington University in St. Louis a $200,000 grant to support the STEM Teacher Quality program, or STEM TQ, which helps elementary school teachers integrate science, technology, engineering and math into their curriculum.

College students want a voice in the debate

Cassie Klosterman, a voter engagement fellow at Washington University’s Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement and a 2016 graduate in Arts & Sciences, talks about her recent experiences as a delegate at College Debate 16. The national gathering of college students was sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates.