Arts & Sciences

Geoscientist Rita Parai in Arts & Sciences uses noble gas isotopes to better understand the formation and evolution of planetary bodies. Her new modeling study published in PNAS shows that the deep mantle had low concentrations of volatiles like xenon and water when it formed, setting up an internal viscosity contrast with lasting impacts.

Dany Matar, a rising senior, has been named an Astronaut Scholar by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. Astronaut Scholarships are awarded to juniors and seniors who are studying science, technology, engineering or mathematics with the intent to pursue research or advance their field upon completion of their final degree.

Research from the lab of Patrick Hill in psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences shows a link in older adults between social interactions and having a sense of purpose.

Jacob Schaefer III, the Charles Allen Thomas Emeritus Professor of Chemistry in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, died June 27, 2022 in St. Louis. Schaefer was one of the world’s experts in solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). He was 83 years old.

Camelina, an oilseed plant grown in modern-day Ukraine, may have been a more important and widespread crop than previously thought, according to collaborators from anthropology and biology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. Their findings could inform breeding programs to improve this crop for biofuels applications.

Twelve recent alumni of Washington University in St. Louis earned Fulbright awards to travel abroad to conduct research or teach English. The program recognizes talented scholars and leaders who are committed to promoting global collaboration and understanding through research and teaching.

New approaches to help save animals from extinction may come from experts outside of the traditional natural science disciplines. The Living Earth Collaborative invites social scientists, political scientists, engineers and other experts from the university community who would like to be involved in efforts to help with conservation projects to participate in a July 21 social event.

A team that received early support from the Living Earth Collaborative was awarded a $633,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to evaluate pollination in orchards across the city of St. Louis. They will examine how factors such as human population density, socioeconomic status, soil type and surrounding vegetation impact insect numbers and fruit yield.

It’s a grim milestone. More than 1 million Americans have died due to COVID-19. In this video, Rebecca Messbarger, director of medical humanities in Arts & Sciences, discusses “Requiem of Light,” a citywide memorial that she conceived and organized for the thousands of St. Louisans lost to the pandemic.

Living Earth Collaborative postdoctoral fellow Matthew Austin published new research finding that climate change is affecting how violets reproduce.