McKelvey School of Engineering

Three faculty members at Washington University in St. Louis are among 347 new fellows named by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society. David W. Piston, PhD; Shelly E. Sakiyama-Elbert, PhD; and Jeffrey M. Zacks, PhD, will receive the highest honor awarded by AAAS in recognition of their distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.

Rohit Pappu, PhD, the Edwin H. Murty Professor of Engineering at Washington University’s School of Engineering & Applied Science, will help spearhead the newly formed Human Dark Proteome Initiative, launched Nov. 9 by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and The Scripps Research Institute.

​At team at Washington University’s School of Engineering & Applied Science found tomato plants that received zinc oxide and titanium dioxide nanoparticles better absorbed light and minerals, and the fruit had higher antioxidant content.

​A team of engineers, led by Washington University’s Lihong Wang and postdoctoral researcher Junjie Yao, found that by genetically modifying glioblastoma cancer cells to express BphP1 protein, derived from a bacterium commonly found in soil and water, they could clearly see tiny amounts of live cancer cells as deep as 1 centimeter in tissue using photoacoustic tomography.

At the Washington University in St. Louis Board of Trustees meeting Oct. 2, the following faculty members were appointed with tenure or promoted with tenure, effective Oct. 2 unless otherwise indicated.

​Now in its second year, the Suren G. Dutia and Jas K. Grewal Global Impact Award is given to Washington University in St. Louis-based entrepreneurs who use technology to solve real-world problems.  A total of 19 teams entered this year’s competition, and the winner of the $50,000 prize, announced Nov. 2, is Applied Particle Technology. 

​Many college students dodge risks, but innovation and self-discovery often spring from failure, says Dedric A. Carter, PhD, associate provost and associate vice chancellor for innovation and entrepreneurship“Fail Better,” a new video series, will showcase Washington University staff, faculty and students who have failed big — sometimes in very public, humiliating ways.

University College in Arts & Sciences and the School of Engineering & Applied Science at Washington University in St. Louis are partnering with LaunchCode to offer a free 16-week basic coding class, called CS50x St. Louis, beginning Jan. 19, 2016.

St. Louis’ Gateway Arch turns 50 Oct. 28. Corban Swain, a Washington University in St. Louis undergraduate in the School of Engineering & Applied Science, recently took top prize in a photo contest celebrating the Arch’s anniversary, with an upside-down image of the beloved, iconic landmark.

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, led by Srikanth Singamaneni, PhD, associate professor of materials science in the School of Engineering & Applied Science, are using color-shifting nanoparticles of ​gold, combined with specifically engineered artificial antibodies, to detect biochemical signs of kidney damage.​