McKelvey School of Engineering

Washington University in St. Louis is one of eight Association of American Universities (AAU) member campuses selected to serve as project sites for the association’s five-year initiative to improve the quality of undergraduate education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields at its member institutions, AAU officials announced today.

Each year, about 431 million adults worldwide are victims of cybercrime, costing $388 billion based on time and monetary loss. The problem is so severe that President Barack Obama recently said, “cyber threat is one of the most serious economic and national security challenges we face as a nation.” To address this growing need, the Washington University in St. Louis School of Engineering & Applied Science, partnering with WUSTL’s Olin Business School, is launching a master’s degree in cyber security management in Fall 2013 to provide area professionals and full-time students with the skills needed to prepare for and stop cyber attacks in their workplace.

More than 30 local high school juniors and seniors were on campus June 6 for the third annual Explore Engineering day, sponsored by the School of Engineering & Applied Science. The community outreach event allows students to work with WUSTL engineering faculty and students and get hands-on experience in engineering projects to promote critical thinking.

David A. Peters, PhD, McDonnell Douglas Professor of Engineering in the School of Engineering & Applied Science, has been selected to receive the 2013 Spirit of St. Louis Medal from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers for his service in the advancement of aeronautics and astronautics.

Biomedical sensors using metal nanoparticles hold great promise for the early detection of disease. But the current class of sensors has little or no shelf life, and creating and using them is expensive. Srikanth Singamaneni, PhD, assistant professor of materials science in the School of Engineering & Applied Science, plans to develop a low-cost biosensor that is more stable, sensitive and specific with funds from a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award he has received from the National Science Foundation.

Explore Engineering, a daylong community outreach event sponsored by Washington University School of Engineering & Applied Science, allows students to work with Washington University Engineering faculty and students and get hands-on experience in engineering projects to promote critical thinking.

PARC and I-CARES recently honored three seniors who completed the Certificate in Renewable Energy and the Environment, which allows students to pursue interdisciplinary energy studies in addition to their academic major.

Tae Seok Moon, PhD, assistant professor of energy, environmental & chemical engineering, has been named a Grand Challenges Explorations winner, an initiative funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.Moon will pursue an innovative global health and development research project titled “Programmed Killing of Parasite Eggs by Probiotic Organisms.”

Five Washington University scientists, including Jung-Tsung Shen, PhD, recently received Bear Cub grants. The funding helps researchers commercialize their discoveries.

Engineering students Andrew Brimer and Abigail Cohen have created a low-cost, portable spirometer which they hope will revolutionize the way asthma and other chronic respiratory diseases are diagnosed and treated. They credit the entrepreneurial spirit of Washington University with helping to nuture and push their device along.