The Center for the Environment is an interdisciplinary hub of environmental research that is committed to generating transformative solutions to our deepest societal challenges including: climate change, air pollution, access to clean water, food insecurity, biodiversity loss and infectious diseases.
By the numbers
134
Center scholars
46
Proposals/Grants supported
1000+
Activity participants
228
Journal articles published
in Jan-June 2025
The Center’s mission
The center serves as a cross-cutting collaboration hub, encouraging partners, faculty and students to advance research projects in areas including biodiversity, environmental justice, planetary health, environmental solutions, and climate change. Here’s a closer look at who we are, what we do, and why it matters for our community, our region and our world.
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Featured research & stories
Naseh receives William H. Danforth St. Louis Confluence Award
Brown School initiative works with community partners to support immigrants and refugees
Midwestern Climate Collaborative receives 2026 AASHE sustainability award
The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) recently gave the Midwest Climate Collaborative (MCC) a 2026 Campus Sustainability Achievement Award, one of its highest honors.
Scholar Profile: Rachel Penczykowski
Associate Professor of Biology Dr. Rachel Penczykowski knew early on that she was drawn to science. Over time, her interest narrowed—first to biology, then ecology. One upper-level parasitology course changed her trajectory. A guest lecture on environmental conditions shaping host–parasite interactions was, as she describes it, a “life-changing light bulb moment.” In that lecture, she […]
The WashU ecosystem
Within the WashU ecosystem of environmental research, education, and practice, the Center for the Environment serves as a connector. Much like a biodiversity corridor, we work to create space where our partners within the ecosystem and across distinct disciplines come together to address our world’s biggest environmental challenges.
In the news
Millions of Satellites, but Who’s in Charge? It’s a Wild West in Space
The primal human experience of gazing into an unblemished cosmos is vanishing, being replaced by a dense, industrial field of 15,000 orbiting satellites with plans for half a million more by 2040.
H.A.R.V.E.S.T. AgTech is giving four local start-ups a big boost
The global innovation incubator is supporting seven companies pursuing innovations that can help cut back on chemical inputs in agriculture.
Native bird species thrive in Forest Park thanks to habitat restoration efforts
In the midst of a biodiversity crisis caused by human activity, often referred to as Earth’s sixth mass extinction, there’s a unique cause for celebration in St. Louis.
