AI to spark new recyclable plastics design
Imagine a world in which all types of plastic containers, packaging, carbon-fiber composite bikes and knee implants could be recycled together as a single processing stream.
Up to $5.2M in federal funds will enable WashU to develop new biomanufacturing capabilities
The process of biomanufacturing requires engineering microbes to produce useful chemicals and materials from carbon-neutral processes. But current biomanufacturing cannot get beyond small-production scale unless it can outcompete big oil.
A year in the life of a Pathfinder Fellow: The Sustainability Exchange
Elizabeth Swords’ final year as a Pathfinder Fellow involved consulting on a sustainability project for the City of Ferguson as part of the “Sustainability Exchange” course.
Big small towns
In Rebuilding the American Town, the Sam Fox School’s Patty Heyda helps redefine our understanding of the smaller cities that make up the urban landscape.
A place to MELT
WashU connections abound at a restorative retreat in Playa El Coco, Nicaragua.
For healthier people and a healthier planet
Working in partnership with communities, WashU launches a new initiative to improve nutrition and health locally, nationally and globally.
The heaviness of water
As the western U.S. faces decreasing water supplies, WashU alumni are helping negotiate how this precious resource will be managed and shared in years to come.
WashU earns gold accreditation for sustainability
The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) has awarded Washington University in St. Louis Gold status accreditation.
Sun exposure changes chemical fate of littered face masks
The face masks worn and discarded during the COVID-19 pandemic have an uncertain fate.
Biologist Zhong to study how plants deal with nutrient stress
Cultivated plants provide people with food, fuel and medicine. But crops also face many types of stresses that threaten their growth and yields.