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Washington University in St. Louis News & Information > News Topics > Science & Technology >
Environment
The environment covers many topics and disciplines at Washington University. Faculty have contributed landmark studies in air and water pollution, as well as ecosystem and endangered species preservation. Faculty have research ties to the Missouri Botanical Garden and the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, two of the greatest plant science institutions in the world, and on-campus engineers study multitude aspects of aerosol tracking and clean-up in the Environmental Engineering Science Program. The new multidisciplinary Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis (CEBC), funded by the National Science Foundation, focuses on green chemistry and engineering concepts. The Center for Air Pollution Impact Trends and Analysis (CAPITA) has the world's largest archive of computerized air pollution data. In the School of Law's Interdisciplinary Environmental Clinic, students work under faculty supervision to provide pro bono assistance on environmental and community health problems.
| Faculty Experts: |
Showing Environment Experts 1 through 5 of 16.
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Jonathan Chase
Assistant Professor of Biology
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| Chase |
Jonathan M. Chase, assistant professor of biology, focuses his research on the rules (or lack thereof) underlying the diversity, distribution, and abundance of animal and plant species from the population/community/ecosystem perspective. His research combines observational, theoretical, and experimental ...
Expertise: biology, ecology, ecosystem, natural history, evolution, biodiversity, food webs, …
Direct contact: (314) 935-4105
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jchase@wustl.edu
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D. Tab Rasmussen
Professor of Anthropology in Arts and Sciences
Rasmussen studies primate evolution by drawing on two major lines of evidence: the fossil record and the comparative study of living primates. One goal of this research is to trace the actual course of primate evolution. More importantly, detailed studies of primate evolution can provide insight into ...
Expertise: primate evolution, fossil record, evolutionary transitions, primate origins, anthropoid origins, prosimian primates, paleontology, …
Media assistance: (314) 935-5235 / nschoenherr@wustl.edu
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Ralph Quatrano
Ralph S. Quatrano, Ph.D., is the Spencer T. Olin Professor in Arts and Sciences and chair of the Department of Biology at Washington University in St. Louis. He is internationally known for his plant science work on patterns of embryo formation, and how the patterns lead cells to acquire traits or ...
Expertise: Plants, plant biology, botany, moss, genome, algae, genes, …
Direct contact: (314) 935-6850
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rsq@wustl.edu
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Jay Turner
Associate Professor in Chemical Engineering
Jay R. Turner, associate professor in chemical engineering with a joint appointment in civil engineering, focuses his research on such topics as environmental reaction engineering and environmental chemical analysis. He is the Principal Investigator for both the Midwest Fine Particulate Matter Supersite ...
Expertise: environmental engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, environmental reaction engineering, environmental chemical analysis, air pollutant sampling and characterization, stationary source air pollution, …
Direct contact: (314) 935-5480
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jrturner@seas.wustl.edu
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Pratim Biswas
Stifel and Quinette Jens Professor
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| Biswas |
Biswas received his Ph.D. from California Institute of Technology, has published extensively in his field and served on many international organizations and conferences. His research interests include aerosol science and engineering, nanoparticle technology, air quality engineering, combustion, materials ...
Expertise: aerosol science, nanoparticle technology, air quality engineering, combustion, material processing for environmental technologies, environmentally benign processing, environmental nanotechnology, …
Direct contact: (314) 935-5482
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pratim.biswas@seas.wustl.edu
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Showing Environment Experts 1 through 5 of 16.
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| News Stories & Tip Sheets: |
Showing Environment Stories 1 through 3 of 93.
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Facing extinction
New book portrays day in the life of a bonobo
July 1,
2008 --
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| Image courtesy of Marian Brickner |
A biologist at Washington University in St. Louis is the mastermind behind a project that has led to an informative book, aimed at children but appealing to all ages, on an endangered species of ape. Ursula Goodenough, Ph.D., professor of biology in Arts & Sciences, is the driving force behind I'm Lucy, A Day in the Life of a Young Bonobo, written by Mathea Levine, Goodenough's daughter, and featuring the photographs of St. Louisan Marian Brickner. The book includes a convincing, impassioned Afterward by the famed primatologist Jane Goodall.
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Oil or spoil?
McCain, Obama similarities on oil, gas, energy only go so far, expert suggests
June 20,
2008 --
President Bush's call this week for Congress to end its decades-old ban on offshore oil and gas drilling has highlighted key differences in the big-oil platforms of presumptive Republican and Democratic presidential nominees Barak Obama and John McCain, suggests William Lowry, an expert on the politics of environmental and energy issues at Washington University in St. Louis.
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Water everywhere
Lower Midwest braces for floods
June 16,
2008 -- Residents of the central and southern Midwest are crossing their fingers, saying their prayers, planning evacuations, and in some cases filling sandbags in preparation for the excessive water
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| Image courtesy of NOAA |
| WUSTL geologist Robert Criss warns of "serious water" that could give some areas their second worst flood on record. |
ravishing communities in Iowa and Wisconsin. "The flood wave is propagating down the Mississippi River towards St. Louis at about the pace of a brisk walk," said Robert E. Criss, Ph.D., professor of earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. "Some areas north of St. Louis in Missouri and southern Iowa are bracing for the second worst flood in their history. This is serious water."
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Showing Environment Stories 1 through 3 of 93.
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Betting on a Biofuel
The Wall Street Journal
June 30,
2008 -- With ethanol looking less and less like the ideal alternative to fossil fuels, companies are rushing to come up with better options, such as biobutanol. WUSTL chemical engineering professor Lars Angenent is experimenting with using corn waste from ethanol plants to make butanol.
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Mississippi River Reclaims Floodplain in Parts of Missouri
NPR: All Things Considered
and 1 others
June 24,
2008 -- KWMU's Adam Allington reports on failed levees and flooding in the Midwest and the questions being raised about the efforts to contain the Mississippi River. WUSTL hydrologist Bob Criss says unchecked development on the Mississippi floodplain is a continuing problem.
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Midwest Floods Dredge Up Dispute
The Wall Street Journal
June 19,
2008 -- Since the historic flood of 1993, nearly 30,000 homes have been built on land that was underwater around the Mississippi and Missouri rivers near St. Louis. WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Robert Criss argues that development along the rivers is worsening the effect of floods.
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Flood forecasts in flux
MSNBC.MSN.com
June 19,
2008 -- WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Robert Criss and other scientists have been warning for years that increased development along the Mississippi River is leading to increasingly damaging floods. He comments on this spring and summer's flooding.
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Monitoring Antarctic Ice Movement Is a Sticky Business
Scientific American
June 5,
2008 -- Story on a study of the Whillians Ice Stream in West Antarctica and how it moves.
WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Douglas Wiens, who is lead author of the study, says his team has uncovered evidence that the mammoth expanse of ice is powered by seismic energy in the watery, rocky terrain beneath it.
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Tidal 'icequakes' are shaking Antarctica
New Scientist (UK)
June 5,
2008 -- In the past few years, researchers have noticed that glaciers around the world seem to produce seismic waves that can appear to observers like large earthquakes.
WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Douglas Wiens and colleagues took a closer look at the seismic waves produced in Antarctica.
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New study advances method to make energy from farm waste
Associated Press
and 81 others
April 17,
2008 -- WUSTL engineers, including WUSTL chemical engineering professor Muthanna Al-Dahhan, using imaging technology have found that vigorous mixing helps microorganisms turn farm waste into alternative energy.
The goal is to produce a simple method that farmers can use to treat their waste and generate energy.
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A Climate 'Policy Wonk' in the Making
NPR Morning Edition
April 14,
2008 -- WUSTL junior Kelley Greenman is featured is today's Morning Edition program on climate change with Richard Harris. Greenman is interested in cliimate change policy issues.
The story included a segment about an advising appointment with career counselor Karen Morton and Kelley.
Includes an audio link to the story.
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NASA Spacecraft Fine Tunes Course For Mars Landing
ScienceDaily.com
and 21 others
April 11,
2008 -- NASA engineers have adjusted the flight path of the Phoenix Mars Lander, setting the spacecraft on course for its May 25 landing on the Red Planet. ...
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Study: Neanderthals Not Doomed by Skull Shape
FoxNews.com
and 1 others
March 25,
2008 -- WUSTL's Erik Trinkaus comments on a study that tries to refute the idea that natural selection caused skull differences between Neanderthals and modern humans.
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Antarctica's unique space rocks
BBC News (UK)
March 14,
2008 -- A pair of meteorites discovered in Antarctica are in a class all of their own, a major space conference has been told.
WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ryan Zeigler comments.
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A few tips to lead a 'greener' lifestyle
DailyIndia.com (FL)
and 3 others
Jan. 14,
2008 -- Matt Malten, WUSTL assistant vice chancellor for campus sustainability, offers a few tips on how to lessen your impact on the environment without spending a lot of bucks. "The old adage of reduce, reuse, recycle remains apropos. We must remind ourselves that the first step is always to reduce our demand of natural resources," Malten said.
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Mimicking plant evolution proves fruitful
MSNBC.com
Jan. 11,
2008 -- By mimicking plant evolution, a team of Illinois researchers has improved upon nature's design to build a leafy energy-producing powerhouse — or at least a virtual one on a supercomputer. In a study published within the journal Plant Physiology, WUSTL biology and chemistry professor Robert Blankenship comments on the Illinois study.
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Ancient cave bears were as omnivorous as modern bears
DailyIndia.com (FL)
and 6 others
Jan. 8,
2008 -- An International team of researchers has suggested that Pleistocene cave bears from the Carpathian region in Europe, were as omnivorous as modern bears. For the past 30 years, studies of their bones and teeth, and especially the nitrogen isotopes in their bone protein, had led to the conclusion that these ancient bears were largely vegetarian. Erik Trinkaus, WUSTL professor of anthropology, was part of this study.
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Drought Can Destroy Diversity
LiveScience.com
Oct. 22,
2007 -- Scientists are more interested than ever in the effects of extreme climate swings, such as prolonged drought, because the computer models predict wilder extremes as one effect of the climate change now underway.
WUSTL biology professor and ecologist Jonathan Chase comments on his study that appeared in the Oct. 15 issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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International university presidents declare energy research crucial
Associated Press
and 3 others
May 8,
2007 -- AP story on a three-day energy and environment conference at WUSTL, hosted by the McDonnell International Scholars Academy.
Thirteen university presidents from around the world urged government agencies and corporations to pour more resources into finding new sources of energy that don't harm the environment, calling it the most pressing problem facing the world today.
WUSTL chancellor Mark Wrighton comments.
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Association promotes and protects caves
The Kansas City Star online
and 1 others
March 26,
2007 -- Missouri has more than 6,200 known caves, and a drive is under way to make more money on cave tourism while also protecting private caves from public encroachment -- considered a growing problem.
The Missouri Caves Association is in its third year promoting caves on billboards with the help of $10,000 annual grants from the Missouri Division of Tourism. There are about 20 caves open for tours in Missouri.
WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Robert Criss wrote about the problem of development in a recent issue of the journal Missouri Speleology.
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Professor Says Mo. Should Protect Caves
Associated Press Online, West End Word (St. Louis)
and 44 others
March 8,
2007 -- WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Robert Criss warned that Missouri is losing too many of its caves to development.
Missouri has an international reputation among scientists, caving enthusiasts and tourists.
Criss, WUSTL geologist G.R. Osburn and graduate students Jennifer Lippmann and Everett Criss, Robert Criss' son, studied many of the 127 reported caves in St. Louis County.
Their paper, the Caves of St. Louis County, was recently published in the journal Missouri Speleology. Speleology is the exploration and study of caves.
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Genomic "time machine" may pinpoint divergence of human and Neandertal
Scientific American
Nov. 16,
2006 -- Article reports on two research teams who say they have rebuilt, or sequenced, long segments of Neanderthal DNA using the 38,000-year-old remains of a 38-year-old male, found in a Croatian cave.
The technique is not only yielding new insights into Neanderthals, reported in Nature and Science, it's also likely to prove an important tool in teasing out secrets about how plants and animals evolved.
WUSTL anthropologist Erik Trinkaus says he sees problems with how the two teams interpret some of their information.
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Big Oil headed for tougher Congress
The Christian Science Monitor
Nov. 15,
2006 -- The Democratic leadership has already indicated it will try to repeal earlier tax breaks for oil companies. A gusher of new legislation could develop as well, as Democrats get a chance to see their energy bills move past the trash can. In fact, the Democrats will try to put together their own version of a comprehensive energy bill that tackles everything from gas-mileage standards to tax breaks for alternative energy sources, some congressional analysts believe.
WUSTL political science professor Steven Smith comments.
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