NYU, one of the most expensive higher-education institutions in the country, has resorted to rationing paper and charging students for printouts in order to cut costs.
Seething students derided the measure, which kicks in after a student surpasses a 500-page printout limit per semester, as a cheap shot.
Similar measures have been introduced at dozens of smaller colleges -- and this year at the larger WUSTL -- for economic and environmental benefits.

References:

1. Sept. 11, 2009 — NYUers paper clipped in the New York Post

and 1 others.

U.S. and Canadian scientists say data from human fossils suggest a shift in animal resource exploitation as humans spread into Europe 40,000 years ago.
There is little evidence for the regular eating of fish by the Neanderthals, but early humans consistently consumed fish, supplementing their diet.
This study by WUSTL anthropology professor Erik Trinkaus a Canadian colleague was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

References:

1. Aug. 11, 2009 — Early human European diets studied in the United Press International

and 4 others.

The rise and fall of bottled water may be the best case study yet in the strange politics of trendy environmental causes.
Bottled water got its foothold in the U.S. as a statement about healthy living.
It wasn't that long ago that making water available everywhere was itself a sort of crusade.
But now schools such as WUSTL have made "Ban the Bottle" a campus cry. Thus does one crusade lead to another, with the solution to yesterday's crisis providing the stuff of today's.

References:

1. Aug. 6, 2009 — A Fashion Trend Meets A Watery Grave in the The Wall Street Journal online

Greenpeace USA announced the appointment today of its top organizer, Phil Radford, as its new executive director. Radford, 33, is a WUSTL alum (1998). He has been with Greenpeace since 2003 and was behind the launch of the "Frontline" initiative that nearly doubled the organization's annual budget to $30 million.

References:

1. April 14, 2009 — Greenpeace appoints veteran organizer to its top post in the The New York Times

A study just published in Nature has found that the Earth's crust melts easier than previously thought. This finding provides insight into how magmas are formed and will lead to better models of continental collision and the formation of mountain belts. The NSF study was co-authored by WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Anne Hofmeister.

References:

1. March 19, 2009 — Earth's Crust Melts Easier Than Previously Thought in the ScienceDaily.com

and 1 others.

WUSTL chancellor Mark S. Wrighton is trying to establish meaningful relationships with foreign universities, in hopes of engaging large numbers of WUSTL students and faculty members, encouraging robust research collaborations, and cultivating a more global campus.

References:

1. Feb. 27, 2009 — U.S. Colleges Get Serious With Partners Overseas in the The Chronicle of Higher Education

According to one geologist, southeast Missouri could hold one of the biggest deposits of undiscovered uranium in the U.S. Includes comments by WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Bob Criss.

References:

1. Feb. 2, 2009 — Southern Mo. targeted for uranium drilling in the Associated Press

and 70 others.

Arch Coal Inc., one of the world's biggest coal producers, reports earnings for the fourth quarter and full-year 2008 before the market opens Friday. Last month, Arch Coal and Peabody announced they are combining with Ameren Corp. and WUSTL to try and make St. Louis the nation's center for clean coal research and education.

References:

1. Jan. 29, 2009 — Arch Coal set to release 4Q earnings in the Associated Press State & Local Wire

and 3 others.

A discovery of microscopic diamonds a few feet beneath the surface of North America reveals that a comet caused a cataclysm of fire, flood and devastation nearly 13,000 years ago, scientists said. Includes comments by WUSTL physicist Tyrone Daulton.

References:

1. Jan. 2, 2009 — Diamonds show comet struck North America, scientists say in the Los Angeles Times

and 1 others.

Scientists have discovered that as ice melts away from Antarctica, parts of the continental bedrock are rising in response - and other parts are sinking. These results come from POLENET, a growing network of GPS trackers and seismic sensors implanted in the bedrock beneath the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. WUSTL is one of the partners.

References:

1. Dec. 29, 2008 — As Ice Melts, Antarctic Bedrock Is On The Move in the SpaceDaily.com

In a Dec. 8th news conference in Hong Kong, twenty-five premier research universities from around the world, including WUSTL, announced the establishment of the Consortium for Clean Coal Utilization to promote research and applications of clean coal technology.

References:

1. Dec. 9, 2008 — Story on the establishment of the Consortium for Clean Coal Utilization in the Xinhua News Agency (China)

and 11 others.

Two major coal companies and one of the Midwest's largest utilities are combining with WUSTL to try and make St. Louis the nation's center for clean coal research and education.

References:

1. Dec. 2, 2008 — Effort would make St. Louis clean coal focal point in the Associated Press State & Local Wire

and 13 others.

WUSTL biologists and their collaborators have created budding longleaf pine forest ecosystems with the help of the U.S. Forest Service-Savannah River to understand whether these "corridors" help plants and animals survive habitat fragmentation.

References:

1. Dec. 2, 2008 — Study on wildlife corridors shows how they work over time in the Eureka! Science News (Canada)

and 3 others.

Anticipating a national rule on mercury removal from coal flue gas, technology providers jockey for position in this new market. Pratim Biswas, who chairs the department of energy, environmental, and chemical engineering at WUSTL, says titanium dioxide shows promise as an efficient mercury-removal mechanism.

References:

1. Nov. 24, 2008 — Getting Rid Of Mercury in the Chemical & Engineering News

The Center for a New American Security, a small think tank here with generally middle-of-the-road policy views, is rapidly emerging as a top farm team for the incoming Obama administration. Includes comments by WUSTL economics professor Murray Weidenbaum, who wrote a book on Washington think tanks.

References:

1. Nov. 16, 2008 — Obama Dips Into Think Tank for Talent in the The Wall Street Journal online

An Antarctic mountain range that rivals the Alps in elevation will be probed this month by an expedition of scientists. Researchers from WUSTL and Penn State will contribute to the fieldwork by using seismic recordings of earthquakes to create images of the crust and mantle beneath the mountain range.

References:

1. Oct. 21, 2008 — Huge mountain range shouldn't be there in the MSNBC.com

A study by WUSTL biologists shows that the more diverse a bird population is in an area, the less chance humans have of exposure to West Nile Virus.

References:

1. Oct. 6, 2008 — Bird Diversity Lessens Human Exposure to West Nile Virus in the ScienceDaily.com

and 7 others.

Enterprise says its nine-month experiment in car sharing, branded as WeCar, will now be available to some corporate customers, government agencies and universities nationally. About a year ago, Enterprise informally began its first car-sharing program with Google, using plug-in hybrids. Soon after, it launched a trial program with Washington University, the city of St. Louis and outdoor gear retailer REI.

References:

1. Sept. 30, 2008 — Car rental companies get into the business of sharing in the USA Today

The Beijing Olympics begin in just over three weeks, and the Chinese are trying to clear the air. In a recent test, Beijing's air failed to meet international health guidelines six days out of seven. WUSTL chemical engineering professor Jay Turner comments.

References:

1. July 15, 2008 — China trying different things to improve air quality for Olympics in the CBS Evening News

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.

References:

1. June 30, 2008 — Betting on a Biofuel in the The Wall Street Journal