The start of the semester is an exciting time. Students are back, and just like that we will be back in the throws of the academic year. There is an energy that comes as the halls and quads fill back up with students. I hope your summer was a chance to recharge and work on something that complements your efforts during the academic year.

In this newsletter, we are excited to share several opportunities: funding opportunities, job opportunities, and opportunities to connect as a community. 

I look forward to connecting with you in-person at many of our upcoming events.

With gratitude,

Dan Giammar

Director, Center for the Environment

Walter E. Browne Professor of Environmental Engineering

Assistant Vice Provost

This month, the center concluded its inaugural Summer Undergraduate Research Program. Over two months, 13 undergraduates engaged in hands-on research in labs and research groups across the Danforth and Medical campuses.

These students worked with Center Scholars and doctoral student mentors to build environmental research skills, form community, and engage in professional development while exploring the St. Louis region over the summer.

We are grateful for these students and the researchers who hosted them. The students capped off their projects by presenting during the Tyson Summer Research Symposium.

This summer, the center hosted a series of events aimed at building connections and sharing opportunities among the university's environmental research community.

These events included two research networking workshops. One was focused on the intersection of agriculture, environmental impacts, and human health. The other revolved around federal funding opportunities for environmental justice work.

The center also organized two field trips to regional research sites: Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site and Missouri Botanical Garden.

We enjoyed spending time with everyone who came out to these events, and we are grateful for the partners who made these field trips and events possible.

Applications are now open for the 2024-25 Here and Next Research Seed Grants. Visit the Research Development Office's website to view the program details including upcoming webinars and deadlines. 

The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and the RDO also announced the awardees for the Spring 2024 round of funding. Of the 28 funding awards, 12 support projects with strong connections to environmental research. Congratulations to those teams!

The WashU Global Initiative has announced a call for proposals for the WashU Global Incubator Seed Grants. This program funds projects up to $25,000 for one year and is open to WashU full-time faculty members seeking to build international collaborations in environmental research, as well as public health, digital transformation, medicine and local-to-global connections. Learn more and apply, proposals are due Sept. 30.

WashU Climate Action Corps  | Full and part-time | Applications due Aug. 30
Undergraduate students, recent graduates, community members

Tyson Conservation Corps | Part-time, 5-10 hours per week | Applications Due Sept. 6
Undergraduate students from WashU and St. Louis area institutions

Fulbright Award in Health and Technology - Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos
Porto Alegre, Brazil | Applications Due Sept 16
Faculty, postdocs

Can we Brew a sustainable plastic?

Marcus Foston and Fuzhong Zhang are experimenting with biodegradable materials to replace petroleum-derived plastics, read more.

Can we improve the way the world eats?

Lora Iannotti is investigating methods to reduce child malnutrition in the Ecuadorian highlands using affordable locally-sourced foods learn more.

Samuels named Director of Sustainable Design and Environmental Justice

Linda Samuels is focusing on building collaborative networks to address the global climate crisis and environmental equity, learn more.

Sandro Galea has been announced as inaugural dean for the School of Public Health,  read more.

Mapping the built environment and human lives "Radical Atlas of Ferguson, USA" 

Through mapping, Patty Heyda explores race, policy, and how the physical environment impacts lives, learn more.

Joshua Yuan, Feng Jiao, and Marcus Foston are leading a multi-school team to advance methods to utilize carbon pollution, read more.

Visit our website to stay up to date on environmental research news.

August

Share our stuff: Move in Sales
Aug. 23 & 24  | various times | Circularity Center (North Campus)

WashU School of Medicine Bike Tune-Up 
Aug. 29 | 8 a.m. - noon | McDonell Circle Drive

Here & Next Seed Funding Informational Webinar
Aug. 30 | 1-2 p.m. | online

September

Environmental Research Collaboration Series:  Bo Li, Spatial statistics for environmental data
Sept. 4 | 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. | Schnuck Pavilion room 202

Here & Next Seed Funding Informational Webinar
Sept. 5 | 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. | online

Water Innovation Symposium - Center for Water Innovation
Sept. 9 | 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. | Holmes Lounge

Making Saint Louis the Nature City of the 21st Century - Living Earth Collaborative
Sept. 13 | 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

October

Environmental Research Collaboration Series: Kelly Harris, Understanding indoor air quality and asthma: measurement and guidelines
Oct. 2 | 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. | Schnuck Pavilion room 202

Dissemination and Implementation (D&I) Proposal Development Bootcamp
Oct. 30 | 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (Concept papers due Sept 9)

Washington University in St. Louis

One Brookings Dr.

MSC 1095-207-1160

St. Louis, MO 63130

environment@wustl.edu