Water well Uganda

For a school in Uganda, clean water

The Washington University chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB) has partnered with Bulubandi Primary School in Iganga, Uganda, to create an improved source for potable water. Students at the school did not have an inexpensive, clean source of water that was available for daily use, so EWB has instituted a five-year partnership with Bulubandi. The […]

Benjamin Akande, director of the Africa initiative at Washington University in St. Louis, discusses the Initiative's progress at its inaugural meeting April 23.

Engaging with Africa

April 23, Washington University in St. Louis hosted the inaugural meeting of the university’s Africa initiative. The Africa initiative was founded in 2018 to enhance the university’s impact on the continent through research, teaching and entrepreneurship. Benjamin Akande, assistant vice chancellor for international affairs-Africa, reported at the meeting that there are 128 faculty members engaged […]

Obesity, climate change, hunger: A ‘Global Syndemic’

The international Lancet Commission on Obesityreleased its major new reportJan. 27. The main takeaway? Obesity, climate change and hunger are inextricably linked and must be fought as one challenge. Ross Hammond, the Betty Bofinger Brown Associate Professor, and Peter Hovmand, director of the Social System Design Laband professor of practice, both of the Brown School at Washington University in […]

soy beans

Machine learning to better feed the world

In a development that could impact food production and help feed the world, two researchers at Olin Business School have devised a computational model to help farmers determine which variety of crop to plant each year for maximum yield. Durai Sundaramoorthi, senior lecturer in management at Olin Business School, and Lingxiu Dong, professor of operations […]

Child/Project Peanut Butter

Help for those who need it most: Fighting global childhood malnutrition

UNICEF estimates that some 16 million children under the age of five suffer from severe acute malnutrition. It is the largest contributor to child mortality in the world. To better serve in his capacity treating and studying global malnutrition, Washington University alum Zach Linneman completed the post-baccalaureate premedical program in University College at Washington University […]

Malnutrition and the modern diet

Malnutrition can be traced to poor-quality diets lacking in diversity, a recent phenomenon in evolutionary history, according to a new paper from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. The paper posits that a misalignment of modern diets and the genome has developed over time. They write that ultra-processed foods, particularly oils, flours, […]

Hoeferlin near the Chain of Rocks Bridge on the Mississippi River.

Designing for climate resilience in Asia

Derek Hoeferlin, associate professor of architecture in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, along with research assistants Jess Vanecek and Rob Birch, both master’s degree candidates in the Sam Fox School, has won first prize in the inaugural Designing Resilience in Asia International Open Competition. Sponsored by the School of Design and […]

Olympic Village in Beijing

Across the globe, engineering a healthier environment

In summer 2017, a group of aerosol scientists, engineers and administrators from Washington University in St. Louis traveled to Asia to address some of the important problems related to energy, environment and health that we face today. The scientists, members of the Center for Aerosol Science and Engineering — or CASE — took part in […]

A public school kiosk is sponsored by Coca-Cola, a beverage industry targeting Guatemalan youth.

School environment increases sugar-sweetened beverage consumption in Guatemalan adolescents

New research from Joaquin Barnoya, MD, MPH, associate professor of surgery at Washington University in St. Louis, and colleagues has found that school attending adolescents in Guatemala report high sugar sweetened beverage consumption. Few studies have evaluated sugar-sweetened beverages consumption, such as soda or sweetened coffee drinks, in Guatemalan youth and its association with the […]

Eggs

A nutritional superfood for children in developing countries

A study conducted in Ecuador found that eating eggs significantly increased growth in young children and reduced stunting by 47 percent — a much greater effect than had been shown in previous studies. The study was co-authored by Lori Iannotti, a leading child-nutrition expert at the Brown School. It was published June 6, 2017 in […]