School of Science and Engineering

News

From groundbreaking research and major funding wins to new leadership and student milestones, the Tulane School of Science and Engineering community is driving discovery at every level. Explore the latest news highlighting the faculty, students, and researchers shaping the future of science and engineering — in the lab, in the classroom, and across the Gulf Coast and beyond.

Owen Harris, Sid Padmanabha, Axel Nielsen, Thalia Koutsougeras, Timothy Keegan, Professor Matthew Escarra

Tulane Professor Matthew Escarra and his team of students innovate new solar technology with the "Sunflower Receiver" atop Flower Hall

Blooming high atop Tulane University's Donna and Paul Flower Hall— innovation turns into ‘eco-vation’ via a futuristic-looking solar energy conversion system named the “Sunflower Receiver,” which successfully harvests sunlight to generate electricity and heat.
 

Chandrashekhar Borkar, Jonathan Fadok, Eric Le and Claire Stelly look at a document together.

The Freeze-Or-Flight Fear Response

Tulane researchers discover a brain pathway that regulates fear responses, which could lead to breakthroughs in PTSD or anxiety treatments. 

We have all had the experience of freezing in the face of fear and of wanting to escape, or actually running from, a threatening situation. It is a natural, automatic response that researchers are still trying to fully understand.

The Steven and Jann Paul Hall of Science and Engineering

A New Home For Scientific Research

The Steven and Jann Paul Hall of Science and Engineering will connect students, scientists and entrepreneurs in pioneering research and interdisciplinary learning.

In the midst of a cold snap in January 2024, the future of Tulane discovery — the Steven and Jann Paul Hall of Science and Engineering — came to life. 

engineering minors

Tulane School of Science and Engineering announces new engineering minors for fall 2024

In the fall 2024 semester, undergraduates at Tulane University will have three new options for minors in the School of Science and Engineering (SSE): mechanical engineeringelectrical engineering and materials engineering

Brady Jin-Smith

NTC Junior’s Research Aspirations are Award-Winning

The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation has awarded Tulane junior Brady Jin-Smith with a Goldwater Scholarship. The Goldwater Scholarship Program is one of the oldest and most prestigious national scholarships in the natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics in the United States. The award seeks to identify, encourage, and financially support college sophomores and juniors who show exceptional promise of becoming the nation’s next generation of research leaders in these fields. 

Mark D. Wheeler Chair in Artificial Intelligence Endowed Fund

Tulane receives $2 million gift to establish faculty chair in AI at School of Science and Engineering

Tulane has received a $2 million gift from alumnus Mark Wheeler and his wife, musician Amelia Archer, to establish a faculty chair in artificial intelligence.

The gift will further position Tulane as a leader in developing AI as a positive force for transforming higher education and solving some of the world’s most pressing problems in fields ranging from health care and finance to climate change and alternative energy.

Apurva Gahankari, winner of the Bernard Sarnat Award at the 2024 International Association of Dental and Craniofacial Research meeting!

Congratulations to CMB PhD students

Congratulations to the following Cell and Molecular Biology PhD students:
Adella Guidroz and Shreya Bavishi awarded F31 awards!
Apurva Gahankari, winner of the Bernard Sarnat Award at the 2024 International Association of Dental and Craniofacial Research meeting!

Adella Guidroz

Shreya Bavishi

Women in Physics

Forging an inclusive physics community at Tulane

In January, undergraduate students from around the Gulf Coast region came to Tulane for the Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics, or CUWiP, an annual event hosted by the American Physical Society (APS) at university campuses around the country. The next event will be renamed the Conference for Undergraduate Women and Gender Minorities in Physics as part of APS’ Gender Inclusive Physics Community initiative

Legislative Scholars

Tulane celebrates excellence at the State Capitol

Tulane University officials gathered at the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge on March 20 for a day of festivities, meetings and proclamations, all designed to celebrate Tulane’s contributions to the state and beyond.

It was Tulane Day at the Capitol, a chance for everyone from President Michael A. Fitts to the university’s legislative scholars to meet with lawmakers and state officials, including Gov. Jeff Landry, Senate President Cameron Henry and House Speaker Phillip DeVillier, to discuss all the ways Tulane and the state can benefit from each other’s support.

Daniel Friess

Mangroves are ‘just awesome,’ says Tulane researcher

Daniel Friess, the Cochran Family Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Tulane University, keeps it simple when explaining why mangroves, his area of study, are so special. “They’re just awesome.”

Mangroves, which are plants known for their large, exposed roots and which typically grow in salt water, are found along coastlines in tropical and subtropical environments around the world, from Southeast Asia to Madagascar to right here in Louisiana, but they’re expanding north as temperatures increase.