News

Tulane physicist awarded $8.2 million to precisely measure lifetime of the free neutron

Tulane University physics professor Fred Wietfeldt has been awarded an $8.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to build a new apparatus aimed at solving “one of the most important problems in physics today” — precisely measuring the lifetime of a free neutron.

What bats can teach us about stopping the next pandemic

Why are bats often linked to incubating coronaviruses such as those behind COVID-19, SARS and other highly contagious respiratory diseases?

A new Tulane University study suggests that the link between bats and coronaviruses is likely due to a long-shared history, and that their genetic information can help us prevent and manage future pandemics.

ByWater Institute director sees a better way for science to change the world

The news is full of stories detailing the negative impact humans have had on the environment and the potential peril of precious natural resources, such as water, that sustain life on this planet. But John Sabo, director of the Tulane ByWater Institute and professor in the Department of River-Coastal Science and Engineering at the School of Science and Engineering, is one of a new vanguard of scientists who are moving away from analyzing the problems to finding solutions to them. 

Tulane PhD candidate part of study on river avulsions

Avulsions are natural but rare phenomena that occur when a river abruptly jumps course and forges a new river channel. Sometimes caused by large floods, avulsions can have devastating effects on communities while, at the same time, creating fertile deltas that have nurtured others.

To gain a better understanding of what controls avulsion location in the context of climate and land use changes, a team of scientists, including a Tulane University PhD candidate, has analyzed 50 years of satellite imagery and generated the first global database of river avulsions.

Tulane professor wins Early Career Award to tame massive supercomputer datasets

Supercomputers are so powerful that the datasets they can produce —huge troves of information needed by scientists, doctors, business leaders, government officials and others — are too massive to easily share or study.

A Tulane University computer scientist has been awarded $750,000 over five years from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to find a way to bring this data down to size to make it more accessible and easier to analyze.

Tulane team a finalist in NASA moon exploration competition

A team of Tulane University engineering graduates and students has been named one of 15 finalists in a NASA competition that seeks the most innovative ideas to improve the ability of astronauts to operate on the moon, Mars and beyond.

Kate Scalet, an engineering physics senior, and Elliot Lorenz, Austin Wolf and Brock Headen, all 2022 engineering physics graduates, will compete in NASA’s RASC-AL forum June 20-23 in Cocoa Beach, Florida.

Exhibit by Tulane architecture and psychology faculty and students explores monuments and memorials

An exhibit highlighting monuments and memorials as a way of creating more just and equitable spaces in New Orleans and beyond is now on display at the AIA New Orleans Design Center, 1000 St. Charles Ave.

Titled Public Spaces & Scrutiny: How Do We Remember? the exhibit is a collaboration between students and faculty at the Tulane School of Architecture and the Tulane School of Science and Engineering’s Department of Psychology.

Study examines why the memory of fear is seared into our brains

Experiencing a frightening event is likely something you’ll never forget. But why does it stay with you when other kinds of occurrences become increasingly difficult to recall with the passage of time?

A team of neuroscientists from the Tulane University School of Science and Engineering and Tufts University School of Medicine have been studying the formation of fear memories in the emotional hub of the brain – the amygdala —  and think they have a mechanism.

Newcomb-Tulane College announces the Class of 2022 William Wallace Peery Society

Twenty students from the Newcomb-Tulane College Class of 2022 were awarded membership to the William Wallace Peery Society, the university's top academic honor for undergraduates. It recognizes exceptional seniors who represent the top 1% of their graduating class for academic achievement.

Just do it – Runsdorf Award winners embody the spirit of public service

Public service is a hallmark of the Tulane student experience; however, some students go above and beyond in achieving the Tulane ideal of excelling academically by using their skills and knowledge in service to the community. Two such students are Ron’Janiele “Nelly” Bruce and Mollie Sloter, the 2022 recipients of the Jim Runsdorf Excellence in Public Service Student Award.