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.
Tulane Senior Bridges Neuroscience, Journalism, and the Arts in Pursuit of Medical Career
Ian Faul, a senior from New Orleans double majoring in psychology and philosophy with a French minor, embodies the interdisciplinary spirit that defines Tulane University. On the pre-med track while conducting neuroscience research and editing the student newspaper, Faul has built a college experience that connects diverse fields and ideas in ways that reflect Tulane's commitment to turning innovation into impact.
"I came to Tulane very much undecided," Faul said. "[But] I was pretty sure that I wasn't going to be a doctor coming into college," he explained.
Tulane Innovation Institute Spring 2026 Provost's Proof of Concept Fund Awards $150,000 to Three Faculty Researchers in Diagnostics, Surgical Infection Prevention, and Quantum Materials
Promising university research often stalls at the border between discovery and application. The Tulane University Innovation Institute, in partnership with the Office of the Provost, established the Provost's Proof of Concept Fund (PPOC) in fall 2022 to cross that border — providing grants of up to $50,000 to support the technical development and market research needed to bring innovations to commercial viability, whether through licensing to existing companies or launch as spinout ventures.
From Tulane to the Future of AI: Gary Butler on Engineering, Expertise, and Building What Matters
When Gary Butler arrived at Tulane University, he was a mechanical engineering student with an interest in robotics and a second defining commitment on the football field. “Those were probably the two primary things that defined my Tulane experience,” he said. “My time as a mechanical engineer and my time as a football player.”
Letter from The Chair of EES - Spring 2026
Dear EES Community, Friends, and Alumni,
As we move through another exciting academic year in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Tulane University, I am delighted to share highlights of our vibrant community and ongoing initiatives. One of the things that makes our department so special is not only our strong academic and research achievements, but also the sense of camaraderie, connection, and shared purpose that defines us.
Building Islands, Building Impact Along the Mississippi River
On a recent morning in the wetlands just east of New Orleans, a group of Tulane researchers and students stepped onto a mound of newly built land carrying trays of native plants. Before following the plan to install the landscape, the group took time to gaze at the islands popping out of the vast open water and discuss a brief history of the site. A year ago, none of this existed.
Turning Sunlight Into Power and Heat
Known as “Flower Power,” a Tulane engineering team’s rooftop system captures both electricity and usable thermal energy
On the rooftop of Flower Hall at Tulane, a group of engineering physics students is working with something most solar systems try to avoid: heat.
In conventional solar panels, excess heat reduces efficiency and is typically lost to the environment. For a team of Tulane seniors, that loss is the opportunity.
Building the Future on the Moon: Tulane Students Pioneer Lunar Cement with NASA
The Tulane University School of Science and Engineering (SSE) recently highlighted an ambitious student-led research project that could fundamentally change how humans build structures in space. Students Zack Herbst and Charlie Goldstein sat down and shared their journey developing "lunar cement," a sustainable construction material designed for use on the Moon.
Beyond the Alarm: Tulane Biomedical Engineering Students Rethink Infant Safety
In the middle of the night, most infant monitoring devices do one thing when something goes wrong. They sound an alarm.
For parents, that moment is filled with panic. For the baby, nothing changes.
A team of Tulane University biomedical engineering students set out to rethink that approach entirely.
Their goal was not to build another monitor, but to design a system that responds in real time. Instead of simply detecting when an infant’s breathing or oxygen levels drop, their capstone project takes action.