News

Three Tulane researchers honored with national STEM award

Two Tulane scientists and a graduate student are among 40 national winners of the 2017 Inspiring Leaders in STEM Award, which honors professionals from underrepresented groups who have made a difference in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

The winners – psychology professor Michael Cunningham, biomedical engineering associate professor Michael Moore and doctoral student Katherine Elfer – will be featured with the other recipients in the September 2017 issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine.

Tulane team advances knowledge toward more efficient electronics

A recent discovery by a team of researchers led by Tulane University advances fundamental knowledge that could one day lead to more energy-efficient computers, televisions, cellphones and other electronics.

The researchers’ discovery of a new magnetic topological semimetal is featured in the latest edition of the prestigious journal Nature Materials.

Mississippi mud may hold hope for Louisiana coast

Many studies say capturing Mississippi River sand through diversions is key to rebuilding Louisiana’s vanishing coast. But a new study in the open-access journal Earth Surface Dynamics of an old levee breach, or crevasse, along Bayou Lafourche indicates that mud, the most plentiful sediment type carried by the river, may be the most powerful tool in building land.
 

LightLab illuminates science for middle-schoolers

Angel Allen has a long way to go before she has to decide on a career path. But if you ask her now, the rising eighth-grader at Paul Habans Charter School will tell you that she wants to be an engineer. She wants to design cars that are powered by wind energy, and hopes her love of math and science will help her succeed.

STEM program sweetened with a taste of campus living

The Tulane Science Scholars Program (TSSP) welcomes 104 high school students from all over the United States and China this summer to take their first steps toward pursuing STEM careers.

Light and sound

Dylan Lawrence, a graduate student in biomedical engineering, adjusts a preclinical, high resolution ultrasound system modified to generate photoacoustic images of oxygen saturation of the placenta. His research, in the laboratory of Dr. Carolyn Bayer, seeks to improve the diagnoses and treatment of preeclampsia. 

Pest control

Leila Pashazanusi, a PhD student in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in the School of Science and Engineering, examines biosensors made in a carbon nanotube (CNT) in the Pesika Lab Group in Flower Hall. Because of their high surface area, CNT biosensors are particularly effective in detecting mosquito-borne diseases at earlier stages, which can potentially reduce hospitalization duration and expenses for those affected by diseases such as malaria and Zika.

LEGOs and LEDs pique girls’ STEM interest

On day one of the General Electric (GE) Girls summer program hosted by Tulane University, 13-year-old Ronae Clayton had her future plans all lined up. “I’m going to be a five-star chef and own a restaurant,” she said.

By day four of the weeklong camp, Clayton’s plans had become fuzzy. She knew what she loved, but she was experiencing a side of science that she hadn’t explored before.

Tulane grad designs Lake Pontchartrain super pumps

A. Baldwin Wood, an 1899 Tulane graduate, is a legend for his invention of the Wood Screw Pump, which has been used for more than a hundred years to drain rainwater from the canals that crisscross New Orleans.
 
Now Dan Grandal, a 1993 Tulane graduate, is about to make his own engineering mark for work on the $690 million Permanent Canal Closures and Pumps (PCCP) project.
 

Microbial measures

Carla Joseph, left, a first-year graduate student in chemical engineering, holds plates of bacterial colonies in an anaerobic chamber as assistant professor Nicholas Sandoval looks on. The Sandoval lab works on the development and application of advanced synthetic biology tools for model and non-model microbes for the purpose of sustainable fuel and chemical production.