Science & Technology

Arthur Holly Compton, WashU’s ninth chancellor, conducted X-ray scattering experiments in 1922 that demonstrated the particle nature of electromagnetic radiation. At the time, the idea that light had both wave and particle properties was not easily accepted. His discovery stimulated the development of quantum mechanics and was recognized with the Nobel Prize in 1927.

Philip Skemer, a professor in Arts & Sciences, won a $321,515 grant from the National Science Foundation to support collaborative research on subduction zones.

Rita Parai, assistant professor of earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences, won a $450,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration.

Michael Nowak, research professor of physics in Arts & Sciences, received a $37,500 award from NASA.

Erik Henriksen, associate professor of physics, and Kater Murch, professor of physics, both in Arts & Sciences, each will receive $1.25 million from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation for their projects over the next five years. Both are founding members of the university’s Center for Quantum Leaps.

David A. Fike, professor of earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences and director of the environmental studies program and the International Center for Energy, Environment and Sustainability, was installed as the Myron & Sonya Glassberg/Albert & Blanche Greensfelder Distinguished University Professor.

Physicists Zohar Nussinov and Alexander Seidel, both in Arts & Sciences, received a $224,287 award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to work on imaging goggles for fluorescence-guided surgery.

Erik Henriksen, associate professor of physics in Arts & Sciences, received a three-year $599,784 grant from the Office of Naval Research for his research project on topological qubits.

The National Science Foundation is investing $3 million in a new graduate student training program for aspiring scientists and educators who want to explore careers in quantum science at St. Louis-area research laboratories, private companies and other facilities.

Geoscientist Rita Parai in Arts & Sciences uses noble gas isotopes to better understand the formation and evolution of planetary bodies. Her new modeling study published in PNAS shows that the deep mantle had low concentrations of volatiles like xenon and water when it formed, setting up an internal viscosity contrast with lasting impacts.