Environment
The natural world has long served as humanity’s pharmacy, says chemistry professor Karl Scheidt. Largely discovered through trial and error, the medicinal benefits of plants, fungi, bacteria and animals have been crucial to our survival and will continue to provide inspiration for new medical advances.
Northwestern student Aanya Dhruv has been active in environmental advocacy since high school. When she learned that officials in her hometown were proposing to rezone a beloved nature preserve for a multifamily residential development, she launched a campaign to rally her neighbors and protect the green space.
Scott Jenkins ’85 MBA and Lisa Jenkins ’85 MBA rehabilitated a historic, rundown Virginia farmstead into a bustling bed-and-breakfast and hiker hostel just steps away from the Appalachian Trail. The couple, who met as students at the Kellogg School of Management, have been running Mountain Home for more than a decade.
In a partnership with the Chicago Botanic Garden, faculty, students and alumni of Northwestern’s Program in Plant Biology and Conservation study carnivorous plants, tequila’s source, life in forest canopies and more.
Across engineering, medicine, communications technology and more, faculty share why conducting basic science research is fundamentally important, opening paths to medical breakthroughs and innovation.
Since 2015, the Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs has opened new vistas for international research and teaching.
Interdisciplinary teams of Northwestern scholars are working tirelessly every day on the foundational science that could help us live longer and healthier lives in a cleaner, more sustainable world. They ask big questions, follow their instincts and analyze data to solve tough problems and turn bold ideas into real solutions.
Materials scientist Cécile Chazot and her team are striving to boost the functionality of polymers and design new, more sustainable materials — ones that not only are functional and high-performing but also can be manufactured with a far lower carbon footprint and recycled more easily.
Conservation scientist Becky Barak ’12 MS, ’17 PhD is exploring alternatives to conventional turf lawns. She shares her path to research and her passion for conservation and restoration.
A new fellowship program is helping Northwestern MBA and graduate students address the urgent challenges of climate change. The Abrams Climate Academy will empower the next generation of leaders in business, science, engineering, product design, communication, law and public service to act on climate problems.
