Earth & Planetary Sciences

Washington University's faculty are distinguished both for their teaching and for their research activities. Virtually all the full-time teaching faculty hold the doctorate or final professional degree in their fields, and the same professors often teach both undergraduate and graduate courses.

Twenty-two Nobel laureates have been associated with Washington University, nine doing the major part of their pioneering research here. Current and emeritus faculty recognized for scholarly contributions include: 23 members of the National Academy of Sciences and 23 members of that academy's Institute of Medicine; 24 fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; 1 member of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters; 3 members of the National Academy of Engineering, and 2 fellows of the American Institute of Architects.

Among honors accorded faculty in recent years: Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences; 3 winners of the National Medal of Science; 2 National Book Critics Circle Awards, and other major literary prizes; national and international fellowships, including 3 MacArthur Fellowships; 4 David and Lucile Packard Foundation Fellowships in Science and Engineering; major awards for teaching, research, and service; and honors from governments of other nations. Faculty serve on editorial boards of more than 250 professional and scholarly journals.

Gregg House

Students

Washington University students represent all 50 states; students and faculty come from approximately 130 international locations. About 90 percent of the undergraduates come from outside Missouri, and nearly 60 percent are from more than 500 miles away. About 50 percent of the undergraduates are men; 50 percent are women; 28 percent are multicultural or international students.

Washington University students have regularly finished well in national mathematical competitions and in the School of Law's mock trial, moot court, client counseling, and negotiation teams. Graduates often receive such prestigious graduate study awards as the Rhodes, Fulbright, Marshall, Beinecke, and Truman Scholarships and Goldwater, Mellon, Putnam, National Science Foundation, and National Graduate Fellowships, as well as the Howard Hughes Fellowship for undergraduate research.

Center for Advanced Medicine/Siteman Cancer Center

Research

Virtually all faculty members engage in research activities, including scholarly and creative endeavors, that complement their strong commitment to teaching. These activities help them create a mentoring environment in which undergraduates may work alongside their professors and advanced graduate students at the threshold of new discoveries and new understandings.

Faculty are successful in winning support for their research from many sources, including the federal and state governments, corporations, foundations, nonprofit agencies, individuals, and the University itself. During fiscal 2005 more than $516.6 million was received in total research support, including $433 million in federal obligations. The University ranked 5th in NIH funding to educational institutions, and the School of Medicine ranked 4th in NIH funding to medical schools.