Computer models developed by Brown University mathematicians, including Lu Lu, an Applied Mathematics doctoral student, show new details of what happens inside a red blood cell affected by sickle cell disease. The researchers said they hope their models, described in an article in the Biophysical Journal, will help in assessing drug strategies to combat the genetic blood disorder, which affects millions of people worldwide.

Brown University is one of 29 institutions — and the only one in New England — selected to participate in a nationwide effort to study doctoral student aspirations and alumni careers in humanities and STEM fields, the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) announced. During the multi-year  project, universities will collect data from current Ph.D. students and alumni using CGS-developed surveys. The resulting information will allow universities to analyze Ph.D. career preferences and outcomes in order to strengthen career services, professional development opportunities and mentoring in doctoral programs. Brown will receive $80,000 in grant money to fund its participation.

Sea sponges known as Venus’ flower baskets remain fixed to the sea floor with nothing more than an array of thin, hair-like anchors made essentially of glass. It’s an important job, and new research by doctoral Engineering student Michael Monn, and others, suggests that it’s the internal architecture of those anchors, known as basalia spicules, that helps them to do it.

With urgent health issues on the agenda such as hospital mergers and risky pregnancies, the Rhode Island Department of Health is engaging Brown students, including Yiyu Xing MPP '17, to pitch in, offering valuable opportunities to gain real-world research experience in return.