Academic Excellence

Plastic is everywhere, and it’s not going away. Wake Forest Law professor Sarah Morath explains why our plastic problem is so persistent and what individuals and lawmakers can do to start solving it.

An interdisciplinary study, co-authored by Wake Forest Assistant Professor of Biology Sheri Floge, brings together viral ecologists, chemists and physicists to find out more about marine microbes and what happens when viruses infect them. The research takes a closer look at the infection patterns affecting the single-celled organisms that serve as both the base of the marine food web and markers of climate change and ocean health.

Together with a group of 100 scientists and local partners, Wake Forest collected and analyzed data provided by 250,000 trees from Mexico to Brazil. By comparing everything from leaf thickness, drought tolerance and wood density, the researchers showed that forests across the Americas are simply not adapting quickly enough to keep pace with climate change.

Abdou Lachgar, professor of chemistry at Wake Forest University and 2023-24 Fulbright U.S. Scholar for Namibia, is conducting research that will focus on the sustainable production of hydrogen using solar energy and the conversion of biowaste to biofuel. This work supports the goals of the Fulbright program in Namibia, a country in which the constitution includes sustainability and environmental protection.

In their latest effort to help older, overweight adults lose weight while maintaining musculoskeletal health, Wake Forest University and Wake Forest University School of Medicine researchers will test osteoporosis drugs and “bone-loading” exercises. This research is designed to explore methods and best practices that can minimize the loss of bone mass resulting from weight reduction.

With three national titles, 15 ACC tournament wins and having achieved the rare “Triple Crown” in 2023 (winning the American Debate Association Tournament, National Debate Tournament and Cross Examination Debate Association Tournament), Wake Forest University’s debate team is a perennial contender on the national debate circuit.

Detecting malaria can often be a complicated endeavor. What makes it even more so is the fact that chronic infections, which account for 75% of all malaria cases, often present no symptoms. Regina Joice Cordy, assistant professor of biology at Wake Forest University, is leading a team of researchers exploring the differences in blood chemistry between acute and chronic malaria cases to deliver better diagnoses and treatments for a condition that infects more than 263 million people across the globe.

What we say isn’t always what we do. In the fight against nicotine addiction, Wake Forest economist Erik Nesson has teamed with researchers from other universities to combine medical testing with self-reported data to paint a far more accurate picture of underage tobacco use. Among other findings, their results have shown discrepancies between the self-reported data and urine testing that suggests more aggressive tobacco age restrictions may not be as effective as originally thought.

Professor Francisco Gallegos explains Zozobra, a concept from Mexican philosophy that describes the emotional disorientation many experience during moments of change. Understanding it could help us find connection and meaning together.

The Honesty Project was a five-year initiative led by Christian B. Miller, project director and A. C. Reid Professor of Philosophy at Wake Forest. Thanks to over $4.6 million in grant funding from the John Templeton Foundation, the project supported more than 16 new research projects by researchers from 24 universities worldwide. Using a mix of philosophical investigation, field studies, surveys, laboratory and online experiments, researchers expanded the philosophy and science of honesty and addressed how honesty works in daily life. Their findings were covered by articles in outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, PBS and NPR. When the project concluded in 2023, it had already generated 111 manuscripts, 149 presentations, and 20 popular articles, with many more still to come.

Literacy extends beyond the ability to read and write, fundamentally influencing all aspects of how we live, learn and engage with the world. Led by Director Alan Brown, The Wake Forest Center for Literacy Education was launched to foster collaborative, interdisciplinary relationships and programming both at Wake Forest and nationwide. The Center works to empower learners of all ages in a variety of subjects, including but not limited to civic literacy, health literacy, information literacy, and financial literacy, while striving to bring literacy to life in our local communities.