WOMEN IN WAR /// DYSPHAGIA AND THE BRAIN /// SCIENCE AND GW RESEARCH ENGINEERING HALL THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY SPRING 2015 RESEARCHMAGAZINE.GWU.EDU /// I FROM THE VICE PRESIDENT FOR RESEARCH MANAGING EDITOR Danny Freedman, BA ’01 A BUILDING IN CONTRIBUTORS The staff of GW Today: Keith Harriston (senior managing editor), BLOOM Rob Stewart (managing editor for multimedia), Brittney Dunkins, This winter, down the street from my Lauren Ingeno, James Irwin, Julyssa office, research changed the shape of Lopez, and Ruth Steinhardt the nation’s capital. Rising from the former site of a PHOTO EDITOR parking garage now stands a half- William Atkins million-square-foot home of research and discovery, newly populated with DESIGN a range of expertise that spans from GW Marketing & Creative Services aerospace engineering to chemistry, biology to computer science and well ART DIRECTORS beyond. It’s a glass-walled think tank Dominic N. Abbate, BA ’09, MBA ’15 that alters not just the skyline but John McGlasson, BA ’00, MFA ’03 even the scene from the street, where windows look in on research in progress and hands-on learning. That’s just the physical change, to say nothing of the new Science and PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVERSITY Engineering Hall’s potential to impact health, infrastructure, defense and Steven Knapp more in Washington, D.C., the nation and around the globe. As now-Board of Trustees Chair Nelson Carbonell said at the building’s groundbreaking VICE PRESIDENT FOR RESEARCH in 2011: “GW scientists and engineers can do a lot with a little. But just Leo M. Chalupa imagine what we can do with a lot.” VICE PRESIDENT FOR EXTERNAL Over the years, Science and Engineering Hall has come to symbolize RELATIONS research ambition here at GW. As the building took shape, the university’s Lorraine Voles, BA ’81 research profile reached upward along with it. Despite what might have been the most challenging environment in ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR COMMUNICATIONS decades for securing funding from the federal government and other entities, GW grew. In fiscal year 2013, research expenditures from external Sarah Gegenheimer Baldassaro sources—a key measure of research activity—grew by more than 7 percent EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR over the previous year; in 2014, they shot up by nearly 11 percent. EDITORIAL SERVICES Student research, too, is on the rise. Nearly 500 students of various Rachel Muir levels, and from clear across the academic expanse, presented posters during the 20th annual Research Days event this spring. That’s a 12 percent increase over last year. GW Research is published annually by the All of this, in no small part, is thanks to our tremendous faculty Division of External Relations, The George members, including the newer faces among them who came to GW on the Washington University, Rice Hall, Suite promise—and the commitment—they saw in Science and Engineering 501, Washington, D.C. 20052. Our phone Hall. Current and prospective graduate students and undergraduates are number is 202-994-5709; fax 202-994-5761; seeing the same thing, sensing the same momentum. email [email protected]. And that effect, I believe, is only just beginning. For correspondence or change of address, please write us at [email protected]. Sincerely, Opinions expressed in these pages are those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect official positions of the university. © 2015 The George Washington University The George Washington University is BURT MCCONNELL CA I Leo M. Chalupa an equal opportunity/affirmative action Vice President for Research institution. JESS GW RESEARCH /// SPRING 2014 CONTENTS GW RESEARCH SPRING 2015 8 /// Engineers explore sea lions’ grace under water. DEPARTMENTS 2 /// Research News 11 /// Charticle FEATURES 16 /// Shelf Life 18 /// Research Capital Science and Engineering Hall opens to a mosaic of researchers— 42 /// Launchpad from biologists to aerospace engineers—seeking common ground in pursuit of uncommon solutions. BY LAUREN INGENO 28 /// Acts of War On the sidelines of the civil strife that has long embroiled the people ME I Front cover: At workspaces and of South Sudan, women and girls are in the crosshairs. common areas in Science and BY DANNY FREEDMAN PX PR PX Engineering Hall, equations spill over from desks onto 500 / I surrounding dry-erase-marker 34 /// Reuniting Babies and their Bottles friendly walls. (Photo by William Atkins) ZZOTT I For infants with disorders that leave them unable to eat, feeding tubes and surgeries offer an imperfect fix. The problem in the brain, Back cover: A glassware tableau and that’s where GW researchers are looking for a cure. on a rack inside a chemistry lab ANDREA ANDREA © BY LAUREN INGENO (Photo by Zach Marin) RESEARCHMAGAZINE.GWU.EDU /// 1 RESEARCH NEWS ANTHROPOLOGY Study of Human Paleobiology. “We wanted to understand when and how these sex differences FOR MALE CHIMPS, A JUMP START develop and to what extent mothers influence those differences.” Chimpanzees, like humans, ON SOCIALIZING THAT MAY BE KEY form temporary social subgroups within their larger communities throughout the day. Since infant Analysis of 37 years of data finds sons get extra exposure chimps are dependent on their to adult males, chimps beyond immediate family, which mothers for at least five years, social may aid development of gender-specific social skills interactions are restricted to those individuals with whom the mother Baby male chimps have more as grooming, aggression and spends time. So the researchers mingling opportunities than mating. investigated differences in mothers’ their female peers and these early The results were published in subgrouping patterns based on the social interactions may influence November in the Proceedings of the sex of infants. their temperaments later in life, National Academy of Sciences. They hypothesized that mothers according to new research. “It’s been known for a long time with sons would socialize more, Analyzing 37 years of data on that there are sex differences in since male offspring would need to chimpanzees in Tanzania’s Gombe adult chimpanzee behaviors. Males rely more on social skills and bonds National Park, a GW-led research are more gregarious, they form to integrate into the adult male team found that mothers with sons stronger social bonds with each hierarchy. Forming strong social were more social than those with other and they are more physically bonds is less important for adult daughters, particularly during aggressive,” says GW anthropology females, which spend most of their early infancy. Scientists say this professor and lead author of the time caring for dependent children. enables the sons to observe study Carson Murray, who is The data from Gombe and absorb social affiliated with GW’s Center National Park used behaviors for the Advanced in the study such dates to celebrated primatologist Jane Goodall’s 2 /// GW RESEARCH /// SPRING 2015 research from the 1970s. In the report, released in April others. That’s an indication that the “There have been other studies by the National Bureau of Economic planning is not there.” on infant chimpanzees, but the Research, GW financial literacy Where the money goes depends depth of information that the expert Annamaria Lusardi and on the player. But bad real estate Gombe data set provides allows us researchers at the California or entrepreneurial investments to ask more detailed questions than Institute of Technology and the are common catalysts for financial ever before,” says Maggie Stanton, University of Washington used problems among ex-athletes, she a postdoctoral scientist at CASHP. court records, news reports and says. “We could look within individual other public documents to track For that group, she says, “that mothers to examine if and how 2,016 players drafted by NFL teams next stage of life is very long and so their behavior changes in different from 1996 to 2003. Nearly 2 percent managing money is a more complex circumstances, so we could compare were bankrupt within two years of decision. They don’t realize it’s how the same mother behaved with retirement. Fifteen percent had filed enough for a lifetime if it’s properly her sons versus with her daughters.” for bankruptcy within 12 years of managed.” —James Irwin They found that mothers with playing their final NFL game. sons spent an average of two hours “The reality is these people have more per day with chimps beyond earned enough to immediate family members— not have to work 25 percent more social time than for the rest of mothers with daughters. their lives,” says A STUDY OF 2,016 NFL PLAYERS DRAFTED Additionally, mothers with Dr. Lusardi, the sons spent more time around adult Denit Trust Chair BETWEEN 1996–2003 REVEALED ... males during the infant’s first six of Economics and months than those with daughters, Accountancy at the which suggests that having the School of Business. opportunity to observe adult models “But they go bankrupt. And they The percentage of players who may facilitate development of social don’t go bankrupt 20 years down declared bankruptcy after retirement, within two years and within six years: skills important for success as an the road. It happens right away.” adult male. The traditional lifecycle model In future studies, Dr. Stanton of salary and savings—a gradual and the research team hope to increase in income over decades, investigate that outcome—whether coupled with long-term planning— males that have more social is put to an extreme test, she says, exposure as infants are more when workers earn a large amount successful as adults. of their lifetime income in a short —Lauren Ingeno burst and at a young age. 2% within two years The median earnings of the 15% within six years players in the report was $3.2 million (in 2000 dollars) and the average The median earnings of players in the BUSINESS length of an NFL career is six years report period (in 2000 dollars): for a player who makes a club’s opening-day roster, according to the AFTER NFL, MANY league.