Lehigh University Senior Research Scientist Arup K. SenGupta, a professor emeritus in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, is the 2025 recipient of the Simon W. Freese Environmental Engineering Award and Lecture, presented by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). SenGupta, an ASCE Fellow, is an internationally recognized water scientist whose research has led to sustainable solutions for removing arsenic, fluoride, and other contaminants from drinking water around the world. His pioneering work in ion exchange science has also advanced technologies for desalination, wastewater reclamation, and carbon capture.

A collaborative study by researchers from Toyohashi University of Technology and California Institute of Technology (Caltech) introduces a groundbreaking algorithm that maps individual brain activity in a multi-dimensional space. This “neural fingerprint” reveals stable, long-term neural traits that interplay with transient brain states during social interactions. The study demonstrates that individuals whose neural fingerprints are more aligned tend to more readily enter a shared state of deep focus—commonly known as team flow—which has profound implications for enhancing teamwork and performance across various high-stakes environments.

A study published in Forest Ecosystems reveals Douglas-fir introduction have limited biodiversity impacts, showing no significant effect in 78.6% of cases, with only 9.4% negative outcomes. While canopy spiders benefit from its dense structure, arthropod diversity is reduced due to the distinct bark structure. Based on the limited studies retrieved by the review, it is reported that Douglas-fir inclusion has non-significant or neutral effects. Key knowledge gaps remain regarding bat populations and long-term soil impacts. The findings position this North American species as a viable climate-resilient option for European forestry, pending further research to establish safe implementation thresholds.

Emotional stress, a common form of tension in daily life, can disrupt the body’s homeostasis. Beyond affecting peripheral organ functionality, maladaptive and uncontrollable responses to emotional stress may contribute to central nervous system disorders such as anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), epilepsy, and ischemic stroke. Multiple brain regions in mammals are involved in coping with emotional stress, including the prefrontal cortex (PFC), amygdala, anterior insula, hippocampus, and striatum. Human neuroimaging evidence suggests that the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is a critical locus within the adaptive behavioral coping circuit, regulating anxious emotions. Under emotional stress, the activation of the stress, immune, and oxidative systems can converge into a state of mutual activation, potentially leading to behavioral and biochemical changes, thus forming a vicious cycle.

This research revealed that glassware used in manipulation and cultivation of fertilized eggs in the fields of assisted reproductive technology, livestock farming, and basic research leach toxic substances that interfere with development of fertilized eggs (embryos). There have been cases where the embryo development rates have dropped despite the right conditions. A Japanese research team investigated the reason for this and found that zinc eluted from the glassware used for culturing might be one of the causing factors. It is expected that this discovery will lead to the development of safer and more effective in vitro fertilization (IVF) methods.

A team at EPFL’s Laboratory for Soft Bioelectronic Interfaces has developed a soft, thin-film ABI. The device uses micrometer-scale platinum electrodes embedded in silicone, forming a pliable array just a fraction of a millimeter thick. This novel approach, published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, enables better tissue contact, potentially preventing off-target nerve activation and reducing side effects. 

An international research team led by Mayukh Kumar Ray, Mingxuan Fu, and Satoru Nakatsuji from the University of Tokyo, along with Collin Broholm from Johns Hopkins University, has discovered the anomalous Hall effect in a collinear antiferromagnet. More strikingly, the anomalous Hall effect emerges from a non-Fermi liquid state, in which electrons do not interact according to conventional models. The discovery not only challenges the textbook framework for interpreting the anomalous Hall effect but also widens the range of antiferromagnets useful for information technologies. The findings were published in the journal Nature Communications.