Year: 2017

Puerto Rico filed for bankruptcy protection May 3, the largest-ever American municipal debt restructuring in history. As the U.S. territory seeks forgiveness in $73 billion to assorted creditors, an expert at Washington University in St. Louis says the situation should serve as a dire wake-up call to the municipal bond market.

Save the date for the annual Staff Day event, organized to celebrate the outstanding work and achievements of Danforth Campus staff members. Also, take part in games and other activities during this year’s event May 22.

Travis Conrad Mazer, a doctoral candidate studying molecular genetics and genomics, died unexpectedly Monday, April 24, 2017, in St. Louis. Mazer was 25. A Kalamazoo, Mich., native who was fascinated by science and politics, Mazer began working toward a PhD in August at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

New guideposts developed by Carrie Pettus-Davis of the Brown School suggest that smart decarceration may be the answer to reforming America’s prison system, reducing the number of inmates and enabling a more effective approach to public safety.

In “Grieve,” Sagar Brahmbhatt depicts bereavement as a kind of delayed reaction — a time bomb that never really stops exploding. Evan Gates’ “Floor is Lava?” is a slyly pointed examination of adult responsibility. Later this month, both films, created entirely by Washington University students, will be screened as part of the 2017 Cannes Film Festival.

Lily Cao and Jennifer Hsu share this year’s Spector Prize, awarded annually to a graduating senior in memory of Marion Smith Spector, a 1938 graduate who studied zoology under the late Viktor Hamburger.

A Weight Watchers at Work group has formed on the Danforth Campus. Meetings take place every Wednesday at 11:45 a.m. in Tietjens Hall.

The Teaching Center is again offering the program “Inclusion and Diversity to Engage All: Faculty Institute on Teaching,” or IDEA FIT. IDEA FIT will take place May 24-25 and bring faculty together in interactive workshops to work on inclusive teaching practices. Apply by May 11.

Question: Which important university landmark took place 65 years ago?

Dandelions are much-maligned weeds, with a paratrooper-like seed dispersal system that makes them difficult to eradicate. However, new research from an engineer at Washington University in St. Louis finds a great benefit in an unlikely place for the pesky dandelion: each of its tiny seeds can be used as a perfect pipette in the laboratory setting.