Year: 2023

David Cunningham and Geoff Ward, both in Arts & Sciences, received a $500,000 three-year grant from the Mellon Foundation, along with collaborators from other universities, for the project “The Virality of Racial Terror in US Newspapers, 1863-1921.”

Images from on and around the Washington University campuses.

Large-scale redevelopment is often pitched as a strategy for reviving struggling downtowns. Yet such projects — with their acres of asphalt and tenuous connections to surrounding environs — are usually poor substitutes for the organic neighborhoods they displace, argues Patty Heyda, an associate professor of urban design at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts.

Former Student Union President Tyrin Truong, AB ’21, continues his commitment to public service at age 23 as one of the country’s youngest mayors.

Jennie H. Kwon, DO, an assistant professor of medicine at the School of Medicine, has been named head of the Society of Healthcare Epidemiologists of America Research Committee.

England’s legendary Academy of St Martin in the Fields, known for its “delectable mix of drive and vibrant coloring” (Baltimore Sun), will perform music of Schubert, Schumann, Sallinen and Tchaikovsky March 4 as part of the Department of Music’s 2023 Great Artists Series.

In our highly polarized world, students often struggle to navigate tough conversations and engage with viewpoints that challenge their own, says Anna Gonzalez, vice chancellor for student affairs. That is why Washington University is introducing “Dialogue Across Difference,” an eight-week course that teaches undergraduate students how to explore difficult topics such as politics, religion, race, gender and socioeconomic identity in a positive and productive way. 

William A. Peck, MD, a former executive vice chancellor and dean of the School of Medicine, died peacefully, surrounded by family, Feb. 22 at his home in St. Louis County, Mo. He was 89.

Michael Vahey, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at the McKelvey School of Engineering, received an NSF CAREER award to establish the factors that drive the assembly of viral immune complexes and to study how they interact with immune cell receptors.

Garland (“Gar”) Edward Allen III, a professor emeritus of biology in Arts & Sciences, died peacefully in Palm Springs, Calif., Feb. 10. He was widely known for his work in the history of genetics and was an international leader on the history of eugenics.