The inauguration of Andrew D. Martin as the 15th chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis Oct. 3 will begin with a faculty symposium that explores connections between research and discovery as well as connections to the St. Louis community at large.
The symposium begins at 9 a.m. in Knight Hall’s Emerson Auditorium on the Danforth Campus, beginning with opening remarks by Martin and Lee Epstein, the Ethan A.H. Shepley Distinguished University Professor and a co-chair of the Inauguration Symposium Sub-Committee.
“On the occasion of Chancellor Martin’s inauguration, it seems very fitting that we would give our faculty an opportunity to showcase their research and important work in the lab, in the field and in the St. Louis region,” Epstein said. “In the context of the inaugural theme of ‘Momentum,’ these presentations will inspire us to think about where we are, and where we are going — as individuals and as an institution.
“The symposium promises to be a thought-provoking glimpse into our collective impact and shared vision as we head into the Martin era,” Epstein said.
The symposium will be presented in two parts beginning at 9:15 a.m., with five faculty members giving seven-minute presentations on their research and the ways it contributes to the university’s momentum. After a short break, the second session will feature similar talks by eight faculty focusing on their work making connections and partnerships within the St. Louis community.
The faculty participants giving presentations on research are:
- Jeffrey I. Gordon, MD, the Dr. Robert J. Glaser Distinguished University Professor and director of the Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, “Development of Microbiota-directed Foods for Treatment of Childhood Malnutrition”;
- Heather Corcoran, the Halsey C. Ives Professor in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts; “Visualization of Time”;
- Fred Ssewamala, the William E. Gordon Distinguished Professor at the Brown School, “Global Health Work in Sub-Saharan Africa: Opportunities for Scientific Researchers”;
- Hong Chen, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at the McKelvey School of Engineering, “Two-way Transfer Across the Blood-Brain Barrier”; and
- John Bowen, the Dunbar-Van Cleve Professor in Arts & Sciences and professor of sociocultural anthropology, “How Muslims, Like the Rest of Us, Adapt to New Worlds.”
The faculty members giving presentations on St. Louis connections are:
- Sean Joe, the Benjamin E. Youngdahl Professor of Social Development at the Brown School, “HomeGrown StL: Scaling Impact with Community Partners”;
- Bettina F. Drake, associate director of community outreach and engagement for Siteman Cancer Center and professor of surgery in the Division of Public Health Sciences at the School of Medicine, “Cancer: Eliminating Disparities, Promoting Prevention”;
- Joe Scherrer, executive director of the Henry Edwin Sever Institute at the McKelvey School of Engineering and director of the Cybersecurity Strategic Initiative, “Cyber(UN)Security”;
- Neil Richards, the Koch Distinguished Professor of Law at the School of Law, and Jonathan Heusel, MD, PhD, professor of pathology and immunology and chief medical officer for Genomics and Pathology Services at the School of Medicine, “The Future of Human Data in Healthcare & Beyond”;
- Peter Boumgarden, professor of practice, strategy and organizations at Olin Business School, “Experiential Impact”; and
- Jean Allman, the J.H. Hexter Professor in the Humanities and director of the Center for the Humanities in Arts & Sciences, and Bruce Lindsey, the E. Desmond Lee Professor for Community Collaboration in the Sam Fox School, “The Divided City.”
Remote viewing locations will be available in the Eric P. Newman Education Center on the Medical Campus and in Graham Chapel on the Danforth Campus. The symposium also will be available via livestream on the inauguration website.
For more information, visit the symposium page of the inauguration website.
