Your DNA influences how much you smoke and whether you will develop lung cancer or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A study led by School of Medicine researchers is the first large-scale effort to match genetics with smoking, lung cancer and COPD combined. FULL STORY

URL: http://news.wustl.edu/news/Pages/21187.aspx

Legendary entertainer Harry Belafonte has spent years as an activist questioning the country’s moral authority. At 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 25, Belafonte will speak in Graham Chapel on “The Moral Direction of America” for the annual Black Arts & Sciences Festival Lecture. Sponsored by the Assembly Series, the talk is free and open to the public. FULL STORY

URL: http://news.wustl.edu/news/Pages/21375.aspx

Jon Meacham, former editor of Newsweek, will present “God and Politics: From George Washington to Barack Obama” at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 26, in Graham Chapel. The talk is the inaugural event for the John C. Danforth Center on Religion & Politics. FULL STORY

URL: http://news.wustl.edu/news/Pages/21263.aspx

More than 175 undergraduate students are expected to showcase their research projects through poster presentations and visual and oral presentations during the fall Undergraduate Research Symposium Saturday, Oct. 23. FULL STORY

URL: http://news.wustl.edu/news/Pages/21374.aspx

Celebrated architect Jeanne Gang, principal and founder of Studio Gang Architects in Chicago, will discuss her work for the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts’ fall Public Lecture Series at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 25. The talk, titled “High and Low,” is the school’s annual Coral Courts Lecture and will take place in Steinberg Hall Auditorium. FULL STORY

URL: http://news.wustl.edu/news/Pages/21373.aspx

• 11 a.m. Assembly Series. Colette Avital, former deputy speaker of the Knesset and former Israeli ambassador. Sponsored by Students for a Peaceful Palestinian and Israeli Future. College Hall, South 40. Assembly Series. (314) 935-4620.

• Parent & Family Weekend starts today. Myriad activities are planned across campus as parents join their sons and daughters for a peek into their classes, walking tours, open houses, concerts, information sessions and much more. For more information and a full list of activities, visit wustl.edu/community/parents/weekend.

• Cross country has respectable finish in tough meet. The men’s and women’s cross country squads ran to fourth- and sixth-place finishes, respectively, at the ultra-competitive University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Brooks Invitational Oct. 16 at the Lake Breeze Golf Course in Winneconne, Wis. Both teams return to action today at the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Invitational.