A record number of dancers – 1,360 — already have signed up to participate in the annual St. Louis Dance Marathon this weekend. This year’s event is dedicated to the late James E. McLeod, vice chancellor for students and dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, who died Sept. 6. McLeod was a great supporter of the event.

A major U.S. study — part of which took place at the School of Medicine — shows that annual chest X-rays to screen for lung cancer do not reduce the risk of dying from the disease, even in smokers or former smokers. Results were announced last week and will be published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Jacob Rajan, co-founder of New Zealand’s India Ink Theatre Company, gives voice to the world’s largest democracy through a series of indelible characters in The Guru of Chai this Friday and Saturday. The show is being presented by the Edison Ovations Series.

As part of the celebration of Washington University’s 1853 founding, five individuals will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award at the annual Founders Day celebration. The gala also will recognize those being honored with Distinguished Faculty Awards as well as the Robert S. Brookings Award winners. It takes place at 6:30 p.m. this Saturday, Nov. 5, at the St. Louis Union Station Marriott. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin will deliver the keynote address. For ticket information, call (314) 935-6503.

3 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31

School of Medicine dean’s update

Dean Larry J. Shapiro, MD, hosts the annual update for all medical school employees. (Also at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 2.) North Bldg., Moore Aud. Contact: (314) 362-7196.

Health open enrollment period begins tomorrow

The annual health open enrollment period for the health/dental or dental-only plans, the health- and child-care flex spending plans, the Health Savings Account and the Retirement Medical Savings Account will be from Nov. 1-30. Enrollments and changes to these plans will be effective Jan. 1, 2012.

Iver Bernstein, PhD

Discovering unremembered, unspoken history. FULL STORY

Big sports weekend: How did they do?

Volleyball returned to the court last weekend, and football, men’s and women’s soccer, cross country and swimming and diving all saw action in the last weekend of October. To find out how your favorite sports team fared, visit bearsports.wustl.edu.