​WashU students volunteering during last week’s spring break built homes in Oklahoma, dug fish ponds in Panama and helped establish medical clinics in Honduras. Along the way, they learned much about themselves, including “the power of service,” as well as about other cultures.

James M. DuBois, DSc, PhD, has been named the Steven J. Bander Professor of Medical Ethics and Professionalism at the School of Medicine. In his research, DuBois develops measures to assess outcomes of training programs in ethics and professionalism in medicine and conducts social science studies of patient and research participant attitudes.

A group of math and science teachers from the Ritenour School District made presentations on best practices to fellow educators at a recent conference. Participants in a two-year science education certificate program from the Institute for School Partnership, they shared their experiences with inquiry-based science and how it transformed their classrooms.

Michal Grinstein-Weiss, PhD, associate director of the Center for Social Development at the Brown School, testified last week before the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging. She urged senators to create long-term asset-building policies and to use “golden moments” such as tax time to encourage Americans to save.