In 1976, as a business major at Washington University, Ron Himes began staging theatrical performances. Thirty-eight seasons later, Himes remains founder and producing director for The Black Rep, one of the nation’s largest and most respected African-American theater companies. The Black Rep presents “Once on This Island” in Edison Theatre today through May 3.

Graduate student Andrea Karl found herself thrust into the national spotlight this month at the St. Louis GO! Marathon when she initially was denied her first-place accolades. She got to recreate the finish last weekend at Busch Stadium. Karl is working toward a PhD in molecular genetics and genomics in the Division of Biology & Biomedical Sciences.

Scientists have thought that respiratory viruses play a critical role in the development of chronic lung diseases. Studying mouse and cell models, School of Medicine researchers have shown how immune cells dispatched to the lung to destroy a respiratory virus can fail to disperse after their job is done, setting off a chain of inflammatory events that leads to long-term lung problems.

​For 50 years, the Women’s Society of Washington University has made a difference in the university community through its dedication to supporting students and strengthening the university’s regional ties.​