Washington University will host a presidential debate on Sunday, Oct. 9, 2016, playing a prominent role in the national political conversation. The Commission on Presidential Debates announced the news yesterday. ​

Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton announced during a news conference at the Field House that Washington University has been selected for a record sixth time to host a debate. In a nod to how the world has changed since our first debate in 1992, he donned a ball cap bearing the hashtag #WashUdebate2016.

​Crunching big data, especially from social networking sites, is one of the hottest areas of study in business schools right now. A new center at the university is teaching students best practices when it comes to data mining and analysis. Seethu Seetharaman, PhD, is the center’s director. A daylong event will be held Monday, Sept. 28, in Knight Hall.

Siteman Cancer Center plans to expand cancer services and facilities at Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital in St. Charles County. The $13.1 million project will expand the existing facility from 19,500 square feet to 30,750 square feet. That is in addition to expansion projects already underway at Siteman’s main campus at the Medical Center and at Siteman Cancer Center-South County.

In “The Divine Buoyancy of Being,” law student Cary Simowitz explores what happens when youthful dreams collide with economic reality, entry-level positions and the unintended consequences of a government shutdown. The play will receive its world premiere staged reading as part of the A.E. Hotchner New Play Festival Friday and Saturday, Sept. 25 and 26.