Author: Deb Parker

A three-day international conference is devoted to the lifework and 18-year papacy of “The Enlightenment Pope.” Pope Benedict XIV believed in the alliance between faith and the “new science,” even urging church parishioners to donate bodies of the deceased for medical dissection. The April 30-May 2 conference is sponsored by Washington University, Saint Louis University and the Missouri History Museum.

Former Korean ambassador to the United States Han Sung-Joo, PhD, will be speaking on campus Friday, Feb. 17. His lecture, “North Korea After Kim Jong II,” is set for 4:30 p.m. in May Auditorium, Simon Hall. A reception will follow. The McDonnell International Scholars Academy is hosting the talk, as part of the S.T. Lee lecture series.

Some of WUSTL students’ most common questions regarding the business dinner will be answered during the Etiquette Dinner Program Tuesday, Feb. 21. Held each semester, the program offers students a three-course meal and an opportunity to receive professional advice about dining and business protocol. RSVPs are being accepted now.

City Faces, an after-school art and tutoring program, is a stabilizing force for children living in St. Louis’ Clinton-Peabody public housing projects, an area riddled with drug and gang activity. On Monday, Feb. 13, faculty and staff will have a unique opportunity to view and support artwork created by children in the City Faces program. The art will be showcased during a 5:30 p.m. silent auction and gallery event in the Danforth University Center.

Public health in St. Louis is the first social issue to be explored during “St. Louis Up Close,” a new series featuring casual conversations with local nonprofit leaders. Five more discussions are planned for the series, which is sponsored by the Gephardt Institute for Public Service and the Community Service Office. All talks are free and open to the public.

PB&Joy, the university-wide food drive, soon will be under way and all faculty, staff and students are invited to join a planning committee. Anyone interested is asked to attend a planning meeting Feb. 2 or 3 in Danforth University Center. Last year’s drive yielded three tons of food for area people in need.

In response to student requests for additional eating and working space in the Danforth University Center, a 900-square-foot area recently underwent renovation. The new space — with an informal meeting, room, more seating, tables and electrical outlets — opens this week.

WUSTL’s Community Service Office, in partnership with St. Louis Emergency Winter Outreach, recently asked for winter wear donations to help the homeless. Thanks to the generosity of the WUSTL community, more than 200 coats and many other winter items have been distributed. The need will continue through the next few months.

WUSTL ushered in the Lunar New Year with a fireworks show Jan. 22 in Mudd Field. The Lunar New Year — observed this year Jan. 23 — is one of the most important traditional Asian holidays. Prior to the fireworks show, students enjoyed food, origami, calligraphy, information booths and performances in Tisch Commons. The celebration continues this weekend with two high-spirited performances at 7 p.m. Jan. 27 and 28 in Edison Theatre.

Last spring, Washington University in St. Louis adopted “Green Dot,” a national program that capitalizes on the power of peer influence to prevent sexual violence, intimate partner violence and stalking violence on college campuses. Advocates nationally believe that bystanders hold the key to reducing assaults on campus.