Author: Leslie Gibson McCarthy

Ashley Brosius arrived at WUSTL as a freshman with dreams of medical school. Women, gender, and sexuality studies courses prompted her to alter her academic plans, but Brosius found a way to blend both interests when she co-wrote and received a grant to design and implement a program called “Catalysts for Change,” which aimed to introduce local female high school students to STEM fields. 

The Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis awarded one Distinguished Faculty Award and three Distinguished Alumni Awards during its annual alumni awards celebration May 2 at Steinberg Hall Auditorium. A reception followed at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum.

The College of Arts & Sciences will introduce a newly revised curriculum, called Integrated InQuiry (IQ), for undergraduate students at Washington University in St. Louis. Developed over a four-year process with input from students, faculty and administrators, the IQ will be available to new undergraduates arriving this fall.

Each year at Commencement, the Washington University in St. Louis Record presents its annual Gallery of Outstanding Graduates. From among the more than 2,700 degree candidates, 12 are chosen who not only excel academically but also stand out because of exceptional ability, volunteer involvement on campus or in the community, unique career choice, family background or unusual hobby or outside interests.

Kristy Anderson puts people at the center of her work, both in and out of the classroom. “I approach my research with a person-centered philosophy,” says Anderson, a master’s of social work candidate from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. “Person-centered is allowing the person with a disability to govern their own lives and goals. We are simply there to help them through the process.” Anderson is one of 12 Outstanding Graduates for 2012 to be profiled in the Record.

The men’s track & field team won its fourth-consecutive University Athletic Association (UAA) outdoor title, while the WUSTL women finished as the runner-up for the second year in a row on the final day of the 2012 UAA Outdoor Championships April 29.

Robert Mecham, PhD, a pioneering cell biologist, and Nancy Morrow-Howell, PhD, a leading national scholar in gerontology, will receive Washington University’s 2012 faculty achievement awards, Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton announced. Mecham is the recipient of the Carl and Gerty Cori Faculty Achievement Award, and Morrow-Howel the Arthur Holly Compton Faculty Achievement Award. They will receive their awards and give presentations of their scholarly work during a ceremony in December.

Washington University in St. Louis School of Law celebrated the outstanding achievements of seven individuals at the annual Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner April 20. Four alumni received Distinguished Law Alumni Awards; two received Distinguished Young Law Alumni Awards; and one received the Dean’s Medal.

The National Day of Prayer typically sparks debate about whether the day violates the establishment clause from the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. This year’s observance on May 3, however, likely will take on added significance, says John Inazu, JD, first amendment expert and professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis. The reason? 2012 marks the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Engel v. Vitale, which invalidated official prayer in public schools.

Attendees dare to ride Pharaoh’s Fury at the 2012 Thurtene Carnival held this past weekend on the Danforth Campus. The entirely student-run carnival featuring rides, games and well-rehearsed plays and musical performances, has been a part of campus life for more than 100 years. Proceeds from this year’s event benefited Guardian Angels Settlement Association.