Campus & Community

The WashU Brown School presented its 2026 Awards of Distinction on April 23, honoring alumni and supporters for their work advancing positive change in communities worldwide.

Peter H. Raven, the George Engelmann Professor of Botany Emeritus in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, died April 25, 2026. He was 89.

Monica Chang-Panesso, MD, and Hysell Oviedo, PhD, were recognized for their research on kidney repair and the brain’s processing of sound and speech, respectively.

Andrew Witt has been installed as the inaugural Kavita and Krishna Bharat Professor in the WashU Sam Fox School. The professorship includes a joint appointment at WashU McKelvey Engineering.

Images from on and around the WashU campuses.

The school is offering $10,000 scholarships to support affected professionals enrolled in the new AI for Business master’s program, while new corporate development offerings help organizations redesign work and reskill teams.

Arts & Sciences honored seven alumni for their achievements, service and commitment to the liberal arts.

Penny Pennington, managing partner of Edward Jones, a St. Louis-based finanical services company, has been elected to serve as chair of the WashU Board of Trustees effective July 1. Pennington will be the first woman to hold the position.

Three physician-scientists at WashU Medicine — neurologists Suzanne Schindler and Christopher Smyser and otolaryngologist Sidharth Puram — have been recognized by one of the nation’s oldest and most respected medical honor societies.

After an EF3 tornado ripped a milewide path through St. Louis and St. Louis County, Amanda Kesler, a master of landscape architecture candidate in the WashU Sam Fox School, combined aerial data and firsthand observation to map tree canopy damage.