Campus & Community

Former Congressman Richard Gephardt does not know who will win the 2020 presidential election. Nor does he know when the race will be called. But Gephardt does believe the election will be safe, secure and fair. Gephardt will join former U.S. representatives from both parties Tuesday, Oct. 27, for a panel discussion, “Counting Every Vote: Election Integrity in 2020.”

Deanna M. Barch, chair of psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences and the Gregory B. Couch Professor of Psychiatry at the School of Medicine, and Randall J. Bateman, MD, professor of neurology at the School of Medicine and director of the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer’s Network and Trials Unit, have been elected to the National Academy of Medicine.

Images from on and around the Washington University campuses.

The Athletic Complex once again will serve as the on-campus polling location at Washington University. Students who live on the South 40 and in the Village may vote at the Athletic Complex between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. Nov. 3. And, for the first time, so may any students, faculty and staff who are approved to be on campus and live in St. Louis County.

Carlos Ponce, MD, PhD, assistant professor of neuroscience at the School of Medicine, is one of 20 people to receive a 2020 Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering. Packard fellows are among the nation’s top early-career scientists. Ponce studies how visual recognition works in the brain.

Randall Martin, the Raymond Tucker Distinguished Professor at the McKelvey School of Enginering, has been awarded the Atmospheric Sciences Ascent Award from the American Geophysical Union, recognizing his excellence in research and leadership in the atmospheric and climate sciences.

Stephanie L. Reel, most recently chief information officer for all divisions of the Johns Hopkins University and Health System, has been appointed interim chief information officer at Washington University, according to Chancellor Andrew. D. Martin. Reel will serve in the role while the university conducts a national search for a permanent CIO.

William H. Danforth (1926-2020) served as Washington University’s 13th chancellor. A man of compassion, Chancellor Danforth touched the lives of countless students, faculty and staff, and he oversaw the university’s rise from a commuter campus to a world-renowned institution.

Fangqiong Ling, assistant professor of energy, environmental and chemical engineering at the McKelvey School of Engineering, has been recognized by the International Water Association and the International Society for Microbial Ecology.

WashU alumni are partnering with their alma mater to improve teacher quality and retention.