Campus & Community

This spring, two teams comprised of multidisciplinary graduate students from the Brown School, Olin Business School and the School of Law took part in the first-ever Social Innovation Initiative, tackling the problem of infant mortality in St. Louis.

Aytakin Huseynli grew up in Azerbaijan. Seeing war and chaos around her, she knew she wanted to help others but didn’t know how to go about it. She eventually made her way to the Brown School, earned a master’s in social work and returned to her home country to establish the profession there. Today she is back on campus working toward a doctorate.

Three scientists at Washington University in St. Louis were elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS): Sarah C.R. Elgin, Jonathan B. Losos and Richard D. Vierstra, all members of the Department of Biology in Arts & Sciences. Election to the academy is considered one of the highest honors accorded a U.S. scientist or engineer.

Washington University announced changes to parking in advance of the universitywide Commencement celebration May 18. The event is expected to bring more than 15,000 guests to the Danforth Campus.

The College Prep Program, an innovative initiative that prepares talented low-income, first-generation high school students from the St. Louis region for college, graduated its second cohort of scholars. All 34 members received college admission, and 11 will be attending Washington University through the College Prep Scholarship.

A new 115-page community-driven report on segregation and housing in St. Louis has been released by numerous local partners in the fields of public health, law, fair housing, and community development, including the Brown School’s For the Sake of All initiative.

Images from in and around the Washington University campuses.

Live Near Your Work, Washington University in St. Louis’ employee housing assistance program, is increasing its annual budget, the number of neighborhoods where employees may buy a home and, in some cases, the size of forgivable loans. Employees may learn more about their options at housing summits set for May 3 and 8.

From helping residents of disadvantaged neighborhoods manage chronic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure, to returning to her hometown of San Juan, Puerto Rico, in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, Michelle Mendiola Plá has demonstrated a passion for service and commitment to health equity.

A new collaborative research and teaching agreement between anthropology and archaeology programs at Washington University in St. Louis and Sichuan University in Chengdu, China, will expand student and faculty exchanges and increase cooperation in field and laboratory research, according to a memo of understanding signed April 25 by University Provost Holden Thorp.