Campus & Community

​Diwali, a celebration of South Asian dance, fashion and culture, returns Friday and Saturday, Nov. 6 and 7, to Edison Theatre at Washington University in St. Louis. Student choreographers Apoorva Ram and Priya Suri explain the art of Bharatanatyam, one of the oldest and most popular forms of Indian dance. ​

At the Washington University in St. Louis Board of Trustees meeting Oct. 2, the following faculty members were appointed with tenure or promoted with tenure, effective Oct. 2 unless otherwise indicated.

Meet Mark Smith, JD, director of the Career Center and failed candidate for Congress. Smith’s story is the first in a new video series called “Fail Better,” which showcases Washington University in St. Louis faculty, staff and students who have failed big, sometimes in very public, humiliating ways.

​Many college students dodge risks, but innovation and self-discovery often spring from failure, says Dedric A. Carter, PhD, associate provost and associate vice chancellor for innovation and entrepreneurship“Fail Better,” a new video series, will showcase Washington University staff, faculty and students who have failed big — sometimes in very public, humiliating ways.

​Now in its second year, the Suren G. Dutia and Jas K. Grewal Global Impact Award is given to Washington University in St. Louis-based entrepreneurs who use technology to solve real-world problems.  A total of 19 teams entered this year’s competition, and the winner of the $50,000 prize, announced Nov. 2, is Applied Particle Technology. 

Images captured in and around the Washington University campuses. To view captions, click on the “i” in the upper left corner.

To show their appreciation for exemplary service in medical education, School of Medicine students presented the school’s faculty and house staff with the Distinguished Service Teaching Awards for the 2014-15 academic year. The honors are initiated by students and implemented with support from the Office of Medical Student Education.

At 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, Edward C. Stone, PhD, project scientist and public spokesman for the twin Voyager spacecrafts, will visit the campus of Washington University in St. Louis and describe the probes’ 36-year journeys across the solar system. Stone will describe spectacular flybys of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune and Voyager I’s departure from the solar system. The lecture is part of the Robert M. Walker Distinguished Lecture Series hosted by the McDonnell Center for Space Sciences in Arts & Sciences.

In this Q&A, Mellon Mays Fellow Kisha Bwenge discusses the dangers of commodifying identity and the impact of cultural tourism on Maasai and Hadzabe communities in northern Tanzania.

On Saturday, Nov. 7, alumni and friends of Washington University in St. Louis will join the campus community for Founders Day, the annual commemoration of the university’s 1853 founding. Highlighting this year’s celebration at the St. Louis Union Station Hotel is noted writer and biographer Walter Isaacson. The event also will honor the recipients of the university’s Distinguished Alumni Awards and Distinguished Faculty Awards. In addition, three individuals will receive the Robert S. Brookings Award.