Campus & Community

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation announced Feb. 23 that Kater Murch, PhD, assistant professor of physics in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, has been awarded a 2015 Sloan Research Fellowship. He is among 126 outstanding U.S. and Canadian researchers selected as fellowship recipients this year. The fellowships are given to early-career scientists and scholars whose achievements and potential identify them as rising stars, the next generation of scientific leaders.

Washington University in St. Louis is 19th on the Peace Corps’ annual list of the top volunteer-producing midsized colleges and universities. Currently, 14 alumni are serving as Peace Corps volunteers. Students who want to learn more can visit a Peace Corps information table at 11 a.m. March 2, in Tisch Commons.

The next round of spring Assembly Series programs at Washington University in St. Louis will cover a variety of topics, from how society talks about contagious diseases to delving into major philosophical theory to the possibility of cloning a mammoth.

​​​Serving Washington University in St. Louis students for five decades, Lorena Smith, 81, has  done it all — prepared thousands of  sandwiches, pulled pints of beer at the university’s long-gone campus bar and issued parking tickets. “Some things don’t change,” said Smith, whom the students refer to as “Ms. Smitty.” “There have always been parking tickets, baby, always.” ​

​The nation’s oldest and largest student-run carnival returns April 17-19. Thurtene will join forces with UrbanFUTURE to promote academic achievement, character growth and career preparation in St. Louis schools.

Engineers Week on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis, Feb. 23-Feb. 28, aims to celebrate how engineers make a difference in the world and increase public dialogue about the need for engineers. The week features an array of events aimed at engaging students, faculty and the campus community on subjects ranging from solar energy to space travel.

With a common interest in strengthening their leadership skills, expanding their knowledge of the university and developing a greater understanding of an ever-changing, multicultural world, 24 Washington University staff members have been selected members of the 2015 Professional Leadership Academy & Network (PLAN). A yearlong professional development program, PLAN is intended to cultivate future leaders at Washington University.

​Aaron Bobick, PhD, professor and founding chair of the School of Interactive Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology, has been appointed dean of the School of Engineering & Applied Science at Washington University in St. Louis effective July 1, according to Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton.​

Stanley Nelson’s documentary “The Black Panthers: Vanguard of a Revolution,” will be shown at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26 in Steinberg Auditorium on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis. The screening is co-sponsored by Cinema St. Louis and by the Program in African and African-American Studies in Arts & Sciences; the Center for Diversity and Inclusion; and the Washington University Film & Media Archive of Washington University Libraries.

David B. Gray, PhD, died Feb. 12 of an apparent heart attack. He was 71. Gray became motivated to change what it means to be disabled after he was paralyzed in an accident in 1976. He joined the School of Medicine faculty in 1995 to conduct research and teach courses on social issues and disability.