Campus & Community

Launched in 2007, WashU’s Alberti Program offers young people a hands-on introduction to architecture, a field rarely included in the K-12 curriculum. Students ask the same questions, use the same tools and build the same models as real-life architects.

The Center for the Humanities and the Department of African and African American Studies, both in WashU Arts & Sciences, will launch a yearlong Sawyer Seminar on “Black Studies and the Future of the American University” Sept. 10.

WashU Continuing & Professional Studies students mapped collision patterns and the city’s busiest corridors — work that supports Trailnet’s mission to make St. Louis streets safer and more accessible for pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders and drivers.

The 1,942 students in the WashU Class of 2030 moved onto the South 40 last week. The new Bears, arriving from 29 countries and every region in the U.S., are excited to explore St. Louis’ neighborhoods, food and landmarks.

Marilyn and Gary Ratkin are the recipients of the 2026 Jane and Whitney Harris St. Louis Community Service Award. The award recognizes couples who contribute to the culture and welfare of the greater St. Louis community in an outstanding manner.

WashU architecture student Huda Abdesumad, a Pershing Fellow at Great Rivers Greenway, says the experience has allowed her to bridge her local roots with her career aspirations.

The Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement has awarded St. Louis Impact Fund grants to advance regional priorities. Students will partner with the St. Louis Science Center, Monarch Immigration Services, Seed St. Louis and other nonprofits.

The Missouri primary election is Tuesday, Aug. 4, and the Gephardt Institute is hosting polling locations on both the Danforth and Medical campuses.

Biologist Rachel Penczykowski, in WashU Arts & Sciences, is an expert in infectious disease in plants. She conducts much of her research in the field — rural farmland, urban parks and, on this sunny day, a garden bed at Jackson Park Elementary School in the University City School District.

Thirteen graduates of the School of Continuing & Professional Studies Prison Education Project received their degrees May 28 during a commencement ceremony held at the Women’s Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Vandalia, Mo.