Humanities & Society

Kenny Broad, FameLab host and National Geographic’s 2011 Explorer of the Year, says FameLab delivers an engaging mix of cutting-edge science and entertainment.

What happens in your brain when you look at this Klimt painting? A lot more than you might ever guess, according to Nobel laureate neuroscientist Eric Kandel, who will explore the connection between art and the mind/brain in his talk, “The Age of Insight: The Quest to Understand the Unconscious in Art, Mind and Brain from Vienna 1900 to the Present” for the Assembly Series at 5 p.m. Monday, March 3, in Graham Chapel.

A suspended jogging track, a three-court gymnasium, state-of-the-art fitness equipment and team locker rooms are among the features planned for the new Gary M. Sumers Recreation Center. The center is scheduled to open in 2016.​​

WUSTL’s Hazing Prevention Week begins Monday. As part of that, Tim Marchell, PhD, of Cornell University, will speak with employees and students about the psychology of hazing. Recent survey results show about 16 percent of WUSTL undergraduates have witnessed hazing.

WUSTL’s Henry Biggs, PhD (right), plays the part of Pierre Laclede during a re-enactment of the founding of St. Louis, held on the city’s 250th anniversary Saturday, Feb. 15, in St. Louis’ City Hall. During a daylong symposium, held Friday, Feb. 14, at the Missouri History Museum, three WUSTL scholars provided their perspectives on the city’s historical significance.

Former Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman Jr. assesses our nation’s status at the next Assembly Series presentation, 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25. in Graham Chapel.  The event is free and open to the public, though seating for the public will be limited due to an anticipated large campus turnout. Visit the Assembly Series website for more information or call 314-935-4620.

Vice Provost Adrienne Davis recommends checking out Cultural Connections this weekend. Portfolio Gallery celebrates its 25th anniversary with a showcase of African-American art and books.

Seven staff members from throughout Washington University in St. Louis will participate in this year’s Global Diversity Overseas Seminar Program. They will travel to Ghana in June. The program is designed to give staff a global perspective on diversity through seminar meetings, group discussions, assigned readings and community-engagement opportunities culminating in an international site visit to one of WUSTL’s study-abroad programs.

Scholars from across the nation will help kick off St. Louis’ 250th “Birthday Bash” weekend when they provide their perspectives on the city’s historical significance during a daylong symposium Friday, Feb. 14, at the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park. The symposium will be held from 9 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. in Lee Auditorium. The symposium luncheon will be held at Washington University in St. Louis.

Even at 282 years old, George Washington still enjoys a good birthday party. In celebration of George Washington Week, sponsored by WUSTL sophomore honorary society Lock and Chain, our founding father shares why he loves this country — and this campus.