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WUSTL community members help place soil around the 750th tree to be planted on the Danforth Campus since 2008. The tree, a Swamp White Oak, was planted Dec. 15 and is located next to Brown Hall along the new Centennial Greenway bike path. Currently, the Danforth Campus is home to approximately 3,800 trees.

U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill made Washington University in St. Louis a key stop on her statewide Hometown Energy Tour that focused on finding practical, accessible and affordable solutions to the nation’s energy needs. McCaskill met with WUSTL administrators and scientists and regional energy industry leaders Jan. 9 in Brauer Hall. Tremendous pressure exists on Capitol Hill, McCaskill said, to cut federal funding for science. “Most people don’t realize what the Department of Energy does,” she said, “which is why they’re in favor of killing it.”

On Wednesday, Jan. 18, Edward E. Curtis IV, an expert on US-Muslim relations, opens the spring 2012 lecture series sponsored by the John C. Danforth Center on Religion & Politics. The lecture series, which is free and open to the public, also features Parker Palmer, Melani McAlister, Jonathan Walton and Andrew Preston.

Six staff members soon will be packing their bags for Shanghai or Paris, as winners of the Global Diversity Overseas Seminar program. The intent of the new program is to encourage a fuller appreciation of diversity on campus by introducing select faculty and staff members to dramatically different cultural contexts.

Student groups at Washington University in St. Louis will usher in the Year of the Dragon and celebrate one of Asia’s most important holidays — Lunar New Year — beginning with a fireworks show Sunday, Jan. 22, and concluding with a two-night, high-spirited performance Jan. 27-28 in Edison Theatre. Events are open to the public. Benefit proceeds will help support victims of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that devastated the northeastern region of Japan.

The Community Service Office of the Gephardt Institute for Public Service is offering three Social Change Grants of $5,000 or $6,000 for summer 2012. The intent-to-apply notification deadline is Jan. 23, with proposals due Feb. 10. WUSTL students with an idea for improving the conditions or opportunities of a community anywhere around the globe are invited to apply.

Experts will address the idea of mercy during a Saturday Master of Liberal Arts Seminar Series throughout February. Topics range from mercy in sexuality debates to mercy in the practice of medicine. Now in its 31st year, the popular MLA series annually addresses a common theme from a variety of backgrounds. Free and open to the public, the series is sponsored by University College.

Staff and faculty are invited to the women’s and men’s basketball games Saturday, Jan. 7, as the teams battle the University of Chicago. There are a number of special offerings — including $1 food specials for those that RSVP — during this family-friendly afternoon of University Athletic Association basketball in the Athletic Complex.

The university will host licensee fairs Wednesday, Jan. 11, on the Medical Campus and Tuesday, Jan. 17, on the Danforth Campus. The licensee fairs provide an opportunity for the university community to become better acquainted with the resources available through the WUSTL trademark licensing program, including already set-up artwork and service-oriented, knowledgeable licensed suppliers.

A winter concert showcasing the musical talents of medical school faculty, staff and students will be held at 6 p.m. Jan. 14 in the lobby of the Center for Advanced Medicine. The evening features solo and ensemble vocal and instrumental performances.