Washington Magazine

Washington University has hosted luminaries who have inspired and challenged us. Alumni and faculty recall their memories of hearing three notable speakers on campus.

With Square, LaunchCode, Third Degree Glass Factory and more to his name, alumnus Jim McKelvey Jr. is often called a serial entrepreneur. In fact, he has just never met a problem he didn’t want to solve.

Rafia Zafar, professor of English, American culture studies, and African and African American studies, challenges stereotypes surrounding black American cooking with her new course and book.

Superhero expert Peter Coogan, lecturer in American culture studies and author of the book “Superhero: the Secret Origin of a Genre,” discusses why superheroes are so popular and the origins of the superhero genre.

In her research on mothers, Caitlyn Collins, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies, has found that moms in the U.S. (and dads) are struggling to feel like good parents when they don’t get any mandated parental leave.

Gregory Magarian, professor of law, explains how the Supreme Court has turned the First Amendment on its head.

Welcome to Cortex, an innovation community started in 2002 thanks to a lead investment from Washington University. Drone footage takes you through the formerly blighted industrial complex that is now a hip mixed-use space and home to more than 5,800 jobs. This is Cortex.

Psychologist Kristina Olson, BA ’03, wins one of science’s most prestigious awards for her research on identity.

Bruce Goldstein, JD ’80, is president and executive director of Farmworker Justice, which fights for better working conditions and wages for the 2.4 million farm workers in the U.S.

Alice Emasu Seruyange (right), MSW ’10, has built the first hospital in Uganda specializing in treating obstetric fistulas. Here she is with a fistula survivor.