Newsroom Stories

Doors that dance, chairs that twirl, a cage that doubles as a gymnast’s apparatus. Welcome to the world of Diavolo, the high-flying Los Angeles company known for examining the funny, frightening and unexpected ways individuals interact with their environments. Next week Diavolo will return to St. Louis and perform two shows for the Edison Theatre OVATIONS Series, as well as a special matinee for the ovations for young people series.

A new study has uncovered a new pathway in the retina that allows photoreceptor cells to adapt following changes in light exposure.

Physicians may be able to develop new treatments for mild traumatic brain injuries thanks to a new grant awarded to the School of Medicine.

I. Jerome Flance, M.D., emeritus professor of clinical medicine, has received the Ralph O. Claypoole Sr. Memorial Award from the American College of Physicians.

Joe AngelesJames V. Wertsch, Ph.D. (left), the Marshall S. Snow Professor in Arts & Sciences and director of the McDonnell International Scholars Academy and of International & Area Studies in Arts & Sciences, walks through the park in front of the White House with the McDonnell Scholars during a tour of Washington, D.C., March 9. Click here for a slideshow of the scholars’ tour of our nation’s capital.

Haba na Haba (Swahili for “step by step”) is an internationally renowned Kenyan performance group that first formed in the slums of Nairobi, using acrobatics, music, dance and drama to raise awareness and educate their communities on topics such as HIV/AIDS, drug abuse, reproductive health, women’s issues and violence. They are visiting St. Louis through March 23.

Fourteen students from the Dance Program in the Performing Arts Department in Arts & Sciences took part in the Central Region American College Dance Conference, held March 11 to 14 at Hendrix College in Conway, AZ. Adjudicators chose two works — Stuck in the Waiting by junior Eliotte Henderson and Falling Petals by lecturer Ting-Ting Chang, the Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in Dance — to be performed as part of the concluding Gala Concert.

Since its inception a decade ago, the Jane and Whitney Harris St. Louis Community Service Award has been given annually to a husband and wife couple dedicated to improving the St. Louis region through service, generosity and leadership. In a ceremony on February 26, Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton bestowed the 10th such award on Barbara and Andrew Taylor.

Blood drives at Washington University have come a long way in a short amount of time. Contention between blood banks, four-day-long drives and limited appeal have been replaced by efficient one-day, campus-wide drives at numerous University locations, which have garnered massive support from students, faculty and staff. The next drive is March 25.

AgarwalA mechanical engineer at Washington University in St. Louis is developing techniques that will lessen our monetary pain at the pump by reducing the drag of vehicles — planes, autos and trucks. Drag is an aerodynamic force that is the result of resistance a body encounters when it moves in a liquid or gaseous medium (such as air). Reduction in drag means less fuel would be required to overcome the fluid resistance encountered by the moving vehicle. Working with undergraduate and graduate students, Ramesh K. Agarwal, Ph.D, the William Palm Professor of Engineering at WUSTL, has successfully demonstrated that the drag of airplane wings and cars/trucks can be reduced by employing the active flow control technology.