Newsroom Stories

 Agarwal  “I understand why the economy and foreign affairs are the lead topics, but I would like to hear more about what each candidate would fund or cut in education.” “I was at Washington University for the 2004 debate but missed the opportunity to volunteer,” says Pooja K. Agarwal, a graduate student majoring in experimental and cognitive psychology. “The excitement on campus had an impact on my interest in the campaign. Last time I watched, but this time I really wanted to be involved.” Hometown: Carbondale, IL/Chesterfield, MO

View photographs of the Athletic Complex being tranformed into the site of the Oct. 2 vice presidential debate.

DarnellPart of the mystery of Sarah Palin is part of her appeal to Republican “outsider” voters who admire her qualities of independence and against-the grain political orthodoxy, says Alfred Darnell, Ph.D., visiting lecturer in political science.

Two of the presidential candidates’ top economic advisors, Douglas Holtz-Eakin of the John McCain camp and Austan Dean Goolsbee of the Barack Obama camp, will square off in St. Louis for a spirited debate on the candidates’ economic platforms beginning at 9 a.m. Oct. 2, the day of the vice presidential debate on the nearby campus of Washington University in St. Louis.

Live broadcasts, student debates, Red vs. Blue analyses, panel discussions, and a host of other activities will be available for the WUSTL campus community on Thursday, October 2.

Image courtesy of C-SPANCampaign 2008 BusC-SPAN’s “Campaign 2008 Bus,” a 45-foot long traveling television production studio that is used for political coverage and educational purposes, will be making stops in St. Louis Sept. 30 through Oct. 2 as Washington University in St. Louis hosts the Oct. 2 vice presidential debate between Republican Gov. Sarah Palin and Democrat Sen. Joe Biden.

Scientists used a direct monitoring grid of electrodes (left) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (right) to detect a low-frequency brain signal that doesn’t stop, even in sleep.Neuroscientists at the School of Medicine have taken one of the first direct looks at one of the human brain’s most fundamental “foundations”: a brain signal that never switches off and may support many cognitive functions. Their results are an important step forward for efforts to outline what neuroscientists call the functional architecture of the brain. Better understanding of this architecture will aid efforts to treat brain injury and mental disorders.

View aerial photographs of WUSTL’s Danforth Campus, site of the 2008 vice presidential debate.

 Dudley  “Never before in the history of presidential elections have we seen the importance of the student vote sought after on so many levels. Students are deeply concerned about what world we will enter when we graduate, and we need to know what the candidates’ plans are concerning these pressing national issues.” Mark Dudley remembers watching the first presidential debate held at Washington University in 1992 on television—he was 5 years old. Today, the 21-year-old is a political science major at Washington University and a volunteer giving tours of the debate site and assisting members of the media on campus for the event. Hometown: St. Louis, MO

 Smith  “It’s a rare opportunity to be involved with something that can impact the world for our entire lifetime.” Carson Smith is known for taking on world-changing and life-changing opportunities. In fact, she was named to the Toyota Corporation “100 Students Most Likely to Change the World” list in 2005, the same year she graduated valedictorian from her Paducah, Ky., high school. Now a senior at Washington University, Smith seized the opportunity to volunteer to work on the Vice Presidential Debate because of its global importance. Hometown: Paducah, KY