Newsroom Stories

At its spring meeting, held Friday, May 5, the Board of Trustees at Washington University in St. Louis elected five new members, re-elected four members and elected officers, among other actions, according to Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton.

Nearly one-third of the 135 students graduating this month from the School of Medicine will receive more than one degree. Those 44 students also will have earned advanced degrees in fields such as public health, biology and business. The drive for dual degrees reflects burgeoning motivation among physicians-to-be, particularly those attending the nation’s top-tier medical schools.

When Hilary Gallin discovered something was missing from her medical school training, she did something about it. Realizing there was no instruction on how to treat patients with disabilities, Gallin created a multiyear curriculum that has evolved into a mission for the School of Medicine.

The 18,000-square-foot Craig and Nancy Schnuck Pavilion, named in recognition of a leadership commitment from the Schnucks, who are dedicated friends and benefactors of the university, will offer a new place for meeting, eating, learning and wellness on the reimagined east end of the Danforth Campus.

Four university scientists are among the 84 members and 21 foreign associates recently elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.

Researchers at the School of Medicine have identified a marker of damage to cells in the eye that potentially could be used to monitor progression of glaucoma and the effectiveness of treatment.

Puerto Rico filed for bankruptcy protection May 3, the largest-ever American municipal debt restructuring in history. As the U.S. territory seeks forgiveness in $73 billion to assorted creditors, an expert at Washington University in St. Louis says the situation should serve as a dire wake-up call to the municipal bond market.

New guideposts developed by Carrie Pettus-Davis of the Brown School suggest that smart decarceration may be the answer to reforming America’s prison system, reducing the number of inmates and enabling a more effective approach to public safety.

In “Grieve,” Sagar Brahmbhatt depicts bereavement as a kind of delayed reaction — a time bomb that never really stops exploding. Evan Gates’ “Floor is Lava?” is a slyly pointed examination of adult responsibility. Later this month, both films, created entirely by Washington University students, will be screened as part of the 2017 Cannes Film Festival.

Dandelions are much-maligned weeds, with a paratrooper-like seed dispersal system that makes them difficult to eradicate. However, new research from an engineer at Washington University in St. Louis finds a great benefit in an unlikely place for the pesky dandelion: each of its tiny seeds can be used as a perfect pipette in the laboratory setting.