Newsroom Stories

​John A. Berg, vice chancellor for admissions at Washington University in St. Louis, has announced his intention to retire at the end of the academic year, June 30, 2016, according to Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton.

Winston Churchill was a dedicated painter. At home, on holiday and even on the battlefield, his oils were rarely far from hand. This fall, the National Churchill Museum and the Kemper Art Museum are presenting one of the most significant shows of Churchill’s work ever in North America.

A pioneering surgical technique has restored some hand and arm movement to patients immobilized by spinal cord injuries in the neck, reports a new study at the School of Medicine. The researchers assessed outcomes of nerve-transfer surgery in nine quadriplegic patients. Each of the nine reported improved hand and arm function.

About 200 Washington University students in medicine, engineering and business recently gathered in the Cortex Innovation District for a networking event known as “Problem Day.” The event kicked off a seven-month effort for student entrepreneurs to develop innovative solutions to clinical problems. 

Cal Halvorsen, a doctoral student at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, recently received three honors for his work, including his research on aging issues.

If Republican senators from tobacco-growing southern states believe in social responsibility, they would fully explore the TransPacific (TPP) trade agreement’s potential impact on countries around the world, including provisions that influence the ability of American tobacco corporations to flood the globe with cheap, cancer-causing cigarettes, suggests the author of a book on the history, social costs and global politics of the tobacco industry.

​Nearly a third of the companies taking part in Startup Connection this year have direct ties to Washington University, highlighting the depth of commitment the school has for entrepreneurship and innovation efforts.

Shedding light on possible contributors to autism, schizophrenia and other neuro-psychiatric disorders, School of Medicine researchers have found that a type of support cell in the brain, called an astrocyte, may play a role in the ability of neurons to communicate.

Hillman Hall, the newest academic building on the Danforth Campus of Washington University in St. Louis and the third facility for the Brown School, was dedicated during a ceremony Oct. 2. At approximately 105,000 square feet, it more than doubles its teaching, research and program space for the school. Targeted for LEED Platinum certification, the building design emphasizes health and wellness, diversity, energy efficiency and environmental sustainability.

Images from in and around the Washington University campuses. For  captions, click on the “i” in the upper left corner.