Newsroom Stories

For six consecutive nights, first-year medical student Travis CreveCoeur skipped sleep to direct and edit his class video, “First Year Funk,” a parody of Mark Ronson’s “Uptown Funk.” CreveCoeur thinks the sacrifice was worth it. The video has been viewed 134,000 times and counting.

American Pharoah captured America’s collective heart at the Belmont Stakes this weekend, galloping his way to the first Triple Crown in 37 years. With the June 6 victory, his value is estimated at $30 million. But the winning doesn’t stop there. Patrick Rishe, PhD, director of the Sports Business Program in the Olin Business School, breaks down the future earning potential of the thoroughbred.

What is it with cheating? Cheaters seem to have an immediate advantage over cooperators, but do they have an evolutionary advantage? A study published in Current Biology suggests the benefits of cheating change with its prevalence,in a population. Cheaters may succeed, for example, only when they are rare, and fail when they become so numerous they push out cooperators.

Caitlyn Jenner’s first public appearance on the cover of Vanity Fair has sparked quite a stir. The Twitter account for Jenner, formerly Bruce Jenner, reached 1 million followers in just over four hours. Her story reminds us that even the most personal decisions are linked to broader social conditions, says an expert on later-in-life gender transitions at Washington University in St. Louis.

Victoria J. Fraser, MD, head of the Department of Medicine, was a featured speaker at TEDxStLouisWomen, Thursday, May 28. The presentations were part of TEDWomen, a national conference focused on women and girls as creators and change-makers. Fraser spoke about antibiotic resistance and its evolution into a public health crisis.

Several key provisions of the Patriot Act ended this week, after the Senate let them expire. As a result, the National Security Agency has, at least temporarily, halted the bulk data collection program used to amass phone data for millions of Americans. Neil Richards, JD, professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis and one of the country’s foremost academic experts on privacy law, said the fact that expiration of these powers hasn’t provoked mass outrage shows Americans deeply value privacy.

​Washington University staff and faculty have one more month to join the 5,000 employees who already have contributed to Our Washington, the faculty and staff component of Leading Together: The Campaign for Washington University. Donations support scholarships, strengthen academic and scientific initiatives, advance learning and enhance facilities.

In response to a growing number of alumni and expanding research and education partnerships in China, Washington University in St. Louis is opening an office in Shanghai’s Knowledge Innovation Community. “The Shanghai office will serve as a key resource for our alumni, prospective students and friends,” Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton said.

Images captured in and around the Washington University campuses.

Studies show that despite demonstrating high interest, African-American girls have fewer support systems, less exposure to, and lower academic achievement in STEM fields than their Caucasian counterparts. Sheretta Butler-Barnes, PhD, assistant professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, is working to change that.