Newsroom Stories

Two Washington University seniors and one 2015 alum (David Dwight, pictured) are assisting the Ferguson Commission to create and write its recommendations to improve education, municipal courts and governments, economic opportunities and the relationship between residents and law enforcement. 

​​Brittany Packnett, a 2007 graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, has received the 2015 Peter Jennings Award for Civic Leadership​ from Teach For America.​

​Next week marks the one-year anniversary of events in Ferguson that have since reverberated across the entire St. Louis community and the nation. The tragedy in Ferguson and subsequent events across the country have affected all and raised consciousness to major challenges that must be met. This special issue of the Record includes perspectives and updates intended to give us the opportunity not only to look back, but also to learn, engage and think about the road ahead.​

The U.S. Department of Justice released July 31 a report critical of the St. Louis County Family Court, alleging racial bias and unfair treatment of black youth, among other accusations. Mae Quinn, JD, professor of law and director of the Juvenile Law and Justice Clinic at Washington University in St. Louis, is hopeful the report will lead to some measure of change and reform.

The greatest risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease is advancing age. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified some of the key changes in the aging brain that lead to the increased risk. The changes center on amyloid beta 42, a main ingredient of Alzheimer’s brain plaques.​

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, led by Eric J. Lenze, MD, have received a $15 million grant to study strategies — including exercise, health education, meditation and yoga — aimed at helping older adults prevent or reverse typical age-related cognitive declines.

The Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis has launched three new joint-degree programs and a dual-degree program with Fudan University to begin this fall, expanding class offerings and learning opportunities both in St. Louis and around the world.

It was bedlam at mission control when the first images of Pluto came down over the Deep Space Network. Not only were there few craters, but some areas of the planet were smooth as a billiard ball and others rumpled and rippled; some stained the color of dried blood and others gleaming bright white. The variety meant that there was geology on Pluto, alien though the geological processes might be to earthlings.​

Each year, Larry J. Shapiro, MD, dean of the School of Medicine surprises employees with the highest accolades given to staff: the dean’s service awards. The top honor, the Dean’s Distinguished Service Award, this year went to Shirley R. Vaughn, of the Department of Anesthesiology. She is pictured with the dean.

Images captured in and around the Washington University campuses.