Newsroom Stories

The hallmark of the 18-month Pathfinder Program in Environmental Sustainability at Washington University in St. Louis is the field trips to ecosystems, such as the Mojave Desert, that give students the chance to see and touch the land they have been studying. It’s hard to get the students back in the van, says Ray Arvidson, who leads the program.

Munish C. Gupta, MD, has been appointed professor and chief of spine surgery in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He comes from the University of California, Davis and will assume his new duties Sept. 1.

Many employees were recognized at the 2015 Staff Day for 10 or more years of service to Washington University in St. Louis.

David Shearrer, a leader in fundraising initiatives at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been named the university’s associate vice chancellor and director of medical alumni and development programs.

Cynthia Cosby, a champion for African-American students and alumni of Washington University in St. Louis, was the 18th recipient of the Gloria W. White Distinguished Service Award. Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton presented the award to Cosby before 700 of her peers at the annual Staff Day celebration May 18.

The Opportunity rover is currently exploring a Martian crater named the Spirit of St. Louis, after the famous aircraft — which was in turn named in honor of St. Louis citizens who purchased it for Charles Lindbergh. The mission team picked this naming scheme because Washington University team members spotted a promising target just beyond the crater. As long as the rover remains in the crater, the names will drawn from a list of names related to the famous flight. ​

Images captured in and around the Washington University in St. Louis campuses.

Researchers have designed a nanoparticle-based therapy that is effective in treating mice with multiple myeloma, a cancer of bone marrow immune cells. Targeted specifically to the malignant cells, these nanoparticles protect their therapeutic cargo from degradation in the bloodstream and greatly enhance drug delivery into the cancer cells.

“Thank you for what you have done so far, but you have raised my expectations through your successes,” said Chancellor Mark Wrighton, at Washington University in St. Louis’ 2015 Commencement. “The future of the world depends on you!”

Ken Burns delivered a sobering call to action to the Washington University in St. Louis Class of 2015 at its 154th Commencement ceremony May 15. “We broke it, but you’ve got to fix it,” he told some 15,000 graduates, parents, friends and family members gathered in Brookings Quadrangle.