Newsroom Stories

Two Washington University in St. Louis professors have been elected fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.The new fellows are Sarah C.R. Elgin, PhD, the Viktor Hamburger Professor of Arts & Sciences; and Alan R. Templeton, PhD, the Charles Rebstock Professor of Biology in Arts & Sciences.

New research by scientists at the School of Medicine provides evidence to explain why some people are more prone to develop kidney stones than others. The discovery opens the door to finding effective drug treatments and a test that could assess a person’s risk of kidney stones.

WUSTL is getting ready to reclaim the Guinness world record for longest massage chain Tuesday, April 24. Graduating seniors first set the record in 2010 before a group in Thailand broke it. Now, the WUSTL football team is hoping to gather 2,000 people on Francis Field — all in an effort to raise awareness about teen suicide.​

As a Washington University undergraduate, Aimee Lagos tutored kids from East St. Louis and later interned with a neighborhood stabilization project. Now a film director based in Los Angeles, Lagos will return to campus Monday, April 23, for a free screening of 96 Minutes, her feature-length debut. Inspired by true events, the film portrays four teenagers from two different worlds — until those worlds collide in the course of a carjacking.

​Students at Washington University in St. Louis work on their facades in preparation for this weekend’s Thurtene Carnival on the Danforth Campus. In addition to amusement rides, games and fun food, the carnival features family-friendly theatrical productions presented by university students. Students design and build temporary structures and write their own scripts, competing for awards, such as “best production” and “best construction.” ​ ​

Undergraduate interns in the Office of Admissions begin preparing materials for Washington University’s Multicultural Celebration Weekend, which begins Thursday, April 19. During Celebration Weekend, the WUSTL community offers admitted students the opportunity to meet current students and faculty and attend classes and student group meetings.

Paul Dowkontt (left) of the Department of Physics in Arts & Sciences is congratulated by Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton April 11 as he receives a wrapped silver platter in recognition of his 25 years of service to Washington University at the 2012 25th Anniversary Reception.

What is the American Dream’s role in today’s society? Experts from Washington University in St. Louis will explore this question in a panel discussion at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 18, in Brown Hall Lounge on the Danforth Campus. Panelists are Steven Fazzari, PhD, professor of economics in Arts & Sciences; Carter W. Lewis, playwright-in-residence in the Performing Arts Department in Arts & Sciences; and Mark R. Rank, PhD, the Herbert S. Hadley Professor of Social Welfare at the Brown School.

What is the Burrito Index? Can marriage impact cancer survival rates? Washington University in St. Louis students in social work and public health will explore these and many other topics at the Brown School’s inaugural Research Without Walls Student Research Symposium at 4 p.m. Thursday, April 19, in Brown and Goldfarb Halls on the Danforth Campus.

WUSTL dedicated the 10th annual Relay for Life, a signature fundraising event for the American Cancer Society, to James E. McLeod, vice chancellor for students and dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, who died Sept. 5, 2011, after a two-year battle with the disease. Luminary candles — each bearing the name of an individual who has battled cancer — illuminated Bushyhead Track, and McLeod’s daughter, Sara, read the speech given by her father at last year’s opening ceremony.