Newsroom Stories

Four faculty members of Washington University in St. Louis were elected members of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, the academy announced April 19. They are Jean Allman, Scott J. Hultgren, Tristram R. Kidder and Lilianna Solnica-Krezel.

Fuzhong Zhang, at the McKelvey School of Engineering, developed a method to create synthetic spider silk at high yields while retaining strength and toughness using mussel foot proteins.

An FDA-approved sleeping pill reduced levels of Alzheimer’s proteins in a small study of healthy volunteers led by School of Medicine researchers. The study hints at the potential of sleep medications to slow or stop Alzheimer’s progression, although much more research is needed regarding such an approach.

The Sam Fox School will present WashU’s 94th Annual Fashion Design Show April 22 in Holmes Lounge. One of the oldest such shows in the nation, the event will feature dozens of models wearing scores of outfits that together explore the intersection of clothing and culture.

A new study by researchers at the School of Medicine reveals that a connection between the body and mind is built into the structure of the brain.

The 32nd annual Powwow, sponsored by the Brown School’s Kathryn M. Buder Center for American Indian Studies, will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 22.

The inaugural recipient of the Kornitzer Distinguished Professorship will be Diana Z. O’Brien, a professor of political science in Arts & Sciences. She will be formally installed in a ceremony this fall.

A new partnership between the Weidenbaum Center and Harvard University will give social scientists at Washington University the opportunity to receive constructive, anonymous feedback on their research at any stage. The program aims to improve scholarship and speed its publication.

The Performing Arts Department in Arts & Sciences will present “F***ing A,” Suzan-Lori Parks’ blistering riff on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter,” in the A.E. Hotchner Studio Theatre April 20-23.

A clinical trial led by the School of Medicine has shown that the investigational drug motixafortide — when combined with the standard therapy for mobilizing stem cells —may improve stem cell transplantation for multiple myeloma patients.