Plants feel the force

Plants feel the force

At the bottom of plants’ ability to sense touch, gravity or the proximity of a nearby trellis are mechanosensitive channels, pores through the cells’ plasma membrane that are opened and closed by the deformation of the membrane. Elizabeth Haswell, PhD, a biologist at Washington University in St. Louis, is studying the roles these channels play in Arabidopsis plants by growing mutant plants that lack one or more of the 10 possible channel proteins in this species.

Outlook magazine now digitally archived

From its humble beginning as a mimeographed, five-page news-sheet to today’s four-color, 36-page, high-quality glossy magazine and multimedia online presence, Outlook magazine has long been the featured source of information about the people and events of Washington University School of Medicine. Now complete issues of Outlook, from 1964-2011, are available in PDF format.

Music of Johannes Brahms Oct. 30

A string quartet from the St. Louis Symphony will join pianist Seth Carlin, professor of music in Arts & Sciences, and mezzo-soprano Debra Hillabrand, teacher of applied music, for a free concert featuring the music of Johannes Brahms (1833-97). Sponsored by the Department of Music and the St. Louis Symphony Community Partnership program, the performance will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the E. Desmond Lee Concert Hall.

Ting-Ting Chang returns

Visiting choreographer Ting-Ting Chang (in black, second from the front) leads a master class in modern dance for the Performing Arts Department in Arts & Sciences Oct. 4 in the Ann W. Olin Women’s Building. Chang, artistic director of the company DreamDance, was in residence with the PAD Oct. 2-7. In addition to leading master classes, she worked with students to set a piece for Kinetic Field Work, the 2011 Washington University Dance Theatre concert, which takes place Dec. 2-4 in Edison Theatre.

Water Flowing Together Oct. 26

At the age of five, Jock Soto watched a performance of George Balanchine’s Jewels on television and began studying ballet soon thereafter. Later, in a professional career that would stretch 24 years, Soto danced dozens of principal roles — many of which he originated — with the New York City Ballet. At 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26, Soto, a Distinguished Visiting Scholar in the Performing Arts Department, will introduce a public screening of Water Flowing Together, a documentary film about his remarkable life.

Class of 2015 settles into life on Danforth Campus

Approximately 1,500 members of the Class of 2015 arrived on campus this past August. The freshman class was selected from nearly 29,000 applicants, and approximately half are female and half male. And they have been acclimating well, thanks to welcome events and advice from WUSTL upperclassmen, faculty and staff.

Recognizing World Food Day (VIDEO)

The Brown School’s Transdisciplinary Problem Solving course on global hunger and undernutrition hosted a Hunger Banquet Oct. 18 in Brown Hall Lounge to recognize World Food Day. Hunger Banquet guests were given tickets as they entered the event representing food allowances from different income levels around the world. Mirroring the current crisis, food prices rose throughout the event, limiting the amount of food people could purchase. Video features comments by Brown School students Tess Thompson and Susan Vorkoper. 

The healing power of music

People visiting the Center for Advanced Medicine (CAM) on the campus of Washington University School of Medicine might be surprised to hear live music as they arrive at the facility’s bustling lobby. But for the past decade, the CAM has offered not only patient care at nearly two dozen treatment centers and the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, but also a tradition of impromptu entertainment.
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