Newsroom Stories

R. Marie Griffith, PhD, the John A. Bartlett Professor at Harvard University, has been named director of the John C. Danforth Center on Religion & Politics, announced Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton. Griffith, whose appointment takes place July 1, is known as a pioneer in the study of modern evangelical women.

Times Higher Education Six ‘superbrands’: their reputations precede them 3/9/2011 Washington University in St. Louis tied with eight other institutions for the 71st spot in Times Higher Education’s new ranking of the world’s most prestigious universities; Harvard University is #1. Elite Anglo-American names dominate the first World Reputation Rankings. The full listing of the top […]

Workers who have limited rights and are exposed to significant hazards and injuries might sound like something out of a Victorian novel, but it’s a reality for paid domestic service employees who perform tasks such as cleaning, cooking, childcare and care of the elderly. “Domestic employees face a variety of workplace hazards when working in clients’ homes, including exposure to harmful cleaning chemicals, verbal and physical abuse and injuries caused by lifting and moving clients with limited mobility,” says Peggie Smith, JD, employment law expert and professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis.

The SGC International is the largest printmaking organization in North America, with thousands of members in all 50 states, Canada, South America and Europe. Next week, the SGCI will bring more than 1,200 printmakers from around the world to the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis, which is hosting Equilibrium, the organization’s 2011 conference. 

Rebecca Skloot uncovered the incredible story of Henrietta Lacks, a medical mystery that illuminates the still-murky intersection of medical science, race and class. Her bookThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks has won numerous awards and is a New York Times bestseller. She will speak for the Assembly Series at 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 23, in Graham Chapel. The event is free and open to the public.

Appointments are available for the campus-wide blood drive Wednesday, March 30, at multiple locations on the Danforth, Medical and West campuses. All faculty, staff and students are encouraged to donate blood. Anyone who donated blood on or before Feb. 2 is eligible to donate again March 30.

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is launching a new master of science degree in biostatistics. Tailored to students with undergraduate degrees or higher in mathematics, statistics, biomedical engineering or other quantitative sciences, it is the university’s first program dedicated to training in biostatistics.

Standing beneath a portrait of Washington University co-founder William Greenleaf Eliot, Sir Nigel Sheinwald, British ambassador to the United States, delivers the annual T.S. Eliot Lecture March 4 in Holmes Lounge, Ridgley Hall. The lecture is named in honor of the famed poet and author who was the grandson of William Greenleaf Eliot. Sheinwald titled his address “Britain and America: An Easy Commerce of the Old and New,” taking a line from T.S. Eliot’s Little Gidding, the final poem of his Four Quartet.

James E. McLeod (right), vice chancellor for students, dean of the College of Arts & Sciences and a cancer survivor, walks the lead lap with other cancer survivors in the annual Relay for Life March 5-6 at Francis Field. Nearly $260,000 was raised for the American Cancer Society during the 12-hour event that began at 6 p.m. March 5 and ended at 6 a.m. March 6.

Planning to fill out a tournament bracket during this year’s NCAA March Madness tournament? Be careful. The games might not be as enjoyable if there’s a wager on the line, says a researcher at Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis.