Newsroom Stories

The WikiLeaks controversy raises a number of important legal issues about national security and freedom of the press under U.S. law, says Neil Richards, JD, professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis. Journalists and government officials have suggested that either WikiLeaks or The New York Times (NYT) might face legal liability for publishing the contents of diplomatic cables and other leaked documents. “In order to find either WikiLeaks/Julian Assange or the NYT liable, the government would need to prove two things — first that a law had been broken, and second that enforcement of the law was constitutional under the First Amendment,” Richards says.

Acclaimed fiction and nonfiction writer Francine Prose took time during her recent visit to speak with students and faculty over tea in the Ann W. Olin Women’s Building Formal Lounge Nov. 30. Prose was on campus to receive the 2010 Washington University International Humanities Medal, awarded biennially by the Center for the Humanities in Art & Sciences and the Washington University Libraries to a noted scholar, writer or artist who has made a significant and sustained contribution to the world of letters or the arts.

School of Medicine students showcase their artistic talents at the Dec. 2 coffeehouse at the Farrell Learning and Teaching Center. Medical students such as Kristen Danley gather a few times a year to sing, play piano and other instruments and read poetry.

Daily Kos New report: Nearly half of elderly will experience poverty 12/09/2010 A new study from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis sounds a huge warning bell for America’s seniors, current and future. Nearly half of all Americans between the ages of 60 and 90 will encounter at least one year of […]

The National Law Review has named Heejung Park, a master of laws student at Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, a winner of its student writing contest. Park, who is from Korea, is studying U.S. law.

Washington University is starting a Nanotechnology Undergraduate Education (NUE) program. The NUE program, which will take applicants in the fall of 2011, has two components. The first is a new minor in nanotechnology open to any undergraduate pursuing a major in engineering, biology, physics or chemistry. The second is a summer fellowship open to undergraduates to develop nanotechnology teaching modules for K-12 students.

Politico Pelosi’s best bet: Just say no 12/08/2010 House Democrats enter the new Congress hoping their future still holds bright promise for a return to majority control in 2012. But the challenges are much more complex now for outgoing speaker Nancy Pelosi. “Her best bet is to fade out of the foreground a little bit, […]

The WUSTL Sustainability Awareness Committees have announced the winners of the university’s first Children’s Sustainability Art Contest. The contest was held this fall for WUSTL children attending kindergarten through eighth grade to raise awareness among university families of the importance of sustainable living.

Washington University Orthopedics has opened a spine center at its outpatient facility in Chesterfield, Mo., to provide comprehensive, specialized care to patients with spine injuries and disorders.  

The following are among the new faculty members at Washington University: Mark Anastasio, PhD; John Fortner, PhD; Paul Ramírez, PhD; Matthew Kerr, PhD; and Brent Williams, PhD.