Newsroom Stories

Students played a game of Quidditch in the South 40 Swamp Nov. 15 as part of Harry Potter Week. The college councils from four residential colleges organized the week to celebrate the opening of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, which premieres in St. Louis at midnight Thursday, Nov. 18. More than any other group, this generation of college students has grown up with the Harry Potter franchise.

Yahoo News / MyHealthNewsDaily Some brains might be compensating for autism risk 11/16/2010 Scientists say they have identified a distinct pattern of brain activity that may indicate whether a person is genetically predisposed to autsim. “The study is extremely innovative, and provides remarkable new clues to the origins of autism—which, if replicated, constitute major new […]

Washington University in St. Louis will offer a doctoral program in rehabilitation and participation science beginning in fall 2011 designed to meet the growing demand for medical scientists in the rehabilitation field. “This unique program is aimed to train scientists within the areas of occupational science, neuroscience, environmental science and engineering to provide a scientific basis to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities and chronic health conditions and to increase their ability to participate in family, work and community life,” says Carolyn Baum, PhD, the Elias Michael Director of the Program in Occupational Therapy and professor of occupational therapy and of neurology.

Washington University’s Center for the Humanities and Program in Film & Media Studies will host the Seventh Annual Children’s Film Showcase Friday and Saturday, Nov. 19 and 20. Titled “An Exploration of Children’s Films and Their Audiences,” the showcase is presented in conjunction with Cinema St. Louis and will feature four screenings as well as Q&A sessions with several of the filmmakers.

The campus of Washington University in St. Louis will be a hotbed of volleyball activity this weekend, Nov. 19-21, as the 2010 NCAA Division III Volleyball Championship comes to the Washington University Field House. “To be selected as the host site is a privilege,” says John Schael, director of athletics. “To have the participating student-athletes, coaches and administrators on our campus is a pleasure, and to have Washington University’s named connected with the championships is an honor.”

Jai P. Nagarkatti, PhD, a member of the Washington University Board of Trustees since 2007 and chairman, president and CEO of Sigma-Aldrich Corp., died Saturday, Nov. 13, 2010, in St. Louis, Mo., of a heart attack. He was 63. Nagarkatti was elected to the WUSTL Board of Trustees in 2007 and has been a member of the board’s Research-Graduate Affairs Committee.

Technology Review What happens when you breathe in nanoparticles 11/16/2010 Scientists have tracked the flow of nanoparticles from the lungs to the bloodstream for the first time. The work could enable the development of new drugs and show how pollution can cause respiratory problems. Scientists are manipulating nanoparticles to find better ways to carry them […]

What happens when great classical music falls into the hands of complete, if talented, idiots? Find out when Pluck, the world’s funniest string trio, descends upon Washington University’s Edison Theatre with Musical Arson, a slapstick spoof of concert hall decorum. 

WUSTL’s University College will host “The Future of Sports,” a panel discussion featuring Bob Costas, Bill James and other sports experts and historians, at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 29, in Graham Chapel. The panel discussion is free and open to the public. The panelists will discuss topics ranging from performance-enhancing drugs to the collective-bargaining negotiations in the National Football League to the potential rise of soccer in the United States.  

Before Google became a household word, engineers like Anna Patterson (EN ’87, EN ’87) were figuring out how to search the Internet and find the most relevant answers to random queries. The director of Google Research returns to campus at 8 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 18, as guest speaker co-sponsored by Olin Business School and the School of Engineering & Applied Science. She will talk about her experience in Silicon Valley as an entrepreneur and member of the Google team.