Newsroom Stories

On Nov. 18, Paul C. Paris, PhD, professor emeritus of mechanics in the School of Engineering & Applied Science at Washington University in St. Louis, received an honorary doctorate from the University of Paris West, one of many awards to cap his career in fracture mechanics.

Koong-Nah Chung, PhD, has been named associate dean and director of the Office of Medical Student Research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

The Washington University Symphony Orchestra will perform music of Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Joseph Haydn and Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 21, in the university’s E. Desmond Lee Concert Hall. 

Scientists battling Leishmania, a parasite second only to malaria in the number of deaths it causes, have identified an important vulnerability in the genetic code of one major parasite strain.

Students dance during the annual Diwali, or Festival of Lights, program Nov. 12 at Edision Theatre. Diwali is one of the most widely celebrated and largest student-run productions on campus. It is organized by Ashoka, the South Asian Student Association, and it has been a WUSTL tradition for 21 years.

Pro Bono Australia State of the world volunteerism report 11/18/2010 The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) organisation is preparing the first ever report on the State of the World’s Volunteerism. Produced by the United Nations with the assistance of consultants and academics from around the world, the report is set to launch on International Volunteer Day […]

The Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum at Washington University in St. Louis will present three experimental features exploring relationships between film and visual art as part of its Contemporary Brazilian Film Festival. Held in conjunction with the exhibition Rivane Neuenschwander: A Day Like Any Other, the festival will feature screenings of Aboio on Dec. 7, Andarilho (Drifter) on Dec. 8 and Terras (Lands) on Dec. 9.

Viruses have led scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis to the discovery of a security system in host cells. Viruses that cause disease in animals beat the security system millennia ago. But now that researchers are aware of it, they can explore the possibility of bringing the system back into play in the fight against diseases such as sudden acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), West Nile virus, dengue and yellow fever.

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 […]