Record

Students head from the South 40 to their first day of class for the fall semester on Aug. 25.

Washington University in St. Louis Emergency Management Services has launched a new easy-to-use, mobile-friendly website. Features include a color-coded bar that changes from green to red in case of emergency and advisories from the National Weather Service.

Jason Q. Purnell, PhD, assistant professor at the Brown School, was a recipient of the Urban League Young Professionals of Metropolitan St. Louis’ 2014 Distinguished Young Professionals Award, in the area of Healthy and Quality of Life Empowerment.

The commute is about to get a little easier for employees and patients heading to Washington University Medical Center. After more than a year of construction activity, the improved Interstate 64/Highway 40 interchange at Tower Grove Avenue is scheduled to open the afternoon of Friday, Aug. 29.

Since the shooting of Michael Brown, the eyes of the world have turned to St. Louis. Over the last several weeks, associate professor Bob Hansman — one of the area’s most prominent community activists — has quietly ushered hundreds of students through the neighborhoods of north St. Louis, chronicling the racial, social and urban histories that have shaped conditions on the ground.

In continuing the university’s role as a welcoming place to discuss issues surrounding the events in Ferguson, Mo., the Office of the Provost at Washington University in St. Louis, in coordination with the Gephardt Institute for Public Service and the Office of Human Resources, are beginning a series of “Conversation Circles” on the Danforth Campus onThursday, Aug. 28.

University Provost H. Holden Thorp, PhD, dons safety glasses during a new faculty orientation Aug. 19 in Umrath Hall Lounge. Thorp says the university has an obligation to instill a culture that promotes safety.

D. Tab Rasmussen, PhD, professor of anthropology in Arts & Sciences, died Thursday, Aug. 7, 2014, after an accident at his home in Edwardsville, Ill. He was 56. Rasmussen was a highly recognized physical anthropologist specializing in paleontology and behavioral ecology, especially among primates.

Todd P. Margolis, MD, PhD, the Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Distinguished Professor and head of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, has been awarded a $115,000 grant by Research to Prevent Blindness to support research into the causes, treatment and prevention of blinding diseases.

Tao Ju, PhD, associate professor of computer science and engineering, has received a three-year, $234,668 grant from the National Science Foundation to advance his work in biological informatics.