Record

Sophia Hayes, associate professor of chemistry in Arts & Sciences, was an undergraduate at the University of California, Berkeley, leaning toward an economics major when she stumbled into a quantum mechanics class and then a chemistry class with a collaborative research focus. Research projects were the hook, and “I crammed the chemistry major into my last two years,” Hayes says.

Maranda Witherspoon has agreed to co-lead a group of community members and public health experts who are working to improve cancer prevention and care in medically underserved populations.

Forsyth Boulevard between Olympian Way and Wallace Drive will be closed to through traffic from May 22 through August as WUSTL partners with the city of Clayton to replace the Forsyth bridge. Construction will officially begin on the project in late May following Commencement. Forsyth is anticipated to reopen in August, which is planned to coincide with the reopening of the underpass to pedestrian traffic.

Michael J. Welch, PhD, a pioneering radiochemist who was the author of more than 550 papers on the use of radioactive drugs in diagnosis and treatment of disease, died Sunday, May 6, 2012. He was 72.

A meeting to help Danforth Campus employers learn the process and benefits of hiring Federal Work-Study Program students as employees next fall will be held at 9:15 a.m. Thursday, May 24, at Wilson Hall, Room 214. The meeting is being hosted by Student Financial Services and is geared toward WUSTL employers and/or departments. 

Danforth Campus employees are invited to relax, have fun and celebrate with co-workers on Staff Day, Monday, May 21. Softball, volleyball, bike rides and bingo are just some of the many activities offered at Staff Day, a daylong celebration organized by the Office of Human Resources to recognize Danforth Campus staff members and show the university’s appreciation for their work throughout the year.

​Training in England gives Jane Garbutt, MBChB, a unique perspective on medical issues in the United States and how care can be provided differently. Garbutt strives to help pediatricians in private practice find the most effective treatments for everyday medical problems.

The Washington University in St. Louis Alumni Association will be hosting a “Washington University Day at Circus Flora” at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 9, that will be open to all members of the WUSTL community, including alumni, faculty and staff.

Washington University in St. Louis will hold a dedication ceremony at 4:30 p.m. Friday, May 4, in Whitaker Hall to pay tribute to Scott and Pyong Rudolph while giving the Earth & Planetary Sciences building a new name. TV host and “Science Guy” Bill Nye is guest speaker.

The second annual PB&Joy food drive at Washington University in St. Louis yielded 4,686 pounds of food and $4,664 in monetary donations. The cumulative effort is enough to feed 2,338 people for a day, according to Operation Food Search estimates.