WashU Experts

While some progress has been made in the 10 years since Michael Brown’s death Aug. 9, 2014, in many ways we have regressed as a nation, said the School of Law’s Kimberly Norwood, an expert on social justice and civil rights issues.

Washington University in St. Louis faculty are available for media interviews marking the 10th anniversary of the death of Michael Brown Aug. 9, 2014, and subsequent civil unrest in Ferguson, Mo.

Clarissa Rile Hayward, a professor of political science in Arts & Sciences and an expert on social movements, said that Michael Brown’s death forced law enforcement agencies around the country to grapple with the racism within their departments and led to an uptick in activism and political engagement.

The demise of Chevron is unlikely to result in the dramatic curtailment of agency power that some had desired and some had feared, said Ronald Levin, the the William R. Orthwein Distinguished Professor of Law.

Known as a “gamble for resurrection,” leaders in crisis have long pursued risky actions in a final attempt to resurrect their careers. Dan Butler, professor of political science in Arts & Sciences, says the Democratic party is currently weighing its own gamble following Biden’s disappointing first debate.

Louisiana’s recent legislation requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom is likely unconstitutional under the current framework of the Establishment Clause, said an expert on law and religion at Washington University in St. Louis.

As psychedelic-assisted therapy gains mainstream acceptance, the role of social workers, who provide a significant portion of mental health services in the United States, will become increasingly important in this emerging field, says an expert on mental health in the Brown School.

Ning Zhang, an assistant professor of computer science and engineering in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University, one of three winners of the FTC’s Voice Cloning Challenge, talks about the technology he created.

Although earthquakes may seem uncommon in the New York area, they are not unheard of — and there are similarities to earthquakes experienced in St. Louis, according to seismologist Doug Wiens in Arts & Sciences.

Today’s debates about the value of college fail to weigh the importance of out-of-the-classroom experiences, says Anna Gonzalez, new board chair of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) and WashU vice chancellor for student affairs. She explores how student affairs leaders are preparing for the election, leveraging technology and taking on new responsibilities such as financial literacy and leadership development.