Perspectives

Eileen G’Sell, of Arts & Sciences, writes a piece on the Hyperallergic site about the horror film Mother!, exploring feminist elements of a film that she argues may be among the most-hated — and most-loved — of the year.

Mikhail Tikhonov, of Arts & Sciences, writes an op-ed in The Scientist about data in microbiome research and how many of our assumptions may be wrong.

Sociologist Caitlyn Collins investigates how public policies affect family life in Europe and the United States. She shares some of her findings on Arts & Sciences’ “Hold That Thought” podcast.

Award-winning poet Carl Phillips, of Arts & Sciences, discusses his teaching and writing and offers advice to young poets in a Q&A with ALIVE Magazine.

Jessica Hutchins, who works in career development with PhD and postdoctoral students at the School of Medicine, offers ideas in an Inside Higher Ed article for helping graduate students find jobs outside academia.

Paul Steinbeck, of Arts & Sciences, analyzes a painting by jazz saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell for British music journal The Wire. The painting was used as the cover for The Art Ensemble of Chicago’s album “The Third Decade.” Steinbeck recently published a book about the group.

What’s the secret to unlocking artificial intelligence (AI) and making it ubiquitous in our everyday lives? Insects may be the answer, suggests Silvia Zhang, of the School of Engineering & Applied Science, in a column on the Venture Beat website.

Michael Wysession, of Arts & Sciences, writes in an article on WashU Perspectives that in the western U.S., forest fires have become so common that people barely notice anymore — and discusses what such a cavalier attitude says about efforts to address climate change.

Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton writes in a column in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch this week that Bayer’s acquisition of St. Louis-based Monsanto Co. could be good for the region and add to its reputation as a leader in plant science and human health.

Political scientist Andrew Reeves, of Arts & Sciences, writes an analysis in The Washington Post about President Donald Trump’s response to the devastation in Puerto Rico — and how presidents’ actions often depend on an area’s political leanings and influence.