Page 1081 – The Source | Washington University in St. Louis

A legend returns, in spirit

St. Louis native Gus Giordano, who died in 2008, is widely considered the father of jazz dance — at once founder, teacher, popularizer and finest exemplar. At 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, April 10 and 11, the company he founded, Giordano Dance Chicago, returns to its roots with two shows in Washington University’s Edison Theatre.

Campus & Community

Resurrecting the past: Evolutionary biologist Shapiro to speak for Assembly Series

At the forefront of ancient DNA research is evolutionary biologist and MacArthur Fellow Beth Shapiro, DPhil, who will deliver the annual Ferguson Science Lecture at 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 31, in Knight/Bauer Hall’s Emerson Auditorium. The program, free and open to the public, is co-sponsored by the Woman’s Club of Washington University.

Toliver-Diallo named to Arts Council panel

Wilmetta Toliver-Diallo, PhD, assistant dean in Arts & Sciences, has been appointed by the Missouri Arts Council to serve on its advisory panel for festivals. Her term runs until June 30, 2016.

Campus & Community

Yang named Skinner Professor

Lan Yang, PhD, has been named the Edward H. and Florence G. Skinner Professor in the Department of Electrical & Systems Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis. She was installed March 16.

Campus & Community

Active Transportation Month promotes alternative commuting

Car Free Month has a new name, but the same goal – to motivate Washington University in St. Louis students, faculty and staff to try new ways to get around town. Now called Active Transportation Month, the annual event starts April 1 and features free bike tune-ups, a breakfast for bikers and a Metro Scavenger Hunt.

Campus & Community

Brimer brothers help StEP kick off speaker series

The Student Entrepreneurial Program (StEP) at Washington University in St. Louis kicks off its speaker program at 5 p.m. Monday, March 23, with entrepreneurial brothers Andrew and Matthew Brimer. Andrew Brimer (right), a 2013 graduate of Washington University, runs Sparo Labs. His brother, Matthew, operates a company called General Assembly in New York. The event takes place in Room 276 of the Danforth University Center and is free and open to the public.

Cancer Research

Kidney cancer detected early with urine test

Finding kidney cancer early has been among the disease’s greatest challenges. Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed a noninvasive method to screen for kidney cancer that involves measuring the presence of proteins in the urine.

Medicine & Health

Vitamin D prevents diabetes and clogged arteries in mice

A deficiency of vitamin D has been linked to Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, two illnesses that commonly occur together and are the most common cause of illness and death in Western countries. Now, new research in mice led by the School of Medicine’s Carlos Bernal-Mizrachi suggests vitamin D plays a major role in preventing the inflammation that leads to Type 2 diabetes and atherosclerosis.

Arts & Culture

An icy lament, inspired by Ferguson

The Los Angeles Piano Quartet, widely considered one of the premier ensembles in the United States, will perform new work by Washington University composer Christopher Stark, along with pieces by Samuel Barber and Antonin Dvořák, at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 28, in the E. Desmond Lee Concert Hall.

Blumer receives NIH grant for protein signaling research

Kendall J. Blumer, PhD, professor of cell biology and physiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received a four-year, $2.2 million renewal grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for research titled “Mechanism and Regulation of Receptor-G Protein Signaling.”