Page 112 – The Source | Washington University in St. Louis

Why do we blame the victim?

In a new study published in Evolution and Human Behavior, Washington University researchers explore what causes people to decline lending a helping hand. In many cases, they find a way to blame the victim, resolving inner conflict by finding shortcomings in the person needing help, according to the research.

Cancer Research

Preventing early-onset colorectal cancers aim of $25 million award

Yin Cao, ScD, of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, is leading an international team seeking to understand what is driving the increase in early-onset colorectal cancer globally. To do so, her team has received funding from Cancer Grand Challenges, co-founded by Cancer Research UK and the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Awards & Notables

Lawlor inducted as AASWSW fellow

Edward F. Lawlor, the William E. Gordon Distinguished Professor and dean emeritus at the Brown School, has been named a fellow of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare, the nation’s leading honorific society of distinguished social work and social welfare scholars and practitioners.

Workplace

Celebrate International Women’s Day at Olin’s ‘She Suite’

Olin Business School’s annual “She Suite,” a panel discussion on women and leadership in the business world, is from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 7, in Knight Hall’s Emerson Auditorium. Register to attend the event in person or virtually.

Popular Culture

March Madness has less luck than you might think

This month marks the culmination of the college basketball season, when 68 teams vie to become national champion in the annual March Madness tournament. It must take a lot of luck to come out on top, right? Not as much as you might think, says a sociologist at Washington University in St. Louis.

Space

Finding new physics in debris from colliding neutron stars

Artist’s illustration of two merging neutron stars

Neutron star mergers are a treasure trove for new physics signals, with implications for determining the true nature of dark matter, according to research from physicist Bhupal Dev in Arts & Sciences.

Students

A conversation with Career Engagement’s Norma Guerra Gaier

Norma Guerra Gaier, leader of the new Washington University in St. Louis Center for Career Engagement, has assembled a talented team of career coaches, strategists and employer engagement specialists. Equally important, she is enlisting partners from every corner of campus to help prepare students for lifelong success. Here, Gaier shares her goals for the center.

Public Health

Social determinants of health increase Alzheimer’s risk

Social determinants of health are increasing Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia risk, finds a recent study from the Brown School and the School of Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis.

Mental Health

Capturing the power of ‘Black Girl Magic’

In a new study, Seanna Leath, an assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences, explores the benefits of the Black Girl Magic Crew, an after-school program designed by Black women and girls to help girls feel encouraged and supported.

Biology

How bias shows up in maps made with citizen science data

When biologist Elizabeth Carlen in Arts & Sciences saw that squirrels were not being reported in north St. Louis, she wanted to know why. Her new paper in People & Nature illustrates how social and ecological factors can create bias in contributory science data.