Aiming for the stars

Early in September, the X-Calibur mission, preparing for launch at the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Fort Sumner, N.M., put its pointing system through its paces to make sure all of its parts were working in programmed harmony.

9/11 to be remembered with 2,977 flags on Mudd Field​

Members of the Washington University in St. Louis College Republicans will spend the evening of Sept. 10 on Mudd Field planting 2,977 flags — one for each life lost on 9/11. Junior Kaitlyn Cullen says it’s important that those too young at the time to comprehend the tragedy reflect on it now.

Jane Jennings, Gail Hintz present Liederabend Sept. 14

Soprano Jane Jennings and pianist Gail Hintz will perform Washington University in St. Louis’ annual Liederabend concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 14, in the 560 Music Center. Literally translated as “evening of song,” Liederabend is a German term referring to a recital given by a singer and pianist, particularly of works by 19th-century Austrian or German composers.

Open Streets initiatives benefit physical, social health of communities

Open Streets initiatives temporarily close streets to automobile traffic, so that people may use them for walking, bicycling, dancing, playing and socializing. Although the movement is gaining popularity in the United States — more than 100 different cities have hosted Open Streets events since 2008 — little is known about planning and implementing them. Brown School researchers Amy Eyler, PhD, and J. Aaron Hipp, PhD, explore the development and implementation of Open Streets initiatives and make recommendations for increasing the capacity of organizers to enhance their success.

​​WUSTL Libraries receive grant to implement open-source software

​The Washington University Libraries have received a $50,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The grant will allow the library system, led by University Librarian Jeffrey Trzeciak, to implement Hydra, a powerful open-source software system that facilitates collaboration among institutions that want to share their digital collections and link them to related materials held elsewhere.

Re-formed trio Tracer launches Jazz at Holmes Sept. 11

In the 1970s and ’80s, the St. Louis band Tracer was one of the area’s premiere exponents of fusion-style jazz. On Thursday, Sept. 11, the re-formed Tracer will launch Jazz at Holmes Series. The annual fall series also will include tributes to John Coltrane, Charles Mingus and Gaslight Square.

Corbo receives two research grants

Joseph Corbo, MD, PhD, associate professor of pathology and immunology, of genetics and of ophthalmology and visual sciences, has received a one-year, $25,000 grant from the Center for the Investigation of Membrane Excitability Diseases for research titled “High-Throughput Functional Analysis of Non-Coding Regions Related to Arrhythmias.”

Need for authenticity drives gender transitions in later life

As we age, all of us begin to think about what makes us tick and what kind of legacy we want to leave. For some, this manifests itself in the purchase of a motorcycle, a boat or an exotic vacation. But for others, the issues of age and transition are a bit more contemplative. Vanessa Fabbre, PhD, assistant professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, considers these issues in her paper “Gender Transitions in Later Life: The Significance of Time in Queer Aging,” recently published in the 2014 issue of the Journal of Gerontological Social Work.