The Holocaust through the eyes of Soviet-Jewish photographers

Three years before American troops liberated the Buchenwald and Dachau concentration camps, experiencing the true horror of Nazi brutality, a handful of Soviet-Jewish photographers bore witness to Nazi atrocities in their homeland. Seven decades later, historian and scholar David Shneer shares their story for the Washington University Assembly Series and annual Holocaust Memorial Lecture, “Through Soviet Jewish Eyes: Photography, War, and the Holocaust.” The free and open event will be held at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 4 in Wilson Hall Room 214.

Genome sequenced of enterovirus D68 circulating in St. Louis

Researchers led by Gregory A. Storch, MD, at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, have sequenced the genome of enterovirus D68 sampled from patients treated at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Nationwide, the virus has spread rapidly in recent months and caused severe respiratory illness in young children, with some patients requiring hospitalization.

Addressing global challenges: The role of research universities

Representatives and leadership from Washington University and the 28 McDonnell International Scholars Academy institutions came together with policymakers, researchers, students and corporate partners for the recent Fifth International Symposium on “The Role of Research Universities in Addressing Global Challenges.” The symposium, sponsored by the McDonnell Academy, focused on how interdisciplinary research and education collaboration can lead to innovative solutions for the world’s most pressing problems

Hot on the trail of the Asian tiger mosquito

The Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) was spotted in Houston in 1985 but can now be found in all of the southern states and as far north as Maine. To reconstruct its spread, scientists turned to the new discipline of landscape genetics. Correlating genetic patterns with landscape patterns, they concluded that the mosquito had hitched a ride along highways. One of only a handful of landscape genetics studies to track an invasive species, this is the first to detect hitchhiking.

Student receives Fulbright-Hays research-abroad funding

Adrienne Strong, a graduate student studying in sociocultural anthropology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, has received Fulbright-Hays-Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Program funding.

Walk through buildings from your own device

The School of Engineering’s Yasutaka Furukawa, PhD, combines 3-D computer vision of indoor scenes with the capabilities of Google Maps and Google Earth to create a unique, high-resolution, photorealistic mapping experience of indoor spaces. Though he is starting with spaces like the New York museum The Frick Collection, he intends to bring his technology to St. Louis — specifically to Washington University’s Danforth Campus.

Olin Fellowship Program for Women in Graduate Studies recognizes 40th year on campus

The Mr. and Mrs. Spencer T. Olin Fellowship Program for Women in Graduate Studies is celebrating its 40 years on Washington University’s campus during the 40th annual Olin Fellowship Conference, “How Climates Change,” Oct. 30-31. Jane Lubchenco, PhD, the first woman to head the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association, will give the keynote address at 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 31, in Graham Chapel.

The right to privacy in a big data world

In the digital age in which we live, monitoring, security breaches and hacks of sensitive data are all too common. It has been argued that privacy has no place in this big data environment and anything we put online can and probably will be seen by prying eyes. In a new paper, noted Washington University in St. Louis privacy law expert Neil M. Richards, JD, makes the case that when properly understood, privacy rules will be an essential and valuable part of our digital future.