Brookings descendant visits campus

John Wallace, Robert S. Brookings’ great-grandnephew, talks with Tenille Washburn (JD ’01), a student in the Brookings Executive Education (BEE) program, before a dinner at the Knight Center March 31. With Wallace is his wife, Ellen Wallace (right). The Wallaces were in town for a BEE conference on Daring to Lead. Robert S. Brookings was president of the Washington University in St. Louis Board of Trustees from 1895 to 1928.

Thurtene Carnival thrills the taste buds

Scallion pancakes, Strange donuts and deep-fried anything are among many delicacies to be dished out on campus this weekend during Thurtene, the nation’s oldest and largest student-run carnival. Rides, games and student performances will add to the fun.

2014 Relay For Life works toward a cure for cancer

Participants light the luminaries April 5 during the Relay For Life of Washington University in St. Louis. Relay for Life is a 12-hour event held at Francis Field annually. More then 1,500 participants form teams of 8-15 people and raise awareness and support for the American Cancer Society with the goal of finding a cure for cancer in our lifetime.

Washington University nets $3.4 million energy grant

Carbon dioxide, which enters the atmosphere through the burning of coal and other fossil fuels, is a significant contributor to U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Last year, President Barack Obama proposed a sweeping climate action plan to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Washington University in St. Louis, a leader in advanced coal research and technology, will be contributing to the president’s plan with research funded by a $3.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

$8 million to study gene-lifestyle interactions on heart health

School of Medicine researchers have received an $8 million grant to investigate the genetic and environmental roots of cardiovascular disease risk factors. The four-year grant will support the first large-scale, multiethnic statistical analysis of risk factors for cardiovascular disease that looks at lifestyle interactions with genes. Shown are principal investigators D.C. Rao, PhD, and Ingrid Borecki, PhD.

Youth group to host HIV awareness event April 10

In recognition of National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day, a youth leadership program of Project ARK and The SPOT will host an open-mic event to encourage young people to talk about HIV/AIDS and sexual health. The Youth Advocacy Committee will host the event from 7-9 p.m. Thursday, April 10, at Blank Space, 2847 Cherokee St., St. Louis.

‘500 Clown Trapped’ at Edison April 12

At once bouncy and philosophical, 500 Clown combines acrobatics, circus arts, commedia dell’arte and in-your-face improvisation to create a unique brand of physical, action-packed theater. On Saturday, April 12, the Chicago troupe will return to Edison with “500 Clown Trapped,” its first all-ages show.

Groundbreaking optical device could enhance optical information processing, computers

At St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, a section of the dome called the Whispering Gallery makes a whisper audible from the other side of the dome as a result of the way sound waves travel around the curved surface. Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have used the same phenomenon to build an optical device that may lead to new and more powerful computers that run faster and cooler.