Page 119 – The Source | Washington University in St. Louis

Stan H. Braude, professor of practice in Arts & Sciences, 62

Stan Braude, a professor of practice in biology and in environmental studies in Arts & Sciences, died at home June 1, 2024. Braude was the first curator of the university’s arboretum and a world expert on naked mole-rat ecology, evolution and behavior in the wild.

Students

Uncovering ‘the basis of humanity’ one puzzle at a time

For WashU MD/PhD student Sid Sivakumar, studying the brain is like constructing a crossword puzzle. Conveniently, he does both. He crafts puzzles for The New York Times, Washington Post — and now, the Record.

Awards & Notables

Collado named an Astronaut Scholar

Tomás Collado, a rising senior studying mechanical engineering at the McKelvey School of Engineering, has been named an Astronaut Scholar, one of the nation’s most prestigious STEM fellowships.

Medicine

Analysis reveals function of mitochondrial disease-related protein

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine have identified the function of a mitochondrial protein that plays a role in human disease. The research, led by BJC Investigator Dave Pagliarini, could provide new ways to diagnose and develop treatments for some rare mitochondrial diseases.

Awards & Notables

WashU recognized as a top workplace

Washington University in St. Louis has recently been recognized as a top workplace by several organizations. WashU won third place in the giant category in the St. Louis Business Journal’s annual “Best Places to Work” Awards.

Finance

WashU’s ‘philanthropy incubator’ helps donors maximize giving impact

A new program at Washington University in St. Louis’ Olin Business School is working with top charitable donors to help them achieve the biggest impact through their giving.

Awards & Notables

Ten inducted into Bouchet Graduate Honor Society

Inductees gather together on Danforth campus

The Bouchet Graduate Honor Society, established in 2005 by Yale University and Howard University to recognize outstanding scholarly achievement, recently inducted eight doctoral candidates and two postdoctoral fellows from Washington University.

Advancement

Statistician He installed as Kotzubei-Beckmann Distinguished Professor

Xuming He leads the new Department of Statistics and Data Science, born out of the Arts & Sciences strategic plan, which will tackle some of the most complex and pressing issues in science and society, including artificial intelligence, climate change, sustainability and public health.

Engineering

New machine learning method can better predict spine surgery outcomes

An elderly woman holds her lower back in pain

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis combine artificial intelligence and mobile health data to better predict recovery from lumbar spine surgery.

Alzheimer's

Alzheimer’s biomarker sTREM2 plays a causal, potentially modifiable, role in disease

Carlos Cruchaga, a professor of psychiatry at the School of Medicine, has shown that the protein sTREM2 plays a causal role in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, meaning that targeting the protein may affect the course of the disease.