Skemer will use NSF CAREER award to understand rock flow in Earth’s mantle

Philip Skemer, PhD, assistant professor in the department of earth and planetary science in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, has won a prestigious Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER award) from the National Science Foundation. He will use the award for a series of experiments in which rock samples will be deformed at the extreme temperatures and pressures they encounter along the boundaries where plates collide.

Sweet named Marriott Professor

Stuart C. Sweet, MD, PhD, a world leader in pediatric lung transplantation, has been named the W. McKim Marriott, MD, Professor of Pediatrics at the School of Medicine. Pictured is Joan Magruder, president of St. Louis Children’s Hospital, congratulating Sweet on the honor.

Sam Fox students at Contemporary Art Museum

The world is always falling apart. And artists have long been interested in the melancholy symbolism of ruin and decay. But in recent years, such themes have acquired particular urgency as global environmental issues increasingly become matters of both scientific and public concern.

Chilean artist Alfredo Jaar Feb. 10

Alfredo Jaar is one of Latin America’s foremost contemporary artists, known for installations and public interventions that investigate war, corruption, social justice, media desensitization and the global balance of power. On Monday, Feb. 10, Jaar will deliver the inaugural Bunny and Charles Burson Visiting Lecture for the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts.

Health Happening wellness fair Feb. 14

There’s more than one way to make sure your ticker gets some love this Valentine’s Day. Plan a visit to the annual Health Happening Fair from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 14, in the Eric P. Newman Education Center for free health screenings and information on a wide variety of health topics.

Sean Carroll tells the tale of courage, creative genius, enduring friendship and insight into the human condition for Assembly Series

Sean B. Carroll, PhD, is an evolutionary biologist, popular author, educator and Washington University alumnus (LA ’79) who discovered the beauty of the humanities while studying biology as a student here. His embrace of both worlds informs his most recent book, “Brave Genius: A Scientist’s Journey from the French Resistance to the Nobel Prize,” and is the title of his Assembly Series lecture at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6, in Graham Chapel.

Leading Together: The Campaign for Washington University is shaping the future​

Leading Together: The Campaign for Washington University has raised a total of $1.459 billion, as of Jan. 31, from alumni, parents, faculty, staff, corporations, foundations and friends. The campaign was publicly announced Oct. 6, 2012. Its overarching goal is “to enhance our leadership today to benefit America and the world tomorrow.”

Celebrated dancer returns to campus

Dancer and WUSTL alumna Elinor Harrison, a member of acclaimed New York troupe Jane Comfort and Company, returned to campus last week as the 2014 Marcus Residency Dance Artist.