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WashU Libraries celebrates centenary of acclaimed writer William Gass

The William H. Gass Centenary Celebration and exhibit “William H. Gass: Fifty New Acquisitions” will shed new light on one of America’s most inspired — and intimidating — writers. Gass was author of the masterpieces “Omensetter’s Luck” and “Middle C” as well as three essay collections that won the National Book Critics Circle Awards for criticism.

Space

Balloon mission tests quantum sensor technology

A WashU-led team successfully launched the DR-TES mission Sept. 24 from NASA’s balloon launch facility in New Mexico. Physicists in Arts & Sciences are using this mission to test quantum X-ray and gamma-ray detectors in near-space conditions.

Awards & Notables

Keller selected for Focus St. Louis leadership cohort

Christine Keller, director of career communities and career development at at the Center for Career Engagement at WashU, was selected for Focus St. Louis’ fall 2024 Women in Leadership cohort among 34 local leaders.

Disparity

Brown School grant to address economic mobility

Jason Jabbari, an assistant professor at the Brown School, along with his collaborators, has received a two-year $225,000 grant from the Urban Institute’s Student Upward Mobility Initiative.

Obituaries

Karen Daubert, assistant vice chancellor at University MarComm, 63

Karen R. Daubert, assistant vice chancellor for administration and strategic partnerships in University Marketing & Communications at Washington University in St. Louis, died Thursday, Sept. 12, after a short battle with cancer. She was 63.

Campus & Community

Gordon receives Nierenberg Prize

Jeffrey I. Gordon, MD, at WashU Medicine, has been awarded the 21st annual Nierenberg Prize for outstanding contributions to science in the public interest. He is widely considered the founder of the field of gut microbiome research.

Health & Society

New census data reveals significant drop in uninsured Missourians

The uninsured rate in Missouri has dropped significantly, according to a new analysis by the Center for Advancing Health Services, Policy & Economics Research at Washington University in St. Louis.

Engineering

Language agents help large language models ‘think’ better, cheaper

An image generated by shutterstock showing a generic white box that says "GREAT CHOICE AI"

Researchers in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis have devised an agent to help large language models “think.”

Aging

Friedman Center grant to study experiences of ageism

The Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging has received an 18-month $136,000 grant from the RRF Foundation for Aging to study how older adults understand and experience ageism.

St. Louis Region

WashU research funding exceeds $1 billion for first time

Randall Bateman, MD (right), director of the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network (DIAN) and founding director of the DIAN-Trials Unit (DIAN-TU), confers with research technician Olatayo Ajenifuja. In his lab in the Jeffrey T. Fort Neuroscience Research Building, Bateman trains junior faculty, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students and undergraduates as they investigate the causes and methods of diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease by using a wide variety of assays and techniques. (Photo: Matt Miller/Washington University School of Medicine)

For the first time, annual research funding to Washington University in St. Louis has surpassed $1 billion. That funding supports WashU researchers tackling big challenges from Alzheimer’s disease to air pollution to childhood depression. Research funding also ripples across the economy, sparking job growth, construction and local spending.