State health departments hit ‘like’ button on use of social media to spread information

A new study, led by Jenine K. Harris, PhD, assistant professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, examined the use of social media by state health departments in the United States. The study, published Feb. 7 in the journal Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research, found use of web-based sites such as Facebook and Twitter a growing trend.

Cooling may prevent trauma-induced epilepsy

In the weeks, months and years after a severe head injury, patients often experience epileptic seizures that are difficult to control. A new study in rats suggests that gently cooling the brain after injury may prevent these seizures.

Face and Figure in European Art, 1928-1945

In the early 20th century, utopian conviction about the promise of artistic abstraction was widespread. And yet, in the years between the World Wars, the human figure remained the site of significant artistic activity. So argues John Klein, associate professor of art history and archaeology, in Face and Figure in European Art, 1928-1945, now on view at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum.

Eight teams advance to final round of Sustainable Land Lab competition

Washington University in St. Louis and the City of St. Louis have announced the eight teams selected to move to the final round of the Sustainable Land Lab competition. The competition is the first of its kind in St. Louis where anyone can compete for the opportunity to create a two-year demonstration project to transform a vacant lot into an asset that advances sustainability.

WUSTL Wind Ensemble Feb. 24 ​

If the answer to a poem is another poem, the answer to music, clearly, is more music. On Feb. 24, the WUSTL Wind Ensemble will pair music by Charles Gounod and Johann Sebastian Bach with works from two contemporary composers in a free concert titled “The Old and the New.”

UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp named WUSTL provost

Holden Thorp, PhD, chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) and a highly respected research scientist and academic leader, will become provost of Washington University in St. Louis on July 1, according to Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton. He will succeed Edward S. Macias, PhD, who has served as chief academic officer for the past 25 years.

New mobile app helps students track campus shuttle

An undergraduate student at WUSTL helped create and launch a mobile app that helps students track the campus circulator shuttle. It’s called the “WUSTL Circulator,” and on its first day, it had up to four times as many downloads as typical new university apps.

Sam Fox School and Brookings Institution present “The Innovative Metropolis”

Sustainability and economic growth: two desirable goals which should demonstrably complement one another, especially in our cities. But how? On Feb. 21, the Sam Fox School and the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., will present The Innovative Metropolis, a daylong symposium (and web simulcast) on fostering economic competitiveness through sustainable urban design.