Design with the Other 90%: CITIES Sept. 14

Solar lanterns. Bicycle-powered cell phone chargers. A personal water-purifier the size of a large straw. Today, some of the world’s most creative, challenging and sophisticated design is found not in museums or showrooms, but in the poor, makeshift urban settlements that collectively house nearly a billion people. This fall, the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum will present Design with the Other 90%: CITIES, a major survey that aims to expand contemporary definitions of just what constitutes “good design.”

Brain imaging can predict how intelligent you are, study finds

New research from Washington University in St. Louis suggests that as much as 10 percent of individual differences in intelligence can be explained by the strength of neural pathways connecting the lateral prefrontal cortex to the rest of the brain. Findings establish “global brain connectivity” as a new method for understanding human intelligence.

Gabby Reuveni, undergraduate, 20

Gabby Reuveni, a rising junior, died Saturday, July 14, 2012, after being struck by a pickup truck while running in Palmyra Township, Pa. Reuveni was a member of the WUSTL women’s cross country and track & field teams.

Grants to spur robust startup culture in St. Louis

Jonathan T.Z Chen, a 2008 Olin Business School graduate and co-founder and chief operating officer of MedPreps LLC, gives a thumbs-up after his company won a $50,000 Arch Grant. Chen is among 11 Washington University-affiliated entrepreneurs to win one of the inaugural grants designed to boost startups.

Landslides on other worlds

Landslide on Iapetus
Saturn’s ice moon Iapetus has more giant landslides than any solar system body other than Mars. Measurements of the avalanches suggest that some mechanism lowered their coefficients of friction so that they flowed rather than tumbled, traveling extraordinary distances before coming to rest. Scientists at Washington University in St. Louis, who have been studying the ice avalanches suggest a experimental test that might provide some answers.

University College to host Preview Night Aug. 9

University College will host a Preview Night at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 9, in Holmes Lounge in Ridgley Hall. Preview Night provides information on class and program offerings, WUSTL employees’ tuition benefits, admissions requirements and financial aid. Fall semester classes at University College start Aug. 28.

Contemporary Night Out Aug. 2

Three local arts organizations will team up to host Contemporary Night Out, an evening of short, informative programs focusing on the world of contemporary art. The free event, which takes place from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 2, will begin at Washington University’s Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, then proceed to the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis in Grand Center before ending next door at The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts. Each stop will feature food and drinks as well as a short interactive presentation.