Page 144 – The Source | Washington University in St. Louis

Gephardt Institute accepting proposals for Engage Democracy programs

As part of the Engage Democracy 2024 election event series, the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement invites the WashU community to propose nonpartisan events and programming that encourages voter registration and increases education and engagement in the 2024 elections.

Engineering

New research creates framework for large-scale geospatial exploration

Computer scientists at the McKelvey School of Engineering have developed a framework for large-scale geospatial exploration using a novel visual reasoning model.

Academics

What we know — and don’t know — about the new FAFSA

After a shaky launch, the new 2024-25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid is now accessible and largely bug-free, says Mike Runiewicz, assistant vice provost and director of Student Financial Services. Here, Runiewicz explains what families need to know about the new form and how the new federal financial aid formula may impact financial aid awards for college students.

Law

Kim Thuy Seelinger

Kim Thuy Seelinger, with roles at both the Brown School and the School of Law, combines social work and law as a sought-after expert to help with prosecution of conflict-related sexual violence.

Awards & Notables

Kwon, Newland named to antibiotic resistance advisory council

Jennie H. Kwon, DO, an associate professor of medicine in infectious diseases, and Jason G. Newland, MD, a professor of pediatrics, both at the School of Medicine, have been selected to serve on the Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria.

Economy

VC bust? Time to return to fundamentals in 2024

A businessman blows a balloon and a giant hand holds a needle.

After years of record investments and outsized returns fueled by ultralow interest rates, 3,200 U.S. private venture-backed companies — mostly tech startups — went out of business last year. Doug Villhard at Olin Business School said the bust will cause the industry to reassess what is really important.

Space

Samples from a Wild comet reveal a surprising past

Workers in orange coats carry the Stardust mission return capsule inside a protective covering.

Eighteen years after NASA’s Stardust mission returned to Earth with the first samples from a known comet, the true nature of that icy object is coming into focus, according to physicist Ryan Ogliore in Arts & Sciences.

Medicine & Health

Washington University and Deerfield Management launch VeritaScience to drive drug discovery

Lab tech holds a pipette over a glass bottle in a lab setting

Washington University in St. Louis and Deerfield Management, a health-care investment firm, announced the launch of VeritaScience, a new private R&D collaboration designed to advance the discovery, clinical development and commercialization of promising therapeutic and diagnostic candidates with potential to benefit human health.

Architecture

Sam Fox School spring Public Lecture Series begins Jan. 26

Artists Judith Barry and Kahlil Robert Irving, architects Fernanda Canales and Michael Maltzan, landscape architect Julie Bargmann and philosopher Timothy Morton are among the internationally renowned creative professionals who will discuss their work for the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts’ spring Public Lecture Series.

Climate & Environment

Four factors that drove 2023’s extreme heat

2023 was the hottest year in recorded history. Michael Wysession, a professor of earth, environmental and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences, explains four factors that drove the year’s extreme heat and climate disasters — and what this means for the future.