Gephardt Institute’s Civic Engagement Fund seeking applicants

The Gephardt Institute for Public Service invites students, faculty and staff to apply for the Civic Engagement Fund (CEF), which awards grants to support service trips, civic initiatives or community service projects. CEF grants, available to individuals and groups, provide up to $500 for projects in the St. Louis area, across the country and around the world. Deadline for the upcoming funding rounds are April 13 and July 20.

Songs of love and marriage April 1

Written in 1956 as a gift for a friend’s wedding, Daniel Pinkham’s Wedding Cantata consists of four movements based on texts from The Song of Songs, the Biblical book most explicitly dedicated to the joys of earthly love. On April 1, the Washington University Concert Choir and the Washington University Chamber Choir will present the Wedding Cantata as the centerpiece of Many Waters, a free concert of songs about love and marriage.

Mr. Wash U to be crowned April 5

Mr. Wash U will be crowned Thursday, April 5, during the annual talent show in Edison Theatre. As part of the contest, undergraduates participate in the talent show and raise funds for City Faces, an after-school art and tutoring program for children in St. Louis’ Clinton-Peabody public housing projects. 

Washington University Libraries announce winners of 25th annual essay competition

Winner have been named for the 25th annual Neureuther Student Book Collection Essay Competition sponsored by Washington University Libraries. WUSTL undergrads and graduate students entered their essays into one of two categories, competing for prizes of $1,000 for first place and $500 for second place in each category.

Washington People: Leonard Bacharier

Balancing research, patient care, administration and mentoring could be overwhelming to some, but Leonard Bacharier, MD, says it’s all about remembering one’s priorities. The WUSTL alumnus is now one of the leading pediatric asthma and allergy specialists nationwide, helping kids feel and breathe better.

Herschbach to muse on ‘silly, serious science’ for Assembly Series

Nobel Laureate Dudley Herschbach thinks that science and humor have been a winning combination for many successful Americans, all the way back to Ben Franklin. At 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 4, he will explain his reasoning behind that concept for the annual Ferguson Science Lecture. His talk, “Silly Serious Science: Homage to IgNobel and Ben Franklin” will be held in Graham Chapel on the Washington University Danforth Campus. The program is free and open to the public.

Supreme Court’s health-care decision to shape presidential campaign, says WUSTL health economist

The Supreme Court’s ruling on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will have a major impact on the presidential campaign, says Timothy D. McBride, PhD, health economist and associate dean for public health at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. “The health reform legislation was the signature piece of social legislation passed by President (Barack) Obama’s administration in his first term,” he says. How the court’s decision will influence the election could be quite complex, says McBride. The court is hearing arguments in the case March 26-28

Pow Wow celebrates American Indian cultures March 31

The 22nd annual Pow Wow at Washington University in St. Louis, a festival of American Indian cultures, will be held Saturday, March 31, in the WU Field House. This event, hosted by the Kathryn M. Buder Center for American Indian Studies at the Brown School of Social Work, is free and open to the public. Visitors and participants will be able to enjoy dancing, singing, drumming, arts, crafts and food. Grand entries will take place at noon and 6 p.m. Traditional arts and crafts booths and community information booths open at 10 a.m.