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Wiesel: ‘Do not stand idly by’

Do not stand idly by if you witness injustice, Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor and human rights activist, told the Class of 2011 during WUSTL’s 150th Commencement ceremony May 20 in Brookings Quadrangle. “You must intervene,” he said. “You must interfere.”

Notables

Tammie Benziger, MD, PhD, assistant professor of radiology, received the 2011 Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award at the 7th Annual Postdoctoral Scientific Symposium March 29 at the School of Medicine. Najla Kfoury, PhD, a postdoctoral research associate in neurology, was awarded Best Poster at the poster session. Five postdoctoral researchers presented research: Ignacio Gonzalez Suarez, PhD; […]

Kiles’ mission: finding common ground

Planning one of the best-attended senior weeks doesn’t appear, at first glance, to be a major initiative to bridge cultural and racial divides, but to organizer and Senior Class President Alex Kiles, it is. Kiles, who will deliver the student speech at the 150th Commencement May 20, says that one of his missions since a pivotal experience in high school is to help people find common ground.

Boyer selected for Guggenheim fellowship

The Guggenheim Foundation has selected Pascal Boyer, PhD, from among 3,000 nominees to be one of its fellows for 2011. Boyer, the Henry Luce Professor of Collective and Individual Memory and professor of sociocultural anthropology and of psychology, all in Arts & Sciences, was one of only 180 scholars selected for the highly esteemed honor.
Medicine & Health

Direct link found between diet ingredients and gut microbes

Two new studies showcase the dynamic relationship between components of the diet and the intestinal microbiome. The research provides a foundation for improving human health by designing diets and foods that enhance microbes’ ability to capture specific food ingredients or that enrich the presence of beneficial microbes.
Humanities & Society

Media Advisory: Washington University Commencement is Friday, May 20

Washington University’s 150th Commencement begins at 8:30 a.m. Friday, May 20, in Brookings Quadrangle, directly west of Brookings Hall. The university will award 2,843 degrees to 2,719 undergraduate, graduate and professional students. The university also will bestow honorary degrees on five individuals, including the Commencement speaker, Nobel laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel.   

Teaching grants boost WUSTL’s commitment to collaboration

Bolstering its emphasis on interdisciplinary efforts, Washington University will offer five new courses rooted in a partnership between two or more schools. In tandem with the growing trend of cross-collaboration in research and the professional arena, the Office of the Provost created its Cross-School Interdisciplinary Teaching Grants Program in 2010. The first of those grants was announced last month.