Washington University in St. Louis graduate named Rhodes Scholar

Priya Mallika Sury, a 2010 graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, has been named a Rhodes Scholar, according to an announcement today by the Rhodes Trust. Sury is among 32 students from across the United States chosen for graduate study at the University of Oxford in England. Winners of the highly acclaimed award are selected on the basis of their undergraduate academic achievements, personal integrity, leadership potential and physical vigor.

Envisioning the next American economy

Van Jones, JD, wants to put Americans to work — millions of Americans, and not just any kind of work. The former special adviser on green jobs to President Barack Obama has a clear vision to solve the two most profound challenges facing the United States today: poverty and pollution. He will share that vision for the Assembly Series at noon Tuesday, Nov. 30, in Graham Chapel.

Campus Author: Anca Parvulescu, PhD — Laughter: Notes on a Passion

In Western literature on laughter, says Anca Parvulescu, PhD, a lot of attention is paid to why people laugh. Parvulescu’s book Laughter: Notes on a Passion (MIT Press, 2010) examines what people do when they laugh. What does laughter sound like? What are the different kinds of laughs that people laugh? What social, cultural and political work does laughter do?

WUSTL exceeds 2010 United Way goal

Thousands in the St. Louis community will benefit from the generosity of Washington University’s faculty, staff and retirees. The university has raised more than $651,000 in its United Way of Greater St. Louis campaign, surpassing its stated goal of $615,000.

Keeping WUSTL moving

Stephanie Hunter, transportation operations supervisor, manages WUSTL’s U-Pass program — which provides full-time faculty, staff and students free, unlimited use of Metro transit. “I was there in the beginning, and I helped to develop it, watched it grow,” Hunter says. “I take a lot of pride in seeing what a difference it makes to people on campus.”  

Notables

Carl Craver, PhD, associate professor of philosophy in Arts & Sciences, has received a two-year, $110,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities for research titled “Discovering Mechanisms: Strategies from the History of Biology.” … Gerald L. Early, PhD, the Merle Kling Professor of Modern Letters in Arts & Sciences, has received a one-year, […]

News highlights for November 19, 2010

NBC Television Network The Office The popular network sitcom “The Office” dropped the name of Washington University several times in last night’s show. Dunder-Mifflin employees made plans to launch a social media software named “Wuphf” and announced that Washington University was interested in buying it. Later, it was revealed that the St. Louis school wants […]