Page 21 – The Source | Washington University in St. Louis

Mid-decade redistricting may be new norm

The Missouri Legislature has passed a plan to redraw the state’s congressional maps, potentially handing a Democrat-leaning seat to Republicans and giving Republicans a 7-1 district advantage. Partisan mid-decade redistricting, once very rare, could become the new normal, says an expert on voting rights at Washington University in St. Louis.

Neuroscience & Memory

New study may help uncover childhood lead exposure’s true impact

Data scientists at Washington University in St. Louis used new statistical tools to find that the association between lead exposure and academic test scores may be even stronger than previously suspected.

Architecture

Sam Fox School faculty installation featured at 2025 Exhibit Columbus

“Inside Out,” an exhibition by Sam Fox School faculty Chandler Ahrens, Constance Vale and Kelley Van Dyck Murphy, is featured in the 2025 Exhibit Columbus “Yes And” exhibition in Indiana.

Appointments & Promotions

Thaker to lead Division of Gynecologic Oncology

Premal H. Thaker, MD, an accomplished clinician who has been recognized for her landmark research on ovarian cancer progression, has been named director of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at WashU Medicine.

Nutrition & Wellness

Protecting our food future: Experts confront biodiversity crisis

The School of Public Health will convene experts Sept. 23 to tackle accelerating biodiversity loss and explore strategies to safeguard food security and human health.

Nutrition & Wellness

Novel way to ‘rev up’ brown fat burns calories, limits obesity in mice

A new study led by researchers at WashU Medicine reveals possible new avenues to help brown fat produce more heat, which could aid in weight loss and improve metabolic health.

Health & Society

Americans favor voluntary mental health care amid federal push for forced treatment

A WashU public health researcher finds that there is bipartisan backing for crisis hotlines, walk-in centers and peer support — diverging from federal policies expanding forced treatment.

Art & Design

Betha Whitlow

As director of the Digital Art History Lab, Betha Whitlow provides work experiences to students that are both fruitful and fairly compensated. She wants the same for her WashU colleagues. On the Danforth Staff Council, she successfully advocated for parental leave.

Medicine

$4.87 million grant supports development of sepsis diagnostic device

A U.S. Department of Defense award will help WashU Medicine researchers develop a test to quickly group sepsis patients into risk categories based on their levels of two inflammatory biomarkers.

Space

WashU tapped for key role in future Artemis moon missions

In July, NASA formally designated WashU’s Geosciences Node, a division of NASA’s Planetary Data System that has been on campus since 1989, to serve as the lead science data node for the Artemis II, III and IV missions.