Page 243 – The Source | Washington University in St. Louis

University helps launch STARS College Network

Washington University in St. Louis has teamed up with 15 of the nation’s leading public and private higher education institutions to launch STARS College Network (Small-Town And Rural Students), a new effort to help students from small-town and rural America enroll in, succeed at and graduate from the undergraduate program of their choice.

Medicine

Keeping COVID-19 in check likely to require periodic boosters

Vaccinating people with updated boosters as new variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 emerge could shore up population immunity even as the virus mutates, according to School of Medicine research. Such action could prevent another deadly COVID-19 wave.

Engineering

Small proteins in heart play big role

Two researchers at Washington University in St. Louis took a closer look at the signals that coordinate a heartbeat at the molecular level. What they found may provide new insights into different heart conditions and how to develop better therapies.

Mental Health

In Afghanistan, poverty, lack of education associated with dementia

In a newly published study, poverty was closely associated with higher rates of dementia among older adults in Afghanistan. Jean-Francois Trani, an associate professor at the Brown School, led the research.

Students

Sterling K. Brown to give WashU’s 162nd Commencement address

Sterling K. Brown, a St. Louis native and an award-winning actor who has earned three Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe, will deliver the May 15, 2023, Commencement address, according to Chancellor Andrew D. Martin.

Literature

Parvulescu wins René Wellek Prize

Anca Parvulescu, the Liselotte Dieckmann Professor of Comparative Literature and professor of English in Arts & Sciences, has won the 2023 René Wellek Prize for best monograph from the American Comparative Literature Association.

Cancer Research

Jumping genes in cancer cells open door to new immunotherapies

New research from the School of Medicine suggests that transposable elements in various cancers potentially may be used to harness novel immunotherapies against tumors that don’t typically respond to immune-based treatments.

Performing Arts

Violinist Augustin Hadelich to perform

Violinist Augustin Hadelich is a “technically dazzling” (New York Times) performer who revels “in the myriad ways of making a phrase come alive” (Washington Post). On April 16, Hadelich will present an intimate recital at Washington University as part of the 2023 Great Artists Series.

Psychology

This is your brain on everyday life

A new study by Zachariah Reagh in Arts & Sciences offers fresh insights into how the brain goes to great lengths to process and remember everyday events.

Awards & Notables

Researchers receive Alzheimer’s Association funding

Three School of Medicine researchers — Enmanuel Perez, Ibrahim Saliu and Steffen Storck — have received funding from the Alzheimer’s Association for projects that aim to study and make progress against the disease.