Page 387 – The Source | Washington University in St. Louis

First artificial scaffolds for studying plant cell growth

Ryan Calcutt and Ram Dixit in Arts & Sciences and their collaborators created the first artificial scaffolds that can support the growth of individual plant cells — a discovery that will make it possible to study how forces such as gravity affect the way that plant cells form and grow.

Psychology

Psychotic experiences in children predict genetic risk for mental disorders

New research from Washington University suggests that psychotic-like experiences in children may predict risk for mental illness.

Neuroscience & Memory

Hit the sleep ‘sweet spot’ to keep brain sharp

Older adults who sleep short or long experienced greater cognitive decline than those who sleep a moderate amount, even when the effects of early Alzheimer’s disease were taken into account, according to a study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine.

Campus & Community

Glenn to retire as chief of Washington University Police Department

Mark Glenn, chief of the Washington University Police Department (WUPD), will retire from the university and leave his position on Nov. 8, according to Shantay Bolton, executive vice chancellor for administration and chief administrative officer.

Humanities & Society

Teaching about race in K-12 education

Lisa Gilbert, a lecturer in education in Arts & Sciences, shares her perspective on how social studies education has changed over the last 20-30 years, why this has become such a polarizing issue and where schools should go from here.

Engineering

Environmental injustice, population density and the spread of COVID-19 in minority communities

Research from the lab of Rajan Chakrabarty at the McKelvey School of Engineering connects environmental injustice to the spread of COVID-19 in communities with high minority populations.

Awards & Notables

Achilefu, Luby elected to National Academy of Medicine

Medical imaging scientist Samuel Achilefu and child psychiatrist Joan L. Luby, MD, both of Washington University School of Medicine, have been elected to the National Academy of Medicine, one of the highest honors in health and medicine.

Cancer Research

African American breast cancer patients less likely to receive genetic counseling, testing

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine have surveyed cancer doctors to identify differences in physician attitudes and beliefs that may contribute to a gap in referrals to genetic counseling and testing between Black women and white women with breast cancer.

Neuroscience & Memory

Drug helps sensory neurons regrow in the mouse central nervous system

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine have discovered that an FDA-approved drug acts on support cells in the central nervous system to encourage sensory neurons to regrow after injury.

Performing Arts

‘She Kills Monsters’

When teenage Dungeon Master Tilly Evans dies in a car wreck, her sister must commence a mythic quest of her own. So begins “She Kills Monsters,” a bittersweet coming-of-age story filled with demon queens, secret tomes and ragtag adventurers battling for lost souls.