Keith Hengen, assistant professor of biology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, received a three-year $1.8 million grant to study the role of sleep and waking behavior in shaping the brain’s neural dynamics. His research will help scientists understand how sleep contributes to healthy cognition and shed light on the mechanisms by which disrupted sleep worsens neurodegenerative and mental health disorders.
The 2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded Oct. 5 to three scientists for groundbreaking research that led to the discovery of the hepatitis C virus. One of those scientists — virologist Charles M. Rice — conducted his seminal work while on the faculty of Washington University School of Medicine.
Julie K. Schwarz, MD, PhD, professor of radiation oncology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been elected vice president of the Radiation Research Society. She will go on to serve as president beginning in October 2022.
Jennifer R. Smith, dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, has been named to the new position of vice provost for educational initiatives, announced Beverly R. Wendland, provost and executive vice chancellor.
School of Medicine researchers have received renewed National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center. The center’s researchers study genetic and environmental factors that contribute to developmental disabilities.
The Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity at Washington University in St. Louis has debuted this fall with programs to support and amplify field-defining research, nurture the next generation of scholars and build partnerships in the St. Louis region. The work could not be more urgent, said its founding director, Adrienne Davis, who is also vice provost and the William M. Van Cleve Professor of Law.
John Whitaker, a master’s candidate in landscape architecture and advanced architectural design, has won an Award of Excellence from the American Society of Landscape Architects.
Washington University in St. Louis’ Equity and Inclusion Council is moving forward with 42 newly appointed members, who will attend a kickoff meeting Oct. 7.
The Washington University in St. Louis Office of Information Security has completed its annual update of information security policies. Also, the office will be holding events during October, Cybersecurity Awareness Month, to keep the community informed.
Brendan Juba at the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis will take a close look at relationships and generalization in artificial intelligence with a National Science Foundation CAREER award.
