Local gym moves classes to West Campus garage

Joe Goldberg, owner of TruFusion STL fitness studio on the West Campus of Washington University in St. Louis, was facing financial devastation when he asked the university if he could move the gym’s yoga, cycling, bootcamps and other classes to the university’s open-air garage. The university immediately approved Goldberg’s proposal and helped him execute the plan.

An emerging understanding of smell

Locust with coffee beans and perfume
Engineers at Washington University in St. Louis have found that a neural model based on the act of a bug smelling something showed emergent properties, properties similar to those seen in an insect’s antennal lobe, an important area for its sense of smell.

Eviction moratoriums are incomplete solution

A federal moratorium on evictions is just one piece of the puzzle. Without comprehensive solutions, we could be facing a repeat of the 2007-08 financial crisis, said Radhakrishnan Gopalan, a finance expert at Washington University in St. Louis who has studied the effect of health insurance on home payment delinquency.

Electoral College ruling contradicts Founders’ ‘original intent’

While the Supreme Court decision limits the independence of electors and prevents a potential source of uncertainty in the upcoming presidential election, it contradicts the Constitution framers’ intentions for the Electoral College, according to a political science expert at Washington University in St. Louis. 

Miao receives Point Foundation Honor

Ranen Miao, a rising sophomore studying political science and sociology in Arts & Sciences, has been named a Point Foundation national scholar. The honor supports outstanding lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer student leaders. 

Obituary: Leon Ashford, 39-year university employee, 90

Leon E. Ashford, an early advocate for first-generation and Black students at Washington University in St. Louis, died March 28, 2020. He was 90. Ashford worked for the university for 39 years, retiring in 1995 as director of Student Educational Services, a precursor to The Learning Center. 

COVID-19 demonstrates why wealth matters

While COVID-19 has impacted all individuals, the impact has not been equal. In a new national Socioeconomic Impact of COVID-19 survey, the Social Policy Institute at Washington University in St. Louis found that liquid assets increased the likelihood that an individual could practice social distancing.

WashU Expert: How to document the protests

Americans across the nation are documenting today’s protests through photography and video, often posting their content on Instagram, Twitter and other social media platforms. But is that the safest way to preserve these historic images? Miranda Rectenwald, curator of local history at University Libraries at Washington University in St. Louis, created a list of resources to help protest participants preserve their content for the long term.