Page 86 – The Source | Washington University in St. Louis

WashU partners with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri to support students

WashU has launched a new partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri to support high school students in the organization’s Big Futures college readiness initiative.

Climate & Environment

WashU scientists uncover hidden source of snow melt: dark brown carbon

horses grazing in the shadow of the Tibetan mountain ranges

Researchers at the McKelvey School of Engineering are the first to quantify the effect of dark brown carbon on snow melt.

Aging

Self-employment tied to lower health in China

Older Chinese people who transition from wage earners to self-employment report lower self-rated health than those remaining in waged jobs, finds a study from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

Academics

Students take part in Arabic debate competition

A team of WashU undergraduate students recently competed in regional and national Arabic debate competitions.

Campus & Facilities

Board of Trustees establishes ad hoc committee to review policies, procedures on maintaining an open campus

The Board of Trustees of Washington University in St. Louis is establishing an ad hoc committee to review university policies and guidelines governing on-campus protests and demonstrations. Emeritus Trustee William B. Pollard III is chair of the committee.

Engineering

Janie Brennan

Trained as an engineer, Janie Brennan, a senior lecturer at the WashU McKelvey School of Engineering, now builds courses instead of machines. She’s using her classroom to peel away systemic and cultural barriers to engineering.

Obituaries

Bill Smith, former associate vice chancellor, 80

Bill Smith, a longtime employee and former associate vice chancellor at Washington University in St. Louis, died Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. He was 80.

St. Louis Region

New support for WashU startups, St. Louis region

The WashU Venture Network Follow-on Investments is a joint effort between WashU’s Skandalaris Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the “In St. Louis, For St. Louis” initiative.

Physical Sciences

Field Notes: South Pacific

WashU earth scientists in Arts & Sciences are mapping Earth’s interior and analyzing lava rocks from a volcanic hotspot near the islands of Samoa.

Chemistry

National Academies report highlights high magnetic field science

Sophia Hayes, in Arts & Sciences, co-authored a study on strategic directions guiding high magnetic field science with pursuits in chemistry, medical MRI, low-temperature physics, superconducting materials and fusion. Challenges to the helium supply figured prominently throughout.