Obituary: Alec Becker, student in Arts & Sciences, 18
Alec Becker, a first-year student in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, died by suicide Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020, in his hometown of Dallas. He was 18. Becker only attended Washington University for the fall semester, but friends and faculty who had the opportunity to know Becker say he was thoughtful, warm and spirited.
Arrokoth close-up reveals how planetary building blocks were constructed
William B. McKinnon, professor of earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, led one of three new studies that together provide a far more complete picture of the composition and origin of Arrokoth. The new research published in Science points to the resolution of a longstanding scientific controversy about how such primitive planetary building blocks called planetesimals were formed.
Tate recognized as influential leader in sociology
William F. Tate, vice provost and dean of the Graduate School at Washington University in St. Louis, has been recognized by Education Week as one of the 10 most influential sociology scholars who study education in the United States.
New course explores seven centuries of dealing with death in Italy
Pre-med students explore seven centuries of dealing with death in Italy in the new Medical Humanities course, “Disease, Madness and Death Italian Style.”
A new venture under the big top
Gregg Walker’s career has led him from the halls of Yale Law to Goldman Sachs, Viacom and Sony. His latest adventure takes him under the big top as CEO of Big Apple Circus in New York.
From the front lines of the new opioid crisis
More powerful than morphine, fentanyl killed pop-music icon Prince in 2016. Alum Ben Westhoff investigates how it gets to America, how it got so popular and what we can do to save lives in his new book.
The business of beauty
Two WashU alums and one current student helped take a cosmetics startup from a dream to a reality.
How to be a film writer
Alum Joey Clarke Jr won the international screenwriting competition The Academy Nicholl Fellowship, which is presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (the same group that awards Oscars). Here he shares his tips for screenwriting.
My Washington: Beanie and Drew Spangler
Swimming for WashU brought them together. Today, a passion for providing access to learning keeps them on the university’s team.
Suicidal thoughts in 9- and 10-year-olds correlate to family dynamics
Research from Washington University in St. Louis shows a nontrivial rate of children as young as 9 and 10 years old are thinking about suicide. How their families interact — or don’t — may play a role.
View More Stories