Arts & Sciences

Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis recognized six outstanding alumni during its 2019 Distinguished Alumni Awards dinner, held April 25 at the Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis.

Rory Mather has been awarded the 2019 Harrison D. Stalker Award from the Department of Biology in Arts & Sciences. The award is given annually to a graduating biology major whose undergraduate career combines outstanding scientific scholarship with significant contributions in the arts and humanities.

Eric Hsu, a senior majoring in biology in Arts & Sciences, has been awarded the 2019 Spector Prize. The prize recognizes academic excellence and outstanding undergraduate achievement in research.

Terri Williams is taking her master’s degree in American culture studies from University College in Arts & Sciences, along with a passion for teaching and inspiring young people, right back into neighboring University City.

An internship gave Cameron Hill, a senior in Arts & Sciences, the opportunity to make real connections with people at a St. Louis jail and informed her effort to propose changes to the bail system. After graduation, and before applying to medical schools, she will embark on a traveling research fellowship with the American Voices Project.

Iris Marie Chin, a senior majoring in biology in Arts & Sciences, has been awarded the 2019 Ralph S. Quatrano Prize. The prize is awarded to the thesis showing greatest evidence of creativity in design, research methodology or broader scientific implications.

How collective memories of wars, terrorist attacks and other traumatic events are fueling the surprising re-emergence of nationalist movements will be the focus of a national conference May 23-25 at Washington University in St  Louis.

The university’s interdisciplinary Center for Quantum Sensors aims to harness the power of quantum mechanics to detect and decipher some of the universe’s greatest mysteries. The effort is timely as Congress recently approved a federal program supporting the development of quantum technologies.

Michelle Purdy, assistant professor of education in Arts & Sciences, received the 2019 new scholar book award from the history and historiography division of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) for her book “Transforming The Elite: Black Students and the Desegregation of Private Schools” (University of North Carolina Press, 2018).

James Schisler grew up 100 miles west of St. Louis in St. James, Mo., population 4,216. When only one-fifth of his high school class returned to college their sophomore year, Schisler was determined to find out why. He believes cohort programs, like the ones he belonged to, can help rural students access the support and resources they need.