Arts & Sciences

Want to improve your attention? Arts & Sciences brain sciences researcher Richard Abrams at Washington University in St. Louis finds that our attention may be guided by the most recent interactions with our environment.

Alexander Barnes, assistant professor of chemistry in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, has been recognized with a 2018 Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, recognizing his independent scholarship and deep commitment to education.

Philip Roth, who died May 22, was among the most influential American writers of the 20th and 21st centuries. He was also a playful yet unsparing and often provocative critic of American culture, said Matthew Shipe, lecturer in English in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis.

Arts & Science philosopher Lizzie Schechter uses elements of two philosophical traditions to propose a new way to think about split-brain subjects. Her new book “Self-Consciousness and ‘Split’ Brains: The Minds’ I,” will be published June 1.

Peter Riesenberg, professor emeritus of history at Washington University in St. Louis, died in his sleep May 14, 2018, in Maine. He was 92. A beloved member of the faculty from 1960 until his retirement in 1993, Riesenberg was the mainstay of “History 101,” the history of Western civilization, for generations of students.

Anca Parvulescu, professor of English in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, has been awarded a Collaborative Research Fellowship from the American Council of Learned Societies for the 2018-19 academic year.

Washington University Libraries has awarded the inaugural Newman Exploration Travel Fund scholarships and grants to seven members of the university community for international travel experiences.

For its 2018-19 Great Artist Series, Washington University in St. Louis will present four affordably priced concerts by some of today’s finest performers.

To prepare for a career treating and studying global malnutrition, Zach Linneman has completed the post-baccalaureate premedical program in University College in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. It’s another step toward his goal of alleviating childhood hunger and he’s another of our Class Acts of 2018.

Arts & Sciences recognized eight outstanding alumni and supporters of the school during its 2018 Distinguished Alumni Awards dinner, held April 25 at the Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis.