Arts & Sciences

Gary Patti has been named the Michael and Tana Powell Associate Professor of Chemistry at Washington University in St. Louis. He was installed Dec. 1 in a ceremony in the Laboratory Sciences building.

In a growing plant cell, motor proteins called kinesins work as transporters that haul materials built in one part of the cell to the place where they are needed. Now, biologists at Washington University in St. Louis have discovered the molecular brakeman that holds kinesins in check until their cargo is needed.

Mark McDaniel, professor of psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences, is one of three leading experts in cognitive and learning sciences appointed as permanent members of a Learning Research Advisory Council formed by Macmillan Learning.

Gloria Ladson-Billings, president of the National Academy of Education, will discuss “Hip Hop/Hip Hope: The (R)Evolution of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy” as part of the Edward and Ilene Lowenthal Lecture Series at 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 4, in Anheuser-Busch Hall’s Bryan Cave Moot Courtroom.

The century-old government convention of daylight saving time takes effect this weekend, but it can be hard for our bodies to handle. Washington University circadian rhythm expert Erik Herzog offers some tips to help us adjust.

Washington University in St. Louis junior Sarah Small can’t wire a socket or install a toilet. But this spring break, she will be part of a team of 16 students from the university’s Habitat for Humanity chapter building a home in Georgia. Small will capture the experience on the university’s Instagram account.

Meghan McDarby, a graduate student in psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, has been selected for a James McKenney Student Travel Award from the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education.

Abram C. Van Engen, associate professor of English in Arts & Sciences, organized a national conference on “Religion and Politics in Early America.” Sponsored by the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics and the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy, the conference took place March 1-4 in St. Louis. 

There’s a new way to look at how electrons interact with each other in graphene, an intriguing material comprised of a single layer of carbon atoms. Washington University in St. Louis researchers, led by Erik Henriksen, assistant professor of physics in Arts & Sciences, are exploring the quantum electronic properties of graphene using infrared light.

Opera star Susan Graham, dubbed “America’s favorite mezzo” by Gramophone magazine, will perform “Frauenliebe und-leben: Variations,” a solo recital pairing Robert Schumann’s beloved song cycle with related works by Edvard Grieg, Richard Strauss, Gustav Mahler, Claude Debussy, Pyotr Tchaikovsky and others.