Arts & Sciences

WashU alumni are writing and illustrating the books you wish you could have read as a kid — increasing diversity one picture book at a time.

Meenakshi Wadhwa, director of the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University, has built a formidable career studying our solar system.

Kevin Butterfield, PhD ’10, is director of the John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress, a humanities research center that also educates lawmakers.

Laura Meckler, AB ’90, goes back to her hometown of Shaker Heights, Ohio, to examine the city’s history of racial equity.

Isaac Seiler, a junior studying sociology in Arts & Sciences, has won the prestigious Truman Scholarship, the leading graduate fellowship for students who are committed to careers in public service.

Rowhea Elmesky, an associate professor of education in Arts & Sciences, received the William H. Danforth St. Louis Confluence Award, which recognizes WashU researchers and community partners who are working together to address our region’s challenges. For the past decade, Elmesky has partnered with students and educators at University City High School to build a school culture where everyone feels valued.

Parkorn Wangpaiboonkit, an assistant professor of music in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, has won a 2024 fellowship from the American Council of Learned Societies.

The Center for the Humanities in Arts & Sciences will present both a performance and a two-day gathering on artistic research at WashU’s Tyson Research Center. Organized by postdoctoral researcher Anya Yermakova, the events build on her scholarship, her creative work and her current seminar, “Topics in Embodied Communication: Listening.”

Now in its ninth year, the Bear Cubs Running Team serves children with physical and developmental disabilities and their siblings. Every Sunday, 100 “cubs” and their coaches meet at WashU for stretching, games and socializing. The season will end April 21 with a big race on the track at Francis Olympic Field.

Each year, the Gerry and Bob Virgil Ethic of Service Award recognizes select members of the WashU community who show exemplary commitment to service and engagement within the St. Louis area.