Assembly Series: ‘ObamaCare’ expert Jonathan Gruber to discuss why health-care reform is needed

Just a few days after the Affordable Care Act’s mandatory insurance component becomes law, the principal architect of the Massachusetts health care system and chief advisor to President Obama’s plan will be on campus to explain how it works and how it will benefit society. MIT economist and renowned health care expert Jonathan Gruber will deliver an Assembly Series lecture on “Health Care Reform: What It Is, Why It’s Necessary, How It Works” at 6 p.m. Friday, October 4 in Brown Hall Room 100 on the Washington University Danforth Campus.

‘Evo-devo’ trailblazer Brian Hall to give Assembly Series lecture

Scientific discoveries in understanding how body structures change and advance over time are relatively recent and are the result of scientific trailblazers working in the field of evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo). One of those pioneers, Brian K. Hall, will visit Washington University and give an Assembly Series lecture at 4 p.m. Monday, October 7 in McDonnell Hall Room 162.

Childhood health linked to high school completion

Each year in the St. Louis region, thousands of African American students drop out of high school. According to a newly released policy brief — “How does health influence school dropout?” — health and education are closely related, and there are patterns related to health that increase the risk of high school dropout. The brief is the second of five in a yearlong, multidisciplinary study called “For the Sake of All: A Report on the Health and Well-Being of African Americans in St. Louis.” Its author is William F. Tate, PhD, the Edward Mallinckrodt Distinguished University Professor in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis and chair of the Department of Education in Arts & Sciences.
Missouri ponds provide clue to killer frog disease

Missouri ponds provide clue to killer frog disease

In Missouri, about a third of the ponds are infected with chytrid, the notorious skin fungus that has sickened and killed amphibians in other parts of the world. Why only a third, Washington University in St. Louis scientists wondered? A comprehensive study of the the ponds suggests there are hidden constraints on the survival of the fungus. One possibility is that invertebrates present in some ponds but not others allow the fungus to persist by acting as alternative hosts or reservoirs.

McLeod Memorial Lecture features Ruth Simmons on the power of the liberal arts in higher education

Among the many principles the late mentor/teacher/administrative leader Jim McLeod espoused were the power of the personal story and the power of a liberal arts education for all. So it is fitting that scholar and academic leader Ruth J. Simmons, who also embraces these values, will deliver the second annual James E. McLeod Memorial Lecture on Higher Education, “The State of Conscience in University Life Today,” at 5 p.m. Monday, Sept. 30, in Graham Chapel.

Shall we dance? Sept. 28

The sarabande. The gavotte. The minuet. On Saturday, Sept. 28, The Kingsbury Ensemble, one of the Midwest’s premier early music groups, will celebrate these and other Baroque dance forms in the 560 Music Center’s Ballroom Theatre.

What historians have to say about global warming​

The public discussion of global warming can feel very stuck at times. An innovative course at Washington University in St. Louis offers a way forward by making available the efforts of historians to integrate natural history and human history over the past 40 years. Taught by Venus Bivar, PhD, assistant professor of history in Arts & Sciences, it is an introduction to a discipline called environmental history, with a special focus on climate change.

Q&A: Carter W. Lewis

Playwriting is hard. But in recent years, the Performing Arts Department in Arts & Science has emerged as a national incubator for young playwriting talent. We sat down with Carter W. Lewis, playwright-in-residence, to discuss drama versus prose, the upcoming A.E. Hotchner New Play Festival and the difficulties of letting go.

School of Law dean search committee announced

Holden Thorp, PhD, provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs at Washington University in St. Louis, has appointed an eight-member committee to identify candidates for the position of dean of the School of Law. Daniel Keating, JD, the Tyrrell Williams Professor of Law, will serve as interim dean. At the law school, Keating has served twice as interim dean, as well as vice dean and associate dean.

An Evening with Judy Collins

In a career stretching more than five decades, Judy Collins has been a piano prodigy, an anti-war activist and a chart-topping, Grammy Award-winning pop icon. On Oct. 12, the Edison Ovations Series at Washington University in St. Louis will welcome Collins for a special, one-night-only performance.
View More Stories