Arts & Sciences

Gerald Early, director of the Center for the Humanities at Washington University in St. Louis, and Leslie Berlowitz, president of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, will host the third national meeting of the Academy’s blue-ribbon Commission on the Humanities and Social Sciences. The event, which will take place at the Missouri History Museum Sept. 7, will feature more than a dozen  local arts leaders testifying to the importance of the humanities and social sciences in public life and lifelong learning.

Modern dance solos and duets will share the stage with hip hop, ballet, flamenco, West African and classical Indian dance when Washington University presents Dance CloseUp Sept. 6-8. The intimate, informal concert — which has helped launch St. Louis’ fall performing arts season since 1995 — showcases new and original works by dance faculty in the Performing Arts Department in Arts & Sciences.

Jose Sanchez (right), a senior at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, worked in the Laboratory for Magnetic Resonance this summer under the direction of Mark S. Conradi, PhD, professor of physics in Arts & Sciences. Sanchez participated in the Summer Research Early Identification Program, which encourages students from groups traditionally underrepresented in the sciences, social sciences and humanities to consider research careers in academia, business or the public sector.

How do you recreate a live event? It’s a pressing question in many fields, as scholars, historians and arts institutions struggle to archive and preserve choreography, performances, installations and other works that, by their nature, can be fleeting.In September, Washington University in St. Louis will present Reperformance, an interdisciplinary symposium exploring the means, methods and difficulties of restaging live work. ​

Graham Paul, consul general of France in Chicago, will discuss “France and the Future of Europe” at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 19. Immediately following the lecture, Paul — on behalf of the French government — will formally recognize WUSTL alumna Elizabeth Gentry Sayad as a Chevalier (knight) of L’Ordre des Palmes Académiques.

At WUSTL, orientation extends much longer than the five-day Bear Beginnings welcome. Through the WUSA (Washington University Student Associate) program, all incoming students are paired with upperclass peer mentors for the entire first year. The WUSA program is viewed as a model program nationally. Right, a WUSA gets ready for move-in day with the WUSA cheer.

T.R. Kidder, PhD (left), professor of anthropology in Arts & Sciences, shakes hands with the director of the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology of China during a ceremony announcing WUSTL’s new partnership with the institute. Henan is one of China’s most populous provinces and one of the most archaeologically rich areas of the world.

“What do I want?” asks Jane Eyre. “A new place, in a new house, amongst new faces, under new circumstances.” Annie Loui sympathizes. Since the early 1980s, the St. Louis native has created ambitious theatrical hybrids for prestigious venues around the nation. On Sept. 7 and 8, Loui will return to St. Louis and launch the 2012-13 Edison Ovations Series with an original adaptation of Charlotte Bronte’s beloved novel.

The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research (OVCR) has announced the six winners of the 2012 University Research Strategic Alliance (URSA) grants. The grants offer a one-year, $25,000 award to full-time faculty members at WUSTL who begin a new collaboration with investigators from different disciplines. Researchers who receive the seed funding will work together in a new area of research or plan to approach a problem in a different way.

With all the fanfare about Mars rover Curiosity landing safely on the Red Planet on Aug. 6, it’s easy to forget that there’s already a rover on Mars — an older, smaller cousin set to accomplish a feat unprecedented in the history of Solar System exploration. WUSTL’s Raymond E. Arvidson is playing key roles in both Mars missions.