Arts & Sciences

Take a deep breath. Smooth your brow. Raise your hands and stomp your feet. It’s time to talk about art. Welcome to Kemper Art Reaches Everyone (KARE), a new arts engagement program designed for people with early-onset to moderate Alzheimer’s.

Linda Nicholson, PhD, the Susan E. and William P. Stiritz Distinguished Professor in Women’s Studies in Arts & Sciences, has been named the new ombuds for Danforth Campus faculty at Washington University in St. Louis. The Office of Ombuds was established in September 2010 to provide faculty a confidential, informal place to discuss concerns about the university, its policies or its procedures.

Despite its midwest location, far away from massive NASA mission control centers in Cape Canaveral, Fla., or Pasadena, Calif., WUSTL can boast at least seven graduates (and one current student) now making key contributions to NASA’s latest mission to Mars, “Curiosity.”

What’s more important for a child’s success: Learning math or learning resiliency? Veteran journalist and educational reform advocate Paul Tough will discuss his new book, How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity and the Hidden Power of Character at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 11, at Washington University in St. Louis.

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.