Arts & Sciences

Jo Schnellmann (left), a Lifelong Learning Institute member, talks with writing partner Olivia Mozzi, a senior in Arts & Sciences, at the Skipped Generation Writers reading and reception April 30. The Skipped Generation Writers Project paired 11 undergraduate students with 11 senior Lifelong Learning Institute members on a nine-week collaborative nonfiction writing project.

The Washington University Opera will thread together nine famous musical endings for a concert titled Final Moments at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, May 7 and 8. “The idea is to perform a variety of pieces that all have something to do with conclusions and final moments,” says director Jolly Stewart, who is retiring at the end of the semester.

Two Washington University doctoral students were inducted into the Edward A. Bouchet Graduate Honor Society at the annual Bouchet Conference on Diversity in Graduate Education this spring at Yale University. The 2010 Bouchet Fellows are Kelly Diggs-Andrews in the Molecular Cell Biology Program in the Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, and Christie T. Spence in the Clinical Psychology Program in the Department of Psychology in Arts & Sciences.

Ping Wang’s love of the humanities is the driving force behind his research. Wang, PhD, the Seigle Family Professor in Arts & Sciences, explores social, political and cultural considerations that influence who wins and who loses in the global economic arena.

WUSTL students from the Department of Mathematics in Arts & Sciences recently distinguished themselves in two competitions: A trophy from the 15th annual Missouri MAA Collegiate Mathematics Competition and more than respectable scores at the William Lowell Putnam Mathematics Competition, a difficult and prestigious national contest.

This year’s Spector Prize — awarded by the Department of Biology in Arts & Sciences in memory Marion Smith Spector, a 1938 WUSTL graduate who studied zoology under the late Viktor Hamburger, PhD, — is being shared by two graduating seniors, Rebecca Krock and Olga Minkina.

Darwin is a magical dinosaur, built from scratch in the workshop of kindly Professor Henslow. But Darwin is also a wild creature who must tame his primitive instincts by learning love and compassion. Welcome to Darwin, an inventive and heart-warming multi-media performance by CORBIAN Visual Arts and Dance, which will bring the show to Edison Theatre May 8 as part of the ovations for young people series. 

Three Washington University biologists are being honored this year by the American Society of Plant Biologists, two for sustained achievement in their careers, and the third for a promising beginning.

When many people think of St. Louis, the Gateway Arch, Cardinals baseball or Anheuser-Busch beer comes to mind. With the help of her book, Meet Me: Writers in St. Louis, Catherine Rankovic is looking to add another feature to that list: literary hub. 

Fidel Desir is the winner of the 2010 Stalker Award. The prize is named in the honor of the late Harrison D. Stalker, PhD, who was professor of biology; a leading evolutionary biologist, geneticist and inspired teacher; and a true enthusiast of the fine arts.