Arts & Sciences

Photo by Nan RochbergCarl Bender, Ph.D. (left), the Wilfred R. and Ann Lee Konneker Distinguished Professor of Physics in Arts & Sciences, and his son, Michael A. Bender, Ph.D., associate professor of computer science at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, share a light moment during the 2009 Quantum Mechanics in the Complex Domain conference, held at WUSTL March 27 and 28.

While public officials aim to establish Missouri as an attractive destination for emerging life sciences companies, a study by researchers in the Department of Education in Arts & Sciences indicates that high-school science proficiency in the state, especially among high-minority and poverty populations, is greatly dependent on having a core group of certified teachers who are highly qualified to teach courses in their content area.

In the world of small things, shape, order and orientation are surprisingly important, according to findings from a new study by chemists at Washington University in St. Louis. Lev Gelb, WUSTL associate professor of chemistry, his graduate student Brian Barnes, and postdoctoral researcher Daniel Siderius, used computer simulations to study a very simple model of molecules on surfaces, which looks a lot like the computer game “Tetris.” They have found that the shapes in this model (and in the game) do a number of surprising things.

Photo by Whitney CurtisRichard J. Smith, Ph.D., dean of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and the Ralph E. Morrow Distinguished University Professor of physical anthropology, meets with students after he presented them and 10 other recipients with the Arts & Sciences’ Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence April 20.

The Graduate Professional Council (GPC) hosted its Bridging GAPS Leadership and Awards Ceremony April 6 in the Graduate Center in the Danforth University Center. The Bridging GAPS (Graduate and Professional Students) Awards recognize graduate student groups and individual leaders for outstanding contributions in promoting interdisciplinary programs and for promoting communication, cooperation and collaboration between graduate students across schools. GPC and three other major graduate student groups also recognized their 15th anniversaries this academic year during the event.

The Graduate Professional Council (GPC) hosted its Bridging GAPS (Graduate and Professional Students) Leadership and Awards Ceremony April 6 in the Graduate Center in the Danforth University Center. GPC, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary this academic year, is the graduate student association that represents WUSTL’s approximately 6,000 graduate and professional students. GPC created its […]

Photo by Whitney CurtisRichard J. Smith, Ph.D., dean of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and the Ralph E. Morrow Distinguished University Professor of physical anthropology, meets with doctoral students Julia D. Kleinheider (center), in Germanic languages & literatures, and Emily M. Fammartino, in English, after he presented them and 10 other recipients with the Arts & Sciences’ Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence April 20.

A handsome prince, a distant land, a damsel in distress. Yet in the world of “The Magic Flute,” little is as it seems. At 8 p.m. May 1 and 2, Washington University Opera will present an abridged version of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s beloved classic in Karl Umrath Hall.

Washington University and the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center have received two awards totaling $35 million from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to do research on novel energy initiatives. At $20 million, the Washington University research award is the largest ever received on the Danforth Campus. The $15 million for the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is the largest the organization has ever received.

SmithPennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter’s decision to switch his allegiance to the Democratic Party will likely raise further questions about the Republican Party’s ability to appeal to moderate voters, but Democrats should realize that Specter will remain fairly independent in his voting on key issues, including ongoing opposition to pro-union “card check” provisions, suggests Steven S. Smith, a congressional expert at Washington University in St. Louis.