Arts & Sciences

Washington University in St. Louis women’s track and field team runner Emma Kelley won the 800-meter national title May 27 at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Rochester, N.Y.

The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation has named Washington University rising senior Avital Isakov an Astronaut Scholar. The prestigious fellowship is for college juniors and seniors who are studying science, technology, engineering or mathematics.

Zachary Porter, a rising junior in Arts & Sciences, drowned May 21 while walking on tidal mud flats near Hope, Alaska. He was 20.

Students in the “Philanthropy Lab” course granted $40,000 to four local nonprofit groups. The course, offered by Arts & Sciences in partnership with the Gephardt Institute, gives students a theoretical and practical understanding of philanthropy today. 

Ian Bogost has been named the Barbara and David Thomas Distinguished Professor at Washington University in St. Louis.

The Great Artists Series at Washington University in St. Louis presents affordably priced concerts by some of today’s finest classical musicians. The 2024 series will feature celebrated pianist Jeremy Denk, world music supergroup The Doos Trio, the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, pianist Joyce Yang and celebrated soprano Christine Goerke.

Biologists including Michael Landis in Arts & Sciences worked with researchers from dozens of countries to reconstruct the origin and global spread of butterflies. The resulting butterfly tree of life reveals that they got their start in North America.

Katie Westby, a vector and disease ecologist at Tyson Research Center, applies a strong DEET repellant and wears treated clothing when she’s headed deep into the woods, but uses a lighter touch at home. She warns that pet dogs and cats can also be affected by mosquito bites.

Undergraduate student speaker Samm Kaiser, who earned a degree in computer science and math from the McKelvey School of Engineering and in environmental analysis from Arts & Sciences, explained why life’s contraindications are both necessary and enlightening.

Nicholas Armstrong and Samm Kaiser will speak at the university’s 162nd Commencement Ceremony at 9 a.m. Monday, May 15.