Arts & Sciences

WashU officially will launch the Program in Public Health & Society — including a major and minor —  at a celebratory event Monday, Oct. 21. The program, in Arts & Sciences, offers a distinctive interdisciplinary approach to public health.

Mary Jo Bang, a professor of English in Arts & Sciences, will receive the 2024 Tradition of Literary Excellence Award from the University City Municipal Commission on Arts & Letters.

Europa Clipper will conduct a detailed survey of Jupiter’s moon Europa to determine whether there are places below the moon’s surface that could support life. WashU’s William B. McKinnon, a member of the Europa Clipper science team, has studied Europa for more than 40 years.

Arts & Sciences’ undergraduate Spanish course “Not a Piece of Cake,” provides a taste of Latin American literature and history.

Alumna Leslye Lyons founded the nonprofit Words Alive to help children and teens find joy in reading.

This fall, WashU will launch The Engaged City. Building on the long-running Divided City initiative, and funded in part by a $500,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation, The Engaged City aims to highlight St. Louis’ cultural resources.

A remembrance of poet and WashU English professor Howard Nemerov has been named to the Notable Essays list in “Best American Essays 2024.” The piece, by Nemerov’s son Alexander, was first published by The Common Reader, the journal of essays and ideas housed at WashU.

A ceremonial groundbreaking for the first building on the Danforth Campus dedicated to Arts & Sciences took place Oct. 8. The building will house some of the school’s premier departments and programs and serve as a cornerstone for scholarly and educational partnerships with other schools and units across campus.

Archaeological surveys led by scientists at WashU suggest coastal and underwater sites in southern Sicily contain important clues that could reveal how modern human ancestors migrated to the island.

WashU researchers have received a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to explore the potential for mindfulness approaches to protect against dementia in groups of older Latinx adults.