Arts & Sciences

Benjamin Franklin’s myriad contributions as scientist, inventor, publisher and statesman will be back in the spotlight in coming months as America celebrates his 300th birthday on Jan. 17. Much of the hoopla, including major exhibits in London, Paris, Philadelphia and other American cities, will focus on Franklin’s role as an influential American diplomat. However, a new book by medical historian Stanley Finger contends that Franklin also deserves considerable recognition for important contributions to the healing arts. “With strong interests in bedside and preventative medicine, hospital care, and even medical education, he helped to change medical care in both America and Europe,” Finger says.

Advice for holiday toy shopping.Visions of sugarplums? Forget about it! The only visions most children are having as the holidays approach are of toys, toys and more toys. But how do parents choose the right ones for their young children to provide the most amount of fun but also some educational benefit as well? Two education experts at Washington University in St. Louis offer tips on good toy choices for children.

Photo courtesy of HerPlanet Inc.Avoid a holiday-shopping nightmare.Whether it’s a last-minute rush to the mall or a year-long obsession, the quest for the “perfect gift” has the potential to turn holiday shopping into an annual nightmare. A psychologist at Washington University in St. Louis who is an expert on helping people gain control of personal habits, such as smoking and overeating, says many of the same techniques can be used to get a grip on holiday shopping.

ComptonPhysicist Arthur Holly Compton, Ph.D., Washington University’s first faculty member to receive a Nobel Prize (1927), is still getting recognition for his groundbreaking research more than 40 years after his death. The latest acknowledgment comes from the American Physical Society (APS), which has designated Washington University in St. Louis — where Compton did his Nobel Prize-winning research on X-rays — as a site of historical significance to physics. The APS Historic Sites Committee selected Washington University along with four other U.S. sites to be the first listed on the APS’ recently launched Register of Historic Sites. A ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. Dec. 12 in the Women’s Building Lounge, followed by three talks about Compton beginning at 2 p.m. in Crow Hall, Room 201.

The performances will feature close to 40 student dancers, selected by audition, performing six works by faculty and guest choreographers.

The American Physical Society Historic Sites Committee selected WUSTL along with four other U.S. sites, honoring physicist Arthur Holly Compton.

Photo by Kevin LowderSome 55 delegates from 19 participating universities attended the 2nd National Conference on Graduate Student Leadership Nov. 18-20.

Featured faculty presenters will be Keith Sawyer and Rebecca Lester; Larry May will deliver a keynote address on “The Moral Writer.”

The Community Music School building in University City includes the 1,115-seat E. Desmond Lee Concert Hall, a 300-seat theater & a small recital hall.

The Concert Choir of Washington University will perform a concert of “Works from the Renaissance to American Folksongs” at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9, in Graham Chapel. John Stewart, director of vocal activities, directs the program.