Arts & Sciences

Computer models of volcanic eruptions on Io show the lavas are so hot that they are vaporizing sodium, potassium, silicon and iron.

When approached about being the subject of a “Washington People” profile, Mark Rollins, Ph.D., happily agreed. However, he said, “I should warn you, it will be short. I don’t have much to say.” Pretty humble for a man who has been at the University for 18 years, held such varied positions as head of the […]

Henry L. “Roddy” Roediger, Gerhild Scholz Williams, Lynn O. McCloskey and Michelle L. Milligan are taking on new roles.

He was nominated for his seventh collection of poetry, The Rest of Love: Poems; it’s the second time he’s been up for the prize.

Acclaimed fiction writer Tony Earley, visiting Washington University as a Fannie Hurst Professor of Creative Literature in the Department of English in Arts & Sciences, will speak on the craft of fiction at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 26, and will read from his work at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 28.

Detail of the 1899 plan for Washington University’s Hilltop Campus.One hundred years ago, the eyes and ears of the world turned to St. Louis — and the newly built campus of Washington University — for the 1904 World’s Fair. On Oct. 17, Washington University will honor that centenary with a performance by the Saint Louis Wind Symphony. A Grand Concert of Band Music Performed at the 1904 World’s Fair will feature a representative sampling of music heard at the fair, including works by Philip Sousa, Peter I. Tchaikovsky, Johann Strauss, Jr., and Carl Maria von Weber.

Thomas Kilroy, one of Ireland’s most distinguished playwrights, and author Adrian Frazier will present A Weekend of Irish Drama at Washington University Oct. 22 and 23. At 4 p.m. Friday, Oct 22, Kilroy and Frazier will speak on contemporary Irish drama. At 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 23, both writers will be present for a dramatic reading of Kilroy’s most recently produced play, The Shape of Metal.

This year marks the 50th and 100th anniversaries, respectively, of the deaths of Charles Ives and Antonín Dvořák. At 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 24, more than 20 St. Louis musicians — drawn largely from the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra and Washington University’s Department of Music in Arts & Sciences — will present A Chamber Music Concert Celebrating Anniversaries of Antonín Dvořák and Charles Ives. The concert will feature songs and rarely performed works by Ives and Dvorák’s beloved “Serenade for Winds in D minor.”

SternThe eyes may well be the window to the soul, but they also are indicators of the mind’s condition. People who have watched the presidential and vice-presidential debates earlier this month and preparing for the final debate on Oct. 13 could gather clues to the candidates’ state of mind by watching the candidates’ eyes. According to John Stern, Ph.D., professor emeritus of psychology at Washington University in St. Louis, and pioneer of blinking research, there is solid evidence that people blink frequently at points in time when they momentarily stop taking in and processing information.

The book was written by St. Louisan Kate Chopin; the performances will be at Edison Theatre and the Missouri History Museum.