Arts & Sciences

Novelist and essayist Joy Williams will read from her work at 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 29, as part of the Spring Reading Series 2004, offered by The Writing Program and the Department of English in Arts & Sciences at Washington University.

The Washington University Chamber Orchestra will perform a concert of all-time hits from the Baroque era and the 20th century at 8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 2, in Karl Umrath Hall Lounge.

Earl E. and Myrtle E. Walker Hall and the Museum Building will be integrated with three existing facilities to form a comprehensive arts complex.

Martin Silverstein, professor in the Department of Mathematics in Arts & Sciences, was killed in a pedestrian accident in the 7900 block of Delmar in University City last night. Silverstein has been with the University since 1977.

Washington University’s Eliot Trio, a piano trio made up of three prominent St. Louis musicians, will perform an evening of works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Charles Ives and Felix Mendelssohn Jan. 24.

Martin Luther King, Jr.Jan. 19 marks the national observance of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. Several events are planned on both the Hilltop and Medical campuses to commemorate King’s contributions and legacy. All are free and open to the public.

Image courtesy of NASAAn artist’s rendition of a sea on MarsWhile NASA engineers and scientists determine how to roll the Spirit robotic rover onto the Martian surface, Raymond Arvidson, Ph.D., McDonnell Distinguished University Professor and chair of Earth and Planetary Sciences in Arts & Sciences and a host of Washington University personnel are doing their part for a successful mission.

Photo by Joe Angeles/WUSTL PhotoAre gamblers impulsive?Why do people engage in behaviors they know are harmful to them in the long run? Why do we give in to that incredible chocolate cake even though we’re trying to lose weight and stay fit? The answer, suggests a recent study on the psychology of gambling and impulsive behavior, is a simple economic phenomenon known as discounting. While good health may be its own reward, research suggests that the value of that reward diminishes as it’s delayed; and the longer it’s delayed, the less it controls your present behavior. Although gamblers may deserve their reputations as notorious risk-takers, they often do better than non-gamblers at delaying gratification to maximize long-term rewards.

Photo courtesy of Washington University ArchivesA Tennessee Williams play will be staged for the first time.Twenty years after his death, one of Tennessee Williams’ plays is seeing the light of a stage for the first time. “Me Vashya,” an early play by Williams, will receive its world premiere at Washington University in St. Louis in February. Written in 1937 while Williams was a student here and known as Tom, his birth name, the play has remained in Washington University archives for more than 60 years. It has never been published or performed — until now.

Courtesy of Monterey Bay Area Research InstituteA fish on the ocean floor off California gazes at a sight no human has seen first-hand: a modified Raman spectrometer gathering data on a carbon dioxide sample.In collaboration with oceanographers from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), a team of geologists at Washington University in St. Louis is using a rare instrument on the ocean floor just west of California. One of their earliest projects was to see if it’s possible to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it on the ocean floor. It’s the first deployment of the Raman spectrometer on the ocean floor.