Arts & Sciences

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.

The James Baldwin Review, co-founded by WashU’s Justin A. Joyce and Dwight A. McBride, celebrates its 10th anniversary, as well as Baldwin’s centenary. A feature essay by WashU’s William Maxwell explores an unexpected connection between Baldwin and Susan Sontag.

Douglas Flowe, an associate professor of history in Arts & Sciences, is featured in “San Juan Hill: Manhattan’s Lost Neighborhood,” which will premiere Oct. 9 at the New York Film Festival. Flowe also was recently featured in episodes of the History Channel series “Prison Chronicles.”

In October, the Department of Music in Arts & Sciences will present recitals featuring three internationally known pianists: Ingrid Jacoby (Oct. 13), Juho Pohjonen (Oct. 20) and Polina Osetinskaya (Oct. 28). Pohjonen’s performance also will feature cellist Zlatomir Fung and violinist Erin Schrieber in the St. Louis debut of “Other Pines,” a recent work by WashU composer Christopher Stark.

Leslie Paige, a graduate student in Arts & Sciences, is using geospatial tools to map the habitat of a critically endangered primate. She presented her work at the Geo-Resolution conference in St. Louis.

Crickette Sanz, a professor of anthropology at Washington University in St. Louis, was installed as the James W. and Jean L. Davis Professor in Arts and Sciences Sept. 4. Her installation address was titled “Learning From Great Apes About Rank.”