Brown School

The Great Recession, characterized by devastating mortgage defaults, has challenged the conventional wisdom that home ownership is a good investment, particularly for those with low and moderate incomes. But the conventional wisdom on the benefits of owning vs. renting still holds when done right, according to a newly published study led by the Brown School’s Center for Social Development and Michal Grinstein-Weiss, PhD. Homeowners with low and moderate incomes who participated in this study conducted between 2005-08 achieved higher net worth than their counterparts who rent. This research provides new and important evidence for the current policy debate on low-income homeownership programs,” Grinstein-Weiss says.

The Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis awarded one Distinguished Faculty Award and five Distinguished Alumni Awards during its annual alumni awards celebration April 17 at Steinberg Auditorium on the Danforth Campus. One of the alumni was selected as an outstanding Graduate of the Last Decade.

Over spring break, Room 37 in the Brown School’s Goldfarb Hall was transformed. For the last eight weeks of the semester, Brown School students in 15 courses took part in an experiment in pedagogy that brings teaching — and learning — into a new era. This isn’t your parents’ lecture hall. Say hello to the wired world of interactive instruction — or active learning.

Young adults with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are more likely to never see friends, never get called by friends, never be invited to activities and be socially isolated. That’s the finding of new research released online in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders that studies the social outcomes of young adults with an ASD. The study is part of a pioneering program of research on adolescents and adults with autism led by Paul T. Shattuck, PhD, associate professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. Lead author is Gael I. Orsmond, PhD, associate professor at Boston University and an expert on the social development of adults with an ASD.

Sherry Salway Black, director of the Partnership for Tribal Governance, National Congress of American Indians, will be on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis at 12:15 p.m. Monday, May 13, in Brown Hall’s Brown Lounge (Room 218). Her talk “Securing Our Futures: Building Financial Capability for Life” is sponsored by the Brown School’s Center for Social Development and the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. The lecture is free but registration is required. Lunch will be provided.

The Brown School held its second annual Research Without Walls student research symposium April 25 in the hallways of Brown and Goldfarb Halls on the Danforth Campus. The symposium gives students practice in presenting their research to peers, professors and the public in a relaxed, informal setting.

Ross Brownson, PhD, professor in WUSTL’s Brown School and School of Medicine, is one of the country’s leading experts in chronic disease prevention.

As students begin to leave campus for the summer, many will head off to internships, hoping to add to their classroom experiences and enhance their future opportunities by immersing themselves in the real world of work. But to get the most out of the experience, it’s imperative that they have a clear plan.

The Graduate Student Senate recognized eight faculty with Outstanding Faculty Mentor Awards during its 14th annual awards ceremony, held April 10 in the Women’s Building Formal Lounge. Six other faculty received special recognition for excellence in mentoring.

With awareness ever increasing about young adults with autism transitioning into the workforce, a 2012 study by Washington University in St. Louis researcher Paul Shattuck continues to get national recognition. Shattuck’s June 2012 study “Postsecondary Education and Employment Among Youth With an Autism Spectrum Disorder” was one of 20 selected for inclusion in the 2012 IACC Summary of Advances in Autism Spectrum Disorder Research.