Category: Arts & Sciences

St. Louis high school students compete, meet experts at Brain Bee

Washington University in St. Louis welcomed 54 students from the St. Louis region Feb. 25 for the first in-person St. Louis Area Brain Bee since the COVID-19 pandemic.  Participants answered questions about the nervous system, brain structure, cognitive disorders and other topics in neuroscience. Sanjay Adireddi of Ladue Horton Watkins High School won this year’s competition and […]

ICTS Announces 2023-2024 CTRFP Awardees

Washington University Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences (ICTS) and The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital awards 28 investigators as part of the 16th annual Clinical and Translational Research Funding Program (CTRFP). The CTRFP is the largest internal grant funding program of the ICTS. Applicants are required to submit proposals for projects that promote the translation […]

Obituary: Garland Allen, professor emeritus of biology, 86

Garland (“Gar”) Edward Allen III, professor emeritus of biology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, died peacefully in Palm Springs, Calif., on Friday, Feb. 10, 2023. He was 86. Allen was born Feb. 13, 1936, in Louisville, Ky. He earned his bachelor’s degree in English at the University of Kentucky in […]

Hu, Norwitz selected as Gates Cambridge Scholars

Washington University in St. Louis seniors Sabrina Hu and Sam Norwitz are among the 23 U.S. students who have been selected for the prestigious Gates Cambridge Scholarship, which fully funds postgraduate study and research at the University of Cambridge. Hu, of Houston, is majoring in chemistry and in history and minoring in mathematics in Arts & […]

How your mind plays tricks on you

When teaching about cognitive illusions, Henry “Roddy” Roediger, the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of Psychological & Brain Sciences in Arts & Sciences, often begins by asking students to read the following sentence while counting the number of times the letter F appears. Try it yourself: Finished files are the result of years of […]

Research in Braver and Ching labs could boost thinking, focus

Todd Braver, PhD, professor of psychological and brain sciences, and ShiNung Ching, PhD, associate professor of electrical and systems engineering, have received a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for more than $400,000 to investigate a new way to improve thinking and focus — work that could one day help restore short-term memory in older […]

Jackrel awarded grant to study proteins linked to ALS and frontotemporal dementia

The relentless neurological disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) eventually shuts down the entire body, but the devastation starts at a molecular level. Over the years, researchers have linked ALS, also called Lou Gehrig’s disease, to a handful of proteins that don’t function properly because of genetic mutations. Over time, these distorted or “misfolded” proteins can […]

Washington People: John Jachimiak

Two of Washington University in St. Louis’ largest student groups are led by one very busy junior: John Jachimiak. As co-president of Heart for the Unhoused, Jachimiak travels to shelters across the region to conduct health screenings. And as president of the campus QuestBridge chapter, Jachimiak gives scholars resources, a voice and, most importantly, a […]

When bugs swipe left

It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and love is in the air. Or in the waxy coating on your skin, if you are a vinegar fly. That’s where flies encounter pheromones that play an important role in regulating sexual attraction. Flies use pheromones to ensure that they court and mate with members of the same species. As […]

Board of Trustees grants tenure

At the Washington University in St. Louis Board of Trustees meeting Dec. 2, several faculty members were granted tenure. Their new roles took effect Dec. 2. Granting of tenure Marlon M. Bailey as professor of African and African American studies and of women, gender, and sexuality studies, both in Arts & Sciences; Adam Q. Bauer, PhD as […]

Embodying cognition

It was one of those meetings that changes your life. As a veteran dancer in New York, Elinor Harrison, PhD (AB ’01) took a professional interest in the effects of injury and movement impairment. “What if I couldn’t dance?” she remembers wondering. “What does this look like as I grow older?” While performing with celebrated choreographers such […]

Hill receives grant for healthy aging research

Patrick Hill, PhD, an associate professor of psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, received a three-year $237,970 grant from Velux Stiftung, a science-funding foundation based in Switzerland, for research on future time perspective as a motivator for healthy aging practices. Originally published on The Source.

Norwitz, Oyetunji were Rhodes Scholar finalists

Seniors Sam Norwitz and Ephraim Oyetunji at Washington University in St. Louis were finalists for the Rhodes Scholarship, one of the world’s most prestigious academic honors, to study at the University of Oxford in England. Norwitz and Oyetunji, both majoring in the neuroscience track of biology in Arts & Sciences, are striving to improve the […]

Suicide prevention training teaches users to recognize, respond to suicidal behavior

QPR training, a nationally recognized suicide prevention program, is now available to all students, faculty and staff at Washington University in St. Louis. Kirk Dougher, associate vice chancellor for student support and wellness, and Arie Baker, director of health promotion and wellness at Habif Health and Wellness Center, liken QPR to CPR — an emergency […]

Herzog installed as Viktor Hamburger Distinguished Professor

Erik Herzog, PhD, a professor of biology, was installed Oct. 18 as the Viktor Hamburger Distinguished Professor in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. The program included welcoming remarks by Feng Sheng Hu, dean of Arts & Sciences and the Lucille P. Markey Distinguished Professor; an introduction by Jonathan Losos, the William H. […]

Dr. Jane Goodall spreads vision of hope at lecture

Jane Goodall, world-renowned primatologist, anthropologist, and environmental activist, spoke at Graham Chapel last Sunday, Oct. 9, reflecting on defining moments of her career and motivating students to bring positive change to the world throughout their everyday life. Titled “Inspiring Hope Through Action,” Dr. Goodall’s speech discussed a range of topics spanning from her early interest […]

COVID messaging: Caring or condescending?

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, it wasn’t unusual to see and hear public health announcements geared toward older populations because they were more susceptible to severe illness. Over and over, older adults were referred to as “vulnerable.” Meghan McDarby, a former PhD student, Catherine Ju, a former undergraduate student, and Matthew Picchiello, a […]

Using electric fish, biologist Carlson to study neuroplasticity and behavioral evolution

Bruce Carlson, PhD, professor of biology, was recently awarded $980,000 by the National Science Foundation to study neuronal plasticity and the evolvability of behavior. Carlson and his team are examining how changes in an animal’s behavior alters the sensory feedback the animal receives, in turn leading to modifications to the animal’s brain. Mormyrid weakly electric fish, the […]

How neighborhoods can protect — or harm — older adults’ cognitive health

Does your neighborhood help protect your cognitive health as you age? A growing body of research led by scientists at Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Michigan suggests older adults’ access to civic and social organizations, cultural centers — such as museums and art galleries — and recreation centers may help protect […]

Problems persist for kids exposed to cannabis in the womb

Children who were exposed to cannabis in the womb continue to show elevated rates of symptoms of psychopathology — depression, anxiety and other psychiatric conditions — even as, at ages 11 and 12, they head toward adolescence, according to research from the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences’ BRAIN Lab, led by Ryan Bogdan, PhD, associate […]

Barch receives Research Investigator Prize

The American Psychological Foundation has awarded its Alexander Gralnick Research Investigator Prize to Deanna Barch, PhD, chair of psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis.  Barch is also vice dean of research in Arts & Sciences, as well as the Gregory B. Couch Professor of Psychiatry and a professor of radiology​ […]

Distress leads to higher COVID vaccine rates, less adherence to distancing guidelines

People who were more distressed — showing signs of anxiety or depression — during the COVID-19 pandemic were less likely to follow some best practice recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a new study by Washington University in St. Louis researchers.  They found, however, that those same people were more […]

Sugar metabolism is surprisingly conventional in cancer

For over a century, cancer cell metabolism has been viewed as something of a paradox. New work from researchers at Washington University in St. Louis shows that it might not be such an anomaly after all. The study is published Aug. 15 in Molecular Cell. Glucose, a common sugar in food, is one of the most […]

Atkinson, Wingfield receive faculty achievement awards

John Atkinson and Adia Harvey Wingfield will receive Washington University in St. Louis’ 2022 faculty achievement awards, Chancellor Andrew D. Martin announced.  They will be honored at the university’s annual Founders Day dinner in the fall.   Physician-scientist Atkinson, MD, the Samuel B. Grant Professor of Medicine at the School of Medicine, will receive the Carl […]

NIH grant awarded to create neurotech training program

The National Institutes of Health has awarded Daniel Moran, PhD, professor of biomedical engineering in the McKelvey School of Engineering, more than $1 million over five years to create the Translational Neuroscience and Neurotechnology Training Program. This interdisciplinary program will train students to use engineering tools to develop technology that address neurological issues such as […]