Innovative discoveries, interesting students and inspiring speakers were all captured on video at Washington University in St. Louis. Here, The Source looks back at some of 2022’s highlights.
Made to model
A gown fit for Cinderella. A suit for a wedding. A jacket just right for a night on the town. This video goes behind the scenes of the annual Sam Fox Fashion Design Show, which featured custom designs for 15 children with functional needs.
“It feels pretty great to use my sewing skills for good,” said student Rebecca Brooks.
Another video, Supporting St. Louis children with cerebral palsy, showcases the work of student group Synapse and its Cerebral Palsy Sports and Rehabilitation program, which helps children have fun and build strength at adaptive dance classes.
Amanda on the street
Student Amanda Sherman hit campus in the spring to see how students were spending reading week and, again, in the fall, asked her peers about their goals for the new academic year.
Quantum computing breakthrough
In this animated video, Kater Murch, a professor of physics in Arts & Sciences, explains the science behind the creation of a new qubit platform.
Celebrating Commencement
Washington University celebrated its 161 Commencement ceremony at Francis Olympic Field — Commencement’s now-permanent home. NASA astronaut Mae Jemison, MD, offered these words of advice to the university’s 3,800 graduates: “Whenever you start to feel down, look up from your device, go outside, look up at the sky, and acknowledge that you are part of this universe and you have as much right to be here as any speck of stardust.”
Another 18 students received their Washington University diplomas at the Commencement ceremony for the The Prison Education Project at Missouri Eastern Correctional Center.
“We are told that we are our mistakes,” said student speaker Larry Marshall. “We are told that because of our mistakes, society will not accept us. But being part of WashU has given me a better perspective of who I am as a person and as a student.”
Squirrels and the city
Elizabeth Carlen, a postdoctoral fellow with the Living Earth Collaborative, is using squirrel DNA to investigate how squirrels are adapting to the urban environment within St. Louis city.
Spectacular speakers
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor spoke to a packed Athletic Complex in April, answering questions from Chancellor Andrew D. Martin and students.
“These days, there is a lot of screaming between people and among people,” Sotomayor told the crowd. “And it’s sometimes hard to get past that. With my colleagues, with whom I have very divergent views with many, probably the majority right now, I try very, very hard to see the good in them, because I know there is good in every one of them.”
And then, in October, Jane Goodall delivered an Assembly Series lecture, “Dr. Jane Goodall: Inspiring Hope Through Action,” in Graham Chapel.
“We’ve just got this one beautiful planet. That’s our one true home. That’s what we have to save,” Goodall said.
Restored rom-com
University Libraries is restoring “The Maid of McMillan,” a student film produced more than 100 years ago.
Climate coverage
The “Our world by degrees” series continued in 2022 with “Our world by degrees: Something’s up,” which explores new research on fine particulate matter, which is the leading cause of environment-related diseases, and “Our world by degrees: Into the Wild,” which chronicles the critical role that wetlands play in storing carbon.
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