Artist Michael Joo, architect Lola Sheppard and designer Rob Giampietro are among the international array of cutting-edge visual thinkers who will visit St. Louis as part of the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts’ spring Public Lecture Series. In all, the series, which begins Feb. 3, will feature 16 presentations by renowned artists, architects, curators and designers.

The process of truly connecting with others — no matter their differences — can be challenging, even difficult at times. Columnist and filmmaker Aisha Sultan will explore the theme of embracing others during her upcoming keynote for the university’s annual Day of Dialogue & Action on Feb. 18.

School of Medicine researchers have received $29 million from the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health to continue a long-running, international Alzheimer’s study aimed at understanding how the disease develops and progresses.

Angie L. Leahy, assistant director of tax at Washington University in St. Louis, has been named associate vice chancellor for finance and controller, announced Amy B. Kweskin, vice chancellor for finance and chief financial officer. Leahy’s appointment took effect Jan. 1.

Chancellor Andrew D. Martin will deliver the keynote address at Washington University in St. Louis’ Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 20, in Graham Chapel.

A new study from the School of Medicine suggests that bone marrow — or blood stem cells — from healthy donors can harbor extremely rare mutations that can cause health problems for the cancer patients who receive them. Such stem cell transplants are important for treating blood cancers, including acute myeloid leukemia.

A new study that included a pair of researchers from Washington University in St. Louis’ Olin Business School, Kurt Dirks and Andrew Knight, explored what underlies an accurate sense of trust in a business organization.

The spring session of the Public Interest Law & Policy Speakers Series kicks off at 3 p.m. Friday, Jan. 17, in Anheuser-Busch Hall, with a chat with constitutional experts Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the School of Law at University of California, Berkeley, and Lyrissa Lidsky, dean of the University of Missouri School of Law, discussing the future of free speech.

Beverly Wendland, the James B. Knapp Dean of the Krieger School of Arts & Sciences at Johns Hopkins University, has been appointed provost of Washington University in St. Louis, effective July 1, according to Chancellor Andrew D. Martin.

As the spring semester kicked off, Parking & Transportation Services at Washington University in St. Louis announced changes in the east end garage, WashU Rides and a revamped campus shuttle system.