Happiness may protect against dementia

older woman with a kitten
A sense of well-being can have a profound impact on health, especially for the aging brain. Higher levels of well-being have been robustly associated with a lower risk for future dementia, according to WashU psychology researchers who contributed to this year’s World Happiness Report.

MFA dance concert March 22 and 23

New works by choreographers Carol Bertho, Emily Ehling and the late Amarnath Ghosh, who died Feb. 27, will debut in Edison Theatre March 22 and 23 as part of this year’s MFA Student Dance Concert, presented by the Performing Arts Department in Arts & Sciences.

The future is brewed

Kurt Driesner talks about brewing at Urban Chestnut
The undergraduate students in Washington University’s zymurgy class can learn about the practical application of synthetic biology through the traditional science of beer brewing.

Five factors to ensure an infant thrives

a happy father holds his baby while the mother looks on, smiling
In new research published in JAMA Pediatrics, researchers at Washington University make the case that “thrive factors” are a key element of healthy human brain, behavioral and cognitive development. The five thrive factors include: environmental stimulation, nutrition, neighborhood safety, positive caregiving and regular sleep.

WashU launches tuition-free program for refugees

Washington University in St. Louis is launching Empower: Career Success for Refugees, a 26-week program to help refugees develop next-level language and professional skills to succeed in health care and other high-demand industries. The program will be offered at no cost through WashU’s School of Continuing & Professional Studies and will take place at the Delmar Divine, home to a growing number of health, education and human service organizations. 

Demystifying nano-neuro interactions

neuron
Researchers at the McKelvey School of Engineering received a three-year $570,746 grant from the National Science Foundation to support their work to understand the fundamental mechanisms that underpin interactions between nerve cells, or neurons, and nanoparticles, which can be used to both sense and stimulate neurons.