Five to receive honorary degrees at Commencement

Washington University will award five honorary degrees during its 162nd Commencement May 15. Among the recipients is Sterling K. Brown, a St. Louis native and award-winning actor and producer, who will deliver the Commencement address.

Cancer cells penetrate deep into their environment

Researchers from the laboratory of Amit Pathak, at the McKelvey School of Engineering, found that cancer cells can sense a layer of cells beneath the top collagen layer on which they normally travel, while normal cells cannot. Their new study was published in Cell Reports.

New Department of Statistics and Data Science established

A new Department of Statistics and Data Science is being established, in line with Arts & Sciences and university strategic planning efforts and in collaboration with the McKelvey School of Engineering. Xuming He will join Arts & Sciences in July to serve as the inaugural chair.

Notables

Katie Allen​, a dual-degree master’s student studying social work and social policy at the Brown School, has been named a finalist for the Presidential Management Fellows Program.

Research Wire

Meghan Campbell, at the School of Medicine, and Caterina Gratton, of Florida State University, have received a five-year $3 million award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to image functional brain networks in people with Parkinson’s disease.

Notables

Lee Sobotka, in Arts & Sciences, will moderate a technical forum April 26 to explain the science behind recent reports of radioactive substances at Jana Elementary school in Hazelwood, Mo. Saint Louis University’s College for Public Health and Social Justice is the host.

Announcements

Provide feedback on MetroLink expansion plans

St. Louis County and St. Louis city have released a survey to collect feedback on expanding MetroLink. As a member of the St. Louis Anchor Action Network, Washington University leaders encourage the campus community to provide input.