Arts & Sciences

Executive Vice Chancellor and Dean of Arts & Sciences: Edward S. Macias Vice Chancellor for Students & Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences: James E. McLeod Dean of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences: Robert E. Thach Dean of University College in Arts & Sciences: Robert E. Wiltenburg

Home Page: http://artsci.wustl.edu/ Location: 200 S. Brookings Hall

The humanities, social and behavioral sciences, and physical and natural sciences and mathematics: these form the traditional organizing framework for study of the arts and sciences within a university setting. At Washington University in St. Louis, Arts & Sciences encompasses all these and more, including the study of literature, culture, history, and of economics, political science, education, anthropology, psychology, and the pursuit of scientific knowledge and quantitative reasoning.

In its 40 academic departments and programs, Arts & Sciences has more than 600 tenured and tenure-track faculty whose research interests range across all of human knowledge. In addition, more than 100 research scientists, lecturers, artists in residence, and visitors actively engage in the academic enterprise.

Arts & Sciences' world-class faculty is asking and finding answers to fundamental questions such as: How does life evolve? What causes disease? How does our environment change? By studying foreign languages, literatures and cultures, what might we learn of ourselves? What are black holes? What is the nature of civilization? What does it mean to be an American? How do we explore such questions?

With varied intellectual pursuits, the Arts & Sciences faculty comprising anthropologists, biologists, chemists, economists, historians, political scientists and psychologists — to name just a few — can add perspective and depth to news and feature stories. And the faculty can discuss topics in everyday language and provide an expert source from the Midwest.

News Stories & Tip Sheets:

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New dean announcement Quatrano named interim dean of Arts & Sciences May 13, 2008 -- Quatrano Download Ralph S. Quatrano, Ph.D., the Spencer T. Olin Professor and chair of the Washington University Department of Biology, has been named interim dean of the faculty of Arts & Sciences effective July 1, 2008, according to Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton. He succeeds Executive Vice Chancellor Edward S. Macias, Ph.D., dean of Arts & Sciences and the Barbara and David Thomas Distinguished Professor in Arts & Sciences.

Workaholic Single-celled bacterium works 24-7, converting light to energy by day, moonlighting at night April 28, 2008 -- Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have gained the first detailed insight into the way circadian rhythms govern global gene expression in Cyanothece, a type of cyanobacterium (blue-green algae) known to cycle between photosynthesis during the day and nitrogen fixation at night.

All shook up Midwest now worries about a different fault April 24, 2008 -- Two seismologists at Washington University in St. Louis think the New Madrid Fault may have seen its day and the Wabash Fault is the new kid on the block. "I think everyone's interested in the Wabash Valley Fault because a lot of the attention has been on the New Madrid Fault, but the Wabash Valley Fault could be the more dangerous one, at least for St. Louis and Illinois," said Doug Wiens, professor of earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences. "The strongest earthquakes in the last few years have come from the Wabash Valley Fault, which needs more investigation."

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Faculty Experts:

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James H. Buckley Professor of Physics in Arts & Sciences James Buckley specializes in astrophysical research in high-energy phenomena. His research interests include the origin of cosmic rays, gamma-ray and multiwavelength observations of active galaxies and experimental cosmology. Expertise: Gamma-Ray, Multiwavelength Observations of Active Galaxies, Experimental Cosmology, Dark Matter Search, Origin of Cosmic Rays, Optical Astronomy, Optical Transients from AGNs and GRBs, … Direct contact: 314-935-7607 / buckley@wustl.edu

Alexander Meshik Research professor of physics in Arts & Sciences Meshik is the lead author of a study in the Oct. 19, 2007, issue of Science on the analysis of solar wind noble gases (neon and argon) from NASA's Genesis Mission. Meshik and colleagues will next study the solar wind samples for xenon and krypton. Meshik also analyzed the isotopic structure of noble ... Expertise: Geochemistry, Geochronology, Nuclear Chemistry, Xenon, Krypton, solar wind, noble gases, … Direct contact: 314-935-5049 / am@wustl.edu

John McCarthy Professor of Mathematics John McCarthy's field is a kind of analysis called operator theory, which he defines as the study of matrices in infinite dimensional space. It is most directly linked to quantum mechanics, a physics theory involving elementary particles such as the electron that predicts the outcomes of physical ... Expertise: mathematics, pure mathematics, operator theory, quantum mechanics Direct contact: (314) 935-6753 / mccarthy@wustl.edu

Jonathan Chase Assistant Professor of Biology Chase Jonathan M. Chase, assistant professor of biology, focuses his research on the rules (or lack thereof) underlying the diversity, distribution, and abundance of animal and plant species from the population/community/ecosystem perspective. His research combines observational, theoretical, and experimental ... Expertise: biology, ecology, ecosystem, natural history, evolution, biodiversity, food webs, … Direct contact: (314) 935-4105 / jchase@wustl.edu

Hillel J. Kieval Chair of history and the Gloria M. Goldstein Professor of Jewish History and Thought in Arts & Sciences Professor Kieval's work focuses on transformations in Jewish culture and society in East Central Europe (Austria-Hungary, Germany and Poland) from the Enlightenment to the Second World War; more specifically, on the effects of modernization projects, ethnic and national struggles, social conflict, ... Expertise: Jewish culture in East Central Europe, antisemitism on Jewish life, Jewish-Gentile relations, linguistic, cultural and communal affiliations among Jews, Jewish society in Bohemia, Jewish experience in Czech lands, … Direct contact: 314-935-5426 / hkieval@wustl.edu

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Related News Clips:

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Show More Clips

The Vatican on Muslims and Jews U.S. News & World Report online April 30, 2008 -- Article looks at how Pope Benedict XVI is trying to mend fences within the church, with other churches, and with Muslims and Jews. WUSTL religious studies professor Frank Flinn comments.

Negative rhetoric seen beyond campaign trail Associated Press and 58 others April 28, 2008 -- Scorching rhetoric and negative campaigning aren't confined to the long presidential contest. They're spilling over into other segments of public life. "It's partly this environment where we can't let things slide," said Wayne Fields, director of the American Cultural Studies program at WUSTL. "There's big bucks to be made. These former leaders are going to protect their positions of expertise so they can keep selling books and keep getting speaking engagements."

Wabash Fault holds high earthquake risk United Press International April 28, 2008 -- Scientists said the Wabash Valley Fault in Illinois may pose a higher risk to St. Louis than the better-known New Madrid Fault. The magnitude 5.2 earthquake that originated last week on the Wabash Valley Fault was about 120 miles east of St. Louis. WUSTL seismologists Douglas Wiens and Michael Wysession comment.

Give a leg up The Times Education Supplement (London UK) April 25, 2008 -- So you thought testing was just assessment and either neutral or actively harmful to learning? Well, think again. New research from the U.S. suggests that, far from being a recipe for a blighted childhood, repeated testing is one of the best ways to learn. The active retrieval of facts from the memory that occurs during testing is far more helpful for consolidating knowledge than passive studying. This research was conducted by Purdue's Jeffrey Karpicke and WUSTL psychology professor Henry Roediger.

Dental work claim challenges antiquity of hobbit skeleton Scientific American online April 23, 2008 -- Most paleoanthropologists believe that the 18,000 year old Flores, Indonesia hobbit belongs to a new species of human, But now comes word that the specimen used to define the species appears to have had some dental work. If so, it would mean that the hobbit was just a modern human with a growth disorder, which is what critics have argued all along. Paleoanthropologist and WUSTL radiology professor Charles Hildebolt examined the CT scans and said that it is unlikely that any type of filling material is in the tooth.

Undergraduates study the scientific and policy issues of our environment, led by an environmental scientist, a political scientist, and an anthropologist. Students and faculty in the Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology program seek an integrated understanding of how the mind and brain work by drawing from a variety of disciplines, including the three PNP departments as well as linguistics, education and anthropology.

The majority of Washington University's undergraduates, more than 3,000 each semester, are Arts & Sciences students; but all 5,000 of the university's undergraduates spend at least some of their time in Arts & Sciences classrooms and labs. Students in Engineering, Business, Art and Architecture meet general education requirements by taking courses in the College of Arts & Sciences and many of these students have double majors or minors in an Arts & Sciences discipline as well as in their professional field. About half of Arts & Sciences students go on to medical school, law school or graduate school upon receipt of the Bachelor's degree; the other half find jobs in the widest range of careers imaginable. Its alumni are successful teachers, scientists, writers, doctors, lawyers, business leaders, filmmakers, performing artists, journalists and civic leaders.

In the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, more than 1,000 students enroll each year in pursuit of the master's and Ph.D. Arts & Sciences graduate students are among the most talented in the country, and as teaching and research assistants make important contributions to the work of the faculty. The Graduate School of Arts & Sciences is nationally renowned for its time to degree statistics and its placement record.

Through University College, each semester Washington University becomes accessible to more than 800 part-time students from the St. Louis community. Summer sessions for current students, visitors and special programs for talented high school students are also administered through University College in Arts & Sciences.

Arts & Sciences is organized in three large parts — The College, The Graduate School and University College, all within the coordination of the executive vice chancellor and dean of Arts & Sciences. Its 40 academic departments and programs are home to world-class faculty who oversee the curriculum and the research agenda. Faculty and students examine fields of knowledge that can be grouped into three basic areas: humanities; social and behavioral sciences; and physical and natural sciences and mathematics.

Arts & Sciences at Washington University is about great faculty interacting with great students, exploring important questions. Arts & Sciences is about learning and discovery in the areas critical to human endeavor. In other words, Arts & Sciences is the heart of a great university.