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Mark Sawyier, AB ’07, didn’t know entrepreneurship would be in his future when he came to WashU. It arrived quickly. Sawyier was only a sophomore when he launched MovingOffCampus.com with a classmate in 2004. The site began by helping St. Louis–area college students find off-campus apartments, then expanded to multiple states. Sawyier subsequently co-launched Bonfyre, the St. Louis–based company he runs today as CEO.

When he was getting started at Washington University in St. Louis, Olin Business School student Joel Shin never imagined he would pursue nonprofit work. His ultimate aspiration was finding a job that provided for his family — a goal he believed was synonymous with pursuing work in the corporate sector. But his perspective has changed. Shin has worked as a summer intern for the Aspirations Network, a nonprofit that empowers youth through research and educational programming. The job allows him to combine his business acumen with his passion for film to make a difference in the St. Louis community.

In this program offered by the Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging at WashU Brown School, local students learn about three neurological conditions and diseases that often interplay with the aging process — stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and dementia. Students are matched with a faculty mentor and will spend eight weeks as part of their lab or center.

WashU’s Allan Hazlett, a professor of philosophy in Arts & Sciences, has introduced the Summer Philosophy Academy, a free one-week program for high school students curious about philosophy — no prior knowledge of Aristotle or Kant required. Through lectures, discussions and field trips with WashU philosophy faculty and students, participants explore urgent ethical and philosophical questions about political polarization, artificial intelligence (AI), social media and other contemporary topics. 

WashU rising senior Fiona Sun is participating in the St. Louis Internship Program for Biomedical Engineering, one of several WashU programs that funds meaningful career experiences at St. Louis-based startups, businesses and nonprofits. The BME initiative provides interns a $6,800 summer stipend and hosts panels, tours and networking events. Many internship alumni have started their careers in St. Louis.

MilliporeSigma has signed an agreement with Washington University to extend and expand their long-running collaboration on scientific research and commercialization. The company, which is the U.S. and Canadian life science business of Germany’s Merck KGaA, inked a nonbinding memorandum of understanding with WashU that builds on over 90 years of partnership between the two, officials said Thursday.

A project that could help scientists identify novel ways to fight disease is one of the research efforts that will get a significant boost under a new collaboration agreement that Washington University in St. Louis has signed with leading science and technology company MilliporeSigma. Together, MilliporeSigma and WashU aim to accelerate the transition from lab discoveries to clinical applications and help eventually bring life-saving therapies to patients faster.

Building health knowledge and trust in communities is one of the most urgent challenges facing public health today. iHeard St. Louis, a program of the Health Communication Research Laboratory at Washington University’s School of Public Health, is helping lead an evidence-based response. Launched during the COVID-19 pandemic, iHeard initially helped health officials respond more quickly to vaccine misinformation. Since then, the program has broadened its scope.

Washington University and a leading biotech research company say they have united to further scientific research and innovation in St. Louis. Leaders of WashU and MilliporeSigma, the life sciences business of German science and technology company Merck KGaA, have signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding to “advance scientific collaboration,” according to a Thursday news release.

Randall Jotte, MD, a professor of emergency medicine at WashU Medicine, is a driving force behind the Hospital to Housing program. The innovative partnership with local organization St. Patrick’s Center and other agencies aims to improve medical outcomes and reduce health-care costs by providing housing support for high-frequency users of the emergency room.