In St. Louis, For St. Louis

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.

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.

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.

WashU’s Rural Scholars Academy welcomed its third cohort of 36 incoming high school juniors to campus this month for college classes, admissions workshops and field trips to St. Louis attractions. New this year — the opportunity to meet the first graduates of the academy who will attend WashU.

A new webpage, “From Lab to Real Life: The Impact of WashU Research,” is now available for viewing and sharing. The page highlights how Washington University in St. Louis’ research drives meaningful change in society. The platform showcases groundbreaking discoveries and innovations that improve lives — locally, nationally and globally.

Each year, the Data Management & Analytics team quantifies the university’s economic effects in the St. Louis region by collecting, combining, and analyzing data from several sources. Our work—in collaboration with the WashU Office of Government & Community Relations and other partners across the university—provides a comprehensive, data-driven view of WashU’s impact, published annually in the Community and Economic Benefit report. The most recent edition of the report highlights WashU’s growing role as a regional economic engine. 

WashU founders Fortuna Kadima (EN ’26) and Ethan Ng (EN ’27) are building the digital backbone of future-ready school districts with their startup Connect. The startup is actively partnering with schools across St. Louis, including Jennings, Maplewood Richmond Heights, Parkway (Spark), Ritenour, and WashU to pilot tools that enhance safety and strengthen student-teacher relationships, making schools more human-centered and better organized.

This summer, Civic Scholar Margo Ogrosky ‘26 is making waves by providing mental health rehabilitation through art seminars and young adult programming at the Independence Center. The Independence Center uses the “Clubhouse Model,” a psychosocial rehabilitation program for adults living with severe and persistent mental illness in the St. Louis region. Rather than operating from a clinical perspective, the Independence Center emphasizes community, connection, and empowerment as integral to healing.