In St. Louis, For St. Louis

The WashU Math Club is a new student-led organization with a verve for numbers. The math club’s largest event so far was the first annual WashU Mathematical Excellence Competition. More than 60 students from 12 area high schools faced off in individual and team challenges covering a range of subjects, including geometry, algebra, and number theory. Between events, competitors had a chance to tour campus and meet with members of other university groups, including WashU Robotics and the Society of Physics Students. “It was a big success,” Auld said. “The competitors got a WashU experience. I hope many of them will look into coming here.”

The Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement has awarded its 22nd annual Gerry & Bob Virgil Ethic of Service Award to eight members of the WashU community who are making a positive impact in the St. Louis region. The annual honor, established by Bob Virgil, former dean of Olin Business School, and his wife, the late Gerry Virgil, celebrates students, faculty, staff, alumni, retirees and volunteers for Washington University, who go above and beyond their professional responsibilities in their service to St. Louis, inspiring others to create a healthier, more just and vibrant St. Louis. 

In 2024, The Philanthropy Lab national organization granted $62,500 to nonprofits in the St. Louis region through their Ambassador Board. In January, WashU undergrad Kate Kirchdorfer attended The Philanthropy Lab’s Ambassador Board meeting and nominated EarthDance, an organic farm school situated in Ferguson, Missouri, to receive a $25,000 grant. 

The Gephardt Institute awarded $11,100, through the St. Louis Impact Fund, to nine St. Louis Fellows and Civic Scholars to support their goals to make deeper impacts in the community-engaged work they began last summer. These Partnership Extension Grants help students extend their time with the organizations they partnered with during the summer to continue making tangible change in the region. 

New this year, the St. Louis Fellows Program will offer a specific opportunity to help address gun violence in the region. The forthcoming Arnold Family Fellow — created through a vision and gift from Jane Arnold JD ’93 and her children — is part of the new class of St. Louis Fellows and will be granted to a student who applied for the program with an expressed interest in addressing gun violence. 

After a record number of applications, a packed week of back-to-back interviews, and a rigorous selection process, the Gephardt Institute announces its largest class of St. Louis Fellows in the program’s nearly 20-year history. “WashU is in St. Louis and for St. Louis,” said Executive Director Stephanie Kurtzman. “The St. Louis Fellows Program offers a transformative pathway for students to contribute to the progress and vitality of the St. Louis region, and prepare for a lifetime of civic leadership wherever they live and work in the future. Student interest in this opportunity is at a record high, and thanks to generous contributions from our supporters, we’re pleased to expand the program once again to meet the burgeoning interest of both students and our St. Louis community partners.”

At a critical juncture for agriculture and public health, Washington University in St. Louis is launching the Food and Agriculture Research Mission (FARM), an ambitious initiative that aims to address challenges in agricultural production, food distribution and access to nutritious foods by developing practical, scalable solutions for global impact. “The urgency of this moment cannot be overstated,” said WashU Chancellor Andrew D. Martin, who has long advocated for this initiative. “Hunger, malnutrition and environmental degradation are not distant threats — they are present crises demanding immediate, coordinated action. “We have the opportunity to interrupt these consequences by applying innovative solutions to seemingly intractable problems,” he added. “Together, with our partners in St. Louis and beyond, we will transform how we grow food, nourish communities and sustain the environment — because the health of regional, national and global populations depends on it.”

WashU Advocates are raising awareness about WashU’s mission with government officials, communicating how the university works to solve societal challenges and improve lives in the region and beyond.

Researchers from the Brown School’s Evaluation Center and Center for Social Development (CSD) will assess the impact of a new financial initiative aimed at closing the racial wealth gap in St. Louis.

Yixin Chen, professor of computer science & engineering in the McKelvey School of Engineering, was given the St. Louis Innovator Award by the Bar Association of Metropolitan Saint Louis at its inaugural Spirit of Innovation Awards Jan. 23, 2025. Chen was selected his contributions and dedication to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship in our region, specifically, in AI and large-language models and their applications in health care and legal practices.