News

The United States and the world have learned a lot about the lunar surface since the crew of Apollo 11 landed back on Earth 55 years ago Wednesday. Scientists at Washington University in St. Louis have been studying the Moon ever since the time of the Apollo missions. Researchers at Washington University are currently preparing for NASA’s planned Artemis III mission, which will return astronauts to the lunar surface. The mission seeks to land on a part of the Moon that has not been explored before, specifically the south pole.

After being told she should go gluten-free in 2009, Britt Royal, owner of Britt’s Bakehouse, kept baking – a favorite hobby of hers – despite her diagnosis. The doors opened at her gluten-free bakery in Kirkwood, Missouri, in November 2019, and it’s been a community favorite ever since. Although she wasn’t born here, it made sense for Royal to open her bakery in St. Louis: Her mom’s side of the family is from the area, and Royal herself attended college at Washington University in St. Louis.

More people are working in the St. Louis region than ever before, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Labor. The St. Louis region gained nearly 31,000 workers over the past year, making it the seventh-best U.S. metro area for job growth. The region broke through the top 10 for the first time since 1990. The number of people working in the 14-county region that includes the Metro East has risen 2.16% this year — surpassing the national rate of 1.7%.

Four members of the Washington University in St. Louis community are recipients of the St. Louis Business Journal’s 2024 Champions for Diversity & Inclusion Awards.

On July 9, the St. Louis entrepreneurial community came together for St. Louis Inno’s Fire Awards, which recognizes the innovators shaping the entrepreneurial ecosystem and applauds companies and organizations growing their teams, launching new products, and positively impacting society. The companies recognized include five WashU alumni, and we are thrilled to see their continued commitment to St. Louis and the impact their startups are having on the local ecosystem and beyond.

From the Arch grounds south along the Mississippi River, historic manufacturing buildings will soon be a center for advanced manufacturing. Clayton-based Real Estate investment firm Millstone Company is the newest partner in the Gateway South project by Good Developments Group. President Bob Millstone tells KMOX he signed onto the project because he sees great potential of economic growth for the region.

The bioscience community in St. Louis is collaborating on what it hopes will be the financial footing to make our region the neuroscience hub of the world. BioSTL, Washington University, along with others are working together to help secure a $160 million grant that would continue growing the neuroscience scene in St. Louis.

In “Radical Atlas of Ferguson, USA,” which will be released by Belt Publishing Aug. 6, Professor Patty Heyda from Washington University in St. Louis utilized more than 100 maps to chart the often-opaque forces that have shaped Ferguson, Missouri, and other first-ring American suburbs since the early 1980s. Tax incentives, housing codes, roadways, policing, philanthropy, even landscaping — all can work against the fundamental betterment of residents’ lives.

Seven films created by WashU students will be featured in the 24th annual St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase in 2024. Organized by Cinema St. Louis, the festival highlights work written, directed, edited and/or produced by St. Louis natives and by those with strong local ties.

Experiencing the best of St. Louis is as simple as figuring out what the Gateway City does well—and leaning into that. Our list draws on more than a decade of research, and while it’s by no means exhaustive, you could use it as a cheat sheet to take pride in the region—or as a bucket list for visitors.