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Eight floors up in the nondescript Security Building in downtown St. Louis, a small legal team has been engaged in public service work for over two decades at the Great Rivers Environmental Law Center. Last summer as part of the WashU St. Louis Fellows Program, Jordyn Ederer ‘26, a Goldman Fellow, worked out of the firm’s book-laden office on North Fourth Street and interned under the guidance of Bruce Morrison, the General Counsel of Great Rivers, and a WashU Law alumnus. Great Rivers is Missouri’s only public interest law firm focused on tackling the environmental and public health crises facing people in Missouri and Southern Illinois through legal avenues.

The St. Louis Fellows Program is a flagship initiative of the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement which advances Washington University’s commitment to be in St. Louis and for St. Louis. This six-month competitive fellowship prepares WashU students for lifelong civic leadership through an experiential curriculum and local internships focused on advancing mission-critical work that moves the St. Louis region forward

Precious Barry, a WashU undergrad, has partnered with the St. Louis County chapter of the NAACP to help charter a student chapter at the university that will launch this January. The chapter is housed under WashU’s African and African American Studies Department. Its goals are to register to vote as many students as possible, create civically minded leaders and work to promote diversity, equity and inclusion on campus.

One evening in November, a class of about 30 WashU graduate students trickled onto the Cortex campus to learn more about BioGenerator Ventures, the investment arm of the bio-sciences ecosystem nonprofit BioSTL. They were met there by James McCarter, the new head of BioGenerator. McCarter, a major player in St. Louis’ bioscience industry, assumed his role in October. He sees untapped potential for investment particularly at WashU Medicine, which both this year and last garnered the second-highest amount of research funding among all U.S. medical schools from the National Institutes of Health.

Learning a sport typically starts at a young age. Parents often give their child a ball, a bat, a racquet, or a glove to help build their interest in athletics. Kids swing and miss or throw in the wrong direction, but they often get to hear words of encouragement from those at a practice or game to keep going. But it’s not that easy for everyone. Some children have challenges that they must overcome and do so on a daily basis. One group in particular are those children who are deaf and/or hard of hearing. Luckily some have the opportunity to attend the Central Institute for the Deaf (CID) here in St. Louis. Part of their education is learning about physical activities and sports. That is where the Washington University in St. Louis men’s tennis team has been able to make a connection and give back to the community.

Each summer, the Sam Fox School’s Office for Socially Engaged Practice works to place students in 12-week fellowship roles with community partners through the CityStudioSTL program. The fellows and firms intentionally focus on community-driven projects in the St. Louis area, often partnering with area nonprofits to strengthen the region while providing students the opportunity to experience the city beyond WashU’s campus.

Mitra Naseh, an assistant professor at the Brown School, has received a three-year, $463,654 grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health to study and improve the health of refugees in Missouri. Naseh’s project, titled “Structural Barriers and Health Outcomes of New Missourians,” will focus on identifying and addressing the challenges refugees face when seeking initial assistance. The goal is to develop and test community-led solutions to improve health outcomes for newly resettled refugees across the state.

The chairman of St. Louis-based Enterprise Holdings and his wife have donated $50 million to Washington University’s neuroscience department. Andrew and Barbara Taylor gave the gift in appreciation for care he received from Wash U neurologists during a recent Illness, according to an announcement from the university.

Dr. Cryslynn Billingsley, Jennings Senior High and College Prep Academy Principal, is among more than 22 educators from the Jennings School District participating in The Art of Coaching Book Club, a guided set of professional learning sessions facilitated by Washington University’s Institute for School Partnership (ISP) and the Center for Education Leadership at the St. Louis Community Foundation. Based on Elena Aguilar’s book, “The Art of Coaching Teams: Building Resilient Communities That Transform Schools,” the sessions provide a safe place for shared learning on the importance of building trust, listening, and asking effective questions.

Duke University and Washington University in St. Louis have each reported receiving $50 million gifts this week in support of advanced medical care. Washington University announced on December 12 that Andrew Taylor and his wife, Barbara, had made a $50 million gift to the university’s neurosurgery department. In recognition of the gift, the department has been renamed the Taylor Family Department of Neurosurgery. The gift was made out of gratitude for the medical care Andrew Taylor recently received from neurosurgeons at Washington University. Mr. Taylor is the executive chairman of Enterprise Mobility, the global car rental and transportation company based in St.Louis.