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Building on a long history of successful collaboration, Washington University in St. Louis and the Missouri Botanical Garden are welcoming two internationally recognized botanists who will have joint appointments with both research institutions. Lúcia Lohmann, a botanist and conservationist known for her extensive research in the Amazonian rainforest, became president and director of the Missouri Botanical Garden Jan. 2. She will also be the George Engelmann Professor of Botany in the Department of Biology in Arts & Sciences. Toby Pennington, a leader in the study of dry tropical forests, will be the inaugural David and Dorothy Kemper Professor in the Department of Biology, a joint appointment with the university and the garden. He starts Aug. 1.

For nearly two decades, cinematic art that counters negative stereotypes, combats false narratives and offers first-hand insight about the continent of Africa have been showcased at Washington University in St. Louis. On Friday (March 28) the 19th Annual African Film Festival returns to campus. 

The Department of Music in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis will host six performances by internationally renowned performers as part of the 2026 Great Artists Series. “The Great Artists Series has quickly become a beloved St. Louis tradition,” said Patrick Burke, a professor and chair of music. “It offers local audiences rare opportunities to see some of the world’s finest musicians up close and in person. We could not be more proud to present these amazing performers.”

Some great classical music is coming to St. Louis next year. After several years of planning, Washington University in St. Louis has announced its schedule for the 2026 Great Artist Series.

The Sam Fox School’s Office for Socially Engaged Practice will partner with the nonprofit Be Well Café & Market in St. Louis’ Hyde Park neighborhood for the school’s inaugural Summer Public Design Workshop this May. The three-week long charrette challenges student participants to design a project in collaboration with and proposed by a community partner. Be Well was selected by a review committee from a competitive set of proposals submitted last fall.

The St. Louis nonprofit BioSTL is taking a leading role to turbocharge neuroscience in St. Louis. BioSTL is partnering with Washington University in St. Louis to lead a new program for the St. Louis region, called the NEURO360 initiative.

Peter Kastor, the Samuel K. Eddy Endowed Professor in History in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, has been appointed chair of the Missouri Historical Society’s board of trustees. His two-year term began Jan. 1.

About 55 high school students from the St. Louis region and beyond tested their knowledge of the human brain and learned about neuroscience careers at the 15th annual St. Louis Area Brain Bee March 8 at Washington University in St. Louis.

Juan Williams Chávez is founder and director of Northside Workshop, an indoor workspace surrounded by a teaching garden divided into a variety of habitats. Visitors learn about bees and ecosystems and make art projects. He’s also one of 10 artists in an exhibition at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum that showcases people who use their artwork to call for a better balance between humans and the natural world.

More than 150 nominations were submitted for the St. Louis Business Journal’s annual Best Places to Work Awards program for 2025. The 80 companies identified including WashU stand out as the finalists in this year’s program.