Nada A. Abumrad, left, the Robert C. Atkins Professor of Medicine and Obesity Research, reviews a culture of muscle cells with postdoctoral fellow Jill Smith-McMillan.

Faculty as well as students are engaged in learning at Washington University. To promote learning, the University encourages independence, boldness, and originality of thought. All are encouraged to develop the skills, attitudes, and habits of lifelong learning to better adapt to a rapidly evolving society and continued demands for new knowledge and new skills.

To help faculty enhance course preparation and classroom performance, Washington University has developed the Teaching Center. The University also has a Writing Center, designed to encourage and support student writing.

Learning is achieved in classrooms, libraries, laboratories, and studios; in the residential colleges; through internships, study-abroad programs, and academic competitions; and in intramural and varsity athletics and nearly 200 student organizations. Here, students develop leadership, shape values, define directions, and gain skills for their professional endeavors.