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|  STUDENTS HELP KATRINA VICTIMS: Many Southerners who escaped Katrina's wrath have been returning to assess what is left of their homes and businesses. Though nothing can bring back what has been lost, thousands of volunteers have been doing what they can to ease residents' pain. During spring break more than 200 Washington University students traveled to Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama to clear trash, repair homes, prepare food, and provide support to those hardest hit.
STEEDMAN FELLOWSHIP WINNER ANNOUNCED: Japanese architect Mitsuru Hamada has won Washington University's 2006 Steedman Fellowship in Architecture International Design Competition. The biennial competition, sponsored by the College of Architecture and Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design — both divisions of the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts — is open to young architects from around the world. The $30,000 first place award supports study and research abroad and is the largest such award in the United States.
NEW COLLECTION BOLSTERS ARCHIVE: The University Libraries' latest acquisition of a rich collection of materials offers significant resources documenting how African-Americans have been portrayed in film. The Black Film Promotional Materials Collection comprises some 2,700 posters, programs, photographs, advertisements, press kits, and other materials used to promote more than 400 films between 1915-1980.
SITEMAN CANCER CENTER JOINS NATIONAL NETWORK: The Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine has been accepted into The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), an alliance of the world's leading cancer centers. With this addition, NCCN now includes 20 centers dedicated to improving the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of oncology practice so patients can live better lives.
Research
 UNDERSTANDING LATINA SUICIDE: In recent years, one in five U.S. Latina teens attempted suicide – a rate startlingly higher than their non-Hispanic peers. Unfortunately, little research and statistics exist on the issue, but that is set to change. Luis H. Zayas, Ph.D., the Shanti K. Khinduka Distinguished Professor of Social Work in the George Warren Brown School of Social Work, has developed a new research model to help understand the issue of teen suicide among Latinas.
POOR NEIGHBORHOOD CONDITIONS TRIPLE RISK OF DISABILITY: A comparison of residential areas reveals that late middle-aged and older African-Americans living in rundown neighborhoods with poor air and street quality are three times more likely to develop difficulties walking, standing, or lifting than those in cleaner, better-maintained areas. The study was conducted by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, and other institutions.
GOOD PLANTS, BAD CHOLESTEROL: A pill containing plant substances called sterols can help lower cholesterol, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine. Researchers studied patients who already were eating a heart-healthy diet and taking statin drugs to control cholesterol. The addition of plant sterols helped further lower total cholesterol and contributed to a nearly 10 percent reduction in the so-called "bad" cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.
 POP QUIZ: Despite their reputation as a cruel tool of teachers intent on striking fear into the hearts of unprepared students, quizzes — given early and often — may be a student's best friend when it comes to understanding and retaining information for the long haul. Psychologists in Arts & Sciences suggest repeated quizzing is more effective than repeated studying of material.
TWO NEW MISSIONS TO MARS: Two Mars orbiter missions — one from NASA, the other from the European Space Agency — will open new vistas in the exploration of Mars through the use of sophisticated ground-penetrating radars, providing international researchers with the first direct clues about the Red Planet's subsurface structure. Roger Phillips, Ph.D., professor of earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences, is participating in both missions by lending his expertise in radar.
THE PRICE OF FAIRNESS: What is a "fair" price for fairness? New research from the John M. Olin School of Business reveals that a just system of governance may not enhance trust when returns do not meet investors' expectations. This is sobering news for businesses that have spent countless hours and large amounts of money complying with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in the hopes of building stronger corporate governance.
Heard on Campus
"I just believe, in a country that aspires so admirably to be a land of opportunity, we simply can't tolerate the reality that nine-year-olds in low income communities are three grade levels behind, that half of freshmen in low income communities don't graduate, and that those who do graduate are at the eighth grade level... I believe we have to take that issue on and that we can take it on."
— Wendy Kopp, founder of Teach for America, in her speech "Making Good on America's Promise: Educational Opportunity for All," presented as part of the Assembly Series on March 8.
N.B. Eight percent of the Washington University Class of 2005 applied to Teach for America. Currently, 43 Washington University graduates are serving as corps members.
Since the founding of Teach for America in 1990, 117 Washington University graduates have served as corps members, teaching in some of America's most underserved schools. Currently, 83 corps members, six of whom are Washington University graduates, are serving in St. Louis schools.
Kudos John C. Morris, M.D., the Harvey A. and Dorismae Hacker Friedman Distinguished Professor of Neurology and director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and of the Washington University Center for Aging, has been appointed to the National Advisory Council on Aging.
Alan R. Templeton, Ph.D., the Charles Rebstock Professor of Biology in Arts & Sciences, has been awarded the Fulbright-Israel Distinguished Chair. Fulbright Distinguished Chair Programs are offered in 18 countries. Templeton's is the only such chair in all of the natural sciences and engineering for Israel.
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This newsletter is prepared by Special Development Communications Projects staff in Alumni and Development Programs. It is intended to provide a brief summary of what is happening at the University. Alumni, parents, and friends of the University for whom we have valid e-mail addresses automatically receive @ Washington University in St. Louis.
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