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April 2007
University News
Stagnant budgets for NIH hinder scientific progress: Promising research is being halted and talented young scientists are changing careers because of persistent flat funding for U.S. biomedical research that could lead to advances in treatments for such diseases as cancer and Alzheimer’s. Leading research institutions, including Washington University, are pleading their case to Congress.
McDonnell International Scholars see American politics up close: To better understand American politics, culture, history, and government, 18 recent graduates from Asia’s leading research universities visited Washington, D.C., in late March as part of their graduate education at Washington University. The 18 graduate students are the first cohort of scholars in the University’s McDonnell International Scholars Academy.
 Bears men and women go to Final Four in basketball: Just three times in NCAA Division III history have men’s and women’s basketball teams from the same institution advanced to the Final Four; the latest to do so were the Bears from Washington University this year. Unfortunately, the women (25-6) fell to DePauw University 55-52 in the championship game, and the men (25-5) had to settle for third place after losing to Virginia Wesleyan College 67-65 in the semifinals.
read more about the women’s team
read more about the men’s team  Mom’s education equates to family’s economic well-being: Poverty in the United States is more prevalent among women with children, no matter what their marital status might be, and there is a direct, tested link between education and a reduction in poverty, says Shanta Pandey, Ph.D., associate professor at Washington University’s George Warren Brown School of Social Work. She argues that the $150 million devoted to healthy marriage initiatives through the Debt Reduction Act of 2005 could be better spent on education programs for mothers.
New technology coming too fast for Indian farmers: The arrival of genetically modified crops has added another level of complexity to farming in the developing world, says Glenn D. Stone, Ph.D., professor of anthropology and environmental studies in Arts & Sciences. The speed of change, the overwhelming number of choices in the seed market, and the desire for novelty are all leading to a lack of proper seed testing by farmers in India.
Could a pill someday prevent hearing damage? Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine have found that two anti-epileptic drugs can prevent permanent hearing loss to a significant degree in mice exposed to loud noises; suggesting that a medicinal form of hearing protection for soldiers and others may someday be a possibility. The fault behind “The Shanghai” quake: Commonly known as “the slot machine,” the Shanghai Stock Exchange’s recent quakes shook Western markets and put ‘the Shanghai’ on American investors’ financial Richter scale. According to two professors in the John M. Olin School of Business, the market's volatility lies in deep faults in China's investment infrastructure, which the government hopes to mend.
 Like Tom and Huck: Missouri caves are legendary, having served as beer storage sites, speakeasies, outlaw hideouts, and the setting for some of Mark Twain’s most memorable scenes. But research by a professor of earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences and his team has found that many caves in St. Louis County have been eliminated or destroyed, and there are no laws to protect caves on private land.
Can African-American theater survive? In the 1960s and ‘70s, African-American actors, writers, and directors formed dozens of regional theaters in cities around the country. Now, even some of the larger companies are cutting staff, canceling seasons, or closing their doors entirely. And Ron Himes, the Henry E. Hampton Jr. Artist-in-Residence in Arts & Sciences at Washington University says, “Nobody seems to quite understand why.”"...As they read, they [readers] dream the author’s dream and imagine his heroes into being and see his world. So now, these readers, like the author himself are trying to imagine the other... These are the times when we feel humility, compassion, tolerance, pity, and love stirring in our hearts. For great literature speaks not to our powers of judgment, but to our ability to put ourselves in someone else’s place.”
—Orhan Pamuk, Turkish writer and 2006 Nobel Prize winner in literature, during his address at the Center for the Humanities' fifth annual Faculty Book Celebration. Mr. Pamuk was awarded Washington University's inaugural International Humanities Prize. The award is supported by the Center for the Humanities in Arts & Sciences and the McDonnell International Scholars Academy.
Troy Ruths, a 6-6 junior from Sugarland, Texas, garnered numerous post-season honors following the Bears 25-5 season, which ended with a third-place finish in the NCAA Division III post-season tournament. The University Athletic Association “Player of the Year” was named to Division III All-America teams by three publications. He was named to the first team by DIII News, the third team by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, and honorable mention by D3hoops.com. In addition, the computer science major was named the 2007 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American of the Year.
Robert E. Wiltenburg, Ph.D., dean of University College in Arts & Sciences, the University's continuing education arm, has been named president of the nationwide University Continuing Education Association.
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