 |
 |  VOLLEYING FOR NATIONAL WIN: The Bears will compete for an NCAA Division III-record eighth national championship in volleyball December 6 and 7 when they join Trinity University of Texas, Juniata College, and the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater in the Final Four at Whitewater, WI. The Bears (40-1) defeated California State University, Hayward, at the Field House November 23 to advance.
(Webcasts of previous games here.)
FOUNDERS DAY HIGHLIGHTS: Alumni, parents, and friends gathered to celebrate the 149th anniversary of the University's founding at Founders Day on November 9. Tom Brokaw presented the keynote speech; alumni and faculty received distinguished awards; and the Board of Trustees bestowed its annual Robert S. Brookings awards.
C.M.E. NOW: From online courses to hands-on training, the School of Medicine is reaching out to a diverse audience with Continuing Medical Education courses. Faculty and alumni have made possible the high quality of instruction, which keeps the University among the most comprehensive resources for practicing physicians.
DEPRESSION IN THE REAL WORLD: Speaking out about depression, which is fairly common among university students, is Cara Kahn, LA02, a past star of MTV's reality show "Real World: Chicago." She spoke at Washington University last month, and she will headline a program about depression at college campuses around the country.
Research
NATURE'S PERFECT HULL: The shape and texture of dolphin skin prevent marine creatures from clinging to it. Using dolphin skin as a model, chemist Karen Wooley is conducting research for a new nanoparticle coating for ship hulls, which will discourage binding between marine organisms and a ship's metal.
CONTROVERSIAL CROHN'S TREATMENT: University researchers are attacking Crohn's disease by giving immune system boosters to patients. Molecular biologist Brian Dieckgraefe and gastroenterologist Joshua Korzenik think the problem may be a defect in the immune system, and their novel treatment seems to be working.
 THE DARK SIDE: Physicist James Buckley and colleagues are studying the highest energy photons known by analyzing bursts of gamma rays released from massive black holes at the center of so-called active galaxies. Their research may reveal the nature of the dark matter that comprises the majority of our own galaxy.
HEAD LIGHTS: Anatomists and neurobiologists Jeff Lichtman and Joshua Sanes can watch brain connections in mice. After they transplant jellyfish genes into mice, the resultant glowing neural connections enable them to see normal brain development and watch disease progression in a relatively non-invasive way.
Features
KEEPING THOSE POUNDS OFF: You'll soon have holiday parties and office gatherings, laden with scrumptious food and drink, but that doesn't have to mean the end of your weight loss plan. Nutritionist Connie Diekman offers tips on enjoying favorite foods without putting on pounds.
USING YOUR HEAD: Seldom does the average person voluntarily allow a one-pound projectile to hit him or her in the head, but this is what a soccer player does when "heading" the ball. Studies at the University show that repeated mild head impacts could lead to significant long-term cognitive decline.
SAY CHEESE: Students and faculty conspired to create Lewis, the world's first robotic photographer, who takes an excellent picture. The 300-pound robot wheels around, scans for faces, and uses classic composition rules when snapping photos. Visit Lewis' home page.
Heard on Campus
"America remains a place more interested in solutions and in unification than in division and confrontation."
- NBC Nightly News anchor and author Tom Brokaw, speaking at Founders Day, the 149th anniversary of the University's founding, on November 9
Kudos
The Academic Women's Network (AWN) recently received the 2002 Women in Medicine Leadership Development Award from the Association of American Medical Colleges. The award recognizes a woman or organization for outstanding contributions to develop female leaders in academic medicine. Read more!
Edwin T. Fisher, Ph.D., professor of psychology, medicine, and pediatrics, has been selected to direct two newly created national programs for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the largest U.S. foundation devoted to improving the health and health care of all Americans. Read more!
Aaron DiAntonio, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of molecular biology and pharmacology, has been named one of five 2002 Keck Distinguished Young Scholars in Medical Research. He will receive $1 million in research support over the next five years. Read more!
Discover magazine named Patty Jo Watson, Ph.D., the Edward Mallinckrodt Distinguished University Professor of Anthropology in Arts & Sciences, one of the 50 most important women in science in its November issue. The magazine praises Watson for her work in uncovering key data about Native Americans from Kentucky's vast Mammoth Cave system. Read more! (Scroll down to Watson.)
Announcements
T.S. ELIOT LECTURE IN LONDON: The Honorable William H. Webster, LW49, former FBI and CIA director, will give the T.S. Eliot Lecture in London on January 16. The lecture, which honors the grandson of University co-founder William Greenleaf Eliot, is co-sponsored by Washington University in St. Louis and the University of London Institute of United States Studies.
WUSTL Links
About @ Washington University in St. Louis
This newsletter is prepared by the staff of the Office of Special Development Communications Projects and the Office of Alumni and Development Programs. It is intended to provide a 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 as a service of the University.
Copyright 2002, Washington University in St. Louis
One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130
(314) 935-5200
|