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University News
Washington University researchers spearhead key genome initiative:
 The complete collection of genes — the genome — of a moss has been sequenced, providing scientists an important evolutionary link between single-celled algae and flowering plants. Ralph S. Quatrano, Ph.D., the Spencer T. Olin Professor of Biology in Arts & Sciences, who led the effort, says the process of accumulating scientists, annotating the assembled genome, and publishing the paper, while long and difficult, is well worth the effort that he and his colleagues around the globe made.
New MacArthur project integrates law and neuroscience:
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is bringing together a distinguished group of scientists, legal scholars, jurists, and philosophers to integrate new developments in neuroscience into the U.S. legal system through the Law and Neuroscience Project. Marcus Raichle, M.D., professor of radiology, of neurology, and of neurobiology in the School of Medicine; of psychology in Arts & Sciences; and of biomedical engineering in the School of Engineering, will serve on the project's board and co-direct one of its three working groups.
Philanthropist commits $20 million to support research:
St. Louis businesswoman and philanthropist Edith L. Wolff has made a commitment of $20 million to support biomedical research at Washington University School of Medicine. The funds will establish the Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Institute, which will support biomedical research projects that lead to the prevention, treatment, and cure of disease.
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Research
Immune system can drive cancer into dormant state:
A multinational team of researchers has shown for the first time that the immune system can stop the growth of a cancerous tumor without actually killing it. "Thanks to the animal model we have developed, scientists can now ... look directly at cancer cells being held in check by the immune system," says co-author Robert Schreiber, Ph.D., the Alumni Professor of Pathology and Immunology at Washington University School of Medicine.
Exploring the possibility of life on Jupiter's moon Europa:
Jupiter's moon Europa is just as far away as ever, but new research is bringing scientists closer to being able to explore its tantalizing ice-covered ocean and determine its potential for harboring life, says William B. McKinnon, professor of earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences.
The earlier children go to school, the longer they stay:
There is plenty of scientific evidence that intensive early education interventions targeted specifically to disadvantaged children have significant benefits. Now, new evidence suggests that preprimary education leads to more years spent in school. The finding is based on the research of Sebastian Galiani, Ph.D., associate professor of economics in Arts & Sciences.
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| Features
Microbial fuel cells turn on the juice:
Beer, wastewater, microbes, fuel cells, and high school students may not seem like a winning combination, but with the help of Lars Angenent, Ph.D., assistant professor of energy, environmental, and chemical engineering, they are. Angenent received a $400,000 career grant from the National Science Foundation to develop microbial fuel cell kits and a booklet of lessons about the cell. The cell, which treats wastewater and creates electricity in a six-liter device a bit bigger than a large thermos, has exciting implications for biofuels and bioenergy.
School of Medicine professor to lead national campaign to promote infant safety:
James S. Kemp, M.D., professor of pediatrics, will co-lead a campaign to prevent infant death due to unsafe sleep practices with funding from an $11 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The grant will support a national campaign called "Bedtime Basics for Babies."
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Heard on Campus
“Writers—the more serious, committed, obsessive, and fated— are engaged in a continuous quest making, unmaking, remaking, and transforming the self.”
—Joyce Carol Oates, author and three-time nominee for the Nobel Prize in literature, from her, "The Writer's (Secret) Life: Woundedness, Rejection, and Inspiration," during Washington University's sixth annual faculty book colloquium "Celebrating Our Books, Recognizing Our Authors." |
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Students document post-Katrina repair effort:
Six students from the School of Law joined in a mapping project during fall break to assess progress in rebuilding a section of New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina. The students worked on the community service project with leaders of the Lower Ninth Network Empowerment Neighborhood Association, based in New Orleans’ lower ninth ward, which was the area hardest hit by the storm.
Kudos
F. Scott Kieff, J.D., professor of law, has been appointed by United States Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez to serve for a three-year term on the nine-person Patent Public Advisory Committee of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
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About @Washington University in St. Louis
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.
Copyright 2007, Washington University in St. Louis
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