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 |  DISSOLUTION SOLUTION: Washington University has joined the University of Kansas and the University of Iowa to form a new center devoted to developing the basis for environmentally friendly chemical processes. The Center for Beneficial Catalysis is the first National Science Foundation engineering research center at Washington University.
Milorad P. Dudukovic, Ph.D., the Laura and William Jens Professor of Environmental Engineering and chair of chemical engineering, at work with two graduate students in the Chemical Reaction Engineering Laboratory. Dudukovic is an associate director of the new Center for Beneficial Catalysis. Photo by David Kilper.
THEORY AND PRACTICE: New and improved consumer goods; better planes, vehicles, and electronics; and new biomedical products that could lead to better pharmaceuticals and innovative medical devices are among the objectives of a new interdisciplinary Center for Materials Innovation.
MAKE IT OFFICIAL: Central Institute for the Deaf, one of the leading education and research centers for hearing disorders in the world, has officially become part of Washington University School of Medicine, a frequent and longtime partner, to “create an international powerhouse in the field of hearing and deafness.
Research
VERY OLD BONES: A research team, co-directed by Erik Trinkaus, Ph.D, the Mary Tileston Hemenway Professor of Anthropology, has dated a jawbone from a Romanian cave to between 34,000-36,000 years ago, making it the earliest known modern human fossil found in Europe.
 PRAY FOR RAIN: So you think you know mosquitoes! Consider the old saw that rainy weather is the cause of increased mosquito populations. Jon Chase, Ph.D., an ecologist at Washington University, says if you believe that, you’re all wet.
ASYMPTOMATIC ALZHEIMER'S: By examining brain images, a team of researchers at Washington University's Silvio Conte Center for Neuroscience Research, found that even when people have no symptoms, their brains already may be dotted with the plaques and tangles that characterize Alzheimer's disease.
WHAT’S A CEO WORTH? Todd Milbourn, Ph.D., a professor of finance at the John M. Olin School of Business at Washington University, has documented troubling evidence regarding the efficacy of corporate governance and CEO pay.
Sculpture by Wesley Anderegg, Lompoc, CA. Courtesy photo.
Features
FOSTERING AMBITION: According to a recent study at the George Warren Brown (GWB) School of Social Work at Washington University, 70% of teens in the foster care system have a desire to attend college. Wendy Auslander, Ph.D., professor of social work and co-author of the study, says "these youths have the desire to continue their education through college,” but face significant barriers along the way.
BEHIND THE WHEEL: In one of the first studies to track driving performance over time in older adults, Washington University researchers found that advanced age correlates more strongly with decline in skill than does dementia.
VALUE MENU? Although supersized portions may seem like a bargain, they can lead to significant health costs, according to Samuel Klein, M.D., the Danforth Professor of Medicine and Nutritional Science and director of the Center for Human Nutrition at Washington University School of Medicine. Almost two-thirds of Americans are either overweight or obese, and they are eating and drinking more than ever.
 RIGHT TO PRIVACY? The recent decisions by Oklahoma and Colorado federal courts invalidating the Federal Trade Commission's "Do Not Call List" were major victories for telemarketing companies, "but a tragedy for the rest of us," says Neil M. Richards, associate professor of law at Washington University.
Heard on Campus
"Cancer is a bastard. If it wants to take the biggest, strongest, fittest guy, it will."
- Lance Armstrong, five-time winner of the Tour de France, speaking at the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, October 15, one stop on the Tour of Hope, a coast-to-coast relay bike trip to raise awareness and promote the importance of clinical trials.
Kudos
SELECT COMPANY: In its first annual college admissions survey, the Atlantic Monthly ranked Washington University 11th among all American universities and colleges for admissions selectivity.
BIG RETURNS: Forbes magazine ranks the MBA program at Washington University’s John M. Olin School of Business 12th among 67 U.S. business schools for “return on investment for MBA graduates of the Class of 1998.” BusinessWeek magazine ranks Olin 17th on its list of the top 25 Executive MBA programs.
Leila N. Sadat, professor of law, was elected an associate member of the International Academy of Comparative Law.
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.
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