Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021

Top Stories

New research, relationships marked 2020

In 2020, members of the university community made new discoveries and friendships; accomplished incredible feats in teaching and learning; welcomed amazing new students; and said goodbye to one of the greatest leaders in university history.

Protein involved in removing Alzheimer’s buildup linked to circadian rhythm

School of Medicine researchers have discovered a protein that links the amyloid-removal process to the circadian clock. The protein could provide a new target for Alzheimer’s therapies.

How will we remember the holiday season?

How will last year’s celebrations be remembered? The answer will be “differently than normal” for some individuals, but collective memory for the pandemic itself is likely to fade quickly for most people, according to Arts & Sciences researchers.

Researchers working on COVID-19 communications

Researchers at the Brown School are conducting discussion groups with parents and staff in the Special School District of St. Louis County to develop communication tools surrounding COVID-19 testing and vaccination.

Cells monitor ribosome collisions

Ribosomes are the machines in the cell that use instructions from mRNA to synthesize functional proteins. When something goes awry, cells monitor for ribosome collisions to determine the problem’s severity, according to new research from Arts & Sciences.

Events

8 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 7

Fauci to share COVID-19 insights

5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 7

Saint Louis Art Museum exhibition virtual tour

Noon Monday, Jan. 11

Compounding risk: age and race in COVID-19

View more events →

Campus Announcements

Faculty award nominations sought

Nominations are being accepted for the university’s annual Faculty Achievement Awards, known as the Arthur Holly Compton Faculty Achievement Award and the Carl and Gerty Cori Faculty Achievement Award. The nomination deadline is Feb. 12.

The View From Here

Looking back at 2020 through the Washington University lens View Gallery →

WashU in the News

In graying Italy, the old defy biases laid bare by pandemic

The Associated Press

COVID ravages Black and brown health workers in U.S.

The Guardian (U.K.)

Is America still the ‘shining city on a hill’?

The Atlantic

COVID-19 vaccine trials at St. Louis institutions now include Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine

HEC Media

See more WashU in the News →

Campus Voices

Podcast explores COVID-19 vaccine, treatment developments

In the latest episode of the podcast “Show Me the Science,” William G. Powderly, MD, the Larry J. Shapiro Director of the Institute for Public Health, says that although COVID-19 vaccine development has been rapid, the search for therapies for patients infected with the novel coronavirus has been less successful.

Notables

The American Psychological Association has named Henry L. “Roddy” Roediger, in Arts & Sciences, the recipient of its 2021 Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions. In addition, the Psychonomic Society has awarded Roediger the Clifford T. Morgan Distinguished Leadership Award.

Research Wire

Chao Zhou, at the McKelvey School of Engineering, develops novel optical imaging technologies for biomedical applications. Zhou has received a Stein Innovation Award from Research to Prevent Blindness to pursue development of novel imaging methods for diagnostic uses.

The Record