Author: Ken Duenke

Photo by David KilperCarmon Colangelo brings together various disciplines in Sam Fox School

The University ranked second in the nation in the 2006-07 U.S. Sports Academy Directors’ Cup Division III Fall Standings, according to the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics.

School of Medicine researchers have found that our gut microbes are biomarkers, mediators and potential therapeutic targets in the war against obesity.

In remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Society of Black Student Social Workers (SBSSW) at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work will host “Financial Freedom Seminar: Achieving Economic Independence Through Education,” Jan. 20 from 8:30 a.m.- 3 p.m. in Brown Hall. This free event is designed for members of the St. Louis community interested in building wealth, maintaining good credit, purchasing a home or starting a business. “SBSSW’s goal is to present the King Holiday, not as a tradition or a history lesson, but as a call to action- to fight for economic and social justice,” says Charletra Hurt, SBSSW co-chair and first-year student at the School of Social Work.

In remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Society of Black Student Social Workers at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work will host a “Financial Freedom Semnar: Achieving Economic Independence Through Education,” from 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Jan. 20 in Brown Hall.

Fuel-efficient technologies and vehicles from General Motors Corp. will be discussed in a program from 3-5 p.m. Jan. 25 in Whitaker Hall. Following the program, vehicles will be available for test drives.

Stephen H. Legomsky, J.D., D.Phil., has been named the John S. Lehmann University Professor. The new professorship was created through a charitable trust established by the late John Lehmann, a distinguished alumnus, lawyer and University trustee for more than 20 years.

Lawton will launch one of the first events in conjunction with the program when he speaks for the university’s Assembly Series at 11 a.m. Jan. 24, in Graham Chapel. His talk, titled “Burning to Read,” will address the fundamental importance of reading, having choices and of having books both in printed and digital form. In addition, the event will include several staged readings from Fahrenheit 451 performed by English Department professor Dan Shea and Washington University students. The program is free and open to the public. For more information: visit assemblyseries.wustl.edu, or call 314-935-4620.

The pink color in the image on the right highlights cells producing excess mucus, a symptom of COPD. The image on the left shows normal lung tissue. Physicians say that smoking is by far the biggest cause of emphysema, but why doesn’t every smoker get the disease? If you asked WUSM physician Michael Holtzman that question, he might answer that for most cases of emphysema you need a mix of genes, viruses and cigarettes. Emphysema and the associated condition of chronic bronchitis are both disorders that contribute to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which is the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S.

The AIDS Clinical Trials Unit (ACTU) at theSchool of Medicine has received a $10 million grant to find new treatments for AIDS and HIV-related complications, such as dementia, neuropathy and cardiovascular disease. The seven-year grant is from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).