Author: Neil Schoenherr

Placing a bet with a few friends on the NCAA basketball tournament this year? You might not enjoy the experience as much as if you hadn’t laid down any money. “Predictions have a negative effect on enjoyment when the outcome is relatively uncertain,” as in the upcoming basketball tournament, says Stephen M. Nowlis, PhD, the August A. Busch, Jr. Distinguished Professor in Marketing at Olin Business School.

As big data moves to the forefront of the boardroom, how do businesses keep up and find qualified people to manage it all? Olin Business School aims to help solve this problem with the launch of its Master of Science in Customer Analytics degree, offered in partnership with IBM.

This spring, the Supreme Court will consider whether freedom of religious expression applies to for-profit businesses, as well as individuals, in Hobby Lobby’s challenge to the Affordable Care Act’s contraception mandate. Elizabeth Sepper, JD, associate professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis, says that discrimination based on a person’s religious or sexual preferences is a serious harm to society.

Using an inexpensive 3-D printer, biomedical engineers, including Igor Efimov, PhD (left), the Lucy & Stanley Lopata Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering have developed a custom-fitted, implantable device with embedded sensors that could transform treatment and prediction of cardiac disorders.

Joe Fox, associate dean and director of MBA programs at Olin Business School, has been named president of the MBA Roundtable, a collaborative, nonprofit organization that facilitates the exchange of information and resources on MBA curricular innovation.

Freshman Annie Brinza works during a butter-sculpting contest in Lopata Hall, part of WUSTL’s annual En Week. Sponsored by the School of Engineering & Applied Science, the goal of En Week, held Feb. 16-21, is to increase the school’s visibility on campus, celebrate how engineers make a difference and increase public dialogue about the need for engineers.

St. Louis is becoming widely recognized as a successful hub for startup businesses, with a wide range of groups and services that provide a support network for budding entrepreneurs. WUSTL students are getting a firsthand look at one of those resources this semester as they help formulate pricing strategies, marketing plans and competitive analysis for businesses working at T-REX in downtown St. Louis.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, antimicrobial resistance is one our most serious health threats, with infections from resistant bacteria becoming far too common. Part of the problem is over-prescription of antibiotics. Nanopore Diagnostics, winner of this year’s Olin Cup, hopes to change that.

Commercials for the commercials? Arnold Schwarzenegger in tennis gear? A “Full House” reunion? Must be Super Bowl time. “It’s interesting to see the experience of the Super Bowl ads lasting eight to 13 weeks on average today compared to one day of viewing the ads years ago,” says Carol Johanek, adjunct professor of marketing at Washington University in St. Louis’ Olin Business School.

President Barack Obama signed a memorandum Jan. 15 directing agencies to allow federal workers to take six weeks of paid sick leave to help with a new child or a sick relative. The president also asked Congress to pass the Healthy Families Act, which would grant Americans seven days a year of paid sick time. Augmenting the Family and Medical Leave Act is one place Congress might start if it wants to combat sex-role stereotypes and advance women’s equal employment opportunity, as well as supporting families in times of illness, say experts at Washington University in St. Louis.