Humanities & Society

While it’s known as “the season to be jolly,” the holidays can be a time of stress, conflict, and pressure for many people. Some people feel overwhelmed and become depressed during the holidays. Don’t dismay. There are strategies for coping with the emotional stresses and strains of the holiday season. More…

Wei-Jen Chua, the daughter of Hsiang-Mei Amy Lu and Tony Chua of Taipei, has been named a McDonnell International Scholar at Washington University in St. Louis. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from National Taiwan University, which is one of 15 leading Asian universities partnered with Washington University in St. Louis in the McDonnell International Scholars Academy.

Vikram Govindan, the son of Santhini and K.M. Govindan of Mumbai, has been named a McDonnell International Scholar at Washington University in St. Louis, and he has received the Monsanto/Dr. Norman Borlaug Corporate Fellowship. He holds a dual bachelor’s and master’s degree in chemical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, which is one of 15 leading Asian universities partnered with Washington University in St. Louis in the McDonnell International Scholars Academy.

Zhou LiZhou Li, the son of Fengluan Zhou and Yuhua Li of Wenzhou, has been named a McDonnell International Scholar at Washington University in St. Louis, and he has received a corporate fellowship from Corning Inc. He holds a bachelor’s degree in science from Fudan University, which is one of 15 leading Asian universities partnered with Washington University in St. Louis in the McDonnell International Scholars Academy.

Poet Carl Phillips, professor of English and of African & African American studies, both in Arts & Sciences, has won the 2006 Academy of American Poets Fellowship, given in memory of James Ingram Merrill. The fellowship is awarded annually to a poet for distinguished poetic achievement at mid-career and provides a stipend of $25,000. The academy’s board of chancellors, a body of 15 eminent poets, elected Phillips.

Costas Azariadis, professor of economics in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, comments on the passing of Milton Friedman, a path-breaking conservative economist who passed away Nov. 16 at age 94.

Investigators at the School of Medicine have developed a model to identify patients at high risk of developing glaucoma. Their research was presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology in Las Vegas.

Three Alzheimer’s disease researchers at the School of Medicine in have been named to the 2006 Scientific American 50, an honorary list of the year’s “prime movers” in a variety of scientific disciplines.

Steven SmithIf Democrats want to expand their House and Senate majorities, they need to protect new members who were elected from Republican-leaning districts while showing they can govern by passing a limited popular agenda: “Satisfying the base while appealing to moderates is squarely the central strategic problem for both parties in the new Congress,” suggests Steven S. Smith, a congressional expert at Washington University in St. Louis.

The fact that corporate leaders recognize their industries’ role in social responsibility is not new, but there are relatively few examples that clearly connect this failure to respond with negative changes. One of the best examples is the pharmaceutical giant Merck, which was led by P. Roy Vagelos during a pivotal era in the industry’s history. Vagelos will explore these examples in detail for his talk on “The Social Responsibility of Business” to be held at 4 p.m. Nov. 13 in Graham Chapel.