Humanities & Society

Photo by Joe AngelesWith Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton at her side, former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright, Ph.D., outlines her views on global policy issues.The United States could suffer long-term consequences if it is not careful about how it uses its strength, former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright said Friday at Washington University in St. Louis. “The extent of American power has created an opportunity for us to make our nation more secure within a world that is healthier, richer and more peaceful than it has ever been,” Albright said. “But if we are not prudent in exercising that power, we will create resentments that will make it much harder in the long run to achieve our goals.”

FergusonRoger W. Ferguson, Jr., Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, gave the commencement address to M.B.A. and Ph.D. graduates of the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis on May 16. Dr. Ferguson became a Member of the Board of Governors in 1997 to fill an unexpired term and was reappointed in 2001 to a full term ending in 2014. The complete text of his commencement address to the Olin School of Business is available from the Federal Reserve System.

Genetic factors influence nicotine withdrawal symptoms and make it difficult for some smokers to quit.Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have uncovered evidence linking genetic influences to nicotine withdrawal symptoms that commonly occur when a smoker attempts to quit. Their findings also indicate that genetic factors both related and unrelated to nicotine withdrawal may affect attempts to quit smoking. The team, led by Hong Xian, Ph.D., research assistant professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine and researcher at the St. Louis Veterans Affairs Medical Center, found that genetic influences accounted for 54 percent of failures to quit smoking, and that about one-third of such failures could be attributed to the severity of nicotine withdrawal symptoms.

From the 2000 debate at WUSTL, then Gov. Bush answers a question while V.P. Gore looks on.Studying twins, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found a link between attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and cigarette smoking. There are two major subgroups of children with ADHD. One group combines attention problems with hyperactivity and impulsivity. The other principle type of ADHD involves only attention problems. While looking for genetic factors that might be related to these two subtypes of ADHD, the research team, led by Richard D. Todd, M.D., Ph.D., the Blanche F. Ittelson Professor and director of the William Greenleaf Eliot Division of Child Psychiatry, found that children who suffer from the form of ADHD that includes only attention problems are less likely to receive treatment for the disorder and much more likely to smoke cigarettes. The researchers believe the nicotine in cigarettes may help these children improve their ability to pay attention.

McLean ParksNear one end of the spectrum are the Arthur Andersen employees who, out of loyalty to their employer and at great personal risk, destroyed files to cover up corporate scandal. At the other end is the disgruntled worker at another company who surreptitiously spread poison-ivy sap on executive-washroom toilet seats. “A clear signal to management,” says Judi McLean Parks, Ph.D., professor of organizational behavior at Washington University in St. Louis, “that something is wrong.” McLean Parks’ research at the Olin School of Business finds that both forms of organizational behavior grow from the same seed of organizational identity.

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Business, Law & Economics Tip Sheet

PanchapagesanThe issues that confront the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the U.S. equity markets are highly complex and while the SEC has not set a timetable to resolve these issues, Venkatesh Panchapagesan, Ph.D., a professor of finance at the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis, says that speedy resolution is imperative for the survival of many markets.

Though the labor unions have agreed to concession plans and new CEO, Gerard J. Arpey, is in place, the future of American Airlines still remains uncertain. Besides American Airlines’ looming financial issues, the company may have continuing labor problems. Neil N. Bernstein, professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis and an expert in labor law, is available to comment.

Lewis the robotic photographerMay and June are prom, graduation and wedding months, times when the family camera gets a steaming workout. Computer scientists at Washington University in St. Louis can take that camera out of your designated photographer’s hands and perch it atop Lewis, a five-foot tall, 300-pound robot that wanders through a space taking pictures of people. Named after Meriwether Lewis of Lewis and Clark fame (for his traveling ways), Lewis is the creation of William D. Smart, Ph.D., and Cindy M. Grimm, Ph.D., assistant professors of computer science at Washington University, and is considered to be the world’s first robotic photographer.