Uncategorized

Linda Van Dillen, Ph.D., assistant professor of physical therapy, has received a four-year, $1,438,316 grant from the National Institutes of Health-National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research for research titled “Classification-directed Treatment of Low Back Pain.” … Michael R. DeBaun, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics and of neurology; Michael S. Diamond, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of medicine, of pathology and immunology and of microbiology; and Russell Van Gelder, M.D., Ph.D. associate professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences and of molecular biology and pharmacology, each received a five-year, $750,000 Clinical Scientist Award in Translational Research from Burroughs Wellcome Fund. The awards are intended to support established, independent physician-scientists who are dedicated to translational research and mentoring physician-scientist trainees. … Yixin Chen, Ph.D., assistant professor of computer science and engineering, has received the Early Career Principal Investigator Award from the U.S. Department of Energy. Chen will use his three-year, $298,421 award to develop numerical computation software that can solve large-scale computational problems, such as those arising from ultra-high-speed networks and genetic regulatory networks. … Chenyang Lu, Ph.D., assistant professor of computer science and engineering, has received a three-year, $359,426 grant from the National Science Foundation for research titled “NeTS-NOSS: Unified and Configurable Power Management for Wireless Sensor Networks.” … Joy Weese Moll, reference and Web services librarian, recently presented her workshop “Social Software in Libraries” at four locations: the Lewis and Clark Library System Headquarters in Edwardsville, Ill.; Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville; the Southern Illinois Learning Resources Cooperative Retreat at Rend Lake, Ill.; and the Kirkwood (Mo.) Public Library.

Tim RussertTim Russert, the managing editor and moderator of NBC’s “Meet the Press” and political analyst for “NBC Nightly News” and the “Today” show, has been selected to give the 2007 Commencement address at Washington University in St. Louis, according to Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton. The title of Russert’s speech is “A View From Washington.” The university’s 146th Commencement will begin at 8:30 a.m. May 18 in Brookings Quadrangle, on the Danforth Campus.

Robert L. E. Egger, founder and president of DC Central Kitchen, will speak about “Using Punk Rock and Leftover Food to Change the World,” from 4:30- 6 p.m. on March 27 in room 132 of Goldfarb Hall. At DC Central Kitchen, food donated by regional foodservice businesses is used to fuel a nationally recognized culinary arts job-training program, where unemployed men and women learn marketable skills while donations are converted into balanced meals. The lecture is free and open to the public.

An illustration from “When Grandpa Comes Home: A Story About Stroke,” an online book that teaches children how to cope when a relative suffers a strokeSpeedy treatment is essential to saving lives and preventing brain damage during a stroke. But the rapid pace of events also can leave patients and family members confused about what has happened and what to expect. That’s especially true for children whose parents or grandparents have a stroke. Now an online book is available to teach children about strokes.

On the battlefield, a soldier’s hearing can be permanently damaged in an instant by the boom of an explosion, and thousands of soldiers returning from Iraq have some permanent hearing loss. But what if soldiers could take a pill before going on duty that would prevent damage to hearing? Research at the School of Medicine suggests a medicinal form of hearing protection may someday be a possibility.

Leading experts in the fields of mental health services, civic service and human behavior weigh in on issues of social change.

An abdominal MRI scan showing the locations of subcutaneous and visceral fatAs scientists learn more about the key role of inflammation in diabetes, heart disease and other disorders, new research from the School of Medicine suggests that fat in the belly may be an important promoter of that inflammation. It’s well known that excess fat is associated with disease, but the researchers have confirmed that fat cells inside the abdomen are secreting molecules that increase inflammation. It’s the first evidence of a potential mechanistic link between abdominal fat and systemic inflammation.

Photo by David Kilper

Four alumni of the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis will receive the Distinguish Alumni Awards on Thursday, April 19, 2007 at the school’s annual dinner at the Ritz-Carlton St. Louis in Clayton. Mahendra Gupta, dean of the business school, will also present the Dean’s Medal at the same dinner.

Parag Parikh and Kristen Lechleiter set up the 4D Phantom to simulate the motion of tumors in the lung.Tumors that move, such as those in the lung — which can change position during each breath — are a special problem for radiation oncologists. A group at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has studied the way lung tissues move during breathing in hopes of improving radiation as a treatment for lung cancer.