Newsroom Stories

A vaccine designed to prevent the recurrence of lung cancer is now being tested in centers around the world including the Siteman Cancer Center at the School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital. The vaccine stimulates the immune system to destroy cells that carry a tumor-specific antigen called MAGE-A3. This antigen is not present in normal tissue but is found in several cancer types, including 35 percent to 50 percent of cases of the most common type of lung cancer, non-small cell lung cancer.

Harper LeeWith its appealing evocation of childhood and powerful call for tolerance and social justice, Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is the rare American novel that can be discovered in adolescence yet rewards adult re-reading. In January the book will serve as centerpiece of a National Endowment for the Arts’ Big Read program. Coordinated by Washington University, the program will feature dozens of lectures, readings, art exhibits, theater productions, book discussions, film festivals and other events exploring the themes of Lee’s novel.

On Dec. 17 at the Duane Reed Gallery in Clayton, the Arts as Healing Program is hosting a public showing of art created by cancer patients. This reception, from 5:30-8 p.m., will celebrate these patients as artists and also honor their “journey of hope.”

A celebration of the lives and legacy of Donald Finkel, poet-in-residence emeritus of English in Arts & Sciences at Washington University, who died Nov. 15, 2008, and his wife, poet and novelist Constance Urdang, who died in 1996, will be held at 11:30 a.m. Dec. 12 in the Women’s Building Formal Lounge on the WUSTL campus.

A celebration of the lives and legacy of Donald Finkel, poet-in-residence emeritus of English in Arts & Sciences, who died Nov. 15, 2008, and his wife, poet and novelist Constance Urdang, who died in 1996, will be held at 11:30 a.m. Dec. 12 in the Women’s Building Formal Lounge on the WUSTL campus.

You don’t have to look far these days to find examples of corporate scandals involving fraud. A new study finds that performance-based pay is to blame for fraudulent behavior and actually motivates people to “cook the books”. Judi McLean Parks, the Reuben C. and Anne Carpenter Taylor Professor of Organizational Behavior at Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis and co-author of the study believes the results have implications for CEO compensation plans and the financial difficulties many companies are experiencing today. “All I have to do is look at Enron, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac to know that this does happen. And now we’ve demonstrated the causal link to contingent pay.” Fraud uncovered at Fannie Mae alone from 1998-2004 has been estimated to be in excess of $10.6 billion.

Faculty and staff can register to win one of 30 season PassPorts to The Black Rep. Winners will be chosen in a drawing in December.

Westbound Brookings Drive will be closed Dec. 8-Jan. 12 to accomodate sewer work for the new School of Engineering building.

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Should weather conditions create potentially hazardous travel conditions, Washington University in St. Louis will evaluate the situation and take into consideration the safety of the faculty, staff and students as well as the services that must be provided despite the inclement weather. In the unlikely event that WUSTL alters the normal work and/or class schedule, an announcement will be posted on the university’s home page (wustl.edu), and a number of media outlets also will air an announcement.