Newsroom Stories

Washington University Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton announced during a Dec. 2 news conference the establishment of the Consortium for Clean Coal Utilization. The university has dedicated more than $60 million in financial resources during the past year to advance education and research related to energy, environment and sustainability.

Ellen Damschen & Forest ServiceA new paper on ecological corridors co-authored by Washington University biologists Ellen Damschen and John Orrock in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, was published online Dec. 1 as part of a special issue on movement ecology. This research reveals that by understanding how species move, you can predict if and how corridors work.

A news conference to announce a clean coal initiative with a goal of making St. Louis the nation’s center for clean coal research will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2008, at Whitaker Hall on the Washington University Danforth Campus. Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton, along with heads of Peabody Energy, Arch Coal and Ameren, will make the announcement.

The Distinguished Service Teaching Awards (DSTAs) are presented by Washington University medical students to faculty and house staff in appreciation of exemplary service in medical student education. See the complete list of this year’s winners.

(Dawn Majors/P-D)Consuelo Washington, left, gets help labeling her microwave from occupational therapist Monica Perlmutter.Making sense of all the buttons on microwaves, dishwashers and coffee makers is hard enough when you can see them. For people with impaired vision, the gadgets can become more barrier than convenience. A program sponsored by Washington University helps people with poor eyesight maintain their independence by modifying their homes to make them more useful and safe.

The Arts as Healing program is designed to help patients at the Siteman Cancer Center and those involved with their care a chance to express themselves and use art as a tool in healing.

As President-elect Barack Obama continues to fill key cabinet positions from the ranks of D.C.-based public policy think tanks, a new book by longtime policy adviser Murray Weidenbaum examines how the nation’s top think tanks came to play such critical roles in U.S. politics.

Robert BostonBrooks Goedeker, Adam Chestnut, Maurice Harris and Larry Chestnut load donated gifts into trucks to be delivered to needy families in the Forest Park Southeast Neighborhood.About 25 families in the Forest Park Southeast neighborhood adjoining the Medical Campus will have a brighter holiday this year thanks to the generosity of School of Medicine employees. The Washington University Medical Center Redevelopment Corp. — which works closely with neighborhood groups in addressing employment, public improvements, home repair and security and public safety issues — has coordinated a Holiday Outreach Program for nearly 10 years.

Entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in this year’s Olin Cup competition with $70,000 in seed money at stake. A record-breaking 38 teams entered the annual business formation contest operated by the Skandalaris Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at Washington University in St. Louis. Five finalists are now in the final stage of the competition which concludes with business plan presentations in January; winners will be announced Feb. 5, 2009.

At the 10th anniversary poster session, School of Medicine dean Larry J. Shapiro is flanked by A. Greig Woodring, president and CEO of RGA International Ltd. (left) and Phillip S. Smalley, M.D., RGA’s vice president and medical director.On Nov. 20, the Longer Life Foundation (LLF), a cooperative effort between the School of Medicine and the Reinsurance Group of America (RGA), celebrated 10 years of independent research into improving methods for predicting long-term mortality from various diseases and promoting quality and quantity of life. So far, LLF has funded more than 48 research grants, awarding some $2 million to support studies on topics from cancer treatment and screening to diabetes and nutrition to suicide risk.