Newsroom Stories

Parent/child interaction with a toy is key to inciting learning.Many parents around the country will purchase toys for their children this coming holiday season. While choosing toys that will further a child’s education development is important, it’s also a great idea for parents to remember to play with their children and engage with them in their new gifts. R. Keith Sawyer, Ph.D., associate professor of education in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, offers advice to parents worried about making the right toy choice for their children. Video available.

It’s possible to keep your diet intact during the holidays.The holiday season, with all its sweet temptations, will be here before you know it. However, all those holiday parties and office gatherings laden with scrumptious food and drink don’t have to mean the end of your weight loss plan. It’s still possible to enjoy the bounty and not feel deprived of your favorite holiday dishes, says Connie Diekman, director of University Nutrition at Washington University in St. Louis. Video available.

For college students, the winter break can be a welcome time off. Classes are over, finals are finished and it’s a time to spend with family and friends. But, says a practicing psychologist at Washington University in St. Louis, the break between semesters can also be a very stressful time for students.

Taking classes with a friend can help adult students stay focused on their schoolwork.So it will soon be 2009 — the year you decided is the one to start or finish that degree you’ve always intended to earn. But if it’s been awhile since you’ve stepped foot inside a classroom — or at least one that wasn’t your kids’ — here are some suggestions to help you follow through on your New Year’s resolution.

It’s easy being green: Idling computers and bottled water, when used wisely, can make minimal impacts on the Earth.Want to begin to be more environmentally friendly in 2009 but can’t afford a hybrid car? Don’t worry — there are plenty of ways to lessen your impact on the environment that don’t come with such a daunting price tag, says Matt Malten, assistant vice chancellor for campus sustainability at Washington University in St. Louis. And they likely will even save you some money without cramping your carbon-creating lifestyle — much.

SmithThe 2008 Iowa Caucuses may be the last time the conservative Midwestern state exerts such a huge influence on the presidential nomination process, predicts WUSTL expert Steven S. Smith.

Every moment we live, cells in our bodies are dying. One type of cell death activates an immune response while another type doesn’t. Now researchers at the School of Medicine and St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis have figured out how some dying cells signal the immune system. They say the finding eventually could have important implications in the treatment of autoimmune diseases and cancer.

To recognize the creative contributions and exemplary performance of its staff, Arts & Sciences presented eight of its own with the Arts & Sciences 2007-08 Outstanding Staff Award during a recent ceremony and reception in the Women’s Building Formal Lounge. Edward S. Macias, Ph.D., presented the awards May 1 for the last time as dean […]

An interdisciplinary team of researchers led by Karen L. Wooley, Ph.D., the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor in Arts & Sciences, is a step closer to delivering cancer-killing drugs to pediatric brain tumors.

The following incidents were reported to University Police July 1-16. Readers with information that could assist in investigating these incidents are urged to call 935-5555. This information is provided as a public service to promote safety awareness and is available on the University Police Web site at police.wustl.edu. July 1 5:36 p.m. — A person […]