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Washington University in St. Louis has issued the following statement on the selection of Phyllis Schlafly as an honorary degree recipient at its May 16 Commencement ceremony.

Photo courtesy of Scott Hultgren, John Heuser and Robyn RothA micrograph reveals an *E. coli* bacterium (in green) that is part of a community of bacteria known as a biofilm.Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis this week held opening ceremonies for a new center to study infectious diseases that preferentially affect women. The center for Women’s Infectious Disease Research (cWIDR) will focus on issues such as microorganisms that cause urinary tract infections (UTIs), infections that lead to premature delivery, and potential contributing roles for microorganisms in life-threatening conditions such as cancer.

Seven individuals from the faculty and staff of Arts & Sciences were honored at the annual ArtSci Council Faculty Awards Recognition Ceremony on April 15 in the Women’s Building Formal Lounge. Recognized for positively influencing the educational experiences of undergraduates, the 2008 faculty award recipients are Jonathan Chase, Ph.D., associate professor of biology; Tili Boon […]

Ralph S. Quatrano, Ph.D., the Spencer T. Olin Professor and chair of the Department of Biology in Arts & Sciences, has been named interim dean of the faculty of Arts & Sciences, effective July 1, according to Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton.

Young women who transition from taking their first drink to becoming alcoholics have a stronger influence from genetics. School of Medicine researchers found that although environment is most influential in determining when girls begin to drink, genes play a larger role if they advance to problem drinking and alcohol dependence. The researchers studied 3,546 female […]

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Six distinguished individuals, including a pioneer of women in medicine and a multimedia entrepreneur, will receive honorary degrees May 16 during Washington University’s 147th Commencement ceremony. The university also will bestow academic degrees on more than 2,500 students during the ceremony, which begins at 8:30 a.m. in Brookings Quadrangle.

St. Thomas Seven Pepper Hot Sauce is one of the hottest pepper sauces in New Orleans, grown and bottled at God’s Vineyard Community Garden, 918 Felicity St. Yet like much of the city, this nonprofit farm was severely affected by Hurricane Katrina. Over the last several months a group of St. Louis architecture students have collaborated with garden founders Earl Antwine and Noel Jones to reestablish God’s Vineyard by designing, building and installing a new chicken coop. At the same time, the students also have been working with the Good Work Network on redevelopment plans for the Franz Building, located at 2016 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd. The latter project was recently named a finalist in the 2008 JP Morgan Chase Community Development Competition.

In early January, two patients undergoing kidney dialysis at St. Louis Children’s Hospital had sudden life-threatening allergic reactions that caused their eyes, lips and tongues to swell, raised their heart rates and dropped their blood pressures dangerously low. After the dialysis staff treated the children with medication that relieved the symptoms, they called infectious diseases specialist Alexis Elward, who sprung into action to help determine the cause. Little did she know it would spark an international investigation into a common blood thinner and a recall of the drug from the market.

The Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute of the School of Law announced a two-year project to study the international law regarding crimes against humanity and to draft a multilateral treaty condemning and prohibiting such crimes. Leila Sadat, J.D., the Henry H. Oberschelp Professor of Law and director of the Harris Institute, recently convened the […]