Newsroom Stories

As a distinguished theoretical physicist and accomplished writer, Alan Lightman has successfully bridged the gap between science and the humanities. At 4 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 19, in Graham Chapel, Lightman will provide an understanding of one of the greatest triumphs of the human imagination with the Department of English Hurst Visiting Professorship Lecture, “Einstein and Relativity.”

Senior Gabe Murphy ran for a career-high 128 yards and sophomore Tim Machan tied a school record with three interceptions as the Bears posted a 34-3 win Sept. 8 at Westminster College in Fulton, Mo. The Bears defense, which held Lake Forest to 17 yards rushing a week ago, limited Westminster’s rushing attack to 41 yards on 30 carries in the win.

Just as rising gasoline prices are forcing many Americans to tighten their financial belts, new research suggests higher fuel costs may come with a related silver lining — trimmer waistlines. “An additional $1 in real gasoline prices would reduce obesity in the U.S. by 15 percent after three years,” said Charles Courtemanche, an economics doctoral student in Arts & Sciences.

Sexton observes a flooded Marais Temps Clair.In science, it’s best to be good, but sometimes it’s better to be lucky. Ecologist Owen Sexton, professor emeritus of biology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, had just completed a census of snakes at a conservation preserve northwest of St. Louis, when the great flood of 1993 deluged the area, putting the preserve at least 15 feet under water. The flood provided Sexton with a rare opportunity: his collected data and the flood would combine to make “the perfect study” of how an area rebounds from natural disaster.

Photo by Joe AngelesThe former Christian Brothers College (CBC) High School property in the 6500 block of Clayton Road in Clayton has been sold to Washington University, it was announced Sept. 11 in a joint statement by Concordia Seminary and the University. Concordia purchased the property in 2001 when the high school moved to its new location in Town & Country, Mo.

Mark Manary, professor of pediatrics, assesses patients for malnutrition at a clinic in Malawi, Africa.An enriched peanut-butter mixture given at home is successfully promoting recovery in large numbers of starving children in Malawi, according to a group of researchers at the School of Medicine. Malnutrition affects 70 percent of all Malawian children with an estimated 13 percent of children dying from it before the age of five.

The former Christian Brothers College (CBC) High School property in the 6500 block of Clayton Road in Clayton has been sold to Washington University in St. Louis, it was jointly announced today by Concordia Seminary and the university. Concordia purchased the property in 2001 when the high school moved to its new location in Town & Country, Mo.

Psychiatry researchers at the School of Medicine have had good results in early research using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to treat patients with depression. Now they are testing TMS as a potential treatment for new mothers with post-partum depression.

The coconut has been popular in lore and on palates for centuries, yet little is known about the history of this palm’s domestication and dispersal around the world. Now, Kenneth M. Olsen, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology in Arts & Sciences, is embarking on the task of understanding the plant’s history by exploring the genetics of the coconut.

The coconut has been popular in lore and on palates for centuries, yet little is known about the history of this palm’s domestication and dispersal around the world. Now, Kenneth M. Olsen, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology in Arts & Sciences, is embarking on the task of understanding the plant’s history by exploring the genetics of the coconut.