Newsroom Stories

Could higher gas prices mean trimmer waistlines?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,” suggests Charles Courtemanche, an economics researcher at Washington University in St. Louis.

Physicist and writer Alan Lightman travels through Einstein’s dreams to help us understand the theory of relativity.

Students living in the Park/Mudd and Brookings residential colleges may notice some wiser and more mature residents this semester. Joseph Thompson, Ph.D., senior lecturer in English and African and African American Studies, both in Arts & Sciences; and Patrick Eisenlohr, Ph.D., assistant professor of linguistic anthropology in Arts & Sciences, have moved into apartments in Park/Mudd and Brookings, respectively. They are the two newest of five Faculty Fellows currently living the Danforth Campus’ South 40.

EberleinTimothy Eberlein, M.D., the Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Distinguished Professor and director of the Siteman Cancer Center at the School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital, has been elected to a three-year term on the board of directors of the Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI). Eberlein also serves as the Bixby Professor and chairman of the Department of Surgery.

Dance Marathon, a student run effort to raise funds for and promote awareness of the Children’s Miracle Network of Greater St. Louis, is a 12-hour dance-a-thon, to be held from 2 p.m.-2 a.m. Nov. 3-4 in the Athletic Complex.

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Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker believes passionately that building strong communities takes individual effort and commitment, and he will explore that topic in detail for the Ervin Scholars 20th anniversary celebration at 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 14, in the Laboratory Sciences Building auditorium. The talk, co-sponsored by the Assembly Series and the Campus Week of Dialogue, is free and open to the public.

Photo by Stewart GoldstenThe St. Louis Black Rep will open its 31st season with “Boesman and Lena” at Edison Theatre Sept. 12-23. Written by South African activist Athol Fugard, the story follows two ragged wanderers who have been evicted from their home and are forced to scavenge for shelter, food and firewood in order to survive.

Women who are obese, have type 2 diabetes or a family history of type 2 diabetes could one day have more successful pregnancies because of a study at the School of Medicine. This study suggests that Metformin, the most commonly prescribed anti-diabetes drug, could potentially improve pregnancy outcomes in women with insulin resistance.

The following incidents were reported to University Police Sept. 1-3. 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. Sept. 1 8 p.m. — Furniture was reported taken from a fraternity house during the summer. Ttems were left in a hallway and probably disposed of by housekeeping. Sept. 3 11:38 a.m. — The traffic arm for the lower level westbound exit to the Millbrook Garage was found to be broken and inoperable. The damage occurred sometime between 3 p.m. Aug. 31 and 11:30 a.m. Sept. 3. No estimate of damage is available at this time.