Newsroom Stories

Listed below are this month’s featured news stories. • Alcohol’s effect on spouses (week of May 2) • DNA links to autism (week of May 9) • Fewer steroids for some with asthma (week of May 16) • Increasing blood flow (week of May 16) • New treatment for heart disorder (week of May 30)

Robert J. Hayashi, M.D., has been named director of the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology in the Department of Pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine. A member of the faculty at the School of Medicine since 1992, Hayashi is an associate professor of pediatrics.

Women from Mahabo Village in Madagascar weaving baskets for the Blessing Basket Project.It might seem odd that college students in the middle of the United States could make a difference to a small village in a developing country halfway around the world, but that’s exactly what happened when five students from Washington University in St. Louis went to Madagascar. More…

Roman Catholicism, with its numerous saints, long history and deep traditions, can be difficult for the uninitiated to grasp. But a new book from an expert on the Catholic Church who teaches at Washington University in St. Louis should help to change that. The Encyclopedia of Catholicism, compiled by Frank K. Flinn, adjunct professor of religious studies in Arts & Sciences at Washington University, will be released May 20. More…

U.S. NavyStrong government counterterrorism measures in response to terrorist attacks may cause economic damage and help terrorists groups stir up popular support for their agendas, often aiding them considerably in achieving their goals, suggests a new study from Washington University in St. Louis. More…

Collaboration is key to creativityIsaac Newton’s “a-ha” moment may have come while he was sitting alone under an apple tree, but that big idea might never had happened if he hadn’t spent so many hours discussing the laws of physics with fellow scientists and philosophers. In his latest book, Keith Sawyer, Ph.D., one of the country’s leading scientific experts on creativity in everyday life, argues that collaboration is essential in helping all of us harness the power of our own creative genius. More…

The recent firing of radio personality Don Imus reveals a new trend in business: bad behavior won’t be tolerated on the job. A business professor at Washington University in St. Louis says firms can head off workplace incivility by preventing those with power from going unchecked. More…

The 35-year-old kitchen and the serving lines at the McDonnell Sciences Shell Café will undergo a major three-month renovation starting May 21. New freezer capacity, improved dry storage, more adequate catering space, new high-tech ovens and a special pizza oven are just a few of the changes being initiated.

Joseph P. Culver, Ph.D., assistant professor of radiology, has received a two-year, $392,208 grant from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering for research titled “Full Head, High Density Functional Diffuse Optical Tomography.”… Ramesh Raghavan, M.D., Ph.D. assistant professor of psychiatry in Arts & Sciences, has received a two-year, $99,770 grant from the Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families for research titled “Assuring the Emotional Well-Being of Children in Child Welfare Environments through Stable Health Insurance Coverage.”… Edgar T. Overton, M.D., assistant professor of medicine, has received a four-year, $387,195 grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration for the “Ryan White Title III Outpatient EIS Program.”… Fiona Marshall, Ph.D. professor of archaeology in Arts & Sciences, has received a one-year, $12,000 grant from the National Science Foundation for research titled “Pithouses to Pueblos: Aggregation, Animals, and Sustainability Seen through Taos Zooarchaeology and Isotopes.”

Andrey Shaw, M.D., has been named the Emil R. Unanue Professor of Immunobiology in the Department of Pathology and Immunology.