Newsroom Stories

Photo by Kelly PahlTyler Merchant talks with Noel Tate, who is recovering after heart surgery.Tyler Merchant said he has known since kindergarten that he wanted to be a doctor. And except for two recent days of doubt when he was struggling with a class, the Washington University junior has not changed his mind. What got Merchant through those days of doubt and solidified his decision to become a doctor was spending time with patients at Barnes-Jewish Hospital through the Health-Care Advocacy Program offered by the School of Medicine’s Office of Diversity Programs.

Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin dies April 23 at the age of 76. James V. Wertsch, Ph.D., the Marshall S. Snow Professor in Arts & Sciences and expert on Russia’s transition from the Soviet to post-Soviet era, says that Yeltsin will be remembered for his important role in Russian history.

WUSTL engineers have developed a unique photocatlytic cell that splits water to produce hydrogen and oxygen in water using sunlight and the power of a nanostructured catalyst. The technique will be demonstrated at a poster session May 6, 2007, at the International Symposium on Energy and Environment, held at the University.

Scientists have linked a protein to regulation of the body’s use of the sugar glucose. In the process, they illustrated the protein’s potential as a target for new drugs to treat diabetes and obesity.

Washington University in St. Louis, one of many universities receiving inquiries from the Office of Attorney General of the State of New York concerning student lending practices — as well as an inquiry from the Missouri Office of Attorney General — has agreed with both the Missouri and New York Attorneys General to adopt a code of conduct guiding the University’s relations with private lenders from whom the University’s students and their families seek college financing. The University fully and rapidly cooperated with both investigations, and, as the agreements reached April 23 reflect, it denies that any of its past practices have violated Missouri or New York laws. The agreements with the Missouri and New York Attorneys General do not involve payment of any fines by the University.

*White House Ruin, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, AZ*Ansel Adams (1902-1984) is celebrated as one of the world’s foremost landscape photographers. In May, the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum at Washington University in St. Louis will present Ansel Adams: Reverence for Life, an exhibition of photographs showcasing works from the personal collections of the Adams family.

*Untitled (Pollock/Titian) #4*Over the last two decades, Andrea Fraser has dramatized the relationship between art and its audiences through a series of performances, videos, and photographs. In May, the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum at Washington University in St. Louis will present Andrea Fraser, “What do I, as an artist, provide?,” the artist’s first Midwestern solo exhibition. The exhibition will include performance-based videos, photographs, and other works dating from the mid-1980s to the present.

Courtesy photoTrout Fishing in AmericaTrout Fishing in America — the long-standing musical partnership between 5’5″ bass player Keith Grimwood and 6’9″ guitarist Ezra Idlet — will bring their infectious blend of folk, pop and family-friendly music to Washington University’s Edison Theatre. The special all-ages matinee will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 5, as part of the ovations! for young people series.

Members of the University community can learn tips for becoming safe bike riders from noon-2 p.m. April 28 in the South 40.

Sir Michael Atiyah, one of the most influential mathematicians of the 20th century, will be at Washington University on Friday, May 11, to deliver a talk on “Beauty and Truth in Mathematics.” The lecture, appropriate for a general audience, will be held at 5 p.m. in Crow Hall Room 201, and is free and open to the public.