Newsroom Stories

Carl Frieden, Jeffrey I. Gordon, John F. McDonnell and Carl Phillips can now stand proudly beside Ben Franklin, George Washington, Albert Einstein and Winston Churchill. Those four from Washington University in St. Louis have joined those four from history as being elected into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

KemperThe Board of Trustees of Washington University in St. Louis met Friday, May 14, at the Charles F. Knight Executive Education Center and elected David W. Kemper, president and chief executive officer of Commerce Bancshares Inc., as chairman of the board for the 2004-05 fiscal year, according to Mark S. Wrighton, chancellor. The trustees elected John F. McDonnell, retired chairman of the board of McDonnell Douglas Corp., and Stephen F. Brauer, chief executive officer of Hunter Engineering, as vice chairmen of the board.

FriedmanThomas L. Friedman, a three-time Pulitzer Prize winner, best-selling author and foreign affairs columnist for The New York Times, will deliver the 2004 Commencement address at Washington University in St. Louis, according to Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton. The university’s 143rd Commencement will begin at 8:30 a.m. May 21 in Brookings Quadrangle on campus. During the ceremony, Friedman will also receive an honorary doctor of laws.

In an experiment that demonstrates how maps of the genetic codes of simpler organisms can shed light on human disease, a computerized comparison of the complete genetic codes of a type of algae, a weed and humans has led medical researchers to a gene linked to a human illness.

Avante jugglers Passing Zone toss chainsaws and Chia Pets May 6 and 7.Like a good vacation, filled with the sights and sounds of different lives, different heritages and different cultures, Edison Theatre’s 2004-05 OVATIONS! Series will take audiences on a journey through some of the world’s great music, dance and theatre traditions.

In 1954, Chancellor Ethan A.H. Shepley and the University privately launched a three-year, $20 million Second Century Campaign, the second-largest capital fund drive conducted by any U.S. university at the time. When the campaign went public with a four-day convocation in February 1955, it was thought that some of the campaign funds should be used […]

Photo by Mary ButkusWUSTL science majors volunteer each week to mentor an after-school science club for kids at Webster Middle School in North St. Louis.

Getting treated for a common type of cancer just became easier: An international team of surgeons including two at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has determined that minimally invasive surgery is as safe and effective as standard open surgery for most patients with cancer confined to the colon.

One worked on the frontiers of space research for more than four decades; another holds three Pulitzer Prizes. One has been the architect behind the revitalization of The Loop in University City, Mo.; another a strong supporter of life-saving medical research. From the first African-American appointed to the federal bench in the 8th Circuit to a groundbreaking diabetes researcher, the six people selected to receive honorary degrees during the University’s 143rd Commencement May 21 all stand out in their respective fields.

Sadat”The story of abuse at Abu Ghraib prison is shocking, and certainly requires a full investigation, and perhaps the criminal prosecution of some of those either directly or indirectly responsible,” says Leila N. Sadat, vice-president and co-director of studies of the American branch of the International Law Association. “However, one thing the story is not, is new. While leading an International Bar Association training program for Iraqi lawyers, judges and prosecutors in Dubai in February, I saw a story on CNN International which reported that 17 soldiers had been relieved of command due to allegations of torture and abuse. Sadat comments on her discussions with Iraqi lawyers as well as the treatment of civilians in the prison.