Newsroom Stories

Most state legislators say testimony at legislative hearings is influential, though few report that it changes their votes, finds research from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. “Testimony does matter, especially if it is delivered by credible, trustworthy presenters,” said lead author Sarah Moreland-Russell, PhD, assistant research professor at the Brown School.

A new study at the School of Medicine is focused on understanding how the pathways identified by the Human Connectome Project differ in people with psychiatric illnesses. Principal investigator Daniel Mamah, MD, said the group’s goal is to look at diagnosing psychiatric illness in a different way.

Engineers Week on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis, Feb. 23-Feb. 28, aims to celebrate how engineers make a difference in the world and increase public dialogue about the need for engineers. The week features an array of events aimed at engaging students, faculty and the campus community on subjects ranging from solar energy to space travel.

Using antibodies from camels and alpacas, scientists led by David T. Curiel, MD, PhD, at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found a way to deliver anticancer viruses directly to tumor cells, leaving other types of cells uninfected. The discovery may solve a longstanding problem in the field of gene therapy.

The genome is the instruction book for life. But reading that instruction book and carrying out its directives are controlled by the epigenome, which attaches chemical markers to DNA to activate or silence genes. For the first time, researchers at the School of Medicine and elsewhere have assembled a comprehensive map of the human epigenome. 

With a common interest in strengthening their leadership skills, expanding their knowledge of the university and developing a greater understanding of an ever-changing, multicultural world, 24 Washington University staff members have been selected members of the 2015 Professional Leadership Academy & Network (PLAN). A yearlong professional development program, PLAN is intended to cultivate future leaders at Washington University.

​Aaron Bobick, PhD, professor and founding chair of the School of Interactive Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology, has been appointed dean of the School of Engineering & Applied Science at Washington University in St. Louis effective July 1, according to Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton.​

Stanley Nelson’s documentary “The Black Panthers: Vanguard of a Revolution,” will be shown at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26 in Steinberg Auditorium on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis. The screening is co-sponsored by Cinema St. Louis and by the Program in African and African-American Studies in Arts & Sciences; the Center for Diversity and Inclusion; and the Washington University Film & Media Archive of Washington University Libraries.

The Washington University Symphony Orchestra, with student soloist Silas Hsu, will present early, reputation-making works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Jean Sibelius and Edvard Grieg at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 23, in the E. Desmond Lee Concert Hall at the 560 Music Center.

The DNA of bacteria that live in the body can pass a trait to offspring in a way similar to the parents’ own DNA, a new mouse study suggests. According to the authors, the discovery means scientists need to consider a significant new factor – microbial DNA– in their efforts to understand how genes influence illness and health.