Newsroom Stories

Timothy J. Moore, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Classics in Arts & Sciences, was installed as the inaugural John and Penelope Biggs Distinguished Professor of Classics. The professorship was established in 2002 with generous gifts from distinguished WUSTL alumni John and Penelope Biggs.

Alumna Anna DiPalma Amelung, PhD, a facilitator in WUSTL’s Lifelong Learning Institute (LLI), was inducted as a Chevalier dans L’Ordre des Palmes Académiques (Knight in the Order of Academic Palms) for outstanding contributions to the development of French culture and language. Amelung received a medallion on behalf of the French government during a March 22 ceremony and reception at the West Campus Conference Center. Amelung earned a PhD in French from WUSTL in 1980.

On Thursday, April 11, the Senate voted to roll back the STOCK (Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge) Act, limiting the web-based publication of government employees’ personal financial information. This action comes in response to a federal court ruling that such publication violated employees’ right to privacy and a critical report by the National Academy of Public Administration. “The court recognized that the federal employees have a legitimate right to privacy regarding their personal financial information and ruled that the federal government failed to identify a compelling government interest that would justify posting that personal information on the internet,” says Kathleen Clark, JD, government ethics expert and professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis.

Using a miniature electronic device implanted in the brain, scientists have tapped into the internal reward system of mice, prodding neurons to release dopamine, a chemical associated with pleasure. This LED light can activate brain cells and may lead to the mapping of circuits involved in sleep, depression and addiction.

Washington University’s Gerald L. Early, PhD, a noted essayist and American culture critic, will get a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame.  A eremony marking Early’s induction into the Walk of Fame in The Loop will be held at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, April 11, in front of the Moonrise Hotel, 6177 Delmar Blvd.

The nation’s oldest and largest student-run carnival gets under way soon. The community event brings together students, faculty and staff from WUSTL with surrounding neighbors and the greater St. Louis community for a weekend filled with rides, carnival fare and family-friendly plays. More than 80,000 people are expected to attend the Thurtene Carnival April 19-21.

The City of St. Louis is poised to lead the way in innovative solutions to the national urban issue of vacant land, thanks to a unique partnership between the city and Washington University. Four of the city’s vacant lots will be the new home for five demonstration projects that test new ways to think of vacant space, thanks to the winning teams in the inaugural Sustainable Land Lab Competition.

Winners of the eight annual YouthBridge Social Enterprise and Innovation Competition (SEIC) and $164,000 in awards were announced April 10. Winning teams represented community and WUSTL social entrepreneurs. Their social venture ideas ranged widely, covering youth, teens, homeless and collaboration among all types of social enterprises.

The Institute for Public Health at Washington University in St. Louis has announced the appointment of Richelle Simmons Clark as co-director of the Center for Community Health & Partnerships.

On April 15, the Supreme Court will hear oral argument in Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, a case that could answer the question, “Under what conditions, if any, are isolated human genes patentable?” Kevin Emerson Collins, JD, patent law expert and professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis, believes that layered uncertainties make this case an unusually difficult case in which to predict the outcome.