Newsroom Stories

The Portfolio, a new electronic record of an undergraduate student’s involvement in student groups, leadership positions, community service, internships, awards, research, employment and many other activities, will launch with a four-week pilot project for about 80 students in October. The record is designed to complement the academic transcript.

New research suggests that a key immune cell may play a role in lung cancer susceptibility. Working in mice, Alexander Krupnick, MD, and colleagues found evidence that the genetic diversity in natural killer cells, which typically seek out and destroy tumor cells, contributes to whether or not the animals develop lung cancer.

What is the state of the humanities? How are they taught, what do they teach us, and how do they serve the public good? Earlier this month, cultural leaders from across the state gathered at the Missouri History Museum to discuss “The Importance of the Humanities and Social Sciences for Public Life.” Convened by WUSTL’s Gerald Early, the meeting was the third in a series of regional forums presented by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Students registered to vote Sept. 18 in Danforth University Center during an all-day campaign sponsored by the Gephardt Institute for Public Service. People are invited to stop by the institute’s office in Danforth University Center and register to vote before the Oct. 10 Missouri deadline.

Richard A. Loomis, PhD, associate professor of chemistry in Arts & Sciences, received the David Hadas Teaching Award during the Arts & Sciences’ annual faculty reception, held Sept. 6 in Holmes Lounge. The Hadas award recognizes an outstanding tenured faculty member in Arts & Sciences who demonstrates commitment and excellence in teaching first-year undergraduates.

Nominations are due Oct. 19 for the fifth annual James M. Holobaugh Honors. LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) Student Involvement and Leadership will be hosting the Holobaugh Honors Ceremony at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7, in Holmes Lounge, Ridgley Hall.

In August, the university welcomed a freshman class of approximately 1,640 students who came to WUSTL from across the United States and from 26 countries. Julie Shimabukuro, director of admissions, calls the Class of 2016 “a terrific group of students” who are “bright, talented and already engaged in the community.”

The Public Interest Law and Policy Speakers Series continues Thursday, Sept. 20, with Goodwin Liu, associate justice of the Supreme Court of California, on “Federal Law in State Court: Handling Conflicts over Arbitration, Immigration, and Constitutional Rights” at noon in the Bryan Cave Moot Courtroom (Anheuser-Busch Hall, Room 310). The 2012-13 series features judges, lawyers, authors and academics with expertise in public interest law and policy. For a full list of the 2012-13 speakers visit http://law.wustl.edu/pilss/.

McLeod’s Way, a new landscaped gathering place on the South 40 that honors the late James E. “Jim” McLeod, WUSTL’s beloved vice chancellor for students and dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, was dedicated Sept. 15 at Graham Chapel. Shaun C. Koiner, a 2004 WUSTL alumnus and one of McLeod’s former students, speaks during the ceremony.

Britain’s royal family has obtained an injunction against the French magazine Closer to prevent it from publishing topless photographs of the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton. “The case would likely come out differently if it were brought in the United States,” says Neil Richards, JD, professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis. Richards, an internationally recognized expert in privacy and free speech law who hails from England, explains that English and European courts have been very aggressive in stopping media from publishing pictures delving into the sex lives of celebrities.