Newsroom Stories

Washington University contributors helped the United Way of Greater St. Louis surpass its all-time record and raise $72 million to help the poor and disadvantaged throughout the St. Louis metropolitan region. The university community gave more than $691,000, exceeding WUSTL’s goal by $16,000 so far. Employees may sign up for payroll deduction through Dec. 31.

Ann Kittlaus has been named assistant dean for communications at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. She was a senior vice president at Fleishman-Hillard  in St. Louis and held several positions at government agencies in Washington, D.C.

Robert O. Heuckeroth, MD, PhD, has been named the Alumni Endowed Professor of Pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He is a professor of pediatrics at the School of Medicine and a pediatric gastroenterologist at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

During October, more than 180 faculty, students, and staff members participated in WUSTL’s second car-free challenge. Throughout the month, participants were encouraged to leave their cars in the garage and go “car-free” by using public transit, walking, biking, and carpooling.

Members of the Washington University in St. Louis community were recognized during the fifth annual James M. Holobaugh Honors ceremony Nov. 7 in Ridgley Hall’s Holmes Lounge. The award honors individuals and organizations that promote lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality, perform direct advocacy and service to the St. Louis metropolitan area and incorporate education and dialogue as part of their practice.

Mantis shrimp, aggressive, predatory sea crustaceans, have among the most sophisticated vision of all animals. A group of researchers, including Viktor Gruev, PhD, want to recreate that vision to make a specialized camera that could bring more precision to biomedical imaging and weapon targeting in defense.

The student-run local chapter of Locks of Love encouraged WUSTL community members to participate in the annual campus-wide hair drive Nov. 12. The drive yielded $600 and 26 hair donations. All hair and money collected is sent to the Locks of Love national organization, which aims to help restore self-esteem and confidence in children afflicted by disease-related, long-term hair loss.

Detecting whether a patient will have acute kidney injury could become as simple as dipping a paper test strip printed with gold nanorods into a urine sample, a team of Washington University in St. Louis researchers has found.

Two scientists at Washington University have developed a low-energy defibrillation scheme that significantly reduces the energy needed to re-establish a normal rhythm in the heart’s main chambers. They hope this electrotherapy will be much less painful than the existing electrotherapy, making treatment with a defibrillator much more acceptable to patients.

Alum Robbie Garrison (left), of MMBiosensing, LLC, talks with Ken Harrington, managing director of the Skandalaris Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, following the selection of Garrison’s firm as one of seven finalists for the 2012 Olin Cup during a ceremony Nov. 8 in Simon Hall.