Newsroom Stories

New research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis shows that the same genes that promote healing after cartilage damage also appear to protect against osteoarthritis, a condition caused by years of wear-and-tear on the cartilage between joints. Although the research was conducted in mice, the genes are likely to be important in people, too.

Robert Mecham, PhD, a pioneering cell biologist, and Nancy Morrow-Howell, PhD, a leading national scholar in gerontology, will receive Washington University’s 2012 faculty achievement awards, Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton announced. Mecham is the recipient of the Carl and Gerty Cori Faculty Achievement Award, and Morrow-Howel the Arthur Holly Compton Faculty Achievement Award. They will receive their awards and give presentations of their scholarly work during a ceremony in December.

Washington University in St. Louis School of Law celebrated the outstanding achievements of seven individuals at the annual Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner April 20. Four alumni received Distinguished Law Alumni Awards; two received Distinguished Young Law Alumni Awards; and one received the Dean’s Medal.

Sophomore Marnie Abeshouse (left), an anthropology major in Arts & Sciences, explains her research project on the Israeli pharmaceutical industry during a poster presentation April 24 for the Olin Business School course “Business, Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Israel.”

Attendees dare to ride Pharaoh’s Fury at the 2012 Thurtene Carnival held this past weekend on the Danforth Campus. The entirely student-run carnival featuring rides, games and well-rehearsed plays and musical performances, has been a part of campus life for more than 100 years. Proceeds from this year’s event benefited Guardian Angels Settlement Association.

The National Day of Prayer typically sparks debate about whether the day violates the establishment clause from the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. This year’s observance on May 3, however, likely will take on added significance, says John Inazu, JD, first amendment expert and professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis. The reason? 2012 marks the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Engel v. Vitale, which invalidated official prayer in public schools.

Carl Phillips, professor of English in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, has won the 2011 Los Angeles Times Book Prize in poetry for Double Shadow, his most recent book of poetry. Phillips was one of 12 winners recognized during a ceremony April 20 at the University of Southern California.

Olin Business School students, faculty and staff participate in a charity basketball game April 12 to raise money for Hike4Kids, a project started by MBA student Michael McLaughlin. This spring and summer, McLaughlin is through-hiking the entire Appalachian and Ozark trails back-to-back, helping to raise funds and awareness for underprivileged children, both locally and in Africa.

Susan E. Mackinnon, MD, received the Clinician of the Year award and the Research Achievement Award in Basic Science at the American Association of Plastic Surgeons’ annual meeting April 14-17, 2012, in San Francisco.

The Department of Mathematics has announced that a WUSTL team, consisting of senior Alex Anderson and juniors Tom Morrell and Ari Tenzer, placed 28th out of 460 teams in the demanding William Lowell Putnam Mathematics Competition. Two WUSTL teams also took first and third place in the 17th annual Missouri Collegiate Mathematics Competition. The winning team consisted of freshman Alan Talmage, and juniors Tom Moreel and Ari Tenzer.