RecycleMania 2012 kicks off Feb. 5

The 2012 RecycleMania contest, which pits WUSTL against other U.S. and Canadian colleges and universities to see which campus can keep the greatest amount of waste materials from landfills, begins Sunday, Feb. 5. It lasts eight weeks and ends Saturday, March 31. Last year, the university community recycled approximately 278.3 tons of waste during the contest to launch WUSTL into a top 5 percent finish.

Same genes linked to early- and late-onset Alzheimer’s

The same gene mutations linked to inherited, early-onset Alzheimer’s disease have been found in people with the more common late-onset form of the illness. The discovery by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis may lead doctors and researchers to change the way Alzheimer’s disease is classified.

Moynier awarded young scientist honors

Frédéric Moynier, PhD, 33, assistant professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences in Arts & Sciences and a member of the McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, has been named the recipient of the 2012 Houtermans Award and the Nier Prize, both given for exceptional work by a scientist younger than 35.

Winter blues see the light

People of all ages can develop winter blues or seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a type of clinical depression which occurs typically during the fall and winter and resolves itself by spring. Eric Lenze, MD, professor of psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, says bright light therapy, sometimes called phototherapy, is the treatment of choice for seasonal affective disorder.

Assembly Series spring 2012: The need to connect

The spring 2012 Assembly Series begins Friday, Feb. 10, with acclaimed author and educator Parker Palmer, PhD. An underlying theme for many of the speakers this semester is the inherent human need to connect mind and body with heart and soul, whether it be through music, humor, creativity or fun.

YouthBridge SEIC finalists named

Nine finalists were selected Jan. 26 to compete for more than $125,000 in grants in April at the 2011-12 YouthBridge Social Enterprise and Innovation Competition (SEIC) at Washington University in St. Louis. The competition is a joint partnership between the YouthBridge Community Foundation and WUSTL’s Skandalaris Center for Entrepreneurial Studies.

Panel to explore St. Louis public health

Public health in St. Louis is the first social issue to be explored during “St. Louis Up Close,” a new series featuring casual conversations with local nonprofit leaders. Five more discussions are planned for the series, which is sponsored by the Gephardt Institute for Public Service and the Community Service Office. All talks are free and open to the public.

Nominate exceptional staff member for Gloria White award

Help the university recognize a staff member who goes above and beyond to help students, faculty or others in the WUSTL community by nominating him or her for the Gloria W. White Distinguished Service Award. The Gloria White award recognizes a staff member for his or her exceptional effort and contributions that result in the betterment of the university. Nominations must be submitted by Friday, Feb. 24.

Mom’s love good for child’s brain

School-age children whose mothers nurtured them early in life have brains with a larger hippocampus, a key structure important to learning, memory and response to stress. The new research, by child psychiatrists and neuroscientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, is the first to show that changes in this key region of children’s brain anatomy are linked to a mother’s nurturing.
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