Newsroom Stories

Students played a game of Quidditch in the South 40 Swamp Nov. 15 as part of Harry Potter Week. The college councils from four residential colleges organized the week to celebrate the opening of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, which premieres in St. Louis at midnight Thursday, Nov. 18. More than any other group, this generation of college students has grown up with the Harry Potter franchise.

Yahoo News / MyHealthNewsDaily Some brains might be compensating for autism risk 11/16/2010 Scientists say they have identified a distinct pattern of brain activity that may indicate whether a person is genetically predisposed to autsim. “The study is extremely innovative, and provides remarkable new clues to the origins of autism—which, if replicated, constitute major new […]

Washington University in St. Louis will offer a doctoral program in rehabilitation and participation science beginning in fall 2011 designed to meet the growing demand for medical scientists in the rehabilitation field. “This unique program is aimed to train scientists within the areas of occupational science, neuroscience, environmental science and engineering to provide a scientific basis to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities and chronic health conditions and to increase their ability to participate in family, work and community life,” says Carolyn Baum, PhD, the Elias Michael Director of the Program in Occupational Therapy and professor of occupational therapy and of neurology.

Washington University’s Center for the Humanities and Program in Film & Media Studies will host the Seventh Annual Children’s Film Showcase Friday and Saturday, Nov. 19 and 20. Titled “An Exploration of Children’s Films and Their Audiences,” the showcase is presented in conjunction with Cinema St. Louis and will feature four screenings as well as Q&A sessions with several of the filmmakers.

The campus of Washington University in St. Louis will be a hotbed of volleyball activity this weekend, Nov. 19-21, as the 2010 NCAA Division III Volleyball Championship comes to the Washington University Field House. “To be selected as the host site is a privilege,” says John Schael, director of athletics. “To have the participating student-athletes, coaches and administrators on our campus is a pleasure, and to have Washington University’s named connected with the championships is an honor.”

Jai P. Nagarkatti, PhD, a member of the Washington University Board of Trustees since 2007 and chairman, president and CEO of Sigma-Aldrich Corp., died Saturday, Nov. 13, 2010, in St. Louis, Mo., of a heart attack. He was 63. Nagarkatti was elected to the WUSTL Board of Trustees in 2007 and has been a member of the board’s Research-Graduate Affairs Committee.

Technology Review What happens when you breathe in nanoparticles 11/16/2010 Scientists have tracked the flow of nanoparticles from the lungs to the bloodstream for the first time. The work could enable the development of new drugs and show how pollution can cause respiratory problems. Scientists are manipulating nanoparticles to find better ways to carry them […]

Washington University in St. Louis School of Law will host a screening of the award-winning documentary Family Affair at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 18, in the Bryan Cave Moot Courtroom in Anheuser-Busch Hall.

School of Medicine students held an International Food Fair Nov. 12 in the Farrell Learning and Teaching Center Atrium for which 10 groups of student chefs prepared dishes from nine world regions and served them to their classmates.

Yahoo! Canada Global leadership: Voters launch a power surge of women 11/14/2010 The face of global power is clearly changing, and it is looking far more feminine. To understand this shift, you need to go back to a 1995 United Nations’ Bejing conference report calling for governments to restructure their electoral and political party systems […]