Notables

Thaddeus Stappenbeck, PhD, MD, and Matthew Ciorba, MD, assistant professor of medicine, both of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, have received a one-year, $152,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Oregon Health & Science University for research titled “Influence of Gene-environment Interactions on Innate Immune Function.”

Shankar Sastry, PhD, professor of engineering, has been awarded the Hind Rattan Award from the NRI Welfare Society of India. The award recognizes nonresident Indians who have made exceptional contributions to society.

Rebecca Copeland, PhD, is one of two winners of the 2014-15 Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission Prize for the Translation of Japanese Literature for her translation of Kirino Natsuo’s “The Goddess Chronicle.” She is chair of the East Asian Languages and Cultures Department in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis.

​​Alexander Cox, a recent graduate of the School of Engineering & Applied Science at Washington University in St. Louis, was named the 2014 Air Force Cadet of the Year at a Dec. 5 ceremony at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. He is the 15th recipient of the award.

Katie Plax, MD, a professor of pediatrics at the School of Medicine, has received the Dr. Corinne Walentik Leadership in Health Award from the Missouri Foundation for Health. The award, in its second year, was created to honor the late Dr. Walentik’s commitment to serving vulnerable populations.

​Fuzhong Zhang, PhD, assistant professor of energy, environmental and chemical engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, will study these systems with a prestigious Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The five-year, $605,000 award is for his project titled “Synthetic Regulatory Systems for Dynamic Metabolic Pathways.”​

Two Washington University in St. Louis students majoring in classics in Arts & Sciences will get to spend time next year studying at the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies in Rome.

Ron Cytron, PhD, professor of computer science and engineering in the School of Engineering & Applied Science at Washington University in St. Louis, has been awarded a 2014 Emerson Excellence in Teaching Award.

Eighty-one staff members in the Facilities Management Department at Washington University School of Medicine recently earned the title of Facility Management Professional (FMP) from the International Facility Management Association. The department set a national record by having so many employees earn this title in less than four months. Professionals who become FMPs complete a series of comprehensive exams covering four areas: operations and maintenance, project management, finance and business, and leadership and strategy.

Anesthesiology researchers Robert Gereau, PhD, (left) and Michael Bruchas, PhD, (right) have received one of only 11 DECODE (Deciphering Circuit Basis of Disease) grants to be awarded. The awards were announced at a ceremony featuring Thomas Insel, MD, (center) director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).