Notables

Ram V. Dixit, PhD, assistant professor of biology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, received a five-year, $1,163,940 Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award from the National Science Foundation to study mechanisms underlying plant cell morphogenesis.

​The new CIRCLE Fellows program is assisting faculty in their implementation of active-learning teaching strategies that can enhance student engagement and learning.

Honored for their contributions to Washington University School of Medicine, the recipients of the 2014 2nd Century Awards were F. Sessions Cole, MD, Scott J. Hultgren, PhD, and Carol B. Loeb. The 2nd Century Awards recognize those whose long-term commitment and participation have helped the school enter its second century with strength and confidence.

A new study at the School of Medicine is focused on understanding how the pathways identified by the Human Connectome Project differ in people with psychiatric illnesses. Principal investigator Daniel Mamah, MD, said the group’s goal is to look at diagnosing psychiatric illness in a different way.

Ching-Cheng (Stanley) Huang, PhD, a postdoctoral research scholar in the laboratory of Edward J. Pearce, PhD, professor of pathology and immunology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received a two-year, $98,476 grant from the American Heart Association for research titled “Role of Lipid Droplet Lipolysis in Alternative Macrophage Activation.”

The American Library Association and its Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Round Table has selected Jeffrey Q. McCune Jr.’s book, “Sexual Discretion: Black Masculinity and the Politics of Passing” for its 2015 “Over the Rainbow” list.

Matthew Gubin, PhD, postdoctoral research scholar in the laboratory of Robert Schreiber, PhD, Alumni Professor of Pathology and Immunology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received a three-year, $164,500 grant from the Cancer Research Institute for research titled “Using Genomics to Identify Targets of Checkpoint Blockade Cancer Treatment and Identify Optimal Target Antigens for Vaccination.”

Bill McKinnon, PhD, professor of earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, received the 2014 G.K. Gilbert Award from the Geological Society of America. The award recognizes outstanding contributions to the solution of a fundamental problem of planetary geology.

Bernd Zinselmeyer, PhD, research instructor in the Department of Pathology and Immunology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received a one-year, $40,400 grant from the School of Medicine, via a Digestive Disease Research Core Center grant, for research titled “Intravital Imaging of Peritoneal Macrophages Contribution to Intestinal Health.”

Sarah Negron, a 2014 Arts & Sciences graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, is the recipient of the Regional Arts Commission’s prestigious Katherine Dunham Internship.