Notables

Huntington’s disease is a devastating, incurable disorder that results from the death of certain neurons in the brain. Rohit Pappu, PhD, and colleagues in the engineering and medical schools are conducting studies to learn from nature’s own strategies to battle the disease.

Mark S. Wrighton, chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis and the holder of 16 patents, has been named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. He will be inducted during the academy’s annual conference in March.

Thalachallour Mohanakumar, PhD, the Jacqueline G. and William E. Maritz Professor of Surgery at the School of Medicine, has received the Paul I. Terasaki Clinical Science Award. He was given the award Nov. 20 at the 39th annual meeting of the American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics in Chicago.

Research on poverty led by Washington University in St. Louis’ Mark R. Rank, PhD, was cited by President Barack Obama in a landmark speech on economic mobility that laid out an agenda for the remainder of his presidency.

To show appreciation for exemplary service in medical education, School of Medicine students recently presented faculty and house staff with the annual Distinguished Service Teaching Awards. Shown are Nigar Kirmani, MD, (right) and other awardees enjoying the ceremony.

The board of trustees of the National Humanities Center recently elected Holden Thorp, PhD, Washington University in St. Louis provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs, as one of its three new members.

Gerald Early, PhD, the Merle Kling Professor of Modern Letters in Arts & Sciences, has been appointed to the National Council on the Humanities, the 26-member advisory board to the National Endowment for the Humanities. Early is one of five new members nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

A team of Olin Business School graduate students recently won the $5,000 first prize in the 18th annual International Case Competition organized by Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business. In addition, the team of four MBA students and one master’s in supply chain management student tied with MIT for the “Best Presentation” Award.

“John-John,” a new aria by playwright Carter W. Lewis and composer Kamala Sankaram, debuted recently as part of “November 21, 1963: The Day Before,” a multidisciplinary event marking the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination.

A Washington University ophthalmologist was one of 31 finalists for the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal. David E. Vollman, MD, and the other finalists recently were honored in a White House ceremony praising the country’s civil servants.