AAAS taps three Washington University faculty as 2015 fellows

Three faculty members at Washington University in St. Louis are among 347 new fellows named by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society. David W. Piston, PhD; Shelly E. Sakiyama-Elbert, PhD; and Jeffrey M. Zacks, PhD, will receive the highest honor awarded by AAAS in recognition of their distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.

WashU Expert: Who were the Pilgrims?

Pilgrim scene
Who were the Pilgrims? Who were the Puritans? And how did they view Native Americans? As the annual Thanksgiving holiday approaches, Abram Van Engen, PhD, assistant professor of English in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, discusses the beliefs of the two groups, the differences between them and the theology of sympathy.

$6.5 million to fund research, treatment of developmental disabilities

Researchers at the School of Medicine have received a five-year, $6.5 million grant to study the physiological underpinnings of developmental disabilities in children and to use the findings to search for novel ways to improve such children’s lives. The grant renews funding for the university’s Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (IDDRC), which is directed by John N. Constantino, MD (left) and Bradley L. Schlaggar, MD, PhD.

One school, 16 languages: How Washington University helped boost scores at St. Louis’ most diverse school​​​

11.10.2015--Dr. Karessa Morrow, Principal, at Oak Hill Elementary School.Photo by Joe Angeles/WUSTL Photos
Cindy Brantmeier, PhD, chair of the Department of Education in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis and principal investigator in the Language Research Laboratory, provides free professional development to teachers at St. Louis Public School District’s Oak Hill Elementary, where half of all students are learning English. The results are amazing: After posting some of the region’s lowest test scores in language arts, Oak Hill students increased their school’s score by 20 points and it is now fully accredited.

CSD’s work leads to Israel adopting child savings accounts

Israel’s parliament has passed a law funding long-term savings accounts for all newborns, based on a proposal developed by Michal Grinstein-Weiss, PhD, professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis and associate director of the Center for Social Development (CSD), and on research efforts led by Michael Sherraden, PhD, the George Warren Brown Distinguished University Professor and director of CSD.

WashU Expert: Pfizer deal marks the end of U.S. ability to stop corporate tax inversion

Adam Rosenzweig
U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced Nov. 23 a record-breaking $160 billion merger with Irish firm Allergan, the biggest merger to date involving the controversial strategy of tax inversion. The move marks the beginning of the end of the ability to stop corporate tax inversions under current tax rules, said Adam Rosenzweig, JD, professor of law and an expert on international tax law at Washington University in St. Louis.