Radiolab helps launch first Ampersand Week

Ampersand Week, the first weeklong celebration of the liberal arts at Washington University in St. Louis Feb. 21-28, includes a presentation by the popular duo known as Radiolab. Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich will appear at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26, in Graham Chapel on the Danforth Campus for the Assembly Series. The program is free and open to the public but tickets are required.

Smith named assistant provost of diversity initiatives

Rochelle Smith, director of diversity, summer programs and community outreach for the Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences (DBBS), has been appointed assistant provost of diversity initiatives at Washington University in St. Louis. She will continue to serve in her role in DBBS.

New compliance training system on the way

Washington University is implementing a new universitywide learning management system called Learn@Work. The cloud-based application will replace the current compliance training system and is scheduled to be implemented in March.

Making teeth tough: Beavers show way to improve our ename​l

Beavers don’t brush their teeth, and they don’t drink fluoridated water, but a new study reports beavers do have protection against tooth decay built into the chemical structure of their teeth: iron. The research team, which was led by scientists from Northwestern University, included Jill D. Pasteris, PhD, professor of earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences.

Gubin receives cancer research grant

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.”

McKinnon receives Geological Society award

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.

Medicare Advantage enrollment increasing in rural areas

More rural Americans are signing up for Medicare Advantage despite reductions in payments, according to new research from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. Extra benefits may be among the likely reasons, says study co-author Timothy McBride, PhD, professor at the Brown School.

Forty-year-old Apollo 17 samples help date lunar impacts

It’s been more than 40 years since astronauts returned the last Apollo samples from the moon, and since then those samples have undergone some of the most extensive and comprehensive analysis of any geological collection. A team of scientists has now refined the timeline of meteorite impacts on the moon through a pioneering application of laser microprobe technology to Apollo 17 samples.

Zinselmeyer receives digestive disease research grant

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.”

‘Blues for Mr. Charlie’ runs Feb. 20 to March 1

The killing is not in doubt: A black man is dead; a white man pulled the trigger. The only real question is why. James Baldwin wrote “Blues for Mr. Charlie”  in 1964. But today, the echoes of Ferguson are impossible to ignore. The production of the Performing Arts Department in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis runs Feb. 20 through March 1 in Edison Theatre.