Page 1125 – The Source | Washington University in St. Louis

Viruses may play unexpected role in inflammatorybowel diseases

Inflammatory bowel diseases are associated with a decrease in the diversity of bacteria in the gut, but a new study led by researchers at the School of Medicine has linked these same illnesses to an increase in the diversity of viruses.

Campus & Community

Faculty featured as leaders in new efforts to promote dissemination and implementation

A new tool kit for dissemination and implementation, developed by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute in Washington, D.C., prominently features the work of several university faculty members, including the groundbreaking 2012 book, “Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health: Translating Science to Practice.”

Medicine & Health

Pro-marijuana ‘tweets’ are sky-high on Twitter

Analyzing every marijuana-related Twitter message sent during a one-month period in early 2014, researchers at the School of Medicine have found that the “Twitterverse” is a pot-friendly place. In that time, more than 7 million tweets referenced marijuana, with 15 times as many pro-pot tweets sent as anti-pot tweets.

Arts & Culture

Sam Fox School launches spring Public Lecture Series Jan. 26

The Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts will launch its spring Public Lecture Series with talks by architect Javier Maroto (Jan. 26) and artist Carrie Mae Weems (Feb. 2). Weems is a 2013 recipient of the MacArthur “genius award.” Her “Untitled (Colored People Grid)” recently was acquired by the university’s Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum.

Campus & Community

Digging Kazakhstan’s past helps students find themselves

Much more than an archaeology course, a six-week summer field practicum on the history of Central Asia, led by Michael Frachetti, PhD, associate professor of archaeology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, offers students from all disciplines the opportunity to immerse themselves in the past and present culture of Kazakhstan.

Science & Technology

Nanotechnology changes behavior of materials, new research finds

A research team including Elijah Thimsen, PhD, assistant professor of energy, environmental & chemical engineering in the School of Engineering & Applied Science, has developed a technique to increase the performance and electrical conductivity of thin films used to print solar cells from inks.

Medicine & Health

Virgin receives several multiyear grants

Herbert W. Virgin IV, MD, PhD, the Edward Mallinckrodt Professor of Pathology and Immunology and head of the Department of Pathology and Immunology, has received several multiyear grants.

Campus & Community

Washington University joins nationwide survey about sexual assault on college campuses

Conducted by the Association of American Universities, the Sexual Assault Climate Survey will collect data from 800,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students across the nation. The survey is completely anonymous and will take most students 20 minutes to complete.

Arts & Culture

Eric Warren launches Jazz at Holmes Jan. 22

Jazz bassist and composer Eric Warren will launch the spring Jazz at Holmes series with a free concert Thursday, Jan. 22. In all, the weekly series will feature 12 performances, including evenings with acclaimed guitarist John Abercrombie and saxophonist Eric Person, a St. Louis native now living in New York.

Medicine & Health

Scientists find gene vital to central nervous system development

Using Washington University’s state-of-the-art zebrafish facility, scientists have identified a gene that helps regulate how well nerves of the central nervous system are insulated. The finding may have implications for human diseases such as multiple sclerosis, in which this insulation is lost.