Page 1244 – The Source | Washington University in St. Louis

NIH to fund ‘omics’ research into lung disease

The School of Medicine has been awarded a career-development grant to support junior faculty members interested in using “omics” technologies to diagnose, treat and prevent lung diseases. The grant, funded by the National Institutes of Health, will help train young pulmonary scientists to apply new analytic omics tools to the study of lung diseases.

Medicine & Health

Medical school instructors, house staff lauded

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.

Arts & Culture

Washington University Dance Theatre Dec. 6-8

From tap to West African dance to contemporary ballet, WUSTL’s Performing Arts Department in Arts & Sciences will highlight seven new works by guest and faculty choreographers Dec. 6-8 as part of Shifting Limits, the 2013 Washington University Dance Theatre concert.

Business & Entrepreneurship

Washington People: Clifford Holekamp

Clifford Holekamp oversees the entrepreneurship platform at Olin Business School but is also highly involved in the St. Louis startup scene.

Business & Entrepreneurship

‘Christmas Creep’: Happiness or humbug?

“Christmas Creep,” the “technical” term for the pre-holiday appearance of retail decorations and promotions, crept into stores and marketing in October this year. Major department stores are even pre-empting Black Friday by opening on Thanksgiving Day. Is starting the holiday shopping season earlier and earlier a good marketing move or could it backfire? Four marketing professors at Washington University in St. Louis’ Olin Business School discuss this phenomenon.

Mental Health

Among prescription painkillers, drug abusers prefer oxycodone

A nationwide survey of opioid drug abusers in rehab indicates that because of the high it produces, the prescription painkiller oxycodone is the most popular drug of choice. Hydrocodone, also prescribed to treat pain, is next in line. In all, some 75 percent of those surveyed rated one of these drugs as their favorite.

Medicine & Health

Broken cellular ‘clock’ linked to brain damage

A new discovery may help explain the surprisingly strong connections between sleep problems and neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. Loss of a gene that helps keep track of time makes brain cells more vulnerable to damage from dangerous compounds known as free radicals.

Joshua Aiken named Rhodes Scholar

Joshua Aiken, a senior at Washington University in St. Louis, was one of 32 Americans chosen Nov. 23 as a Rhodes Scholar. Considered among the world’s most prestigious academic awards, Rhodes Scholarships provide all expenses for two or three years of study at the University of Oxford in England. Aiken plans to study the experience of refugees and asylum seekers.

Humanities & Society

Give Thanks Give Back collected money, gifts for St. Louis families in need

Volunteers gathered at the Danforth University Center for a Give Thanks Give Back wrapping party. Sophomores Cherisse Onuigbo (left) and Shawnee Gao helped wrap. WUSTL student groups, departments and residential floors donated money and presents for the “100 Neediest Cases” campaign.

Medicine & Health

Two WUSTL faculty named AAAS fellows

Two faculty members from Washington University in St. Louis have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest general scientific society. They are Michael J. Holtzman, MD (left), and Rohit V. Pappu, PhD.