It’s common for School of Medicine employees to work here for 20 or more years. But it’s less common to meet an employee who has been here since she was 15 years old. That employee is Rhonda Matt, director of research and business operations for the Department of Pediatrics.
For 100 years, the dogma has been that amino-acid sequences determine protein folding and that the
folded structure determines the protein’s function. But
as a Washington University in St. Louis engineer explains in the Sept. 20 issue of Science, a
large class of proteins doesn’t adhere to the structure-function paradigm.
Called intrinsically disordered proteins, these proteins fail fold either in
whole or in part and yet they are functional.
The Portfolio, a new electronic record of an
undergraduate student’s involvement in student groups, leadership
positions, community service, internships, awards, research, employment
and many other activities, will launch with a four-week pilot project
for about 80 students in October. The record is designed to complement the academic transcript.
New research suggests that a key immune cell may play a role in lung cancer susceptibility. Working in mice, Alexander Krupnick, MD, and colleagues found evidence that the genetic diversity in natural killer cells, which typically seek out and destroy tumor cells, contributes to whether or not the animals develop lung cancer.
What is the state of the humanities? How are they taught, what do they teach us, and how do they serve the public good? Earlier this month, cultural leaders from across the state gathered at the Missouri History Museum to discuss “The Importance of the Humanities and Social Sciences for Public Life.” Convened by WUSTL’s Gerald Early, the meeting was the third in a series of regional forums presented by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Students registered to vote Sept. 18 in Danforth University Center during an all-day campaign sponsored by the Gephardt Institute for Public Service. People are invited to stop by the institute’s office in Danforth University Center and register to vote before the Oct. 10 Missouri deadline.
Richard A. Loomis, PhD, associate professor of chemistry in Arts & Sciences, received the David Hadas Teaching Award during the Arts & Sciences’ annual faculty reception, held Sept. 6 in Holmes Lounge. The Hadas award recognizes an outstanding tenured faculty member in Arts & Sciences who demonstrates commitment and excellence in teaching first-year undergraduates.
Nominations are due Oct. 19 for the fifth annual James M. Holobaugh Honors. LGBT
(lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) Student Involvement and
Leadership will be hosting the Holobaugh Honors Ceremony at 7 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 7, in Holmes Lounge, Ridgley Hall.
The Public Interest Law and Policy Speakers Series continues Thursday, Sept. 20, with Goodwin Liu, associate justice of the Supreme Court of California, on “Federal
Law in State Court: Handling Conflicts over Arbitration, Immigration,
and Constitutional Rights” at noon in the Bryan Cave Moot Courtroom (Anheuser-Busch
Hall, Room 310). The 2012-13 series features judges, lawyers, authors and academics with expertise in public interest law and policy. For a full list of the 2012-13 speakers visit http://law.wustl.edu/pilss/.
Two topics often avoided in “polite conversation” will
be the buzz in the room as the John C. Danforth Center on Religion &
Politics hosts an open house
from 5-7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 24, in its new Umrath Hall location. The celebration offers the community a chance to meet new faculty, mingle with center staff and get an update on recent progress.