CNISS announces spring lecture series

Washington University in St. Louis’ Center for New Institutional Social Sciences (CNISS) Spring 2012 Seminar Series kicks off Monday, Jan. 30, with a lecture by social advocate Rabbi Tsvi Blanchard. Blanchard is a longtime social advocate, psychologist, teacher and rabbi who has been in the forefront of promoting inclusive, vital Jewish communities in the 21st century.

A landscape-scale experiment in restoring Ozark glades (VIDEO)

A giant experiment is under way at the Tyson Research Center, Washington University in St. Louis’ 2,000-acre outdoor laboratory for ecosystem studies. The experiment, led by Tiffany Knight, PhD, associate professor of biology, will test three different variables in 32 glades with the goal of establishing best practices for restoring not just degraded glade habitats but degraded ecosystems in general. The experiment is expected to draw collaborating scientists locally and around the world.

Morrison gets recognitions from American College of Physicians

Aubrey Morrison, MBBS, professor of medicine and of developmental biology, has been named a Master of the American College of Physicians. In addition, he received the American College of Physicians Award for Outstanding Work in Science as Related to Medicine. He is the first person from Washington University School of Medicine to receive this award. p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Cambria;} .MsoChpDefault {font-family:Cambria;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in;margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;}

Health Happening Fair Feb. 3

Interested in getting a glimpse into your health for 2012? Visit the Health Happening health and wellness fair from 7:30 a.m.–3 p.m. Feb. 3 in the Eric P. Newman Education Center for a variety of free health screenings and informational booths.

Craig Dykers to discuss work Feb. 1

Internationally acclaimed architect Craig Dykers, whose recent projects include the National September 11 Memorial Museum Pavilion at the former World Trade Center site in New York, will chair the jury for Washington University’s 2012 Steedman Fellowship in Architecture International Design Competition. Sponsored biennially by the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, the competition is open to young architects from around the world and carries a first-place award of $50,000 — one of the largest competition prizes in the United States.

Dala, ‘Girls From the North Country,’ Feb. 18

Amanda Walther and Sheila Carabine have come a long way in a short time. Since meeting as high school students in 2002, the two best friends — who perform together as folk-pop duo Dala — have crisscrossed their native Canada, emerging as sharp songwriters and soulful performers in the tradition of Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Tom Cochrane. Next month, Dala will present an intimate evening of folk classics and original songs as part of the Edison Ovations series.

Washington University Code of Conduct

The Code of Conduct governs members of the WUSTL community: employees, volunteers and those who do business with the university. It states the ethical and legal standards that guide their decisions and actions as community members. 

Second annual Green Cup contest aims to reduce energy use on campus

Washington University in St. Louis students living in on-campus housing are shutting off lights, sharing fridges and unplugging their device chargers to win the WUSTL Green Cup. The Green Cup recognizes the South 40 residential college, North Side team and fraternity that reduce their energy use by the highest percentage during the four-week competition, which begins Wednesday, Feb. 1, and ends Wednesday, Feb. 29.

Clear talk on climate change

Ralph J. Cicerone, PhD, president of the National Academy of Sciences, speaks about climate change at WUSTL Jan. 23, meticulously presenting the most current data on climate change. The talk, the first in a series on climate change, was sponsored by I-CARES and the Tyson Research Center, which plan to continue to enage the WUSTL community in an ongoing conversation about climate change.

Visual nudge improves accuracy of mammogram readings

False negatives and positives plague the reading of mammograms, limiting their usefulness. Cindy Grimm, a computer scientist at Washington University in St. Louis, and colleagues have shown the accuracy of novice readers can be improved by nudging them visually to follow the scanpath of an expert radiologist. The “nudge” is a brief change in the brightness or warmth in the image in the peripheral field of view.