Trzeciak named university librarian at Washington University in St. Louis

p, , {margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Cambria;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} Jeffrey G. Trzeciak, university librarian at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, has been named university librarian at Washington University in St. Louis, effective July 1, 2012. Trzeciak replaces Shirley K. Baker, vice chancellor for scholarly resources and dean of University Libraries, who will retire after 23 years of service to WUSTL on June 30, 2012.

EnWeek 2012: Inspiring future engineers

Oh, for a bit of wrought iron. Using tried-and-true triangular trusses, Lesley Olson (right), a junior in chemical engineering in the School of Engineering & Applied Science, helps high school girls compete to erect the tallest marshmallow and toothpick tower during Engineering Olympics Feb. 25, the final day of EnWeek. The week, intended to inspire current and future engineers, began Feb. 19 with a variety of activities intended to make increase awareness in engineering as a profession.

Scientists learn how insects ‘remodel’ their bodies between life stages

How is it that an insect can remake itself so completely that it appears to be a different creature altogether, not just once, but several times in its lifetime? Working with fruit flies, a team led by Ian and Dianne Duncan of Washington University in St. Louis found that genes whose expression is induced by pulses of steroid hormone are key to these transformations. A similar mechanism may underlie  puberty — the human analog of metamorphosis.

WUSTL proposes $80 million investment in retail and student apartments in Delmar Loop

Vision for Parkview Gardens
WUSTL is proposing an $80 million investment in retail and student apartments in the Parkview Gardens neighborhood, located along the Delmar Loop in both University City and St. Louis. The area was identified by two significant community studies as a prime location for retail along Delmar and higher-density multi-family housing. 

New model provides different take on planetary accretion

Eagle Nebula
The prevailing model for planetary accretion assumes that the Solar System’s planets formed in an extremely hot, two-dimensional disk of gas and dust, post-dating the Sun. In the March issue of Planetary and Space Science, two scientists at Washington University in St. Louis propose a radically different model, in which collapse takes place in a cold, three-dimensional dust cloud.

Sports update Feb. 27: Track team sweeps UAA championships

Five student-athletes earned individual University Athletic Association titles to lead the Bears to a sweep of the men’s and women’s team conference championships Feb. 26 at the New Balance Track & Field Center in New York. Updates also included on men’s and women’s basketball season finales; swimming and diving; men’s tennis; and the opening series of the baseball season.

Birth control policy not a constitutional law issue

The current controversy over the Barack Obama administration’s birth control policy is not, contrary to some arguments, a matter of constitutional law, says Gregory P. Magarian, JD, constitutional law expert and professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis. It is however, a matter of Constitutional principle, Magarian says.

Washington University gets $3.3 million to study viruses in kids

Not all viruses make us sick. But which ones are friends and which ones are foes? Researchers, led by Gregory Storch, MD, at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have received a five-year, $3.3 million grant to study children with weakened immune systems to identify the viruses that make children sick.

Free vehicle inspection for spring break travelers

The Washington University Police Department and Parking Services, in partnership with Hartmann’s Towing, will sponsor a free vehicle inspection service to students, faculty and staff Saturday, March 3. Persons anticipating traveling by car for spring break can bring their vehicle to the to the lower level of Millbrook Garage between noon-2:30pm for a free inspection. The staff will check tire pressure, fluid levels, wipers and head- and taillights.

‘Family Matters’ Midwest LGBT Law Conference March 2-4

OUTLaw, a student group at Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, will be hosting its annual Midwest LGBT Law Conference Friday to Sunday, March 2-4. This year’s theme is “Family Matters.” Nancy Polikoff, JD, professor of law at American University and 2011 recipient of the national LGBT Bar Association’s highest honor, will serve as conference keynote speaker.