Annual Faculty/Staff Appreciation Event at Campus Store Nov. 30

Campus Store merchandise
The Campus Store will give WUSTL faculty and staff members an opportunity to do some early holiday shopping. The store will hold its 14th annual Faculty/Staff Appreciation Event Wednesday, Nov. 30, and will offer a 30 percent discount to Washington University faculty and staff members from 3-8 p.m.

Report to Neighbors

Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton (center) speaks during the question-and-answer session of the “Report to the Neighbors” meeting Nov. 16 at the Knight Center. The annual event is held to help keep those living in neighborhoods surrounding WUSTL informed on university happenings and also to give neighbors a forum to voice comments and concerns to a panel of university administrators.

Thanksgiving meals for students

WUSTL Dining Services is providing a traditional Thanksgiving meal for students who will be staying in St. Louis for the holiday. The buffet with turkey and all the trimmings will be offered from 11:45 a.m.-2 p.m. Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 24, at College Hall in the South 40 House.

Record on hiatus for Thanksgiving holidays

The Record daily email takes a break for the Thanksgiving holidays after Nov. 22 and resumes publication Tuesday, Nov. 29. Check out record.wustl.edu or news.wustl.edu for all the latest university news and information.

New service brings power of genomics to patient care

Genomics and Pathology Services at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis (GPS@WUSTL), directed by Karen Seibert, PhD, is now offering a test for mutations in 28 genes associated with cancer. The genes in the test affect a variety of different types of tumors, including blood, lymph, lung, brain, bladder, kidney, skin, stomach, prostate and breast cancers.

Human, artificial intelligence join forces to pinpoint fossil locations

Traditionally, fossil-hunters often could only make educated guesses as to where fossils lie. The rest lay with chance. But thanks to a software model used by WUSTL professor Glenn Conroy, PhD, and researchers at Western Michigan University, fossil-hunters’ reliance on luck when finding fossils may be diminishing. Using artificial neural networks, Conroy and colleagues developed a computer model that can pinpoint productive fossil sites.  

Hire Heroes Act will help change perceptions of veterans entering tough job market

Veterans are returning home to an abysmal economy and a tough job market. “After World War II, employers used to snap up veterans because of their tremendous skills sets gained in the service — whether that be technical, leadership, or other job specific aptitudes,” says Monica Matthieu, PhD, research assistant professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis and an expert on veteran mental health. “But now, veterans are facing higher unemployment rates than civilians as employers may be concerned about veterans’ struggle with the mental and physical health aftereffects of military service,” she says.

Kinetic Field Work Dec. 2-4

From the Arab spring to the London riots to the ongoing Occupy protests, themes of revolution, unrest and community are very much in the news today. They are also very much in the dance studio, as evidenced by Kinetic Field Work, the 2011 Washington University Dance Theatre concert. The annual showcase, which takes place in Edison Theatre Dec. 2, 3 and 4, will feature more than 50 student dancers, selected by audition, performing new and original works by seven faculty and guest choreographers.

Washington People: Matthew J. Ellis

Breast cancer expert Matthew Ellis, MD, PhD, works with the Genome Institute at Washington University to sequence entire breast cancer genomes — the billions of “letters” making up a person’s DNA. The goal is to unlock the mysteries of breast cancer and tailor treatments to individual patients.