A government shutdown is looming and many politicians who are claiming “we’re broke” are proposing short-term or long-term federal budget plans with steep budget cuts as the only option to reduce the deficit. “But it looks like budget deficits are being driven in part by a deliberate strategy to sustain them, so policymakers are forced to cut spending,” says Timothy McBride, PhD, economist and associate dean for public health at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. “The evidence certainly supports the theory that the Republicans are using a strategy of ‘starving the beast,’” he says.
High school student Isabella Kanak (left) shares a few laughs about the dark side of the universe with Edward W. “Rocky” Kolb, PhD, a cosmologist at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and a professor at the University of Chicago. Kanak and other members of the Junior Academy of Science had an opportunity to visit with Kolb March 31 in Whitaker Hall after he delivered the 2011 McDonnell Distinguished Lecture about the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy.
The 21st annual Pow Wow at Washington University, a festival of American Indian cultures, is Saturday, April 9 from noon to 10 p.m. Grand entries of dancers will be showcased at 1 and 7 p.m.
The Campus Diversity Collaborative (CDC), which aims to increase awareness of diversity and inclusion issues at Washington University in St. Louis, is seeking new members among faculty and staff. The CDC was founded in 2007 to make diversity and inclusion of all individuals, regardless of race, creed, religion, sexual orientation or gender, a priority.
Workers exposed to welding fumes may be at increased risk of damage to the same brain area harmed by Parkinson’s disease, according to a new study by Brad Racette, MD, and researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
Yan Yi “Anny” Chung is the winner of the 2011 Stalker Award. The award is given to the graduating senior in biology whose undergraduate career was marked by outstanding scientific scholarship as well as contributions to the university in areas of artistic expression and/or community service.
Patients with a temporary surgical implant have used regions of the brain that control speech to “talk” to a computer for the first time, manipulating a cursor on a computer screen simply by saying or thinking of a particular sound.
A new Division of Public Health Sciences has been established at the School of Medicine to translate research discoveries into guidelines and policies that keep people healthier through prevention.
At recent Board of Trustees meetings, the following faculty members were appointed with tenure or promoted with tenure: David T. Curiel; Mary C. Dinauer; David C. Queller; Joan E. Strassmann; Patrick Lawrence Burke; Feng Chen; Gammon M. Earhart; Justin Fay; Michael D. Frachetti; Denise P. Head; Joseph M. Jez; Jennifer M. Kapczynski; Nan Lin; Tabea A. Linhard; Francis N. Lovett; Liang Ma; Igor Marjanovic; Robi D. Mitra; David E. Reichert; Guillermo Rosas; Gillian Kay Russell; Lori Watt; and Jie Zheng.
The Campus YMCA, the largest student-volunteer organization at Washington University in St. Louis, celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. Since its incepiton, Campus Y was one of the few places where male and female students could collaborate on community-wide projects, such as 1938’s International Bazaar that evolved from an exhibition to sales of global handicrafts. Events kick off at 6 p.m. Friday, April 8, in Holmes Lounge with a dinner and anniversary celebration.
