Employees reach out to neighbors in Forest Park Southeast

Robert BostonBrooks Goedeker, Adam Chestnut, Maurice Harris and Larry Chestnut load donated gifts into trucks to be delivered to needy families in the Forest Park Southeast Neighborhood.About 25 families in the Forest Park Southeast neighborhood adjoining the Medical Campus will have a brighter holiday this year thanks to the generosity of School of Medicine employees. The Washington University Medical Center Redevelopment Corp. — which works closely with neighborhood groups in addressing employment, public improvements, home repair and security and public safety issues — has coordinated a Holiday Outreach Program for nearly 10 years.

Entrepreneurship is thriving despite recession

Entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in this year’s Olin Cup competition with $70,000 in seed money at stake. A record-breaking 38 teams entered the annual business formation contest operated by the Skandalaris Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at Washington University in St. Louis. Five finalists are now in the final stage of the competition which concludes with business plan presentations in January; winners will be announced Feb. 5, 2009.

Longer Life Foundation celebrates 10th anniversary

At the 10th anniversary poster session, School of Medicine dean Larry J. Shapiro is flanked by A. Greig Woodring, president and CEO of RGA International Ltd. (left) and Phillip S. Smalley, M.D., RGA’s vice president and medical director.On Nov. 20, the Longer Life Foundation (LLF), a cooperative effort between the School of Medicine and the Reinsurance Group of America (RGA), celebrated 10 years of independent research into improving methods for predicting long-term mortality from various diseases and promoting quality and quantity of life. So far, LLF has funded more than 48 research grants, awarding some $2 million to support studies on topics from cancer treatment and screening to diabetes and nutrition to suicide risk.

Research-based undergraduate course expands beyond WUSTL

ElginWashington University in St. Louis is in the spotlight for its pivotal role in the Genomics Education Partnership, a collaborative effort to provide research experience in genomics to undergraduate classrooms across the country. At the helm of this mission is Sarah C.R. Elgin, Ph.D., WUSTL professor of biology and professor of education in Arts & Sciences, as well as professor of biochemistry & molecular biophysics and professor of genetics in the School of Medicine.

Regulation of tobacco products favors big tobacco, makes U.S. farms less stable

In an attempt to reinvent itself as a “responsible corporate citizen,” tobacco company Philip Morris has begun an unlikely support of regulation of tobacco products by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. However, a new study by Peter Benson, Ph.D., assistant professor of anthropology in Arts & Sciences, shows that proposed FDA regulation fails to address the suffering of migrant tobacco workers, the prevalence of smoking and the redistribution of leaf production to the developing world.

New sorority joins WUSTL campus

The Alpha Omicron Pi Fraternity for women will be the seventh National Panhellenic Conference organization to join the Greek community at Washington University in St. Louis, announced Ryan Jasen Henne, director of Greek Life. Colonization is slated for spring 2009.

Thanksgiving to be celebrated on campus

Staying on campus during Thanksgiving break may seem like a lonely endeavor, but numerous groups on campus work hard to let students have a true taste of home during the holiday. For starters, more than 20 students will have dinner with 10 host families as part of the Home Plate program. Started by Risa Zwerling […]

Brain scans show link between education, Alzheimer’s disease

A test that reveals brain changes believed to be at the heart of Alzheimer’s disease has bolstered the theory that education can delay the onset of the dementia and cognitive decline that are characteristic of the disorder. School of Medicine scientists at the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center found that some study participants who appeared to […]

To Kill a Mockingbird Jan. 9 to 18

*To Kill a Mockingbird*Since its publication in 1960, Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird has become the best-selling novel of all time and is perhaps the most widely read book exploring race in the United States. In January Washington University’s Edison Theatre will join forces with Metro Theater Company, St. Louis’ foremost professional troupe for young people, to stage an all-ages theatrical production of the civil rights classic.