White House will likely dodge congressional contempt charges, expert suggests

Steven SmithWhile members of the U.S. House and Senate are threatening to hold White House officials in contempt of Congress over the administration’s efforts to withhold testimony in an ongoing investigation of the controversial firings of U.S. attorneys, the dispute is likely to fizzle without much of a showdown, suggests a congressional expert from Washington University in St. Louis.

Goldberg elected president of National Lipid Association

GoldbergAnne Carol Goldberg, M.D. was elected president of the National Lipid Association (NLA) at the association’s recent 2007 Annual Scientific Sessions in Scottsdale, Ariz. Goldberg is an associate professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and on staff at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

Advancing the fight against breast cancer

Oncologist Matthew Ellis approaches breast cancer patients like Martha Christmas with an overarching goal: To provide personalized therapy that improves outcomes and preserves quality of life.Over the past two decades, the range of treatments for breast cancer has improved dramatically and so have the survival statistics. Today, more than 80 percent of patients can look forward to long-term freedom from disease. But that still leaves a group of patients with a persistently poor prognosis who need more therapy than the rest. How can outcomes be improved for these women?

Patricia Olynyk named director of Graduate School of Art in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts

Patricia OlynykPatricia Olynyk has been named director of the Graduate School of Art, part of the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis. Olynyk is an internationally known artist whose prints and installations frequently employ microscopy and biomedical imaging technologies to explore the intersections between art and the life sciences. She previously served as professor in the School of Art and Design at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, as well as a research associate professor in Michigan’s Life Sciences Institute.

Researchers find older folks don’t get the joke

It’s no laughing matter that older adults have a tougher time understanding basic jokes than do younger adults. It’s partially due to a cognitive decline associated with age, according to Washington University in St. Louis researchers Wingyun Mak, a graduate student in psychology in Arts & Sciences, and Brian Carpenter, Ph.D., Washington University associate professor of psychology.

Danforth Campus parking lot closures

The Parking and Transportation Office has announced two separate parking lot closures on the Danforth Campus for the upcoming week.

Behind the music

Whether she’s trying to shed light on the music of the Middle Ages or come to grips with the life and work of a more recent composer such as Franz Liszt, musicologist Dolores Pesce is motivated by a single desire — to understand and communicate as accurately as possible what was in the mind of […]

Architecture students win museum façade design competition

Peter Elsbeck, Cristina Greavu and Eric Rang, all graduate students in architecture in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, won an international competition to create a sculptural façade for El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe in New Mexico.

Obituary: Juncker

Carlene Nicholson Juncker, instructor in the Performing Arts Department in Arts & Sciences from 1973-1981 and a 1959 alumna, died of cancer Sunday, May 13, 2007.