Arts & Sciences

Josh Smith in the Libyan desert.They’re back! Joshua Smith, Ph.D., assistant professor of earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences, and D. Tab Rasmussen, Ph.D., professor of anthropology, both in Arts & Sciences, are stateside, teaching at Washington University after returning from what is thought to be the first-ever collaborative paleontological expedition between American and Libyan scientists. Smith and Rasmussen were in Libya for just three weeks in August of 2005. They were in the field for only 10 days, and they and their colleagues visited 13 new places that have produced Cretaceous-aged vertebrate fossils. They found fossils of sharks, bony fish, crocodiles and turtles.

So you think you know what your parents want? A psychologist at Washington University in St. Louis is conducting research that shows two adult siblings may have radically different views on what their parents would want. In fact, he says that a random stranger might have the same chance at guessing parental wishes as some children would.

Photo courtesy of HerPlanet Inc.Avoid a holiday-shopping nightmare.Whether it’s a last-minute rush to the mall or a year-long obsession, the quest for the “perfect gift” has the potential to turn holiday shopping into an annual nightmare. A psychologist at Washington University in St. Louis who is an expert on helping people gain control of personal habits, such as smoking and overeating, says many of the same techniques can be used to get a grip on holiday shopping.

ComptonPhysicist Arthur Holly Compton, Ph.D., Washington University’s first faculty member to receive a Nobel Prize (1927), is still getting recognition for his groundbreaking research more than 40 years after his death. The latest acknowledgment comes from the American Physical Society (APS), which has designated Washington University in St. Louis — where Compton did his Nobel Prize-winning research on X-rays — as a site of historical significance to physics. The APS Historic Sites Committee selected Washington University along with four other U.S. sites to be the first listed on the APS’ recently launched Register of Historic Sites. A ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. Dec. 12 in the Women’s Building Lounge, followed by three talks about Compton beginning at 2 p.m. in Crow Hall, Room 201.

Featured faculty presenters will be Keith Sawyer and Rebecca Lester; Larry May will deliver a keynote address on “The Moral Writer.”

The Community Music School building in University City includes the 1,115-seat E. Desmond Lee Concert Hall, a 300-seat theater & a small recital hall.

The performances will feature close to 40 student dancers, selected by audition, performing six works by faculty and guest choreographers.

The American Physical Society Historic Sites Committee selected WUSTL along with four other U.S. sites, honoring physicist Arthur Holly Compton.

Photo by Kevin LowderSome 55 delegates from 19 participating universities attended the 2nd National Conference on Graduate Student Leadership Nov. 18-20.

The Concert Choir of Washington University will perform a concert of “Works from the Renaissance to American Folksongs” at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9, in Graham Chapel. John Stewart, director of vocal activities, directs the program.