Arts & Sciences

David Kilper/WUSTL PhotoProfessor Yoram Rudy (center), with Ph.D. student Yong Wang (left) and post-doctroal fellow Leonid Livshitz (right), with their ECGI system on a mannequin, comment on the cardiac data.Scientists at Washington University in St. Louis have developed the first mathematical model of a canine cardiac cell that incorporates a vital calcium regulatory pathway with implications for life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias, or irregular heartbeats. Thomas J. Hund, Ph.D., post-doctoral researcher in Pathology ( in Dr. Jeffrey Saffitz laboratory) at the Washington University School of Medicine, and Yoram Rudy, The Fred Saigh Distinguished Professor of Engineering at Washington University, have incorporated the Calcium/Calmodulin-dependent Protein Kinase II (CaMKII) regulatory pathway into their model, improving the understanding of the relationship between calcium handling in cardiac cells and the cell’s electrical activity.

John Bowen doing fieldwork in Sumatra, Indonesia, in the late 1970s.Despite suffering large loss of life and devastation of cities and villages from the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and ensuing tsunami, Aceh province in Indonesia can rebuild. And at the same time, the United States can burnish its image among Indonesians — tarnished over the invasion of Iraq — by supporting Indonesian volunteer groups in the rebuilding process, says a sociocultural anthropologist at Washington University in St. Louis who lived in Aceh for five years and has studied its people and culture since 1978.

John W. Bennett, Ph.D., founder and first chair of the Department of Anthropology in Arts & Sciences, died Feb. 1. He was 89.

Sen. Jim Talent, Michael DeBaun and Isaac Singleton Jr. help raise awareness about sickle cell disease at a recent stamp dedication ceremony.In sickle cell disease, red blood cells change from their normal round shape to a curved, or sickle-shape. Sickle-shaped cells become stuck in blood vessels, causing damage to tissues and organs. WUSM pediatric hematologist Michael DeBaun says that ongoing blood transfusion therapy is vitally important for children with sickle cell disease, and treatment requires a sufficient supply of blood from African-American donors. “Black History Month is an ideal time to encourage African-Americans to come out and donate blood,” he says.

Lili Almog, courtesy Bernstein ArtistsBeiserLong recognized as a leading performer of cutting-edge music, Maya Beiser has helped to redefine the cello as a solo instrument, both through her commitment to contemporary composers and her multicultural approach. On Feb. 12, the Israeli-born cellist will present a special, one-night-only performance as part of the Edison Theatre OVATIONS! Series at Washington University.

After the fact, national and international leaders are often judged on one thing — their success. University College in Arts & Sciences’ 24th Annual Master of Liberal Arts (M.L.A.) Lecture Series will focus on “Leadership Successes and Failures” on Saturdays in February. Although the topic wasn’t chosen as a direct reflection of any current political […]

He was a professor of English and of Religious Studies in Arts & Sciences for nearly 40 years.

Carmen is perhaps the ultimate operatic femme fatale, a beautiful yet unfaithful Gypsy who maddens her Spanish lover, with tragic results. On Jan. 30 and 31, the Center for the Humanities in Arts & Sciences will present a two-day symposium on “The Many Faces of Carmen” as part of it’s 2004-05 Translation Series.

The performance will include chamber music by Franz Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven.

Widely considered the greatest anti-war play ever written, it remains both timeless and timely, a poignant meditation on the aftermath of battle.