Arts & Sciences

Computer scientist Michael Brent has developed innovative sequencing techniques that will aid in the sequencing of mammals.A computer scientist at Washington University in St. Louis has developed a novel technique to extract more DNA from a single sequence reaction than is normally possible, reducing both cost and time of the sequencing process. Michael R. Brent, Ph.D., associate professor of computer science, has applied software developed in his Washington University laboratory that sorts through the maze of genetic information and finds predicted sequences.

He double-majored, double-minored, maintained a 3.95 GPA and worked several part-time jobs to make ends meet.

Sara L. Johnson, associate dean and academic coordinator in the College of Arts & Sciences, died Monday, May 17, 2004 of metastatic neuroendocrine cancer. She was 47.

Carl Frieden, Jeffrey I. Gordon, John F. McDonnell and Carl Phillips can now stand proudly beside Ben Franklin, George Washington, Albert Einstein and Winston Churchill. Those four from Washington University in St. Louis have joined those four from history as being elected into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Photo by Mary ButkusWUSTL science majors volunteer each week to mentor an after-school science club for kids at Webster Middle School in North St. Louis.

Photo courtesy Dept. of Transportation”Urban Sprawl and Transportation Policy” is the topic of a Weidenbaum Center “St. Louis Series” forum to be held from 8 a.m. until noon May 7 in Room 300, Arts & Sciences Laboratory Sciences Building at Washington University in St. Louis.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) bills itself as an organization of 184 countries working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty. While the IMF’s objectives are laudable, a study just published in the Journal of Conflict Resolution provides compelling evidence that IMF intervention actually has a substantial negative impact on at least one important indicator of a country’s long-term economic vigor – the level of foreign direct investment in that country by private investors.

WUSTL scientists say the present-day Missouri River is narrower and more prone to flooding because of extensive damming of the river.The oldest data available on the Missouri River – from the logs of Lewis and Clark – show that water flow on the river today is far more variable than it was 200 years ago. The data also show that the river is some 220 yards narrower at St. Charles, Mo., today at 500 yards across than in 1804 when it spread out some 720 yards.

WooleyUsing a technique pioneered by Washington University in St. Louis chemist Karen Wooley, Ph.D., scientists have developed a novel way to make discrete carbon nanoparticles for electrical components used in industry and research.

Summer programs should match a child’s interests, activity level and appropriate age group — and be fun.Summer is just around the corner and that means time for barbecues, baseball and beaches. And kids home from school, sending parents on the age-old quest for finding ways to occupy their child’s time. Some educational experts at Washington University in St. Louis say that opportunities abound for kids aged 2 to 18, and it’s important to tailor them to the needs and abilities of the child.