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May 2013 Edition

IN THIS ISSUE:

University News

Newly established McLeod Writing Prize awarded to freshmen

Grains of sand from ancient supernova found in meteorites

Old drug offers new hope against rare, deadly childhood disease

Research

The secret lives of the wild asses of the Negev

Genetic markers ID Alzheimer’s second pathway

Skulls of early humans carry telltale signs of inbreeding, study suggests

Features

What theater does best

Her heart is where the home is

He can take the heat

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The Record

Alumni & Development Programs

HEARD ON CAMPUS

“We should be fixing America, and it should be our economic priority, but you can’t just stop the world, get off and get back on when you’re ready. Fixing America, in part, depends upon having a more receptive world to improve in, one that makes our growth more effective and more relevant.”

~ Former President Bill Clinton, during a broadcast of The Colbert Report at the Clinton Global Initiative University, held on the Washington University campus April 5-6

KUDOS:

Anna DiPalma Amelung,

PhD, an alumna and a facilitator at the Lifelong Learning Institute, was inducted as a Chevalier dans L’Ordre des Palmes Académiques (Knight in the Order of Academic Palms) for outstanding contributions to the development of French culture and language. The Ordre is the oldest non-military decoration in France, founded by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1808 to honor educators.

Gautam Dantas,

PhD, assistant professor of pathology and immunology at the School of Medicine and of biomedical engineering at the School of Engineering & Applied Science, has received the National Institutes of Health Director's New Innovator Award. Dantas was recognized for his research on digestive health and bacteria.

Colin P. Derdeyn,

MD, professor of radiology, of neurological surgery, and of neurology at the School of Medicine, has been appointed vice chair and chair-elect of the Stroke Council of the American Heart Association/ American Stroke Association. Derdeyn has been a leader in clinical trials of stroke treatments.

Larry L. Jacoby,

PhD, professor of psychology in Arts & Sciences, has received the Society of Experimental Psychologists's Norman Anderson Lifetime Achievement Award. The award is given to senior individuals with outstanding records of sustained contribution to experimental psychology.

Andrew Katims,

a senior in Arts & Sciences, has been selected to receive the 2013 Harrison D. Stalker Award, given each year by the Department of Biology. The award is presented to the graduating senior in biology whose undergraduate career is marked by outstanding scientific scholarship as well as contributions to the university in the areas of artistic expression, community service or both.

Ronald Levin,

JD, the William R. Orthwein Distinguished Professor of Law, has been elected to the American Law Institute (ALI), a national independent organization that focuses on producing scholarly work to clarify and modernize the law. Membership in the ALI is based on professional achievement and a demonstrated interest in improving the law.

Holden Thorp,

PhD, who will become Washington University's provost in July, has been named chair of a new National Research Council committee tasked with establishing and promoting a culture of safety in academic laboratory research. Thorp is among 13 academic and industry leaders who will review current laboratory practices and attitudes and make recommendations to improve the safety performance of US laboratories conducting chemistry research.

University News Newly established McLeod Writing Prize awarded to freshmen Clara McLeod, left, widow of Dean McLeod and an earth and planetary sciences librarian, visits with Senit Kidane, a winner of the Dean James E. McLeod Freshman Writing Prize. The Center for the Humanities and the College of Arts & Sciences held a ceremony April 9, during which leaders announced the first winners of the writing prize. IMAGE: Kevin Lowder The first Dean James E. McLeod Freshman Writing Prize has been awarded, and the inaugural winners are Senit Kidane and Claudia Vaughan... more Grains of sand from ancient supernova found in meteorites Scientists working at Washington University have discovered two tiny grains of silica in primitive meteorites. They speculate that the grains may have come from a single supernova, perhaps even the one whose explosion is thought to have triggered the formation of the solar system... more Old drug offers new hope against rare, deadly childhood disease Washington University School of Medicine is playing a leading role in one of the National Institutes of Health’s first clinical trials to improve treatments for rare and neglected diseases... more

Research The secret lives of the wild asses of the Negev A male wild ass in the Negev. Like all prey animals, it prefers to stand in profile to keep an eye on the potential predator with the camera. IMAGE: Alan Templeton The endangered Asiatic wild ass was reintroduced into the Negev desert region of Israel in the 1980s. But because they rarely tolerate the presence of people, the animals have proven almost impossible to monitor... more Genetic markers ID Alzheimer’s second pathway Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine have identified a new set of genetic markers for Alzheimer’s that points to a second pathway through which the disease develops... more Skulls of early humans carry telltale signs of inbreeding, study suggests Buried for 100,000 years at Xujiayao in the Nihewan Basin of northern China, the recovered skull pieces of an early human exhibit a now-rare congenital deformation that indicates inbreeding might well have been common among our ancestors, new research from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Washington University suggests... more

Features What theater does best The spring semester began with a collaboration between Edison Theatre and Metro Theatre Company, St. Louis’s foremost professional troupe for young people, for Jackie and Me. The production showcased Steven Dietz’s stage adaptation of the acclaimed book by Dan Gutman. IMAGE: Courtesy photo In 1947, Jackie Robinson took the field with the Brooklyn Dodgers and changed the game of baseball forever. Imagine traveling back in time to witness Robinson’s historic season firsthand. In Jackie and Me, a young boy does exactly that... more Her heart is where the home is Diana Barbosa, AB/BFA ’09, is director of volunteer engagement for Habitat for Humanity’s affiliate in South Palm Beach County, Florida. Her love of service work began while she was an Annika Rodriguez Scholar at Washington University... more He can take the heat Christopher Brummer, JD/PhD, AB ’97, an expert in international finance and regulation, works on many hot-button issues at the epicenter of law, finance and politics... more

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