News highlights for September 20, 2010

CisionPoint news monitoring provides this small sampling of the university's daily news coverage. Click headline to read full text via Cision or link directly to the online article where available. For questions or comments about this service, or to add or delete a name from the mailing list, please contact Gerry Everding.

Associated Press
A new clue in solving Alzheimer’s puzzle
09/20/2010

That sticky gunk coating Alzheimer’s patients’ brains gets all the notoriety, but another culprit is gaining renewed attention. A second protein called tau seems to signal how aggressive the mind-robbing disease will be. Researchers discovered that patients with mild Alzheimer’s and high levels of tau also harbored a genetic alteration that in turn predicted they would worsen faster. That suggests if scientists could figure out how to lower tau levels, it might slow dementia, says senior researcher Alison Goate of Washington University in St. Louis. The story appeared in multiple outlets in the U.S. and internationally. Link to Article

philly.com

The Pill at 50: Maybe not the best birth control for 2010
The birth control pill’s simplicity helped it beat out competition – diaphragms, timed intercourse – in 1960. But today having to take a pill daily is a major shortcoming. “Both physicians and the public underestimate the failure rate of the birth control pill,” said Jeffrey Peipert, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Washington University in St. Louis whose research focuses on contraception and sexually transmitted infections. Link to Article

American Motorcyclist
Motorcyclists raise $239,000 for brain tumor research
09/20/2010

Children with brain tumors were championed by motorcyclists at Ride for Kids® events in Philadelphia and St. Louis on September 19. These riders raised $239,302 for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation® (PBTF). Dr. Joshua Rubin, an oncologist from Washington University School of Medicine, said the PBTF is funding promising research. “It’s all about fighting and hope – all we can do is keep on helping each other,” he said. Link to Article See also Road Racing World

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Governor Nixon outlines energy policy at WUSTL
09/18/2010

Governor Jay Nixon said Missouri will eventually shift away from a heavy reliance on coal as a power source but that renewable resources and energy efficiency alone cannot meet the state’s energy needs. The comments were part of a speech to energy executives, regulators and lobbyists on Friday afternoon at Washington University during which Nixon outlined his energy policy objectives. Story was covered by local broadcast and print media. See also St. Louis Beacon,

KTVI TV (St. Louis)

News in higher education

Wall Street Journal

College grads expand lead in job security

9/20/2010

The divide between the fortunes of Americans with college degrees and those without has widened during the recession. It’s not only that the college educated earn more, but that they are far more likely to keep their jobs when times get tough. Link to Article

The New York Times Magazine

The Education Issue
9/19/2010

The New York Times Sunday Magazine published its “Education Issue” Sunday with articles on trends and issues. Highlights include Q&A with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and a history of classroom technology Link to Article

Fox News

Appeals court overturns free speech ruling in favor of California student

9/20/2010

Lawyers for a California college student branded a “fascist bastard” by his professor for speaking out against gay marriage in a speech class said Monday he may pursue further legal action after his case was thrown out by a federal appeals court. Link to Article

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The Chronicle of Higher Education
Inside Higher Ed
University Business

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