News highlights for December 3, 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.

India West
Five Indian-origin students named Rhodes Scholars
12/02/2010

Five promising young Americans of Indian descent have been selected for the highly competitive Rhodes Scholarships, it was announced Nov. 20. A total of 32 American college students have been chosen this year. Renugan Raidoo of the University of Iowa, Aakash K. Shah of Harvard Medical School, University of Chicago graduate Prerna Nadathur, Varun S. Sivaram of Stanford University and Priya M. Sury of Washington University in St. Louis will attend the University of Oxford in England on all-expenses-paid scholarships that will last between two and three years. Link to Article

The Fiscal Times

Michele Bachmann: The House rebel with a fiscal cause
12/2/2010

Washington will be a very different place next year once a new freshman class of conservative House and Senate members arrives. That’s the view of Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., queen of the Tea Party and a formidable political force. Political scientist Steven Smith, of Washington University in St. Louis, says that Congresswoman Bachmann will likely “find Washington frustrating, so giving attention to the conservative movement in the country will be attractive to her.” Link to Article

Sierra Student Coalition

COP16 — US-Chinese Youth Climate Exchange: Modeling the collaboration we KNOW we need
12/02/2010

Many activists point fingers at US and Chinese leadership for decimating prospects for a legally binding climate treaty. But on Tuesday, US and Chinese Youth transcended the systematic mistrust between these two nations with a workshop launching the US-China Youth Climate Exchange. Coordinated by seven US and seven Chinese youth delegates, the workshop included a presentation by Summer Zhao, a Chinese student and Sierra Student Coalition COP16 Delegate from the Washington University Students for International Collaboration on the Environment (WUSICE). Link to Article

Every Day with Rachael Ray
All I want for Christmas is fish oil
12/03/2010

New studies show fish oil increases the level of the protein in your body that prevents amyloid formation. Amyloid is the “telltale protein” found in Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers say a common form of Alzheimer’s is caused by genetic and environmental risks that increase the buildup of amyloid protein, forming lesions on the brain. “The fact that substances in our diet and environment can affect the buildup of amyloid and tau in the brain is very important and is suggesting new ways to develop treatments,” says David Holtzman, MD of Washington University in St. Louis. Link to Article



Skin and Allergy News

Itch centers may be coming
12/02/2010

Improved understanding of itching and best practices in management of the condition may lead to U.S. medical centers specializing in treating pruritus. The U.S. itch centers might first appear at UCSF; Washington University, St. Louis; and Harvard University, Boston, according to a doctor speaking at a recent dermatology seminar sponsored by Skin Disease Education Foundation. The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) pulled together 50 physicians on Oct. 29 to discuss the topic of pruritus. Link to Article

KSDK-TV
Newschannel 5 at Five
11/03/2010
Will an extra dose of vitamin D given during pregnancy reduce the risk that the child will develop allergies and asthma years later? That’s the question doctors at Washington University School of Medicine plan to answer. They’re enrolling pregnant women and giving them all standard prenatal vitamins. Half of the women will also be given an additional 4,000 units of vitamin D every day. “We think that it has a positive effect on the immune system,” said WUSTL pediatric asthma and allergy specialist Robert C.Strunk. Link to Broadcast

KSDK-TV
Newschannel 5 at Noon
11/03/2010
A basketball team from Beijing, China, is here to play in a basketball tournament at Washington University. It’s the first time the team has played outside China. The Chinese team has been here for a week and its players have been practicing with players from Washington University. WUSTL basketball coach Mark Edwards has been at Washington University for 30 seasons and has watched the game of basketball grow beyond the borders of America. Link to Broadcast
See also
NCAA news Related news release (with video) http://news.wustl.edu/news/Pages/21571.aspx

KMOV-TV
Channel 4 News at 10pm (1/2)
11/03/2010
Washington University
is making some changes that should help students feel safer. The school is extending the hours for its late night shuttle service. The university told us it originally extended the times because of daytime savings time, but some students suggest the change may have been prompted by a recent crime wave in the city. The shuttle will now run until 4 in the morning. Link to Broadcast


STLtoday.com
Square files lawsuit over patent dispute
12/03/2010

Jim McKelvey, a co-owner of Third Degree Glass Factory and chairman of Square, a new electronic payment system, has filed a federal lawsuit against a group that includes a Washington University professor over a patent dispute. The suit claims McKelvey’s name is missing from a patent filed by Robert Morley Jr., associate professor in engineering at Washington University and a member of REM Holdings. Link to Article

Belleville News-Democrat
Former West volleyball coach Charlie Rodman earns national honor
12/03/2010

Charlie Rodman figures Washington University coach Rich Luenemann had a hand in him being named as the 2010 American Volleyball Coaches Association Division III Assistant Coach of the Year. “I have no illusion to think I am the best coach in Division III,” Rodman said. “His prestige allowed me consideration. “Rodman has been an assistant coach under Luenemann at Washington University for the last six years. He previously served as the varsity volleyball coach at Belleville West High School for 28 years. Link to Article


News in higher education

U.S. News & World Report

Report: More government involvement needed in college search process
12/03/2010

Prospective students and their parents need more and far better

information – particularly about outcomes – in order to help them decide the best school to attend and the federal government should take the lead to distribute this information and mandate new data requirements. This conclusion is from a just released report, “Grading Higher Education Giving Consumers the Information They Need,” by Harvard University professor Bridget Terry Long. Link to Article Download the Brookings report (pdf)

The Commercial Appeal (Memphis)

Teach for America recruits produce higher test scores, get better results
12/03/2010

The most effective new teachers in Tennessee are being trained by Teach for America, not colleges of education, with the exception of math teachers from Vanderbilt University. The ratings are based on the teachers’ student test scores, not their own academic performance. Teach for America, which recruits high-performing college graduates to the classroom from all disciplines, racked up the highest student scores among new teachers in reading, science and social studies. Link to Article

For additional higher education news (subscription may be required):
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Inside Higher Ed
University Business

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