Zee News (India)
Starvation keeps brain sharp
New research from Washington University in St. Louis suggests that, in fruit flies, being hungry may provide a way to stay awake without feeling groggy or mentally challenged. This happens because of a protein that helps the fruit fly brain manage its storage and use of lipids. “If you identify the appropriate lipids involved in sleep regulation and figure out how to control them, you may be able to decrease suffering associated with loss of sleep or the need to stay awake,” says Clay Semenkovich, Chief, Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism & Lipid Research at Washington University School of Medicine. Link to Article
The Wall Street Journal
Woman who volunteered to lead Mexican police department seeking asylum in U.S.
03/09/2011
Marisol Valles, a young woman who volunteered to lead her Mexican hometown’s police department after a predecessor was beheaded by drug gangs, has fled her post to seek asylum in the U.S. Steve Legomsky, an asylum expert and professor at Washington University in St. Louis said that while most asylum cases involve victims persecuted by a government, it is also possible to receive protection in cases where a government is unable to protect one from private individuals, such as a drug gang. Link to Article
UPI
Black child maltreatment linked to poverty
Much of the overrepresentation of African-American children suffering from maltreatment is due to risk factors such as poverty, according to findings published in the journal Pediatrics. F. Brett Drake, professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, said child abuse among black children is approximately twice the rate of white children, and generally has been attributed to racial bias in the child welfare system. “Racism can exist in any system, but it does not appear to be the driving force behind the racial disproportionality in child abuse and neglect reporting,” Drake said in a statement. Link to Article
The Arizona Republic
Arizona seeking pacts with other states to defy federal government
03/09/2011
Arizona lawmakers are working to create alliances with other states on controversial issues such as health care, immigration and firearms regulation in an effort to challenge federal authority. “Right now, Arizona is the epicenter for a lot of — and I am trying to be neutral here — innovative strategies for voicing displeasure with federal law,” said Greg Magarian, a constitutional-law expert at Washington University in St. Louis. “I have to believe the primary motivation here is political. You pass this and then essentially dare Congress to invalidate it.” Link to Article
jewishinstlouis.org
St. Louis Hillel plans new building
03/09/2011
St. Louis Hillel at Washington University has entered into an agreement to sell the eastern portion of its property to Forsyth School, which is Hillel’s eastern neighbor on Forsyth Boulevard. This sale will allow Hillel to perform a long-awaited, complete renovation of its existing “house” property, along with a possible new addition, at 6300 Forsyth Boulevard. Link to Article
St. Louis Business Journal
Wash. U. business school ranked among nation’s best
03/09/2011
The Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis ranks 14th on Bloomberg Businessweek’s list of the “Best Undergraduate Business Schools 2011.” Olin, led by Dean Mahendra Gupta, ranked 13th last year. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign also made the list at No. 30, and the University of Missouri in Columbia ranked 86th. Notre Dame ranked first. Link to Article
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Researchers must be wary of contracting infections
03/09/2011
For the more than 500,000 people who work in laboratories in the United States, occupational health hazards can include infectious diseases spread by live viruses and bacteria. “We’ve always told people they need to follow safety (precautions) even if what they think they’re working with is benign,” said Susan Cook, a safety officer at Washington University, where scientists work with cultures, including flu, pneumonia, salmonella and E. coli. “You don’t necessarily know what the person next to you is working with all the time.” Link to Article
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Maxine Clark and Bob Fox honored for community service
Maxine Clark and Bob Fox were recently given the Jane and Whitney Harris St. Louis Community Service Award, honoring couples that work to enhance the region. Washington University Chancellor Mark Wrighton held a luncheon at the school’s Harbison House to recognize Clark, the founder of Build-a-Bear Workshop, and her husband, Fox, the founder of NewSpace Inc. and of Casa de Salud, a health and wellness center serving Hispanic immigrants. Link to Article
See also St. Louis Business Journal
St. Louis Jewish Light
‘Start-up Nation’ co-author describes Israel’s ‘economic miracle’
How is it that Israel — a country of 7.1 million people, only a little more than 60 years old, surrounded by enemies, in a constant state of war since its founding, with no natural resources — produces more start-up companies than large, peaceful, stable nations such as Japan, China, India, South Korea, Canada and the United Kingdom? That was the question that author Dan Senor asked and answered last week when he spoke in front of 300 people at Washington University’s Graham Chapel. Link to Article
CBS News | KMOX radio (St. Louis, MO)
Telemedicine robot helps doctors in rural Missouri
03/7/2011
A new telemedicine robot is helping bring the latest medical advice to a community hospital in rural Missouri. This new robot — housed at Parkland Health Center in Farmington — can roll up to a patient’s bedside, and with a camera, microphone and TV screen, provide instant video conferencing with stroke specialists at Barnes Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine. Link to Article
News in Higher Education
New York Times
More foreign-born scholars lead U.S. universities
03/09/2011
As colleges in the United States race to expand study-abroad programs and even to create campuses overseas, they are also putting an international stamp on the president’s office with an expanding roster of foreign-born college and university leaders. Link to Article
Fox News | Business
Cash-strapped colleges shift admission policies
03/07/2011
The prolonged economic slowdown took a bite out of colleges’ large endowments, causing colleges and universities to cut back on financial assistance and admit more students who can pay full tuition. 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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