Schaal will chair advisory group leading National Academy of Sciences’ new Gulf of Mexico program

Barbara A. Schaal, PhD, dean of the faculty of Arts & Sciences, has been appointed chair of an advisory group that will lead the National Academy of Sciences’ new Gulf of Mexico program, established as part of settlements with British Petroleum and Transocean Ltd. following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion. The advisory group will help create a strategic vision and guide the program’s development and implementation.

Rice’s origins point to China, genome researchers conclude

Rice originated in China, a team of genome researchers has concluded in a study tracing back thousands of years of evolutionary history through large-scale gene re-sequencing. Their findings, which appear in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), indicate that domesticated rice may have first appeared as far back as approximately 9,000 years ago in the Yangtze Valley of China. Previous research suggested domesticated rice may have two points of origin — India as well as China.

Peking graduate begins prestigious American fellowship

Ziyan Zhang, the daughter of Xiaoli Ma and Ning Zhang of Beijing, has been named a McDonnell International Scholar at Washington University in St. Louis, and she has received a corporate fellowship from Tyco Healthcare/Mallinckrodt. She holds a bachelor of science degree from Peking University, which is one of 15 leading Asian universities partnered with Washington University in St. Louis in the McDonnell International Scholars Academy.

Peking University graduate begins prestigious American fellowship

Yanjiao Xie, the son of Zhijun Li and Gongming Xie of Beijing, has been named a McDonnell International Scholar at Washington University in St. Louis. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Peking University, which is one of 15 leading Asian universities partnered with Washington University in St. Louis in the McDonnell International Scholars Academy.