Hilltop artwork Ashley Hornsby puts the finishing touches on Cycle No. 5, a series of progressive geometric forms -- built of wood but designed to resemble steel I-beams -- just south of Oak Allée. View in full

---

Health plans to undergo key changes

Faced with significant medical inflation and very high claims experience in all health plans, the University is implementing two key changes as part of the fiscal year 2003 health open enrollment.

First, CIGNA HealthCare's HMO and POS plans are being replaced with UnitedHealthcare's HMO and POS plans. And second, an option is being added to the Alliance Blue Cross Excel and Basic plans that allows for the selection of a smaller network of providers (BJC, Unity and Washington University Physician Network included) in exchange for lower premiums. Full story

---

Darrow gift establishes Catholic professorship

The Religious Studies program in Arts & Sciences will benefit from a $1.5 million gift from Stella K. Darrow to establish the Stella Koetter Darrow Professorship in Catholic Studies.

The gift will significantly enhance the Religious Studies curriculum by complementing its current strengths in Jewish studies and Islamic studies.

In making the announcement, Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton said, "Through this very generous gift, Stella Darrow has made a lasting contribution to scholarship in Religious Studies at Washington University, which will be felt for generations to come. We are grateful for her strong commitment to this important field, which will allow us to foster a deeper understanding of the historical, philosophical, theological and social impact of the Roman Catholic Church. And it will create new opportunities for greater interaction with the St. Louis Catholic community." Full story

Thomas F. Moberg, Ph.D. (seated, left), and Kevin Scully (seated, right) sign an agreement to join Washington University and SBC Southwestern Bell in a consortium to access Internet2.

WU part of Internet2 consortium
Will enable access to Internet of the future

A consortium has been formed joining three St. Louis research and higher educational institutions with SBC Communications Inc. enabling access to Internet2 (I2), a higher performance Internet that provides users with more sophisticated applications than the commodity Internet.

SBC Southwestern Bell will provide the access network for researchers, students and faculty at Washington University, Saint Louis University and the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, who will take advantage of Internet2's many features. Full story

---

Waterston wins international Gairdner award

Waterston

Robert H. Waterston, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Genome Sequencing Center in the School of Medicine, is one of eight scientists to receive the 2002 Gairdner International Award, which this year recognizes exceptional achievement in genomics science. The Gairdner Foundation of Toronto, Canada, announced the awards April 23. Each winner receives $30,000.

Since 1959, the Gairdner International Awards have been presented to 255 scientists, 56 of whom have gone on to win the Nobel Prize. The award recognizes outstanding contributions by medical scientists whose work will significantly improve quality of life. Full story

---

This year's faculty achievement award-winners are Stuart A. Kornfeld, M.D., and Barbara A. Schaal, Ph.D.

Faculty achievement awards

A prominent molecular biophysicist and an authority on biology and life sciences will receive the University's annual faculty achievement awards.

The selections were announced April 20 at the Chancellor's Gala in Holmes Lounge in Ridgley Hall. The awards will be conferred at a public event in the fall. Full story