Awards honor two esteemed faculty

Washington University's first Faculty Achievement Awards ceremony Tuesday, Sept. 7, will honor anationally-known commentatoron race and American culture and a pioneer in medical imaging.

Gerald Early, Ph.D., the Merle Kling Professor of Modern Letters and professor of English, African and Afro-American studies and American culture studies, all in Arts and Sciences, and Marcus E. Raichle, M.D., co-director of the Division of Radiological Sciences and professor of radiology, of neurology and of neuroscience at the School of Medicine, are the first recipients of the new awards.

The Sept. 7 ceremony will honor their accomplishments and give them an opportunity to reflect on their work at this stage of their professional lives. Early's talk is titled "Out of the Woods" and Raichle's "From Brain Blood Vessels to Mind Mapping."

All members of the University community are welcome to attend the event, which begins at 4:30 p.m. in the Eric P. Newman Education Center, 320 S. Euclid Ave. on the Medical Campus. A reception follows the presentations.

"This is a celebration for the entire University," said Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton. "The achievements of these distinguished members of our faculty are not only remarkable attainments in their own disciplines but in a very real way exemplify the hard work and accomplishments of people all across our campuses."

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Williams named to new Thomas professorship

Gerhild Scholz Williams, Ph.D., professor of German and of comparative literature in Arts and Sciences, has been named the first Barbara Schaps Thomas and David M. Thomas Professor in the Humanities in Arts and Sciences. A formal installation ceremony for Williams, who is also associate vice chancellor/special assistant to the chancellor for academic affairs, will be held at 4 p.m. Oct. 21 in Holmes Lounge, Ridgley Hall.

"Gerhild is a splendid University citizen as well as a highly respected scholar in her field," said Edward S. Macias, Ph.D., executive vice chancellor and dean of Arts and Sciences.

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Arnold Strauss elected chair of Faculty Senate Council

Dr. Arnold W. Strauss, M.D., Alumni Professor of Pediatrics and professor of molecular biology and pharmacology, has been elected chair of the University's Faculty Senate Council.

The council brings together 15 representatives from the University's eight schools and from the Faculty Senate, which is comprised of all members of the faculty. It serves as liaison between the University administration and the faculty on a broad range of issues touching virtually all aspects of campus life.

Strauss is director of the Division of Pediatric Cardiology. His research focuses on how defects in particular proteins or enzymes involved in the breakdown of fatty acids cause disease. These enzyme deficiencies in humans are a major cause of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, Reye's Syndrome, and heart muscle and skeletal muscle disease.

Strauss succeeds John N. Drobak, J.D., professor of law and of economics in Arts and Sciences, who just completed his second term as chair, having led the council in 1992-93 as well as 1997-99.

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Hundreds of freshmen to be part of new 'Service First'

Labor Day weekend will be taken literally by a substantial number of Washington University's 1,400 incoming students.

Whether it's planting trees, painting signs and fences, gardening or picking up trash, upwards of half of the University's freshmen are expected to participate in Service First, a new initiative designed to introduce first-year students to community service early in their college experience.

On Sept. 5 -- the Sunday before Labor Day -- students will participate in community beautification projects along three scenic trails in the St. Louis area. The service project, a three-hour commitment for each student, is being planned in collaboration with Trailnet, a regional nonprofit agency. Three waves of buses will leave the South 40 at staggered times between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.

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High rates of mental disorders found in Oklahoma City survivors

Washington University School of Medicine, the University of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma State Department of Health have found that almost half suffered from psychiatric disorders in the months after the explosion. And the researchers were able to identify the symptoms that indicated the need for treatment.

In the Aug. 25 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, the investigators reported that 45percent of the survivors surveyed had psychiatric problems in the six months following the bombing. Just over 34 percent had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

"This tragic event was extremely severe both in scope and intensity," said principal investigator Carol S. North, M.D., associate professor of psychiatry at the medical school. "Over the years, our group has studied survivors of 13 different disasters, and the 34 percent rate of post-traumatic stress disorder after the Oklahoma City bombing is the highest in any of the studies we've done to date."

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