All systems are go

No major problems are anticipated in association with the much-hyped Y2K, but officials are confident that the University is prepared for any challenges during the transition into the new year, and steps have been taken to ensure timely correction of minor problems.

"Washington University has viewed Y2K as a serious matter, and we have pursued an aggressive compliance program for nearly four years," said Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton in a letter to deans, directors and department heads. "We are confident that the University is prepared to meet any challenges. We also have many staff who will be working over the New Year's weekend to ensure that any problems that may arise are dealt with promptly and effectively."

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Campus carpenter mocks up monumental sign

Facilities employees have built and painted a large wooden replica of a monumental new Washington University sign that will greet people at the southeast entrance to the Hilltop Campus.

The mocked-up sign, 15 feet tall, will be erected at the corner of Forsyth and Skinker boulevards this month. The University welcomes comments and input about the design, which should be directed to Ralph Thaman at 935-5831.

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Resource will provide cutting-edge imaging

Joseph J. H. Ackerman, Ph.D., professor and chair of chemistry in Arts & Sciences, and Michael J. Welch, Ph.D., professor of radiology and co-director of the School of Medicine's radiological sciences division, are co-directors of a new positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI) resource that will provide state-of-the-art facilities to study the effects of disease on small laboratory animals. The animals serve as models for study of a wide range of normal and abnormal physiological processes.

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Book of Life

An international research team that includes the medical school's Genome Sequencing Center has achieved a scientific milestone: The collaborators have unraveled, for the first time, the genetic code of an entire human chromosome, a chapter of the human genetic instruction book.

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A Rhodes Scholar

At press time, the Record received word that Benjamin E. Cannon, a 1999 graduate and former Student Life editor-in-chief, has received a Rhodes Scholarship to the University of Oxford, England. The Jan. 20, 2000, Record will include an article about Cannon and his selection.

This is the last issue of the century for the Record, which will resume publication with the new semester Jan. 20, 2000. The Record staff wish all members of the University community a refreshing winter break and the best of the holidays.