Swept away: Study suggests massive water erosion of Mars' highlandsBy Trent C. Stockton Two University researchers in earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences have suggested that western Arabia Terra, an area on Mars the size of Europe, experienced an extensive erosion event caused by flowing water. "We argue that this entire region has been massively eroded," said Brian M. Hynek, a doctoral candidate in earth and planetary sciences who performed the study with Roger J. Phillips, Ph.D., professor of earth and planetary sciences and director of the University's McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences. "The region used to look like the rest of the highlands, but a vertical kilometer of material --enough to fill the Gulf of Mexico --has been relocated downslope and spread out into the northern plains." The researchers used high-resolution topographic data from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) instrument on the Mars Global Surveyor mission to construct detailed maps of the planet's surface. |
WU hosts launching of 'Responsive Ph.D.' projectAs part of its goal to develop a new norm in graduate education, the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation has named WU and 13 other universities as the first round of collaborators in the foundation's new "Responsive Ph.D." initiative. On Tuesday, graduate deans from the schools gathered at the University for a one-day meeting to launch this national project and brainstorm ideas. Robert E. Thach, Ph.D., dean of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, was appointed to head this group as it seeks to define the best models for reforming graduate education. The Responsive Ph.D. initiative aims to improve teaching preparation, encourage more minority students to obtain a doctorate, foster interdisciplinary collaborations and connect intellectual work more closely to society.
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 Outstanding contributions Trevin C. Lau, biology and psychology double major in Arts & Sciences, accepts the Ethan A.H. Shepley Award from Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton at the 46th annual Eliot Honors Convocation May 17 in the Athletic Complex Field House. Lau was one of seven Shepley award winners, recognized for their leadership, scholarship and service to the campus community. Looking on are (from left) Cynthia Weese, dean of the School of Architecture; Stuart I. Greenbaum, Ph.D., dean of the Olin School of Business; and James E. McLeod, vice chancellor for students and dean of the College of Arts & Sciences.
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WU researchers help shed light on origins of EarthBy Tony Fitzpatrick A collaborative effort involving Washington, Saint Louis and Peking university researchers has yielded a discovery near the Great Wall in China that could change the science of plate tectonics and provide some clues into how life might have developed on Earth. The research was published as a report in the May 11 issue of Science magazine. It has been widely held that plate tectonics, or the motion of plates and continents, dates back 1.9 billion years. Timothy Kusky, Ph.D., professor of geology at Saint Louis University, is part of a group of geologists who believe the plates began moving much earlier than that. |
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