SearchPast Issues Feb. 14, 2008

Weather Forecast - See the 5-day forecast Calendar Highlights - see the full calendar Friday, Feb. 15 • Assembly Series — "Loveline with Dr. Drew" Saturday, Feb. 16 • MLA Saturday Seminar Series — "Congress After the 2008 Elections" Monday, Feb. 18 • Religious Studies Lecture. E.G. Weltin Lecture in Early Christianity — "Jesus as Exorcist and Healer" Thursday, Feb. 21 • School of Medicine Guze Symposium on Alcoholism — "Alcohol, Suicide and Suicidality" Campus Calendars - Academic calendar - Assembly Series - Graduate Professional Council calendar - Schools' calendars - Spark student calendar - University calendar The Record, a twice-weekly electronic newspaper for Washington University faculty, staff and students, is the official source for news and information of vital importance to all members of the campus community. Click below to contact us about: - Record staff - Comments, story ideas - Technical web/email issues - To subscribe - To unsubscribe Fireside chat Former congressman Richard A. Gephardt gave his personal insight into the current state of presidential primary affairs to a group of students and faculty who braved an icy, snowy afternoon Feb. 11 to hear him in the Women's Building Formal Lounge. Breakdown of kidney's ability to clean itself may cause disease The kidney actively cleans its most selective filter to keep it from clogging with blood proteins, School of Medicine scientists reveal in a new study. Researchers showed that breakdown of a self-cleaning feature can make kidneys more vulnerable to dysfunction and disease. Genome of bacterium that makes rare form of chlorophyll sequenced Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis and Arizona State University have sequenced the genome of a rare bacterium that harvests light energy by making an even rarer form of chlorophyll, chlorophyll d. Chlorophyll d absorbs "red edge," near infrared, long wave length light that is invisible to the naked eye. In so doing, the cyanobacterium Acaryochloris marina, competes with virtually no other plant or bacterium in the world for sunlight. Money and appearance influence political campaigns, study says If politics were like high school, Republicans would be the football stars and Democrats would be chess club captains. Those stereotypes are the easiest way to summarize part of the conclusions made by Michael Lewis, Ph.D., assistant professor of marketing at the Olin Business School . Earthquake seminar addresses ways to lessen damage The Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Structural Engineering has begun a series of seminars and workshops on the topic of reducing the damage that would occur if a strong earthquake strikes the New Madrid fault area again. Helium supplies endangered, threatening science and technology In America, helium is running out of gas. The element that lifts things like balloons, spirits and voice ranges is being depleted so rapidly in the world's largest reserve, outside of Amarillo, Texas, that supplies are expected to be depleted there within the next eight years. Photos of Record - click on the photo to view a larger version and full caption Judy Musick (left), administrative manager in the Department of Biology in Arts & Sciences, and Judith Tigah, a WUSTL sophomore, examine items donated by the campus community for care package to U.S. troops serving in Iraq. Sheba Wadley (left), a student at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work and co-chair of the Society of Black Student Social Workers, greets Bessie House-Soremekun, Ph.D., founder and CEO of the National Center for Entrepreneurship Inc., in Goldfarb Hall Commons Feb. 2. Announcements Campus to celebrate George Washington Week The annual George Washington Week, sponsored by the sophomore honorary Lock & Chain, will bring back an old tradition - horse and buggy rides around the Danforth campus. The week, Feb. 18-23, will also include birthday cake, appearances by "George" himself, cherry pie and a benefit party. Washington People A remarkable vision When he looks back on his life so far, Jack Ladenson, Ph.D., the Oree M. Carroll and Lillian B. Ladenson Professor of Clinical Chemistry, often finds an entertaining lack of predictability. He laughs loudest when he remembers how long he originally thought he'd stay at Washington University: "no more than three to five years." Ladenson came to the University more than three and a half decades ago. Sports WUSTL adds women's golf team for 2008-09 More Headlines Classic 18th-century comedy of errors presented by PAD Bioethicists' personal cancer experiences to be studied Japanese Film Festival to run Feb. 15 - 16 'Kemper Presents' music series starts Feb. 22 Olin Cup winners collect $75,000 in seed funding