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Karen L. Coburn is an expert on the college experience. She is co-author of the acclaimed book, "Letting Go: A Parent's Guide to Understanding the College Years," which, in its fourth printing, has sold nearly 300,000 copies. Coburn is often quoted in the national and international media for her tips on helping students and parents make a smooth transition from high school to college "” from what to bring, to what to expect, to how to stay in touch.

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The cell phone is one of the most visible additions on the college campus scene in the last several years, says Karen Levin Coburn, assistant vice chancellor for students and associate dean for the freshman transition at Washington University in St. Louis.

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As parents are taking advantage of back-to-school sales and stocking up on supplies like calculators, pens and pencils, a math education expert at Washington University in St. Louis suggests they also may want to check out the quality of their children's math education.

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Your child's departure for college is a monumental step and one that you can start preparing for when your child is just taking his or her first steps, says a Washington University in St. Louis expert on the college experience.

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In recent years, sports hernias have sidelined many high-level athletes for months and, occasionally, prevented a return to competitive sports all together. New research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis shows that surgical repair of sports hernias using tension-free mesh, coupled with an innovative rehabilitation program, successfully returned athletes to competition in 93 percent of cases.

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Lung transplants have been performed successfully for more than 20 years in humans but never before in mice "“ until now. Surgeons at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed the first mouse model of lung transplantation, and they're hoping it will help explain why the success of the procedure in humans lags far behind other solid organ transplants.

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An antibody frequently used as a diagnostic marker for multiple sclerosis (MS) is present at greater levels in the cerebrospinal fluid of blacks with MS than Caucasians with the disease.

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A few clicks of the mouse tell visitors to the "Your Disease Risk" Web site their risk for cancer, heart disease, diabetes, stroke and osteoporosis. The Siteman Cancer Center at Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis recently launched this easy-to-use tool, which offers a wealth of information about risk factors and prevention strategies for five prominent diseases affecting millions of Americans.

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A new brace for clubfoot developed by a Washington University School of Medicine orthopaedic surgeon has shown better compliance and fewer complications than the traditional brace used to treat the condition.

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The causes of scoliosis have remained a mystery for centuries "” until now. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and collaborating institutions have discovered a gene that underlies the condition, which affects about three percent of children. The finding lays the groundwork for determining how the genetic defect leads to scoliosis.

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Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report that smoking interferes with ligament healing. Studying mice with ligament injuries, the team discovered cigarette smoking impairs the recruitment of cells to the injury site and delays healing following ligament repair surgery.

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Most large firms can expect to be sued for discrimination at least once a year, and the potential cost of litigation makes some companies wary of hiring minorities. A Washington University in St. Louis business professor offers a way to avoid lawsuits so that employers and employees benefit.

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A probe of the upper echelons of the human brain's chain-of-command has found strong evidence that there are not one but two complementary commanders in charge of the brain, according to neuroscientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

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Women who get most of their daily calcium from food have healthier bones than women whose calcium comes mainly from supplemental tablets, say researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Surprisingly, this is true even though the supplement takers have higher average calcium intake.

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In the days leading up to China's taking over Hong Kong on July 1, 1997, the media and pundits were spouting cautionary tales of how China would ruin Hong Kong's success as Southeast Asia's financial center. One decade after the takeover, the city continues to thrive, according to a WUSTL professor.

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St. Louis researchers have identified common DNA variations that underlie susceptibility to fever after smallpox vaccination. Their finding is the first to link individual differences written into the genetic code with a vaccine-related complication "“ albeit a mild one.

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Reduce illegal immigration by reuniting nuclear families of legal immigrants,' expert Stephen H. Legomsky says. The solution is to exempt the spouses and young children of legal immigrants from numerical ceilings, just as we now exempt the spouses and children of U.S. citizens.

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Scientists revealed in November 2006 that stress increases production in mice of a brain peptide critical to Alzheimer's disease. Now the same group has shown that blocking a different brain peptide slows the stress-induced increase, opening a new door to treatment. Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report the results online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Success isn't always measured in dollars and cents. But does a company's non-financial performance measures reveal anything about the future bottom line? A business professor at Washington University in St. Louis finds that there's definitely a link "” but only when the competition is stiff.

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Washington University in St. Louis business professor says Imus incident shows importance of workplace civility.

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An ongoing effort to identify the microorganisms that make us sick has discovered a new virus potentially linked to unexplained respiratory infections.

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Working with the Missouri Botanical Garden, Washington University in St. Louis students combine business, law and social work skills to boost environmental and economic conditions.

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Although women are four times more likely than men to develop osteoporosis, one in 12 men also suffer from the disease. In women, low estrogen levels after menopause have been considered an important risk factor for this disorder. Now research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has shown that low amounts of active estrogen metabolites also can increase the risk of osteoporosis in men.

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Using an innovative statistical approach, a research team from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of California, Los Angeles, has identified two regions of DNA linked to autism. They found the suspicious DNA with a much smaller sample of people than has been used traditionally in searches for autism genes.

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Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report they have developed an agent that protects cells from the lethal effects of radiation. Using this agent in mice, the investigators found that the treatment helped shield rapidly dividing cells that are most vulnerable to radiation-induced death, providing proof in principle that it is possible to fend of radiation damage.

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There is renewed hope for treatment of a rare genetic condition that causes rapidly accelerated aging and leads to an average life expectancy of 13 years.

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The Supreme Court's decision April 30 to raise the bar for patents on products combining elements of pre-existing inventions is a landmark in the battle against so-called "nuisance patents" and just one more sign that the tide is turning against overly restrictive and costly intellectual property right protections, suggests a pair of economists from Washington University in St. Louis. "This may be an important watershed in patent law," contends David K. Levine, an economist who studies the hidden costs of intellectual property rights protections.

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Urban American Indian community centers in the United States can look to their neighbors to the north for an example of how to create a strong national voice, says Dana Klar, J.D., founding and interim director of the Kathryn M. Buder Center for American Indian Studies at Washington University in St. Louis.

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Prospective memory tasks are enmeshed in our daily routines, and they can be easily lost in the tangles of our memory once we're distracted. Lapses in prospective memory can have dangerous implications. McDaniel's book includes a set of recommendations for improving it.

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Spring cleaning brings potential hazards. People use them every day, but if common cleaners and pesticides are stored or applied incorrectly, they can have fatal consequences, say experts in environmental safety and emergency medicine at Washington University in St. Louis.

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Tim Russert, the managing editor and moderator of NBC's "Meet the Press" and political analyst for "NBC Nightly News" and the "Today" show, has been selected to give the 2007 Commencement address at Washington University in St. Louis, according to Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton.

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April 15th Major League Baseball will observe the 60th anniversary of the first black player in the big leagues. Yet, while baseball celebrates the breaking of its "color barrier," the spring season is opening with a flurry of news coverage and studies decrying the dearth of African-American players on big-league rosters.

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Developing brain tumors can coax assistance from nearby cells known as microglia, according to a new study from scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The researchers have identified one protein made by microglia that helps accelerate tumor growth and are looking for others.

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A study of how the brain of a premature infant responds to injury has found vulnerabilities similar to those in the mature brain but also identified at least one significant difference. More than two percent of babies are born before the completion of their eighth month of gestation, and up to half of these infants suffer brain injury.

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Scientists have untangled two similar disabilities that often afflict stroke patients, in the process revealing that one may be treatable with drugs for Parkinson's disease.

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Children born with a foot deformity that causes them to have a rigid flatfoot once faced extensive surgery to fully correct the problem. A treatment developed by a pediatric orthopaedic surgeon at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has shown early success in correcting congenital vertical talus with minimal surgery in most cases.

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The arrival of genetically modified crops has added another level of complexity to farming in the developing world, says Glenn D. Stone, Ph.D., professor of anthropology and of environmental studies, at Washington University in St. Louis.

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Flourine-labeled nanoparticles could soon allow researchers and physicians to directly track cells used in medical treatments using unique signatures from the nanoparticle beacons. The nanoparticles are readily ingested by living cells and allow the cells to be easily and specifically located with MRI scanners once injected into an organism.

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Corporate governance has been in the forefront of public debate lately, in the form of options backdating, inflated CEO compensation packages and attempts to change shareholder power. The backlash is felt the boardroom, throughout an enterprise and, ultimately, it takes its toll on all of society.

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A social work professor at Washington University in St. Louis says that despite the latest evidence that single and married mothers can reap financial benefits from a college degree, current social policy discourages post-secondary education for women in poverty.

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In recent years, several leading African-American companies have been forced to cut staff, cancel seasons or close their doors entirely. "We've lost a half-dozen of the larger companies," "Nobody seems to quite understand why."

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When it comes to dating, the thinking is that you don't want to be looking for a date when you're desperate; you want to find one before you become desperate. Research suggests the same advice works in business but it applies to how firms should manage their research and development pipelines.

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When the Conrad Black trial gets under way in March, the argument will be similar to the case against Tyco's Dennis Kozlowski rather than the cases against Ken Lay or Bernard Ebbers, says Samuel W. Buell, J.D., associate professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis.

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Speedy treatment is essential to saving lives and preventing brain damage during a stroke. But the rapid pace of events also can leave patients and family members confused. That's especially true for children whose parents or grandparents have a stroke. Now an online book is available to teach children about strokes at www.strokecenter.org/patients.

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Thousands of soldiers returning from Iraq have some permanent hearing loss. But what if soldiers could take a pill before going on duty that would prevent damage to hearing? Research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests a medicinal form of hearing protection may someday be a possibility.

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Neuroscientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have linked a common post-stroke disability to impaired communication between brain regions.

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Fat in the belly may promote inflammation leading to diabetes and heart disease, say researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. They report that fat cells inside the abdomen secrete molecules that increase inflammation, establishing a potential mechanistic link between abdominal fat and systemic inflammation.

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Brain activity has been compared to a light bulb turning on in the head. Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have reversed this notion, creating a drug that stops brain activity when a light shines on it.

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Frank K. Flinn, Ph.D., adjunct professor of religious studies, provides insight on the controversy surrounding a new Discovery Channel documentary, The Lost Tomb of Jesus, which airs March 4.

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Newborns with respiratory distress should be evaluated for primary ciliary dyskinesia, a rare genetic disease that has features similar to cystic fibrosis, says Thomas Ferkol, M.D., from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He reports finding that about 80 percent of patients with primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) have a history of newborn respiratory distress.