A growing number of high schools are doing away with class rankings. Dean of Admission Jim Miller comments on the how the practice affects the admission procedure at Brown. This article is a “web exclusive” and does not appear in the print edition of Time.

The Mars Science Laboratory isn't scheduled to launch for more than three years, but scientists, including John Mustard, associate professor of geological sciences, have begun mulling where to send the hefty robotic geologist in its quest to learn whether life could have existed on the Red Planet. The first of three meetings of the minds happened early last month in Pasadena, where Mustard advocated for sending the lab to the Nili Fossae Trough in Mars' northern hemisphere. Mustard offers his thoughts about why the location would be ideal. This article also appeared in the Long Beach Press Telegram.

Over the course of the past academic year, Brown athletes distinguished themselves on the field and in the classroom. “What stood out as the year went on was [the athletes’] academic prowess,” said Director of Athletics Mike Goldberger. “We tend to take it for granted, so that part of it was great.”

A small but growing number of engineers are using DNA to create nanomaterials that can be used in everything from medical devices to computer circuits. A team from Brown University and Boston College is the first to use DNA to direct construction and growth of complex nanowires.

Potential applications for rhodium quinones, a mixture created by chemistry Professor Dwight Sweigart and his research group at Brown, are highlighted in Heart Cut, a weekly electronic newsletter disseminated by the American Chemical Society.