May 18, 1999

Sonus Pharmaceuticals

Sonus Pharmaceuticals has appointed John T. Flaherty, M.D., senior vice president and chief medical officer. In this new position, Flaherty will oversee clinical development of products and regulatory affairs. Flaherty was a senior clinical scientist at Merck & Co.

Chiroscience R&D

Bothell-based Chiroscience R&D has appointed Mark Litton as director of business development. He is in charge of developing commercial opportunities for the company's work in genomics and drug discovery. Litton was formerly manager of Ribozyme Pharmaceuticals of Boulder, Colo.

May 17, 1999

Nextel Communications

Nextel Communications, a Bellevue-based wireless communications provider, has promoted Sandra Marconi to general manager of the company's Washington operations. Marconi formerly served as a senior manager of indirect distribution.

Seattle Mariners

The Seattle Mariners recently selected SoftThought Systems, a Fort Worth, Texas-based software maker, as provider of a Forecast Demand Schedule, which will provide a solution to the logistical challenge of scheduling the hundreds of workers that will staff events at Safeco Field, the new home of the Mariners.

May 13, 1999

Workz.com

Workz.com, a Seattle-based online company, recently launched its web site to provide information, services and utilities to meet the e-necessities of small businesses.

May 12, 1999

Otak

Adnan Haddad has joined Otak's Kirkland office as an engineer-in-training, with a degree in civil engineering from Portland State University and over six years of experience in the field. Adnan was previously a project designer with Land Development Consultants in Hillsboro, Ore. Celso Hermogenes has joined the Otak Seattle office as a civil CAD designer. He has a degree in civil engineering from De La Salle University in Manilla, and is a registered engineer in the Philippines. Before joining Otak, Celso was a staff engineer and CAD operator at Gary Struthers Associates.

May 11, 1999

Honeybees as landmine detectors?

RICHLAND -- Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are investigating whether honeybees equipped with tiny radio-frequency tags can be useful in detecting the minute amounts of explosives that indicate the presence of landmines. The catch is, the bees will have to be trained. Here's how it's supposed to work. The radio tags, each weighing no more than a grain of rice, will be attached to the bees' bodies. They will allow researchers to track individual bees -- when they leave, which direction they go, and when they return. The information will be sent to a computer. At the same time, an array of analytical instruments inside the hive will scan each bee for chemicals found in explosives. Together, the two systems could pinpoint the locations of landmines, the researchers say. A field test is scheduled for this spring.

Graham & Dunn

Graham & Dunn, a Seattle-based law firm, recently added Bradford J. Axel as an associate and member of the firm's litigation services group. Axel formerly served as an associate with Hopkins & Sutter in Chicago. Robert C. Cumbow recently joined the firm as a shareholder and chair of the intellectual property practice group. J. Andrew Jackson recently joined the firm as an associate and member of the corporate services group. Jackson formerly served as an associate with Rudnick, Wolfe, Epstien & Zeidman in Washington, D.C.