Humanities & Society

Psychiatry researchers at the School of Medicine have found that a clinical diagnosis of alcohol dependence in young adults is associated with having a high number of sex partners. Their study, published in the December issue of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, also found links between a conduct disorder diagnosis and high numbers of sexual partners as well as between problem drinking and more partners.

Early childhood education advocates have a new weapon at their disposal. Recent research by an economics professor at Washington University in St. Louis provides evidence that preprimary education leads to more years spent in school based on the experience of children from relatively disadvantaged households in Uruguay.

John C. (Jack) Danforth, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations since July 1, will deliver a major policy address that will focus on his vision of the United Nations’ role in working to resolve international crises. He will speak at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 22, in Graham Chapel at Washington University in St. Louis. The event is open only to the Washington University community, including students, faculty, staff and alumni.

The cowpox virus, a much milder cousin of the deadly smallpox virus, can keep infected host cells from warning the immune system that they have been compromised, researchers at the School of Medicine have found. The scientists also showed that more virulent poxviruses, such as the strains of monkeypox prevalent in Central Africa, likely have the same ability.

AuslanderReports in pediatric clinics across the country indicate dramatic increases in type 2 diabetes mellitus in children and adolescents, particularly among minority populations. According to the CDC, youths with type 2 diabetes have poorer glycemic control, and may therefore be at higher risk for disease-related complications. “We know very little about the psychosocial and family problems and barriers to diabetes management among adolescents with type 2 diabetes,” says Wendy Auslander, Ph.D., professor of social work at Washington University in St. Louis. She is conducting a first of its kind study to identify these issues.

“Maltreatment in childhood is a global issue,” says Melissa Jonson-Reid, Ph.D., a child welfare expert and a professor of social work at Washington University in St. Louis. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, in the U.S. there are about 3 million reports of abuse or neglect each year, and about 60 percent of such reports are deemed to meet states’ criteria for investigation or assessment. Jonson-Reid offers ways to get involved in protecting children from mistreatment.

David Kilper/WUSTL PhotoA math problem review session at the Kumon-Ladue math program on Clayton Road in Ladue.Parents of school-aged children might want to think of giving their children an enduring holiday gift this year: enrollment in a supplemental mathematics program. While it can cost anywhere from $80 to $110 a month, the results of practicing mathematics nearly daily is rewarding to both students and parents. In fact, parents might be even bigger recipients of this gift than their children. While their children gain self-esteem and confidence, the parents very likely will feel a sense of relief and pride in their children’s accomplishment.

The anthropological works of Glenn Conroy, Ph.D., professor of anatomy and neurobiology and of anthropology, are on display through January 2008 in the Farrell Learning and Teaching Center.

Glenn Conroy and Jane Phillips-Conroy with their awards for outstanding teachingHis modest demeanor provides little hint of neither his brilliant career nor the ivy-paved path that serendipitously led him to Washington University in St. Louis more than 20 years ago. A renowned anthropologist, Glenn Conroy, Ph.D., has been gathering valuable fossil remains of humans and non-human primates for more than 30 years. Some of his best work is on display through January in the Farrell Learning and Teaching Center (See it now).

British historian Janet Browne, Ph.D., an expert in examining the life, times and work of Charles Darwin,will present the Thomas Hall Lecture “Charles Darwin and the Economy of Nature: Money, Metaphor and Adaptive Capital” at 4 p.m. Nov. 15 in the Laboratory Sciences Building auditorium.