Humanities & Society

Richard Freund, director of the Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Hartford, will discuss “Temple Treasures in the Dead Sea Caves: New Insights from Archaeology” at 11 a.m. April 20 in Room 301, Lab Sciences Building, Danforth Campus.

Smoking while pregnant combined with genetic factors greatly increases the risk of severe ADHD.Past research has suggested that both genes and prenatal insults — such as exposure to alcohol and nicotine — can increase the risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). But the identified increases in risk have been very modest. Now, a team of Washington University scientists has found that when those factors are studied together, risk of a severe type of ADHD greatly increases.

Social activist, educator and one of the Little Rock Nine, Minnijean Brown Trickey will present “Return to Little Rock” for the Women’s Society annual Adele Starbird Lecture at 11 a.m. April 11 in Graham Chapel. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the event that made Brown Trickey part of American history.

An American Indian Pow Wow, a presentation on American Indian mascots in sports and a traditional food tasting are among the highlights of the University’s American Indian Awareness Week April 9-14.

Acclaimed essayist and cultural critic Gerald L. Early, Ph.D., will give this year’s Phi Beta Kappa Lecture for the Assembly Series at 4 p.m. April 10 in Graham Chapel.

Researchers at the University and elsewhere recently helped the St. Louis Science Center probe the mysteries of a baby mummy. The mummy, part of the Science Center’s collection of artifacts for two decades, went on permanent public display on March 15 in conjunction with the arrival of an IMAX film on mummies.

Social activist, educator and one of the “Little Rock Nine,” Minnijean Brown Trickey will present “Return to Little Rock” for the Women’s Society annual Adele Starbird Lecture at the Assembly Series on April 11 in Graham Chapel.

Devin DeWeese, Ph.D., a noted scholar of Islam in Asia, will discuss “Survival Strategies: Interpreting Islam in Central Asia, Past and Present” at 11 a.m. March 30 in Duncker Hall, Hurst Lounge.

The first round of Washington University’s Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Competition is complete and six semi-finalists are now in the running for $120,000 in funding. Also, three additional teams remain to compete for the $5,000 prize awarded to a student who has founded or supported a team. Winners will be announced at the Awards Ceremony on May 3, 2007.

Eating fish may help reduce the risk for dementia.Nutritionists have long endorsed fish as part of a heart-healthy diet, and now some studies suggest that omega-3 fatty acids found in the oil of certain fish may also benefit the brain by lowering the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. In order to test whether docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acid, can impact the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, researchers at the School of Medicine and Saint Louis University School of Medicine will evaluate DHA in a clinical trial sponsored by the National Institute on Aging (NIA).