Humanities & Society

The George Warren Brown School of Social Work’s spring lecture series addresses a broad spectrum of issues from elder care to the future of social policy. The series will kick off Feb. 7 with a lecture by Melvin Oliver, Ph.D., titled “Can We Preserve the Progressive Soul of Asset-Based Social Policy?” Oliver is a professor of sociology and dean of social sciences in the College of Letters and Sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara. All lectures will be held at noon in Brown Hall, Room 124.

From helping start-up companies grow into strong businesses to guiding inventors as they obtain patents, students in the Washington University School of Law’s new Intellectual Property and Business Formation Legal Clinic, working under the supervision of experienced intellectual property law attorneys, will offer a variety of services to the University and St. Louis community.

DealDavid Deal, J.D., recently joined the Washington University School of Law as the administrative director of the Intellectual Property and Business Formation Clinic and as the acting associate director of the Center for Research on Innovation & Entrepreneurship.

Yet another disease has been linked to obesity. Samuel Klein, director of the WUSM Center for Human Nutrition, reports fatty liver disease, usually associated with excess alcohol consumption, is on the rise among those who don’t drink too much. One common factor linked to the increase is obesity. Read more in the following Post-Dispatch article.

The Washington University Center for the Study of Ethics & Human Values will sponsor a symposium on tort reform and medical malpractice from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 22 in Whitaker Hall. The symposium, titled “Medical Malpractice and Tort Reform: Finding Truth and Common Ground,” is free and open to the public.

Washington University’s Center for the Humanities in Arts & Sciences will present “What is a Child?,” a conversation with University of Iowa education experts Gail Masuchika Boldt and Cynthia Lewis, at 4 p.m. Monday, Jan. 24, in the Ann W. Olin Women’s Building Formal Lounge.

A class of anti-seizure medications slows the rate of aging in roundworms, according to researchers at the School of Medicine. When exposed to drugs used to treat epilepsy in humans, worms lived longer and retained youthful functions longer than normal.

The former U.S. Solicitor General, the founder of the American Civil Liberties Union’s (ACLU) Lesbian & Gay Rights Project and the president of the National Breast Cancer Coalition are part of the spring lineup for the School of Law’s seventh annual Public Interest Law Speakers Series. Titled “Access to Justice: The Social Responsibility of Lawyers,” the series brings to the University outstanding academics and practitioners in areas such as international human rights, the economics of poverty, civil liberties, racial justice, capital punishment, clinical legal education, and government and private public service. The series, which is free and open to the public, begins 11 a.m. Jan. 26 in Anheuser-Busch Hall.

A little anxiety can be a good thing when it comes to cancer symptoms, according to researchers at the School of Medicine. They report that people with low overall anxiety levels were more apt to ignore symptoms of rectal cancer for long periods of time, thereby delaying treatment.

MLK delivers his “I Have a Dream” speech.”Be The Change” is the theme of the University’s annual Commemoration Celebration honoring Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday at 7 p.m., Jan. 17 in Graham Chapel. The celebration is free and open to the public. Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton will begin the program with a welcome and remarks. The evening will include performances by Vashon High School’s drumline, the YMCA Boys Choir, the University’s Vision Gospel Choir and Black Anthology, as well as testimonials from University students.