TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – A leader in identifying risk factors for autism will give a talk at The University of Alabama Thursday, Nov. 29 at 4 p.m. in the Biology Building, room 202.

Dr. Thomas Wassink, an associate professor of psychiatry at The University of Iowa, will present “Advances in the Genetics of Autism: Structural Genomic Variation and Glutamate,” in the talk sponsored by UA’s department of biological sciences.

A member of the Interdisciplinary Genetics Program at Iowa, Wassink began studying the genetics of autism and schizophrenia in 1996 and has co-authored more than 30 papers examining the same. He is part of several collaborative groups, including the Autism Genome Project, seeking to identify risk factors for autism.

People with autism experience extreme difficulties in social interaction. Delays in language development and obsessive interests in routine behaviors are characteristics of people with autism

Wassink earned his bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University and his doctor of medicine, specializing in psychiatry, at the University of Illinois Medical School.

UA’s department of biological sciences is part of the College of Arts and Sciences, the University’s largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state. Students from the College have won numerous national awards including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships and memberships on the “USA Today” Academic All American Teams.

The University of Alabama, a student-centered research university, is in the midst of planned, steady enrollment growth with a goal of reaching 28,000 students by 2010. This growth, which is positively impacting the campus and the state's economy, is in keeping with UA's vision to be the university of choice for the best and brightest students. UA, the state's flagship university, is an academic community united in its commitment to enhancing the quality of life for all Alabamians.