Jonathan Paradise, professor emeritus of Hebrew in the department of classical and Near Eastern studies at the University of Minnesota, will give a talk titled “Sacred Mirror: Reflections of the Bible in Modern Hebrew Poetry” at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 21, in Carleton College’s Gould Library Athenaeum. The lecture marks the announcement of the winner of the first Paradise Israel Experience Scholarship, named for Paradise. The event is free and open to the public.

Jenny Wahl, professor of economics, was quoted in an April 18 Star Tribune article titled “Big deficits threaten nation’s wallet.” Wahl, a member of the Star Tribune Board of Economists, commented on the composition of the federal budget. “Foreigners hold more than a third of our debt,” Wahl said, “I think it’s something people should be concerned about.”

George Jacobson ’68 was quoted in an April 16 Portland Press Herald article about a local high school graduate who used sports as a springboard to college and is helping others do the same. “Physical athleticism is wonderful, but pushing hard for intellectual athleticism is really far more important in the development of a young person,” said Jacobson, who was a biology major and star baseball player at Carleton.

Barrie Osborne, producer of “The Lord of the Rings” movie trilogy and a 1966 Carleton graduate, will give a convocation address titled “Storytelling and Technology” at 10:50 a.m. on Friday, April 16, at Carleton’s Skinner Memorial Chapel. The address will discuss the role of special effects in advancing a narrative. The event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited and priority will be given to Carleton students, faculty, staff and alumni.

Julie Elhard and Erica Rubis, violas da gamba, and Paul Boehnke, harpsichord, will give a concert of French Baroque music titled “The Glory of the Viol” at 8 p.m. on Friday, April 16 in the Carleton Concert Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

Ruth Sylte (media relations) and her dance partner, Mikkel Thompson, have been accepted to the juried state folk artist rosters in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin as teachers and performers of traditional Norwegian folk dancing and music. Known as “HjerteDans,” they recently held a one-week state arts residency at an elementary school in Minot, N.D. and performed at the North Dakota State Arts Council annual meeting.They have both earned the highest level as Folk Dance Specialists in the Sons of Norway Cultural Skills Program and are in the midst of completing 80 hours of teacher training coursework through Noregs Ungdomslag (NU), Norway’s national youth organization. Upon completion of the coursework, Sylte and Thompson will be among the first NU certified teachers of Norwegian dance outside of Norway.

Student Musical Theater (SMuT) presented Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Jesus Christ Superstar,” the world’s first rock opera, April 7th through 10th in the Carleton College Arena Theater. More than 60 students performed in the musical, including 20 musicians in the live orchestra. A contemporary play retelling the passion of Christ and the events leading up to the crucifixion, “Jesus Christ Superstar” debuted in 1971. The musical was directed by senior Jamie Long.

Adeeb Khalid, associate professor of history, has been elected president of the Central Eurasian Studies Society, an international organization of over 1000 members in several dozen countries. He will serve a three-year appointment on the board.

Susan Singer, professor of biology, is chairing the National Research Council’s Committee on High School Science Laboratories: Roles and Vision. This committee was commissioned by the National Science Foundation to prepare a report on science lab teaching in response to a federal mandate. The National Research Council is the operating arm of the National Academies.

Nelson Christensen, associate professor of physics, gave a talk at the monthly meeting of the Minnesota Chapter of the Optical Society of America titled “The Optics of LIGO: The Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observator.”