Â鶹ÊÓƵ

Despite greatly increasing food production for humans, the growing use of nitrogen as a nutrient is affecting people's health far beyond just the benefits of growing more crops, according to a new University of Colorado at Boulder-led study. Study leader Alan Townsend of CU-Boulder's Institute for Arctic and Alpine Research said changes in the global nitrogen cycle, while beneficial in increasing crop growth, appear to pose a growing health risk. Roughly half of the inorganic nitrogen ever used on the planet has occurred in the past 15 years.

For teenagers who are skeptical of religious institutions, films and television shows featuring supernatural themes may offer deeper religious reflection than conventional churches, according to a University of Colorado at Boulder journalism professor. Lynn Schofield Clark's new book, "From Angels to Aliens: Teenagers, the Media, and the Supernatural" explores teen spirituality using evidence from more than 250 in-depth interviews with teens and their families. Clark is an assistant research professor at the CU-Boulder School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

High school and middle school students from the Denver Public School's Computer Magnet Program will be attending camp at CU-Boulder this summer. But instead of swimming, playing football or tossing a Frisbee, they'll be shooting their own video movies, making their own digital music and burning their own CDs and DVDs. DigitalCUrrents Summer Day Camp runs from Monday, June 9, through Friday, June 27, at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

The Hubble Space Telescope's "greatest hits" will be highlighted at CU-Boulder's Fiske Planetarium on Friday, June 20, at 8 p.m. Rob Morris, an astronomy educator at the Fiske Planetarium and Sommers-Bausch Observatory at the University of Colorado at Boulder will present a live show on the "Hubble Space Telescope and Beyond." The audience will take part in a unique hands-on demonstration to learn how the Hubble works. The show also will include a look ahead to the next generation of space telescopes and their potential for the future.

CU-Boulder professor of chemical engineering Richard Noble has been selected to receive the 2003 Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award from the University of California at Davis. The award will be presented June 13 as part of the UC Davis commencement ceremony for undergraduate engineers. The award recognizes an alumnus or alumna of UC Davis who has a record of outstanding professional or technical achievement and service. Last year's recipient was Richard K. Miller, founding president of the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering.

The CU-Boulder Colorado Executive Development in Residence program is accepting enrollment for this summer through July 21. The 10-day program takes place July 21 through Aug. 1 at the Leeds School of Business. The program offers experienced managers an overview of business fundamentals such as accounting, leadership and finance. CEDIR participants will enhance their business expertise and learn about the latest management practices.

The University of Colorado at Boulder will conduct an emergency exercise June 18-20 to test the university's preparedness to respond in the event of a need for mass immunization throughout Boulder County. In cooperation with emergency responders from the Boulder County Health Department and the Boulder Office of Emergency Management, CU-Boulder Emergency Management Coordinator Tom Carney will lead the campus portion of the exercise beginning the afternoon of June 18.

The National Humanities Center's 2003-04 class of humanities fellows will include an English professor from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Associate Professor Charlotte Sussman will travel to North Carolina to work on her research project, "Imagining the Population: the Impact of Demographic Theory on British Culture, 1650-1838," and exchange ideas with 40 other humanities scholars from several countries.

Ever wonder what it would feel like to be sucked into a black hole? Audience members will have the chance to fall into an artificial black hole and participate in other activities at the Saturday, June 14, CU Wizards show "Black Holes." Professor Andrew Hamilton of the astrophysical and planetary sciences department will demonstrate the concepts of black holes in CU-Boulder's Fiske Planetarium during a one-hour program starting at 9:30 a.m.

In the wake of the drought, water policy-makers in the West are looking to make sure there will be enough water to meet future demands. Exploring ways to meet this challenge is the focus of the 24th annual University of Colorado at Boulder Natural Resources Law Center's summer conference. Called "Water, Climate and Uncertainty," the conference will be held June 11-13 at the Fleming Law Building on the Boulder campus.