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The CU-Boulder College of Business has received a $40,000 donation of software and educational materials from Great Plains, a business management company based in Fargo, N.D. The business college also signed an agreement to join Great PlainsÂ’ Education Alliance Network. The network enables colleges and universities to provide Great PlainsÂ’ business management software as a key component of their accounting curriculums.

A $100,000 gift commitment to the University of Colorado that was announced last October by CU President Elizabeth "Betsy" Hoffman and her husband, Brian Binger, has challenged and inspired $550,000 in contributions from members of the CU Foundation's Board of Directors and its newly appointed president, Michael Byram.

University of Colorado at Boulder geography Professor Andrei Rogers has received the Walter Isard Award for Distinguished Lifetime Scholarly Achievement from the North American Regional Science Association. The award was given in recognition of RogersÂ’ pioneering work in the field of multiregional demography during his 35-year career. His work, including publishing six books on the subject, has helped create an independent subfield of demography focusing on the causes and effects of expansion of human populations over time and space.

For centuries people have attempted to prove the existence of planets circling distant stars. On Friday, Jan. 19, at 7:30 p.m. the Fiske Planetarium at the University of Colorado at Boulder will explore the topic. "Searching for Distant Worlds," a pre-recorded program presented by the planetarium, will explore recent discoveries of unknown planets in newfound solar systems, and explain why it is so difficult to find these distant worlds. Tickets are $4 for adults and $3 for seniors and children and go on sale at 7 p.m. the night of the show.

The Friends of the Libraries at the University of Colorado at Boulder will present an Information Day, formerly called Senior Day, on Monday, Jan. 8, to familiarize the public with the CU libraries. The program will run from 9:30 a.m. to 2.30 p.m. in the Center for British Studies, Room M549, in Norlin Library on the CU-Boulder campus.

Editors: Enclosed are the names of degree candidates from your area. The list was accurate as of Dec. 6 and is subject to final grade reports. Local students were among the 1,888 students who received degrees Dec. 22 in commencement ceremonies at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The ChancellorÂ’s Recognition Award for graduates receiving all AÂ’s during their college careers was given to Marion Brew of Boulder, who received a bachelorÂ’s degree in classics.

While the odd waddle of penguins may appear ungainly and often amusing, it actually helps the birds to conserve energy, according to a new study by University of Colorado at Boulder and University of California, Berkeley researchers. The study, authored by UC Berkeley biology graduate student Timothy Griffin and CU-Boulder Associate Professor Rodger Kram (a former faculty member at UC Berkeley) showed the issue is not in penguin waddling, but in their short legs.

The viability of a developing human embryo appears to be related to the clustering and subsequent symmetrical distribution of tiny DNA structures in the egg's fluid surrounding its nucleus prior to the first cell division, according to a new Colorado study.

The scientific concepts of light, polarization and optics will be explained through a number of experiments, including creating a giant soap bubble and watching a group of parents posing as molecules during the Dec. 30 CU Wizards show "Liquid Crystals." University of Colorado at Boulder physics faculty members Noel Clark and Joseph Maclennan and chemistry Professor David Walba will present the show at 9:30 a.m. in Duane Physics room G1B30.

The external program review team on diversity initiatives at CU-Boulder has issued its final report on the status of diversity efforts at the university. During an October visit, the team reviewed documents and conducted interviews with administrators, faculty, staff and students. The report recognizes the institution's best practices, highlights the challenges and concerns it faces and includes recommendations for more fully implementing the campus diversity plan.