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Future orbiting X-ray telescopes should confirm whether gigantic black holes in the universe, some of which are thought to weigh as much as several billion stars, are spinning like flywheels, according to a University of Colorado at Boulder astrophysicist.

A group of astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory, in concert with other telescopes, have directly detected for the first time a new type of stellar flare occurring in a narrow temperature range of gas on a star other than the sun. Rachel Osten, a graduate student at the University of Colorado at Boulder, said the flares were detected on a star, known as binary system HR 1099, in a very narrow temperature range of gas recorded in the ultraviolet portion of the light spectrum, but not in the higher energy X-ray region.

Five members of CU-Boulder's Natural Resources Law Center will read from their latest works on June 6 from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in the Fleming Law Building on campus. The reading, titled "A Celebration of Natural Resources Authors," will kick off the NRLCÂ’s "Water and Growth in the West Conference," to be held June 7-9. Jim Corbridge, former CU-law professor and NRLC adviser, and Teresa Rice, former associate director of the center, will speak about the development of their new book, "Colorado Water Law."

Seventeen undergraduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Colorado at Boulder have received the prestigious Jacob Van Ek Award for outstanding academic achievement and contributions to the university and Boulder communities. The award includes a $200 prize. The recipients were honored May 11 along with faculty members they named as mentors. The award was established in 1973 to honor Jacob Van Ek, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at CU-Boulder from 1929 to 1959. Van Ek died in 1994 at the age of 97.

CU-Boulder School of Law Professor Dale Oesterle was presented with the Clifford Calhoun Public Service Award in recognition of his contributions to the law school and the legal community. More than 30 faculty and staff members attended the May 13 luncheon at which the law school award was presented, including emeritus law Professor Clifford Calhoun, for whom the award is named.

Physics Professor Martin Goldman of the University of Colorado at Boulder won second prize in the Pirelli INTERNETional Award of Italy for his creation of the Physics 2000 Web site. The award honored the Web site "for its interactive journey through modern physics, which succeeds in making the subject agreeable and understandable to the man on the street, without sacrificing scientific rigor."

Arctic Ozone Depletion Linked To Longevity Of Polar Stratospheric Clouds, Say Studies A significant decline in ozone over the Arctic last winter was due to an increase in the size and longevity of polar stratospheric clouds, according to a group of researchers who participated in a massive, international atmospheric science campaign.

In an effort to bridge the digital divide and find a new use for outdated computer equipment, the Colorado Materials Exchange is planning "Computers for Youth," a computer refurbishment pilot project.

Hon-Yim Ko, professor and chairman of the department of civil, environmental and architectural engineering at CU-Boulder, has been awarded the Glenn Murphy Chair in Engineering based on his excellent record of teaching, research and service. The endowment was established by an alumnus of the civil engineering department, Glenn L. Murphy, who went on to a distinguished career at Iowa State University where he headed the department of nuclear engineering. Murphy received his bachelorÂ’s and masterÂ’s degrees from CU-Boulder in 1929 and 1930, respectively.

Del Brinkman, director of journalism programs at the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, has accepted the position of dean of the University of Colorado at Boulder School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He will assume the position January 1, 2001 pending approval by the CU Board of Regents on June 29, according to CU-Boulder Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Phil DiStefano.