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Two University of Colorado at Boulder professors have been awarded a $200,000 grant to implement a redesigned, two-semester course in introductory astronomy. The Center for Academic Transformation at Rensselear Polytechnic Institute — in conjunction with the Pew Charitable Trust and CU-Boulder’s Alliance for Technology, Learning and Society, or ATLAS — has awarded the grant as part of its Pew Grant Program in Course Resdesign.

More than 4,000 parents and families of University of Colorado at Boulder students are expected to converge on campus for the annual Fall Parents Weekend Oct. 8-10. The event draws parents from across Colorado, from nearly every state and several foreign countries. "The weekend is an opportunity for parents to learn more about the university, visit with their student and see the Boulder campus in beautiful fall colors," said Terry Hilkemeier, chair of the event and a member of the CU-Boulder Parents Association Board of Directors.

To some people, stars are just lights in the sky. To others, they form wonderful shapes, images, and even constellations and calendars. University of Colorado Astronomy professor Catharine Garmany, who will be presenting the Fiske PlanetariumÂ’s live astronomy show "Constellations and Calendars" on Oct. 1 and Oct. 5 at 7:30 p.m., falls into the latter category. "People just want to understand the sky," Garmany said. "And as an astronomer, I want to help them see whatÂ’s up there."

EDITORS: A complete schedule of events is attached. "Celebrating Our Community" is the theme of October's LesBiGayTrans Awareness month activities sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Transgender Resource Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder. A variety of activities are scheduled throughout the month, including panel discussions on gender identity, the portrayal of gays on television, bias motivated incidents and politics.

A research campaign in the Indian Ocean indicates there are ocean-atmosphere interactions similar to El Niño events in the Pacific, but are not always tied to El Niño as previously had been believed by climate researchers.

Ray Chávez, faculty member at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Colorado at Boulder, has been named the 1999 recipient of the Barry Bingham Sr. Fellowship from the National Conference of Editorial Writers Foundation. The fellowship is presented annually to a journalism educator committed to preparing minority students for successful careers in journalism.

The University of Colorado Student Union Tri-executives will deliver the first State of the Student Union Address before a special meeting of the UCSU legislative council on Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. in the University Memorial Center, room 235. The speech, which is open to all members of the CU-Boulder community, will address such topics as financial aid, state funding, and the condition of CU's student-funded organizations which include the UMC, Wardenburg Health Center and Student Recreation Center.

The University of Colorado at Boulder will participate this fall in MentorNet, an innovative electronic mentoring service for women pursuing careers in engineering and the sciences. The nonprofit program, founded in spring 1998, is believed to be the first of its kind offered nationwide. During this past school year, MentorNet linked 539 female engineering and science majors from 26 U.S. universities with volunteer mentors working in private industry. The number of students served is expected to grow to several thousand over the next few years.

The University of Colorado at Boulder is being featured the week of Sept. 20 in the "On-Campus" section of the Science Coalition Web site, a comprehensive resource for information on federally funded research.

The Women in Engineering Program at the University of Colorado at Boulder has scheduled two Engineering Career Days for High School Women this academic year. The all-day programs on Tuesday, Oct. 5, and Saturday, March 4, will introduce ninth through 12th grade women to the field of engineering and engage them in hands-on demonstrations and activities. Participants also will hear from professional women engineers and meet current engineering students.