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Eric A. Kimmel, award-winning author of children's books including "Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins" and "Anansi and the Talking Melon," is the featured speaker at the 29th annual Virginia Westerberg Children's Literature Conference on Oct. 24. The daylong event at the University of Colorado at Boulder is expected to attract about 500 people, including parents, teachers, librarians, writers, artists and storytellers. Registration must be postmarked by Oct. 16.

"Struggle and Stability: Western Communities and the Frictions of Growth," a panel discussion on Western communities and their capacity to cope with conflict caused by new migration. Panelists are Peter Decker, former Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture; Rikki Santarelli, Gunnison County commissioner; Denis Hall, environmental journalist; Cathy Cameron, CU anthropology professor; Bill Celis, CU journalism professor; and Tobey Cho, CU student and founder of the Conflict Resolution Center.

Recruiting and retaining good employees in Colorado's economic boom has proven a challenge for many business managers. But CU-Boulder management Professors Joe Rosse and Bob Levin, director of the Center for Human Function and Work, have ways of easing the pain. Rosse and Levin, authors of "High Impact Hiring: A Comprehensive Guide to Performance-Based Hiring," will give a seminar at the Boulder Public Library at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 7, as part of Chancellor Richard L. Byyny's lecture series.

College-age men often feel pressure to act strong and independent and that attitude is detrimental when it comes to taking advantage of health care services, physicians at Wardenburg Health Center say. That is why the Men's Health Services program at the CU-Boulder health center is aimed at encouraging male students to use services that they typically tend to avoid, including preventative care and a general assessment of risk factors. Young men are at greater risk for certain health problems such as testicular cancer, said Dr. James Schlegel.

A team of physicians and support staff at CU-BoulderÂ’s Wardenburg Health Center is providing GLBT Health Services to address the needs of the campus gay and lesbian community, according to Director Peter Shostak. GLBT Health Services are available to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered students, faculty and staff. The program was introduced at the request of the campus community, which has asked for care tailored to meet specific needs. The program offers a team of health-care providers and support staff who work throughout the building.

The aerospace engineering sciences department at the University of Colorado at Boulder has been ranked as the most improved university aerospace department in the nation over the past decade, according to an external advisory board report.

Do journalists who cover the environment report the facts, or do personal opinions about protecting the planet cloud their objectivity? Five leading journalists will share their views on the topic at a seminar on Saturday, Sept. 26, at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The CU-Boulder School of Journalism and Mass Communication will host "Environmental Journalism: Beat or Bias?" at 5:45 p.m. at Macky Auditorium, room 102. The seminar is free and open to the public.

Local children will have the opportunity to learn some basic concepts of physics from the original "Mr. Wizard," John Taylor, during a CU Wizards presentation at the University of Colorado at Boulder on Saturday, Sept. 26. Taylor has been a physics professor at CU-Boulder for 32 years and has delighted audiences as "Mr. Wizard" for more than 18 years.

University of Colorado at Boulder alumna Kalpana Chawla, a mission specialist on a 1997 NASA shuttle flight, will talk about her experiences Wednesday, Sept. 23, in the College of Engineering and Applied Science. Chawla flew aboard the space shuttle Columbia in November 1997. Also on the mission was Takao Doi, a former postdoctoral fellow and adjoint professor in CU's aerospace engineering department.

The University of Colorado at Boulder and the City of Boulder will join several members of Susannah Chase's family Monday to announce CU-City safety improvements and to introduce posters and bookmarks featuring Susannah's name and a sunflower logo.