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Mark Twain — the humorist, river boat captain, newspaper reporter, logger and writer — spent several years trudging around the West, absorbing experiences that would one day surface in his famous stories and books. Those experiences will be one of the topics covered by Leland Krauth, associate professor of English at the University of Colorado at Boulder, during his talk "A Talent for Posturing: Mark Twain in the West," on Oct. 5 from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. in room 235 of the University Memorial Center.

Joseph F. Becelia, a career member of the United States Foreign Service, has replaced Mary Ann Casey as Diplomat in Residence at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and will spend the next year lecturing, teaching and reaching out to the public about foreign policy. The U.S. Department of State has placed Becelia -- one of only eight nationally dispersed Diplomats in Residence -- at CU-Boulder for the 1999-2000 school year to work with students and others interested in foreign affairs.

Recipients of the 1999 BFGoodrich Collegiate Inventors of the Year award and the 1999 Marshall Sherfield Fellowship included two students from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Chemical engineering major Andrew Neice received the prestigious BFGoodrich award for his "porous membrane" invention during his freshman and sophomore years with CU-Boulder's Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program and CU's Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program.

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.