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A team of researchers led by the University of Colorado at Boulder has received a $4.25 million grant from the National Science Foundation to study the Boulder Creek watershed's "critical zone," which is made up of layers of soil and weathered rock. Awarded to CU-Boulder's Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, the grant will allow the researchers to gain a better understanding of the critical zone, which is significant because it supports terrestrial life, according to Assistant Professor Suzanne Anderson of INSTAAR, the principal investigator on the NSF grant.

On Thursday, Nov. 29, students in two Introduction to Environmental Design classes at the University of Colorado at Boulder will find wheelchairs to sit in instead of their usual desks. The class instructor will give each student a specific task to accomplish in a wheelchair during the class and will assign the students to design a bus stop for the disabled.

Media coverage of a CEO in a major business publication has boosted the executive's salary by as much as $1.4 million in part because that coverage affects how non-executive or "outside directors" evaluate the CEO, according to a study from the University of Colorado at Boulder Leeds School of Business.

As part of ongoing efforts to reduce a campus energy bill that exceeds $25 million a year, the University of Colorado at Boulder is rewarding employees who implement strategies to reduce energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions while providing conservation learning opportunities to students. Five CU-Boulder buildings attained Buff Energy Star status during the 2006-07 fiscal year, which means that building employees reduced energy use by at least 5 percent over the previous fiscal year.

A team led by the University of Colorado at Boulder and the University of Milan has discovered some unexpected forms of liquid crystals of ultrashort DNA molecules immersed in water, providing a new scenario for a key step in the emergence of life on Earth.

With the snow starting to fly in the Colorado high country not only is it time to sharpen the skis and dust off the snowshoes, but it's also time to tune up your body so you can enjoy your favorite winter sport. According to James Hardy, assistant strength and conditioning coach in the University of Colorado at Boulder athletics department, the first step to getting into shape is to get your body moving.

A podcast produced by the University of Colorado at Boulder Office of News Services offers shopping tips from Leeds School of Business Professor Donald Lichtenstein to help consumers save money. Even with all the choices and information available to shoppers today on the Internet, Lichtenstein said many shoppers still lose when it comes to getting the best price for their gifts because most people engage in surprisingly little "search behavior" before making a purchase.

The University of Colorado at Boulder Housing and Dining Services Department will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the debut of the newly renovated Sewall Hall Dining Center. The grand opening will take place from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 27, at Sewall Hall, the oldest residence facility on the CU-Boulder campus. A $6.5 million project to update Sewall's dining accommodations included the restoration of historic fixtures and the addition of bright, modern conveniences to serve more than 1,000 meals per day.

The Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh Foundation has awarded grants for two University of Colorado at Boulder engineering projects exploring technological solutions to environmental challenges. One of the grants was awarded to John Zhai, an assistant professor in the Building Systems Program, and the other was awarded to environmental engineering professors Angela Bielefeldt and Scott Summers. The Lindbergh Foundation awarded 14 grants this year from a pool of 150 applications.

The University of Colorado at Boulder has received a grant of up to $2.4 million to improve teacher education in math and science following a nationwide competition that included submissions from more than 50 universities. CU-Boulder's grant is one of 12 being awarded by the National Math and Science Initiative to implement programs modeled after UTeach, a highly successful math and science teacher preparation program at the University of Texas at Austin.