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Accompanied by an original score composed and performed by University of Colorado at Boulder music students, an innovative California-based troupe will stage a theater production on stilts in the campus's new black-box theater.

A growing interest in Asian languages, cultures and geopolitics - from the booming economies of China and India to troubled hot spots in North Korea and the Middle East - has prompted a University of Colorado at Boulder center to expand its course offerings to undergraduate and graduate students. Professor Laurel Rasplica Rodd, director of the CU-Boulder Center for Asian Studies, said students began taking Hindi classes this academic year and that Farsi and Indonesian classes would be offered starting next fall.

An innovative partnership between the University of Colorado at Boulder and Habitat for Humanity aims to give student leaders hands-on experience and teach them what it takes to run an effective nonprofit organization dedicated to creating stronger communities and helping people in need.

The University of Colorado at Boulder is joining with Colorado State University, the Colorado School of Mines, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the business sector to establish a Colorado Center for Biorefining and Biofuels. The center was announced Monday by Colorado political leaders including U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, Gov. Bill Ritter, Sen. Wayne Allard and U.S. Reps Mark Udall and Marilyn Musgrave.

Arctic sea ice that has been dwindling for several decades may have reached a tipping point that could trigger a cascade of climate change reaching into Earth's temperate regions, says a new University of Colorado at Boulder study.

Three German broadcast journalists will discuss European media coverage of the Iraq war and their continent's viewpoints of U.S. involvement in the conflict during a panel discussion at the University of Colorado at Boulder. CU-Boulder's School of Journalism and Mass Communication is sponsoring the talk, which will take place from noon to 1 p.m. on Monday, March 19, in room 218 of the Armory Building, located at 1511 University Ave. The event is open to the general public, but journalism students and faculty will get first-priority seating.

Former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan will visit the University of Colorado at Boulder next month to talk about cultural acceptance, the challenges he faced during his tenure and eight major goals set by the international body to meet the needs of the world's poorest people. CU-Boulder's Distinguished Speakers and Cultural Events boards are sponsoring the April 18 event, which will take place at 7:30 p.m. at the Coors Events/Conference Center. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m.

The University of Colorado at Boulder has been selected to oversee a huge research project in the southern Rocky Mountains and Colorado Plateau that will address large-scale ecological problems affecting grasslands to glaciers as part of a proposal under final review by the National Science Foundation.

Xcel Energy has become the primary sponsor of the 2007 University of Colorado Solar Decathlon team with its agreement to contribute $200,000 toward the zero-energy solar home being designed and built by CU-Boulder students, it was announced today. Following the competition, Xcel Energy will make the home available for public education purposes and continuing solar research at a location still to be determined.

University of Colorado at Boulder physics Professor Margaret Murnane has been named a Fellow of the Association for Women in Science in recognition of her efforts to recruit, retain and mentor women in the field of physics. Murnane was one of 10 fellows selected in 2007 for their dedication and commitment to the advancement of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. She was the only recipient in the Rocky Mountain region and is one of only 119 fellows named since the program began in 1996.