Â鶹ÒùÔº

A Rwandan priest who has been a key figure in western Rwanda community development projects with the CU-Boulder chapter of Engineers Without Borders will present a free, public lecture on "Rural Community Building in Rwanda" July 18. Father John Bosco will discuss current projects and future needs at the Boulder Public Library Auditorium, 1000 Canyon Blvd., from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

University of Colorado at Boulder Senior Research Associate John Behrendt, a fellow emeritus of the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, has been elected president of the American Polar Society for a two-year term. Behrendt, who has conducted research in Antarctica for 50 years, has been a CU-Boulder faculty member since 1996. The American Polar Society, which has more than 1,100 members, was founded in 1934 to foster interest in research and exploration of the arctic and Antarctica.

Examples of materials engineered by nature and ways human engineers can mimic the processes that create natural materials will be discussed at a free public lecture July 12 at the University of Colorado at Boulder. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign physics Professor Jennifer A. Lewis will present "Mimicking Nature via Directed Materials Assembly " at 7 p.m. in Duane Physics, room G1B20.

Twenty-eight high school students with a curiosity for math, science and technology will take a break from the swimming pool and head back to the classroom this week for a summer camp that brings engineering to life.

NEWS TIP SHEET CU-Boulder Source on Colorado Immigration Reform Debate Michael Kanner, a University of Colorado at Boulder political science instructor, can discuss the political tactics and rhetoric involved in the illegal immigration reform debate that has heated up in Colorado following the decision last week by Colorado Gov. Bill Owens to hold a special summer legislative session beginning July 6. Kanner specializes in political parties and pressure groups, the American political system and political symbolism.

A gigantic, daisy-shaped space shield could be used to block out pesky starlight and allow astronomers using an orbiting telescope to zero in on Earth-like planets in other solar systems, according to a University of Colorado at Boulder study.

Opportunities for solar energy in the Southwest will be discussed at a free public lecture July 6 at the University of Colorado at Boulder featuring the founder of SkyFuel, a developer of large-scale thermal solar power plants. Arnold Leitner, CEO and president of SkyFuel and a graduate of CU-Boulder, will present "The Sunrise of Solar Power" at 7 p.m. in Duane Physics room G-1B20. A reception will follow in the Gamow Tower's 11th floor commons room.

Editors: Reporters and photographers are welcome to attend the workshop. For a complete schedule of events, please e-mail liguori@colorado.edu or call (303) 492-3117. The roles of the military and the media in natural disaster response as well as the effects and recovery from Hurricane Katrina will be among topics discussed by more than 400 officials and researchers attending the 31st annual workshop hosted by the University of Colorado at Boulder's Natural Hazards Center.

The University of Colorado at Boulder student-built science instrument on NASA's New Horizons mission to Pluto has been renamed to honor another famous student -- the 11-year-old girl who named the ninth planet more than 75 years ago.

Two prominent photojournalists from Chile will be in Boulder in July to exhibit their photographs and speak about the diverse landscape and culture of their country from the coast to the Andes. Photographs by Hernan Pereira and Pamela Daza will be exhibited in the University of Colorado at Boulder Norlin Library HotSpot on the southwest first floor from July 14 to Aug. 4. A reception for the photographers, including a slide show and talk about Chile, will be held July 14 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the HotSpot. The reception is free and open to the public.