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Freshman students entering the University of Colorado at Boulder this fall are better prepared for college than any previous entering class and their numbers are higher than ever before, according to fall 2003 census information. Improved preparation, as shown by higher entrance-exam scores and higher high school grade-point averages, is precisely the direction the campus wants to be heading, according to Chancellor Richard L. Byyny, who has championed CU-Boulder's Quality for Colorado proposal in recent years.

The ability of several of Colorado's prime ski areas to respond to winter drought is threatened by acidic runoff from abandoned mines, according to researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder and the Northwest Colorado Council of Governments. Contamination known as acid-rock drainage enters waterways, such as Summit County's Snake River, that are used for making artificial snow. When the snow melts, the water can run into streams not previously polluted, further spreading the contamination, said the research team.

MEDIA ADVISORY CU-Boulder State of the Campus Address Set for Sept. 23 Editors note: Reporters and photographers are invited to attend. Chancellor Byyny will be available for an informal question-and-answer session immediately following the address. Chancellor Richard L. Byyny of the University of Colorado at Boulder will deliver the annual State of the Campus address to CU-Boulder faculty, staff and students on Sept. 23 at noon in the Old Main Chapel.

More than 500 people from 45 countries are registered to attend a multidisciplinary, grassroots conference on sustainable development, technology and use of resources Sept. 29 through Oct. 4 at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The first-of-its-kind gathering, called "Sustainable Resources 2003: Solutions to World Poverty," is co-sponsored by CU-Boulder, the Sustainable Village and Naropa University. Registration is open to anyone interested in issues of sustainability and international development; a portion of the conference also will be open to the general public.

The University of Colorado at Boulder's Alliance for Technology, Learning and Society Institute, or ATLAS, has won one of the highest awards given by a national nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the use of technology in higher education. The Award for Systemic Progress in Teaching and Learning was made to the ATLAS program by EDUCAUSE, an association of nearly 1,900 colleges and educational organizations formed to advance higher education through information technology. The award is sponsored by Collegis, an EDUCAUSE Bronze Partner.

Christopher Schmidt has been named assistant director of the Office of Judicial Affairs at the University of Colorado at Boulder, according to director Matthew Lopez-Phillips. "Chris brings a wealth of experience to our office as well as a deep understanding of the university and its various components as a former graduate and hall director," said Lopez-Phillips. "I am very pleased that Chris is a member of the Judicial Affairs team."

CU Buffaloes fans can enjoy performances by the University of Colorado at Boulder Golden Buffalo Marching Band and appearances by university basketball players and coaches at a new annual fundraising event for CU bands, Sept. 28 at the Coors Events/Conference Center.

Stewart Udall, James Watt and Bruce Babbitt are among five former Secretaries of the Interior scheduled to speak at the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2003-04 as part of a series focusing on their roles in shaping the West. Udall will kick off the series Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. in the Glenn Miller Ballroom of the University Memorial Center. All of the talks are free and open to the public.

Complying with changes in state law and to provide added security for students, the University of Colorado at Boulder is no longer using social security numbers as the university ID for new students. Since June 27, new records created in the University of Colorado student database system have been assigned nine-digit ID numbers starting in the 800 range. At CU-Boulder, system-assigned student ID numbers begin with "810."

Nobel laureate Carl Wieman, distinguished professor of physics at the University of Colorado at Boulder, says the use of an electronic feedback system and other innovations are improving learning in his undergraduate class of non-science majors. Wieman said last spring's class on "The Physics of Everyday Life" was "spectacularly successful" and he looks forward to seeing how the same techniques will work in the fall semester's larger class. His current class has a capacity enrollment of 216 students and had a substantial list of students wanting to get in.