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Middle school and high school students from around the world will meet at the University of Colorado at Â鶹ӰԺ April 24 to April 28 for simulation tests of experiments that will ride on NASA's space shuttle Columbia July 19. The seven-person Columbia flight crew will include CU-Â鶹ӰԺ aerospace engineering graduate Kalpana Chawla, who is making her second space shuttle flight. Chawla, who received her doctorate in 1988 from CU-Â鶹ӰԺ and flew on Columbia in 1997, will help operate the student experiments in orbit.

The CU-Â鶹ӰԺ School of Law honored several students and faculty and staff for making a difference during the 2001-02 school year. Professor Scott Peppet received the Excellence in Teaching Award. He was selected from a field that included Professors Melissa Hart and Wayne Gazur and visiting Associate Professor Jack Graves. The award is voted on by the student body and goes to the faculty member that enhances the educational experience for students both inside and outside the classroom.

Hundreds of students from throughout Colorado will converge on the University of Colorado at Â鶹ӰԺ campus to present a wide array of projects, many a year in the making, during the 21st annual Colorado History Day next week. Â鶹ӰԺ 600 students in grades six through 12 will compete in the event on Saturday, April 27, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on the CU-Â鶹ӰԺ campus. The winners will move on to the National History Day competition in June.

Grand Junction teenager Ryan Patterson, who has taken top honors in the nation's most prestigious science competitions, is planning to announce his college choice at 4 p.m. today. Patterson is visiting the University of Colorado at Â鶹ӰԺ with his parents, Randy and Sherry Patterson, and two friends who will be attending CU-Â鶹ӰԺ in the fall. They will spend the day looking at housing options and meeting privately with faculty and staff at the College of Engineering and Applied Science, where he is considering enrolling in the electrical engineering program.

University of Colorado at Â鶹ӰԺ School of Law Professor Robert Dieter has been nominated by President Bush to be a member of the Board of Directors of the Legal Services Corporation. Professor Dieter is one of five appointees the President named to serve on the 11-member board. The appointment, which requires Senate confirmation, is for a three-year term. The President announced the nominations March 26.

Second graders in the "I Have a Dream" program at Sanchez Elementary School in Lafayette are excitedly designing animal costumes and masks for this Saturday's "Procession of the Species" program. "Procession of the Species," an artistic celebration of the natural world, will be on Saturday, April 20, at 10 a.m. at Central Park in Â鶹ӰԺ. The students will show off their creations at the procession. The second graders have been learning about Â鶹ӰԺ County's biodiversity -- the variety of all living things and their interactions - in recent weeks.

An orientation event for students at the University of Colorado at Â鶹ӰԺ who plan to move off campus next fall is set for April 24th at La Iguana Taqueria on the Hill, from noon to 3 p.m.

"Spirits from the Sky: Thunder on the Land," a new star show produced in collaboration with the Pawnee Nation will debut at the University of Colorado at Â鶹ӰԺ's Fiske Planetarium on Saturday, April 27, at 2 p.m. The show will be preceded by a traditional Pawnee blessing ceremony and songs, and will be followed by a reception. Most of the show is pre-recorded, but there also is a live portion. It will be repeated Tuesday, April 30, at 7:30 p.m.

An accounting professor at the University of Colorado at Â鶹ӰԺ Leeds School of Business will travel to China next week to advise Chinese business faculty on environmental education issues. Naomi Soderstrom will attend the World Resources Institute's China Business/Environment Learning and Leadership (China BELL) conference in Beijing April 22-24. She will advise professors from Chinese business schools on conducting courses and developing curricula that includes environmental and sustainable management topics.

Students at the CU-Â鶹ӰԺ Leeds School of Business will offer their recommendations on how Colorado and specific tourist destinations can best employ sustainable business practices at the first Sustainable Practices in Tourism event on Thursday, April 25.