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Professional golf great Hale Irwin, a 1967 University of Colorado at Â鶹ӰԺ graduate, will give the commencement address during CU-Â鶹ӰԺ's spring commencement on Friday, May 11. The ceremony, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 8:30 a.m. in Folsom Stadium, where 5,650 degrees will be conferred. Stadium gates open at 7 a.m. and guests are urged to be in their seats at the stadium well before 8:15 a.m. With commencement starting at 8:30 a.m., university officials are urging people to arrive as early as possible to avoid traffic delays.

An interactive "supermap" that portrays the mutations and spread of the avian flu around the globe over time should help researchers and policy makers better understand the virus and anticipate further outbreaks, according to a new study involving University of Colorado at Â鶹ӰԺ researchers.

A scheduled, sanctioned University of Colorado at Â鶹ӰԺ Naval ROTC national competition set for Saturday, April 28, from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. will involve the use of firearms, and university officials want to alert the public so that people will not be alarmed given the events on school campuses during the past two weeks.

University of Colorado at Â鶹ӰԺ students, faculty, staff and visitors can now pay for campus parking at solar-powered stations that offer a variety of payment options, including a pay-by-phone feature designed for the digital generation. "Our goal is to increase convenience and reliability while providing our patrons with more payment options," said Casey Jones, director of CU-Â鶹ӰԺ's parking and transportation department. "If this test is successful we hope to expand the new technology to other parts of campus."

Six University of Colorado at Â鶹ӰԺ students will receive scholarships from a program aimed at grooming the next generation of leaders who have a high sense of civic duty, ethical standards and strong academic goals. This year's Puksta scholars are Ashley Tillman, Stephanie Rodriguez, Bryant Mason, Julie Hayes, Andra Wilkinson and Ruth Steinmetz. Each will receive a $4,500 scholarship for the 2007-08 academic year from the Puksta Scholars Program, which encourages students to get involved in positive ways in the local community, said program coordinator Peter Simons.

A new book by a University of Colorado at Â鶹ӰԺ professor examines how the national media cover modern presidential elections amid increasing control over messages that get to the electorate, deep political divisions, public backlash over campaign mudslinging and the emergence of blogs and other "new media."

A variety of alternative energy systems and devices will be among the engineering student projects showcased at the University of Colorado at Â鶹ӰԺ's ITL Spring Design Expo on Saturday, April 28. The event, which is free and open to the public from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., will include 75 projects, ranging from a "hybrid" speedboat that could operate on a hydrogen fuel cell to an educational playground exhibit about the generation of wind energy developed for a local elementary school.

Three journalists who have written about the war-torn Middle East - including a Wall Street Journal reporter who uncovered the poignant story of one Marine's heroism in Iraq - will share their experiences with University of Colorado at Â鶹ӰԺ journalism students during a panel discussion this week. The event will take place at 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 25, in the Armory building, room 206A on the CU-Â鶹ӰԺ campus.

An Aboriginal tribe's knowledge of the stars, and its culture, stories and music will be explored at the University of Colorado at Â鶹ӰԺ's Fiske Planetarium on April 26-27 at 7:30 p.m. John Stocke, a CU-Â鶹ӰԺ professor of astrophysical and planetary sciences, will be joined by Australian storyteller and educator Paul Taylor to present "Aboriginal Skies."

More than 170 eighth-graders from Â鶹ӰԺ's Southern Hills Middle School will visit the University of Colorado at Â鶹ӰԺ on Tuesday, April 24, for an excursion involving lab tours, talks, science games and a field trip along Â鶹ӰԺ Creek. The students will be hosted by CU-Â鶹ӰԺ's Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research and the National Snow and Ice Data Center on the university's East Campus. The students will be at CU-Â鶹ӰԺ from about 9 a.m. to noon. The East Campus is located at 30th Street and Marine Street.