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On Oct. 10, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a case that reconsiders affirmative action in university admissions. In Fisher v. University of Texas, the plaintiff is a white woman who says she was denied admission while less-qualified minority applicants were admitted. When the court last considered the issue in 2003, it re-affirmed that public colleges and universities could consider race as one of many factors in making admissions decisions.

Engineering faculty and students at the °µÍø½ûÇø have produced the first experimental results showing that atomically thin graphene membranes with tiny pores can effectively and efficiently separate gas molecules through size-selective sieving. The findings are a significant step toward the realization of more energy-efficient membranes for natural gas production and for reducing carbon dioxide emissions from power plant exhaust pipes.

Each year CU-Boulder’s program review process begins with a gathering of the community. The annual Academic Forum is an opportunity for faculty, staff, and students to engage in a collaborative conversation about the units undergoing review. This year's process focuses on a cross section of units involved in the study of life and environmental sciences. Please join us this Oct. 10 starting at 1:30 p.m, to talk about the significant ways that these units are shaping CU-Boulder's present and future.

An update to an election forecasting model announced by two University of Colorado professors in August continues to project that Mitt Romney will win the 2012 presidential election. According to their updated analysis, Romney is projected to receive 330 of the total 538 Electoral College votes. President Barack Obama is expected to receive 208 votes -- down five votes from their initial prediction -- and short of the 270 needed to win.

The National Science Foundation has awarded a $12 million grant to a CU-Boulder-led team to explore ways to maximize the benefits of natural gas development while minimizing negative impacts on ecosystems and communities.

Excited as she was about being at CU-Boulder, Melanie Ferraro’s freshman year got off to a rocky start. Ferraro was eventually able to find her footing, however, in a class she was required to take as a Norlin Scholarship recipient, called Constructions of Knowledge. It wasn’t the class itself that led to her transformation from scared and unhappy to confident and successful. It was the connections and friendships she made with the other students.

The °µÍø½ûÇø’s Jennie Smoly Caruthers Biotechnology building has received a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, platinum rating -- the highest possible evaluation -- from the United States Green Building Council.

The °µÍø½ûÇø has hired its first Colorado Chair in Environmental Studies, an endowed chair awarded to Daniel Doak, a conservation biologist known for his quantitative analysis of how different government policies could affect the populations of species ranging from sea otters, California condors, corals and rare plants. The endowed chair in environmental studies was made possible by $4 million in gifts made anonymously in 2009 and 2010 toward the chair.

Colorado business leaders’ attitudes remained almost unchanged going into the fourth quarter, according to the most recent quarterly Leeds Business Confidence Index, or LBCI, released today by the Leeds School of Business . The LBCI’s reading remained positive, above the critical mark of 50, but fell from 53.6 in the third quarter to 51.6 in the fourth. A reading greater than 50 indicates positive expectations, while one lower than 50 indicates negative expectations.

Colorado business leaders’ attitudes remained almost unchanged going into the fourth quarter, according to the most recent quarterly Leeds Business Confidence Index, or LBCI, released today by the °µÍø½ûÇø’s Leeds School of Business. The LBCI’s reading remained positive, above the critical mark of 50, but fell from 53.6 in the third quarter to 51.6 in the fourth. A reading greater than 50 indicates positive expectations, while one lower than 50 indicates negative expectations.