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A University of Colorado at Boulder committee comprised of faculty, staff and one graduate student will start searching for a new vice chancellor for research and dean of the graduate school. Psychology professor Jerry Rudy will chair the committee, which was expected to begin its work in late October. Philip DiStefano, provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs, said the panel expects to have finalists on campus by March or April and will make a decision by May.

A new podcast produced by the University of Colorado at Boulder News Services office highlights what the campus is doing to prepare for a potential flu pandemic. To access the podcast, go to www.colorado.edu/news/podcasts/index.html and click play on "CU-Boulder Ramps Up to Handle Pandemic, Common Flu Outbreak."

Scientists from the University of Colorado at Boulder and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta have developed a novel "gene chip" based on a single influenza virus gene that is expected to allow scientists to quickly identify specific flu viruses, including avian influenza H5N1.

A writing professor who coaches English teachers around the world, two well-traveled study abroad students and a graduate student from Belarus will be recognized for their efforts to foster global awareness and understanding at the University of Colorado at Boulder. CU-Boulder's Office of International Education will bestow its first Global Citizens Awards on all four to mark International Education Week Nov. 13-17. An awards ceremony will be held Nov. 15 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the lobby of the ATLAS building.

Kathleen Man, an assistant professor in the film studies department at the University of Colorado at Boulder, has been honored with another award for her film about child trafficking in Nepal. "Sita, a Girl From Jambu" won this year's Best Feature Film Award in the children's advocacy category at the 3rd Annual Artivist Film Festival being held Nov. 9-12 in Los Angeles. It is the sixth award given to Man for "Sita" since its debut at the Boulder International Film Festival this year.

At least two major street improvement projects are affecting traffic flow in Boulder, but University of Colorado students, faculty and staff can learn more about lane closures and other changes by logging onto two city Web sites. The projects, scheduled to be finished by next summer, are aimed at improving traffic flow, repairing infrastructure, creating bike underpasses and implementing other multimodal upgrades, said city spokeswoman Noreen Walsh.

An upright hominid that lived side by side with direct ancestors of modern humans more than a million years ago had a far more diverse diet than once believed, clouding the notion that it was driven to extinction by its picky eating habits as the African continent dried, says a new University of Colorado at Boulder study.

An honor guard will present the national colors, the Colorado Air National Guard will conduct an F-16 flyover, and a remembrance run will conclude at Folsom Field Saturday during Veterans Day pre-game activities planned for the University of Colorado-Iowa State football game. The festivities will take place before the game's 1 p.m. kickoff, including the conclusion of the 24-hour Prisoners of War and Missing in Action Remembrance Run.

A chance encounter with a wayward seal by an Antarctic research team has led to an engaging children's book by a University of Colorado at Boulder professor describing the beat of life in the continent's desolate Dry Valleys.

Skateboarding physicists and a basketball cannon will be two highlights of the Nov. 18 CU Wizards show on "The Physics of Sports" at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Physics professors Deborah Jin and John Bohn will present the show at 9:30 a.m. in the Muezinger Psychology auditorium, room E050. It is free and open to the public.