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Sixteen University of Colorado at Boulder faculty members, researchers and graduate students will address topics ranging from space policy under the Bush Administration and decision making in the "new" nuclear age to policy implications of climate change on Friday, Feb. 25.

University of Colorado at Boulder chemistry and biochemistry Distinguished Professor Marvin Caruthers has been named winner of the prestigious National Academy of Sciences Award for Chemistry in Service to Society. Caruthers was honored for developing several processes to synthesize DNA, the genetic material that makes up the building blocks of life. Caruthers' research in nucleic acid chemistry laid the foundation for the automatic synthesis of DNA achieved with devices popularly known as "gene machines."

Ryan Gill, an assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder, has received two major awards supporting his research and teaching in genomics totaling $1.15 million over the next five years. The awards include a National Science Foundation CAREER Award worth $400,000 and a National Institutes of Health K25 Mentored Career Development Award worth $750,000. Both awards were announced in January and recognize excellence in teaching and research by a young faculty member.

The deputy director of the federal agency responsible for insuring millions of American's pensions will speak March 11 at the University of Colorado at Boulder's Business and the Broader Culture Symposium. The free symposium, "Corporate Retirement Security: Social and Ethical Issues," will be held from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Boulderado Hotel, 2115 13th St. in Boulder. The event is hosted by the Center for Business and Society of the Leeds School of Business.

The Chancellor's Committee on Women at the University of Colorado at Boulder is holding a series of meetings in February and March to get feedback about the campus environment for women. The series of "town-hall" style meetings was organized to get feedback from women on campus about issues such as gender equity, harassment and intimidation, opportunities for leadership and advancement, and balancing the demands of work and private lives.

Note to Editors: Contents embargoed until 1:45 p.m. EST on Sunday, Feb 20. Massive solar storms that hammered Earth's space environment in fall 2003 and turned a normally safe region for satellites into a hazardous zone of energetic particles may not be as cyclic as once believed, according to a University of Colorado at Boulder professor.

The University of Colorado at Boulder's Community Relations office and Moe's Broadway Bagel are sponsoring a book drive with free bagels at Boulder-area Moe's stores. People who bring in new or gently used children's books to either of the Boulder Moe's locations will receive a free bagel with cream cheese. The offer is limited to one bagel per customer per visit. The drive, which starts on Feb. 18 and continues through Feb. 25, is being hosted in celebration of the National Education Association's Read Across America Day on March 2.

CU-Boulder will begin a maintenance project in early March to repair the existing wire fence along its west and south property boundaries at CU-Boulder South. The existing fence has been in place for more than 20 years and is broken in many areas, according to Jeff Lipton, executive director of the Facilities Management department, which will perform the repairs. The existing fence will be replaced with similar materials, and fence openings will still be in place to allow the public access to the property.

Linda Watkins, a professor and researcher in the University of Colorado at Boulder's psychology department and Center for Neuroscience, has won a national award in part for her continuing work to stop chronic pain. The American Pain Society will honor Watkins with its 2005 F.W.L. Kerr Memorial Award on April 2 during the organization's national meeting in Boston. The $10,000 award recognizes Watkins' achievements and contributions to the field of pain research over the span of her career.

The Parents Association at the University of Colorado at Boulder has awarded $40,269 in grants to 16 campus programs that help enrich student life. The grants are awarded annually to CU-Boulder organizations whose projects build community, promote diversity, improve student safety or meet other association goals. Projects and programs receiving awards include: