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A new book by a University of Colorado at Boulder 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 Boulder'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 Boulder 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-Boulder campus.

An Aboriginal tribe's knowledge of the stars, and its culture, stories and music will be explored at the University of Colorado at Boulder's Fiske Planetarium on April 26-27 at 7:30 p.m. John Stocke, a CU-Boulder 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 Boulder's Southern Hills Middle School will visit the University of Colorado at Boulder on Tuesday, April 24, for an excursion involving lab tours, talks, science games and a field trip along Boulder Creek. The students will be hosted by CU-Boulder'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-Boulder from about 9 a.m. to noon. The East Campus is located at 30th Street and Marine Street.

The televised launch of a NASA mission involving University of Colorado at Boulder faculty, staff and students to probe mysterious clouds, possibly tied to climate change, will be presented Wednesday, April 25, at 1:30 p.m. on the east campus. The program is being hosted by CU-Boulder's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, which built two of the three instruments for the Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere mission, or AIM. LASP will control the NASA spacecraft from campus.

The southwestern United States has experienced a significant delay in its annual summer monsoon rains in recent decades due to warmer sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, according to a new study at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

o Based on policy set forth by the University of Colorado Board of Regents and Colorado Revised Statute Title 18-12-105.5, it is unlawful to carry a concealed weapon or to possess a weapon while on the grounds of a CU campus.

A second candlelight vigil in remembrance of the victims of the Virginia Tech shootings will be held at the University of Colorado at Boulder on Sunday, April 22, from 8-9 p.m. The event will be held on the Norlin Quad. Candles will be provided. The candlelight vigil aims to unite the Boulder community to express compassion and sympathy for those people who were killed or wounded and for "those whose lives will be forever changed" by the April 16 tragedy, according to CU-Boulder students from Virginia who are organizing the event.

Procedures have been in place for many years at the University of Colorado at Boulder to help campus counselors and administrators identify and reach out to people - including students, faculty and staff - who may be at risk for injuring themselves or others. "Students are encouraged to let us know of students in distress so that we can refer people who need help to various counseling resources on campus," said Ron Stump, vice chancellor for student affairs.