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Six undergraduate and graduate women students at the University of Colorado at Boulder are receiving scholarships for the spring semester 2005 courtesy of the university's Center for Education and Career Transition. Mary Ball, Iruka Sharon Hikaru and Mary Ellen Flynn each received $1,000 scholarships in three award categories. Kristen Davidson, Elizabeth Franko and Kristi Chapin were awarded $600 each, also for different awards. The winners were selected based on a biographical application essay, grade-point average and amount of financial need.

Supernovae, one of the most violent phenomena in astronomy, will be explored at CU-Boulder's Fiske Planetarium on Feb. 3 and Feb. 4 at 7:30 p.m. During the show "Supernovae," University of Colorado at Boulder Professor Emeritus Richard McCray will explore the death of stars and the energetic birth of the elements found in all living creatures today, including humans.

Landscape burning by ancient hunters and gatherers may have triggered the failure of the annual Australian Monsoon some 12,000 years ago, resulting in the desertification of the country's interior that is evident today, according to a new study.

DENVER - The University of Colorado at Boulder has claimed the No. 2 spot among all U.S. colleges and universities for producing the highest number of Peace Corps volunteers. There currently are 104 CU-Boulder graduates making a difference in the lives of individuals and communities throughout the world as Peace Corps volunteers. Every year, the Peace Corps recognizes the college and university alumni who are working to advance the mission of the Peace Corps by publishing the "Top Producing Colleges and Universities" list.

Note to Editors: Contents embargoed until 5 p.m. EST on Jan. 24. Additional photos are available by calling Mike Liguori at (303) 492-3117. Microbes living in the brilliantly colored hot springs of Yellowstone National Park use primarily hydrogen for fuel, a discovery University of Colorado at Boulder researchers say bodes well for life in extreme environments on other planets and could add to understanding of bacteria inside the human body.

MEDIA ADVISORY A "multimedia groundbreaking" Jan. 25 for CU-Boulder's new $34 million ATLAS Center will feature "virtual shovels" in a video to be shown on the site of the former Hunter Science Building, northeast of the University Memorial Center on campus. The groundbreaking is at 12:30 p.m. and is open to the public. ATLAS is the Alliance for Technology, Learning and Society Institute.

When University of Colorado at Boulder Distinguished Law Professor Charles Wilkinson was asked to testify on behalf of an American Indian accused of murder, he jumped at the opportunity. But this was not your ordinary murder case. It happened over 146 years ago. Originally tried in the Oregon Territory in what is now the state of Washington, the man accused of murder was called Leschi, the last chief of the Nisqually Tribe.

Two University of Colorado at Boulder faculty members will receive $175,000 from the MacArthur Foundation for projects that focus on human migration. The grants were among 26 awarded to scholars in Russia, Botswana, Italy, Mexico, Nepal, Northern Ireland and the United States.

A panel of writers, editors and publishers will share the secrets of succeeding in the competitive consumer magazine industry on Thursday, Jan. 27, at 5 p.m. in Eaton Humanities Building room 150 at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The event is part of the Career Series sponsored by the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and is free and open to the public.

Note to Editors: Reporters and photographers are welcome to attend the symposium, and panelists will be available for interviews after the program ends. University of Colorado at Boulder experts in earthquakes and tsunamis, the sociology of disasters, and the various cultures and politics of the Indian Ocean region will gather Jan. 26 for a free public symposium.