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University of Colorado Professors Tarek Sammakia and Gordon Yee are sure to whip up some fun Feb. 28 in “Polymers, Foams and Gels,” the next segment of the popular ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Wizards science series for children. The chemistry and biochemistry professors will perform a variety of demonstrations including making slime, blowing up a hydrogen balloon and dissolving a styrofoam mannequin with nail polish remover.

The University of Colorado at Boulder has established a Hazing Tipsline to give students, parents or faculty a place to call if they encounter hazing incidents. The tipsline also aims to reduce, if not eliminate, hazing by Greek organizations and other student clubs by allowing the university to investigate cases more readily. The Hazing Tipsline can be reached at (303) 492-0140. Messages will be checked daily Monday through Friday.

Six graduate programs at the University of Colorado at Boulder were cited for excellence in 1998 in selected disciplines ranked by U.S. News and World Report. ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ-BoulderÂ’s School of Education jumped from 19th in 1997 to a tie for 15th in 1998 with Northwestern University and the University of Iowa. Columbia UniversityÂ’s education school was ranked first, followed by the University of California, Berkeley, Harvard University and Stanford University. The rankings were based on reputation, student selectivity, faculty resources and research activity.

Stewart Hoover, professor of journalism and mass communication at the University of Colorado at Boulder, has been awarded a grant of $467,000 over four years from the Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc. to study new trends in religion and the media. Titled "Symbolism, Media and the Lifecourse," the study involves religious symbolism and its relation to contemporary life.

Dr. Stanley Prusiner, winner of the 1997 Nobel Prize in Medicine who discovered a new class of pathogens linked to “mad cow disease” and "wasting disease" in deer and elk, will lecture at the University of Colorado at Boulder on March 3. Prusiner will give a free public talk on "Prions -- A New Paradigm in Biology and Medicine" at 8 p.m. in Macky Auditorium. The 33rd George Gamow Memorial Lecture is intended for general audiences and will feature slides.

St. Patrick’s Day conjures up images of lucky four leaf clovers, the color green, and crowded Irish pubs filled with people wearing buttons that say, “Kiss Me, I’m Irish. But the true meaning behind the holiday is in the saint himself. St. Patrick was seen as the savior of Ireland 1,500 years ago and still is today, according to University of Colorado at Boulder English Professor Michael Bell.

Patrick McQuillan, assistant professor of education, teaches a class on middle school philosophy and is a proponent of the approach. He believes the junior high school model tries to force children into a high school curriculum too early. The middle school approach is geared to the intellectual, social and physical development needs of young adolescents, he says. It emphasizes team teaching and an integrated approach to learning the subject matter and does require more planning time for teachers.

For many people, the thought of getting a tattoo conjures up images of sailors and leather-clad bikers adorning themselves with skulls, hearts and other symbols of machismo. But, in fact, tattoos carry a rich cultural significance that dates back many centuries. And while still popular with the biker crowd today, tattoos now adorn a broader segment of the population.

The Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence at the University of Colorado at Boulder has received a $210,000 grant from the Metropolitan Life Foundation in New York City for its work on reducing juvenile violence. The ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ-Boulder center was named the co-winner of the 1997 Positive Choices Youth Anti-Violence Initiatives Program sponsored by the foundation. The other winner was the Institute for Urban and Minority Education at Columbia University's Teachers College, which will receive $190,000.

The ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ-Boulder Division of Continuing Education and the University Book Store will present three well-known faculty, who are authors, in a Lunch and Learn Series to be held at the Chautauqua Community House. The lunch-time talks will entertain, provoke and inform, according to Gwen Thornton, academic coordinator in the Division of Continuing Education.