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A $5 million ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ at Boulder satellite dubbed the "Little Satellite That Did" now is expected to re-enter the atmosphere and burn up in late November or early December following a successful six-year mission.

The High Desert Museum in Bend, Ore., has named Distinguished ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ at Boulder Law Professor Charles Wilkinson as the recipient of its 2003 Earle A. Chiles Award. The award includes a $15,000 cash prize and will be presented to Wilkinson on Dec. 2 at the annual Earle A. Chiles Award Banquet in Portland, Ore.

Amelia Earhart, a sophomore at the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ at Boulder and a relative of the famous aviator, is accustomed to surprised expressions, corny jokes and questions about whether she likes to fly. "Anytime I have to introduce myself to someone with my full name, the reaction is always, 'Wow, are you serious?' " Earhart said. "Everyone's pretty interested in it, and I'm glad about that. No one ever forgets my name."

The latest news and scientific objectives of the Cassini spacecraft mission to Saturn will be explored at the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ at Boulder's Fiske Planetarium on Friday, Dec. 5, at 7:30 p.m. Carolyn Porco, a senior research scientist at the Space Science Institute in Boulder and an adjunct professor at CU-Boulder and the University of Arizona, will present her show "Ten Astronomical Units from the Sun - the Cassini Spacecraft Reaches Saturn."

The ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ at Boulder's "Competing with Class" campaign will be in effect during the Nebraska football game in an effort to dissuade potentially rowdy fans from behaving like turkeys on the day after Thanksgiving. The campaign was initiated earlier this year to increase communication about expectations for high levels of sportsmanship and strengthened enforcement of university policies following recent reports of unruly fan behavior.

About 60 student-built devices and inventions ranging from a daguerreotype camera and other examples of pre-20th century technology to a liquid nitrogen engine and robotic tour guide will be demonstrated to the public at the ITLL Fall Design Expo on Saturday, Dec. 6.

Faculty in the new Hazel Gates Woodruff Senior Scholars Program at the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ at Boulder will hold a book talk Dec. 3 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Woodruff Women's Studies Cottage reading room. "Woodruff Senior Scholars are tenured men and women faculty who are distinguished in their fields," said Professor Polly McLean, interim director of women's studies. "They have a history of teaching and a record of substantial scholarship and research in women, gender and sexuality studies, among other areas."

A super-cold collection of molecules behaving in perfect unison has been created for the first time from a sea of "fermion" atoms by researchers at JILA, a joint institute of the Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ at Boulder (CU-Boulder).

The ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ at Boulder's Fiske Planetarium will explore the origins of traditions such as menorah candles, solstice bonfires, mistletoe and the Christmas star during the holiday show "Season of Light." The program will be shown on Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons during the holiday season. The Friday shows are Dec. 12 and Dec. 19 at 7:30 p.m., and the Saturday shows are Dec. 6, Dec. 13 and Dec. 20 at 2 p.m. The presentation investigates the origins of why the holidays are celebrated the way they are and is suitable for all ages.

Professor Andrew Martin of the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ at Boulder will lecture Dec. 3 on strategies that saved two native species from the grip of extinction: the Devil's Hole pupfish and Colorado's greenback cutthroat trout. "The Challenge of Native Fish Species Conservation: A Tail of Two Species" will begin at 7 p.m. in the Chautauqua Community House at 900 Baseline Road in Boulder. The talk is part of the 2003-04 Chancellor's Community Lecture Series and is free and open to the public.