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When this year's Leonid meteor shower peaks on Nov. 17-18, ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ skywatchers may be treated to the best show in years, according to Francisco Salas of ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥-Boulder's Fiske Planetarium. The Leonid meteors are part of the debris trail expelled by comet Tempel-Tuttle in its 33-year orbit around the sun. The Earth happens to pass through this trail of debris each November.

State and University of ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ officials along with several major industry sponsors today unveiled a multi-million-dollar visualization center that offers advanced immersive visualization capabilities for a variety of business sectors, as well as opportunities for scientists to better understand the natural environment.

The process of school change is never easy, even under ideal circumstances. Kevin Welner, an assistant professor in the University of ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ at Boulder School of Education, studied how four school districts from California to Delaware struggled with school reform efforts. His findings are contained in a new book titled "Legal Rights, Local Wrongs: When Community Control Collides with Educational Equity."

The University of ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ at Boulder, Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Wisconsin will receive $5.8 million to help understand and improve the way students learn and are taught algebra.

The Silicon Flatiron Telecommunications Program at the University of ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ School of Law will hold a conference titled "The Future of Broadband Communications" on Nov. 5 to examine how broadband connectivity will transform society, education and the economy. The conference will be from 3:30 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. in the Lindsley Memorial Courtroom at the law school.

A talk on "Geographies of Terror: Manufacturing Nationalism and the Politics of Urban Reconstruction in New York City" will be held at the University of ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ at Boulder on Monday, Oct. 29. Distinguished Professor Neil Smith of the City University of New York will speak at 4 p.m. in the Hale Science Building, room 270. The event is free and open to the public. A reception will follow at the Heritage Center in Old Main.

The Building Community Campaign at ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥-Boulder will sponsor an interactive theater performance on Thursday, Nov. 1, from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the University Memorial Center's Dennis Small Cultural Center, room 305. Titled "What Will Happen Next?" the short piece portrays the reactions of several fictional ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥-Boulder students when they encounter racist graffiti on campus. The rest of the event will be filled by a discussion of the scene's issues.

At age 21, Jimmy Santiago Baca was illiterate and incarcerated in a maximum-security facility for selling drugs. Five years later, he emerged from prison with a passion for reading and writing poetry. Now a winner of the Pushcart Prize and the Before Columbus Foundation American Book Award, Baca has been called an heir to Pablo Neruda and one of the best poets in America today. On Nov. 5-6, Baca will give two free public talks in Boulder and Denver.

The University of ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ Foundation at Boulder announced that the ChopHouse & Brewery has donated more than $4,500 from it's recent grand opening fund raiser to need-based scholarships at ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥-Boulder.

University of ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ at Boulder Provost Phil DiStefano has appointed a search committee to develop candidates for the position of dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science. The committee, chaired by Dean of Libraries James Williams, is composed of faculty, staff, students and community representatives.