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Fri, Aug 26, 2005

August 26-28, 2005

UNL STUDENT OBSERVATORY, FRI 8PM - 10PM
Student Observatory to Feature '2 Bright Things in Western Sky'

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Student Observatory's first public night of the school year will provide a visual answer to the question, "What are those two bright things in the western sky?" as well as a last chance to view Jupiter until late in spring 2006. The public night will be Friday, Aug. 26, from sunset (approximately 8 pm) to 10 pm.

The two bright objects are Venus, the brightest planet in the sky, and Jupiter, the biggest planet in the solar system. Over the next week they will appear spectacularly close together in the evening sky, a phenomenon that astronomers call a "conjunction." "This is relatively rare," said UNL astronomer Martin Gaskell, "and when a conjunction like this occurs prominently in the evening sky, a lot of people wonder what it is." Gaskell said a conjunction like this will not again occur in the evening sky until December 2008.

There is no charge for admission to the observatory. Children of all ages are particularly welcome. The observatory will not be open if it is mostly cloudy. If in doubt call the observatory at (402) 472-4728.

The Student Observatory is located on the roof of the Stadium Drive Parking Garage, 10th and T streets. Parking is available on the roof of the garage near the observatory. For more information about the Student Observatory contact the observatory coordinator, Martin Gaskell, at (402) 472-4788 or by e-mail, or visit the observatory's web site.

UNL STUDENT OBSERVATORY

INSTITUTIONAL MEMORY
Nebraska Spirit Through the Ages

The University of Nebraska has always been known for school spirit, and with fall athletics fast approaching, we've dug into the archives for a spirit chant from long ago. 'Nebraska Chant' was found printed alongside 5 other chants from the era on a November 6th, 1909 football program (for a game between NU and Kansas), and it turned up in the grooves of a 78rpm record performed by the marching band and men's glee club in the early 1940s. The recording opens in an almost somber mood before leading into the spirited 'Nebraska Chant.'

U-U-U-ni
Ver-Ver-Versity
N-e-bras-ki
Oh-h-h-my!

To download a recording of this chant, click here.

FALL ATHLETICS ARE UNDERWAY
Women's Soccer, Volleyball Teams Open Season This Weekend

The Nebraska Soccer Field

The Nebraska fall athletics season gets underway this weekend with important matches in both women's soccer and volleyball.

The Nebraska soccer team officially kicks off the 2005 season when it hosts Minnesota at 5 pm on Friday at the Nebraska Soccer Field. Friday's match and Sunday's 1 pm contest with UAB not only mark the first games of the new season, but also mark the first regular-season games played on campus in the 12-year history of the program.

When the Huskers hit the field, they will be looking to build on a 14-9 record in 2004 and the program's eighth trip to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in the last nine seasons. NU returns 10 starters, and will also benefit from a deeper roster that includes 24 players. After struggling with numbers in 2004, a talented 11-player freshman class, ranked as high as seventh in the country, adds immediate quality depth and skill to an already talented Husker squad.

The college volleyball season opens in a big way this week, as Qwest Center OMAHA hosts the AVCA/NACWAA College Volleyball Showcase this weekend. The season-opening tournament features four of the top-five teams in the CSTV/AVCA preseason poll, including the top-ranked Huskers. The two-day tournament begins Friday evening, as defending national champion and No. 3 Stanford take on fifth-ranked Penn State at� 6 pm before the Huskers and fourth-ranked Hawaii meet up at 8:30 pm The two winners will square off Saturday evening at 7:30 pm, while the consolation match will start at 5 pm.

This weekend's tournament is the first volleyball matches in the 2-year-old Qwest Center, a $292 million arena/convention center that will host an NCAA Regional this December and the 2006 NCAA Volleyball Championships. Over 8,300 all-session tickets have been sold as of Tuesday afternoon, while a crowd of over 9,000 is expected. This weekend's attendance will break the all-time AVCA/NACWAA College Volleyball Showcase record of 16,292, set in 2003, while the single-match record of 9,345 (Hawaii vs. USC on Aug. 23, 2003) could also be in jeopardy.

HUSKERS.COM

MARY RIEPMA ROSS MEDIA ARTS CENTER
Continuing This Weekend at the Ross: Mad Hot Ballroom, Mysterious Skin.

UNL's Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center presents the fan favorite documentary Mad Hot Ballroom, and the newest film from director Gregg Araki, Mysterious Skin

Tango, foxtrot, swing, rumba, and meringue may seem to represent the last vestiges of a dying art to some, but director Marilyn Agrelo proves this is far from true in Mad Hot Ballroom. Agrelo reveals that the New York City public school system runs a ballroom dance program for fifth graders, in which these former preserves of the adult world are given a new lease on life by some enthusiastic little characters. The film follows students at three schools in the neighborhoods of Tribeca, Bensonhurst, and Washington Heights, with Agrelo training her cameras on the kids' lives both inside and outside of the classroom. The students are united by a zeal for the ballroom dancing lessons, which build over a 10-week period and culminate in a competition to find the school that has produced the best dancers in the city. One of 2005's most uplifting slices of cinema, Mad Hot Ballroom is a joyous, life-affirming experience.

"The summer I was eight years old, five hours disappeared from my life. Five hours, lost, gone without a trace..." These are the words of Brian Lackey (Brady Corbet), a troubled 18 year-old, growing up in the stiflingly small town of Hutchinson, Kansas. Plagued by nightmares, Brian believes that he may have been the victim of an alien abduction. Local Neil McCormick (Joseph Gordon Levitt) however, is the ultimate beautiful outsider. With a loving but promiscuous mother (Elisabeth Shue), Neil is wise beyond his years and curious about his developing sexuality, having found what he perceived to be love from his Little League baseball coach (played by Hal Hartley veteran Bill Sage) at a very early age. Now, ten years later, Neil is a teenage hustler, nonchalant about the dangerous path his life is taking. Neil's pursuit of love leads him to New York City, while Brian's voyage of self discovery leads him to Neil ? who helps him to unlock the dark secrets of their past. Based on the acclaimed novel by Scott Heim, Mysterious Skin explores the hearts and minds of two very different boys who come to find the key to their future happiness lies in the exorcism of their collective demons.

More information is available at the Ross website.

MRRMAC | MAD HOT BALLROOM | MYSTERIOUS SKIN

112 HAMILTON HALL, FRI 3:30PM
Chemistry Colloquium - "DNA/RNA/Peptide/Peptidomimetic mChips by Digital Chemistry and Their Applications"
Professor Xiaolian Gao, University of Hustion