Mon, Jul 24, 2006
July 24-28, 2006
UNL CAMPUS
200 Youth From Across the Country Attending the 2006 National 4-H Technology Leadership Conference
Youth from across the nation will be attending the 2006 National 4H Leadership Conference July 24-27 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. "Science, Engineering and Technology for the 21st Century" will give about 200 students, ages 14-18, from across the nation the opportunity to learn about cutting edge technology and take it back to use in their community, said Brad Barker, 4H science and technology specialist.
"We know the importance of science and technology is growing," said Kathleen Lodl, 4H youth development specialist. "So we are going to equip these students with the skills they need to enter the 21st century workplace." UNL was selected to host the national event based on its ability to provide hands on learning experiences, proper facilities and labs and willing staff, Lodl said.
4H LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE
RESEARCH FUNDED THROUGH UNL'S SAND HILLS BIOCOMPLEXITY PROJECT
UNL Scientists Link Wind Shift, Medieval Mega-Drought in Sandhills
Today, Nebraska's Sandhills, a region of gently rolling sand dunes blanketed with prairie grasses and wetlands that cover a quarter of the state, provide ideal habitat for wildlife and livestock. During medieval times 800 to 1,000 years ago, however, the region was a swirling desert, far worse than the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln scientists outline their discovery of weather conditions that existed the last time the dunes were on the move about 1,000 years ago in the July 21 issue of the journal Science. If those conditions return, the tranquil, verdant Sandhills could once more turn into an unlivable wasteland.
This research indicates a historically unprecedented, large-scale shift in wind direction that cut off moisture to the region during the growing season. Researchers believe dune development was part of a larger climate shift during the Medieval Warm Period that created a mega-drought in much of western North America.
"Our state has a climactic setting that is a little intimidating," said UNL geoscientist David Loope. Nebraska relies on a single source for its spring and summer precipitation: southerly winds that bring up moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. Those few months of rain allow prairie grasses to grow, which stabilize the dunes. Although Nebraska experiences droughts every few decades, including the current one, modern droughts haven't been severe enough to destabilize the dunes. more...
UNL Scientists Link Wind Shift, Medieval Mega-Drought in Sandhills
University of Nebraska-Lincoln scientists outline their discovery of weather conditions that existed the last time the dunes were on the move about 1,000 years ago in the July 21 issue of the journal Science. If those conditions return, the tranquil, verdant Sandhills could once more turn into an unlivable wasteland.
This research indicates a historically unprecedented, large-scale shift in wind direction that cut off moisture to the region during the growing season. Researchers believe dune development was part of a larger climate shift during the Medieval Warm Period that created a mega-drought in much of western North America.
"Our state has a climactic setting that is a little intimidating," said UNL geoscientist David Loope. Nebraska relies on a single source for its spring and summer precipitation: southerly winds that bring up moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. Those few months of rain allow prairie grasses to grow, which stabilize the dunes. Although Nebraska experiences droughts every few decades, including the current one, modern droughts haven't been severe enough to destabilize the dunes. more...
MARY RIEPMA ROSS MEDIA ARTS CENTER
L'Enfant, Wordplay Show at the Ross
UNL's Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center presents L'Enfant, and Wordplay. Both films will be playing through August 3.
ean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne present another uncompromising, emotionally devastating depiction of human struggle with L'Enfant. Winner of the Palme d'Or at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival (their second, after 1999's Rosetta), the film opens just as 20-year-old Bruno (Jeremie Renier) and his 18-year-old girlfriend Sonia (Deborah Francois) have welcomed their first child into the world. A small-time crook with no big-time leads, Bruno decides to sneak away with his son, Jimmy, and sell him for a hefty chunk of money. But when he tries to justify his actions to Sonia, assuring her that they'll have another baby, she collapses in shock. While she recuperates in the hospital, Bruno realizes that he's made a horrendous mistake, and embarks on an impassioned quest to get his son back and redeem himself to Sonia. As in their other fictional feature films, the Dardennes use handheld cinematography, realistic acting, and a music-free soundtrack to create a poetically heightened sense of reality. The result is a supremely humane work of art. Featuring another powerful performance from frequent Dardennes collaborator Renier, L'Enfant also boasts an unforgettable performance from newcomer François, who fills the screen with an honesty rarely seen.
Fifty million Americans do crossword puzzles each week, many in the venerable New York Times, which published its first puzzle in 1942. For the past 12 years, the man whose name has been indelibly linked to the Times crosswords is editor Will Shortz. In Wordplay, director Patrick Creadon presents an entertaining and informative look at Shortz's work and that of the puzzle constructors with whom he collaborates. As these pros demonstrate how to create a crossword, Creadon cleverly integrates interviews with celebrity crossword solvers, including Bill Clinton, Bob Dole, Jon Stewart, Ken Burns, the Indigo Girls, and others. While Creadon's access to Shortz enables a fascinating insight into what makes crosswords tick, it's the unexpectedly riveting coverage of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, an annual competition founded by Shortz that makes Wordplay really shine. Profiles of a number of intelligent and ingratiating contestants reveal their unique personalities as they prepare for and attend the tournament. Though on the surface, this part of the film resembles other recent documentaries exploring competitions like spelling bees or Scrabble, the focus for participants here is as much on the overarching sense of community their love of crosswords fosters as on winning. Wordplay emerges as an engrossing, yet lighthearted, portrait of an American institution, and its masterful execution produces the same satisfaction as completing a particularly ingenious and challenging puzzle.
More information is available at the Ross website.
MRRMAC | L'Enfant | WORDPLAY
L'Enfant, Wordplay Show at the Ross
UNL's Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center presents L'Enfant, and Wordplay. Both films will be playing through August 3.
Fifty million Americans do crossword puzzles each week, many in the venerable New York Times, which published its first puzzle in 1942. For the past 12 years, the man whose name has been indelibly linked to the Times crosswords is editor Will Shortz. In Wordplay, director Patrick Creadon presents an entertaining and informative look at Shortz's work and that of the puzzle constructors with whom he collaborates. As these pros demonstrate how to create a crossword, Creadon cleverly integrates interviews with celebrity crossword solvers, including Bill Clinton, Bob Dole, Jon Stewart, Ken Burns, the Indigo Girls, and others. While Creadon's access to Shortz enables a fascinating insight into what makes crosswords tick, it's the unexpectedly riveting coverage of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, an annual competition founded by Shortz that makes Wordplay really shine. Profiles of a number of intelligent and ingratiating contestants reveal their unique personalities as they prepare for and attend the tournament. Though on the surface, this part of the film resembles other recent documentaries exploring competitions like spelling bees or Scrabble, the focus for participants here is as much on the overarching sense of community their love of crosswords fosters as on winning. Wordplay emerges as an engrossing, yet lighthearted, portrait of an American institution, and its masterful execution produces the same satisfaction as completing a particularly ingenious and challenging puzzle.
More information is available at the Ross website.
MRRMAC | L'Enfant | WORDPLAY
