“From Bewitched to Buffy: Growing Up Female with the Mass Media” is the next installment of the President’s Lecture Series at UM.

Author Susan Douglas will present the lecture at 8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 13, in the University Theatre.

“From Bewitched to Buffy” provides a tour through popular culture to consider the consequences of the mixed messages women and girls get from mass media about their proper roles in society.

Earlier that day, from 3:10-4:30 p.m., Douglas will give a seminar titled “The Mass Media and Celebrity Culture” in Gallagher Business Building Room 123.

Both events are presented in conjunction with the UM Women’s Studies Program and are free and open to the public.

Douglas is the Catherine Neafie Kellogg Professor of Communication Studies and chairs the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Michigan. Her book “Listening In: Radio and the American Imagination” won the Hacker Prize in 2000 for the best popular book about the relationship of technology and culture.

Dan Rude was honored as Montana Teacher of the Year in 1975.

Now 31 years later and near the end of his 40-year career, the fourth-grade Rattlesnake Elementary School teacher is the 2006 recipient of the prestigious Maryfrances Shreeve Award, presented by UM’s School of Education. The award, which honors the memory of longtime Montana teacher Maryfrances Shreeve, is given each year to a teacher who embodies the spirit, character and quality of teaching for which she was known.

Along with the recognition, Rude will receive $1,000 to give to the school in his name for a cause he deems worthy and $2,000 for himself. Rude also will be honored at a School of Education reception tonight.

According to his nominators, Rude personifies the qualities this prestigious award outlines -- community involvement, enthusiasm in education and a reputation for going the extra mile.

Gov. Brian Schweitzer has officially endorsed an office of climatology at UM. This means the Montana Climate Office -- located in UM’s College of Forestry and Conservation -- has become one of the state’s premier conduits for weather and climate information.

In a letter to UM President George Dennison, Schweitzer also named forestry Professor Don Potts the official state climatologist.

“Montana’s size, scope and diversity require that we make every attempt to reach across physical distances to serve the public by making climate data readily available to a wide variety of users,” the governor wrote. “As a farmer and soil scientist, I look forward to seeing the work of the office in the near future.”

The Montana Climate Office’s Web site is a gateway to information including weather alerts, current satellite snapshots of Montana skies and instant links to weather conditions in communities across the state.

The Web site is maintained by UM’s Numerical Terradynamic Simulation Group, which designs software for NASA environmental satellites. The group provides unique information for the site, such as Montana-wide temperature and precipitation profiles.

Last year’s Pakistan earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.6, took place at 8:50 a.m. on Oct. 8 and lasted about 30 seconds. More than 79,000 people were killed and some 65,000 were injured.

Three days later, UM geography Professor Ulrich Kamp received a phone call from an acquaintance who was heading up the earthquake recovery program in Pakistan. General Nadeem, whom Kamp had met while studying in Pakistan in the ’90s, asked for his help.

Kamp proposed and received a National Science Foundation emergency research grant totaling almost $30,000. He, colleagues Lewis Owen, a geologist from the University of Cincinnati, and Jennifer Parker, a UM graduate student in geography, left for Pakistan four weeks after the quake.

The group studied and mapped landslides in a 30-mile area around Muzzaffarabad, the hard-hit capital of the Pakistani-held portion of Kasmir. The researchers will use the data they collected to create a Geographical Information System.

The GIS will provide statistics, pictures and maps that will help answer questions about geomorphology, infrastructure damage and impacts on human life.

University of Montana students who recently returned from a trip to Louisiana to help out in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina will share their experiences during a presentation on Monday, Feb. 13.

“Katrina -- Reflections, Stories, Impacts and Images” begins at 7 p.m. in UM’s North Underground Lecture Hall and is free and open to the public.

Presenting students are members of the Environmental Studies Program class “Katrina -- The Making and ‘Unmaking’ of a Disaster,” taught by Assistant Professor Robin Saha. He and Professor Tom Roy accompanied the students on the trip.

Photographs of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina taken on the trip by student Anna Leslie are on display during February at the Dark Room, 135 N. Higgins Ave.

Two UM students have won national awards for in-depth writing in the Hearst Journalism Awards Program, moving the UM Journalism School to third place in the nation among accredited journalism schools participating in the competition.

Chelsea DeWeese of Gardiner, Mont., won fifth place and a $600 scholarship for her in-depth investigation of the finances of the St. Labre Indian School on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. Dylan Tucker of Missoula won 20th place for his story from the Fort Peck Reservation about whether the Indian preference in hiring is leaving some tribal members unemployed.

Both stories were written for the school’s Native News Honors Project.

The Hearst Awards, often called the “College Pulitzers,” receive entries from the more than 100 accredited journalism schools in the country. The print competition consists of six monthly writing contests. Senior Tristan Scott placed third in an earlier contest for feature writing. The accumulated point totals have placed UM behind Arizona State and the University of Kansas.

If you would like to get more involved in the Missoula community, but need some help with ideas, the Office for Civic Engagement Volunteer Fair offers a place to start.

The fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15, and Thursday, Feb. 16, in the University Center Atrium.

The biannual event brings to campus representatives from local agencies to share volunteer opportunities with students, UM faculty members and staff, and other members of the community who want to get involved in civic work.

In addition to offering the opportunity to explore the many ways to get involved in the Missoula community, the fair also gives nonprofit agencies the chance to recruit new volunteers.

The Office for Civic Engagement, a program in UM’s Davidson Honors College, serves as a focal point for the University community and residents across the state to participate in community work and civic involvement.

Two students from South Dakota have been selected to receive a new scholarship established at UM to provide annual awards to Native American students who plan to pursue careers in small business.

The Helen and Dan Kidder Scholarship was established by their daughter and son-in-law to honor the longtime Missoula residents. Helen worked at the UM Registrar’s Office and Dan started and operated Missoula Motor Parts.

This year, the scholarship was administered by the American Indian Business Leaders, a national organization headquartered at UM.

Inaugural recipients of the scholarship are Gloria Eastman of Rapid City, S.D., and Kristen Campbell of Watertown, S.D.

Applications for the Jacques Manonian Memorial Scholarship are now being accepted by the UM Wilderness Institute.

The scholarship is designed to assist students participating in the University’s Wilderness and Civilization Program. To be eligible for the scholarship, students must be accepted into the program for the 2006-07 academic year. The deadline to submit applications for the 2006-07 Wilderness and Civilization program is April 1.

The program combines classroom learning and field experience for an in-depth, interdisciplinary exploration of wildlands issues. Students who complete it receive an undergraduate minor in wilderness studies.

Preference for the Jacques Manonian Memorial Scholarship goes to Native American and Montana students. Scholarship awards range from $2,000 to $6,000. Students must apply for scholarships by May 10.

World-class pianist and composer Philip Aaberg will bring his music to the University Theatre beginning at 1 p.m. Sunday, March 5.

Tickets are $16 for the general public, $10 for students. They are available at all GrizTix outlets, online or by calling (888) 666-8262.

Aaberg’s performances have consistently drawn standing ovations, leaving crowds dazzled by his dynamic, emotional range and captivated by his unique compositions and between-song repartee.

His musical career is as varied and expansive as the Montana landscape he calls home. Aaberg was nominated for a 2002 Grammy for his album “Live From Montana.”

The UM performance is presented by the University’s Entertainment Management Program, which provides students opportunities to learn processes involved in the entertainment profession.

The interactive radio program “Science is Cool” promotes scientific exploration using experiments that children can perform easily at home while adults are available for assistance and discussion.

The segment airs every other Saturday morning during the two-hour “Children’s Corner” program on KUFM public radio, which is based at UM.

“Science is Cool” is hosted by UM Assistant Research Professor Katie George -- “Dr. Katie” to her listeners -- who invites listeners to perform experiments at home along with her “lab assistants” in the studio.

To reach wider audiences across the state, a four-compact disc set of the first “Science is Cool” broadcasts will be distributed to all Montana public libraries and elementary schools this month. The CDs can be used for entertainment at home or for instruction in the classroom.

The public radio program is made possible by the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) grant awarded to UM jointly by the National Science Foundation and the state of Montana.

A benefit performance of Eve Ensler’s award-winning play “The Vagina Monologues” will be held Tuesday, Feb. 14, at UM.

The play begins at 7 p.m. in the University Theatre. A silent auction will be held before the performance from 6 to 7 p.m. in the foyer.

Tickets cost $9 in advance, $10 at the door. They are available at all GrizTix outlets or online by calling (888) 666-8262.

Proceeds for this year’s performance will benefit the Women’s Voices for the Earth GUTS! Program, Mountain Home Montana V-Day and Girls V-Day 2006. V-Day is a global movement to stop violence against women.

The event is sponsored by the UM Women’s Center, the Associated Students of UM, the Department of Women’s Studies, NARAL, Planned Parenthood, the YWCA and FirstSTEP.

The Montana Museum of Art and Culture at UM has received two grants to preserve, restore and repair many of the more than 9,000 works in its Permanent Collection.

A $200,000 award was granted through the Chutney Foundation. The museum also received an additional $20,000 from Grizzly Riders International, a philanthropic organization that uses national and international contacts to support UM.

The funds will be used to clean and restore more than 140 of the museum’s most important and highly valued artworks and to preserve works in the Permanent Collection, such as a Spanish altar panel by the Master of St. Gregory, circa 1490. The grants also will support costs associated with archival materials, display systems and shipping, as well as ongoing efforts to fully catalog the sizeable collection.

The museum’s Permanent Collection, founded in 1894 and located on the UM campus in Missoula, is one of the state’s oldest and most prominent cultural reserves.

UM head basketball coach Larry Krystkowiak and assistant coaches Andy Hill and Wayne Tinkle bared their scalps this week in support of Coaches vs. Cancer, Camp Mak-A-Dream and a friend battling breast cancer.

The men joined their friend Trish Madsen, along with six other members of the athletic department and Madsen’s husband and son, mid-court in Dahlberg Arena on Wednesday to have their hair either shaved or cut short.

Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer was on hand for the occasion, although he did not participate in the buzz cut.

Donation buckets will be located at entrances during Saturday’s Griz-Cat game and all remaining home matches for those who wish to support the effort.

A driving lay-up by Weber State with 20 seconds remaining proved to be the difference Feb. 2 as the Wildcats sent Montana to its second-straight narrow defeat, 50-49 in Dahlberg Arena.

UM freshman Mandy Morales led all scorers with 16 points and added a team-high seven rebounds, four steals, three assists and two blocks.

Saturday night, the Lady Griz jumped out to a 32-point lead in the game's opening 15 minutes and rolled to a 105-55 victory over Idaho State at home.

Montana, which improved to 15-5 overall and 4-3 in Big Sky Conference play, matched the program record for points in a game, and senior Katie Edwards became UM's career leader in 3-point field goals. The 105 points tied the previous Lady Griz high, which they scored Feb. 3, 1990, in a 105-69 victory over Weber State.

Against the Bengals, the point total came mainly from 3-point shooting. Montana went 16-for-24 (.667) from behind the arc, smashing the previous single-game high of 12. Hitting five of those 3-pointers was Edwards, who with 214 threes becomes the UM all-time leader, breaking Lauren Cooper's program record of 212. Edwards is 20 behind Weber State's Julie Gjertsen’s Big Sky Conference mark of 234.

The Lady Griz host Montana State at 7 p.m. tonight as the second round of Big Sky play commences.

Weber State outscored Montana 46-35 in the second half Feb. 2, rallying back from a 6-point halftime deficit to post a 72-67 victory in Ogden, Utah.

Grizzly senior guard Kevin Criswell scored a team-high 18 points to lead Montana offensively. Sophomore guard Matt Martin added 14 points in just 14 minutes of action, making all four of his 3-point attempts in the game.

Saturday, Idaho State limited UM to 31.7 percent shooting in the Bengals' 95-70 victory in Pocatello. Montana was led by sophomore forward Andrew Strait who scored a team-best 16 points and had a team-high eight rebounds. The loss dropped Montana’s season mark to 16-5 overall and 6-3 in Big Sky Conference action.

Montana returns to action Saturday with an 8 p.m. home game against rival Montana State.