For the first time since 1975, the Montana Grizzlies made it into the second round of the NCAA playoffs, defeating the nationally ranked University of Nevada Wolf Pack 87-79.

The 12th-seeded Grizzlies upset the fifth-seeded Wolf Pack Thursday in the first-round of the NCAA Division I playoffs in the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Montana led the entire game, sparked by the 22 points of sophomore center Andrew Strait and 20 points of senior guard Virgil Matthews. Freshman forward Jordan Hasquet added 16 with four three-pointers, and senior guard Kevin Criswell posted 18. Montana shot 51.8 percent from the field.

The Grizzlies now are 24-6 on the season and face Boston College Saturday night in the second round of the tournament in Salt Lake City. Game time to be announced.

Two of the most prodigious artists the UM School of Fine Arts has produced will be featured as alumni guest performers at the sixth annual “Odyssey of the Stars -- A Celebration of Artistic Journeys.”

International recording artist Gary Herbig and actor, singer and playwright Dennis Kozeluh will return to the UM stage during the event, which begins at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, April 8, in the University Theatre.

Odyssey of the Stars is an annual benefit performance for the University’s School of Fine Arts scholarship fund. The event showcases UM alumni who have gone on to successful careers in the arts, in concert with current students. More than 250 outstanding UM performers also will take the stage during Odyssey 2006.

For information about sponsorship or tickets for “Odyssey of the Stars,” call the dean’s office, UM School of Fine Arts, (406) 243-4970, or e-mail sfadean@mso.umt.edu.

UM continues to be a national leader for earning pharmacy research dollars. In fact, UM’s Skaggs School of Pharmacy tallied $9.3 million from federal grants and other sources in 2005.

According to the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, UM now ranks No. 4 out of 92 pharmacy schools nationally for garnering research funding when the number of faculty members is considered. The University moved up one place in this category from the year before.

UM’s pharmacy school has the equivalent of 26 full-time, Ph.D. faculty members who successfully competed for an average of $360,000 apiece in 2005. Only pharmacy programs at the universities of Washington, California-San Francisco and Kansas had a better per-Ph.D.-faculty-member average.

“Fool’s Paradise: The Unreal World of Pop Psychology” has been awarded the Popular Culture Association Ray and Pat Browne Award for the best book by a single author in 2005.

The book, written by UM Professor Stewart Justman, is a witty and astringent appraisal of the world of pop psychology.

Ray and Pat Browne awards honor scholarship within popular culture study. The awards will be presented at the 2006 Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association Joint National Conference April 12-16 in Atlanta.

Justman teaches in UM’s Liberal Studies Program. His book “Seeds of Mortality: The Public and Private Worlds of Cancer” won the 2004 PEN Award for the Art of the Essay.

Joanne Potterton, an HIV/AIDS expert from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, will give several presentations next week at UM.

Potterton is a South African physiotherapist who has worked in her country to establish health and education services for underserved communities, especially those that have felt the impact of HIV/AIDS.

The following three presentations are free and open to the public:

• 4:10-5 p.m. Tuesday, March 21, in Journalism Building Room 304: “Basic Health and Social Needs in Africa: Impact of HIV/AIDS on the Future.”
• Noon Wednesday, March 22, in Chemistry/Pharmacy Building Room 212: “Treating Patients with HIV/AIDS: What the Physical Therapist Needs to Know.”
• Noon Friday, March 24, at the Mansfield Center in the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, brown bag lunch presentation: “Integrating into a Foreign Culture.”

New research findings show that children today struggle with questions they could have answered 30 years ago, according to Phillip Adey, professor emeritus of the King’s College London Department of Education and Professional Studies.

Adey will present “Intelligence: A Constraint or an Opportunity for Educators?” from 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 22, in Urey Lecture Hall. The lecture is free and open to the public.

He will discuss the results of the new research and will explore theories about the continuous decline of general cognitive foundation.

The lecture is sponsored by UM’s Department of Chemistry.

A gerontology expert will visit UM this month to give several presentations about issues in aging and planning for senior housing.

Heather Young, the Grace Phelps Distinguished Professor at Oregon Health and Science University School of Nursing, was selected as the 2006 Visiting Scholar by UM’s Institute for Gerontology Education.

Young will present a community lecture from 7-8:30 p.m. Thursday, March 23, at the St. Patrick Hospital Conference Center. It is free and open to the public.

The Institute for Gerontology Education is an interdisciplinary program that encourages development of aging course work, research, student involvement and community service.

The American Cancer Society UM Relay for Life will be held from 6 p.m. Friday, May 5, to 6 a.m. Saturday, May 6, on the UM Oval. The theme for this year’s event is “Cinco de Mayo.”

The annual overnight event is a time to remember those lost to cancer and celebrate those who have survived. It also is a fun-filled fund-raiser for the American Cancer Society. More than 200 UM students are expected to participate.

The goal of this year’s Relay for Life is to register a minimum of 25 teams and take in at least $25,000. All money raised will be used by the American Cancer Society to continue cancer research, state and national legislative advocacy, and educational and community service programs.

For information about forming or joining a team for this year’s Relay for Life, or to sign up as an individual participant, visit the Web site.

A law school scheduling conflict required a change to a lecture time and location announced last week in TGIF.

American University Professor Daniel Dreisbach will present “How Thomas Jefferson’s ‘Wall of Separation’ Redefined Church-State Law and Policy” at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 21, in the Law Building's Castles Center.

The event is free and open to the public, and refreshments will be provided.

UM’s Department of Drama/Dance will perform “The Debutante Ball,” a dark Southern comedy by award-winning playwright Beth Henley.

Set in Hattiesburg, Miss., this comic drama opens with young Teddy Parker’s preparations for her debutante ball, the distinctly Southern tradition of a young woman “coming out” into society. Audience discretion is advised since the play contains adult language and themes, including partial nudity.

Performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, March 21-25; Tuesday through Friday, April 4-7; and at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 8. They take place in the Montana Theatre, located in the Performing Arts and Radio/Television Center.

Tickets are $15 for the general public, $12 for seniors and students and $5 for children 12 and under. Tickets can be purchased at the drama/dance box office in the PAR/TV Center or by calling (406) 243-4581.

“The Puzzle Club,” a play about what it is like to live with a brain injury, is now available on DVD. It includes a bonus feature about the making of the theater production.

Written by Jillian Campana, associate professor in UM’s Department of Drama/Dance, the play was performed throughout the state to sold-out audiences in 2004. It also was a regional winner of the prestigious David Mark Cohen award for best new play at a college or university.

Campana based the production on the stories of 13 people in western Montana who deal with brain injury and participate in a weekly support group called the Puzzle Club.

A survivor of a brain injury, Campana designed the play to provide insight into what it is like to live with such an injury.

The UM Symphonic Wind Ensemble was selected to perform for the College Band Directors National Association’s Northwest/Western Conference in Reno, Nev.

The performance took place last night in the Nightingale Auditorium on the University of Nevada campus.

The ensemble was one of two selected from the Northwest to play at the conference. The CBDNA chose the group after listening to an audition tape submitted by band director and UM music Associate Professor Steve Bolstad.

The Montana women’s basketball season ended last Friday when the Lady Griz were defeated 73-66 by Northern Arizona in a Big Sky Conference semifinal game at Idaho State.

The Lumberjacks shot 46.3 percent from the floor and had a 40-29 rebounding advantage over UM. The Lady Griz were led by senior Katie Edwards, who scored 21 points and became the Big Sky Conference's career 3-point leader when she hit two treys in the game's opening three minutes. She finished 4-for-6 from a 3-point range for the game.

Montana freshman Mandy Morales was named to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association All-Region VII team earlier this week. As one of just 48 NCAA Division I women's basketball players honored in the WBCA's eight regions, Morales becomes a finalist for the Kodak/WBCA All-America team.

Montana ended its season with an overall record of 21-7 and finished second in the Big Sky Conference regular-season standings at 10-4.