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Residence halls at the University of Colorado at Boulder are at 101 percent capacity as a near record number of freshman students begin arriving on campus for the start of the fall 1997 semester. The campus’s 6,000 dormitory spaces in 21 buildings are full to slightly over capacity, according to Ken Kucera, head of the reservations office in the Housing Department at CU-Boulder. But the crowding should be temporary. “Typically the situation begins to settle out after the first week of classes as the campus experiences some attrition,” Kucera said.

Researchers from the University of Colorado at Boulder and Geron Corp. have discovered the human gene for the active component of an enzyme known as telomerase that lengthens the ends of chromosomes, a finding that may lead to improved cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Officials at the University of Colorado at Boulder are seeking information about the apparent theft of an historic piece of sandstone planned as the seat for a bronze sculpture in memory of the late Bruce Ekstrand, former vice chancellor for academic affairs. The 50-year-old sandstone slab was reported missing Wednesday afternoon from a construction site at Old Main on the Boulder campus. It was to have been used as a seating surface for a Robert Frost scuplture in remembrance of Ekstrand.

Historic Boulder, Inc., is hosting a series of walking tours at CU-Boulder through Sept. 12 in an effort to reveal campus history to the public. The route includes campus notables such as Macky Auditorium, Norlin Library, Old Main and the University Memorial Center. The tours offer a scenic interpretive walk across Varsity Lake Bridge on the northwest corner of campus, a taste of Shakespeare at the Mary Rippon Outdoor Theater, visits to the WomenÂ’s Cottage and Temporary Building No. 1, and an informative stop at Sewall HallÂ’s famous Lions Fountain.

A team led by University of Colorado at Boulder astronomers has been selected to design a new $25 million spectrograph for the Hubble Space Telescope that will be built jointly by CU and Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. in Boulder.

Historic Boulder, Inc., is hosting a series of walking tours at CU-Boulder through Sept. 12 in an effort to reveal campus history to the public. The route includes campus notables such as Macky Auditorium, Norlin Library, Old Main and the University Memorial Center. The tours offer a scenic interpretive walk across Varsity Lake Bridge on the northwest corner of campus, a taste of Shakespeare at the Mary Rippon Outdoor Theater, visits to the WomenÂ’s Cottage and Temporary Building No. 1, and an informative stop at Sewall HallÂ’s famous Lions Fountain.

The University of Colorado at Boulder Campus Staff Council is sponsoring a drive to benefit victims of the recent flooding in Fort Collins. Donations of non-perishable food, baby items, personal hygiene items and cleaning supplies are needed, according to the American Red Cross. Collection boxes have been set up in most buildings on the main campus as well as some on the East Campus. Donations also may be given to Staff Council representatives.

Chinese Student Benefits From CU-BoulderÂ’s Accessibility Among the more than 1,000 students graduating from the University of Colorado at Boulder on Saturday, Aug. 9, will be one student whose dream of a college education took her from her home in Guangzhou, China, to CU, where she was finally able to earn a masterÂ’s degree 21 years after finishing middle school in China.

John Bernhard, vice chancellor for administration and finance at the University of Colorado at Denver, has withdrawn his candidacy for the position of vice chancellor for administration at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Bernhard said he made the decision “after considerable thought and after receiving a lot of advice.” “It was a close call from my perspective,” Bernhard said. “It would have been an honor to be a part of Chancellor Dick Byyny’s team, but the job was not structured in a way that took best advantage of my background and experience.”

Warm summer nights are perfect for gazing into the sky in search of the occasional shooting star. Summer sky watchers are in for a special treat early next week when the Perseid meteor shower makes its annual appearance in the northeastern sky. People in rural areas will have the best view of the celestial event in which shooting stars seem to rain from the night sky.