UD physicist Harry Shipman, museum director Belena Chapp and exhibition designer and sculptor David Meyer combined their mutual interest in space to create an artistic and educational salute to the solar system.

The trio "recreated" the solar system, with granite markers representing the sun and planets positioned across campus. The permanent installation is anchored by the sun at the historic center of the University near Old College.

In an accurate reduced scale of distance, Mercury leads off the sequence of planets since it is nearest the sun. Its marker is located in front of Recitation Hall. The most far-out planet, Pluto, is located near the Fred Rust Ice Arena.

"Children really get a concept of the vastness of space from the campus solar system installation," Chapp says. "When we stand near the Mars marker at the top of the Mall on Main Street, I point out where Earth is, near McDowell Hall, and tell them the moon is only three inches from Earth on our campus scale. The lesson is driven home and the students begin to grasp the concept of the huge distances between the planets in the solar system." *

Middle- and high-school students were able to ask about smelly, foot-long clams, blind tubeworms, ghostly white crabs and other deep-sea denizens Jan. 13, when UD scientist Craig Cary called classrooms from the sea floor.

The historic call took selected students on a "virtual field trip" beneath the Sea of Cortés, as part of the first deep-sea dive of the new century aboard the submersible, Alvin.

Investigating "extreme" organisms such as weird, hydrothermal vent dwellers, uncovering clues about the seafloor's formation and testing new scientific equipment were all on the agenda for Extreme 2000. The educational component of the expedition was cosponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF), WHYY-TV of Delaware and the UD College of Marine Studies.

"We learn something new every time we make a deep-sea dive," Cary says. "By taking students on a virtual field trip to the seafloor, we hope to introduce them to the adventures awaiting those who pursue scientific discovery."

Gregory Shulas, AS '99, became the second UD journalist to win Reporter of the Year honors from the Associated Collegiate Press. Shulas was recognized for his work at The Review, the student-run newspaper.

In the four years that the Associated Collegiate Press has celebrated the nation's best college journalist, two reporters from UD have won the prestigious title. Lara Zeises, AS '97, won the award in 1996.

Shulas submitted two series of articles he had written as administrative editor of The Review--one an in-depth study of UD's relationships with sweatshops and the other on University investments.

"The award reflects the energy I put into my work--the hard time, the labor and the research," the former history/journalism major, says. "I didn't expect it. I was happy just to be one of the finalists. My goal was to be a journalist, not to win the award. I wanted to bring issues, topics and facts to light--things that I think should be shared and talked about in a public forum. That was my ambition. It was later that someone suggested I submit my articles."

Shulas now works at the Gloucester County, N.J., Times, covering the municipalities of Woodbury, Pitman, Woodbury Heights and Wenonah.

For the fourth time since 1992, the University's independent, student-run newspaper, The Review, received the Associated Collegiate Press' annual Pacemaker award. The honor, given to only 23 papers each year, honors the paper as one of the top, nondaily collegiate newspapers in the nation.

More than 100 papers competed for the awards, which were announced in Atlanta on Oct. 30. The Pacemaker is the college equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize, and newspapers were judged based on the submission of four issues.

Delaware Gov. Thomas R. Carper has donated the congressional papers he compiled during his 10-year career as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives to the University of Delaware Library. The collection, which was officially opened Feb. 7, is now available to scholars locally and nationally.

The collection contains extensive correspondence files, memoranda, office files, reports, documents and memorabilia.

"Access to the historical record of the work of government officials is important in a democratic society. It is my hope that these papers will provide a better understanding of the way government works," Carper says.

The governor, who earned a master's degree in business administration here in 1975, adds, "As a student, I spent many hours at Morris Library. I am honored that the history of my tenure as Delaware's member-at-large in the U.S. House of Representatives will be available for historians and others in that same library."

Locally, the papers are available on DELCAT, the library's electronic database, and nationally through OCLC, a national online computer network to which thousands of libraries throughout the country are connected. A finding aid also is available on the library's web site, [http://www.lib. udel.edu/ud/spcc/findaids/carper/index.htm].

The University's Academy of Lifelong Learning is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. The academy--one of the nation's largest and most diversified educational institutions for persons over 50--began in 1980 with 45 students and 21 courses. Today, it offers 170 courses to some 2,000 members.

A model for other endeavors across the country, the Academy of Lifelong Learning provides opportunities for intellectual and cultural exploration and development for older adults of diverse backgrounds. Courses, taught by academy members themselves, range from painting, sculpture and music to literature, history, foreign languages, current events, computers and yoga. Academy members design the curricula as well as lead the classes.

For more information, visit the academy's web site at [www.udel.edu/ContEd/allhome.html].

A brand-new virtual tour of the University on the World Wide Web walked away with honors as soon as it was released with its selection as the Four-Star Virtual College Tour for March by CampusTours.com [www.Campus Tours.com].

The site's description of UD's new tour read, in part, "The University of Delaware's comprehensive online presentation sets a new standard for virtual college tours by delivering a quality experience with an extensive array of options."

The UD tour showcases aspects of the campus using pictures, text, sound, animation and interactive images. Alumni can take the tour at [www.udel. edu/tour].

CampusTours, which reaches thousands of students each day, was recently voted one of the "Top 10 Internet College Resources" in a student survey conducted by Time magazine and The Princeton Review. *

How good is your knowledge of history, geography, television and UD trivia?

On Feb. 21, the perfect place to find out was the Scrounge in the Perkins Student Center, where students watched a live performance of Student Center Squares, while the show was broadcast across the campus on SLTV 49.

Based on the popular TV game show Hollywood Squares, hosted by Whoopi Goldberg, the UD version gave members of registered student organizations a chance to match their wits and knowledge with a nine-member panel of student life staff.

With the lights glaring and cameras rolling, Scott Mason, assistant director of student centers, got things moving in the first match, which was won by the Resident Student Association (RSA).

RSA took the match 2-0 by successfully accepting or challenging some of the panel's answers to UD trivia questions, such as naming the year the first ice arena was built. If your answer is 1970, you're correct.

Another UD question that challenged the collective knowledge of contestants and panelists was the year the Center for Black Culture opened its doors. The correct answer--the nation's bicentennial year, 1976.

The second match went to the Hispanic Student Organization (HOLA), as it swept two games from the Young Americans for Freedom.

During the match, the panel was questioned about the name of UD's main administration building before it became Hullihen Hall. The correct answer is University Hall.

The next question was easy for long-time Newark residents who know that Rainbow Records began on Elkton Road, before moving to Main Street.

Both panelists and students knew that the lower level of the Perkins Student Center that now houses the Bacchus Theatre was once home to a bowling alley.

In the third match, Vocal Point swept Gamma Sigma Sigma 2-0 with contestants trying to guess the year the first computer arrived on campus (1957).

Student singing organizations continued their hot streak on Student Center Squares as the Golden Blues took two games and the match from Phi Sigma Pi in the nightcap. Contestants and panelists could not agree on the number of residence halls (65) on campus, and they also had trouble properly identifying the python as the world's longest snake.

When is a halftime more than just a halftime? When it's also a birthday.

Before a sold-out crowd at UD's basketball season-opener, halftime was marked by the birth of a new Fightin' Blue Hen mascot.

YoUDee, along with members of the UD cheerleaders, dance team and Marching Band, watched as a gigantic blue egg (created by Robin Payne of the theatre department) cracked open to reveal the newest addition to Delaware's mascot tradition.

Named Baby Blue, this young chick of a mascot is 65 inches tall, with a bantam weight of 103 pounds.The blue-blooded chick is just learning to shake its 24-inch tail feathers and taking its first few steps in those 13EEE Air YoUDees.