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<p>Large changes in the sun's energy output may drive unexpectedly dramatic fluctuations in Earth's outer atmosphere, new research indicates. A study published today links a recent, temporary shrinking of a high atmospheric layer with a sharp drop in the sun's ultraviolet radiation levels.</p>

<p>While the common perception of asteroids is that they are giant rocks lumbering about in orbit, a new study shows they actually are constantly changing "little worlds" that can give birth to smaller asteroids that split off to start their own lives as they circle around the sun.</p>

<p>A team of eight institutions that includes the University of Colorado at Boulder has been selected by the Federal Aviation Administration to participate in a newly formed Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation.</p>

<p>A planned $110 million telescope in Chile that the University of Colorado at Boulder is partnering on to probe distant galaxies and stellar nurseries has been named as the top construction priority for mid-sized, ground-based telescopes by the National Research Council in the coming decade.</p>

<p>Zonta International, through its foundation, has awarded Amelia Earhart Fellowships to 35 outstanding women pursuing doctoral degrees in aerospace-related sciences and engineering this year -- including six who are studying at the University of Colorado at Boulder.</p>

<p>A vast ocean likely covered one-third of the surface of Mars some 3.5 billion years ago, according to a new study conducted by University of Colorado at Boulder scientists.</p>

<p>Faculty and students from the University of Colorado at Boulder's Research and Engineering Center for Unmanned Vehicles teamed with researchers from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for the first interception of a "supercell" thunderstorm by an unmanned aircraft system on May 6.</p>

<p>NASA's space shuttle Atlantis will make its final flight May 14 carrying three University of Colorado at Boulder-built biomedical payload devices, including one to help scientists understand how and why slimy and troublesome clumps of microorganisms flourish in the low-gravity conditions of space.</p>

<p>Juri Toomre, a professor of astrophysical and planetary sciences and a fellow of JILA at the University of Colorado at Boulder, has been selected to receive the Hazel Barnes Prize, the highest faculty recognition for teaching and research awarded by the university.</p>

<p>I am extremely gratified at the White House's nomination of Dr. Carl Wieman to serve as associate director for science in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. If confirmed by Congress, Dr. Wieman will be a dynamic leader in helping to form effective science and technology policies for our nation. He has been a peerless researcher and teacher, and has been tireless in his devotion to science education over the last decade, revolutionizing how we teach at CU-Boulder and changing the landscape of teaching globally and nationally.</p>
<p>March 22 White House News Release</p>