Colorado nature photographer and local publisher John Fielder will give the commencement address at the University of Colorado at Boulder summer commencement ceremony Saturday, Aug. 12, at 8:30 a.m. in Norlin Quadrangle.
CU-Boulder will confer 1,008 degrees, including 696 bachelor聮s degrees, 174 master聮s and 138 doctoral degrees. The summer ceremony, which is much smaller than the spring and winter ceremonies, will last about two hours and include the reading of all the graduates聮 names.
During the ceremony, Fielder also will be presented with the University of Colorado Distinguished Service Award in recognition of his many accomplishments as a nature photographer, publisher, author, preservationist, teacher, philanthropist and public speaker.
Fielder, who is founder and owner of Westcliffe Publishers in Englewood, has worked to preserve and protect Colorado聮s wild places for nearly 30 years, and has received a dozen awards in Colorado for his work as a photographer and preservationist.
His most recent book, "Colorado 1870-2000," illustrates through photographs the change that has occurred in Colorado over the last century. In 1992, Gov. Roy Romer appointed him as a founding board member of the Great Outdoors Colorado Trust Fund.
Zdenek Bazant, an internationally known engineer and professor from Northwestern University, will receive an honorary degree, doctor of science, during the ceremony in recognition of his substantial contributions to structural engineering and solid mechanics worldwide. His work is significant for the design and safety of massive structures made of concrete or composites, including nuclear reactor containment vessels.
For the past 20 years, he has visited CU-Boulder almost annually, frequently giving seminars on his most current research ideas.
Also during the ceremony, CU-Boulder chemistry Professor John Birks will receive the Hazel Barnes Prize, CU-Boulder聮s highest recognition for teaching and research.
Birks, who joined the chemistry faculty as an associate professor in 1977, developed and taught CU聮s first courses in environmental chemistry at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Environmental Chemistry 1 and 2, courses first introduced by Birks during the 1988-89 academic year, now enroll about 200 students per semester and are required of all environmental studies majors.
Guests are requested to be in their seats by 8:15 a.m. to watch the student processional. CU-Boulder holds three university commencement ceremonies a year, with only the summer ceremony held on Norlin Quadrangle.
To close the commencement ceremony, CU President Alexander E. Bracken will read the traditional Norlin Charge 聳 the words from a speech given by former CU President George Norlin to the graduating class of 1935.
Guests who are deaf or hard of hearing should contact the Interpreting Services Coordinator at (303) 492-4125. A signer will be positioned on the east side of the platform to sign the ceremony. Guests with disabilities who have questions or need additional assistance should contact the Office of Disability Services at (303) 492-8671.
The university commencement ceremony is free and open to the public. No tickets are required for the ceremony, so early arrival guarantees the best choice of seating. All commencement details are listed on the Internet at .