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The earliest humans who peopled Australia some 55,000 years ago may have inadvertently disrupted the continent's food chain by burning vast areas of native vegetation, resulting in the extinction of most large animal species.

Dennis Van Gerven, a CU-Boulder anthropology professor known for his collection of Nubian mummies and lively classroom presentations, will be the first featured speaker in a winter-spring lecture series at the Boulder Public Library beginning Wednesday, Jan. 13. Van Gerven's talk on "Bones, Bodies and Disease in Ancient Nubia" kicks off the spring Chancellor's Community Lecture Series, which will feature CU arts, science and music faculty. The talk is at 7:30 p.m. in the library's main auditorium.

In the not-too-distant future, University of Colorado at Boulder students will find that registering for classes will be as easy as tapping their computer keyboards. Some 900 sophomores and freshman took advantage of a pilot program in web registration when they signed up for spring classes in November and found the experimental web registration to their liking.

William E. Briggs, who taught mathematics at the University of Colorado at Boulder both before and after he served 16 years as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, died Jan. 4 following a long illness. He was 73. Briggs became dean of arts and sciences on July 1, 1964, after serving one year as the acting dean, and held that position until he retired in 1980, at which time he received a medal for outstanding service.

Local senior citizens are invited to explore reference publications, view rare photograph collections and learn how to use computers during "Senior Day at Norlin Library," at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The event will be held Jan. 6 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Center for British Studies in Norlin Library room M549. The event is sponsored by The Friends of the Libraries, an organization that encourages community members to use university library resources. "Senior Day at Norlin Library," is free and open to the public and reservations are not required.

The Graduate Teacher Program at the University of Colorado at Boulder has received the 1998 Program Award for Excellence in Professional Development from the National Association of Graduate-Professional Â鶹ÒùÔº. The award was presented at the organization's annual awards dinner in Braintree, Mass., in November. It was the only such award presented nationally. The award was accepted on behalf of GTP Director Laura Border by graduate student Tim Benner. Benner, a former president of CU-Boulder's NAGPS chapter, received a President's Award for outstanding service.

Editors: Enclosed are the names of degree candidates from your area. This list was accurate as of Dec. 18 and is subject to final grade reports. Local students were among the 1,799 students receiving degrees Dec. 19 in winter commencement ceremonies at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

When Charles F. Wilkinson delivers the main address during the winter commencement exercises at the University of Colorado at Boulder on Saturday, he will advise the new graduates that their educations are too valuable to be used only for earning a paycheck. Wilkinson, a distinguished professor of law at the university, is recognized as a champion of the American West through his decades of writing and legal work, and he would like the students to dedicate themselves to what he calls "this sacred place."

Pia Griffith, daughter of Don and Alice Renton of Boulder, has received a scholarship from the University of Colorado at Boulder School of Education for the 1998-99 academic year. The $1,000 Lillian Gutierrez Scholarship is awarded to a student who is committed to working with members of an underrepresented, ethnic minority group. James Tingley, son of Al and Holly Tingley of Monument, received a scholarship from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He was awarded the Martha Hall Adopt-A-Teacher Scholarship from the School of Education for the 1998-99 academic year.

University of Colorado chemistry Professor David Nesbitt will present the final CU Wizards program of the semester, "Chemistry is Fun," on Saturday, Dec. 26. The program will be in the Cristol Chemistry and Biochemistry Building, room 140, at 9:30 a.m. Nesbitt will use exciting visual displays and experiments to illustrate the basic concepts of chemistry. He plans to produce several explosions, show how liquids mix or don't mix, demonstrate the effects of temperature on chemical reactions and explain how fireworks get their colorful glows.