Explore the maze of islets and reefs that make up Nuchatlitz Provincial Park at the northwerst edge of Nookta Island. Sea stacks, caves, intricate rock formations, quiet lagoons and Canada's largest sea otter colonty make this a unique location.

 Caeli at Notre Dame, Paris

Where in the world is YOUR classroom?

Interested in studying, volunteering or working overseas? Find out how you can internationalize your degree at Overseas Options Days, Jan. 28 & 29.

Maybe you’ve thought of spending a summer, a semester or a year taking part of your degree in another country. Perhaps you’d like to learn what kind of opportunities are out there to volunteer or do an internship overseas and gain some valuable experience in your field.

Or maybe you’re thinking of teaching English abroad after you graduate. This is the place to find out how to do all of these things and more.

With representatives from organizations specializing in study abroad options, teaching overseas, international work, internship and volunteer placements, you can be sure to find a cure for the travel bug in all of us. Whether you are an undergraduate or a graduate student there will be opportunities for everyone.

Laura on the Vasabron, a bridge over Norrström in central Stockholm, Sweden.

Information sessions by several organizations will also be held throughout the event. It is an opportunity to dive further into the details of the programs. For more information or if you wish to volunteer for the event, please check out our website.

Also, come to our Study Abroad 101 information sessions to learn more about how to spend as little as one week to as much as a full year abroad, earning credit towards your U of C degree.

Study Abroad 101
When: every Tuesday at 1 p.m., Wednesday at 3 p.m. and Thursday at noon
Duration: 45-minute sessions
Where: Centre for International Students and Study Abroad (MSC 275)

A presentation of the University of Calgary chapter of the Palestinian-Canadian Students Society.

Rothney Astrophysical Observatory

Have you ever wondered about something in the night sky? Ever thought of an intriguing mystery about the universe?

With 2009 being the official Year of Astronomy, there’s never been a better time to take those questions and your curiosity to the University Calgary’s Rothney Astrophysical Observatory.

Phil Langill, director of the RAO, will kick off the observatory’s open house this weekend—during the biggest and closest full moon of 2009—as part of a year-long celebration of all things astronomical by fielding any and all questions.

The International Year of Astronomy 2009 is a global effort initiated by the International Astronomical Union and UNESCO to help the citizens of the world rediscover their place in the Universe through the day and night-time sky, and thereby engage a personal sense of wonder and discovery.

“This is a chance for people to connect with the universe and have a Galileo moment while looking through one of our telescopes,” says Langill.

The U of C’s Rothney Observatory has a variety of telescopes, including the 1.8 metre ARCT, one of the largest in Canada. There’s also the asteroid hunting and comet chasing ‘Baker Nunn’ telescope and a robotic telescope called the “Clark-Milone.”

The terrace around the observatory features an array of telescopes operated by the University of Calgary astronomers and the Calgary Chapter of the Royal Astronomical Society.

All visitors should dress warmly and bring flashlights. The RAO is on an exposed hill and the wind can be biting. The event will be cancelled in the event of bad weather. Check website (www.ucalgary.ca/rao/) for updates.

San Fransisco artist Amie Dowling has created dance programs for women who have left the sex-trade industry in Thailand and has worked as an artist-in-residence in US jails. In a public talk, Dowling shares her experience of how arts, education and social activism can intersect with marginalized communities.

This FREE event, Thursday January 15, 2009 6:00 pm, at Theatre Junction Grand is a co-presentation between the University of Calgary Urban Dance Project in the Faculty of Fine Arts and One Yellow Rabbit High Performance Rodeo 2009.

Anne Flynn, the Manager of the Urban Dance Project in the Faculty of Fine Arts is thrilled to bring Amie Dowling to Calgary as her extensive experience working in the area of dance and social justice provides parallels to the Urban Dance Project work.

“Since the beginning of the Urban Dance pilot project in 2005, we have developed dance programming in partnership with numerous Calgary organizations such as the Alex Senior's Health Centre, YWCA, Salvation Army and the Calgary Board of Education. Amie was very interested to be a guest at the University of Calgary in order to share her ideas about how dance can contribute to community development, particularly in settings where there is little access to the arts.”

Flynn continues, “In addition to her Artist Talk Ms. Dowling will be guest lecturing at a joint workshop for Dance and Drama students at the University providing U of C students with a great setting for interdisciplinary exchange.”

Amie Dowling: Performing Arts and Social Justice: The Prison Projects
Thursday January 15, 2009
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Rehearsal Studio, Theatre Junction Grand
FREE event
Please RSVP (403) 264 3224 or rsvp@oyr.org

The University of Calgary Operetta Company presents:
WEST SIDE STORY
January 15-17, 2009
University of Theatre

Q: How do you feel?   A: “I feel pretty, oh so pretty!”

Fifty-three students from across the many faculties at the University of Calgary (including Physics, Business and Biology) are coming together to perform in the University of Calgary Operetta Company’s presentation of Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story. Full of immortal songs and dramatic action sequences, this classic story of doomed lovers continues to inspire artists and move audiences with it's contemporary themes of racial tensions, gang warfare and youth culture. A live pit orchestra will accompany the singing and dancing cast. The show runs January 15th to 17th in the UofC’s University Theatre.

Director Colleen Whidden started the U of C Operetta Company in 2007 with support from the Department of Music. Previous productions include Gilbert and Sullivan’s Trial by Jury and Pirates of Penzance. But this show is special, explains Widden. “This is one of the most amazing casts I have ever worked with. The depth of their singing, acting and dancing skills is immense. The energy they bring to the stage is contagious and the authenticity they bring to this classic storyline is magical.”

WEST SIDE STORY by the Numbers

    * 1000 lines and 2000 measures of music to memorize
    * Hundreds of Dance moves to learn
    * 53 cast members
    * 24 pit orchestra musicians
    * 20 actors in the opening “rumble” fight scene choreographed by Haysam Kadri (Alberta Theatre Projects)
    * 12 weeks of rehearsals
    * 8 costume changes for Maria
    * 1 epic love story

For more information please call (403) 220-5089 or visit www.finearts.ucalgary.ca

Yu Hongmei

Friday, January 16, 2009 at 8:00 pm
Saturday January 17, 2009 at 8:00 pm

Discover a new perspective on classical music. Elements from Chinese and Western musical traditions are woven together by erhu artist Yu Hongmei and percussionist Rod Thomas Squance in their innovative musical collaboration.

The erhu is a two-string bowed instrument, and its mellow, expressive sound can be either soft and flowing, or strong and staccato. Highly versatile, it carries the melody in the Chinese orchestra, and is used as both a solo and ensemble instrument.

Yu Hongmei has been performing on the erhu since the age of eight. She has been the principal erhuist with the Chinese National Traditional Orchestra and has performed as a soloist all over the world. Hongmei is currently a visiting scholar in the Department of Music at the U of C.

Percussionist Rod Thomas Squance is quickly gaining recognition as one of Canada’s most exciting rising musicians. He has performed with international musical greats such as Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Project, clarinetist Paquito de Rivera, flutist Patrick Gallois, cellist Shauna Rolston, Japanese shakuhachi player Kojiro Umezaki, Korean percussionist Dong-Won Kim and North Indian tabla player Sandeep Das. Rod teaches percussion and world music in the Department of Music at the U of C.

Call 403-210-7576 or visit http://www.finearts.ucalgary.ca/ for more information

The Celebrity Series fosters musical ties between the University and the Calgary community, and enriches the Music Department by exposing young musicians to world-class artists in both concert and master-class settings. This concert series brings renowned musicians from across the globe together with Calgary musicians, faculty members and students, to perform in one the finest concert halls in Western Canada.

The Rachel McKenna Memorial Lecture:

Dr. Roslyn Mannon is a professor of Medicine and Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham; director of research at the Alabama Transplant Center; staff physician, Division of Nephrology, Birmingham Medical Center, Alabama.

A champagne reception in the Health Research Innovation Atrium will follow her talk.