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Free pass for military families

Did you know that the Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture is a member of the Blue Star Museum program,offering free admission  to immediate family members of active duty US Military when they show their active military ID at the front desk? The Burke is one of 1,500 museums across America offering military families a chance to visit museums this summer when many will have limited resources and limited time to be together.

Enjoying the night sky

July is an excellent time to visit the Theodor Jacobsen Observatory, near the north entrance to campus. Built in 1895, it still offers celestial views of the universe through several telescopes, including the 120-year old six-inch refractor telescope.  The observatory is open the first and third Wednesdays of each month through September (9-11 pm), when public lectures are also offered.  For more details about the talks, or to read about the observatory’s history, visit the Theodor Jacobson Observatory website.

Genetics for Everyman

The UW Department of Genome Sciences invites you to its 2011 public lecture series beginning July 6 and continuing each Wednesday evening in July. Four presentations by experts in their fields will cover a range of topics – new evolutionary discoveries to ancient infections – and require no background knowledge in genetics or other biological subjects. The lectures will be held in the Foege Building Auditorium beginning at 8 pm, with refreshments and further discussion to follow.

Helping consumers stay informed

A new electronics shopping service launched June 20 is helping to eliminate buyer’s remorse about new consumer electronics,  an area that often moves too fast for the average person to keep up.  Decide.com was co-founded with four other UW alums by Oren Etzioni, UW professor of Computer Science & Engineering. It uses advanced technology to predict future product releases and pricing so consumers can buy before prices rise, or wait until prices drop.