Mizzou soon will welcome one of them.

The wife of our newly appointed vice chancellor for research, Robert Duncan, is Maj. Gen. Annette L. Sobel. Sobel has served as the director of intelligence for the National Guard Bureau and director of the New Mexico Governor’s Office of Homeland Security. She has won multiple service awards from the Army and the Air Force. She has taught at the University of New Mexico, the University of Texas at Galveston and Wright State University. She serves on the national board of directors for Girl Scouts of the USA. And did we mention she’s also a medical doctor and senior flight surgeon? You might say Sobel is the very model of a modern major general.

The couple joins us Sept. 1.

James “Jimi” Cook, professor of veterinary medicine and surgery and the William C. Allen Endowed Professor for Orthopedic Research, worked with Arthrex, Inc. to develop and test the Tightrope device. More invasive techniques can lead to serious complications.

Learn more about about the innovative surgery.

The tournament begins Friday, May 30. The MU Tigers site has details, and those lucky enough to have ESPNU (we don’t) can watch televised coverage.

Final results for both structures included: second place for best overall design, first place for best support structure and first place for most innovative design. A top-three finish in each of the remaining three categories helped the team earn $2,250 overall, more prize money than any other school.

The team was grateful for local help. “Not only did MU come together and support our Timber Bridge Team, but Columbia’s hometown lumber companies did, too,” says Josh Long, vice president of the group.

Above, the Timber Bridge Team memorializes its bridge work on Francis Quadrangle. From left to right, members include Adam J. Kral, president; Ardie Mansouri, treasurer; Al-Barrae Shebib; Jeremy Welschmeyer; Josh Long, vice president; Derek Zimmerschied; and Jin Lin. Not pictured are Ryan Moats, JC Sellers, Jonah Sprehe-Costello, Trevor McWilliams, Jake Pressler, Ryan Fitzpatrick and faculty adviser Hani Salim. Photo by Shane Epping.

Extension now offers Mizzou’s first online commencement ceremony. Graduates’ names and degrees are listed; there are speeches from Provost Brian Foster and Mizzou Alumni Association President Titus Blackmon; and friends, family and others can sign a guest book and wish graduates well. Coat and tie are optional for the ceremony, of course, and weather and parking shouldn’t be concerns.

The biggest issue in trying to avoid food-borne illnesses is food temperature; people should try to keep food out of the “danger zone” between 41 degrees and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Foods that are susceptible to bacterial growth, such as mayonnaise, can be especially troublesome and should be kept on ice in the cooler. On the flipside, Fancher recommends cooking all meats to at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

See the news release for more tips and full details.

Now we know the contest's winners, announced last night. Elise Hensler's stunning landscape of the Sevilla Cathedral on a foggy night took the title of "Best in Show." Rob Curl's photo of a fellow student working with a "national treasure" vocal chanter in Japan won the top prize in the "Cross-cultural Moments" category. John Hook's snowy scene from a train in Germany won first place in the "Landscapes" category. Ryan Carter's black-and-white shot of a wistful child on a water taxi in Venice took top honors in the "Portraits" category.

The International Center's site has all the winning photos, plus honorable mentions and all finalists. They're worth seeing. We'd reproduce them again here, but they're just too pretty to be 270 pixels wide.

Mizzou fans can get their first taste of football far before the season starts at the annual Black and Gold Game this Saturday, April 19, at Memorial Stadium (full schedule of events here). The game is being broadcast live on ESPNU for those who can't make it, although in-person tailgating and sports-related merriment are highly encouraged. (On a side note, though, it may say something about the program that even a scrimmage gets national TV time.)

Fans can get into the game and help a worthy cause in the process by donating three canned or boxed food items for the Central Missouri Food Bank. Otherwise, cost is $3.

More than 1,000 academic researchers, business people and policy makers converge at Mizzou for Life Sciences Week from April 14-18. Meet some of the faculty and students doing research in seminars and the more than 300 poster sessions. Missouri legislators will engage in a webcast conversation about biotech at 3:30 p.m., April 17, at Monsanto Auditorium in Bond Life Sciences Center.

Graduate schools across the state of Missouri will celebrate the value and achievements of graduate education during Graduate Education Week April 14-19. Mizzou offers workshops for college students who want to get into a graduate school.

On April 19, the Mizzou Graduate School presents "Adventures in Education", an interactive exhibit that shows grade school and older kids what kinds of things are possible when they continue their education. See footage from last year's "Adventures in Education".

Missouri's first-ever poet laureate, Walter Bargen, will be spreading the word at a poetry reading and book signing at 3 p.m., Wed., April 9, at University Bookstore.

Mizzou Wire was lucky enough to speak with the Ashland, Mo., resident and university employee for a story back when he earned the title -- and to get a personal reading, included with the story. Take a listen, and head to the bookstore for more.

As of the first round of winter sports rankings, Mizzou was ranked at No. 20 in the U.S. Sports Academy Directors' Cup standings. The Directors' Cup measures success for sports across the board.

A couple more numbers for you stat-inclined sports fans:

• The only Big 12 team with a higher rank in the Directors' Cup standings is Texas, at No. 7.
• So far, Mizzou has had eight teams ranked in the top 25 this season: football; soccer; swimming and diving; wrestling; volleyball; gymnastics (competing this weekend in the Big 12 Championships); and baseball (pictured), which recently has been ranked as high as No. 2.

One more win could tie the previous record streak of 20 set by the 1995 team. The softball squad will have a chance to match -- and then top -- that number during a double-header against Bradley starting at 3 p.m., Wed., March 19 at University Field.

They're all part of events celebrating Women's History Month at Mizzou.

• March 12: Feminist bloggers Jessica Valenti and Ann Friedman
• March 14: 12th Annual Women's Poetry Night
• March 18: Women Who Rock
• March 20: Feminists on Wheels

It's just one of the quirky, real stories told on This American Life, one of public radio's most popular programs. How do you tell a good story on the radio or simply in life? Ira Glass knows and he'll be sharing his secrets at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 8 at Jesse Auditorium.

The True/False Film Fest draws documentary filmmakers and enthusiasts to downtown Columbia. The poster for the event features two blindfolded people leaping off of a cliff.

"The coming of Leap Day Weekend is a welcoming invitation to bound past our boundaries, to expand ourselves past our comfort zones," organizers Paul Sturtz and David Wilson write on the festival site.

The four-day event features 90 screenings, music, workshops, discussions and even a parade. True/False runs Feb. 28-March 2. For details, visit the True/False Film Fest site.

Truman the Tiger could be crashing the Nintendo Wii party, if Mizzou fans have anything to say about it.

EA Sports is asking people to vote in a "mascot challenge" to decide which costumed icon will grace the cover of the game NCAA Football 09. Voting closes March 14.

We'll admit it's probably not the most important election campaign of the year, but at least the mud-slinging should be minimal.

As proof that some self-publishers still work creatively with print (rather than, say, blogging), the MU Bookstore is hosting Zine Fest from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Friday in Brady Commons.

The bookstore's staff blog, Biblio-Buzz, expounds on what a zine is and explains the purpose of the event. In a broad definition, a zine is a self-published print piece on virtually any topic by virtually any author or artist. Comics, underground papers, music mags -- these all fit the category.

On a personal level, I can remember the joys of my high school's underground zine, written, photocopied and distributed by those of us who thought the school paper was too firmly under the sway of "the man."

• The students of Mizzou's Culinary Cafe are offering the "International Chocolate Enchantment" event on Feb. 12. You need reservations for this dinner of four courses, each made with chocolate from a different region of the world.
• Tiger Garden and its student employees have Valentine's flower specials. The store, at 2-34 Agriculture Building, is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
• The Horticulture Club will be selling roses from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 13 and 14 in the lobby of the Anheuser-Busch Natural Resources Building.
• As it does every year, the College of Arts and Science celebrates A&S Week around Valentine's Day and offers concerts, an awards banquet and other events.
• The Museum of Art and Archaeology offers a champagne reception and screening of the classic film An Affair to Remember starting at 6 p.m. on Feb. 14. Plus, they advertise "Roses for the ladies!" Reservations must be made Monday, Feb. 11.

Dyson has written 14 books and teaches at Georgetown University. He's a renowned intellectual and a commentator for national media.

Dyson presents the keynote address for Black History Month at Mizzou at 7 p.m., Feb. 7, at Jesse Auditorium.