BYU

SPEAKER: New York Times energy, transportation and technology reporter Matthew L. Wald will present "A 'Low-Carb' Diet for the Planet," discussing the importance of achieving big cuts in greenhouse gas emissions and the obstacles in the way. The speech will be at 2 p.m. on Monday in 238 Herald R. Clark Building.

SYMPOSIUM: Michael O. Leavitt, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, will headline the 15th Annual International Law and Religion Symposium at Brigham Young University's J. Reuben Clark Law School on Tuesday and Wednesday. Delegates at the conference will include over 70 religious leaders and government officials from over 40 countries.

Students may attend free of charge, but all attendees must register in advance. For more information or to register, visit www.ICLRS.org or contact Deborah Wright at (801) 422-6842 or wrightde@lawgate.byu.edu.

HOMECOMING: Homecoming activities kick-off on Tuesday with opening ceremonies at 11:05 a.m. at the Marriott Center. Following the opening ceremonies, there will be a Kick-Off Barbecue from noon to 1:30 p.m. at Brigham Square. Then Tuesday night is the Hike and Light the Y event, starting at 6:30 at the Hinckley Center. There will be free hot chocolate and donuts, and live music will be provided.

• On Wednesday, the annual True Blue Football game will be from 4-6 p.m. at Helaman Field. Enjoy a BYU Homecoming tradition -- playing football in blue foam. Other activities will include tug-o-war, a Jello eating contest and a giant slip n' slide with blue foam.

The event is free, but those wishing to play football must register in advance. A sign-up list will be available Monday and Tuesday in the Student Leadership Office, 3400 WSC. Spaces will go quickly, so register early. For more information, contact event lead Ben Hilton at benrhilton@gmail.com.

• The Homecoming Spectacular will be 7:30-9 p.m. Thursday and Friday in the Marriott Center. The theme is "Go the Distance," and will feature BYU student performing ensembles. Founder celebrations will honor the legacy of Rex E. Lee, founding dean of the J. Reuben Clark Law School, a nationally respected attorney and former president of BYU. Tickets are $25, $20, $14 or $7 with a BYU student ID. For tickets, call the Marriott Center Ticket Office at (801) 422-2981.

• Homecoming Dances will be Friday and Saturday. Tickets will be available for purchase at the WSC Info Desk beginning Monday.

On Friday, the semi-formal dance, "Enchanted," will be from 8:30 p.m. to midnight at Thanksgiving Point, featuring Cinderella's Carriage. Cost is $25 per couple. Tickets will be sold at the door.

Another semi-formal dance, "A Gentleman's Game," will be held on the Heber Creeper historic steam engine train from 9 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Boarding begins at 8:30 p.m. Guests may participate in an optional murder mystery game. Tickets are $45 per couple, and will not be sold at the door.

On Saturday, there will be another dance on the train, "Blast From the Past." Cost is $40 per couple. Guests are encouraged to dress up in clothes from their favorite decade for this casual dance. Dance begins at 8:30 p.m. Tickets will not be sold at the door.

Also Saturday, a casual dance will be held in the Wilkinson Student Center ballroom, garden court and terrace, starting at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 per couple, $9 per single, and will be sold at the door.

• There will be a Homecoming Blue Pancake Breakfast at 8:30 a.m. Saturday at the Creamery on Ninth; Botany Pond; base of the Maeser stairs, near 800 North and 200 East; and the Sinclair gas station, near 800 North and 700 East. The breakfast is free.

• The Homecoming Parade will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday. Join with more than 1,000 alumni and students in one of BYU's oldest traditions. This year's grand marshal will be Janet Lee Chamberlain, widow of former president Rex E. Lee. Parade entries include the International Folk Dance Ensemble, the Cougar Marching Band, Cosmo and several dozen other entries. The parade route will start in the Marriott Center east parking lot, proceed south on 900 East past the Creamery on Ninth, go west on 800 North and end at the Fieldhouse.

• There will be a Homecoming service project and tours of the Nursing Simulation Labs from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday at 130 Kimball Tower. Nursing alumni will meet to assemble newborn kits for distribution to local hospitals. Students will conduct tours and demonstrate the use of patient simulators (mannequins) in modern nursing education. Public is invited.

• The Homecoming tailgate parties begin at 2 p.m. at the west stadium parking lot and the Hinckley Center.

UVU

EVENT -- Utah Valley University will host the largest leadership conference in the nation on Tuesday.

High-school and college students from around the state will gather at UVU, where the Center for the Advancement of Leadership will hold its 9th Annual Leadership Conference at the McKay Events Center. The theme for this year's conference is, "The Engaged Leader, Building your Capacity to Influence."

More than 4,000 students are expected to benefit from local leadership authorities as they share their knowledge, skills and abilities, enabling students to influence themselves, others and ultimately their careers.

Students will be challenged to leave a "Leadership Legacy," which will entail a follow-up project that will be evaluated and recognized.

For 2008, the keynote speakers are New York Times best-selling author Ron McMillan and former Miss America Sharlene Hawkes, with more than 22 topical and discipline-specific breakout sessions. This year's theme, "The Engaged Leader: Building Your Capacity to Influence," was chosen to help students of all ages recognize the importance of leadership and engagement within every meaningful life arena.

The conference will be from 8:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the McKay Events Center. For registration and other information, go to uvu.edu/leadership and click on "Annual Leadership Conference."

TRAINING: UVU Community Education is excited to announce their partnership with Deer Valley in offering a non-credit ski instructor training.

Students will be taught how to teach others to ski and how to improve their own skiing. This class is very hands-on and will be taught on the snow at Deer Valley Ski Resort for 12 hours and only nine hours in a classroom. With the ski season coming soon, there is high probability for employment within the ski industry upon completion of this course. Ski instructors receive competitive pay, ski privileges, and a fun work environment. John Guay from Deer Valley says, "The ski industry in Utah has set record highs in the last few years and the growth continues each year. This has lead to increased demand for trained ski instructors. Ski schools fill an important gap in producing qualified instructors that create a valuable asset to the resorts and their customers."

The course is held at the UVU Wasatch Campus Building located at 3111 N. College Way, in Heber, each Thursday from Oct. 15 to Nov. 19, from 6-7:30 p.m. Course cost is $349 which includes instruction, textbook, and snow time at Deer Valley. For more information or to register for this class, visit ce.uvsc.edu/ski or call (801) 863-8012.

FAIR: Student Health Services, Wellness Programs will be conducting a Substance Abuse and Violence Prevention Fair in the Hall of Flags Tuesday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This fair will address tobacco, alcohol, addictive substances, and violence issues. Please stop by to receive some great information and to get the facts straight.

Q&A: Democracy and the Vote, with a question-and-answer session with U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, will be from 10-11:14 a.m. on Thursday in the Lakeview Room at the library. The event was organized by Elaine Englehardt, distinguished professor of ethics at UVU, as part of the Utah Democracy Project.

LECTURE: UVU College of Science and Health lecture series presents Pauline Snoeijs, author and photographer of "The Bridal Chambers of Linnaeus." In this book, she combines her two great passions, botany and photography. "The Bridal Chambers of Linnaeus" is a tribute to the Swedish scientist Carolus Linnaeus on his 300th birthday in 2007, according to the Stockholm University Web site.

Until 2007, Snoeijs was professor of plant ecology at Uppsala University in Sweden and thereby one of Linnaeus's direct successors. In January 2008 she was appointed professor of pelagic system ecology at Stockholm University. In her presentation, she will be discussing the research and work she did on the book.