Walking through the Integrated Learning Center, Xuemei Cai points out the locale of one of her many marathon study sessions.

The sophomore recalls the day she pulled an all-nighter in one of the small rooms next to the Information Commons. In a nearby study room, she notices how a set of complex physics equations on a whiteboard resemble some of her own course work.

For Cai, who's on track to graduate with degrees in biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology and East Asian studies, studying all night is part of the routine. [Read article]

With about three minutes left on the clock in the women's basketball game against Washington State Saturday, coach Joan Bonvicini called in a little help from the sidelines.

But she didn't just call upon anyone. She turned to honorary assistant coach Gov. Janet Napolitano, who responded to the call, joined the huddle and sketched "LA" on her clipboard, making a call that enabled a hi-lo shot and a score. [Read article]

At 3 a.m., when most students are sound asleep, Joe Corcoran readies for another night that will leave him with two hours of sleep, if he's lucky.

A victim of insomnia since high school, Corcoran, a biochemistry sophomore, said he has watched the sun rise too many times.

"The reason I don't sleep is because I can't stop thinking," said Corcoran.

Corcoran is one of the estimated 30 percent of UA students who experience moderate to severe insomnia, according to Dr. Richard Bootzin, a psychology professor and director of the UA Insomnia Clinic. [Read article]

A two-pound rod of lithium was stolen from the Gould-Simpson building, UA officials announced Friday ÷ the same day the country was put on a high state of alert for a terrorist attack.

The rod, which cannot be used as a terrorist weapon, was stolen Thursday from a shipment of 10 boxes destined for the Laboratory of Isotope Geochemistry.

"It's not the type of material you can make a bomb with," UA risk manager Steve Holland told the Arizona Daily Star. [Read article]

A small group gathered Friday in McClelland Hall in memory of Kalpana Chawla and the other six Columbia crew members who lost their lives Feb. 1 when the shuttle exploded during re-entry.

The Columbia, NASA's oldest orbiter, spent nearly 16 days orbiting the earth but exploded 16 minutes before its scheduled landing in Cape Canaveral, Fla.

The memorial, sponsored by the India Club and the International Student Association, remembered the life of Chawla, born July 1, 1961, in Karnal, India. [Read article]

Engineering senior talks about insomnia, being prodded by little green men

WILDCAT: Wow, you're not dumb are you?

HARRIS: I hope not.

WILDCAT: How much time do you spend studying every day?

HARRIS: A lot. Right now we're gonna take a break and then study some more.

WILDCAT: Are you an insomniac?

HARRIS: No.

WILDCAT: Good to know. I've heard that some insomniacs end up being crazy. [Read article]

Things you've always never wanted to know

· Queen Isabella of Castile, who dispatched Christopher Columbus to find the Americas, boasted that she had only two baths in her life ÷ at her birth and before she got married.

· In 1870 there were more Irish living in London than in Dublin.

· In 1870 there were more Catholics living in London than in Rome. [Read article]

TODAY

1984 ÷ The Wildcat House on North Stone Avenue sold 60 oz. pitchers of Coors, Miller Lite, and Bud for $1.99.

1992 ÷ The New Kids on the Block filed suit on this date against former producer Gregory McPherson, accusing him of slander. McPherson had publicly accused the group of lip-synching, and said that 20 percent of the singing at their concerts and their 1988 hit album, "Hangin' Tough," was lip-synched. [Read article]