A University of Virginia undergraduate is spending her summer researching the abilities of different sunflower types to absorb heavy metals for purposes ranging from environmental cleanup to safe consumer products.

On a tablet on the Rotunda’s famous Jefferson statue, sculptor Moses Ezekiel inscribed various names of God from several belief systems. Referred to as the “Sermon in Stone,” the tablet testifies to Jefferson’s commitment to religious freedom and liberty.

Students in a U.Va. summer course are analyzing the still-unfolding revolutions across the Middle East through the lens of news reports, as well as religion, music, sociology and economics, and keeping an eye on tensions elsewhere in the region.

June marks National Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month. Locally, Hoos for Memory at U.Va. is working to raise awareness and support for battling a disease that often gets overlooked, though it’s the sixth-leading cause of death in America.

Some 65 percent of U.Va. students conduct research as undergraduates. Their work is done during the academic year and in the summer, as was evidenced at a June 8 ice cream social, sponsored by the Center for Undergraduate Excellence to bring the students together.

In a conference co-sponsored by the Miller Center and the Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, scholars from around the country asked what it takes to break the gridlock in Washington and to cultivate leadership around the country.

The annual showcase presents the collaborative work of artisan masters and their apprentices to showcase a variety of traditional music, foodways and crafts.