The Howard Hughes Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship awards a stipend of $3,000 to 25 undergraduates from either the School of Arts and Sciences or the School of Engineering. Students who qualify will conduct laboratory research with a faculty sponsor. The deadline for submitting applications is Friday, Feb. 27. Areas of research opportunity include biology, chemistry, sociology, psychology, and biomedical and other areas of engineering.

Each student should submit a completed application, letter of support from a lab sponsor, letter of recommendation from a faculty member, college transcript and a three-page proposal outlining the research project the student will be working on during the summer.

The application is available on the Web at http://www.jhu.edu/~as1/app1.htm. To receive application materials, contact Gary K. Ostrander, associate dean for research, or Jenny Elliott, administrative assistant, at 224 Mergenthaler on the Homewood campus, at 410-516-8215 or by e-mail, jelliott@jhu.edu.

A new health-conscious menu is being introduced at the Wolfe Street and Hampton House cafes at the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, starting Jan. 21.

The Johns Hopkins University Alumni Association's Mid-Winter Ball is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 7, at the B&O Railroad Museum, 901 W. Pratt St., from 8 p.m. to mid-night. The black-tie event will feature music by Voom Voom and Her Paradise Gardens, a 13-piece orchestra, a raw bar and open bar, and a cocktail buffet by Cameo Caterers. Cost for the ball is $60 per person for alumni and their guests, and $50 per person for newer alumni ( 88 to 97 graduates) and their guests. Free parking is available on the premises. For more information, call Korkud Egrican at 410-516-0363.

The English Language Program of the Language Teaching Center will offer two courses for graduate students next semester:

Academic Writing (370-604) prepares students to complete graduate student writing tasks with greater skill and confidence. Assignments may include practice writing summaries, data commentary, critiques and research papers. (Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, 11 to 11:50 a.m.)

Communication Strategies in the American Classroom (370-601) is designed to assist international graduate students with their English and teaching. (Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, 10 to 10:50 a.m.)

For information, including classroom locations, contact Doris Yaffe Shiffman at 410-516-5122 or dshiffman@jhu.edu, or call the Language Center at 410-516-4466.

The Homewood/Peabody Women's Forum will hold a Book Drive the week of Feb. 2 through 6, to benefit the Family and Children's Center. The Hopkins community is asked to donate books, gently used magazines, children's books, coloring books and any picture books to an organization that provides services for needy people. The books will be given to the Family and Children's Center to be used in community outreach.

Book bins will be located in the Levering Union lobby by the Union Desk and on the sixth floor lobby of the Wyman Park Building. For more information about the book drive, call Barb at 410-516-4777 or Helen at 410-516-8459.

The Microsoft Corporation will offer 10 scholarships of $1,000 for the fall/spring 1998-99 academic year. The Microsoft National Minority Technical Scholarship and the Microsft National Women's Technical Scholarship are intended to foster a diverse workforce. Selected students will be considered for a paid summer internship that offers an opportunity to work on the development of Microsoft products.

Applicants must be either African American, Hispanic or Native American (must be female to receive the women's technical scholarship); must be pursuing studies leading to an undergraduate degree in either computer science, computer engineering or a related technical discipline such as math or physics, with a demonstrated interest in computer science; must be enrolled in either sophomore or junior year; and must maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA. Applications must be postmarked by Jan. 31.

The applicant must submit each of the following: a letter of referral from a faculty member in the applicant's department; an essay of 300 to 500 words describing how the applicant is preparing for a career in the software industry; a resume that includes e-mail address, campus address and phone number, campus ID number, permanent address and phone number, major and expected graduation date; an official sealed copy of the applicant's current academic transcript.

Mail the completed application to Mary Blain; National Scholarship Application; Microsoft Corporation; One Microsoft Way; Redmond, WA 98052-8303 Applicants may obtain more information by visiting the Microsoft Web site at http://microsoft.com/college/scholarship.htm.