Final issue of semester

This is the Reporter's final issue of the fall semester. Publication of the newspaper will resume on Jan. 14. Happy holidays!

Elder wins international award for documentary of Eskimo ritual

Filmmaker Sarah Elder, UB professor of media study, has been awarded third prize in one of the world's most distinguished juried international film festivals, the IX International Festival of Ethnographic Films, held last month in Nuoro, Italy.

The festival, whose theme was "Music and Rituals," attracted 125 entries, 30 of which were selected for presentation. Only two were from the United States.

Elder received the award for "Uksuum Cauyai: The Drums of Winter," her much-lauded feature documentary shot in a small Alaskan native village on the Bering Sea. The film explores the music, dance and rituals of Yup'ik, as well as attempts by missionaries to suppress such dance ceremonies.

While in Nuoro, Elder also made a presentation on the theoretical framework and pioneering methodology of her 25 years of research with native Alaskans as she dealt with the ethnographic representation of their culture. She has received many distinguished awards over the past two decades and is recognized as one of the world's premier ethnographic filmmakers.

The festival, sponsored by the Italian Instituto Superiore Regionale Etnografico, drew film directors from the Americas, Africa, Australia, India, Pakistan and Europe.

Spaulding tappedfor project to improve end-of-life care

Monica Spaulding, professor of medicine and otolaryngology at the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and a specialist in oncology, is one of 30 faculty physicians selected from across the U.S. to spearhead a program on improving care of the dying.

The project is sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and supported by a $985,595 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Called the VA Faculty Leaders Project for Improved Care at the End of Life, the initiative involves faculty members at 30 VA hospitals, selected from a pool of applicants, who will develop a curriculum in palliative care. Their guidelines will be used throughout the VA health-care system to train faculty and resident physicians in internal medicine in palliative care, and will be disseminated to the health-care community at large.

Equipment donation helps UB advance Internet technologies

The university is partnering with academic institutions across the country to take the lead in developing the next generation of Internet technology, a national project receiving widespread support from industry partners and the federal government.

To support UB's efforts, Bay Networks, a Nortel Networks line of business and leader in the worldwide networking market, has donated Internet network equipment valued at nearly $90,000 to the university. The equipment enables the university to participate in Internet2, a national consortium working to perfect a new generation of Internet applications. UB is among more than 100 research universities participating in the project .

"By creating and sustaining a leading-edge network for the national research community, Internet2 is enabling the Internet community to develop the necessary tools for scientific research and higher education in the 21st century," said Bill Hawe, chief technology officer at Bay Networks. "This innovation will provide new technologies needed for the ongoing growth of the Internet."

Using cutting-edge network capabilities, UB will be able to communicate with other member institutions. Global teaching, learning and research will be brought to the next level through multimedia applications, such as multicasting, video and voice integration, and online collaborative research.

Jerry Bucklaew, network engineer in the UB Office of Computing and Information Technology, explained that the new technologies will "allow faster, better communication between UB and others connected to Internet2. It can dramatically enhance a researcher's ability to collaborate and conduct essential research components. It is the second generation of the Internet." UB's equipment for the Internet2 project is expected to be installed next spring.

Alumnus supports study on South Campus neighborhood

A closer look at housing and economic issues in the neighborhood surrounding the South Campus is the focus of a new UB study, partially funded by a $25,000 gift from a 1967 alumnus, Robert G. Morris of Peekskill, in the hopes of uncovering alternatives for revitalizing the neighborhood. Morris understands the impact that a university or college has on its community and recognizes the implications the five-year study can have on the long-term vitality of the Main Street area.

The study, headed by Barry Lentnek, professor of geography and associate director of the Center for Regional Development and Policy, will examine the development of vacant land, property values, land use and employment in the South Campus neighborhood. The information will be used by the University Community Initiative, a collaboration between the Town of Amherst, City of Buffalo, Town of Tonawanda and UB, in its efforts to stabilize and revitalize the neighborhood.

Nominations open for Chancellor's Award for Librarianship Excellence

The University Libraries are accepting nominations for this year's Chancellor's Awards for Excellence in Librarianship.

Nominees may be of any rank and must have completed at least three academic years in a full-time appointment as a professional librarian at UB prior to nomination. In addition, nominees must possess the M.L.S. degree. Only the associate vice president for University Libraries is ineligible for nominations for this award. Persons on sabbatical leave during the fall or spring semester prior to the year of nomination may not be nominated, nor may previous recipients of the award be renominated. Posthumous nominees will not be considered.

Completed nominations, including a cover letter from the nominator, the candidate's current curriculum vitae and written statement of "philosophy of librarianship," and three to five letters of support, must be received by noon on Jan. 13. Nominees for the award need not have a long record of service, but performance must be extraordinary.

Complete nomination packages may be sent to Ellen McGrath in the Law Library. For more information concerning the award, the selection criteria or preparation of a nomination package, email McGrath at emcgrath@acsu.buffalo.edu or Will Hepfer at whepfer@acsu.buffalo.edu.

"Introduction to Japanese"short course to be offered

The World Languages Institute (Department of Modern Languages and Literatures), will offer a short course beginning Jan. 27 and continuing through March 3 for those who may be interested in undertaking a formal study of the Japanese language, who have thought about enrolling in Japanese Studies course at UB , those who are planning a trip to Japan or simply would like to learn more about Japan.

The program, a non-credit course to be taught by Keiko Kuriyama, WLI graduate assistant and a graduate student in the Department of Linguistics, is open to all UB faculty, staff and students. Classes will be held every Wednesday from noon to 1 p.m. on the North Campus. The fee for faculty and staff is $25; UB students with a valid ID will be admitted free of charge.

Class size is limited to 20 and registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Registration by email at ub~wli@acsu.buffalo.edu is preferred, or call the World Languages Institute at 645-2292.

We want to hear your voice

The Reporter is UBıs community newspaper and we want you to become involved. Give us your comments on current topics relating to the university and higher education, as well as on timely subjects in areas of your expertise. We welcome articles, Viewpoints, Letters to the Editor as well as news items. Send materials to Christine Vidal, Reporter Editor, 136 Crofts Hall, Buffalo, N.Y. 14260. Or contact us by email at vidal@buffalo.edu.

Three students receive Fleming Merit Awards

Three UB students have received J. Scott Fleming Merit Awards from the University Student Alumni Board (USAB). The $500 awards are presented to full-time students who have demonstrated a commitment to UB and enhanced the student experience through volunteer work and leadership. The awards are named in honor of a former executive director of the Office of Alumni Relations.

Award winners are:

Penny K. Chesner, a senior majoring in communicative disorders and sciences. A member of UB STARS, a student group that gives campus tours to prospective students, she has helped recruit students in Long Island-area high schools.

David M. Montag, a junior management major. A former Wilkeson Hall Council president, he was named Hall Council Member of the Year in 1997 and 1998 Resident Advisor of the Year. He is a senior associate justice in Judicial Affairs, a member of UB STARS and a volunteer substitute teacher for the UB Child Care Center.

Nicole Piotrowski, a junior management major. President of the Faculty Student Association, she is chair of Sub-Board I's programming grant committee and has served in the Student Association Senate.

University community asked to update E-Directory information

The university community is being asked to update the information that is listed in the UB

E-Directory, the online directory of faculty, staff and students.

The directory, which can be accessed at http://ldap.buffalo.edu, is a comprehensive and searchable electronic source of information that includes names, titles, campus addresses, phone numbers and email addresses. Computing and Information Technology is asking for the university community's cooperation in making sure that the information contained in the directory is up-to-date.

Updating information in the directory is simple. After logging in, click on "update" to bring up the form that will allow users to update personal information and insert their preferred email address. A UNIX password is needed to make changes; users who do not know their password can have it reset by calling 645-3540.

Instructions for updating information are available online. Persons who need more assistance can call the CIT help desk at 645-3540.