Media Advisory: UB Hosts Foreign Trade Commissioners Today, Get Earthquake Shake Demo at Noon

The delegation of 60 Foreign Trade Commissioners, brought to Buffalo by Governor Paterson, will participate in a panel discussion with leaders from the University at Buffalo to discuss how UB's collaborations with industry have generated economic growth regionally and around the world.

The discussion will take place from 9:30 a.m. to noon today (April 30, 2009) in the Center for the Arts Screening Room on UB's North (Amherst) Campus. Members of the media are invited to attend.

The program schedule is as follows:

** 9:30 a.m. Opening remarks by Assemblymember Robin Schimminger and Senator William Stachowski

** 9:35 a.m. "A University on the Move"

Welcome and general remarks by UB Provost Satish Tripathi

** 9:40 a.m. UB's International Reach

Stephen Dunnett., vice provost for international education

Followed by 5-10 minute Q&A period

** 10 a.m. Panel Presentations by UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, UB School of Management and industry partners

UB Engineering panelists:

• Harvey Stenger, dean, UB Engineering

• Thomas Hook, president and CEO, Greatbatch Inc.

• Thomas Blaszczykiewicz, chair, AccuMed Technologies, Inc.

UB School of Management panelists:

• Arjang Assad, dean, School of Management

• Joseph Saffire, executive vice president, regional president for commercial banking, HSBC

• Joost Vles, operations manager, aircraft group, military operations, Moog

** 11:30 a.m. Presentation by researchers from UB's Earthquake Engineering Center

• Scott Weber, professor and chair, Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering

• Andre Soom, professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

** 11:45 a.m. Delegation will walk across campus to UB's earthquake engineering lab, Ketter Hall

** 12 p.m. Earthquake Shake Table Demonstration

Demo will illustrate the resistance of structures to shaking produced by earthquakes.

** 12:15 p.m. Delegation departs.