Social Sciences

Dennis A. Andrejko of Williamsville, associate professor of architecture in the University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning and an expert on energy-conscious architecture, has been elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

A new book based on 15 years of on-the-ground research in Cuba describes two Cubas -- one for Cubans, one for outsiders -- that co-exist but do not mix, and explains how the Cuban culture we do not see was critical in sustaining the Castro regime while other socialist countries collapsed.

The University at Buffalo will offer the first UB Coast to Coast Entertainment and Media Conference June 27-28 in Los Angeles. Created specifically for UB alumni, students and friends of UB, but open to the public, UBC2C will feature workshops in acting, writing, directing, music production, independent film production and marketing, as well as entertainment business marketing, taught by UB industry alumni.

After a collective trauma, such as Thursday's crash of Continental Flight 3407, an entire community (or even the nation) can be exposed to the tragedy through media coverage and second-hand accounts, according to Mark Seery, Ph.D., University at Buffalo assistant professor of psychology.

The visitor in Barry Willer's office at the University at Buffalo was frustrated and deeply depressed. The man's wife had sustained a relatively mild traumatic brain injury, and he was doing all he could to support her. But despite his best efforts, the man's wife described him to friends as being "indifferent." He was at his wits end.

University at Buffalo researcher John Violanti, Ph.D., a specialist in suicide among police officers, is preparing to conduct a study on suicide risk among returning veterans. The U.S. Army yesterday reported a "stunning spike" in the number of soldiers taking their own lives.

A family sociologist at the University at Buffalo says this month's murder-suicides involving a family of four in Ohio and a family of five in California may be "just the tip of the iceberg."

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been identified as the "signature injury" of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. To meet the needs of veterans with TBI, the VA's Health Services Research & Development Unit is funding a $1.4 million, four-year prospective cohort study of Iraq and Afghanistan-era veterans, headed by University at Buffalo researchers at the Buffalo VA Medical Center. The results will be used nationwide.

People who lose a job or who are in the midst a financial crisis often are reluctant to talk about their struggles and may isolate themselves from friends and family. A faculty member in the UB School of Social Work offers advice and how to reach out to those hit by financial crunch.

Infants exposed prenatally to cocaine react more emotionally to stress and appear to have fewer stress-reducing coping strategies than infants with no cocaine exposure, researchers at the University at Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions (RIA) have shown.