UB to Offer Summer Lecture Series

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The University at Buffalo's engagement in local, national and world communities and world interests is the focus of the UBThisSummer Lecture Series 2006: Our Community and Our World, which will run from June 1 to Aug. 17 on the North (Amherst) Campus.

The series will explore UB's international mission, with an emphasis on the upcoming visit of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and his message of peace with lectures on nonviolence, the rise of Eastern religion in the United States and the impact of spiritual or religious practices on health. Other presentation topics include urban education, metropolitan governance, economic development and health and wellness.

"I hope UB faculty and staff will join us for the lecture program and will extend invitations to their families, friends and colleagues," said Joanne M. Plunkett, associate vice provost in the Office of the Vice Provost and Dean for Undergraduate Education. "It is important that members of the Western New York community learn from our talented professors and practitioners about the myriad ways in which UB is engaged in the local, national and world communities."

UBThisSummer lectures will take place at 4 p.m. on Thursdays and are free and open to the public. All presentations, except for the series' opening lecture in Lippes Concert Hall in Slee Hall, will be in 201 Natural Sciences Building. There will be no lecture July 6.

In addition, a special miniseries to celebrate the grand opening of UB's New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences will be held at 4 p.m. June 19, 20 and 21 in the Center of Excellence's Zebro Family Conference Center. The Center of Excellence is located on Virginia Street, between Ellicott and Elm streets.

The schedule for the lecture series:

• June 1: "Critical Mass: History of the Organ Mass," Roland E. Martin, UB Department of Music. Martin will present a lecture/performance on the historical role of the organ in the celebration of the Mass with pieces from Renaissance Poland, and Baroque Italy and France, as well as modern times, played on the Fisk Organ.

• June 8: "Urban Education: Why Should We Care and What Should We Do About It?" Mary H. Gresham, dean, UB Graduate School of Education. Gresham will examine the crisis in pre-K-12 education, the failure of urban schools and the fact that New York State has the lowest graduation rates nationally for African-American and Latino students.

• June 15: "Spirituality and Coping," Andrea Greenwood, UB Counseling Services. Greenwood will summarize research on the impact of faith, spirituality and religiosity on physical and mental health, and examine several models that explore this relationship.

• June 22: "Metaphors for Metropolitan Governance: Insights for the Buffalo-Niagara Region from the European Union, Iroquois Confederacy, National Football League, University of California System, General Motors and the Internet," Kathryn A. Foster, director, UB Institute for Local Governance and Regional Growth. Foster will apply organizational insights from centralized governance systems in the private, public, tribal and academic spheres to the challenges local governance faces in the Buffalo-Niagara region.

• June 29: "Health and Society: The Determinants of Health of Individuals and Populations," Maurizio Trevisan, dean, UB School of Public Health and Health Professions. Trevisan will explore the impact of "ecological" characteristics, such as socioeconomic status, environmental exposure, housing quality and access to nutritious food, on the health of individuals within different communities. The lecture also will look at strategies and programs designed to improve the health and well-being of residents of disparate communities.

• July 13: "Culture and Disability," John H. Stone, UB Center for International Rehabilitation Research Information and Exchange (CIRRIE). Stone will discuss issues related to providing services to foreign-born persons with disabilities and the practice of "cultural brokering," a means to mediate resistance between an immigrant's culture and that of his health and rehabilitation service provider.

• July 20: "New Religions in the New World: Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims in America," Jeannette Ludwig, Department of Romance Languages and Literatures. Ludwig will trace the arrival and growth of Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism in the United States and focus in particular on the efforts of second- and third-generation practitioners to bridge the cultural divide.

• July 27: "Promoting Peace Across Borders Through Education: The Dalai Lama's Visit and UB's Mission of International Education," Stephen C. Dunnett, vice provost for international education. Dunnett will incorporate the theme of the Dalai Lama's visit to UB in a lecture on the role of international education and exchange as a means to strengthen institutions such as UB and promote peace and goodwill among nations and peoples.

• Aug. 3: "Spiritual Dimension of Healing," David M. Holmes, Department of Family Medicine. Holmes will address the effect of spirituality on health and well-being, and provide practical tips about how physicians can discuss these issues with their patients in a health-care setting.

• Aug. 10: "Nonviolence Leading to Peace: Such a Novel Idea?" Paul D. Senese, UB Department of Political Science. Senese will examine past and present methods used to achieve peace -- from military warfare to prayer vigils -- and consider which "work" best and under what circumstances.

• Aug. 17: "The UB and Community Partnership," Marsha Henderson, UB vice president for external affairs. Henderson will offer an open dialogue about UB's past, present and future impact in Western New York and explore its role as a catalyst to area revitalization and growth.

Lectures to be delivered as part of the special miniseries celebrating the grand opening of the Center of Excellence:

• June 19: "Toward Clinical Genomics: An Array of Possibilities," Norma J. Nowak, director of science and technology, Center of Excellence. Nowak will discuss emergent technologies with potential to create dramatic improvements in prognostic abilities in the clinical environment. These technologies are possible due to the complete sequencing of the human genome, accomplished through advances in experimental and computational technologies in the past decade.

• June 20: "Colorectal Cancer Therapies: Is the Future Really Now?" Ashwani Rajput, Gastrointestinal Center, Roswell Park Cancer Institute. Rajput will focus on efforts to find molecular targets in the treatment of solid tumors and potential combination therapies to increase the success rates in patients with advanced diseases, including colorectal cancer.

• June 21: "Accelerating Economic Development in the Buffalo-Niagara Region by Transferring UB Inventions to Society," Robert J. Genco, vice provost and director of the UB Office of Science, Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach. Genco will address the potential impact of a strong university research base on regional economic growth through the creation of a pipeline that feeds commercialization and catalyzes economic development.

Although attendance is free, those interested in attending any of the lectures are asked to register at http://ubthissummer.buffalo.edu/lectures.html.