Media Advisory: Grad Students to Showcase Research on Stem Cells, Green Batteries and Anti-Cancer Nanomedicines

Sixty graduate students in the University at Buffalo Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering will present their cutting-edge research tomorrow (Friday, Oct. 1) on topics ranging from using human hair follicles as a source of stem cells and anticancer therapies with minimal side effects to improvements in fuel cell technology and strategies for sustainable energy.

The annual "Graduate Student Symposium on Research in Chemical and Biological Engineering" will be held from 1-5 p.m. in the atrium of the Center for the Arts on UB's North Campus; presentations will be made in the Screening Room, also in the Center for the Arts.

The symposium will cover an exceptionally broad range of advances in green technologies, such as more efficient batteries and new methods of producing more and better pharmaceuticals, stem cells and other therapies for diseases ranging from cardiovascular disease to diabetes.

The keynote speaker will be Jeffrey J. Siirola, a Technology Fellow at the Eastman Chemical company in Kingsport, Tenn., and a member of the National Academy of Engineering. In his talk, "Sustainability and Carbon Management in the Chemical and Energy Industries," he will discuss how to reduce and offset carbon dioxide emissions, and how to capture and store carbon that has been generated.

Press arrangements: Ellen Goldbaum in the Office of UB Communications at 645-4605 and Dr. David Kofke, chair of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and Dr. Mark Swihart, professor of chemical and biological engineering on-site.