UB’s summer programs offer opportunities for academic credit, life enrichment

BUFFALO, N.Y. – The University at Buffalo is offering a wide variety of courses and educational programs this summer for students of all ages.

The university’s annual “UBThisSummer” program of credit-bearing courses, non-credit workshops, lectures and youth camps will give students a chance to earn credits toward their degrees while providing others with the opportunity to learn new skills and knowledge to enrich their lives.

For information on the full schedule of courses, lectures, workshops and camps – including fees, times, instructors, subject matter and registration information – go to www.ubthissummer.buffalo.edu.

The hundreds of credit-bearing courses offered will give UB students and visiting students an opportunity to work toward their degree, catching up on requirements or getting ahead of schedule. These six-week, credit-bearing sessions run throughout the summer and are open to the general public, as well as incoming freshmen and high school students who want to pursue advanced college credit. 

Online courses, internships and summer study abroad opportunities also are available. 

“Credit-bearing courses will be of particular interest to students enrolled in UB’s ‘Finish in Four’ program, designed to help students complete their degrees quickly and efficiently,” says A. Scott Weber, UB senior vice provost for academic affairs.

“But summer isn’t just for our current students. Through UBThisSummer, we offer a wide variety of ways for all members of the community to pursue intellectual discovery,” Weber says. “There are many opportunities for you and your family members to learn something new, follow your curiosity or make progress toward your academic goals.”

Informal learning opportunities feature workshops with UB faculty in which participants can pursue hands-on experience and discussion on a variety of topics. The wide range of workshops for adults, teens and children include sessions on advanced statistics for research professionals, intensive dance instruction, archaeology for teachers, field ecology for children, leadership communication for high school students, sexual communication and health for young adults, and information on the latest research on how parents can talk to their children about sexual health.

In addition, UB’s full slate of sports camps returns this year to give student athletes the opportunity to improve their performance, meet new friends and take advantage of the university’s first-class athletic facilities. The full schedule of UB’s athletic camps can be found at www.buffalobulls.com/camps.

The UBThisSummer lecture series will focus on the environment this year. UB faculty will share the latest research and thinking on topics ranging from global warming to the viability of the Great Lakes to how new nanomaterials may benefit solar energy production. The full slate of lectures:

• June 5: “Clean Air: How It Benefits the Young & Old,” Alan Lockwood, emeritus professor of neurology
• June 12: “Extreme Events of the Environment: The Challenges of Understanding & Responding to Climate Change, Melting Glaciers, Sea Level Rise & Hurricanes,” Christian Renschler, associate professor of geography, and Jason Briner, associate professor of geography
• June 19: “After the Flood: The Political Environment of Latin American Culture,” Justin Read, associate professor of romance languages and literatures
• June 26: “How Climate Change Impacts Planning and Policymaking in WNY,” Himanshu Grover, assistant professor of urban and regional planning
• July 10: “Sustaining UB: Creating Resiliency in the Face of Global Challenges,” Ryan McPherson, UB chief sustainability officer
• July 17: “An Environmental Disaster & Its Consequences: Oxygenation of the Planet & Iron Metabolism,” Daniel Kosman, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry
• July 24: “The Great Lakes Futures Project: Toward a Sustainable Future for the Great Lakes,” Joseph Atkinson, director, Great Lakes Program, and professor, civil, structural and environmental engineering, and Kathryn Friedman, research associate professor of law and policy, UB Regional Institute
• July 31: “Nanomaterials for Solar Energy Conversion,” David Watson, associate professor of chemistry
• Aug. 7: “Computing, Data and Volcanoes: Using Simulations and Data to Manage Risk,” Abani Patra, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering

More information on all programs can be found at www.ubthissummer.buffalo.edu.