Kudos

Faculty members Ralph H.B. Benedict and Murali Ramanathan were honored recently by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Upstate New York Chapter at its Champions on the Move luncheon.

Honorees were recognized in five categories; Benedict, professor of neurology and psychiatry, and Ramanathan, professor of pharmaceutical sciences and neurology, were recognized with the Stephen H. Kelly Award: Professionals on the Move.

On the Move is a nationwide educational and fundraising event that helps increase public awareness of MS and the National MS Society while acknowledging and encouraging the advancement of philanthropists, community leaders and volunteers.

Kristin Stapleton, associate professor in the Department of History, where she headed the Asian Studies Program for the past six years, was elected executive secretary of the New York Conference on Asian Studies (NYCAS) this fall by a unanimous vote.

NYCAS is a statewide scholarly body of faculty from both large and small public and private universities and colleges. It is affiliated with the Association for Asian Studies (AAS), the largest society of its kind in the world.

In her new position, Stapleton will provide guidance to the annual conference organizing committee, represent NYCAS at the AAS and other national and international forums, and provide logistical support to the NYCAS board of directors.

At the same conference,  2013 UB alumnus Kai Wasson was awarded the Marleigh Grayer Ryan Undergraduate Student Writing Prize for his Asian studies senior research paper, “The Power of Invisibility: American Empire in the Conundrum of Yasukuni Shrine.”

Stapleton served as director of the Asian Studies Program at UB from 2007-13 and has been on the executive board of NYCAS since 2008. Her research interests include urban politics and administration, the history of Chinese family life, humor in history, and the place of non-U.S. history in American intellectual life.

Tim Dean, professor of English, recently published an op-ed piece in The New York Times presenting his research on intimacy, HIV and the subculture of barebacking. His book on this topic, “Unlimited Intimacy: Reflections on the Subculture of Barebacking” (University of Chicago Press, 2009), was named one of the Top 10 gay and lesbian books of 2009 by Amazon.com.

Team Reardon recently won The UB Cup, the fall competition of UB’s golf league.

Team members Rich Reardon and Rob Rychlik, Campus Planning Group; Mark Adams and Brian Foti, Environment, Health and Safety; Dale Hohl, University Police; Rich Whelan, University Facilities Operations; and Chris Austin, Parking & Transportation Services took the title over Team Place after eight weeks of Ryder Cup-style match play.

Members of Team Place are Ron Place, Campus Planning Group; Subbiah Mantharam, School of Architecture and Planning; Kevin Thompson, John Luby and Rob Weller, Facilities Planning and Design; Steve Herberger, Environment, Health and Safety; and Bob Scalise, UB Anderson Gallery.

Most of the golfers also played in UB’s summer golf league at the Arrowhead Golf Club in Akron, according to Team Reardon member Brian Foti.

Foti says the fall league, which just finished its fourth “official” season, grew out of the summer league, which the golfers started themselves six years ago.

UB golfers interested in playing in next summer’s league can contact Foti at 829-3301 or brianf@buffalo.edu.