This article is from the archives of the UB Reporter.
News

Briefs

Published: September 9, 2009

  • Liturgy of Holy Spirit to be held Sept. 13

    The Newman Center at UB will mark the opening of the 2009-10 academic year with the Annual Convocation and Liturgy of the Holy Spirit, to be held at 11:30 a.m. Sept. 13 in St. Joseph University Church, 3629 Main St., Buffalo, adjacent to the South Campus.

    During the convocation, the Newman Award, the highest honor given by the Newman Center, will be given posthumously to Alison Des Forges, human rights activist and senior adviser for Human Rights Watch.

    Des Forges, who died in the February crash of Flight 3407 in Clarence Center, will be recognized for her untiring work for human rights throughout the world, particularly in Rwanda.

    She was the wife of UB faculty member Roger Des Forges, professor of history.

    All members of the campus community are invited to attend the convocation.

  • School supply drive a success

    UB employees donated 3,162 items—including folders, paper, crayons, pens, calculators and book bags worth an estimated $3,000—as part of a university-wide school supply drive to benefit pre-K through 12 students across the Buffalo Niagara region.

    The drive was part of a collaborative effort among local colleges and universities initiated by state Sen. Antoine Thompson.

    The supplies were distributed to approximately 1,500 families on Sept. 5 at an event coordinated by Thompson’s office.

    “This is one of the ways we support the university’s educational mission and our Pre K – 12 initiatives by providing young people with the tools they need to have a successful year in school,” said Marsha Henderson, UB vice president for external affairs.

  • Eye institute sets lecture series

    The 2009-10 Ross Eye Institute Distinguished Lectures in Vision Science will open on Sept. 24 with a talk by Joe G. Hollyfield, Llura and Gordon Gund Professor of Ophthalmology and director of ophthalmic research, Cole Eye Institute /The Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University.

    Hollyfield will speak on “Age-related Macular Degeneration: The Molecular Link Between Oxidative Damage and Inflammation.”

    All lectures in the series will be held from 4:30-5:30 p.m. in G26 Farber Hall, South Campus.

    The remainder of the schedule:

    • Oct. 22: “Sight Restoration through a Retinal Electronic Prosthesis,” Gerald J. Chader, professor of ophthalmology and chief scientific officer, Doheny Retina Institute, University of Southern California School of Medicine.

    • Nov. 19: “Characterizing RPE Lipofuscin as a Target for Therapy in Macular Degeneration,” Janet R. Sparrow, Anthony Donn Professor of Ophthalmic Science, Harkness Eye Institute/departments of Ophthalmology and Pathology & Cell Biology, Columbia University School of Medicine.

    • Jan. 21: “Macular Degeneration and the Metabolic Demands of Vision,” Robert B. Barlow, professor of ophthalmology and director, Center for Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology, SUNY Upstate Medical University.

    • Feb. 25: “Myofibroblast Biology and the Development of Corneal Opacity in Response to Injury,” Steven E. Wilson, professor of ophthalmology and director of corneal research, Cole Eye Institute/The Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, Case Western University.

    • March 25: “Experimental Neuroprotective Therapy for Retinal Degenerations,” Matthew M. LaVail, professor, departments of Anatomy and Ophthalmology, and director, Kearn Family Center for the Study of Retinal Degeneration, University of California-San Francisco School of Medicine.

    • April 22: “Gene Regulatory Networks in Retinal Ganglion Cell Development and Optic Nerve Degeneration,” William H. Klein, professor and chair, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

    • May 20: “Nanoparticle-Mediated Gene Therapy for Ocular Disease: It’s a Small, Small World,” Muna I. Naash, professor of cell biology and neuroscience, Edith Kinney Gaylord Presidential Professor and director, Cell Biology Graduate Program, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.

    For more information about the lecture series, contact Elaine Taylor at 881-7916.