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

Briefs

Published: August 4, 2010

  • Contemplating the universe from a rooftop

    Will Kinney, associate professor of physics, will address the captivating topic, “The End of the Universe and the Future of Life,” Aug. 18 at 8 p.m. on the Buffalo Museum of Science rooftop, 1020 Humboldt Pkwy.

    Recent developments in cosmology have not only shed new light on the beginning of the universe, but they have also changed our speculations about how the universe may end in the far future. Chief among these new discoveries is the observation that the expansion of the universe is accelerating—indicating that the universe will end not in a “Big Crunch,” but rather in an ever-faster rush of expansion.

    In the context of this new cosmology, then, Kinney will revisit the famous argument first made by British-born physicist Freeman Dyson in 1979 that life in an expanding universe has a limitless future. However, Kinney asserts, the reality for the future of evolution is more complex than Dyson, now professor emeritus at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, N.J., had envisioned.

    As part of the program, the Long Winters String Quartet will perform selections from Gustav Holst’s “The Planets” (1917). Ensemble members are Natalie Bennett, violin; Emily Elkin, cello; Molly Regan, viola, and Jeantte Sperhac, violin.

    Kinney’s lecture is sponsored by Hallwalls, the Buffalo Museum of Science and the UB College of Arts and Sciences. Public telescope viewing is courtesy of the Buffalo Astronomical Association, and admission to the event is free.

  • Blood drives scheduled in Student Union

    Upstate New York Transplant Services has scheduled a series of blood drives during the fall on the North Campus. All drives will be conducted in Room 210, Student Union, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

    Drives will be held on:

    • Wednesday, Sept. 1
    • Monday, Sept. 13
    • Monday, Oct. 4
    • Wednesday, Oct. 20
    • Tuesday, Oct. 26
    • Monday, Nov. 1
    • Tuesday, Nov. 30
    • Wednesday, Dec. 8

    For more information, contact Upstate New York Transplant Services at 512-7908.

  • Conference on health care transformation

    Health care managers interested in operational excellence are invited to the University at Buffalo’s health care improvement conference, “Sustaining Improvement: Using Lean Six Sigma as a Path to Excellence,” Sept. 30, at the Buffalo/Niagara Marriott, 1340 Millersport Highway, Amherst, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

    The conference will show attendees how delivery of services and patient safety can be enhanced by reducing waste and using a data-driven methodology. It will feature educational workshops on the problem-solving approach of Lean Six Sigma, panel discussions with health care professionals who have applied the quality management philosophy and presentations of successful improvement projects undertaken in the field.

    David L. Dunn, UB’s vice president for health sciences, will provide opening remarks.

    The featured speaker is Nancy Pratt, senior vice president of clinical effectiveness at Sharp HealthCare, a comprehensive health care delivery system in San Diego, Calif. Pratt led an initiative that resulted in Sharp being awarded the 2007 National Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award, the nation’s highest presidential honor for quality and organizational performance excellence. Pratt, a recognized national speaker who is certified in the Six Sigma methodology as a Black Belt, is responsible for quality, patient safety and organizational performance improvement at Sharp.

    Attendees will be entered into a drawing for one Blue Belt Blended Learning training course provided by UB’s Center for Industrial Effectiveness (TCIE), which includes 32 hours of self-paced online learning and 16 hours of classroom-based instruction. The course educates candidates in the Lean methodology and provides an introduction to the rigors of Six Sigma.

    Early-bird registration by July 29 is $99; thereafter, the cost is $149 per person, or $119 for three or more individuals from the same organization. To register online, click here and choose “Seminars.”

    For more information about “Sustaining Improvement: Using Lean Six Sigma as a Path to Excellence,” contact Kerry Lynch at TCIE at 636-2568, ext. 17, or klynch4@buffalo.edu

    The conference is being presented by TCIE in conjunction with the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the Office of the Vice President for Health Sciences, and the School of Public Health and Health Professions.