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

Briefs

Published: February 17, 2011

  • Wetherhold named ASME Fellow

    Robert C. Wetherhold, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, has been named a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Fellowship, which is the highest elected grade of membership in ASME, is conferred upon members with at least 10 years of active engineering practice who have made significant contributions to the profession.

    ASME awarded the fellowship to Wetherhold for his achievements in the field of the mechanics of heterogeneous materials—from fabrication through end use—with particular specialties in fracture behavior, laminate design, smart/multifunctional materials and composites, and surface modification.

    His research has been geared toward addressing general durability problems, such as the progressive failure of composite laminates, thermal cycling and thermal exposure, and at determining how their constituents influence the toughness and behavior of fractures.

    He has worked on solving design problems by exploiting the unique symmetry properties of composites and their useful behavior in laminated structures. He has been involved in the design and fabrication of unique orthotropic composite actuators that can control the bending and twisting vibration of plates or beams in flexible structures in a variety of applications, such as space and aircraft structures.

    A UB faculty member since 1983, Wetherhold also has studied the role that surface-active agents can play in order to control the deposition of solids onto surfaces that are being chemically treated to improve toughness and durability.

    He recently has been involved in an effort to produce a group of “swarming” micro-aircraft for information gathering, where the challenge is extending mission time and improving aerodynamic performance for such aircraft through the use of very flexible composite wing structures.

    His work has been funded by such federal agencies as NASA-Lewis, the U.S. Air Force Materials Lab and the U.S. Army Research Office.

    As a Fulbright Fellow, he spent a year at the University of Kaiserslautern in Germany, doing research on the fracture of particle-reinforced thermoplastics.

  • Eastman Organists’ Day set for Feb. 25

    Eastman Organists’ Day, featuring students from the Eastman School of Music performing on UB’s Fisk pipe organ, will take place at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 25 in Lippes Concert Hall in Slee Hall, North Campus.

    Eastman Organists’ Day is an annual event presented by the Department of Music.

    Performing pieces this year that range from the Baroque, to the Romantic, to the 20th century, will be Jonathan Wessler, Shinon Nakagawa, Malcolm Matthews and John A. Morabito.

    Tickets are $10 for adults; $5 for UB faculty/staff/alumni, senior citizens and non-UB students, and free to UB students with ID.

  • ‘A Little Night Music’ to be performed

    The Department of Theatre and Dance will present the Stephen Sondheim musical “A Little Night Music” March 2-6 in the Black Box Theatre in the Center for the Arts, North Campus.

    Performances are 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The production will feature newly designed and executed sets, lights and costumes.

    “A Little Night Music,” which features the world-famous song “Send in the Clowns,” won six Tony Awards in 1973, including Best Musical, Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical. Actress Catherine Zeta-Jones won a Tony Award in 2010 for her performance in the show’s Broadway revival.

    The UB production is directed by Nathan R. Matthews, director of music theatre; Nancy Townsend, clinical assistant professor of music theatre, is music directing/conducting the production. Tracy Navarro, adjunct instructor, is the choreographer.

    Students in the music theatre BFA degree program comprise the cast.

    Tickets for “A Little Night Music are $18 for general admission and $10 for students and senior citizens. Tickets are available at the CFA box office and at all Ticketmaster locations, including Ticketmaster.com.

  • New wireless access for visitors, guests

    UB has introduced UB_Guest as the new Wi-Fi network for visitors and guests who need Internet access for their netbook and smartphone devices while on campus.

    It is free and open for occasional use wherever UB wireless-access points are installed.

    A Wi-Fi-enabled device will automatically detect the UB_Guest network. Once visitors select UB_Guest and open a browser, they will see UB_Guest’s simple terms and conditions screen. To connect, users should enter an email address and accept the terms and conditions.

    UB_Guest is restricted to Web traffic only, and is not secured with encryption.

    Those with a UBITName should use UB_Secure, the university’s secure wireless network, for their wireless connection. UB_Secure is secured with encryption and provides access to full Internet services.

    With UB’s new guest wireless capability, it is no longer necessary to request UBITName conference accounts for guests or visitors who come to campus for conferences or special events. If additional services are needed for campus visitors, send a request to CIT-Accounts@buffalo.edu.

    For more information, click here or contact the CIT Helpdesk at 645-3542 or cit-helpdesk@buffalo.edu.