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UB to honor M&T Bank as vital partner

UB Partners Day includes exhibits showcasing how businesses, community organizations and nonprofits can benefit from UB’s labs, experts and training resources.

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By CHARLOTTE HSU
Published: May 12, 2011

UB will honor M&T Bank as a vital partner at this year’s UB Partners Day, a day of workshops and networking opportunities showcasing how UB has partnered with industry, government and nonprofits to spur economic growth in Buffalo Niagara.

The event will take place June 3 in the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center. More information, including a full program, is available online.

“UB Partners Day provides Western New York businesses and organizations an opportunity to connect with the university’s resources,” says Marsha S. Henderson, vice president for external affairs. “When we read past participant comments like ‘great event’ and ‘outstanding use of my time and an excellent resource,’ then I know we are meeting a critical need in this community.”

Kenneth Adams, president and CEO of Empire State Development and commissioner of the New York State Department of Economic Development, will deliver the keynote address.

UB President Satish Tripathi also will speak, talking to businesspeople and community leaders about UB 2020 and UB as an economic engine for innovation.

At the UB Partners Day awards luncheon, M&T Bank will receive the university’s 2011 Vital Partner Award in recognition of the company’s community leadership and long-standing relationship with UB.

More than 700 UB alumni work at M&T, and the bank’s employees have chaired UB’s Scholarship Gala, hired and mentored interns, and served on numerous university advisory committees. In addition, the company has funded fellowships, endowed faculty positions and partnered with UB on the MoneySKILL high school financial literacy program.

Other Partners Day award recipients include Thenkurussi “Kesh” Kesavadas, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, and Khurshid A. Guru, director of robotic surgery at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, who are receiving the UB Faculty Entrepreneur Award.

The researchers co-founded Simulated Surgical Systems LLC, a pioneer in the development of robot-assisted surgical simulators designed to reduce surgical error and make robot-assisted surgical education economically feasible.

UB Partners Day also includes diverse workshops and exhibits showcasing how businesses, community organizations and nonprofits can benefit from UB’s labs, experts and training resources.

Highlights include:

  • “Partnering with Life Sciences Entrepreneurs to Improve Health and the Economy,” a workshop detailing how UB’s New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences and UB’s Center for Advanced Biomedical and Bioengineering Technology (UB CAT) help entrepreneurs commercialize life sciences technologies.
  • “e-Design Gets You to Market Faster and Cheaper, With More Innovative Products,” a workshop hosted by UB’s New York State Center for Engineering Design and Industrial Innovation (NYSCEDII) that will discuss how advanced design technologies can speed delivery of innovative products to market. UB can help, now more than ever, as a member of the prestigious National Center for e-Design.
  • “Clinical and Translational Research: Improving Health Care for Western New Yorkers,” a workshop discussing collaborative opportunities and other information about UB’s Clinical and Translational Research Center (CTRC) and Biosciences Incubator, which will be housed in the UB-Kaleida building on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. The CTRC will focus on translating basic medical research into treatments and technologies, while the incubator will nurture startups spun off from UB medical discoveries.
  • “How to Get UB Student Volunteers for Your Organization,” a workshop describing how organizations can benefit from UB’s talent through the work of student volunteers taking part in academic-based service learning projects and events.

Other workshops include:

  • “Using Virtual Reality to Develop Buffalo’s Inner Harbor.”
  • “Career Pathway Preparation: A UB Model.”
  • “Teaming Up to Grow Western New York Industry.”
  • “Nonprofit Resources.”
  • “Entrepreneur Success Stories.”
  • “Navigating the UB Internship Process.”
  • “Good for the Neighborhood Leadership Training.”
  • “Continuous Improvement Experts on Loan.”
  • “Lessons for Business: What Executive MBA Students Learned in Asia.”
  • “Doing Business with UB.”
  • “Tap a STORhouse of Information on Commercialization and Incubation.”