MAIER HEADS ATHLETICS SCHOLARSHIP DRIVE
Mark A. Maier is serving as chair of the second annual UB Division of Athletics volunteer scholarship drive, being held through March 19. Maier, who volunteered last year for athletics' first drive, was a member of the UB Bulls football team in the late 1970s and early 1980s and played on the same team as Craig Cirbus, current head football coach.

Maier is leading 13 teams of volunteers; each team aims to raise support for at least one full athletic scholarship. A $150,000 goal, $30,000 beyond the first year's total, has been set for the six-week drive to generate funds for the scholarships. More than 2,500 UB alumni and friends of athletics are expected to be contacted.

Maier, general manager of Ralf Rigo Agency in Tonawanda, is a board member of the UB Athletics Blue & White Club, established in 1996 to enhance the visibility and reputation of the Division of Athletics, and increase funding for student-athlete scholarships.

Nelson E. Townsend, director of athletics, noted that "Scholarship opportunities are the impetus to UB recruiting and retaining exceptional student-athletes."

For more information on ways to support UB athletics, call UB's development office for athletics, 645-6867.

SUMMER RESEARCH PROGRAM FOR MINORITY STUDENTS, TEACHERS
The Department of Oral Biology in the UB School of Dental Medicine is offering a "Young Scholars" summer program designed to provide minority high-school students with hands-on research experience.

The eight-week commuter program, funded with a grant from the National Institutes of Health, will take place from July 7 through Aug. 29.

Eight minority students entering the senior year of high school will be selected to participate, as will two in-service teachers who are minorities and/or teach a predominantly minority high-school population. Students selected will receive a weekly stipend of $178. Teachers will receive $478 a week.

Students and teachers will work closely with an experienced UB researcher on a project, and share research experiences in weekly seminars. Teachers also will participate in a course on training students in cellular-molecular biological techniques and the application of their research experiences to the classroom.

Deadline for applications for the program is March 27. Applications are available from high-school principals or guidance counselors, or from the UB Department of Oral Biology, 829-3827.

GENE-HUNTING IN WILD KINGDOM SUBJECT OF TALK
Molecular genetics is changing the way scientists view human disease and physiology almost on a daily basis. But what could these same molecular tools have to tell us about the mores and customs of wild animals?

Plenty, according to Michael Webster, assistant professor of biological sciences at UB. He will discuss "Molecular Ecology: Using DNA to Understand Natural History" at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, March 24, in Room 215 of the Natural Sciences Complex, North Campus. The lecture, free and open to the public, is part of the UB Sciences Alumni Association lecture series.

In the past few years, researchers in the field of ecology have begun using molecular approaches, such as DNA fingerprinting and DNA sequencing, to answer ecological and evolutionary questions, many of which were difficult or even impossible to answer a few years ago. Recent studies have shown that in many species of bird, the male feeding nestlings at a nest is often not the father of those nestlings. Webster's own research uses genetic markers to investigate the ecological causes and consequences of this surprising finding.

He also will discuss new data, derived using molecular-biology techniques, on individual mating patterns in birds, social structure and altruism in whales and how female birds manipulate the sex ratios of their offspring. For more information, call Cindy Nydahl, 645-2531.

GATES LECTURES AT UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON

Terry Gates, associate professor of music, lectured Feb. 19 at the University of Washington on the subject, "Where Does One Go with a Musical Impulse in America?" the general topic of a book he is working on during his sabbatical. In addition to meeting with faculty and students, he was hosted by the School of Music's music education area, headed by Patricia Campbell, a noted music educator and author who is an authority on comparative music education.

FEMALE SURVIVORS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT SOUGHT FOR UB STUDY
Female sexual-assault survivors ages 18 and older are being sought by researchers in the Center for Anxiety Research at UB to participate in a study designed to help women experiencing psychological distress as a result of a rape.

Study participants will provide information that researchers expect will improve treatments for post-assault problems experienced by victims.

During the study, which will require six visits to the North Campus, women will be asked to emotionally process life events through structured writing tasks. The first and last visits will be for assessment; during the other four visits, women will be asked to write for 20 minutes in a private room. Some will be asked to write about their sexual assault.

Although this research is not a substitute for treatment, it is expected that some women will show a reduction in psychological stress after undergoing the intervention, said doctoral student Jessica Hamblen, who is heading the study.

Participants must be at least three months post-assault and must have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. They may be in therapy, but it is not a requirement for participation.

The study involves completely confidential interviews conducted according to a flexible schedule in a safe, quiet atmosphere in the Psychological Services Center in Park Hall, North Campus. The researchers are advanced, female graduate students in clinical psychology specializing in the needs of women who have been assaulted.

Up-to-date information and referrals to free or low-cost treatment resources for sexual-assault survivors will be provided to participants. For more information, or to participate in the study, call Hamblen at 645-3650, ext. 337.

MBA STUDENTS WIN TOP PRIZES IN COMPETITIONHermann Hesse, Jiming Sun, Paul Deprado and Hsin Lan-Liu claimed first place and a $1,500 prize recently at the School of Management's annual MBA Case Competition sponsored by Ernst & Young and Columbus McKinnon. Fourteen student teams submitted papers for the competition detailing their strategy for Acer, a Korean computer manufacturer attempting to increase its international market share in the next century.

Winners were selected from four groups of finalists who, acting as Acer consultants, made oral presentations to a panel of judges including Kenneth W. Colwell and C. Anthony Rider of Ernst & Young, Robert L. Montgomery Jr. of Columbus McKinnon and Howard Foster, School of Management associate dean of academic programs.

The $500 second-place prize was awarded to part-time MBA students Dominic Nasso, Ann Franke, Eileen Hassett and Robert Weiss.