Archives
People etc.
Emeritus Center to recognize volunteers
Jennifer McDonough, vice president for university advancement, will speak at the May meeting of the Emeritus Center, to be held at 2 p.m. May 13 in 102 Goodyear Hall, South Campus.
During the meeting, 87 REV-UP volunteers, who together gave more than 3,000 hours of service to the university in 2002-03, will be recognized.
Since the inception of the REV-UP program in March 1990, nearly
40,000 hours of volunteer service have been given to UB by its retirees.
The meeting is free and open to the public.
E-learning demonstration set
A demonstration of the Skillsoft Web site that offers UB employees access to 106 e-learning courses will be held from 10-11 a.m. and 2-3 p.m. Wednesday in 120 Clemens Hall, North Campus.
The sessions, to be conducted by Anne Ryan, account consultant with the Skillsoft Corporation, will introduce participants to the Web site, the types of courses now available and the ease of navigation of the site.
UB employees are able to take free, online courses for professional development or development of information technology skills as a result of a SUNYWest professional development project supported by a United University Professions (UUP) Professional Development Grant and the SUNY campuses.
The Skillsoft course library has been expanded to include 800 professional development and information technology courses.
Anyone interested in attending one of the information sessions must register by contacting Nicole Stenhouse at nstenhouse@business.buffalo.edu or at 645-5000, ext. 1292. Space is limited.
Oral cancer screening to be offered
The School of Dental Medicine will offer its annual free oral cancer screening from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on June 14 in Squire Hall, South Campus.
The program is targeted at smokers and those over 50, but screening will be available to all. The screening process will involve a 15-minute examination of the soft tissue in the mouth to look for suspicious lesions, and an additional 15 minutes to complete paperwork. Appointments are not necessary.
Participants will be directed from the lobby of Squire Hall to the dental clinic, where the screening will take place.
Cancers of the mouth and pharynx (the passage that connects the back of the nose and mouth to the esophagus) account for about 3 percent of all cancers in the U.S. Approximately 30,000 new cases are found each year.
Significant risk factors are smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. Most oral and pharyngeal cancers occur in patients over 45, and men are affected more often than women. The most common sites are the tongue, floor of the mouth and lip. Early detection improves survival. An oral cancer examination by a dentist, dental hygienist or physician is recommended on an annual basis.
The program is being organized by students in the dental school in conjunction with Lance Ortman, associate dean of clinical affairs; Lida Radfar, assistant professor of oral diagnostic sciences, and the faculty of the Department of Oral Diagnostic Sciences.
The dental school can be reached at 829-2824.
UB "Next Generation Scientists" project receives $50,000 grant from Verizon
To help today's high school students become tomorrow's scientists and technologists, Verizon is supporting with a $50,000 grant a project offering students at three area high schools the opportunity to build small computer clusters.
The project, which may be the first of its kind in the nation, is being conducted by the Center for Computational Research at UB.
Verizon representatives and UB staff met recently at CCR with teachers and students from the schools—City Honors High School, Mt. St. Mary Academy and Orchard Park High School—to announce the grant. The students and faculty visited CCR, viewing several projects on the center's high-end visualization systems and the large Dell computer clusters that are the model for the mini-clusters that will be built at each high school.
E. Bruce Pitman, vice provost for educational technology, addressed the group, giving them a brief overview of bioinformatics and the role of the supercomputing clusters in supporting the work of the UB Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics.
The new project, "Next Generation Scientists: Training for Students and Teachers," will provide students with a solid base of knowledge in science and technology, particularly in the areas of computing, bioinformatics and computational biology. Western New York high school teachers, with support from UB scientists, will develop materials to educate students in these disciplines.
The students themselves will participate in extracurricular courses at their schools, learning the essentials of networking, and building and programming small Linux-based cluster computers that have the same fundamental technology as the much larger supercomputers in CCR. HP-Compaq donated the computers that will be used in the project.
"UB has shown itself to be a real leader in informational technology," said Maureen Rasp-Glose, community affairs director for Verizon Foundation, "and we are eager to support those activities that enrich the community by engaging high school students in extraordinary, educational experiences."
Rasp-Glose said that because of its commitment to the community, the Verizon Foundation invests in projects that target literacy, workforce development and neighborhood technology programs.
Robert Farwell, Jr., principal of Orchard Park High School, praised the project and past CCR student workshops that, he said, encourage students to pursue further study in science and technology. "Our world can only benefit from intelligent, caring and knowledgeable students and educators working together to improve the quality of life for others," he added.
The $50,000 grant from Verizon is part of the "The Campaign for UB: Generation to Generation," which is in its final phase and has a goal of $250 million.
Medtronic gives UB 5 defibrillators
Medtronic has made a gift-in-kind of five ICB dual-chamber implantable defibrillator systems, with a total value of $150,000, to the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences for the groundbreaking cardiovascular research of John M. Canty, Jr.
Robert A. Klocke, chair of the Department of Medicine, thanked Medtronic for its generous gift.
"We are very appreciative of this support, especially since this gift will further our goals for the newly created Center for Research in Cardiovascular Medicine at UB," Klocke said.
Carlton Brock, Jr., district manager for Medtronic, said the corporation is pleased to provide defibrillator systems "for research that could have a direct impact on saving lives," adding, "partnerships such as these that tie the work of researchers with the medical industry are the future of increased good health for the public."
Medtronic is one of several organizations, including the Mae Stone Goode Trust and the John R. Oishei Foundation, that have made commitments to supporting UB's new cardiac center, headed by Canty.
In his work at the center, Canty leads a team of scientists from the departments of Medicine, Physiology and Biophysics, Biochemistry, Genetics and Pharmacology and Toxicology, as well as the Center for Positron Emission Tomography. He said the defibrillator systems will play a key role in research that he hopes will lead to a better understanding of the mechanisms responsible for sudden cardiac death (SCD) in ischemic heart disease.
"Progress has been made in recent years in the treatment of ischemic heart disease, myocardial infarction and heart failure, but there is still a need for prevention of other cardiovascular disorders, such as sudden cardiac death from ventricular arrhythmias," Canty said.
A professor in the departments of Medicine, Physiology and Biophysics and a 1979 graduate of the UB medical school, Canty in 2001 was named the medical school's Albert and Elizabeth Rekate Chair in Cardiovascular Disease.
Medtronic is the world leader in medical technology providing lifelong solutions for people with chronic disease. The company offers products, therapies and services that enhance or extend the lives of millions of people. Each year, 2.5 million patients benefit from Medtronic's technology, used to treat conditions such as heart disease, neurological disorders and vascular illnesses.
The gift-in-kind is part of the "Campaign for UB: Generation to Generation," now in its final phase.
Labinski elected chair of PSS
Larry Labinski, a staff assistant in Procurement Services, has been elected chair of the Professional Staff Senate for a two-year term, effective July 1.
Labinski succeeds H. William Coles III, associate director of the Educational Opportunity Program, who served three consecutive terms as PSS chair.
A UB professional staff member since 2000, Labinski has been a member of the PSS since 2001 and its executive committee since August 2002. He also is a member of the PSS Policy and Governance Committee.
In a recent election, professional staff members also elected Janiece Kiedrowski, circulation coordinator for the UB Libraries, as vice chair and Louise F. Lougen, lead programmer and analyst for Procurement Services, as recording secretary.
Kiedrowski has been a member of the PSS for three years and an executive committee member for two years. She is chair of the PSS Welcome Lines Committee and a member of the Libraries Strategic Planning Group, as well as professional staff representative for the Faculty-Student Association.
Lougen has participated in the PSS mentor-protégé program. She also has participated in the SEFA Day of Caring for the past three years, and has been involved in a number of departmental committees and projects to improve service delivery and the work environment.
Gift to fund public-interest scholarships
Irene Ebert and her family, to honor their son and family member, Frederick C. Ebert, who dedicated his legal career to public service, have established an endowment at the UB Law School to fund scholarships for law students committed to doing the same.
Ebert, who died unexpectedly in 2001 while at work, was a 1986 graduate of the Law School. He was a "dedicated and highly regarded" public defender in the Oneida County Public Defender's Office, "a gentle man who was a true workhorse," according to his boss, Frank J. Nebush.
Thanking the Ebert family for its generosity, Nils Olsen, dean of the Law School, noted that "not only have you eloquently remembered your son and brother, but you have done so in a way that captures the essence of his soul and encourages others who wish to follow the dream of serving the public's interest."
The Frederick C. Ebert Scholarship will be awarded to students who have shown a strong commitment to public service and plan to serve in the public interest following graduation from law school. The scholarship guidelines state that the recipient also must have substantial prior work experience and be "pursuing a law degree in an effort to either advance an existing career or to make a career change." The student also must be in good academic standing and have demonstrated financial need.
After graduating from Ithaca College in 1968, Ebert served in the 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. In 1970, he returned to school, earning an MBA from New York University. He worked at Sperry Univac, Inc. and Burns Personnel, Inc. before entering UB Law School. He joined the Oneida County Public Defender's Office in 1988 and at the time of his death was serving as first assistant public defender in the violent-crimes area.
Additions to the Frederick C. Ebert Scholarship Fund continue to be accepted, and may be sent to the UB Law School, c/o of Mary Ann Rogers, associate dean and director of development, 408 O'Brian Hall.
Johnson Foundation gives $10,000 for WBFO digitization
The Johnson Foundation of Jamestown has given a $10,000 grant to WBFO 88.7 FM, the National Public Radio affiliate operated by UB, to be used in the digitization of its studios.
The project will involve the replacement of obsolete broadcasting equipment, as well as the improvement of delivery systems for WBFO and its repeater stations, WUBJ 88.1 FM in Jamestown and WOLN 91.3 FM in Olean, according to Carole Smith Petro, associate vice president and WBFO general manager.
"The digitization of the WBFO studios, once complete, will enable us to provide a higher-quality, more consistent signal to our listeners, improve staff efficiency in studio operations and allow us to achieve the high broadcast standards needed for national placements. WBFO's studios will be the most technologically sophisticated radio facility in Western New York and the Southern Tier," Petro said.
WBFO has received a $50,000 competitive grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration/Public Telecommunications Facilities Program to assist the station in switching to a digital studio format during spring and summer 2003. The total cost of the project is $250,000.
Carole W. Sellstrom, executive director of the Johnson Foundation, said the trustees approved the grant out of their desire to continue the high-quality news and programming provided by WBFO and WUBJ.
"On behalf of the Johnson Foundation, I extend every good wish for the success of this exciting and worthwhile project," Sellstrom said. "We look forward to the enhanced service that this upgrade will provide to the Jamestown and Chautauqua areas."
The Johnson Foundation has awarded two previous grants to the station. The first grant enabled WBFO to establish a repeater station in Jamestown in 1994; the second grant, given in 2000, permitted it to expand its signal in the Jamestown and Chautauqua areas, thereby reaching more people in the Southern Tier and delivering a stronger signal to listeners in the original broadcast area.
WBFO is a major public service of UB and is Western New York's only FM National Public Radio (NPR) station. It reaches an audience of approximately 100,000 people through its main signal in Buffalo and through its repeater stations, WUBJ 88.1 FM and WOLN 91.3 FM. WBFO offers a depth of programming not available elsewhere in Western New York, including NPR/PRI news and entertainment programs, local and regional news, public and cultural affairs programming, and jazz and blues.
The grant from the Johnson Foundation is part of "The Campaign for UB: Generation to Generation," which is in its final phase and has a goal of $250 million.