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Capen Garden Walk set for July 10
The third annual Samuel P. Capen Garden Walk will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on July 10 in the Eggertsville and University Heights areas near the UB South Campus.
The Capen Garden Walk is sponsored by the University Community Initiative (UCI) at UB, the Eggertsville Community Organization (ECO) and the Gloria J. Parks Community Center.
Additional sponsors are Cornell Master Gardeners, Snyder Ridge Landscaping & Garden Center and The English Gardner.
Guides to nearly four dozen gardens will be available at 246 Capen Blvd., the headquarters for the walk, and at the UCI Web site at http://uci.buffalo.edu/ after June 30. Click on "UCI News and Events."
Gardeners interesting in entering their gardens in the garden walk can access registration forms at http://uci.buffalo.edu/UCI/UCI_Events/ GardenWalk_2004/Gardenwalk2004_main.htm. The deadline forentries is June 30.
Any one with questions regarding the Garden Walk may call 829-3524 or email rcpc@buffalo.edu.
The UCI unites UB with public and private sector stakeholders in the City of Buffalo and the towns of Amherst, Cheektowaga and Tonawanda in an effort to stabilize and revitalize the neighborhoods surrounding the UB South Campus.
Craft Center sets spring workshops
The Creative Craft Center, located in 29 Harriman Hall, South Campus, will offer summer workshops, beginning the week of July 5.
Workshops are scheduled in basic photography, night photography, sailboat photography, aerial photography, photographic oddities, summertime photography, knitting and crocheting, Brazilian embroidery, beginning watercolor, beginning drawing and mixed media for children ages 7-10.
Workshops will run from 7-10 p.m. one night a week for six weeks. Some workshops, including a couple of photography courses, will run on weekend afternoons. Fees are $40 for UB students and $70 for others. The multi-media class is $65. Early sign-up is advised.
For more information, a schedule and a map, call 829-3536 from 1-5 p.m. Monday through Friday or 7-10 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
BPO to perform free concert at medical campus
The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO) will perform a free concert at 7 p.m. July 13 in WJK Park and Gardens at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI), Elm and Carlton streets, Buffalo. In the event of inclement weather, the concert will be moved into the Hilleboe Auditorium, Research Studies Center, RPCI.
The concert is sponsored by the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC), a consortium of the region's premier health care, life sciences, research and medical education institutions working together to cultivate a world-class medical campus on 100 acres in downtown Buffalo. Consortium members include UB, RPCI, Olmsted Center for the Visually Impaired, Kaleida Health, Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute, Buffalo Hearing & Speech Center and Buffalo Medical Group Foundation.
Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets, and pack a picnic basket for a pre-concert dinner in from 5:30-7 p.m. Free parking will be available in the RPCI ramp. WJK Park is a smoke-free environment and this is an alcohol-free event.
Ron Spigelman, BPO associate conductor, will lead the orchestra in a performance of Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Bach's Suite No. 3 in D major for Orchestra, Dvorak's Serenade in E major for String Orchestra, Opus 22, and Copland's "Hoe Down" from Rodeo.
Summer teaching institute planned
The Center for Teaching and Learning Resources (CTLR) and the University Libraries will present a Summer Institute on Wednesdays during the month of July.
All lectures will take place from 10:30 a.m. to noon in 120 Clemens Hall, North Campus.
The schedule:
July 7: "Teaching the 'Millennials,'" Stewart M. Brower, information management education coordinator, Health Sciences Library. This session will examine what methods work best in reaching the "Millennials," the generation of learners born after 1980—which encompasses most college students.
July 14: "Roadblocks, Detours, Pit Stops: The Amazing Race," Cynthia A. Tysick, senior assistant librarian, Lockwood Library, and Kim-Alla Swanton, lecturer, Department of Communication, School of Informatics. Swanton and Tysick recently teamed up to design a spin-off of the popular CBS reality show, "The Amazing Race." In their "educational version," student teams navigated across three libraries to tap multi-media resources on affirmative action in preparation for a public speaking class debate. At this session, the presenters will take attendees through a mini-version of the race and show them how the race can be run in their classes.
July 21: "From Theory to Practice: Learning Theory and Effective Instruction—Part 1," Jeffrey A. Liles, library instructional coordinator, Milne Library, Geneseo State College. Liles will review the most important learning theories of the past century, the assumptions upon which they are based and their impact on how teachers plan, teach and assess instruction. He also will present a research-based, general-instructional model that is flexible enough for college instructors from every discipline.
July 28: "From Theory to Practice: Learning Theory and Effective Instruction—Part 2," Kimberly S. Davies, senior assistant librarian, Milne Library, Geneseo State College. During this continuation of the July 21 presentation on learning theory, Davies will conduct an interactive session in which she will model the planning, teaching and assessment methods, and strategies that she and others have employed at Milne Library.
Registration for these sessions is required and can be made online at the CTLR Web site at http://wings.buffalo.edu/ ctlr, or by contacting Lisa Francescone at lcf@buffalo.edu or 645-7328.
Nine UB teams post GPAs of 3.0 or higher
Nine of UB's athletic teams posted a team grade-point average of more than 3.0 for the 2004 spring semester, and the overall GPA for UB's 466 student-athletes was 3.01, according to the Office of Athlete Academic Services.
The volleyball team, under head coach Sally Kus, had the most-improved team GPA from the fall semester, jumping from 12th to the top of the list with a 3.452 team GPA. The women's cross-country team was second with a 3.399 team GPA, followed by women's tennis (3.333), women's soccer (3.259), women's swimming (3.231) and men's cross country (3.237).
Thirteen of UB's 18 teams—with indoor and outdoor track counting as one team—had a team GPA above a 2.8 for the spring semester, and 12 of the 18 teams improved their team GPA from the fall semester to the spring semester, with wrestling and women's basketball trailing volleyball with the most-improved team GPA.
The women's swimming team had the highest team GPA during the fall (3.338)—topping the team listing in eight of the past 10 semesters. Women's cross country has posted the second-highest team GPA in each of the past three semesters.
On an individual level, 214 student-athletes (46.0 percent) were named UB Scholar Athletes for the spring semester by virtue of posting a GPA of 3.0 or better. Fifteen student-athletes posted a perfect 4.0 GPA in the spring. The semester GPA for all of Buffalo's 466 student-athletes was 3.01.
In the fall, 220 student-athletes (41.0 percent) were UB Scholar Athletes, with 12 earning 4.0 GPAs for the semester. The semester GPA for all student-athletes was 2.8.
Biostatistics to reactivate graduate programs
The Department of Biostatistics in the School of Public Health and Health professions has received approval from the state Education Department to re-activate the graduate program in statistics, which had been suspended in 1998.
The title of both the master's and doctoral programs will be changed to "biostatistics" from "statistics" to better reflect changes in the curricula of those programs to make them more responsive to the education and training needs of UB students, says Alan Hutson, associate professor and department chair.
"This change takes advantage of the recent significant strengthening of our faculty in this area of curricular focus," Hutson says, adding that the new titles also correspond with the administrative structure through which the programs now are offered—the unit, which regained departmental status in June 2003, now is known as "biostatistics," rather than "statistics."
The graduate program in biostatistics will offer the majority of the courses from the original program in statistics, giving it the same theoretical underpinning as the former program. In addition, several new biostatistics electives have been incorporated. Practical training for students will be obtained through work on various research projects at UB.
The first class of biostatistics students will enroll this coming fall. For those students interested in this new program, contact Randolph Carter, graduate director, at 829-2884 or at rcarter@buffalo.edu.
Nursing adds Ph.D. program
The School of Nursing has added a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in nursing degree program to its curricula in response to the critical shortage of nursing faculty in New York State and the nation.
The purpose of the Ph.D. program in nursing is to prepare nurse scientists and academicians to meet the nursing-education needs of the state and the nation, according to Jean K. Brown, associate dean and associate professor in the nursing school
The dearth of the nursing labor market has been linked directly to the shortage of faculty needed to prepare students, Brown says. Faculty shortages at nursing schools across the country have contributed to the overall decline in new enrollments at a time when the need for nurses continues to expand—a dismal trend that is expected to grow, she notes.
"The only way to assure there will be adequate nurses in the future is to make certain that there are sufficient numbers of nursing faculty today," Brown says. "If potential nurses cannot be educated at the undergraduate level because of the short supply of faculty, an endless, intensifying cycle of nursing shortages at all levels is sure to have a dramatic effect on our nation's health care."
While the UB School of Nursing has been responding to labor market pressures for additional RNs and advance-practice nurses, "it has not lost sight of the critical need to increase the flow of highly qualified RNs into nursing education," Brown says. "The proposed Ph.D. program is evidence of UB's commitment to increase the number of qualified, doctorally prepared faculty and to combat present and future nursing shortages in New York State and beyond."
Nurses may enter the Ph.D. program at the completion of the baccalaureate degree, after 24 credits of master's study or post-masters. The curriculum consists of a minimum of 60 credit hours beyond the master's degree. The major components of the curriculum are foundation, research and elective courses supportive of the dissertation and research role, and dissertation guidance.
The Ph.D. program is a logical extension of the expertise the school has developed during 15 years of offering a professional Doctor of Nursing Science (DNS) degree program, Brown says.
Alumnus to run across country in diabetes fund raiser
Jason Gross (B.A. '98, Communication) plans to run across the United States this summer and fall to raise money for the American Diabetes Association.
Gross is scheduled to leave Central Park in New York City on July 4 and pass through Buffalo in late July for what promises to be at least a six-month journey across the country.
If all goes as planned, Gross will arrive in Los Angeles sometime in December. The trip will take him through the South and West—the heart of the country. His goal is to raise $100,000 for the ADA.
To follow Gross on his journey or to make a donation, visit http://www.diabetesrun.com.
Simpson delivers neurosurgery lecture
President John B. Simpson delivered the George A. Cohn, M.D. Memorial Lecture at 8 a.m. today at Buffalo General Hospital.
The title of Simpson's lecture was "Reflections of a Neuroscientist: The Subfornical Organ, Angiotensin and Thirst."
Simpson, who holds a doctorate in neurobiology and behavior from Northwestern University, has authored or co-authored more than 50 scientific papers. He was a member of the editorial board of the American Journal of Physiology from 1987-94.
The lecture, sponsored by the Department of Neurosurgery in the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, is named in honor of George Cohn, a former chair of the department.
Library classes to be offered in Fredonia
UB has a new option for Fredonia-area residents who want to pursue a master's degree in library science (MLS) through the School of Informatics' Department of Library and Information Studies (DLIS).
The department will offer selected courses via interactive video delivered to the Erie 2 Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES site at 9520 Fredonia-Stockton Road.
While most courses must be taken at UB, this option will allow students to attend some courses in Fredonia.
The application deadline for a January 2005 admission to the program is Oct. 1. Students will be admitted after that date on a space-available basis.
Individual UB DLIS courses also may be taken on a non-matriculating basis by individuals who want to take one or two courses, but who do not want to pursue an MLS degree.
Application information is on the Department of Library and Information Studies Web site at http://informatics.buffalo.edu/admissions/MLS/index.asp. Prospective students may call the department's admissions secretary Donna King at 645-2412, ext. 1173.
Greece schools partner with UB
The Greece Central School District (GCSD) in Monroe County, the seventh-largest school district in New York State, has a critical need for school librarians.
To alleviate the shortage, the district has partnered with the Department of Library and Information Studies in the School of Informatics and will reimburse part of the costs of educating school library media specialists.
The program is open to Monroe County residents who work for the school district and are pursuing, or wish to pursue, at UB a master's degree in library and information studies with a specialization in school library media. Participants will be reimbursed by the school district for the cost of up to 12 graduate credits per year under the GCSD Employer-Sponsored Payment Plan.
Those seeking enrollment in the GCSD Employer-Sponsored Payment Plan must first be accepted into the UB MLS program. Some of the courses will be offered at the GCSD campus in Greece.
While the GCSD, which serves 13,864 students in 20 schools, has several other educational partners, UB will offer the district's first affiliated program for the education of school librarians.