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Fund to support research
A fund of nearly $2 million established as a result of a bequest by a former research engineer at Calspan-General Dynamics Corp. will support research at UB under a new Innovative Research on Sensors, Instrumentation and Devices Program.
Gerald A. Sterbutzel, who died in 1998, began his career in aeronautical research with Curtiss-Wright Corp. in 1945. He joined the then Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory in 1946, becoming branch head of Calspan's thermal research in 1970. In 1983, he left Calspan to help found Veritay Corp., a research firm in Amherst.
In his will, Sterbutzel specified that the funds be allocated to support research relevant to aeronautical and biomedical applications.
While faculty from any academic unit at UB may submit proposals for funding, the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences will administer the bequest.
The deadline for applications is 5 p.m. on April 1. It's anticipated that projects selected will be funded by June 1.
For consideration for funding, proposed projects must fall into one or more of the following categories:
Measurement of temperatures, pressures and other characteristics or properties of materials and substances.
Advanced medical instrumentation.
New methods for the measurement of skin or deep-body temperatures.
Methods for measuring high surface temperatures of 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit and higher.
Projects will be funded for $40,000 per year for one or two years. A total of eight projects will be funded in any given year.
UB researchers interested in applying for funding should contact Andres Soom, associate dean for research in SEAS, who heads the oversight committee for the Sterbutzel Research Fund, at soom@buffalo.edu.
Also serving on the oversight committee are Sriram Neelamegham, associate professor of chemical and biological engineering; Stephen Rudin, professor of radiology in the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; James Felske, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and Kenneth Tramposch, associate vice president for research and associate professor of pharmaceutics and toxicology.
First "teaching circle" to be held
The first in a series of Coffee House Teaching Circles designed to offer a venue for faculty members to share their experiences in the classroom will be held from 2-3:15 p.m. March 30 in the Friends Room in Lockwood Library, North Campus.
The event is being presented by the Center for Teaching and Learning Resources.
While faculty members often share with each other the trials and tribulations associated with conducting research and other creative activities, there are fewer opportunities to do the same with experiences in the classroom, particularly regarding active-learning strategies.
During this "teaching circle," Gayle Brazeau, associate dean for academic affairs, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, will facilitate the discussion. Brazeau will use her article "Reflections on Active Learning in the Classroom: Don't Walk Alone," published in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, as a springboard for the discussion. It can be assessed on the CTLR Web site at http://www.buffalo.edu/ctlr.
Those interested in attending should register at the CTLR Web site or by contacting Lisa Francescone at lcf@buffalo.edu, or 645-7328.
Reno, Coulter to square off at UB
Former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno and conservative author, columnist and political commentator Ann Coulter will debate on March 10 as part of UB's Distinguished Speakers Series.
The lecture, presented by UB and the Don Davis Auto World Lectureship Fund, will be held at 8 p.m. in Alumni Arena, North Campus.
Appointed under the Clinton administration, Reno became the first woman attorney general of the U.S. Overseeing the Justice Department, Reno enforced federal policies on civil rights, the environment, gun control and immigration. As attorney general, she faced difficult challenges, including the Branch Davidian standoff and the Elian Gonzales case. During her time in office, crime and drug-use rates in the U.S. declined. She was and continues to be a strong advocate of children's and women's rights.
Reno received her law degree from Harvard University Law School. She went on to become staff director of the Judiciary Committee of the Florida House of Representatives and later, state attorney for Dade County. Reno's many honors include induction into the National Women's Hall of Fame.
Coulter is a New York Times best-selling author whose books include "How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must): The World According to Ann Coulter," "Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right" and "Treason: Liberal Treachery from the Cold War to the War on Terrorism." Her provoking political views have made her a popular guest on such TV shows as "Larry King Live" and "The O'Reilly Factor." Coulter also is legal correspondent for Human Events, a national conservative weekly newspaper, and a columnist for the Universal Press Syndicate.
She previously worked for the Senate Judiciary Committee and was a litigator with the Center for Individual Rights. She holds a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School.
Dunnett assumes presidency of AIEA
Stephen C. Dunnett, vice provost for international education and professor of learning and instruction in the Graduate School of Education, assumed the position of president of the Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA) during the association's annual conference held recently in Washington.
AIEA, a membership organization formed in November 1982, is composed of institutional leaders engaged in advancing the international dimensions of higher education. Many of AIEA's 400 members are the chief international education officers at their institutions.
Dunnett was appointed to the AIEA Executive Committee (EC) in 2002, having previously served on the EC from 1997 to 1999. He was president-elect in 2004-05.
The Secretariat or administrative headquarters of AIEA was based at UB from 1999 to 2004 when the late Timothy J. Rutenber, associate vice provost for international education, served as director of the Secretariat.
When he was appointed vice provost in 1991, Dunnett was among the first international educators in the United States to be appointed as chief international education officer at the vice-provostal level. A UB faculty member since 1971, he also is the founder and director of UB's English Language Institute.
Open sessions set for final research candidates
Members of the campus community are invited to attend open sessions this week with the final two candidates for the position of vice president for research.
The session with Joseph Glorioso, chair of the Department of Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, will be held from 10-11 a.m. today in 435 Capen Hall, North Campus (access through Undergraduate Library).
The session with Jorge Jose, chair of the Department of Physics at Northeastern University, will be held from 10-11 a.m. tomorrow in 280 Park Hall, North Campus.
The open sessions for the other two finalists for the position—Howard Federoff, senior associate dean for basic research at the University of Rochester School of Medicine, and Myron Salamon, associate dean in the College of Engineering at the University at Illinois—were held on Feb. 18 and Feb. 22, respectively.
Iain Hay, chair of the vice president for research search committee and Grant T. Fisher Chair and professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, noted that Federoff and Salamon "were very well received by the campus community, and we are confident that the remaining two (candidates) will be similarly impressive."
"The input of faculty, staff and students will be important to the search committee as we make our recommendations to President Simpson and Provost Tripathi," Hay said.
He asked that anyone wishing to offer input on any or all of the candidates should do so via email to vpr-search@vpsa.buffalo.edu no later than Monday.
More information about the finalists is available at http:// www.buffalo.edu/vprsearch/candidates.htm.
Soundlab to hold benefit for WNY 'Zine Archive
"LABOR," a benefit for the Western New York 'Zine Archive, soon to be housed in UB Poetry Collection, will be held tomorrow at Soundlab, 110 Pearl St.
An assortment of ’zines soon to be housed in the Western New York ’Zine Archive at UB.
Doors will open at 9 p.m. There will be a $5 admission fee.
Organizers hope the benefit will raise awareness of the archive and provoke the donation of more of the underground, self-published periodicals called "'zines."
The event will feature local music acts, other live performances and multimedia projections. Funds raised will help to establish the collection and fund future outreach and development efforts.
The Poetry Collection will welcome the new archive with an exhibition and reception to be held from 6-8 p.m., March 30 in the Poetry Collection, 420 Capen Hall, North Campus. This event will be free and open to the public.
The Western New York 'Zine Archive currently encompasses more than 50 titles, including Angst and Daisies, Creepy Mike's Omnibus of Fun, Go Guerrilla, Highest Population of Rock Stars, Hodgepodge and Riverside Arts Scene. 'Zines were donated to the collection by their creators and by 'zinesters who collected them. The archive will appeal to those interested in the literary, design, historical and political aspects of underground publishing.
Planning for the archive began in October when local 'zinesters approached a number of libraries and cultural institutions with a proposal to establish a collection of local 'zines.
Michael Basinski, curator of the UB Poetry Collection and a 'zinester himself, enthusiastically offered to house the archive at the university, noting the collection's long involvement with both regional publishing endeavors and underground literature.