University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

Published: October 21, 2004

Name: Nina Cichocki
School: College of Arts and Sciences
Department: Art History
Academic Title: Assistant Professor
Academic Degrees: Magister der Philosophie, art history, Karl-Franzens-Universitaet, Graz, Austria; M.A. and Ph.D., art history, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
Areas of Special Interest: Islamic art history, Ottoman history
My dissertation examines the life story of a Turkish bath, the Cemberlitas Hamam in Istanbul, from its foundation in the late 16th century to its present-day function as a tourist attraction. Within the next three years, I plan to convene an international conference on the origin and development of Turkish bathhouses, from the Roman thermae over the early Arab and Iranian hamams to the baths in modern Turkey. After publishing my dissertation, my next research project will investigate the importance of sound—in particular, Quran recitals—in mosque architecture.

Name: Jamie M. Ostrov
School: College of Arts and Sciences
Department: Psychology
Academic Title: Assistant Professor
Academic Degrees: B.A., psychology, Colgate University; M.S.Ed., psychological services, University of Pennsylvania; M.A. and Ph.D., child psychology, University of Minnesota
Areas of Special Interest: Developmental psychology, developmental psychopathology, applied developmental psychology; social development, interpersonal relationships, early childhood and gender
I was attracted to UB by the reputation of the researchers and scholars in the Department of Psychology, as well as the related research centers and resources. I was impressed by the commitment the students, staff and faculty had to the department, the university and the surrounding community.

Name: Michele Shular
School: University Libraries
Department: Science and Engineering Library
Academic Title: Senior Assistant Librarian (geosciences)
Academic Degrees: B.Sc., with honors, earth science and physical geography, Brock University (Ontario); M.A., library and information science, University of Western Ontario
Areas of Special Interest: Geomorphology, geology, glaciology, glacial sediments with an emphasis on Ontario, cartography, map collections and geographic information systems (GIS)
I'm working on shaping, establishing and implementing GIS and data services for the UB Libraries. This project will include outreach, workshops and public GIS workstations that will be open to members of the UB community. I'm assessing the potential of the academic departments to network and cooperate in GIS data sharing with an eye towards the future development of a campus-wide, online, ArcIMS geospatial database that would be maintained by the UB Libraries.

Name: Hao Zeng
School: College of Arts and Sciences
Department: Physics
Academic Title: Assistant Professor
Academic Degrees: B.S., Nanjing University, China; M.S. and Ph.D., University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Areas of Special Interest: Condensed matter physics, nanoscale magnetic materials and devices, spintronics, multi-component and multi-functional self-assembly, bio-sensor and smart bio-markers
For a physics professor, there is only one thing that is more exciting than making a scientific discovery; that is, helping my students make one.

Name: Ewa Plonowska Ziarek
School: College of Arts and Sciences
Department: Comparative Literature
Academic Title: Julian Park Professor of Comparative Literature
Academic Degrees: M.A., Warsaw University, Poland; M.A. and Ph.D., UB
Areas of Special Interest: Feminist theory, modernism, continental philosophy, ethics and critical theory
I enjoy teaching students how to think on their own and how to pose new critical questions. I encourage them to take themselves seriously as a new generation of intellectuals.

Name: Tao Wu
School: Management
Department: Finance and Managerial Economics
Academic Title: Assistant Professor
Academic Degrees: B.A., Columbia University; M.A. and Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
Areas of Special Interest: Asset pricing, continuous-time finance, derivatives and credit risk, corporate finance and international finance
It's important to understand how investors form their portfolios of different assets and how these assets are priced in the market. Undoubtedly, these two issues are closely related. They are not only of interest to academics, but also have significant practical value to investors.