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Gardner chosen for new endowed professorship
James A. Gardner has been named to a new civil justice professorship in the UB Law School, created through the generosity of alumnus Joseph W. Belluck and his wife, Laura L. Aswad.
The professorship will assist Gardner in continuing his research into the legal institutions that structure the American political process. He is working on a book examining the regulation of election campaigns.
Belluck, a 1994 UB Law School grad, and Aswad committed funds to establish an endowed professorship to say "thank you" for the "quality education that I received and to encourage others to support the school."
An experienced civil trial and appellate litigator, Belluck is a partner with Belluck & Fox in New York City. He is an adjunct lecturer in the UB Law School, where he teaches a course on mass torts. He has lectured frequently on product liability, tort law and tobacco control policy. He is considered an expert on consumer law and tort litigation.
Belluck graduated magna cum laude from the UB Law School in 1994. He served as articles editor of the Buffalo Law Review and received the New York State Bar Association's Legal Ethics Award.
"This generous gift by Joe and Laura will allow an outstanding full-time faculty member to continue to teach public-interest law courses and to produce meaningful scholarship with distinction," said Nils Olsen, dean of the UB Law School. "The professorship will allow the recipient to research, write, travel and publish. It's exciting for me to see young alumni giving back to UB so early in their careers. Joe Belluck is a shining example of philanthropy."
Sarkin workshop to be held
The Second Annual Richard T. Sarkin Memorial Workshop on Teaching will be held from 1-3 p.m. tomorrow in 120 Clemens Hall, North Campus.
The workshop, entitled "Structuring Lectures for Active Learning," will be presented by LuAnn Wilkerson, director of the Center for Educational Development and Research in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
The workshop will focus on helping faculty structure lectures to maximize learning by drawing on several key principles drawn from research in education, psychology and the neurosciences.
The annual workshop is held in memory of Richard T. Sarkin, one of the most respected and requested instructors in the Center for Teaching and Learning Resources, which sponsors the Sarkin workshop. Sarkin, associate professor of clinical pediatrics in the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, died in a plane crash on Oct. 19, 2004.
He was a recipient of the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Louis A. and Ruth Siegel Award for Excellence in Teaching from the medical school.
The workshop is free of charge but registration is required. Those interested can register by going to http://www.buffalo.edu/ctlr or contacting Lisa Francescone at 645-7328, or lcf@buffalo.edu.
Bebe Neuwirth to perform
The Center for the Arts will present Bebe Neuwirth at 8 p.m. on Saturday in the Mainstage theater in the CFA, North Campus.
Neuwirth will perform a number of selections from favorite Broadway composers Kurt Weill and John Kander, backed by a 40-piece orchestra. A versatile actress who has displayed a talent for both comedy and drama, Neuwirth is a gifted dancer and vocalist who has won acclaim for her work on the musical stage.
While she may be best known to television viewers as Lilith Sternin, Frazier Crane's tightly wound wife on the popular comedy "Cheers," Neuwirth studied dance at New York's prestigious Juilliard School, and in 1980 she made her professional debut as Shelia, a once-famous dancer looking to make a comeback, in a touring production of the long-running musical "A Chorus Line." In 1982, she hit Broadway in two different shows: "Dancin'," directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse, and "Little Me." In 1986, Neuwirth won the starring role in another Fosse musical, a revival of "Sweet Charity," which later earned her a Tony award and cemented her reputation on Broadway. She also won a Tony and Drama Desk awards in 1997 for her performance in the Broadway revival of "Chicago."
Tickets for "Bebe Neuwirth Sings" are $46, $41 and $36, and are available at the CFA box office from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and at all Ticketmaster locations, including ticketmaster.com.
John Legend to appear in CFA
R&B artist John Legend will perform at 8 p.m. Nov. 25 in the Mainstage theater in the Center for the Arts, North Campus.
Legend was a child prodigy who grew up in Ohio, where he began singing gospel and playing piano at the age of five. He left Ohio at 16 to go to college in Philadelphia, and it was there that he first found a larger audience. Not yet out of his teens, he was tapped to play piano on Lauryn Hill's "Everything Is Everything" album in 1998.
After completing college, Legend moved to New York, where he began to build a loyal following playing in nightclubs and releasing CDs that he sold at shows. He also became an in-demand session musician, playing and occasionally writing for a wide array of artists, including Alicia Keys, Twista, Janet Jackson and Kanye West.
West signed Legend to his new label and released 2004's "Solo Sessions Vol. 1: Live at the Knitting Factory." "Get Lifted," his first studio album, was released later in the year.
Tickets for John Legend, with special guests Ne-Yo and Kindred the Family Soul, are $30 for the general public and $27 for students. Tickets are available at the CFA box office from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and at all Ticketmaster locations, including ticketmaster.com.
WBFO hits fall fund-raising goal
WBFO 88.7 FM, UB's National Public Radio affiliate, recently completed its shortest and most successful fall membership drive, raising more than $200,000 and ending a day early.
Approximately 1,300 telephone and Web-site-generated pledges from Western New York and Southern Ontario listeners were recorded during the seven-day, on-air campaign.
More than 400 new members joined the station, bringing total membership to 7,000. Nearly 400 existing members pledged $40,000 in challenge grants on Super Thursday, the first day of the drive. The success of the Super Thursday campaign enabled the station to end the drive early.
"We are elated by the strong response from the Western New York and Southern Tier communities," said Carole Smith Petro, associate vice president and general manager. "Listener support is the largest single source of revenue that enables WBFO to continue providing award-winning local news, outstanding music programming, and first-rate National Public Radio programs."
Two from UB receive Fulbrights
Two members of the UB community have been awarded Fulbright Scholar Grants for 2005-06.
Stuart S. Chen, associate professor, Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, is lecturing on developments in bridge engineering design and construction at Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey.
His award began in September and runs through June 2006.
Joseph J. Hindrawan, assistant vice provost for international education and director of international enrollment management, was a Fulbright scholar grantee to the U.S.-Japan International Education Administrators (IEA) Program. He was one of six grantees who participated in a three-week program in Japan this summer that offered an intensive exploration of the country's educational system and culture.
UB also is hosting two visiting scholars this academic year as part of the Fulbright program.
Edgar Avalos Hernandez, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Physics at Autonomous Metropolitan University in Mexico City, is conducting research at UB on the use of impulse acoustics to probe shallow soil properties.
Shou-Min Tsao, associate professor in the Department of Business Administration at National Central University in Chung-li, Taiwan, is conducting research on ownership structure and management forecast errors.
Recipients of Fulbright Scholar awards are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement and because they have demonstrated extraordinary leadership potential in their fields.
Founded in 1945 by Sen. J. William Fulbright, the Fulbright Program is America's flagship international educational exchange activity, and is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Blood drives set
The Red Cross will hold several blood drives on the North and South campuses during the month of December.
The drives will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 7 in 105 Harriman Hall, South Campus, and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 6 and Dec. 8 in 210 Student Union, North Campus.
Anyone interested in giving blood can call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE to schedule an appointment.
Dee named to STOR post
Timothy P. Dee has been named associate commercialization manager for UB's Office of Science, Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach (STOR).
Dee will work with faculty to identify and protect intellectual property arising from their research programs, and will be responsible for developing commercialization opportunities to transfer the technology into the marketplace. Dee will oversee intellectual property and commercialization opportunities in the chemical and life sciences.
Dee previously was a biotechnology marketing assistant and project support specialist with STOR during the time he attended the School of Management's MBA program. In those positions, Dee performed technical and market analyses, marketed UB inventions to industry and assisted in commercialization and licensing activities.
"Tim made a significant contribution to our technology review process and commercialization and licensing efforts as a graduate assistant in STOR. We are fortunate to have Tim as a full-time member of our staff," said Jeff Dunbar, director of the Intellectual Property Division of STOR.
GSE open house is today
The Graduate School of Education (GSE) will hold an open house from 5-7 p.m. today in the lobby of the Student Union, North Campus.
Information about graduate programs offered by the departments of Counseling, School and Educational Psychology; Learning and Instruction; Educational Leadership and Policy; and the Teacher Education Institute will be available.
Current students and faculty members will answer questions and provide information about part-time and full-time study, admissions, programs, courses and financial aid.
GSE offers a wide range of doctoral and master's degrees, as well as combination master's and certification degrees, and stand-alone certificates. Additional information is available at http://www.gse.buffalo.edu, or by calling 645-2110.