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RIA seminar cancelled
The lecture in the Research Institute on Addiction's Spring Seminar Series that was scheduled for tomorrow has been cancelled.
The seminar, entitled "Jocks, Gender, Binge Drinking and Adolescent Violence," to be presented by Kathleen E. Miller, RIA research scientist and UB adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Sociology, will be rescheduled in early fall.
For further information, contact RIA at 887-2566.
Forliti wins award
David Forliti, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, is the recipient of a prestigious Department of Defense Office of Naval Research (ONR) Young Investigator Program Award.
Forliti is one of just seven engineers and scientists across the United States to be honored with the award this year, out of nearly 250 individuals who applied.
The award comes with a three-year research grant of $355,000.
ONR's Young Investigator Awards recognize exceptional young scientists and engineers. Criteria include prior professional achievement, submission of a meritorious research proposal and evidence of strong support by the applicant's institution.
Forliti will use the grant to conduct research aimed at boosting combustion efficiency for the U.S. Navy's Ramjet engine, a supersonic, flight-propulsion system used for antiballistic missile systems.
According to Forliti, it is extremely difficult to find ways to improve thrust in these high-speed propulsion systems while stabilizing the combustion process, where the speed of air tends to blow out the flame unless a flame-anchoring technique is employed.
Current methods of stabilizing combustion always result in increased drag, he explained.
Forliti's research is geared toward developing an innovative method of stabilizing combustion without producing drag.
"My concern is, how do we get the most out of one kilogram of fuel? We want to reshape the inside of the engine so that the flame is stabilized but there's also less drag. We will use flow-control techniques to stabilize the flame while avoiding drag penalties," he explained.
Preliminary data developed by Forliti show that his method could achieve increases in thrust of up to 25 percent beyond what currently is possible in these engines.
In addition to the high-speed propulsion engines, Forliti's research will be applicable to improving the efficiency of other energy-conversion devices, as well as controlling the emission of harmful pollutants.
A UB faculty member since 2004, Forliti earned his doctoral and undergraduate degrees at the University of Minnesota and his master's degree at Florida State University.
Szyperski shares major NMR prize
Thomas Szyperski, professor of chemistry, biochemistry and structural biology, is a co-recipient of the Günther Laukien Prize, one of the most prestigious prizes awarded in the field of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
The prize was awarded last week at the 47th Experimental Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Conference in Pacific Grove, Calif.
The Laukien Prize was established in 1999 in memory of Günther Laukein, a co-founder of Bruker BioSpin, a leading supplier of NMR spectrometers.
It carries a monetary award of $15,000, funded by Bruker BioSpin, and is intended "to recognize cutting-edge experimental NMR research with a high probability of enabling beneficial new applications."
This year, the award will be shared equally between Szyperski; Rafael Bruschweiler, professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Florida State University; and the team of Eriks Kupce, principal scientist at Varian Ltd., and Ray Freeman of Cambridge University.
Szyperski is being recognized for his seminal contributions to the design of rapid acquisition techniques of multidimensional NMR spectra.
A team of UB structural genomics scientists led by him received major international attention in 2003 when it published a new method of using NMR called GFT-NMR, a much faster, more precise and far-less-expensive method of obtaining nuclear magnetic resonance data to map a protein's atomic structure.
For that development, he was named one of Scientific American's Top 50 contributors to science and technology in 2003.
Last summer, Szyperski and his team published a paper on how they used the method to determine the structures of eight proteins in just 10-20 days per protein, a process that typically takes an average of six to 12 months to solve a single protein using conventional NMR methods.
The patented method was able to solve membrane proteins, considered by some to be the "holy grail" of structural genomics and highly prized in rational drug design.
The method now has been widely adopted throughout the genomics community as one of the best ways to use NMR for protein-structure determination.
Szyperski and his team are expected to use the new method to solve between 12 and 15 structures per year for the National Institutes of Health-funded Northeast Structural Genomics Consortium (NESG), part of the Protein Structure Initiative.
Their success to date has attracted approximately $4 million in new federal research funds to Szyperski's lab over the next five years from the Protein Structure Initiative (PSI); the New York Center on Membrane Protein Structure, an NIH-funded center of the PSI; and the Molecular and Cellular Biophysics Division of the National Science Foundation.
Szyperski, a UB faculty member since 1998, is director of the university's high-field NMR facility and an adjunct senior researcher at the Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute.
He also is a recipient of the American Chemical Society's Buck-Whitney Medal.
REV-UP program to recognize volunteers
The annual REV-UP Recognition Ceremony and Reception will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday in 102 Goodyear Hall, South Campus, in conjunction with the May meeting of the Emeritus Center.
Emeritus Center members also will elect new members for the board of directors at the meeting.
The speaker will be William J. Regan, director of the Office of Special Events. Regan will discuss how UB is preparing for the September visit of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the need for volunteers for this unique event.
The ceremony will recognize 72 REV-UP members who together contributed more than 3,100 hours of volunteer service to 22 UB departments from May 2005 through April 2006
Since the inception of the REV-UP Program in March 1990, nearly 50,000 hours of volunteer service have been given to UB by its retirees.
For further information about the Emeritus meeting or the REV-UP program, contact Leila (Lee) Baker. REV-UP manager, at 829-2271, or bakerl@buffalo.edu.
Online program offers info on Medicare Part D for MS patients
The Jacobs Neurological Institute at UB has developed an online education program on Medicare Part D for physicians treating patients with multiple sclerosis.
"Medicare Part D: Implications for Physicians and Patients" was developed by the Kenneth Alford Medical Education Center, the continuing-medical-education arm of the Jacobs Neurological Institute.
The program is available at http://www.thejni.org/cme/medicareD. It also is available to the general public for information purposes.
Frederick E. Munschauer, chair of the Department of Neurology, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and medical director of the center, said the program helps physicians better understand the impact that Medicare Part D will have on their neurology practices and specifically on their MS patients.
"There is a strong need for physicians treating MS patients to have access to credible, specific and thorough information on this timely and confusing topic," he said. "Currently, physicians and patients know very little about these complex new drug provisions. Patients are turning to their physicians for advice on plan enrollment, prescription benefits and future ramifications. The characteristics of each plan may have implications for physician prescribing patterns."
The UB medical school, accredited by the Accreditation Council for CME to sponsor continuing medical education for physicians, designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)(tm). Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
The program was developed through support from Biogen Idec, Pfizer, Serono and TEVA Neuroscience.
Longtime employees to be recognized at reception
A service recognition reception will be held May 18 honoring faculty and staff members who have completed 30 and 40 years of service to UB.
President John B. Simpson and Katherine L. Gower, and Provost Satish K. Tripathi and Kamlesh Tripathi will co-host the reception, during which service recognition pins will be presented to the honorees.
UB employees to be honored for 40 years of service are Gloria Aniebo-Williams, Psychology; Frank Bartscheck, Operational Support Services—Computing Center; Irwin Burstein, Periodontics and Endodontics; Edward Bush, University Residence Halls and Apartments; Mary Cassata, Communication; Sebastian Ciancio, Periodontics and Endodontics; Maria Daniel, Mathematics; Robert DeFranco, Restorative Dentistry; Diane Marlinski, College of Arts and Sciences; Albert Michaels, History; George Nancollas, Chemistry; Shinpei Ohki, Physiology and Biophysics; Martin Pops, English; Pamela Rose, Health Sciences Library; Louis Swartz, Law School; Judith Wagner, Philosophy; and Edward Yadzinski Jr., Music.
Faculty and staff members to be honored for 30 years of service are Rosemary Albanese, Procurement Services; Lee Albert, Law School; Joseph Bernat, Pediatric and Community Dentistry; Michael Burke, Music; Deborah Cederman, Clinical Dentistry; Melvyn Churchill, Chemistry; Judith Chwirut, Clinical Dentistry; Daniel Conny, Restorative Dentistry; Beverly Dove, Educational Opportunity Center; Michael Dupre, University Facilities; Patricia Engel, Surgery; Cynthia Haim, Student Life; Frank Hicklin, Chemistry; John Ho, Physics; Patricia Houston, General Libraries Access Services; Raymond Jarzynski, University Residence Halls and Apartments.
Also, Theodore Jenkins, Restorative Dentistry; Lenore Johnson, Educational Opportunity Center; Robert Johnson, Dental Medicine; Charles Kaars, Sponsored Projects Services; Ray Kirschner, Facilities Operations—University Facilities; Carol Kobrin, Health Sciences; William Koehn, Chemistry; Marlene Kowalski, Physics; Heidi Kuwik, Public Health and Health Professions; John LaDuca, Surgery; Ming Levine, Periodontics and Endodontics; Winston Lin, Management Science and Systems; Joanne Lostracco, Pathology and Anatomical Sciences; Jack Malinowski, Facilities Operations—University Facilities; Carolyn Malone, Educational Opportunity Center.
Also, Judy Marquardt, Student Affairs; Russell Merkling, Facilities Operations—University Facilities; John Naughton, Rehabilitation Medicine; Janet Neubecker, Animal Facilities; Edward Niles, Microbiology and Immunology; Michael Noe, Public Health and Health Professions; Richard Noll, Capital Facilities and Space Planning; Vergie Oettinger, Procurement Services; Paulette Pagano, Rehabilitation Sciences; Daniel Pawlick, Facilities Operations—University Facilities; Marian Pazik, Physiology and Biophysics; John Quinan, Art History.
Also, Teresa Raimondo, Social and Preventive Medicine; Teri Roberts, Pharmacology and Toxicology; Judith Robinson, Library and Information Studies; Marcelina Rodriguez-Rodon, Educational Opportunity Center; Frederick Sachs, Physiology and Biophysics; Charles Salemann, University Residence Halls and Apartments; Maxene Staton, Campus Dining and Shops/UB Card Office; Diane Szalda, Student Financial Processing Services; Patricia Thomann, Facilities Planning and Design—University Facilities; James Ulrich, Academic Services—Computing and Information Technology; Betty Warren, Human Resources; Livingston Watrous, Art History; and Michael Woldenberg, Geography.
Panasci TEC winners named
Providing products and services to biotechnology firms was the common denominator for the two teams that won more than $60,000 in cash and services in UB's annual Henry A. Panasci Jr. Technology Entrepreneurship Competition (Panasci TEC).
Panasci TEC awards seed money and business services to the teams that present the best plan for the launch of a viable new business.
UB students Justin Call in the J.D./M.B.A. program, and Alfonzo Cutaia, a law student, were the first-place team. Together with Yaoqi Zhou, associate professor in the departments of Physiology and Biophysics, and Chemical and Biological Engineering; Alan Walczak, a research assistant in the Toshiba Stroke Research Center; and Taher Hegab, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Chemistry, they will launch their proposed venture, BioHammer, which is developing software to help biotech companies and pharmaceutical firms be more efficient in their research and development processes.
"We are very confident in our business model and our product, but we were still somewhat surprised to win after seeing the great business plans and presentations of our competitors," said Call.
His teammate, Cutaia, was pleased with the results and with the process.
"Preparing for the competition really helped us move the company along. We met with leaders of Fortune 500 companies and smaller firms, and made some great connections for when we are ready to move into the sales phase," he said.
The first-prize package, valued at more than $50,000, includes $25,000 in seed funding, one year of office space from North Forest Development and one year of legal services from Jaeckle Fleischmann and Mugel.
The second-place prize of $10,000 in start-up funding went to KbTwist Inc., which will develop unique probes for atomic force microscopes that will help make them suitable for routine screening of drugs.
The team was made up of UB J.D./M.B.A. students Jason Lee and Karin Abu-Middain, UB medical student Arthur Beyder and two additional members: Buffalo resident Chiara Spagnoli and Jordan Lema of East Amherst.
Twelve teams participated in this year's competition, and five teams of finalists presented their business plans publicly in the competition's final round on April 26 at the Jacobs Executive Development Center.
The other finalists presented a variety of new venture ideas, including a line of bone regeneration products for the dental and orthopedic markets, an investment research firm that would use computer technology to help investors and analysts make investment decisions and a company that would provide colleges and universities with a software tool to help student groups.
Serving as judges for the event were Robert H. Fritzinger, CEO, Zenhire; Thaddeus H. Grasela Jr., president and CEO, Cognigen Corp.; James Hengst, president and CEO, ZeptoMetrix; Marnie LaVigne, director of business development, UB's New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences; and Brian Pearson, president, Valuation Advisors, LLC.
Panasci TEC was created by the School of Management and the Office of Science, Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach, and is funded with a $1 million endowment from the late Henry A. Panasci Jr. to facilitate and promote the commercialization of UB-generated technologies. It also is designed to provide a mechanism for bringing students from science and technology disciplines together with students from the School of Management to maximize their business and scientific potential and create viable businesses in Western New York.
UUP sponsors retirement planning seminar
A seminar for members of United University Professions' Buffalo Center Chapter considering retirement will be held May 16 in the Center for Tomorrow, North Campus.
The session, including a buffet luncheon at noon, will be free of charge and open to all members of the Buffalo Center Chapter; check-in is at 11:45 a.m.
The program, to run from 12:30-2 p.m., will feature presentations from retirement specialist Ann Bielinski, assistant vice president for human resource services, on how to retire from UB, and Ann Marine, a retirement specialist for UUP, on what members need to know before retiring from state service. Financial planners also will be available to offer advice on investing after retirement.
Seating is limited to 140.
To reserve a seat, call Chris Black in the UUP Buffalo Center Chapter Office at 645-2013 by May 10.