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No Reporter next week
The Reporter will not publish next week due to Rosh Hashana. The next issue will be published on Sept. 20.
Genetics and genomics seminar set
More than 100 scientists from across the country will gather for a symposium on "Genetics and Genomics in Development and Disease" tomorrow at the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.
The symposium, which will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the Zebro Room at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, is being hosted by the UB 2020 strategic strength in Molecular Recognition in Biological Systems and Bioinformatics. It is sponsored by UB's New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences and the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
The symposium will examine the molecular events and pathways that are critical to the development of organ systems.
Kenneth Blumenthal, professor and chair of the Department of Biochemistry in the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and an organizer of the symposium, notes that certain genes have to be "turned on and off" in order to make an organ system operate or develop properly. When the genes are not regulated properly, or when the pathways for those genes do not work properly, developmental disorders and diseases occur, Blumenthal says.
"We now have the ability to look at the whole genetic makeup of an organism, to see how the genes turn off and off, and draw correlations to other organ systems," he says, pointing out that scientists can apply these same tools to conditions ranging from cardiovascular disease to cancer.
Speakers at the symposium will include Thomas Doetschman of the University of Arizona, Anil Menon of the University of Cincinnati, Richard Maas of Harvard and Kenneth Gross and Andrei Gudkov of Roswell Park Cancer Institute. UB speakers will include Richard Gronostajski and Marc Halfon, Department of Biochemistry; Matthew Disney, Chemistry; and Denise Ferkey, Biological Sciences.
The symposium is the first of a series of thematic mini-symposia to be hosted by the strategic strength. The second, to be held in March, will focus on recombinant expression of proteins for research and therapeutics; the third symposium next summer will focus on chemical biology.
A goal of the symposia is to identify potential cross-disciplinary interactions and collaborations among UB faculty members.
Open figure drawing sessions set
The Student Visual Arts Organization in the Department of Visual Studies, College of Arts and Sciences, is sponsoring open figure drawing sessions from 7-9:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, now through Dec. 5, in 218 Center for the Arts, North Campus.
There will be no session on Nov. 21.
The sessions, which are open to the public, cost $5 per session. No registration is required. Easels are provided; artists must bring their own drawing materials.
Community Service Fair set
"Serving Those Who Serve Others" will be the theme of the third annual Community Service Fair from 12:30-3:30 p.m. Wednesday in the School of Management.
Black-tie service, limousine transportation, a string quartet and chocolate gifts will be among the amenities given to representatives of local community service organizations as they work their information booths. The event will allow faculty, staff and students to learn more about the volunteer opportunities at participating agencies and to sign up to help.
"We want to do something extra for the community service representatives to express our appreciation for what they do," said Cynthia Shore, assistant dean of corporate and community relations in the School of Management. "Our community is a better place thanks to these people and their organizations."
One participating agency will be selected to win the proceeds of UB's Graduate Management Association Annual Date Auction to be held in February. Last year's winner, the Mental Health Association of Erie County, was awarded $3,200.
A number of community service organizations are scheduled to attend, including Compass House, Meals on Wheels, WNED, Consumer Credit Counseling Services, Crisis Services, Gilda's Club, Hispanics United, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Food Bank, Upstate New York Transplant Services, Compeer, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Girl Scout Council and United Way.
John M. Thomas, dean of the School of Management, will recognize the public-service and community-engagement activities of the school's faculty, staff and students at a luncheon held in conjunction with the community service fair.
"This is just one of several activities that reflect the leadership role the School of Management has taken in UB's mission to be an active supporter of Western New York's not-for-profit community," says Shore.
CDS to host conference
Apraxia in adults and children will be the topic of a conference being presented by the Department of Communicative Disorders and Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Sept. 21-22 in the Center for Tomorrow, North Campus.
Edythe Strand, associate professor at the Mayo Medical School and a consultant to the Division of Speech Pathology in the Department of Neurology at the Mayo Clinic, will discuss diagnostic and intervention principles based in the literature and from her extensive clinical experience at the Mayo Clinic.
Apraxia is a neurological disorder characterized by loss of the ability to execute or carry out skilled movements and gestures, despite having the desire and the physical ability to perform them. Apraxia results from dysfunction of the cerebral hemispheres of the brain, especially the parietal lobe, and can arise from many diseases or damage to the brain.
The conference is made possible through funding from the College of Arts and Sciences Fund for Conferences and Lectures and from departmental and faculty grants.
For more information, contact Rosemary Lubinski at 829-2797, ext. 611, or at cdsrosie@buffalo.edu.
Garage sale to benefit SEFA
The Health Sciences Library will hold a garage sale to benefit the SEFA campaign from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. tomorrow and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday in the first floor lobby area of the Health Sciences Library in Abbott Hall, South Campus.
In addition to the garage sale, raffles will be held for gift baskets.
For further information, contact Lori Widzinski at 829-3900, ext. 138, or widz@buffalo.edu, or Carol Lelonek at 829-3900, ext. 114, or lelonek@buffalo.edu.
Software demonstrations set
Vendors who are seeking to provide UB with student information system software will visit campus within the next few weeks to conduct scripted demonstrations.
Faculty, staff and students are invited to attend the demonstrations and provide feedback online to the Student Systems Transformation Project team.
Each vendor will be on campus for three days to demonstrate the same software functions.
The vendors and their schedules:
SunGard Banner, Sept. 18 and 19, 120 Clemens Hall, North Campus; Sept. 20, 330 Student Union, North Campus.
SAP Campus Management, Sept. 25-27, 120 Clemens.
Oracle's PeopleSoft, Oct. 1, location to be determined; Oct. 2 and 3, 120 Clemens.
The subject areas to be covered:
Day 1 (9/18, 9/25, 10/1): Recruiting and admissions (8:30-11:30 a.m.); advising, graduate and professional schools, records and registration (1-4 p.m.); and debriefing meeting open to members of the UB community without vendor representation (4-5 p.m.).
Day 2 (9/19, 9/26, 10/2): Records and registration, and scheduling (8:30-11:30 a.m.); student accounts (1-4 p.m.); and debriefing meeting (4-5 p.m.).
Day 3 (9/20, 9/27, 10/3): Financial aid (8:30-11:30 a.m.).
For more information, click here.
UB women recognized by Business First
Four women affiliated with UB have been chosen by Business First as Western New York Women of Influence.
They are Kathryn A. Foster, director of the UB Regional Institute; Nancy Nielsen, senior associate dean for medical education in the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; Norma J. Nowak, director of science and technology for UB's New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences; and Carole Collard, adjunct instructor in the School of Social Work.
They are among 23 women who will receive awards recognizing and celebrating the achievements of women in business and the community to be presented at a luncheon Sept. 25 in the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center.
Nielsen, president-elect of the American Medical Association, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award recognizing a woman who has been successful in her professional life while contributing back to the community.
Foster, a former chair of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning in the School of Architecture and Planning, will receive the Public Policy Award recognizing female leaders who have made or are making a difference in government policies or laws that impact business and industry.
Nowak, who holds a faculty position as an associate professor in the Department of Biochemistry in the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, will receive an Innovation Award as a woman who has improved the lives of others by helping start a business, product or service in the fields of engineering, science, technology, biotechnology or medicine.
Collard will receive an Inspiration Award that honors women leaders who, through their words, actions and attitude, inspire those who work with and around them.
Sedaris to appear in CFA
Humorist and best-selling author David Sedaris will perform at 8 p.m. Oct. 3 in the Mainstage theater in the Center for the Arts, North Campus.
Sedaris may well be the closest thing the literary world has these days to a rock star—his speaking engagements are now consistently standing-room-only, a far cry from his early days as a housecleaner in New York City. Sedaris' sardonic humor and incisive social critique have made him one of National Public Radio's most popular and humorous commentators.
In addition to his commentaries on NPR's "Morning Edition," Sedaris is the author of the bestsellers "Barrel Fever" and "Holidays on Ice," as well as the collections of personal essays "Naked" and "Me Talk Pretty One Day."
A book signing will follow the presentation.
Tickets for David Sedaris are $29 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.
For more information, call 645-ARTS.