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Published: February 7, 2008

Collins named associate dean

R. Lorraine Collins, a prolific researcher in UB’s Research Institute on Addictions for 22 years, has been appointed associate dean for research in the School of Public Health and Health Professions and a professor in its Department of Health Behavior.

Collins, a senior research scientist at RIA since 1986, also has held an appointment as a research professor in UB’s Department of Psychology since 1989. She was appointed an adjunct professor in the School of Public Health and Health Professions in 2007.

A specialist in the study of alcohol and drug abuse, Collins is principal investigator or co-investigator on five ongoing National Institutes of Health (NIH) studies totaling more than $10 million in research funds.

She is a member of the NIH’s Peer Review Advisory Council for the Center for Scientific Review, and has served as an NIH grant reviewer. She was a member of the National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse of the NIH from 1994-98.

An author or co-author of numerous book chapters and publications in refereed journals, Collins has served on several editorial boards, most recently as an associate editor of the American Psychological Association’s Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology for a three-year term that ended in December 2007.

Collins received a bachelor’s degree from McGill University in Montreal, and holds master’s and doctoral degrees in clinical psychology from Rutgers University.

Prior to joining RIA, she was an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at Stony Brook University for six years, and spent two years as a research associate in psychology at the University of Washington-Seattle while completing her postdoctoral training. She also taught at Rutgers for three years.

Zodiaque spring concert set

The Zodiaque Dance Company will celebrate its 34th year in 2007-08 with the presentation of “Zodiaque 34—Celebration Rising” Feb. 22 and 23, and Feb. 28-March 1 in the Drama Theatre in the Center for the Arts, North Campus.

Performances are at 8 p.m. Feb. 22, 23, 28, 29 and March 1, and at 2 p.m. Feb. 24 and March 2.

Two guest artists, supported by the Zodiaque Dance Fund, have created work that will be presented by the company at this concert. Mark Santilliano, a former member of the famed Pilobulus Dance Company who teaches at Mercyhurst College, has created the athletic piece "Off the Deep End" for senior members of the company. "Break Thru," a work by Terri Filips, an associate professor at Niagara University, explores inventive partnering and rhythm layering in a stylized tap piece.

Four faculty members in the Department of Theatre and Dance— Jeanne Fornarola, Joyce Miller Lichtenberger, Tom Ralabate and Kerry Ring—also are contributing new works to this performance.

The concert also brings two student choreographers—Sarah Kaye and Hayley Sunshine—to the studio and stage. Student technicians will hone their skills in a professional setting as well. Design students Collin Ranney and Susan Zorn have created costumes and lighting, respectfully, for the concert.

Tickets for Zodiaque Dance Company are $16 for general admission and $8 for students and seniors and are available at the CFA box office and at all Ticketmaster locations, including Ticketmaster.com.

For more information, call 645-ARTS.

Trinity Irish Dance to perform

The Center for the Arts will present Trinity Irish Dance at 8 p.m. Feb. 23 in the Mainstage theater in the CFA, North Campus.

The artists will give a talk before the performance at 7 p.m.

Founded in 1990 by artistic director Mark Howard to provide professional career opportunities to students who formerly had no outlet for their dance training beyond the competitive circuit, the nonprofit Trinity Irish Dance company is constantly searching for original means of expression while maintaining a high regard for old traditions. A uniquely Irish-American company, Trinity was the birthplace of progressive Irish dance that opened new avenues of artistic expression that led to such commercial productions as "Riverdance."

A majority of the company's dancers came through the ranks of the prestigious Trinity Academy of Irish Dance, the Chicago/Milwaukee-based school that has garnered an unprecedented number of team world titles for the United States at the World Championships of Irish Dance. Many of them have danced together since they were children; their years of rigorous training are evident in every perfectly paced spin, leap and click, making them a lethal powerhouse of speed and sound that has electrified audiences around the world.

The company has performed to great critical and popular acclaim on stages throughout the world, with sold-out tours in Europe and Asia, and appearances in numerous distinguished U.S. venues.

Tickets for Trinity Irish Dance are $18 for general admission and $10 for students with valid ID and are available at the CFA box office and at all Ticketmaster locations, including Ticketmaster.com.

For more information, call 645-ARTS.

Free diabetes screening offered

When a family member is affected by Type 1 diabetes, the risk of other family members developing the disease increases significantly. For example, if a child has diabetes, the risk for his or her siblings increases from 1 in 400-500 to 1 in 100, according to Teresa Quattrin, professor and interim chair of the Department of Pediatrics, and chief of the Division of Endocrinology/Diabetes at Women and Children's Hospital of Buffalo.

The Department of Pediatrics and Womens and Children’s Hospital are sponsoring free screenings for relatives of people with Type 1 diabetes.

Those who should be screened include brothers, sisters, sons, daughters and parents between the ages of 1 and 45, and half siblings, cousins, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and grandchildren between the ages of 1 and 20.

Individuals who are at high risk may be eligible to enroll in a multicenter National Institutes of Health trial that is testing if oral insulin can prevent Type 1 diabetes.

The screenings are being held at Women and Children's Hospital of Buffalo and at the Amherst Endocrinology Clinic at Sweet Home and Maple roads.

To schedule an appointment or for more information, contact project coordinator Angela Clark at 878-7268 or aclark@upa.chob.edu, or Quattrin at tquattrin@upa.chob.edu.

Graff is next WBFO author

Garrett M. Graff, author of “The First Campaign: Globalization, the Web and the Race for the White House,” will give a reading from his book at 7 p.m. Feb. 19 in the Student Union Theater, North Campus.

The reading, which will be free and open to the public, is part of the “Meet the Author” series presented by WBFO-FM 88.7, UB’s National Public Radio affiliate. Bert Gambini, executive producer of the “Meet the Author” series, will serve as host. A book signing will take place immediately following the reading and light refreshments will be served.

The reading also will be broadcast live on WBFO.

The 2008 presidential campaign will be like none in recent memory: It’s the first campaign in 50 years in which both the Democrats and the Republicans must nominate a new candidate, and the first ever in which the issues of globalization and technology could impact the outcome.

Graff, an editor at Washingtonian magazine, covers media and politics, edits the “Capital Comment” section, and serves as Internet director. He teaches graduate-level courses on the Internet and social media at Georgetown University.

In his book, Graf argues that globalization has made technology both the medium and the message of 2008. The usual domestic issues—the economy, health care, jobs—are now global issues. Meanwhile, the emergence of the Web as a political tool has shaken up the campaign process, leaving front-runners vulnerable right up until Election Day.

Which candidate will dare to run a new kind of race? Combining vivid campaign-trail reporting with a provocative argument about the state of American politics, Graff contends that whichever party best meets the challenges of globalization will win the election.

Musical ‘Baby’ to be presented

The Department of Theatre & Dance will present the musical “Baby” Feb. 27 through March 2 in the Black Box Theatre in the Center for the Arts, North Campus.

Performance times are 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

With music by Academy Award-winning composer David Shire and lyrics by Tony Award-winner Richard Maltby Jr., “Baby” is based on a book by Sybille Pearson. The show follows three couples' journeys through their pregnancies on a university campus. It features an exhilarating modern score and sophisticated comedy.

Jerry Finnegan, associate professor of theatre and dance, is directing the production. Nancy Townsend, clinical assistant professor of music theatre, is music directing/conducting the production.

The cast of UB students includes Tim Voit, Kelsey Mathes, Louis Napoleone, Lauren Hodsdon, Rob Dunn and Laurel Flynn.

Tickets for “Baby” are $16 for general admission and $8 for students and seniors, and are available at the CFA box office and at all Ticketmaster locations, including Ticketmaster.com.

For more information, call 645-ARTS.