January 19, 1995: Vol26n13: UB's technological future is subject of two-day fair

By CHRISTINE VIDAL
Reporter Editor
The Division of University Services will sponsor a two-day program
next month designed to provide an interactive introduction to
information technology at UB.
	The Information Technology Fair, to be held Thursday and
Friday, Feb. 16 and 17 in the Center for Tomorrow, will look at the
most current technology - from BIRD to BISON and ADAMS to WINGS -
through a variety of demonstrations, interactive discussions,
presentations and panel discussions focusing on informational
technology and related subjects as they apply to administration,
research and instruction.
	Hinrich Martens, associate vice president for computing and
information technology, and Carole Smith Petro, associate vice
president for university services, are co-chairs of the program.
	"Our motivation for the fair is to stimulate an interest and
an awareness of how much the university community is already involved
in the use and application of information technology," said Martens.
	Keynote addresses will be presented by Richard Mandelbaum,
NYSERNet chairman, and Salvatore Belardo, professor of management
science and information systems, University at Albany.
	Mandelbaum will speak at 8:45 a.m. Feb. 16 on "High-Speed
Networking: Present and Future." A pioneer in developing the data
communications capabilities linking New York State universities,
colleges, schools, libraries, hospitals and research laboratories to
one another and to the Internet, Mandelbaum will focus his talk on the
emerging requirements for high-speed networking, NYSERNet's recent
upgrade to the nation's premier regional network and future networking
ventures and players, along with anticipated economic benefits.
	Belardo will discuss "Re-engineering Re-engineering: Is There
a Way to Ensure Maximum Benefits from the Use of Technology?" at 8:45
a.m. Feb. 17. A professor of management at the University at Albany,
Belardo teaches and does research in the general area of Information
Systems Management. His current work focuses on the use of Decision
Support Systems to facilitate strategic planning and giving. In
addition, he has worked as an engineer for Eastman Kodak, General
Electric and the Watervliet Arsenal and served as a consultant to the
Southland Corporation, Orell Fussli, Schenectady Chemicals, the
U.S. Coast Guard and the Department of State, among others.
	The Information Technology Fair is open to all UB faculty and
staff, and participants are welcome to attend some or all of the
programs being offered. With the exception of the keynote addresses,
the same sessions will be presented on both Feb. 16 and 17.
	"The fair promises to be an eye-opener. We think it is an
excellent way for UB's faculty and staff to peer into the
technological future of our campus, and begin to fathom what that
future holds for each of us," said Petro.
	Among the presentations that will be offered is "Vision '99,
CIT Strategic Plan," a look at how the information technology needs of
the university will be addressed over the next five years. The program
will focus on the development challenges Information Technology will
face in order to meet rapidly growing demand, to maintain currency
with changing and evolving technology and to adapt Information
Technology into the workings of the university. The presentation will
outline the five of the university's most important priorities in the
field of information technology, and plans and approaches considered
mandatory for addressing them.
	The fair also will feature "Voice Response Technology - BIRD,"
a look at interactive voice response technology at UB. BIRD (Billing,
Inquiry, Records and Drop/Add), which will be used at UB for the first
time for student registration in April, will allow students to
complete all of their registration and drop/add needs by touch-tone
telephone. The presentation will include a demonstration of voice
response technology as well as a look at what was involved in its
implementation at UB and other potential applications for the
technology.
	The Information Technology Fair also will include
presentations on:
	o Adaptive Computing Resources at UB
	o Advancement & Development Automated Management System
(ADAMS)
	o BISON: Current and Future
	o Buffalo FREE-NET
	o Center of Excellence for Document Analysis & Recognition
(CEDAR)
	o Chemical Engineering Simulation Lab (CESL)
	o CIT Timesharing Support
	o Client/Server Computing for Administrative Systems
	o Data Access - Data Warehouse
	o Education Technology Initiatives
	o Electronic Mail - Current and Future
	o Full-Text CD-ROMS
	o Future of the IBM Mainframe
	o HUBNET
	o LAN Support
	o National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis
(NCGIA)
	o System Table Access Reporting Services (STARS)
	o UB Micro Sales and Educational Program
	o UNIX Support
	o Western New York Health Sciences Consortium (WNYHSC)
	o WINGS: The Campus Connection
	o WINGS: The Internet Connection
	o Workflow Systems and Imaging Applications.
	For more information on the Information Technology Fair, call
Gemma DeVinney at 645-2817, lolgemma@ubvm.cc.buffalo.edu.