Two faculty members in the College of Arts and Sciences have been awarded a three-year, $462,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health to examine how information about words is represented in the mind and used when reading and talking.

Gail Mauner, assistant professor of psychology, and Jean Pierre Koenig, assistant professor of linguistics, are co-principal investigators on the project, titled "Lexical Encoding and Processing of Event Participants."

The practical goal, says Mauner, is to use information obtained through the research to study those who have brain pathologies associated with knowledge-that is, disorders affecting a person's ability to glean meaning from the representation of a fact-in order to better diagnose or assess their deficiencies and offer direction to rehabilitation efforts.

Although based in different disciplines, both researchers are cognitive scientists who study the interplay between language processing and meaning.

Mauner's primary areas of research are in language processing and reading comprehension.

In particular, she is interested in determining what kinds of information persons access in verb-phrase anaphors in the representations they have already formed for sentences and discourses. This research focus relates specifically to the NIH study.

An anaphor in this instance refers to the use of a grammatical substitute-a pro-verb, which is a form of the verb "do"-to refer to a preceding word or group of words, as in "You run faster than I do," instead of "You run faster than I do run."

Koenig's primary research focus is on the interface between syntax and semantics. His interests include formal-as well as cognitive-semantics and syntax; unification-based grammar and natural language processing; computational linguistics, and Gricean pragmatics. He also is interested in theories of lexical knowledge and lexical productivity, underspecification in a hierarchical lexicon and the application of knowledge representation tools to the study of grammatical knowledge.

An update on the Women's Health Initiative, the upcoming UB football season, political charisma and the virtual-reality glove will be the topics to be addressed on the August edition of "UB Today," the monthly Adelphia Cable television show.

Scheduled to be interviewed will be Jean Wactawski-Wende, assistant professor of social and preventive medicine and co-principal investigator of UB's Vanguard Clinical Center of the Women's Health Initiative; James Meindl, Carmichael Professor of Organization and Human Resources in the School of Management, on political charisma; Thenkurussi Kesavadas, director of UB's Virtual Reality Lab, on the virtual-realty glove that will revolutionize the way physicians are trained and treat patients, and head football coach Craig Cirbus.

Each new program runs throughout the month at 6:30 p.m. Sundays on Channel 18 International and Channel 10 in Lancaster, Clarence, Orchard Park and Elma, and at 9 p.m. Mondays on Channel 18 International.

WBFO 88.7 FM, UB's National Public Radio station, is adding Public Radio International's award-winning show "Marketplace" to its schedule, beginning Aug. 7, and the one-hour NPR news quiz show "Wait Wait ...Don't Tell Me!" to its lineup, beginning Aug. 6.

WBFO also will add a one-hour version of the "Whad'Ya Know" comedy/quiz show-which airs Saturdays-to its Sunday schedule, beginning Aug. 6.

"Marketplace," with host David Brancaccio, will air from 6:30­7 p.m. Monday through Friday. A half-hour daily magazine program, it is billed as "the business program for non-business listeners."

"Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!" will air on Sundays from 10-11 a.m. as host Peter Sagal guides a rotating panel of personalities, along with listeners, through a series of games that test their knowledge of the week's news.

The additional hour of the "Whad'Ya Know" hosted by quizmaster Michael Feldman will be added at 11 a.m. on Sundays. The two-hour "Whad'Ya Know" program will continue to air on Saturdays from 8-10 p.m.

Randall L. Clark, chairman of the board of Dunn Tire Corp., has been appointed to the 10-member UB Council, the university's local governing council, by Gov. George Pataki. He succeeds Frank N. Cuomo.

Clark began his career in the tire industry in 1968 with the B.F. Goodrich Co., holding various positions in advertising, retail-store marketing and product management. He joined Dunlop in 1973 as director of marketing at the company's Buffalo headquarters.

Two years later, he was named vice president of marketing of the tire division, and was promoted to vice president of marketing and sales in 1977. Clark became president of Dunlop's tire division in 1980, and was appointed to the board of directors three years later.

He was named president and chief executive officer of the corporation in 1984, and was one of seven chief executives of operating companies appointed to the group management board of Dunlop Holdings, plc. The next year, he was elected chairman of the board after leading a management buyout of Dunlop Tire Corp. from its European holding company. After Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. purchased controlling interest in the company in 1986, Clark served as chairman of the board and CEO, responsible for all operations in North America.

Clark resigned as chairman and CEO in 1991. He continued to serve as a consultant to Dunlop, and engaged in private investment interests with the firm of Buffalo Ventures, Inc.

In 1992, he joined Pratt & Lambert as executive vice president and chief operating officer. He left the company after it was bought out by Sherwin Williams, and rejoined Buffalo Ventures.

After leading the buyout of Dunn Tire Corp. in 1996, he took over as chairman of the board. He remains a managing director and a principal of Buffalo Ventures.

Clark holds leadership positions in a number of local and regional organizations. He is a director of the Western New York AAA, Acme Electric, Taylor Devices, the Amherst Industrial Development Agency and HSBC Bank, Western Region, and serves as chairman of the board of Merchants Mutual Insurance Company.

David J. Saleh, a 1978 graduate of the UB Law School, has been elected to a one-year term as president of the UB Alumni Association.

Saleh, who also received an undergraduate degree from UB in 1975, is a partner in the Batavia law firm of Oshlag & Saleh.

Other officers elected for the 2000-0l year are Margaret W. Paroski, M.D. '80, medical director of the Erie County Medical Center and an associate clinical professor of neurology in the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, president-elect; Richard L. Friend, B.S. '68, M.B.A. '70, supervisory compliance officer with the National Labor Relations Board, vice president of athletics; John T. Kociela, B.S. '68, director of environmental health for the Erie County Department of Health, vice president of constituents; Thomas A. Palmer, J.D. '78, M.B.A. '71, managing partner with Jaeckle, Fleischmann & Mugel, vice president of finance; Robert A. Evans, B.S. '63, M.B.A. '71, a management consultant, vice president of membership, and Jennifer B. Wisniewski, B.A. '92, M.B.A. '96, TOPS Markets, Inc., vice president of student relations.

New executive committee members are Robert N. Convissar, B.A. '73, J.D. '77, an attorney with Cohen & Lombardo, P.C., and Diane M. LaVallee, B.A. '80, J.D. '83, an attorney with the New York State Attorney General's Office.

Newly elected members of the board of directors are Paul Quebral, B.A. '88, M.B.A. '92, real estate director for Reid Petroleum Corp.; Sylvia R. Williams, B.A. '98, a surgical technologist for Kaleida Health-Buffalo General Division; James M. Militello, B.A. '79, a sportscaster for the Associated Press, and George H. Stege, M.B.A. '86, president of Ford Gum & Machine Co.

Also, Frederick P. Meli, B.S. '76, a retired civil engineer; Darren James Ascone, B.A. '98, founder of Chek, Inc.; Robert A. Sanders, M.A. '86, director of technical services for Foit-Albert Associates, P.C., and Kelly P. Sahner, B.A. '91, Ed.M. '93, manager of Integrated Sports International.

A future scientist who will develop a non-polluting inexpensive fuel source or a vaccine to prevent the common cold may be among nine local high-school student participants in this summer's Science Research Institute (SRI) at UB.

The students, recommended by their teachers and chosen for their academic achievements, are conducting research with volunteer UB faculty mentors working in the fields of biosurfaces, biological sciences, biochemical pharmacology and chemistry.

The students also are learning how to use library-research tools, present research findings, learn laboratory safety procedures and use computers in research projects.

They will present oral reports at a poster session Aug. 4.

Many of the students who participate in the Science Research Institute later enroll in science-oriented degree programs at UB.

The Sports Medicine Institute has opened a clinic at 5875 South Transit Road in Lockport to serve individuals and athletic teams in Western New York's northern communities.

University Sports Medicine is a division of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery in the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Its mission is three-fold: to provide the most modern and effective sports-medicine services to the Western New York athletic community; to educate physicians, physical therapists and athletic trainers, and to conduct sports medicine-related research.

Two fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeons head the clinic, one specializing in spinal problems, the other in sports medicine. A nurse practitioner, certified athletic trainer and certified strength-and-conditioning specialist complete the staff.

University Sports Medicine offers a full array of services between the Lockport and UB South Campuses offices. These include bracing, orthotics, casting, x-ray, knee-ligament arthrometer testing and Biodex isokenetic testing, as well as physical therapy and rehabilitation.

Appointments at both offices can be made by calling 829-2070.

The Urban Design Project (UDP), a national award-winning program of the School of Architecture and Planning, has announced plans for a November 2000 U.S.-Canadian forum on issues relevant to the development of the region defined by both sides of the Niagara River.

Funded by a $50,000 grant from the Margaret L. Wendt Foundation, the conference will be the second in the UDP's Rethinking the Niagara Frontier Project.

Like the first conference, held March 30-31, this one will involve representatives of dozens of government, business, citizen, philanthropic and educational group. Its goal will be to stimulate concrete bi-national projects in five areas: heritage and cultural tourism, brownfields redevelopment, improvements in the built and natural environment, trade and transportation and knowledge-based industries.

The Urban Design Project was founded and directed by Robert Shibley, UB professor of architecture and a national figure in the field of urban planning as a teaching resource focused on issues of community development and urban revitalization, and fostering intellectual exploration of architecture and planning.

From 1994-98, the project led the five-year public "visioning" process for downtown Buffalo and its council districts. It also oversaw the master planning and conceptual design development for the facilities supporting the Bosque Eterno de los Ninos and Instituto de Monteverde in Costa Rica. To date, the Monteverde project has engaged seven faculty and hundreds of students in graduate studio, community design service, as well as professional

UDP recently received an award from the American Planning Association for excellence in comprehensive planning. This year, Shibley received the Joan K. Bozer Award from Women for Downtown for his "long-term commitment and significant contribution to the improvement of downtown Buffalo."

For information on the November conference, contact Brad Hovey at 829-3485, ext. 218.

Jazz Dance World Congress 2000, the annual jazz-dance event that attracts dance enthusiasts from across the globe, will be held Aug. 2-6 in the Center for the Arts on the North Campus.

The event, which is being held at UB for the second consecutive year, will feature four showcase concerts, as well as performances by other noteworthy dance companies and performers; master classes; panel discussions; exhibits of the latest in dancewear accessories and related merchandise, and a special section, Kids Jazz Dance, specifically for young dancers ages 10-12.

The showcase concerts will feature Philadanco!, the Philadelphia Dance Company; Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal; Japan's Masashi Action Machine; Italy's Danza Prospettiva; Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, the host performing company; Instincts Live Media Dance Company from Los Angeles; Odyssey Dance Utah; Seattle's Spectrum Dance Theater, and William Robertson's Global Dance Works from Canada.

For information about the jazz-dance concert programs and tickets, call the Center for the Arts box office at 645-ARTS or visit the center's Web site at http://www.arts.buffalo.edu

Believing that an educated citizenry makes for a stronger democracy, a second-generation UB alumnus is donating $60,000 to the College of Arts and Sciences.

Edward L. Curvish, Jr. is establishing an endowment fund that will honor yearly a graduating senior in the Department of History who writes an outstanding paper on the U.S. Constitution. Preference will be given to students who write about the Second Amendment-the right to bear arms-and those planning to teach American history after attending UB's Graduate School of Education.

Curvish, a teacher and counselor who retired last summer after more than 35 years with the public-school system in the Elmira area and the Catholic educational system in the Buffalo area, recalled that he was "an average student whose ability to be successful derived from the excellent education I received at UB."

Richard E. Ellis, Lockwood Chair and chair of the Department of History, said the department is delighted to receive "this thoughtful and generous gift that will be used to recognize and honor the work of our very best students."

The annual Curvish award winner will receive a gold key, a certificate and a monetary award of approximately $2,000, the available spendable amount in the fund.

In addition to the Edward L. Curvish, Jr. fund for history, Curvish is adding $11,250 to an endowment fund in the medical school that recognizes the freshman student with the highest average in biochemistry. Established in 1971 by his mother to remember his father, the Edward L. Curvish M.D. Award already has recognized more than 25 students with a cash award, a certificate and a gold key.

WBFO 88.7 FM, the National Public Radio affiliate operated by UB, will present two acts in the popular "Thursday in the Square" concert series.

The radio station-a major public service of UB-will present Leahy and Linda Rutherford & Celtic Fire on Aug. 3. The offering on Aug. 17 will be Medeski, Martin & Wood, Them Jazzbeards and Redheaded Stepchild.

The "Thursday at the Square" series is held from 5-8:30 p.m. every Thursday during the summer in Lafayette Square at Main and Court streets in downtown Buffalo.

The New York State Department of Education has approved UB's new bachelor of science degree in environmental engineering, the first and only one of its kind at a public institution in the state.

Environmental engineers work to apply engineering principles to the protection of human health and ecosystems. Graduates with a bachelor's degree in environmental engineering find jobs with private consulting firms, industry and government agencies. They also have the skills and, in most cases, the academic background to pursue a variety of other careers or graduate degrees in engineering, law, medicine, management, computer science or other fields that have an environmental component.

"This new degree, offered by UB's Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, provides students with an opportunity to gain a comprehensive education that will prepare them for socially conscious careers in a rapidly expanding, high-technology field," said Alan J. Rabideau, associate professor of civil, structural and environmental engineering and degree coordinator.

Rabideau notes that there always will be a stable demand for environmental engineers to manage society's infrastructure for water supply and waste management.

"For several years now," he added, "the local demand here in Western New York has exceeded the supply of qualified graduates and the national job market is strong as well. Furthermore, as federal and state environmental programs evolve in response to the global economy's impact on public health and the environment, new opportunities are continually emerging for environmental engineers."

The UB curriculum is designed to meet all requirements of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) and it prepares students academically for licensing as professional engineers.

"It was certainly time to establish an environmental engineering curriculum at UB," said Mark Karwan, dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. "This new degree program will enrich our undergraduate curriculum offerings and make UB more attractive to a subset of prospective students who previously would have had to go elsewhere."

Rabideau said that in addition to traditional water and wastewater management, environmental engineers address problems related to air-pollution control, industrial hygiene, radiation protection, hazardous-waste management, toxic-materials control, storm-water management, solid-waste disposal, public health and ecosystem management. "To address such problems, they must acquire tools from business, information technology and the natural sciences, in addition to traditional engineering methods," he added.

Interested applicants should check out http://wings.buffalo.edu/ees, or contact Rabideau at 645-2114, ext. 2327.

Experts in environmental health from around the globe will convene in Buffalo for 10 days in August to present the latest research in the field and to assess the worldwide disease burden caused by environmental problems.

The primary venue for the 12th conference of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology, to be held Aug. 19­23, will be the Adam's Mark Hotel and Resort in downtown Buffalo. The UB Department of Social and Preventive Medicine is the conference host.

Titled "Environmental Epidemiology in Pan America and the World: Building Connections," the conference came to Buffalo to commemorate the centennial of the Pan-American Exposition.

Mauricio Pardon-Ojeda, director of the Division of Health and Environment, Pan American Health Organization, will be the keynote speaker. More than 500 research papers and posters are scheduled for presentation.

John Vena, professor and associate chair of the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, is conference chair.

Immediately following the conference, the World Health Organization (WHO) will hold a two-day invitation-only "expert consultation" on how to assess the burden of disease on the public health resulting from environmental problems. The United States will be represented by experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Also attending will be representatives from the Center of Research in Environment Health, United Kingdom; the National Institute of Health, Epidemiology and Microbiology, Cuba; National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, The Netherlands; the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and its regional office for Europe, plus experts from UB, University of California-Berkeley and University of South Carolina.

Prior to the conference, the Inter American Network of Health in Housing Centers will meet for a three-day symposium. The network is organized and sponsored by the Pan American Health Organization, with the goal of fostering collaboration among centers throughout the Americans that address disease resulting from substandard housing. UB administers one of the 10 Health in Housing Centers.