Mitchell to chair geology department
Charles E. Mitchell, professor in the Department of Geology, has been named chair of the department.

A UB faculty member since 1983, Mitchell is co-director of the Graduate Group in Evolutionary Biology and Ecology.

His research focuses on the paleobiology, systematics and evolutionary history of graptolites, an extinct group of colonial organisms; the correlation of Middle and Upper Ordovician rocks based on their graptolite and conodont faunas, and collaborative projects employing stratigraphy, biostratigraphy, geochemistry, structural geology and tectonics aimed at deciphering the history of sedimentary basins and their causes.

Co-director of the Western New York Science and Technology Forum that shares new developments in science, technology and mathematics with high-school teachers, Mitchell is a recipient of a SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching, a Milton Plesur Award for Excellence in Teaching from the UB undergraduate Student Association and a Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching from the former UB Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

Weiss receives top award for book
Sociologist Lois Weis, professor of comparative education in the Graduate School of Education, has received the 2001 Outstanding Book Award from the Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Bigotry and Human Rights, one of the top awards in the human rights field.

Weis and her co-author, social psychologist Michelle Fine, received the award for "Construction Sites: Excavating Race, Class and Gender Among Urban Youth," published last year by Teachers College Press.

The Myers Outstanding Book Award annually honors particularly outstanding authors, books and publishers that advance understanding of bigotry and power imbalances in North America and propose ways to develop equitable future communities and societies.

Weis' book is a collection of essays by leading educators, psychologists, sociologists and human rights advocates who implore educators, community activists, youth and youth workers to imagine environments for work with youth that don't rely on schools, families or religious institutions alone—particularly now, in a time of what the authors call "shriveled state responsibility for youth and the evaporation of public spaces, especially for poor and working class youth."

Experimental play to be performed
"Cornered," an experimental play by Tim McPeek, a cook's helper in the dining center in the Governors residence complex, will be performed at 7 p.m. Feb. 1 and 3 p.m. Feb. 3 in Rust Belt Books, 202 Allen St., Buffalo.

The performances are free of charge and open to the public.

The play will be presented by Blue Garrote Collective, featuring Christina Kaulbach-Stosuy, Brian Lampkin, Kristi Meal and Tara Merenda.

Hwang to speak
Jennie S. Hwang, founder and president of H-Technologies Group, Inc. of Cleveland, will discuss "Meeting Market Demands: New and Emerging Technologies for Electronic Packaging and Assemblies" during a lecture Feb. 8 as part of the Distinguished Women Speaker Series sponsored by the Institute for Research and Education on Women and Gender at UB.

The lecture, presented in conjunction with the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at UB, will be held at 2 p.m. in 225 Natural Sciences Complex on the UB North (Amherst) Campus. A reception will follow.

In her presentation, Hwang will provide a capsule view of key segments of electronics hierarchy in market needs and in the development of new technologies. Key development areas in chip level, package level and board level, as well as critical supporting materials and infrastructure, will be highlighted.

She will conclude her talk by addressing some select issues related to education, business and technology.

An internationally renowned authority in surface mount technology—an area of electronic packaging technology—Hwang is the author of more than 200 publications and five textbooks. She is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, an inductee of the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame and a fellow of ASM International.

For further information on the lecture, contact Deborah Chung at 645-2593, ext. 2243, or at ddlchung@acsu.buffalo.edu.

NSF workshops planned
A series of workshops designed for faculty members who want to learn the "ins and outs" of applying for National Science Foundation grants will be presented next month by the Office of the Vice President for Research.

The NSF workshops come on the heels of a highly successful series of workshops on obtaining National Institutes for Health grants that was offered last semester.

The workshops will be held from 7:30-9:30 a.m. on successive Friday mornings, beginning Feb. 8—with the last lecture scheduled for March 8—in 200G Baldy Hall on the North Campus.

The topics to be covered will include an overview of the agency, proposal writing and review criteria, budget preparation, examples of successful proposals presented by junior faculty members, mock review panels and special mechanisms.

NSF program staff will be invited to attend some of these lectures.

All students, faculty and professional staff are invited to attend the workshops.

Anyone who has been an NSF reviewer (in-person panelist) in the past and would be willing to serve on a mock panel, or who has been a successful NSF grantee and would be willing to have his or her awarded proposal reviewed in a mock panel setting (identifiers removed) should contact Bruce McCombe at mccombe@mccombe.physics.buffalo.edu or Andres Soom at soom@eng.buffalo.edu.

Further instructions and a detailed agenda will be posted at www.research.buffalo.edu.

New research fund created
The Office of the Vice President for Research has created a new fund to promote research collaboration in areas that cut across two or more schools.

The Interdisciplinary Research and Creative Activities Fund (IRCAF) will support and facilitate the formation of collaborations and the exploration of innovative ideas that will open new directions in research and creative activities, enhance the intellectual environment of the campuses and lead to long-term funding support from external sources, said Jaylan Turkkan, vice president for research, in announcing the new funding source.

The fund will support the development of interdisciplinary research working groups that will meet to identify and explore common interests. It is anticipated that these working group discussions, or planning proposals, will lead to collaborative research proposals and symposia, workshops and conferences. The maximum award for planning proposals is $10,000.

The fund also will support research/creative activities proposals for new or expanding interdisciplinary and inter-decanal research that is innovative and has a high potential for return on investment, but which is not yet sufficiently developed to obtain external funding. The maximum award for research proposals is $50,000.

The deadlines for either type of award are Feb. 1 and Oct. 1.

Although proposals from all areas of research and creative activity will be considered for awards, Turkkan encouraged faculty and professional staff members to submit proposals that are aligned with programs identified as research priorities for UB.

Further details on the IRCAF can be found at www.research.buffalo.edu/internal_funding/default.htm, or by contacting Turkkan or Kenneth Tramposch, associate vice president for research, at 645-3321.

Art history to present series of brown bag lectures
Charles Carman, associate professor of art history, will discuss "Reading Gesture in the Renaissance and Maniera" Monday during the first in a series of a brown-bag lectures presented by the Department of Art History.

	A 1922 Frank Lloyd Wright sketch of a house for Charles P. Lowe in Eagle Rock Calif.

All lectures will take place at noon in 606 Clemens, North Campus, except for the March 18 lecture, which will be held in the University Art Gallery in the Center for the Arts, North Campus.

The series is designed to offer faculty and students the opportunity to hear about recent research in art history, learn about issues of concern to art historians and become acquainted with exhibitions on campus.

The remainder of the schedule:

• Feb. 18: "The Repatriation of Art Objects," Alan Birnholz, associate professor of art history
• March 18: "Tour of the Alan Cober Exhibition," Sandra H. Olsen, director, University Art Galleries
• April 15: "Frank Lloyd Wright and Nature," Jack Quinan, professor of art history

SOM students travel to China
Seventeen undergraduate honor students from the School of Management traveled to China earlier this month for a study tour of the Chinese economy and culture.

Funded by a $152,000 grant from the Freeman Foundation, the trip was part of the SOM's Stewart Honors Program for outstanding students. The students' itinerary included visits to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the Chinese Folk Museum and Zhongshan University, the largest university in southern China.

The students also met with executives from Rich Products' subsidiary in China to learn about the company's business goals and strategies in China, and toured Huawei Technologies Co. for a glimpse of how one privately owned Chinese company has flourished in China's evolving capitalistic economy.

"The objective of the trip was in line with the mission of the Freeman Foundation, which is to foster a better understanding of China and its people," said John Thomas, associate dean of international programs at the management school.

"China is predicted to become the world's largest economy within the next few decades," he added. "This was an excellent opportunity for our students to observe the progress of a country that likely will become more important to their lives and careers over the next several years."

To prepare for the trip, the students participated in seminars on the Chinese economy, government, culture, cuisine and language. Upon their return, they are required to submit research papers describing how cross-cultural issues have impacted the Chinese-U.S. business relationship and how China's recent entry into the World Trade Organization will impact U.S. business interests.

The students also met with their Chinese counterparts—fellow UB students and alumni from the SOM's two Executive MBA programs in China, which are based at Renmin University and Motorola University.

Philadanco to perform
The Center for the Arts will continue the 2001-02 KeyBank Dance Series with a performance by Philadanco at 8 p.m. Feb. 9 in the Mainstage theater in the CFA on the North Campus.

Media sponsors for The KeyBank Dance Series are Adelphia Media Services and soft rock favorties-96.1, WJYE-FM.

Hailed by critics as "exuberant" (The New York Times) and "a miracle of skill and energy" (Dance Magazine), Philadanco has established itself as one of America's foremost dance ensembles.

Tickets for Philadanco are $20, $16 and $12 for the general public and $10 for UB students. Discount coupons are available at all area KeyBank locations. Tickets are available in the CFA box office from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and all Ticketmaster locations. For more information call 645-ARTS.

Falletta to appear on WBFO 88.7 FM
JoAnn Falletta, music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, will participate in a live, call-in show at 3 p.m. Wednesday on WBFO 88.7 FM, UB's National Public Radio affiliate.

The show will be hosted Bill Raffel.

Listeners can call 829-6000 to speak with Falletta.

Intensive English Program accredited
The Intensive English Program (IEP) of the English Language Institute (ELI) has been accredited by the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation (CEA), joining a distinguished group of 30 U.S. intensive English programs that have received CEA accreditation since 1999.

"We are delighted that CEA has accredited our Intensive English Program," said Stephen C. Dunnett, ELI director and vice provost for international education. "This is an acknowledgment of our program's compliance with the highest standards in the field."

In order to receive accreditation, the IEP had to demonstrate that it met or exceeded CEA standards reflecting best practices in a number of areas, among them mission; curriculum; faculty; administrative and fiscal capacity; student services; recruiting, and student achievement.

Overseeing for the ELI the self-study and site-review process that were necessary for the IEP to win accreditation were Barbara A. Campbell, program director for intensive programs, and John J. Wood, assistant director for communications.