Kudos

Rodolphe Gasche, professor of comparative literature; Carol Jacobs, professor of English, and Jill Robbins, associate professor of English, have been nominated for the 2000 René Welleck Prize awarded by American Comparative Literature. The award recognizes the best recent theoretically oriented contribution made to the discipline. Nominations are made by university publishers. Gasché was nominated by Harvard University Press for "The Wild Card of Reading," Jacobs was nominated by The Johns Hopkins University Press for "In the Language of Walter Benjamin" and Robbins was nominated by the University of Chicago Press for "Altered States: Levinas and Literature." Henry Sussman, professor of comparative literature, chairs the awards committee.

Russ Miller, director of the Center for Computational Research (CCR) and professor of computer science and engineering, has published a book entitled "Algorithms Sequential and Parallel: A Unified Approach" with Prentice-Hall, Inc. The "shake-and-bake" algorithm, developed by Miller and Nobel Laureate Herbert Hauptman, president of the Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute, Inc., and UB research professor of biophysical sciences, is mentioned on a poster entitled "The Top Ten Algorithms of the 20th Century" published in Computing in Science & Engineering magazine and produced in cooperation with the IEEE and Computer Museum History Center.

Tom Furlani, associate director of CCR, had an invited paper accepted for publication in a special issue of Computer Physics Communications on "Parallel Computing in Chemical Physics." The paper is entitled "Parallelization of SCF Calculations within Q-Chem." Jeff Tilson, a computational scientist at CCR, also had an invited paper accepted for publication in the journal. It is entitled "Parallel Spin-Orbit Coupled Configuration Interaction."

Matt Jones, computational scientist at CCR, had a paper accepted for publication in Physical Review B. The paper is entitled "Theoretical atomic volumes of the light actinides."

Robert J. Genco, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Oral Biology, chair of the Department of Oral Biology and director of the Periodontal Disease Clinical Research Center, recently received the Achievement in Health Care Award from D'Youville College.

Sebastian G. Ciancio, professor and chair of the Department of Periodontology, has been selected to present the 30th annual Arthur H. Merritt Memorial Lecture in Periodontics at Baylor College of Dentistry.

Paul Kurtz, professor emeritus of philosophy, received the International Rationalist Award 2000 at the meeting of the International Rationalist Conference held in Trivandrum, India. Kurtz delivered the inaugural address at the conference.

Kazimierz Braun, professor of theatre and dance, received the Canadian Aurum Award for his novel, "Day of Witness," at the Polish International Ball held earlier this month in Miami. Braun's new book, "Theater Directing-Art, Ethics, Creativity," is scheduled to be published by Mellen Press in April.