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UPCOMING EVENTS

Information for Alumni and Friends

You will always be part of the UB family - stay connected, and involved.

With much of our country and the world navigating an uncharted course through the short- and long-term impact of COVID-19, we extend our most heartfelt and best wishes for the health and safety of you and your families. Our concerns and support extend beyond our own community to all who are affected by this health crisis. We know that many of our alumni and friends across the world are being impacted by this issue, and we continue to keep you in our thoughts during these challenging times.

As you may know, the University at Buffalo has implemented a distance learning model for our students and is moving to a remote work accommodation for our faculty and staff to the extent possible. It’s important to share that, in this ever-evolving situation, our two guiding principles are the health and safety of our community, and the continued academic progress of our students.

In many ways, it is your ongoing support of UB that enables the university to provide the resources to support our community in these difficult times. Whether your gifts have been to the UB Fund, or to a specific scholarship or research initiative, each and every day we put your contributions to work where they will have the maximum impact at UB. Thank you for your investment and commitment to UB.

While we won’t be able to see you in person at UB programs and events in the short term, we are working on ways to keep your connection to UB – and to each other – strong. Pursuant to recent University, CDC and local health department guidelines, all alumni, in-person gatherings, including events, conferences, meetings and other forums, are being cancelled or postponed until at least early June. 

Headline: College Matters.

Noteworthy Alumni 

Lena May Reading, Alumna.
Lena May Reading, B.A. '10

Senior Technical Project Manager, Maritz IT Services 

As Senior Technical Project Manager for Maritz IT Services in St. Louis Missouri, COM Department alumna Lena Reading (B.A. ’10) leads project teams to the successful implementation of technical solutions that impact employees and clients. Projects include designing, operating, and implementing infrastructure solutions that support recognition and reward programs, sales channel incentive programs, customer loyalty programs, and more. In addition to her work at Maritz, Reading was recently named President of Friends of Carondelet Park in St. Louis. Reading has made a great impact in her relatively short tenure as president, collaborating with Utah-based retailer of card making and craft supplies DCWV Inc. to launch the Paper Box Project. The Paper Box Project allows visitors to the park to select the perfect supplies for a homemade card, resulting in creativity, community, and smiles.

Kathryn takes photos at a basketball game with her phone.
Kathryn Pryzbyla, B.A. '11

Director, Social Media Market, America's Test Kitchen

This past October, UB Communication alumna Kathryn Przybyla (BA '11), who is employed as Social Media Coordinator for the Brooklyn Nets and the Barclays Center in NYC, took over the UB Alumni Association Twitter handle (@ubalumni) via The Office of Alumni Engagement to chat with students, alumni, and other members of the UB community.

Swierski with Vice President Joe Biden.
Felix Swierski, B.A. '12

Legal Intern, United States Court of Federal Claims

Felix Swierski (B.A. '12), department alumnus and the son of Adjunct Instructor Karen Swierski, has risen in the ranks since conferring his undergraduate degree at UB. Felix, secretary of Lambda Pi Eta Honor Society while at UB, went on to be the media coordinator for the New York State Assembly, and has since obtained a position as Special Assistant to the President at Georgetown University. In addition to the opportunity to work with numerous noteworthy people, Felix has traveled extensively, including trips to Qatar, Rome, New Orleans, and Baton Rouge.  

Yee accepts his award.
Chua Siang Yee, B.A. (SIM) '13

Law student, Univeristy of Cambridge
Former Journalist, The Straits Times

An article in the Straits Times (a major Singapore newspaper) featured a recent graduate from the Department of Communication's program at the Singapore Institute of Management. Chua Siang Yee, now a reporter for the Straits Times, received the S-League (the Singapore football league) Story of the Year Award. At an award ceremony which brought together the past and present generations of Singapore footballers, Siang Yee received the award for his story, "Pennant looking to start over in S'pore" which was published on Jan 10 in The Sunday Times. 

Georges Khalil.
Georges Khalil, Ph.D. '15

Assistant Professor, Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics

Georges Khalil is a cancer prevention scientist and health communication specialist in the Department of Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics at the University of Florida-Gainesville. His research recently, has focused on tobacco prevention, exploring adolescents’ reactions to ASPIRE, a web-based smoking prevention program, and the study of young adults’ experience with a mobile health campaign for tobacco-risk communication. Khalil’s research interests include cancer prevention, digital technologies, and social interactivity. Dr. Khalil has presented at both national and international conferences including the World Cancer Congress and has been a recipient of a variety of awards including the Early Career Investigator Award from the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco and a New Investigator Workshop Award from the American Society of Preventive Oncology. Prior to Khalil’s appointment at the University at Florida, Dr. Khalil served as a Postdoctoral Fellow and then Instructor faculty at the University at Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Khalil earned a Master of Public Health from the University of Southern California (2010) and a Doctoral Degree in Communication from the University At Buffalo (2015).

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Featured News

  • 10/27/22 Hahn seminar introduces research methods on media effects
  • 5/19/22 Yang cited in Smithsonian Magazine
  • 3/7/22 Yang, Wong cited in The Buffalo News on pandemic misinformation
  • 2/25/22 Wang research on chatbot for sexual, reproductive health issues featured in UBNow
  • 2/11/22 Hahn research on media use before sleep featured in UBNow
  • 2/11/22 Ophir cited in The Washington Post story over Rogan controversy
  • 2/11/22 Stefanone quoted in BBC article on digital availability
  • 1/31/22 Lee research on social media use, poor physical health featured in UBNow
  • 12/8/21 Yang recognized by Society for Risk Analysis with achievement award
  • 10/5/21 Hahn’s research regarding media’s influence on children’s moral judgments featured in UBNow
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University at Buffalo The State University of New York

Department of Communication

University at Buffalo, North Campus, 359 Baldy Hall
Buffalo, New York 14260-1020
Phone: (716) 645-2141; Fax: (716) 645-2086
Email: ub-communication@buffalo.edu

About Our Photos and Videos: Some photos or videos that appear on this site may have been taken prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and therefore may not accurately reflect current operations or adherence to UB’s Health and Safety Guidelines.

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