Science and Technology

University at Buffalo chemist Javid Rzayev has been selected to receive the Herman F. Mark Young Scholar Award from the American Chemical Society's Division of Polymer Chemistry. The award, a prestigious prize in the field, recognizes excellence in research and leadership in polymer science among scientists 35 and younger.

The National Science Foundation's e-Design Center has accepted the University at Buffalo as a full university member research site in its prestigious Industry-University Collaborative Research Center for e-Design.

Two life-sciences entrepreneurs are launching the first procedure-specific software modules for robot-assisted surgery. Khurshid A. Guru, MD, director of robotic surgery at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI), and Thenkurussi "Kesh" Kesavadas, PhD, director of the Virtual Reality Lab and a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at the University at Buffalo (UB), created Hands-on Surgical Training (HoST) to harness the didactic potential of their proprietary Robotic Surgical Simulator, or RoSS.

The University at Buffalo will host the international workshop "Probabilistic Analysis of Volcanic Hazards" on May 16-19. Conference participants will include geologists, volcanologists and statisticians from several nations, who will consider current methodologies used in the analysis of volcanic hazards, including probability, randomness and statistical measures, in order to help define priorities for future research.

Move over, Howard Roark! There's a new architect in town and she's not afraid of the color pink. Mattel's Architect Barbie, icon of the building trades, is ready for launch.

The 2011 earthquakes that struck New Zealand and Japan, research on improving nuclear power plant design, earthquake engineering research in the U.S. in the next quarter century and improving resilience of buildings, bridges and critical infrastructure are all on the agenda at Quake Summit 2011, Earthquake & Multi-Hazards Resilience: Progress and Challenges, in Buffalo, NY, June 9-11.

Each year, American drivers waste an estimated 3.7 billion hours, or the equivalent of five days, sitting in traffic, burning 2.3 billion gallons of fuel. Students at the University at Buffalo will soon be learning how to reduce that waste, creating less congestion and cleaner air, thanks to an IBM grant to Adel Sadek, PhD, UB associate professor of civil, structural and environmental engineering.

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has selected Michel Bruneau, PhD, professor of civil, structural and environmental engineering at the University at Buffalo and former director and deputy director of UB's MCEER, as the recipient of the 2011 George Winter Award.

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has chosen Andrei M. Reinhorn, PhD, Clifford C. Furnas Professor of Structural Engineering at the University at Buffalo, to receive the 2011 Nathan M. Newmark Medal.

The iSciWNY workforce development program, created by the University at Buffalo's New York Center for Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences and Educational Opportunity Center (EOC), is collaborating with the West Seneca Central School District to create a first-of-its-kind academy that links high school students with potential employers in Western New York's growing life sciences industry.