Science and Technology

Whether it's springtime flooding, an infectious disease outbreak or a volcanic eruption, small or rural communities affected by natural disasters often suffer additional hardship because of their size, say organizers of "Natural Disasters in Small Communities: How Can We Help?" a conference to be held by the University at Buffalo on March 29 and 30.

Issues of space, identity, urban planning, cultural geography, greening and other topics relevant to Buffalo's urban spaces will be subjects of a public community symposium to be held April 4 and 5 in two city architectural venues adapted for reuse.

Eminent American architect Thom Mayne, winner of the 2005 Pritzker Prize, the world's premier architecture award, will deliver the Martell Lecture at the UB School of Architecture and Planning on April 14.

From designing safer intersections to helping vehicular accident victims overcome their fears, a new driving simulation laboratory is now open for business in the University at Buffalo School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

They look innocent enough, these hollow, translucent urethane tubes. They hang from the ceiling into an exhibition space where they come to rest at foot level. As you draw near to them, however, they "come alive," recoiling (literally) to the ceiling as they "sniff" your breath. When you move away from them, they "exhale" like a gang of long, living lungs, and slowly return to their original positions. It may seem creepy, but its a graphic example of how architectural environments of the future will behave.

It's an annual rite of spring: high school seniors discussing with their parents one of the most important decisions they face -- where to attend college. Luke Scannell from Schodack Landing near Albany, now a freshman in the University at Buffalo School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, remembers how he decided to come to UB.

Imagine being the person who really understands global warming or stem cell research or genetically modified foods, the one others go to when they need a clear and accurate explanation of the seemingly mysterious issues of science that affect everyone's daily life. Now imagine tapping into that knowledge as a professional skill. That's the reasoning behind Science and the Public, a new master's degree program offered by the University at Buffalo's Graduate School of Education in conjunction with the Center for Inquiry, a not-for-profit organization devoted to public education about reason and science.

The 2008 Will and Nan Clarkson Visiting Chair in Architecture at the University at Buffalo will be the eminent British architect, critic and historian Kenneth Frampton, Ware Professor of Architecture in the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at Columbia University.

A powerful air sterilization technology developed at the University at Buffalo has killed every biological agent with which it has been challenged, including airborne spores, viruses and bacteria in independent tests conducted for the U.S. Department of Defense.

Some of the world's biggest names in condensed matter physics, including two Nobel laureates, are converging on Western New York March 6-8 to celebrate the scientific contributions -- and the birthday -- of Bruce D. McCombe, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and SUNY Distinguished Professor in the Department of Physics.