UB in the News

An article on the front page of the Buffalo News looks at the impact a funding bill proposed by the House Republicans would have on Western New York, and reports that UB stands to lose between $17 million and $18 million in funding if the cuts go through. The article quotes Alexander Cartwright, vice president for research, who said the budget reductions would hit Buffalo especially hard. "This area," he said, "is in need of every bit of resources it can get." A related article details some of the programs targeted in the cuts, including Pell Grants for college students, UB's projected loss of $17 million in research funding and a projected 10 percent cut in funding to WBFO-FM.

An article in Business First looks at Buffalo's vibrant, cutting-edge medical research corridor in downtown Buffalo and its role as a leader in the research and development of lifesaving drugs and devices. The article interviews Robert Genco, vice provost and director of the Office of Science, Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach, who said, "Probably two-thirds of our inventions (about half of which end up being patented) are in the life sciences/medically related area. It's quite an active area of research and creativity among our faculty." Related articles interview Marnie LaVigne, director of business development at UB's New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences.

James Reynolds, chair of the Department of Ophthalmology, is quoted in articles distributed by HealthDay News and Reuters about a new study that found an inexpensive drug does a better job than laser surgery in treating an eye condition that can cause blindness in preterm infants. "We are going to save some babies who would have gone blind with the laser treatment. It will change the patterns of practice overnight," said Reynolds, who wrote a commentary accompanying the study. Other news outlets writing on the research include the Wall Street Journal, Med Page Today, Medical News Today, HealthCanal.com and Science News, the magazine of the Society for Science & the Public.

Victor Albert, UB Empire Innovation Professor in Biological Sciences, is quoted in an article in Wired Science about the carnivorous plant bladderwort and how it sucks in its prey in about half a millisecond. As meat eaters, these plants flourish in rough and strange habitats, he says. "They're just crazy." The article also appeared in Science News, the magazine of the Society for Science & the Public.

An article in The Economist looks at a number of articles posted on the Pileus blog, a blog written by a group of scholars who examine public policy and philosophy in light of their respective disciplines, written by Jason Sorens, assistant professor of political science, that cast a skeptical eye on the common assumption that the U.S. is an unusual or "exceptional" country.

An editorial in the Buffalo News argues for reasonable and predictable tuition increases at SUNY schools mentioning that while the governor has supported two of three elements of UB 2020, he has not agreed to the third element: tuition increases. The editorial also reports that a SUNY student delegation of 465,000 students in a recent gathering advocated moderate tuition increases as long as those extra funds aren't used to balance the state budget.

Jerry Newman, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor of Organizations and Human Resources, is quoted in an article in the Cincinnati Enquirer about contracts that allow workers to retire with six-figure sums for unused leave and sick pay. Cash-for-time allowances as generous as Cincinnati's "all but beg for individuals to find ways to abuse them by hoarding those hours," he said.

Elayne Rapping, professor emeritus of American studies, is quoted in an article in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle about recent political scandals in New York State. "There's an element of arrogance in a lot of these guys," she said.

An article distributed by UPI reports UB researchers are developing a unique smartphone application that will help them track participants in a study of urban air pollution exposure.

An article in the Tahoe Daily Tribune about the number of people with sleep problems reports scientists at UB found that people who sleep fewer than six hours a night during the work week are more likely to have elevated levels of blood sugar than those who sleep six to eight hours.