UB in the News

An article in the Chicago Tribune on the spacewalk to repair gap fillers sticking out between heat-resistant tiles on the underside of the shuttle Discovery quotes Michael Holden, an aerodynamics engineer in the Calspan UB Research Center (CUBRC), which was involved in NASA's return-to-flight preparations following the destruction of the shuttle Columbia. Holden says there's little real chance that the gap filler problem could result in loss of the shuttle and its crew, but NASA is being "ultra-careful." The article was picked up by about 20 outlets, including the Philadelphia Daily News, St. Paul Pioneer Press and Kansas City Star.

An article in the Aug. 8 issue of Business Week on the growth of the surveillance technology industry looks at work being conducted by Frank V. Bright, professor of chemistry, to create super-sensors that pick up the myriad molecules released at low concentrations that constitute human scents.

An article on Yahoo! Business on efforts by the federal government to enact tort reforms reports that Lucinda Finley, vice provost for academic affairs, has conducted research that shows that noneconomic damage caps discriminate against the most vulnerable members of society. An additional article on Yahoo! Business on class action reform legislation passed in February that will send all suits with collective claims of more than $5 million to federal court, rather that state court, quotes Finley.

An article in the Biloxi Sun Herald on cell phones and the way people turn them into virtual megaphones by gabbing in public about incredibly private matters quotes Alex Halavais, assistant professor of communication, who says the idea of public and private space and times is getting confused and that cell phones remove the oral and visual cues that might prompt a person to modulate his or her voice or change the subject.

An article in Scientific American reports on work being conducted by Paras Prasad, executive director of the UB Institute for Lasers, Photonics and Biophotonics and SUNY Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemistry, to manufacture nanoparticles using organically modified silicon, the first time a nonviral vector has shown efficacy comparable to that of a viral delivery system.

An article in The New York Times on "blogging" and the impact it can have on bloggers' employment -- or unemployment -- quotes Alex Halavais, assistant professor of communication, who says from a psychological perspective, blogging about professional life can be a constructive way to vent after a frustrating work experience.

Mark Hurwitz, assistant professor of political science, is quoted in an article in the Baltimore Sun, in which he said that unless there is an unexpected disclosure about Roberts, he is likely to follow the path of previous nominees and be confirmed to the high court without revealing his views on the most sensitive issues to reach the court.

An article in USA Today on the president's nomination of John Roberts to the Supreme Court quotes Mark Hurwitz, assistant professor of political science, who says the nomination is likely to result in the most partisan debate over a Supreme Court nominee since Clarence Thomas was confirmed in 1991, although Hurwitz says he thinks Roberts will be confirmed.

An article in the Chicago Tribune on predictions that President Bush will nominate a strong conservative who would change the direction and future of the Supreme Court quotes Mark Hurwitz, assistant professor of political science, who says Bush could have less support for a conservative nominee after next year's mid-term elections.

An Associated Press article that appeared in several newspapers, including the Tuscaloosa News, looks at a camp run by the University of Alabama Birmingham that provides intense behavioral therapy in a summer camp setting for children diagnosed with behavioral disorders, and reports the program follows a manual designed by William Pelham, Jr., professor of psychology, pediatrics and psychiatry.