Need to Know

James (Jay) D. Bangs, professor of medical microbiology and immunology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Medical School and an expert in the cell biology of the agent that causes African sleeping sickness, has been appointed the Grant T. Fisher Professor and chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has directed that flags on state government buildings—including those at UB—be flown at half-mast on Oct. 9 in honor of a Liverpool soldier who died in Sayyid Abad, Afghanistan, on Sept. 29.

UB’s annual “artful bra” fundraiser for breast cancer research is now under way.

The Zodiaque Dance Company will present “1.2.3.4—Countdown to Celebration 40,” its fall concert, Oct. 17-21 in the Drama Theatre in the Center for the Arts, North Campus.

Anne B. Curtis, Charles and Mary Bauer Professor and chair of the Department of Medicine, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, has been awarded the International Academy of Cardiology’s Walter Bleifeld Memorial Award for Distinguished Work in Clinical Research. Bleifeld, considered one of the pioneers of modern cardiology, was a professor of medicine and cardiology at the University of Hamburg.

Neurodegenerative disorders will be the topic of the sixth annual mini-symposium being presented by the UB 2020 strategic strength in Molecular Recognition in Biological Systems and Bioinformatics.

The Newman Centers at UB will celebrate the opening of the 2012-13 academic year with the 36th annual Convocation and Liturgy of the Holy Spirit, to be held at 11:30 a.m. Sept. 9 in St. Joseph University Church, 3269 Main St., Buffalo, adjacent to the South Campus.

The UB Women’s Club will begin its 67th year with a luncheon at noon on Sept. 8 in the Fox Valley Country Club, 6161 Genesee St., Lancaster.

Conservative political and cultural commentator David Brooks will open UB’s 26th annual Distinguished Speakers Series with a talk at 8 p.m. Sept. 20 in the Center for the Arts, North Campus.

More than 1,500 walkers and runners are expected to participate in the 23th annual Linda Yalem Safety Run, to begin at 9:30 a.m. Sept. 30 on the North Campus.

James A. Wooten, professor of law, will be inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel at the organization’s 13th annual Induction Dinner and Ceremony on Sept. 15 in the Harvard Club of Boston.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has directed that flags on state government buildings—including those at UB—be flown at half-mast on Sept. 7 in honor of a New York soldier who died in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, on Sept. 2.

The Student Visual Arts Organization (SVAO) in the Department of Visual Studies, College of Arts and Sciences, is sponsoring open figure drawing sessions from 6-8:30 p.m. on Wednesdays now through Dec. 5 in 218 Center for the Arts, North Campus.

The 126 members of the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences’ PharmD Class of 2016 took their first, public step toward becoming pharmacists when they participated in the school’s annual White Coat Ceremony, held Aug. 23 in the Lippes Concert Hall in Slee Hall, North Campus.

The Center for the Arts will present Back to Buffalo 4: UB Alumni Dance Concert at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 22 in the Drama Theatre in the CFA, North Campus.

The School of Management’s Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL) has a new home in the UB Downtown Gateway.

Internationally acclaimed photographer Del LaGrace Volcano will speak at 8 p.m. Sept. 20 in Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, 341 Delaware Ave., Buffalo, as part of the Leslie+Lohman Queer Art Lecture Series.

UB’s Office of Trademarks and Licensing has named Campus Tees the official provider of licensed UB-branded merchandise for all UB offices, departments and clubs.

H. Raghav Rao, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor in the School of Management, has received international recognition for his research excellence.

The life’s work and accomplishments of UB scholar Bruce Jackson will be honored during a special tribute titled “A Celebration of the Arts to Honor Bruce Jackson: Working in Time,” to be held from 1-5 p.m. Sept. 21 in Lippes Concert Hall in Slee Hall, North Campus.

The Humanities Institute will kick off its 2012-13 Scholars at Hallwalls series on Sept. 21 with a presentation by Tamara Thornton, professor of history, titled “Nathanial Bowditch and the Science of Business in Nineteenth Century America.”

Dejan Stojkovic, associate professor of physics, has received the Marko Jaric Award, recognized as one of the most prestigious scientific prizes granted to researchers of Serbian origin.

Maureen G. Phipps, interim chair of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Alpert Medical School of Brown University, will deliver the Dr. Julie Baker Lecture at 12:30 p.m. Sept. 28 in 144 Farber Hall, South Campus.

UB is partnering with the SUNY Research Foundation to offer a key benefit to startup companies with UB ties: affordable insurance.

To assist all members of the UB community in providing for their own safety and security, University Police has posted the university’s annual security compliance document on its website

Two expert financial professionals will speak at the School of Management as part of this year’s Helen and Oscar Sufrin Lectureship in Accounting, being held Oct. 5 in the Newman Center’s new Campus Ministry Center, 495 Skinnersville Road, Amherst, near the Creekside Village housing complex.

Former First Lady Laura Bush will speak at 8 p.m. Oct. 10 in Alumni Arena, North Campus, as part of UB’s Distinguished Speakers Series.

UB veteran and military students, faculty, staff and their supporters are invited to submit photos for the Military and Veterans Photo Project, sponsored by UB’s Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

Longtime UB supporters Lois and Michael Cropp, and Sharon and Mark Hamister will serve as co-chairs for the seventh annual UB Scholarship Gala.

Retired UB faculty member Stephen Manes will perform a piano recital at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 12 in Lippes Concert Hall in Slee Hall, North campus.

Richard J. Quigg Jr., professor of medicine at the University of Chicago and former chief of its nephrology section, has been named the inaugural Arthur M. Morris Chair in Nephrology and chief of the Division of Nephrology in the Department of Medicine, UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

The School of Management is offering a new concentration that can help students land jobs as quantitative analysts—or “quants”—the latest variety of Wall Street rock stars.

The University Heights Collaborative (UHC), a local grassroots organization dedicated to improving life in neighborhoods just west of the South Campus, will premiere a new video that promotes the area to prospective businesses and homeowners.

The State University Construction Fund will hold a public scoping meeting from 6-8 p.m. Oct. 22 in St. John Baptist Church, 184 Goodell St., Buffalo, to identify specific issues and environmental impacts that a Draft Environmental Impact Statement should address related to Phase 1 construction of the proposed UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.

President Satish K. Tripathi will give a State of the University Address at 11 a.m. Nov. 2 in the Center for the Arts, North Campus.

Take Back the Night, the annual march and rally in support of survivors of partner violence and sexual assault, will take place at 7 p.m. Oct. 25 in the Student Union, North Campus.

Individuals in the Middle East and North Africa now have access to an innovative Online Mini-MBA program offered by the UB School of Management (SOM) in collaboration with the Chicago Institute of Business (CIB).

The UB Women’s Club’s annual International Feast will take place at 6 p.m. Oct. 28 in the Portofino Room at Orazio’s Restaurant, 9415 Main St., Clarence.

The Department of Theatre and Dance presents “Road to Glory” Oct. 24 through 28 in the Black Box Theatre in the Center for the Arts, North Campus. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Kazimierz Braun, professor of theatre and dance, directs UB students in the production. Tickets can be purchased through the Center for the Arts box office.

The UB Law School has been chosen as one of the best law schools for black students. The recognition comes from On Being a Black Lawyer (OBABL), a resource center and social media firm that supports African-Americans’ success in law school.

The first Chinese-American to become America’s chief diplomat in the People’s Republic of China, Ambassador Gary Locke is both popular and controversial in China for his easy-going and unassuming manner. Yet beyond the mixed reviews of his personal style, Locke is on the frontlines of the most significant issues in U.S.-China relations, from trade disputes and human rights concerns to clean-energy collaboration and the growing exchange of people and ideas at all levels.

Social entrepreneur Blake Mycoskie, founder of TOMS shoes and the man behind the growing One for One movement, will take the stage on Nov. 15 as the next speaker in UB’s Distinguished Speakers Series.

Cary Nelson, professor in the Department of English at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and past president of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), will discuss academic-industry partnerships at research universities at 3 p.m. Nov. 5 in 108 O’Brian Hall, North Campus.

An accreditation assessment team from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc. (CALEA®) will examine all aspects of the UB Police Department as part of the university’s program to achieve recognition by verifying it meets professional standards.

The 213th anniversary of the birth of Millard Fillmore, UB’s first chancellor and 13th president of the United States, will be celebrated at a ceremony to be held at 10 a.m. Jan. 7 at Fillmore’s gravesite in Buffalo’s Forest Lawn Cemetery.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has directed that flags on state government buildings—including those at UB—be flown at half-mast on Dec. 20 and Dec. 21 in honor of two New York State soldiers who died in Afghanistan.

Bloomberg Businessweek has again ranked the School of Management as one of the nation’s best business schools in its ranking of full-time MBA programs.

Sandra L. Murray, UB professor of psychology, has received the 2012 Career Trajectory Award from the Society of Experimental Social Psychology.

John M. Canty Jr., the Albert and Elizabeth Rekate Professor of Medicine in the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and UB’s chief of cardiovascular medicine, has been named president of the Association of Professors of Cardiology (APC) for 2012-13.

Business, education and government leaders last month celebrated the success of the inaugural Exports to Canada program, a collaboration between the School of Management and the Erie County Industrial Development Agency (ECIDA).

The Western New York Sustainable Energy Association will honor UB for its leadership in promoting sustainability in the region at the WNYSEA’s annual awards ceremony on Oct. 13.

Isabel S. Marcus, professor of law, is the recipient of UB’s 2012 Award for Outstanding Contributions to International Education.

David A. Kofke, UB Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, appeared on the summer cover of Chemical Engineering Education, a quarterly publication from the American Society for Engineering Education. The profile was penned by Kofke’s colleagues at UB, Karl R.F. Lund and Jeffrey R. Errington, as well as University of Massachusetts professor David M. Ford.

The Canticum Novum Singers and The New York Virtuoso Singers, choirs founded and directed by Harold Rosenbaum, UB associate professor of music, are celebrating their 40th and 25th anniversaries, respectively, during 2012-13.

Tracy O’Connor, associate professor of medicine, has been appointed to the board of the Center for Hospice & Palliative Care.

The late Nan Harvey, associate athletic director and senior women’s administrator in the Division of Athletics, was honored with the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame’s “Pride” award at the organization’s annual induction dinner on Oct. 17.

Barry S. Willer, professor of psychiatry, received the North American Brain Injury Society’s (NABIS) research award at the organization’s annual meeting last month in Miami. Willer also gave the keynote address.

Department of Visual Studies faculty members Millie Chen, professor, and Steve Kurtz, professor and chair, lectured earlier this week at the Academy of Art & Design at Tsinghua University, Beijing, as part of the university’s Academic Month activities. Chen and Kurtz were among more than a dozen international artists and scholars who addressed the topic of “Local and Global: What is Contemporary Art.”

Tracy Gregg, associate professor of geology, has been elected as a Fellow of the Geology Society of America (GSA), an honor recognized at the society’s annual fall meeting last week in Charlotte.

Forty-four members of University Life and Services recently were recognized for longtime service to UB at a luncheon held in the Center for Tomorrow.

Dennis Andrejko, associate professor, Department of Architecture

Penny Turrell, IP specialist/contract administrator, Praxair, to patent paralegal and compliance specialist, Office of Science, Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach (STOR).

Edward L. Nowak, longtime university photographer, died on Nov. 27 in his North Buffalo home. He was 89.

Paul Kurtz, UB professor emeritus of philosophy and a leading figure in the secular humanism movement, died Oct. 20 in his Amherst home. He was 86.

A celebration of the life of Sherwood Peter “Bud” Prawel Jr., longtime faculty member in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, will be held from 3-8 p.m. Sept. 7 in St. Charles Borromeo Parish Center at St. John de LaSalle Church, 8477 Buffalo Ave., Niagara Falls.

Maiken Siebert Naylor, a former UB librarian, died Aug. 24 in Buffalo General Medical Center. She was 74.

A celebration of the life of Grace S. Lee, wife of SUNY Distinguished Professor and engineering dean emeritus George C. Lee, will be held at 3 p.m. Sept. 24 in Faith United Church of Christ, 1300 Maple Road, Williamsville.

UB will be closed on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1 in observance of the Christmas and New Year’s Day holidays.

UUP members who earn vacation days now may donate them to state workers who are unable to return to work because of Hurricane Sandy.

The Option Transfer Period for state employees, during which workers can change their health insurance carrier, voluntarily cancel coverage or delete dependents, runs through Dec. 31.

A networking event and two workshops are being held this fall for faculty members interested in incorporating service learning into their courses.

The Great American Smokeout is Nov. 15, and Wellness Education Services has planned some events to help members of the UB community who are ready to quit the habit.

The next installment of “Beakers ’n Beer,” the monthly networking event presented by the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, will take place from 5-7 p.m. Nov. 15 at Coco at Le Metro, 888 Main St.

Organizational Training and Development is offering a variety of free career and personal development classes, as well as software and computer classes, through the end of the year.

The annual meeting of the voting faculty, scheduled to take place Nov. 6, has been postponed until the spring semester.

The Office of International Student and Scholar Services is offering three workshops to assist UB employees who interact with international students.

UB’s Employee Assistance Program will present its third annual Financial Resource Fair on Nov. 1 as part of UB Wellfest.

The UB Office of Gift Planning will present a financial seminar titled “No Rules Retirement: New Perspectives from Mid-Life to Beyond” from 9-11 a.m. Oct. 30 in the Center for Tomorrow, North Campus.

Ever wonder why eating certain foods seem to satisfy you more than others? Do you often have regrets about finishing that bag of cookies? Want to change your eating habits?

The Professional Staff Senate has extended the deadline for submission of applications to participate in its mentoring program until Oct. 22.

Open enrollment is now under way for New York State Flex Spending Accounts, which allow state employees to pay for certain expenses with pre-tax dollars.

The Professional Staff Senate will hold a general membership meeting at 3 p.m. Oct. 18 in the Team Room in UB Stadium, North Campus.

UB faculty, staff and students will be able to obtain drivers licenses and conduct other Department of Motor Vehicle business on campus when the Erie County Auto Bureau brings its mobile unit to the North Campus on Oct. 19.

The Professional Staff Senate’s Welcome Committee will host a Welcome Ceremony for new UB employees at 11:30 a.m. Oct. 11 in the UB Honors College, 107 Capen Hall, within the Silverman Library, North Campus. President Satish K. Tripathi is scheduled to be there to greet members of the professional staff who have been hired during the past year.

UB faculty, staff and students, and their immediate family members are eligible to join Schussmeisters Ski Club, a student-run organization designed to provide members of the UB community opportunities for inexpensive skiing.

Athena Mutua, professor of law and chair of UB’s Commission on Academic Excellence and Equity, will discuss the commission’s final report and next steps during a Brown Bag Workshop on Oct. 9 sponsored by the Professional Staff Senate’s Diversity Committee.

Faculty and staff interested in getting a little exercise on their lunch break can take part in fall campus walking tours sponsored by the Wellness & Work/Life Balance unit of University Life and Services.

The Department of Music’s first Brown Bag Concerts of the academic year will take place at noon on Oct. 2 on the stage of Lippes Concert Hall in Slee Hall, North Campus, and at noon on Oct. 4 in the Emeritus Center, 102 Goodyear Hall, South Campus.

Beakers ‘n Beer, the monthly networking event presented by the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, will open its 2012-13 edition with a gathering from 5-7 p.m. Sept. 27 at Coco at Le Metro, 888 Main St.

The Buffalo Bills are offering a special discount rate for UB faculty and staff for tickets to the team’s last four home games in Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Professional staff members are invited to join their colleagues for fun, food and football at the Professional Staff Senate’s second annual Bulls homecoming football tailgate party on Oct. 20.

Parking and Transportation Services has retooled the North Campus shuttle system with an eye toward making the system more efficient and easier to understand.

Local farmers and other vendors will be selling their wares on the North Campus this fall at a weekly farmers market.

“Harnessing Systemness, Delivering Performance,” a conference presented by SUNY system administration to discuss new ways the SUNY system model can be retooled to meet the economic and political challenges of the future, will be held Nov. 8-9 in New York City.

Wellness Education Services is offering a variety of smoking cessation workshops and programs this semester for faculty, staff and students.

The Professional Staff Senate is looking for professional staff members to participate in its mentoring program.

Business Day 2012, the annual day of training, information gathering and networking presented by University Business Services, will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 17 in the Ramada Hotel & Conference Center, 2402 North Forest Road, Getzville, adjacent to the UB North Campus.

UB’s central exchange email web access method—exchowa.buffalo.edu—has been the target of intense hacking in recent days, compromising a handful of accounts and sending huge amounts of spam emails from UB’s system.

The Professional Staff Senate is sponsoring tours of the new Crossroads Culinary Center (C3), including a special lunch just for staff members, on Dec. 6 and Dec. 13.

Members of United University Professions who have accrued more than the maximum-allowed 40 vacation days may donate them to a UUP colleague who is seriously ill or injured and has run out of sick-leave accruals.