This article is from the archives of the UB Reporter.
News

Briefs

Published: September 29, 2011

  • Solar Strand part of ‘green’ tour

    UB’s Solar Strand will be a key stop on a tour of Western New York solar homes and green buildings to take place on Oct. 1.

    The Solar Strand, a 750,000-watt, solar-energy array on the North Campus designed by internationally renowned landscape architect Walter Hood and funded by a $7.5 million grant from the New York Power Authority, is among 35 sites on the free, self-guided WNY Solar Homes & Green Buildings Tour sponsored by the WNY Sustainable Energy Association.

    The tour will host a kickoff party from 10-11 a.m. Oct. 1 at the Innovation Center, 640 Ellicott St. on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus that will include awards for green buildings in Western New York and a presentation about efforts by the BNMC to create a more sustainable medical center.

    After the party, participants can tour the green sites or attend workshops at the Innovation Center on geothermal, solar and wind energy, and energy efficiency.

    Dustin Muscato, assistant to the co-chair for the tour and a UB electrical engineering student, notes that UB students active with the campus groups Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW), the UB Environmental Network and the Student Association’s Environmental Department will take part in the events, helping to provide tours and answering questions at some of the sites.

    ESW also plans to provide its “Solar Smoothie Cart” for the tour kickoff party, adds Muscato, a member of ESW.

    For further information, visit the WNY Sustainable Energy Association’s website.

  • Music to present free events

    Budget-conscious music lovers at UB can find much to keep them busy in October.

    The free monthly Brown Bag Concert will take place at noon on Oct. 4 on the stage in Lippes Concert Hall in Slee Hall, North Campus, and at noon on Oct. 6 in 102 Goodyear Hall, South Campus.

    While the program for the concerts is still being finalized, Concert Manager Phil Rehard promises “a musical potpourri for all in attendance.”

    Now in its 13th season, the Brown Bag Concert series allows patrons to catch a glimpse of the kind of programming offered on a regular basis by the Department of Music. Patrons are encouraged to bring their lunch and enjoy a complimentary cup of Tim Hortons coffee. Each attendee will receive a pair of complimentary tickets to a more formal concert within the following month.

    Other free concerts on tap during October are the master’s recital of JiHyun Woo, organ, at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 12 in Lippes Concert Hall, and a concert by students from Jean Kopperud’s “On the Edge” class at 3 p.m. Oct. 25 in Lippes Concert Hall.

  • Artful bras raising money for research

    October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and UB has launched its annual “artful bra” fundraiser for breast cancer research.

    Thirty-one gorgeous, hand-crafted, decorative brassieres currently are on display in the atrium of the UB Center for the Arts, North Campus, through Nov. 4. Members of the UB and greater Western New York communities are invited to view the bras in person or online and bid on their favorite one. Proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society as part of UB’s Employees Campaign for the Community.

    The colorful and witty bras, designed by UB staff and broader community members, are made of all kinds of material—from silk roses and stuffed mice to bright yellow wine corks, plastic dental equipment, Canadian beer caps and many other imaginatively employed items. They bear names like “High Maintenance,” “Field of Poppies” and “The Missing Piece.”

    The American Cancer Society also will benefit from the sale of the 2012 Artful Bra Calendar, which will include photos of all the bras in the exhibition. The calendar can be ordered online.

    For more information, contact Arful Bra Project organizer Mary Camille Schwindler at 645-5698 or schwind@buffalo.edu.

  • Siblings sought for study

    Parents who wonder why one of their children is normal weight while the other is overweight may want their children to participate in a study on eating behaviors that will be conducted by UB’s Division of Behavioral Medicine.

    Same-gender biological siblings ages 13-17 are being recruited to participate in the study. The siblings will complete five pizza taste tests and record their activities for one week. Each child can earn $120 for participating.

    Parents interested in the study can call 829-6695 or fill out a short survey to see if their children are eligible to participate. Recruitment is ongoing, but act fast to reserve a spot for your children.

  • Flags at half-mast honor fallen soldier

    Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has directed that flags on state government buildings—including those at UB—be flown at half-mast on Oct. 5 in honor of a Fort Drum soldier who died on Sept. 28.

    1st Sgt. Billy J. Siercks died in Landstuhl, Germany, of wounds suffered in Logar, Afghanistan, on Sept. 27 when insurgents attacked his unit. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 10th Aviation Regiment of the 10th Mountain Division’s 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, based at Fort Drum. Siercks was from Velda Village, Mo.

    Cuomo has ordered that flags on all state buildings be lowered to half-mast in honor of and tribute to New York service members who are killed in action or die in a combat zone.