Acharya named chair of CSE department
Raj Acharya, a professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, has been named chair of the department.

A UB faculty member since 1987, Acharya also serves as director of the Networked Multimedia and Visualization Laboratory, which aims to provide solutions to challenges in the areas of multimedia networks, multimedia information retrieval, image processing and visualization.

Acharya also is chair of the special sessions for the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers International's Conference on Multimedia and Expo, which will be held in July and August of 2000. In addition, he is a member of the editorial board for the Journal of Computerized Medical Imaging and Graphics.

His research interests include multimedia networks, multimedia information retrieval, fractals, image processing and visualization.

Acharya's work on a new method for early detection of osteoporosis has been highlighted in several publications, including BusinessWeek, The Scientist and Diagnostic Imaging.

Constantinou named chair of CSEE
Michael Constan-tinou has been named chair of the Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering.

Constantinou, a professor in the department, joined the faculty in 1987 after three years in the Department of Civil Engineering at Drexel University in Philadelphia.

He has served as director of graduate studies for the Department of Civil Engineering at UB and in 1998, was named director of the Structural Engineering and Earthquake Simulation Laboratory.

Constantinou, who earned his master's and doctoral degrees from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, served as a consultant on analysis and design of seismic-isolation and energy-dissipation systems for such projects as the Corinth Canal Bridges in Greece, the U.S. Court of Appeals building in San Francisco and the Queensboro Bridge in New York.

Constantinou-whose work has been noted in such publications as Businessweek, Popular Science, The Christian Science Monitor and The Boston Globe-was given the Presidential Young Investigator Award by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 in recognition of his ability and potential in his field.

Anatomical-gift program is talk topic
Ray Dannenhoffer, assistant dean for support services in the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, will speak at the Emeritus Center meeting on Tuesday about the anatomical-gift program.

Dannenhoffer, who directs the Gross Anatomy Laboratory as well as the gift program, will speakat the 2 p.m. in 102 Goodyear Hall, South Lounge, on the Main Street Campus. The talk is open to the UB community.

Reception honors women faculty
The Institute on Research and Education on Women and Gender (IREWG) will host an "Old Girls-New Girls" reception from 3-5 p.m. Sept. 17 in the University Art Gallery in the Center for the Arts on the North Campus.

It is open to women faculty members and IREWG members.

The event will celebrate promotions, honors and distinctions earned this year by UB women faculty members. New women hires and recent retirees also will be acknowledged. The names, positions, departments and effective dates of those who should be acknowledged at this event may be emailed to IREWG graduate assistant Rebecca Morrow at rmmorrow@acsu.buffalo.edu.

Correction
The information in Article 6, Section V of the Student Conduct Rules, University Standards and Administrative Regulations, which ran as an insert in last week's Reporter, did not reflect changes made in recent years regarding UB's student identification card.

The name of the card has officially changed to the UB Card, formerly called the SUNY Card, and the office to obtain or replace the identification cards is located in The Commons, rather than the Student Union.

The fee to replace lost cards has increased to $15 to replace the card from $10 for the first replacement and $20 for each replacement thereafter.

The calling-card service included with the card, previously provided by MCI, is now provided by AT&T.

Toxicology Research Center receives lead-training accreditation
The UB Toxicology Research Center has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as an accredited lead-hazard control training provider.

The center now will be able to offer certification and refresher training to individuals who are involved in regulated lead-hazard identification and abatement activities, including those regulated by the EPA and U.S. Housing and Urban Development.

Joseph Syracuse, training manager at the center, said he expects the courses will attract personnel from Buffalo, where he said a number of old houses contain lead-based paint, as well as those from across the state, the Northeast and U.S. Improper techniques when removing the paint, he said, can lead to dust contamination.

The following courses will be offered at the center:

- Lead Abatement Worker and Lead Abatement Worker Refresher

- Lead Abatement Supervisor and Lead Abatement Supervisor Refresher

- Lead Inspector and Lead Inspector Refresher

- Lead Risk Assessor and Lead Risk Assessor Refresher

The center also offers accredited training in asbestos, and programs in hazardous materials, silica and safety skills. The programs are offered in conjunction with Environmental Education Associates Inc.

For information about registration, contact the Center at 829-2125, or send email to japs@acsu.buffalo.edu.

Ira Glass to speak at UB
Ira Glass, idiosyncratic host and producer of the nationally syndicated radio show "This American Life," will present a program titled "Live Sissies and Fiascoes: Notes on Making a New Kind of Radio" at 8 p.m. on Oct. 25 in the Mainstage theater in the Center for the Arts on the North Campus.

The lecture will be sponsored by the Center for the Arts and Just Buffalo Literary Center and cosponsored by WBFO 88.7 FM, the National Public Radio affiliate operated by UB.

Tickets are $15 for general admission and $8 for students and can be purchased at the Center for the Arts box office (645-ARTS) and TicketMaster locations (852-5000).

Glass will discuss and illustrate some of his familiar approaches to sound and storytelling on "This American Life." His insatiable curiosity and creativity have been said to demonstrate radio's potential as a technology more profound than television.

"This American Life," produced by WBEZ in Chicago and Public Radio International, currently draws more than half a million listeners weekly on 324 stations. The show airs from 7-8 p.m. Fridays on WBFO.

Each week, Glass explores a theme-Frank Sinatra, Canadians, conventions, Niagara Falls, the job that takes over your life-through a playful mix of radio monologues, mini-documentaries, found tape and unusual music. He consistently delivers engaging, intimate, surprising, funny, disturbing, bittersweet accounts.

UB academic-review Web-site solution places second in contest
Frank D'Arrigo, assistant vice provost and director of undergraduate information services, has been named first runner-up for "Best Web Site Solution" in the national 1999 Visual FoxPro Excellence Awards contest for a site he designed that ultimately could improve student retention at UB.

Using the new Academic Review Web Site designed by D'Arrigo, UB staff can, in about 25 minutes, complete a task that previously took 3,200 hours, or six weeks, of work, freeing up academic advisors to concentrate on working with students.

The secure site allows administrators to request a review of students who may be facing academic problems and the information automatically is sent to them via email. Relevant information is provided to academic departments and financial-aid officers. NCAA-eligibility reports also are available through the site.

"At the end of the processing, one of the several results is that an email is mailed automatically to each school and department to alert them to those students who are on academic probation or are not making timely progress toward their degree," said Susan Eck, assistant vice provost and coordinator of student services information technology.

"With the advisement center and the academic-department advisors able to rapidly intervene with students who find themselves in this situation, we hope to improve our retention of students," Eck added.

UB's Web-site solution was one of only three selected from hundreds of entries to be named finalists in the prestigious contest, sponsored by Microsoft Corp. and FOXPRO ADVISOR magazine.

This is the second consecutive year Web solutions developed at UB have been named finalists in the Visual FoxPro contest. In 1998, UB's Articulation Reporting Information Evaluation System (ARIES) also was named first runner-up for "Best Web Site Solution." ARIES is an online program that helps students determine if credits they have earned at another university will transfer to UB.

MBA students to put aside textbooks and career goals for day of community service
MBA students do care about more than just the almighty buck.

That's the message that MBA students from the UB School of Management intend to convey as they perform community-service activities within the Buffalo area on Sept. 11.

The students' efforts will take place during the "University at Buffalo MBAs Make a Difference Day," organized by UB's student-run Graduate Management Association (GMA) and sponsored by M&T Bank.

The day-long event is part of an annual challenge issued by the Purdue University's Krannert Graduate School of Management, which asks MBA students from business schools nationwide to volunteer throughout their communities.

The work of UB MBAs will begin at 9 a.m. with one team of students helping Habitat for Humanity Buffalo to rehabilitate a house and another team performing a cleanup of Main Street and the University Heights district in conjunction with the Gloria J. Parks Community Center.

From 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., the students will volunteer at the Hearts for the Homeless Mobile Soup Kitchen, located at 890 Tonawanda St. in Buffalo.

During the week leading up to the event, the students will conduct a food and clothing drive to benefit the City Mission and the Corner Stone Manor.

"Volunteerism can play a prominent role within the world of business and can be just as rewarding as career achievements," says Michele Gliss, president of UB's GMA. "Our goal is for community service to become an important part of the MBA-student experience at UB."

Alexander Scholarship benefits African-American students
A gift from a UB graduate is making a difference in the lives of two Western New Yorkers who are attending UB this fall.

Beuline Crawford has given $10,000 to UB's College of Arts and Sciences to establish the Beulah Alexander Memorial Scholarship in Social Sciences. Helene Cook of Lockport and Asa Vandi of Buffalo are the first two recipients.

Crawford named the scholarship fund for her mother, who, she said, taught her that the value of good fortune is having the ability to care and share with humility. She has designated that the scholarship be awarded to African-American students from Western New York.

"Young people are the future," she added, "and I want to feel that I am doing something for students who are preparing themselves to meet the challenges of the 21st century by developing marketable skills that will enable them to be competitive in the global market."

Brenda Moore, UB associate professor of sociology, is chair of the Beulah Alexander scholarship committee.

"We are grateful to Beuline Crawford for her thoughtful and generous contribution," Moore noted. "UB is fortunate to be able to offer the Beulah Alexander Scholarship to outstanding African-American students who qualify for it. Hopefully this scholarship will encourage more African-American students to consider UB when applying to college."

Vandi, an 18-year-old graduate of City Honors High School, said the scholarship provides the opportunity for him to live on campus and to enjoy the total university experience. He plans to major in business management.

Cook, an 18-year-old graduate of Lockport High School, said the scholarship came as an unexpected surprise. Cook, who plans to major in history and become an attorney, said she chose UB because of its well-respected law program.

Vandi and Cook thanked Crawford after meeting her and receiving their first checks on Aug. 23. They will continue to receive Beulah Alexander scholarship checks each semester if they maintain good grades during their UB undergraduate years.

Crawford said that if all goes according to her plans, she intends to donate to the scholarship fund every year so that more local African-American students get an opportunity to attend UB with her assistance.

UB faculty key speakers in forum
Several UB faculty members will be featured speakers during the 31st annual Western New York Science and Technology Forum lecture series for area teachers, which is being held on Wednesdays through Jan. 12 at UB.

The speakers from UB and other area institutions and industries will provide information on new, exciting scientific developments that can be incorporated into the classroom.

The series was begun in 1969 by its director, George H. Nancollas, SUNY Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Co-directors are Stephen Free, professor of biology, and Charles Mitchell, professor of geology.

Speakers from UB who will lecture as part of the series are Charles H.V. Ebert, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of Geography in the College of Arts and Sciences, who will discuss "Sea Ice and 'Growlers;'" Joyce Sirianni, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of Anthropology in the College of Arts and Sciences, who will talk about "A Skeleton's Tale," and Wade Sigurdson, director of the Confocal Microscope Facility in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics in the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, who will discuss "Confocal Microscope: Seeing things in 3-D."

Also, Charles P. Ewing, professor of law and adjunct professor of psychology, who will address "School Violence;" Surijit Sen, assistant professor of physics, who will speak on "Landmines," and Tracy Gregg, assistant professor of geology, who will discuss "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Geological Exploration of the Sea Floor."

Cassatt String Quartet to perform noon concert
The Department of Music will continue its series of free, noon concerts for the UB community with a performance by the Cassatt String Quartet Sept. 22 in the Art Department Gallery in the Center for the Arts on the North Campus.

The hour-long, informal concerts provide spectators with an opportunity to preview portions of an upcoming concert, as well as have some personal contact with the musicians.

The Cassatt quartet, the Slee Quartet-in-Residence, will perform its first formal program of the season Sept. 24 in Slee Hall with the opening horn call of Mozart's famous "Hunt" quartet. The performance, the opening concert of the Slee Visiting Artist Series, also will feature Shostakovich's 7th String Quartet in a minor key and Schubert's highly romantic Quintet in C Major.

Those attending the Sept. 22 noon concert will receive a pair of complimentary tickets to the Sept. 24 performance.