"The Wheel of Desire and Other Intimate Hauntings," a collection of previously published short stories ranging from the macabre to the provocative written by Gary Earl Ross, an associate professor who teaches writing in the Educational Opportunity Center, was published recently by the Writer's Club Press.

Sebastian G. Ciancio, professor and chair of the Department of Periodontics and Endodontics in the School of Dental Medicine, has been selected to speak at the 30th Anniversary Arthur H. Merritt Memorial Lectureship in Periodontics in August at Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas.

A research presentation describing a new medical-imaging technique developed and evaluated by a team of UB researchers that could lead to improved diagnostic imaging using lower doses of radiation has won the top prize at the SPIE International Symposium on Medical Imaging. It is the second year in a row a UB team has won the prestigious Blue Ribbon Award. Parinaz Massoumzadeh, who received a doctorate in radiation physics from UB this spring, was primary author of the study. Other members of the research team were Stephen Rudin, co-director of the Toshiba Stroke Research Center and director of the Division of Radiation Physics, and Daniel R. Bednarek, associate professor of radiology and research associate professor of neurosurgery and physiology and biophysics.

WBFO 88.7 FM, the National Public Radio affiliate operated by UB, won three first-place awards in the 1999 New York State Associated Press Broadcasters Competition-more than any other radio station in its class, which includes the markets of Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Albany-Schenectady. News Director Mark Scott received a first-place award for "Best Continuing News Coverage" for his reports on the "Operation Save America" anti-abortion protests in Buffalo and the one-year anniversary of the murder of Buffalo-based physician Barnett Slepian. Producer Mike McKay captured the top award for "Best Sports Coverage" for a piece exploring the impact of last year's playoff run by the Buffalo Sabres on local businesses. Producer Joyce Kryszak won first place in the category of "Best Local Documentary Program or Series" for a two-part series that profiled the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority's police department and the challenges its officers face in protecting Metro Bus and Rail passengers and airport travelers. WBFO also received two special mentions in the competition. McKay was cited for a report he produced on a series of attacks on elderly white homeowners on Buffalo's East Side. Producer Mary Van Vorst was cited for "Best Interview" for her conversation with Ira Glass, host of the NPR program "This American Life."