Next week's issue is last of semester
Next week's Reporter will be the final issue of the fall semester. Regular publication will resume on Jan. 24.

UB installs phone line for closing information
The university has installed a new telephone service to provide information when office hours and class schedules will be altered as the result of inclement weather or for other reasons.

The information will be available at 645-NEWS to students, faculty and staff, as well as the public, 24 hours a day. There never will be a busy signal since the line has the capacity to handle an unlimited number of calls simultaneously.

The standard recorded message will be "Offices are open and classes are being held as scheduled today at the University at Buffalo." The message will be changed appropriately as soon as university officials decide to alter office hours and class schedules due to weather conditions or other situations.

Workshop location changed to Diefendorf
Due to the unexpectedly large attendance at the NIH grantsmanship lecture series sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Research, the location for today's lecture on the South Campus has been changed to 148 Diefendorf Hall. The lectures had been held in the Lippschutz Room, 125 Biomedical Education Building.

The time of the lecture, from 4-6 p.m., will remain the same. Registration is not required. The lecture is open to all faculty, professional staff, students and fellows.

The series of workshops is designed for faculty members who want to learn the "ins and outs" of applying for National Institutes for Health grants.

Today's lecture is entitled "How to Write a Winning Proposal, Part II: Specific Aims Page, the Research Plan, the Budget." Materials based on the lecture series will be posted online at http://www.research.buffalo.edu/events/nih/nih_workshops.htm. The series will culminate on Wednesday with mock study sessions to be conducted by NIH scientific review administrators who will fly in from NIH headquarters in Bethesda, Md., specifically for the event.

Pre-registration is required for the mock study sessions. Seating is limited; therefore, only faculty may attend.

Anyone interested in participating in the mock study sessions may contact Joseph Cusker at 645-3321 or cusker@research.buffalo.edu to pre-register.

Landlord-tenant forum planned
The second annual Community Forum presented by the University Community Initiative's Regional Community Policing Center (RCPC) will be held from 6:30-8:30 p.m. today in Allen Hall on the South Campus.

This year's topic will be landlord-tenant issues in the neighborhood surrounding the UB South Campus.

The forum will provide landlords, tenants and other interested residents with an opportunity to identify and discuss issues related to rental properties. Representatives of organizations that deliver housing, advocacy, community improvement or other services to help resident enjoy safe and affordable housing or improve the quality of neighborhood life will be on hand to answer participants' questions and offer information on resources available to community members.

Co-sponsors of the event are the UB Office of Student Unions & Activities and Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME).

CFA to present "Sheila the Great"
The Center for the Arts will present a musical production of Judy Blume's popular novel, "Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great," at 2 p.m. Dec. 9 in the Mainstage theater in the CFA, North Campus.

Part of the CFA's Family Adventure series, the production by the ArtsPower National Touring Theatre is sponsored by Adelphia Media Services and WJYE-FM.

Free kids activities will be provided one hour before the performance.

ArtsPower, one of America's pre-eminent producers of professional theater for young and family audiences, will bring to life Blume's novel in its newest musical about young Sheila Tubman, the unlikely but extremely likable heroine whose life growing up is always unpredictable.

The production was adapted and directed by ArtsPower's resident playwright, Greg Gunning, with music by Richard DeRosa and lyrics by Gunning.

Tickets for "Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great" are $12 for adults and $10 for children 12 and under, and may be purchased at the CFA box office from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and at all Ticketmaster locations.

NIH funds training grant
Faculty members in the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences have received a five-year, $231,000 training grant from the National Institutes of Health to support summer research fellowships for medical students.

The grant will fund stipends for eight first-and second-year medical students to spend 10 weeks during their summer sessions performing a mentored research project that focuses on infectious diseases, microbiology or immunology. Twenty UB faculty members with active, funded research programs will serve as a pool of mentors for students.

Principal investigator on the grant is Timothy F. Murphy, professor of medicine and microbiology, director of the Division of Infectious Diseases in the medical school and chief of infectious diseases at the Veterans Administration Medical Center. Co-principal investigators are Stanley A. Schwartz, professor of medicine, pediatrics and microbiology, and director of the Division of Allergy/Immunology in the medical school, and Charles M. Severin, associate professor of pathology and anatomical sciences, and assistant dean for students in the medical school.

 

Bequest pledge to provide scholarships to study aging
Bernard and Sharon Morton, longtime supporters of UB, have made a $100,000 bequest pledge to the School of Social Work for scholarships to help graduate students who want to specialize in the field of aging and gerontology.

The Mortons view their gift as benefiting students in need, while also helping support an increasingly important area of research.

The Morton Family Endowment will provide scholarships to students engaged in graduate studies in the School of Social Work, with preference given to those who live in Western New York, and who have "demonstrated the academic capacity to complete the curriculum."

Lawrence Shulman, dean of the School of Social Work, praised the Mortons, noting: "We are indebted to their generosity and vision in contributing to the field of aging and gerontology. Their gift is immeasurable, providing students an opportunity to further their education, while also helping UB expand these areas of study."

The Mortons, who are both retired and living in Florida, remain active by volunteering for several charitable organizations, and pursuing their hobby, traveling, which has taken them to every continent in the world during the past 45 years.

Their gift is part of UB's $250 million campaign, one of the largest ever conducted by a public university in New York and New England. Although it's the fifth major fund-raising campaign conducted by UB, it's the first national/international and university-wide campaign, and the first to be alumni-driven, with campaign volunteer leaders from all over the country. Funds raised will be used to enrich academic programs, support students ranging from undergraduates to post-doctoral students, and to enhance university life.

Chancellor's Award nominations sought
Nominations are being sought for the 2001 Chancellor's Awards for Excellence in Professional Service. This prestigious award provides university-wide recognition of superlative performance and outstanding achievement by professional staff members.

In order to be nominated, individuals must be serving in full-time professional-service capacities, with more than 50 percent of the assignment in non-teaching services. Nominees must have completed at least three years of continuous, full-time professional (not classified) service in the position for which they are nominated.

A nominator, who may be any member of the university community, must prepare a nomination package that includes a current vitae on the nominee's professional career, an updated position description, a maximum of five letters of support—with at least one each from a supervisor, a colleague and a constituent—and the nominator's summary letter of support.

Deadline for completed dossiers is Jan. 23, 2002. For nomination packets and guidelines, call Anna Kedzierski at 645-2003. For more information, call Christine Sauciunac at 645-3544.

Brickman concert to benefit Food Bank
Pianist/composer Jim Brickman will perform at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 17 in the Mainstage theater in the Center for the Arts, North Campus, in a concert to benefit the Food Bank of Western New York.

The event is being presented by the CFA and soft rock 96.1, WJYE-FM.

Admission is free, but cash donations will be accepted at the door for the Food Bank. Tickets will be general admission and only available the night of performance; tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. for the 7:30 p.m. performance. Brickman will sign autographs in the theater lobby following the concert.

The performance will coincide with the release of a new recording, book and song by Brickman, all called "Simple Things."

"It's mostly about opening your eyes," explains Brickman. "You've got to get off the treadmill and find your life again."

For more information, call 645-ARTS.

UB work helps firm win award,
Chemical Processing magazine has selected Integument Technologies of Tonawanda to receive its 2001 Vaaler Award in the category of corrosion control for its innovative FluoroGrip¨ product, developed using technology licensed from UB.

Integument Technologies is a science-based developer and manufacturer of engineered fluoropolymer systems for unique, extreme temperature and chemical environments.

FluoroGrip® was developed using chemistry and processes developed at UB that provide the ability to chemically bond adhesives, sealants, coatings and lining materials, creating a new cost-effective generation of composite corrosion-protective systems.

The technology that led to creation of Integument's FluoroGrip® product lines was co-developed by Joseph A. Gardella Jr., professor of chemistry, and Terrence G. Vargo, former UB research assistant and Integument Technologies president and CEO. UB's former Technology Transfer and Licensing office, now part of the university's Office of Science, Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach, licensed the technology to Integument.

Integument Technologies continues its advancement in the chemical industry by partnering with UB to access its wealth of knowledge, laboratories and testing facilities. Today, Integument uses facilities on the North Campus for new technology and product development, in addition to using the testing facilities at the South Campus Instrumentation Center.