The Daily Bulletin Archive

Now a tradition at Buffalo State, the annual Faculty and Staff Research and Creativity Fall Forum has grown every year since it began in 1999. To celebrate a decade of success, organizers have added a global learning component, featuring added forums and a lecture, to the traditional poster presentations next Thursday.

As always, the fall forum takes place in the Houston Gym at 11:00 a.m. and includes remarks from the interim president at 12:30 p.m. One hundred thirty-three faculty and staff will feature 106 presentations. Exhibits include “Chasing Chinese Folk Art,” “How to Slow Down the Aging Process for Longevity,” and “Controversial Therapies in the Treatment of Autism.”

This year, after the poster presentations conclude at 2:00 p.m., the fall forum will move to E. H. Butler Library for “Global Learning Research and Creativity Conversations,” beginning at 3:00 p.m. Four panels of faculty and staff will lead discussions on the following topics:

• International Students/Study Abroad: How Faculty/Staff Benefit
• Making Local Connections to Enhance Global Understandings: Global Service Learning Opportunities
• Using Advanced Technology to Support Global/International Research and Creativity
• Finding the Money: Funding Opportunities and Challenges to Support Global/International Research and Creativity Projects

At 4:00 p.m., H. Stephen Straight, professor of anthropology and linguistics and senior adviser for international initiatives at Binghamton University, will present “Internationalism, Multiculturalism, and Global Collaboration in Twenty-First-Century Higher Education.” A reception will take place afterward in Butler Library 210.

The global research component was made possible by a $10,000 grant from the New York State/United University Professions Campus Grants Committee in partnership with the Research Foundation of SUNY at Buffalo State College, the Equity and Campus Diversity Office, the Academic and Student Affairs Office, and the International Graduate Programs for Educators. The grant will also help organize similar events in association with the Student Research and Creativity Forum in the spring.

Dolores E. Battle, senior advisor to the president for equity and campus diversity, said the events and the speaker are tied to ongoing campuswide efforts to enhance cultural diversity and globalization efforts as stated in the 2009–2013 Strategic Plan. Battle, Lee Ann Grace, assistant dean of international and exchange programs, and Rosalyn Lindner, associate vice president for curriculum and assessment, have been working with the American Council on Education (ACE) to bridge the gap between global initiatives and cultural diversity. The team hopes the fall forum’s emphasis on local connections and global commitments will generate greater student interest in international issues and study-abroad programs.

“We met Dr. Straight at the last ACE conference,” Battle said. “He and the faculty and staff at Binghamton University are doing award-winning work for international programs, and we thought he would be able to share helpful knowledge with us. The conversations before his talk will be very intriguing, too. Faculty and staff can learn how to organize international conferences, communicate internationally with Skype, work with Buffalo’s local international community to enhance the curriculum, and much more.”

Thirty-eight of this year’s poster presentations are specially designated as “Global Research and Creativity” models, said Mary Kren, training development and communications coordinator for the Research Foundation and part of the fall forum planning committee. The designees include presentations from six visiting Chinese scholars with the Beijing Teacher Training Center of Higher Education.

Kren also said this year’s forum incorporates suggestions from attendees of last year’s event. The Houston Gym setup will be easier to navigate, and an improved sound system will help attendees hear remarks more clearly.

In addition, forum attendees will receive a bookmark with information about research resources on campus, and attendees of the global learning component in Butler Library will receive a flash drive loaded with the afternoon’s presentations and globalization resources.

“I think one of the best things about the fall forum is that it encourages multiple collaborators and cross-field studies,” Kren said.

Rita Zientek, associate dean of the School of the Professions and chair of the fall forum planning committee, said the forum also is helpful for students. “The fall forum helps them think about their own event in the spring,” she said. “It gives them confidence that they can do it.”

When the fall forum began in 1999, it featured 57 participants and 27 presentations. Zientek said its longevity and growth reflects Buffalo State’s ongoing strong support for research. “When you attend, it’s easy to see that sharing research with others and creating posters is something that everyone can accomplish,” she said. “And you never know what you’re going to see each year.”

The 10th annual Faculty and Staff Research and Creativity Fall Forum is free and open to the public. This year’s sponsors include the Research Foundation of SUNY at Buffalo State College, the Academic and Student Affairs Office, the New York State/United University Professions Campus Grants Committee, and the Equity and Campus Diversity Office. A program booklet of presentation abstracts will be available shortly on the Research Foundation Web site.