The Civic and Community Engagement Office is seeking to create a network of offices and contacts across campus that can serve as a resource for students looking to register to vote. In partnership with NYPIRG, we are hosting a voter registration training to enable you to assist students, faculty, or staff to accurately complete and update their voter registration form. If you or your office would like to be a featured location on the campus where students can stop in and register to vote, please attend a 30-minute training on Monday, March 2, from 1:30 to 2:00 p.m. in Classroom Building C202. RSVP to cce@buffalostate.edu

In the meantime, please feel free to share voter registration resources with the students you connect with: https://cce.buffalostate.edu/voter-registration

In support and recognition of the upcoming 2020 decennial census, Butler Library is proud to sponsor the U.S. Census Data Tools Seminar from the United States Census Bureau on Tuesday, February 25, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in Butler Library 314, the library’s active learning classroom. Seating for this engaging half-day training is limited, so register soon. Lunch will be provided.

This hands-on seminar will highlight introductory and advanced topics pertaining to the features and usage of the U.S. census data tools: QuickFacts, American FactFinder, and various mapping and data visualization tools, in particular. Laptops will be available, but you may bring your own. The general outline for the training is as follows:

Morning: Understanding American Community Survey (ACS) and Other Census Data

I. Introduction to Decennial Census, Population Estimates, ACS
     — concepts, data thresholds, release dates, geography, data subjects
II. ACS website
     — Questionnaire archive, data subject tables, technical documentation, methodology/questionnaire archive
III. Using Our Smartphone! Quickfacts
IV. American FactFinder (plus an exercise)
V. The New data.census.gov (plus an exercise)

-------------------------------------------------

Afternoon: Census Mapping Tools

I. A Short Cartography Lesson
     — understanding choropleth maps
II. Mapping ACS Data in AFF and data.census.gov
III. A Look at Census Flows Mapper
IV. On the Map (commuting patterns)

Please join us for this unique training opportunity from the U.S. Census Bureau! Please register online through the Workshop Registration System and direct questions to Eugene Harvey, associate librarian, 878-3138.

The University Police Department, working with Residence Life, will conduct an emergency response training drill on Wednesday, February 26, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Perry Hall.

For this active shooter simulation, you may see police action, hear the firing of simulated rounds, and observe actors portraying perpetrators and victims near Perry Hall. Do not be alarmed. This is a simulated event. 

The goal of this exercise is to train civilians and first responders in the event of a shooting, terrorist attack, or other critical emergency on campus.

If you have questions, please call University Police at 878-6333.

Please note that the UUP Compression DSI meeting will be held Monday, February 24 (not February 25, as previously communicated) from 11:00 a.m. to noon in Bulger Communication Center 215 (Newman Lecture Hall). Thank you.

Please join the Biology Department and the Great Lakes Center for the seminar "Incorporating Post-Industrial Corridors into the Niagara River Greenway Plan," presented by Nicholas Henshue, clinical assistant professor in the University at Buffalo's Department of Environment and Sustainability, today, February 21, from 2:00 to 2:50 p.m. in Bulger Communication Center 214. All students, staff, and faculty are welcome.

Abstract
The Niagara River Greenway is a corridor of connecting open spaces, parks, and managed ecosystems from South Buffalo to Lake Ontario. Buffalo’s intense industrial history has created a world-class city but has left behind thousands of contaminated or destroyed post-industrial locations. Ecological restoration in these post-industrial sites would be an ideal addition to the Greenway’s connectivity, environmental health, economic growth, and community vigor. Before this happens however, many questions arise from this notion that provide incredible numbers of long-term opportunities for research for decades to come. Soil contamination classification, native plant tolerance to post-industrial areas, pollinator impact in urban brownfields, and restoration impacts on economy and health of marginalized neighborhoods are all topics that need to be addressed. The University at Buffalo’s Department of Environment and Sustainability is building this research program with all interested partners across Western New York and will enhance linkages among the public, government, and scholars to work toward this common goal.

Please join the Biology Department and the Great Lakes Center for the seminar "Incorporating Post-Industrial Corridors into the Niagara River Greenway Plan," presented by Nicholas Henshue, clinical assistant professor in the University at Buffalo's Department of Environment and Sustainability, on Friday, February 21, from 2:00 to 2:50 p.m. in Bulger Communication Center 214. All students, staff, and faculty are welcome.

Abstract
The Niagara River Greenway is a corridor of connecting open spaces, parks, and managed ecosystems from South Buffalo to Lake Ontario. Buffalo’s intense industrial history has created a world-class city but has left behind thousands of contaminated or destroyed post-industrial locations. Ecological restoration in these post-industrial sites would be an ideal addition to the Greenway’s connectivity, environmental health, economic growth, and community vigor. Before this happens however, many questions arise from this notion that provide incredible numbers of long-term opportunities for research for decades to come. Soil contamination classification, native plant tolerance to post-industrial areas, pollinator impact in urban brownfields, and restoration impacts on economy and health of marginalized neighborhoods are all topics that need to be addressed. The University at Buffalo’s Department of Environment and Sustainability is building this research program with all interested partners across Western New York and will enhance linkages among the public, government, and scholars to work toward this common goal.

Interested in connecting your research to community priorities? Please join the Civic and Community Engagement Office for the interactive workshop "Community-Engaged Research: Supporting Community-Driven Priorities," led by Diane Doberneck, associate director of Michigan State University’s National Collaborative for the Study of University Engagement, on Friday, February 21, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. in Caudell Hall 123. The workshop will include

• an introduction to designing, implementing, and publishing research to support community-driven priorities;
• a group discussion of community-engaged research in relation to traditional scholarship;
• strategies to utilize community-engaged research to support promotion and tenure; and
• examples.

A follow-up opportunity is also available for workshop attendees to meet with potential community partners for research ideas on Friday, April 3, from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.

Diane M. Doberneck, Ph.D., is the director for faculty and professional development in MSU's Office for Public Engagement and Scholarship, where she conducts research about community-engaged scholarship, coordinates the MSU graduate certification in community engagement, and leads University Outreach and Engagement’s Educational Programs Team.

RSVP for the workshop by e-mail at cce@buffalostate.edu.

Members of the campus community are invited to submit nominations for the President’s Caring Bengal Award by 5:00 p.m. Monday, March 2. Please visit the award website for more information about the award criteria and recipient selection process or to submit a nomination.
 
Award Description
Each of us knows a faculty member, staff member, or administrator who transforms the work and personal lives of their colleagues by supporting them with compassion, care, respect, and collegiality. These caring colleagues in our community can be found at every level of our institution, and although they create positive work experiences for each person they encounter, their contribution to our community sometimes goes unnoticed. To recognize these supportive colleagues in our community, each month faculty, staff, and administrators across all ranks, unions, and titles can be nominated by a colleague or student to receive the Caring Bengal Award.

The Faculty and Staff Recognition Committee, which includes faculty and staff representation from UUP, CSEA, the College Senate, and the Professional Staff Caucus, will review award nominations and select the award recipient each month. Each month, award recipients will be announced in the Daily Bulletin, will receive a gift, and will be invited along with their supervisor to lunch with the president at the end of the semester.

Fall 2019 Winners
October 2019: Kathy Doody
November 2019: Dawn Greil

Please contact Rebecca Eggleston, staff assistant in the Professional Development Center, with questions about the President’s Caring Bengal Award.

Please join Buffalo State College and the Africana studies program in welcoming our keynote speaker for Black History Month, Crystal M. Fleming, associate professor of sociology and Africana studies at Stony Brook University, on Tuesday, February 25, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in the Burchfield Penney Art Center’s Tower Auditorium.

What if we could defeat racism? Many of us understand that race is a social construct. We can often spot racial discrimination when it’s happening, we can offer explanations of it, and we can, of course, lament its psychologically nagging and socially debilitating existence. With a Ph.D. in sociology from Harvard University; her work gracing the stages of Newsweek, the Boston Globe, and Al Jazeera; and a game-changing book titled How to Be Less Stupid about Race (2018), Dr. Fleming uses critical race theory, black feminism, classical sociology, and a brilliant sense of humor to provide a no-holds-barred style of critical analysis to help us solve the race problem once and for all. Her address is free and open to the public. Her book is on sale in the Barnes & Noble at Buffalo State Bookstore, and she will be available to sign copies after her talk.

The Undergraduate Research Small Grants Program provides up to $400 to assist undergraduate students in carrying out a research, scholarly, or creative activity during the academic year (up to $600 may be requested for a single project that involves two or more students). Funding is intended to help defray the cost of travel, supplies, and other materials necessary to conduct the project. The primary purpose of travel should be to enable the student to conduct research. Award recipients will be required to participate in the annual Buffalo State Student Research and Creativity Conference on Saturday, May 2. The spring application deadline for submission of the student portion is Wednesday, February 26; faculty mentor approval is due by Friday, February 28. For more details, please visit the online application portal on the Undergraduate Research website.