As a result of the weather-related cancellation of classes on January 30 and 31, the following changes will be made to student registration dates:

• The date for students to drop a Spring 2019 course will be extended to Tuesday, February 5 (from Sunday, February 3).
• The date for students to add a Spring 2019 course will be extended to Tuesday, February 5 (from Sunday, February 3).
• The window for students to add a course with Instructor Permission will open Wednesday, February 6, and close Thursday, February 14.
• The deadline for students to submit paperwork for Course by Contract, Independent Student, or Special Project will be extended to Monday, February 4 (from Friday, February 1).
• The deadline for students to withdraw from a Spring 2019 course will not be extended beyond the current date of Friday, April 5.

From the Chair of the College Senate
Reports to the College Senate are posted on the College Senate website. The most recent reports are from the December 14, 2018, Senate meeting.

Podcasts serve as the official audio record of each College Senate meeting. If you missed a Senate meeting and want to catch up, podcasts are posted to the Senate's podcasts web page. Senate meeting summaries are posted to the website after they are presented to the Senate.

From the Chair of the College Senate
The annual College Senate elections will take place in April. Two seats for at-large senators, one seat for university faculty senator, and one seat for alternate university faculty senator will be available beginning in fall 2019. These positions are for three-year terms, 2019–2022. The College Senate Bylaws and Elections Committee will make a formal announcement in the Daily Bulletin on the nomination and election process in the coming weeks. Please consider serving on the College Senate.

From the Chair of the College Senate
The first College Senate meeting of the spring 2019 semester will be held at 3:00 p.m. Friday, February 8, in Bulger Communication Center 215. The meeting schedule for the remainder of the 2019 spring semester is available on the College Senate website. Please visit the website to catch up on Senate news and listen to podcasts of past meetings.

The College Senate Office is located in Cleveland Hall 211. Joseph Marren, professor of communication, serves as chair of the College Senate for the 2018–2019 academic year. Please stop by the office, call 878-5139, or e-mail Vincent Masci, assistant to the College Senate, with questions or for general information.

Please join the Chemistry and Physics departments for the seminar "Quantifying Analyte-Porous Silicon Interactions," presented by alumnus Ari Darlow, B.S. '13, Ph.D. candidate in the University at Buffalo's Department of Chemistry, on Thursday, February 7, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in Science and Mathematics Complex 173.

Abstract
Porous silicon (pSi) has been studied for many applications, including chemical sensing. A key to success in any sensing platform is understanding the analyte-pSi interactions and being able to selectively control them. One often uses the intrinsic pSi photoluminescence (PL) as the signal transduction method in pSi-based sensing applications and sensing platforms have been developed by using as prepared, H-passivated and oxidized pSi (ap-, ox-pSi). Although PL-based measurements have proved valuable, they provide limited detail into the mechanism of interaction between the Si nanocrystallites and the analyte. To address this shortfall, my research has centered on exploiting Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy to elucidate how gaseous analytes affect the pSi surface chemistries (i.e. Si-O-Si, SiHx (x = 1-3) and OySiH (y = 1, 2) band amplitudes and energies) and amorphous and nanocrystalline Si phonon band amplitudes and their energies. My results reveal an interesting relationship between the analyte-dependent PL, IR, and Raman responses and help shed light on the PL-based analytical signal origin. Infrared Spectroscopy can be a useful tool for biological imaging. My talk will also cover an ongoing research collaboration with the UB medical school.

From the Director of Equity and Campus Diversity
The spring semester deadline for Equity and Campus Diversity Minigrant proposals for 2018–2019 is Friday, February 8. Consistent with the college’s mission, minigrants provide financial assistance for projects, workshops, and activities that have institutional impact—strengthening Buffalo State’s inclusive excellence toward diversity as described by our mission statement, core values, and strategic plan.

Applications (PDF, 414 KB) must be submitted at least four weeks in advance of proposed events.

For additional information, please visit the Equity and Campus Diversity website.

The campus community is welcome to attend the following campus presentation by a candidate for the position of assistant dean of residential experience at Buffalo State. For a complete description of the duties of the position, please visit the Human Resource Management website.

Philip Badaszewski
Monday, February 4
11:30 a.m.
Campbell Student Union Assembly Hall

The Research and Creativity Council Incentive Program is accepting applications until 4:00 p.m. Friday, February 22, for funds to promote faculty research, scholarly, and creative activities. Please submit completed applications to the Sponsored Programs Office in Buckham Hall B206. Three council members have been appointed to review all applications received by the above deadline.

Incentive funds administered by the Research and Creativity Council are intended to promote faculty research, scholarly, and creative activities. Their ultimate goal is to generate additional funded programs. At the end of the award period, recipients are required to submit a report documenting the use of the funds. They are then required to submit a grant proposal within the following year to an outside sponsoring agency through the Sponsored Programs Pre-Award and Contract Services Office. Submitting a proposal through the Buffalo State College Foundation does not meet this requirement. Recipients are also obligated to participate in the Faculty and Staff Fall Forum, which takes place in October.

Expenditures considered for support under this program include travel to consult with a funding source or program officer, or to a workshop sponsored by a potential sponsor; student assistance; consultation with specialists in the field; preparation of specialized support materials for proposals (e.g., graphs, drawings, resource books); release time; and any other expense that can be justified. Funds may not be requested for the purchase of computers, laptops, etc. Also, it is not the council’s intention to directly pay an individual for writing a proposal. Please contact Jessica Berg, director of pre-award and contract services, with questions regarding the incentive application.

The Graduate Advisory Council is accepting nominations for Outstanding Master’s Theses and Outstanding Master’s Projects. The purpose of these awards is to recognize outstanding student research and applied work at the graduate level. Up to three thesis awards and three project awards will be made. Applications will be accepted for students who graduated in J-Term 2018, May 2018, August 2018, or December 2018.

Nominations may be made by thesis or project advisers or by students themselves. Additional reviews are required from the department chair and one external evaluator. Guidelines and forms are available on the Graduate School website.

The deadline for submission of nominations and evaluation forms to the Graduate School, Cleveland Hall 204, is Wednesday, February 20. Please direct questions to Marnie Letzelter, assistant to the dean of the Graduate School, 878-5609.

Please join us for the talk “Policy and Protest in Today’s America: Thoughts on Martin Luther King and Fulfillment of His Dream,” presented by Basil Smikle, distinguished lecturer of politics and public policy at the City University of New York’s School of Labor and Urban Studies, on Thursday, February 14, at 7:00 p.m. in the Burchfield Penney Art Center's Tower Auditorium. This is the keynote address in a series of events in February celebrating Black History Month at Buffalo State.

Mr. Smikle is a political strategist, educator, and advocate for public service and education equity. His talk is sponsored by the college’s Equity and Campus Diversity Office and is free and open to the public.