Top five things to know about...the Institutional Review Board (IRB) process:

1. All researchers (student, faculty, or staff) and anyone supervising student researchers must complete ethics training before receiving IRB approval.
2. The SUNY RF Pre-Award and Compliance System (PACS) is a multiyear collaborative project implemented through the Huron Research Suite to support principal investigators, students, and compliance and research administration staff members with business processes. The IRB module provides a streamlined way for researchers to create and submit protocols for studies involving human subjects. The work instructions and templates are located on Sponsored Programs website. A revised template for IRB submissions was created in June 2017. Please use the new version.
3. All protocols are submitted electronically except the Department Level Review. The student (or faculty member, in the case of laboratory assignments) completes the Department Level Review template and submits this to the departmental representative to the IRB.
4. Faculty and staff members log in to the SUNY RF Pre-Award and Compliance System (PACS) with their campus usernames and passwords, and students must register for a SUNY PACS account.
5. When all the required fields are completed and the documents are uploaded, click the FINISH button at either the top or bottom right of the last SmartForm page to be redirected to the study workspace, and then click the SUBMIT button on the left side of the workspace. Researchers must click both the FINISH and the SUBMIT buttons in order to submit the study to the IRB. Please allow at least two weeks after the submission date for the review process. 

The “Top Five Things to Know About…” series is sponsored by the Teaching and Learning Center. If you’d like to contribute to the series, please e-mail John Draeger, TLC director.

Please join us for an information session about the Institutional Review Board process at Buffalo State on Thursday, November 1, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in Chase Hall 109.

Before the review process, researchers must be sure that their project is, in fact, research with human participants as defined by the federal government. To qualify as research with human participants, the following must be true: (1) The participants must be living. Thus, oral history projects fall under the guidelines, but research involving diaries kept in the 1800s does not. (2) The project is a systematic investigation; that is, it is designed to be a study. For example, instances in classrooms where teachers ask students’ opinions on the material to gauge progress are not research; however, if that same teacher designs a study to evaluate two methods of teaching the material to see which is more effective, this would be research if the third criterion is met. (3) The project is designed to contribute to the generalized knowledge. To qualify as research, the person conducting the project must intend for it to be disseminated at some level. On our campus, we also review student projects that may not be disseminated but that meet the first two criteria so that our students will learn the process of research with human participants and because we have contracted with the federal government to do so.

The session will be facilitated by Jill Norvilitis, professor of psychology, and Gina Game, compliance administrator. Light snacks will be provided. Please register through the Workshop Registration System.

Every three years, Butler Library kindly asks the Buffalo State community to participate in the LibQUAL+ service quality survey. The 2018 survey opens today, October 22, and runs through Monday, November 19. Please spend just 10 minutes completing the survey. That's all it takes for your voice to be heard. Please encourage students to participate in the survey, too.

Your contribution will make a difference to the library, so please tell us what you like and what you think needs changing—but please tell us. Your feedback will guide our strategic planning initiatives and help us determine what changes and improvements to make in how we serve you. If you include your e-mail address, you will be eligible to win one of 30 prizes valued at roughly $15 each.

Thank you very much for your participation.

Please contact Eugene J. Harvey, assessment and reference Librarian, 878-3138, with questions.

Students can now view their registration start date or timeticket under "Registration Status" in Banner self-service. The registration start date for continuing undergraduate freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors is based on earned credit hours only. Students should not include or count their "in progress" credit hours they are taking for fall 2018. Registration begins at 6:00 a.m. on the assigned date and is then continuous. Registration start dates will be from October 31 to November 12 inclusive.

Students are strongly encouraged to view any holds they may have. Holds should be resolved at least two working days before the student intends to register. Additional hold information (PDF, 209 KB) is available on the Registrar's Office website.

Students can search for January/Spring 2019 courses. They can see course listings by searching directly in Banner under "Look Up Classes."

Continuing students registered for fall 2018 are expected to register for spring 2019 during the registration start dates from October 31 to November 12 or within two weeks thereafter. Please encourage all students to register early to secure their desired schedule.

Students should be reminded to meet with an adviser in their major now to review what courses they should take to stay on track for graduation. Department contact information can be found online. All undergraduates are encouraged to register for at least 15 credit hours each semester to assist them with graduating in four years.

Composition courses "College Writing I" and "College Writing II" are listed as CWP101 and CWP102 respectively. To find them in Banner, go to "Look Up Classes" and under "Subject" select "College Writing Program."

All student should be encouraged to use Schedule Planner, an easy-to-use online tool that makes schedule planning and registration easier.

Students can reference the Registration Tool Kit page on the Registrar's Office website for additional information.

The campus community is invited to participate in the second of five weekly online raffles in support of the 2018 SEFA campaign. This week's prize is a $100 gift card to Wegmans. To participate, simply click on the SEFA/United Way Raffle Tickets website and follow the prompts. From the "Select Raffle Week" drop-down menu, please choose "Raffle No. 2 - October 22–26." The winner will be selected on October 29 and notified by e-mail. Please contact campaign co-chair Tom Koller, senior associate athletics director, 878-6514, with questions.

Lee Ann Grace, associate professor emerita, and Howard Henry will present "Aid at Our Southwest Border: Creating a Just Community," on Monday, October 22, 7:00 at p.m. in Bulger Communication Center 422 (East 2) as part of the Modern and Classical Languages’ World Language Advantage Series.

The speakers will present on nearly three decades of collaboration with Frontera de Cristo on the Arizona-Sonora border. Learn how a $20,000 loan created dozens of jobs in Mexico and how a host of religious and secular organizations on both sides of the border are working together to create a more just community. Cosponsored by the Western New York Peace Center’s Latin American Solidarity Committee.

Please join the Biology Department and the Great Lakes Center today, October 22, for the seminar "Biomechanics of Establishing Asymmetries during Embryo Development," presented by Jeffrey Amack, associate professor in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology at SUNY Upstate Medical University, from 3:00 to 4:15 p.m. in Bulger Communication Center 424 (West 2). All students, staff, and faculty are welcome.

Abstract
Vital internal organs develop asymmetries along the left-right (LR) body axis. Disruption of this LR asymmetry can result in a broad spectrum of birth defects. Evidence from several vertebrates (human, mouse, frog, and zebra fish) indicates an embryonic structure referred to as the "left-right organizer" (LRO) activates signals that guide asymmetric organ development. However, the mechanisms that control form and function of the LRO are poorly understood. We are using mathematical models and in vivo experiments in zebra fish embryos to identify biochemical signals and mechanical forces that influence LRO function and organ development.

Please join the Biology Department and the Great Lakes Center for the seminar "Biomechanics of Establishing Asymmetries during Embryo Development," presented by Jeffrey Amack, associate professor in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology at SUNY Upstate Medical University, on Monday, October 22, from 3:00 to 4:15 p.m. in Bulger Communication Center 424 (West 2). All students, staff, and faculty are welcome.

Abstract
Vital internal organs develop asymmetries along the left-right (LR) body axis. Disruption of this LR asymmetry can result in a broad spectrum of birth defects. Evidence from several vertebrates (human, mouse, frog, and zebra fish) indicates an embryonic structure referred to as the "left-right organizer" (LRO) activates signals that guide asymmetric organ development; however, the mechanisms that control form and function of the LRO are poorly understood. We are using mathematical models and in vivo experiments in zebra fish embryos to identify biochemical signals and mechanical forces that influence LRO function and organ development.

The campus community is invited to a retirement celebration for Renee Conners-Wilkins, articulation adviser in the Admissions Office, on Wednesday, October 24, from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. in Moot Hall 110.

Renee has been with Buffalo State and the Admissions Office for over 10 years. During that time, she has made great strides in easing the transition for transfer students by working closely with faculty, staff, and students, both at Buffalo State and at our partner community colleges. Renee has also been actively involved in committees on campus and within the NYSTAA organization. Please stop by to thank Renee for her service and to wish her well in her retirement. Her last day is October 26.

Members of the Economics and Finance Department will present the panel discussion "The Lehman Brothers Bankruptcy and Global Financial Crisis: 10 Years After" on Thursday, October 25, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in Bulger Communication Center 422 (East 2).

On September 15, 2008, Lehman Brothers investment bank declared bankruptcy, sparking a global financial contagion and crisis. Ten years later, are we any safer? Can it happen again? Panelists will address the causes and consequences of the crisis, the current state of financial markets, the impact on U.S. households, and the current state of the Dodd-Frank financial regulations. Panelists include Ted Byrley, Bruce Fisher, Joelle Leclaire, and Ted Schmidt.