A grant from Google has been awarded to faculty members Sarbani Banerjee, Neal Mazur, and Ramona Santa Maria of the Computer Information Systems Department to host a three-day CS4HS (Computer Science for High School) workshop June 28–30 for in-service teachers from Western New York high schools. With the goal of broadening participation in computing, participating teachers will learn various concepts of computer science and strategies for attracting students to computing. If you know of any in-service high school mathematics, science, or technology teachers who might be interested in attending, please encourage them to visit the CS4HS website and register for the 2016 workshop.

The Small Business Development Center will present "Survive and Thrive: Essentials for Starting Your Own Business," a workshop covering all the essential information needed to start a business, on Tuesday, June 21, from 8:30 a.m. until noon in the Burchfield Penney Art Center (second floor). Specific topics will include creating a business plan; competition analysis; and tax, legal, and insurance issues. The workshop is free for Buffalo State College faculty, staff, students, and alumni and U.S. military veterans and $20 for all others.

Registration will take place immediately before the workshop, from 8:00 to 8:30 a.m. To register in advance, please call the SBDC at 878-4030.

The Burchfield Penney Art Center at Buffalo State is pleased to host the launch of living legacy artist and Buffalo State alumnus Richard Kegler’s new book, The Aries Press of Eden, New York, published by RIT Press, on M&T Second Friday, June 10, at 6:00 p.m. in the center’s Collection Study Gallery.

In the book, Kegler, a typographer, printer, and print historian, uncovers an almost lost history of the Aries Press. The book includes a foreword by Burchfield Penney executive director Anthony Bannon.

“The goal of the book is to tell the story of a curious chapter in a long history of printing and independent publishing,” Kegler said. “There are many connections to renowned figures in the art, printing, and typographic worlds of the 1920s, and others may have an interest in this story, as well as knowing about all the materials produced by the press during its short lifespan.”

Spencer Kellogg Jr., a businessman and book designer, founded the Aries Press in Eden, New York, during the 1920s with a vision to produce high-quality book designs. Kellogg hired talented workers with a passion for printing, including a craftsman connected to the nearby Roycroft campus. He also commissioned type designer Frederic Goudy to create a typeface for Aries Press. While the press was only open for four years, it produced many fine standard-setting examples of printing.

In 1926, the first book printed at the Aries Press, The Ghost Ship, by Richard Middleton, was named one of the 50 best-designed books by the American Institute of Graphic Arts. To uphold the high-quality printing values of a private press, no more than 300 copies of a book were printed.

The Aries Press was also known for its connections to William Morris, Rockwell Kent, and Bruce Rogers. Kellogg purchased his printing press from Frederic Goudy. It was later known as the Kelmscott/Goudy Albion Press and was acquired by the Cary Graphic Arts Collection in 2013.

Printers, print historians, and typographers will enjoy the Aries Press story, as will anyone with an interest in Western New York history. The colorful examples highlighted in Kegler’s book provide inspiration for today’s contemporary designers.

The Great Lakes Center is pleased to release its Spring 2016 newsletter (PDF, 2.7 MB). This issue has a special focus on the 50th anniversary of the GLC, and we also say goodbye to Subodh Kumar, senior researcher in the Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Lab, and some of our graduate students.

If you'd like to be on the mailing list for future editions of the newsletter, please send an e-mail to greatlakes@buffalostate.edu with the subject "Newsletter mailing list add."

The Western New York Chapter of the American Meteorological Society will sponsor the fourth of its spring 2016 seminar presentations, "An Overview of the New York State Mesonet," by Jerald Brotzge, program manager of the NYS Mesonet, on Tuesday, June 21, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. in Classroom Building A209. Parking permits will be distributed in Lot I-37.

The NYS Mesonet is a statewide network of 125 weather stations designed to facilitate real-time weather monitoring. At least one station is located in every county and borough of New York. Data will be used by the National Weather Service, emergency management, state utilities, ground transportation, aviation, and education. Aside from routine weather parameters, 20 of the sites will also measure snow water equivalent (SWE), and 17 of the stations will measure vertical profiles of wind speed and direction, temperature, and moisture. This presentation will provide a general overview of the network, the installation schedule, and long-term plans for expansion.

Brotzge received his doctorate in 2000 from the the University of Oklahoma, working under Kenneth Crawford, director of the Oklahoma Mesonet.

Please join us for "Youth Development and Marginalization of People with Disabilities in Burma," presented by Ye Win, social justice activist from Burma (Myanmar), Today, May 31, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Buffalo State Community Academic Center, 214 Grant Street.

Ye Win is a co-founder of the I-School Myanmar, which advocates transparency and accountability during Burma's democratic transition. He conducts trainings on civic education, information and communication technology, and citizen journalism for social and political activists. In 2013, he was invited by the U.S. and Malaysian governments to attend the Global Start-Up Youth Camp and Global Entrepreneurship Summit as Burma's representative.

Ye Win graduated from university in 2004 and founded a private engineering school. In 2007, he participated in the Saffron Revolution and, following his arrest, was held as a political prisoner for two years. After his release in 2010, Ye Win co-founded the Myanmar Youth Network, which sponsors youth activities and development.

As a person with disabilities, Ye Win also advocates policies to advance the rights of disabled people, who suffer widespread discrimination and marginalization from mainstream society.

The following Blackboard training sessions and workshops will be held in June:

Blackboard Learn 9.1: Collaboration Tools
Blackboard Learn 9.1: Student Performance and Retention Center
Blackboard Learn 9.1: Enterprise Surveys

Detailed descriptions of each training session (PDF, 197 KB) are available on the Instructional Resources website. All sessions will be held in Butler Library 316 (please note room change) or in a virtual webinar format.

All workshops are suitable for instructors teaching face-to-face, hybrid, or online courses. All workshop presentations will be one hour and are limited to 10 participants. The instructor will be available for an additional 30 minutes after each workshop for additional questions and discussion.

Please register online through the CyberQuad Workshop Registration website.

Device certificates required to connect to the Bengal Secure wireless network on campus expired Tuesday, May 24, 2016. To continue to connect to the wireless network, you must re-enroll your devices. To re-enroll a device, please visit the RITE Secure Wireless landing page. Additional information for i-Phone users is available on the Butler Library website. If you have re-enrolled since Tuesday, no further action is required.

Please contact the RITE Support Desk, 878-4357, for assistance with the re-enrollment process.

Are you wondering if you are saving enough for your retirement? Michael Spogli from TIAA will be on campus for individual consultations with faculty and staff members in Butler Library 210B on Wednesday, June 22, and Thursday, June 23.

Spogli will help you understand which investments can help you meet your financial goals and help you determine how much you should save. You can also use a retirement planning tool to stay on track. Schedule an appointment to meet with him to learn about strategies that can help you make the most out of the money you've saved.

Appointments are required. All appointments are between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

Schedule an appointment on June 22.
Schedule an appointment on June 23.

Or call (800) 732-8353 to arrange an appointment by phone. Schedule today!

Call for Proposals - AFP 2016: 'Engage. Lead. Improve the World.'

The call for proposals is still open for the eighth annual Anne Frank Project, "Engage. Lead. Improve the World," to be held on campus September 28 and 29. Please submit your proposal by Wednesday, June 1.

Think of the theme as an equation: Engagement + Leadership = Improving the World. If we use our unique skills to bring people together and build community, we foster leadership and a commitment to making our world a better place. At AFP 2016, we are interested in learning and practicing how you engage, lead, and improve the world.

Submit your proposal.

AFP’s annual social justice festival is an experiential exchange of ideas with a focus on processing theory into practice. We seek diverse performances, workshops, and exhibits that actively engage participants in kinesthetic learning opportunities and connect to the theme, AFP's mission, and the life and work of Anne Frank.

For more information, please review highlights from past festivals or contact Eve Everette, AFP assistant director and festival curator, 878-5559.