Registration is now open for the 25th annual Conference on Instruction and Technology (CIT), which will be held Tuesday, May 31, to Friday, June 3. Hosted by SUNY Potsdam, CIT is SUNY's largest and most prominent event on instructional technology in educating, providing a forum for faculty, instructional support professionals, and policymakers to present, discuss, and explore innovative avenues for integrating technology into the teaching and learning environment.

The theme for CIT 2016, "Students at the Center: Creating and Sharing Learning Experiences," is supported by the following tracks:

• Open Educational Resources: Strategies, Advantages, and Savings for Students and Faculty in Practice
• Engaging Students: Tools and Strategies
• Inquiry: Scholarship, Discovery, and Innovation
• Student and Faculty Support: Access and Accessibility
• Going Mobile

Students at the Center focuses on the student experience and student performance. What is it like to experience different teaching strategies, styles, and methods of assessment? How have students responded to different modalities of learning (e.g., online learning, face-to-face, hybrid, and MOOC)? What additional strategies, tools, and services are students asking for, and what do they need, to stay in their courses, be engaged, and have a successful learning experience? How are evolving technology and shifting paradigms in education affecting the design and development of teaching and learning strategies? How is mobile technology transforming traditional learning spaces?

Register early and save. Registration is $200 for SUNY participants who register between now and May 15. After May 15, registration will increase to $250. Please see the list of fees.

Scholarships are available. SUNY Faculty Advisory Council on Teaching and Technology (FACT²) will award a limited number of $50 scholarships to attend CIT. 

Facilitators needed at CIT. Your assistance is needed facilitating sessions at CIT. You can select a topic you may be interested in, or facilitate for a colleague from your campus.

Danielle Precourt, a master's degree candidate in forensic science at Buffalo State, will present her thesis defense seminar, "Assessment of Calcein Dye Method to Observe Cell Volume Regulation," on Thursday, April 7, at 12:30 p.m. in Science Building 272. Light refreshments will be served before the seminar. This seminar is supported by the Faculty-Student Association. The abstract of her talk appears below.

Abstract
Cell volume regulation (CVR) is a crucial mechanism to the maintenance of homeostasis of cells under significant osmotic changes. Cells initiate a regulatory mechanism to restore to their initial volume when they are swollen or shrunken in a non-isotonic medium. Swollen cells in a hypotonic solution show decreases in cell volume by releasing osmolytes and water through a regulatory volume decrease (RVD). On the contrary, shrunken cells in a hypertonic solution exhibit a regulatory volume increase (RVI) by up-taking osmolytes and water. The whole process of CVR is difficult to understand, because we must understand both cell sensory mechanism of a volume change and complex signal pathways that eventually leads to the activation of ion channels or co-transporters. For a better understanding of CVR, it is therefore necessary to develop a method that can effectively trace changes in cell volume using a large number of cells.

Previously our lab had devised a single-cell microwell array based on photo-crosslinked hydrogel and used it to examine volume regulation of more than a hundred single cells at the same time. This highly productive analysis was made possible by tracing the changes in the fluorescence intensities of single cells in the time-lapse fluorescence micrographs, after those single cells were loaded with calcein, a volume-sensitive fluorescence dye. Others reported that the mechanism of calcein to observe for cell volume change was associated with the quenching effect of calcein by nonspecific intracellular proteins present in cytosol. Thus, when the cell swells, the fluorescence of calcein increases, because the decrease of intracellular protein concentration de-quenches the fluorescence. On the other hand, the cell shrinkage quenches the calcein fluorescence. While I tested the calcein method to trace cell volume change, I occasionally observed contradictory results, i.e., observing a decrease in fluorescence signal for the swelling cells. To understand the unusual behavior of calcein fluorescence, my research has been focused to validate the use of calcein dye in measuring cell volume change in non-isotonic solution. Here I will present my findings on the calcein method and show an alternative way of using the calcein to monitor the CVR.

Library patrons can log in to their library accounts using their Buffalo State username and password through the My Account link on the library catalog web page.

Patrons can

• view current checkouts,
• view library account balances,
• renew checked-out books,
• place holds on items that are checked out.

Patrons may also still manage their library accounts in person at the Circulation Desk or by phone at 878-6303.

Please note: Interlibrary Loan materials must still be managed via ILLiad.

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

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

Detailed descriptions of each training session (PDF) are available on the Instructional Resources website. All sessions will be held in Bulger Communication Center 104 or in a virtual webinar format.

All workshops are suitable for instructors teaching face-to-face, hybrid, or an online course. All workshop presentations will be 1 hour and is limited to 10 participants. Instructor will be available for an additional 30 minutes after the workshop for additional questions and discussion.

Please register online through the CyberQuad Workshop Registration website.

Instructional Resources is offering a three-workshop series on the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework beginning Tuesday, April 5. CoI is a theoretical framework that explains the online learning experience in terms of interactions between three overlapping presences: teaching, social, and cognitive.

This specialization comprises three workshops:

• Community of Inquiry - Teaching Presence
• Community of Inquiry - Social Presence
• Community of Inquiry - Cognitive Presence

To learn more or to register for the workshops, please visit the CyberQuad Workshop Registration system.

Instructional Resources will offer a three-course specialization certificate in Universal Design for Learning (UDL) for Buffalo State faculty and staff members.

Recognizing that diversity is the norm and not the exception, UDL considers the needs of the broadest possible range of users from the initial phases of course development through the implementation and assessment of learning goals. UDL strives to minimize barriers and maximize learning for all students. UDL principles build in support to eliminate barriers caused by the curriculum, technology, and misconceptions, keeping the challenges where they belong: on mastery of course goals.

This specialization includes three workshops:

• Introduction to Universal Design for Learning and the Affective Learning Network
• Universal Design for Learning: The Recognition Learning Network
• Universal Design for Learning: The Strategic Learning Network

Learn more and register for the workshops through the CyberQuad Workshop Registration System.

Faculty members are cordially invited to attend the inaugural Provost’s Faculty Welcome Back event on Tuesday, August 23, from noon to 3:00 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union Social Hall. Come and join your colleagues as we kick off the academic year with a lunch, followed by the provost’s address to the faculty. We will introduce new faculty members, discuss issues of interest, and celebrate recent faculty achievements. To assist us with planning, please reply and let us know if you plan to attend.

Weigel Health Promotions will host "Call Your Girlfriend," a sexual and relationship health program presented by a speaker from Planned Parenthood, on Monday, April 11, from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. in Bacon Hall 215.

Created by Planned Parenthood, the Call Your Girlfriend program is designed to help decode media and cultural influences on sex lives and relationships, as well as communication between partners. There will also be prizes and free sexual health gear!

For more information on Weigel Health Promotions and the services we offer, please visit our website, check out our newsletter, follow us on social media, and watch us in action on our Youtube channel.

Please contact Paula Madrigal, assistant director of prevention and health promotions, 878-4719, for more information.

Weigel Health Promotions will host an Opiate Overdose Workshop through Horizon Health Services on Monday, April 18, from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. in Ketchum Hall 219.

Prescription opiate and heroin addiction is a serious concern in Western New York and the nation as a whole. Horizon Health Services offers trainings on Narcan, a drug used to reverse the effects of opiate overdose and give victims a chance at survival. This workshop will cover how to identify if a user is in active overdose, how to administer Narcan, and how to get victims the help they need.

For more information on Weigel Health Promotions programs, please visit our website, check out our newsletter, follow us on social media, and watch us in action on our Youtube channel!

Please contact Paula Madrigal, assistant director of prevention and health promotions, 878-4719, with questions or concerns.

Weigel Health Promotions will host a sexual assault forensic examiner (SAFE) from Erie County Crisis Services on Thursday, April 14, from 11:00 a.m. to noon in Ketchum Hall 106. The examiner will discuss the role she plays in cases of sexual assault, as well as the entire process of what can be expected when an individual elects to complete a SAFE Kit following a sexual assault.

For more information on Weigel Health Promotions and the services we offer, please visit our website, check out our newsletter, follow us on social media, and watch us in action on our Youtube channel.

Please contact Paula Madrigal, assistant director of prevention and health promotions, 878-4719, for more information.