Eligible adult children of NYSHIP enrollees may enroll in the Young Adult Option, and current Young Adult Option enrollees may switch plans during the Option Transfer Period. The Young Adult Option allows adult children under the age of 30 to purchase their own NYSHIP coverage at the full-share individual rate. Coverage applies only to medical benefits. Enrollment in the NYS dental and vision plan is not available through this benefit.

For additional information on the Young Adult Option, visit www.cs.ny.gov/yao.

Note: Young adult children of NYSHIP enrollees are eligible to continue coverage as dependents under the enrollees' family coverage up to age 26.

Don't miss out. Discover a world of handcrafted items just perfect for holiday gifts or gracing your home or office. Held in the Czurles-Nelson Gallery in Upton Hall, the Student Art Sale begins tomorrow, December 3, from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and reopens Thursday, December 4, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Come early for the best selection. Thank you for supporting our students.

If you have any questions, please contact Carol Townsend, ext. 4986.

Attention, faculty, staff, and students: January Orientation is scheduled for Thursday, January 22, 2015. More information is available on the Orientation website.

The 2014–2015 "Conversations in and out of the Disciplines" series for the fall semester concludes Friday, December 5, as Jennifer Hunt, associate professor of psychology and coordinator of the women and gender studies program, presents "On Princesses, (Super)power, and Patriarchy: How 'Princess Culture' Influences Gender Ideologies, Relationship Beliefs, and Career Choices—and Why Superheroes Just Might Be Able to Save the Day" at 3:00 p.m. in Ketchum Hall 320.

A short, informal wine-and-cheese reception will be held after the talk. Everyone is welcome.

We are also pleased to announce that Amy McMillan, associate professor of biology; M. Scott Goodman, department chair and associate professor of chemistry; Carolyn Guzski, assistant professor of music; and Timothy Bryant, assistant professor of English, will share their work in the spring (dates TBA).

Catlin Johnson, a master's degree candidate in forensic science at Buffalo State, will present the literature seminar "Science Underlying the Coffee-Ring" at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, December 4, in Classroom Building B119. Light refreshments will be served before the seminar. The Chemistry-Physics Seminar Series is supported by the Faculty-Student Association. This presentation was rescheduled from November 20.

Abstract
When a liquid drop containing dispersed solids dries on a solid surface, the particles are deposited leaving a ring-like stain. This phenomenon was known as the “coffee-ring” effect and successfully explained by Deegan et al. for the first time. They found that the coffee-ring is formed when particles are accumulated at the edge of a droplet by an outward capillary flow to replenish the loss of a solvent occurring at a liquid-air interface. Two important conditions should be met for the coffee-ring effect to occur during the solvent evaporation: (1) Marangoni flow, a flow created by a surface tension gradient, should be weak; (2) the contact line of a droplet on a surface should be pinned.

Since the coffee-ring effect causes problems when a formation of homogeneous deposits is necessary, recent research has been focused on suppressing and controlling the coffee-ring effect.2-5 These could be achieved in several different ways by loosening either one of the two conditions of the coffee-ring effect mentioned above. Adding a surface active agent to a droplet or evaporating an aqueous droplet in the presence of ethanol vapor effectively creates the Marangoni flow that circulates particles in a droplet, thus counteracting the formation of a coffee-ring. Others have recently reported that the coffee-ring effect can be suppressed by controlling the critical angle hysteresis (CAH) of a surface. They showed de-pinning the contact line of a droplet could eliminate the formation of a ring-shape deposit. The pinning and de-pinning behavior of a droplet was closely associated with the CAH of a surface. Additionally, it is reported that the shape of the suspended particles can control the coffee-ring effect. Ellipsoidal particles displayed uniform deposition after the solvent evaporation. Long-range interparticle interactions prevent dense packing of particles, which reduces the accumulation of particles at the edge of a droplet. Recent study further shows that the coffee-ring effect can be dynamically controlled by using a light-responsive surface-active agent.

The coffee-ring effect is a complicated phenomenon that involves surface, air-solvent interface, particles, and solvent. A better understanding of its science will provide useful insights to the applications that require the deposition of a colloid solution on a surface.

The Barnes & Noble at Buffalo State Bookstore will host its annual Holiday Sale on Thursday, December 4, from 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Enjoy music by Andrea Guiati, director of the Muriel A. Howard Honors Program, and take advantage of a special offer of 25 percent savings throughout the store. Photographer Mark Donnelly will sign copies of his book Celebrating Buffalo's Waterfront from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served. Please join us.

A recent update in Degree Works software has made it necessary for some users to clear the Internet cache of their browser before they can fully load an audit sheet. These instructions can be found on the Registrar's website (PDF).

The Speech-Language Pathology Department will host a fundraising event at Red Robin today, December 1, from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. Bring your friends and family for a great dinner and enjoy networking with SLP professionals. Red Robin will donate 10 percent of the proceeds from the event to the SLP Graduate Alumni Scholarship Fund.

Please view the flier (PDF) that you will need to print out and bring with you to the event. Feel free to give a second flier to a friend. Guests need to have only one flier per table.

Critique and Evaluation Period (CEP) week is rapidly approaching, and staff members in the Disability Services Office would like to make sure this hectic time of year goes smoothly for both students and faculty. Because of the sheer number of exams that are processed through the Disability Services Office during CEP week, it is critical that both faculty and students receiving accommodations follow the process outlined by the office.

Step 1: Students should notify Disability Services of the time and date of their scheduled exam.

Step 2: Students must fill in the top portion of a test cover sheet, which they will then give to their instructor to complete. Instructors return the test cover sheet to Disability Services.

Step 3: Instructors must, via the test cover sheet or e-mail, provide Disability Services with the following information: name of student, course number, time and date of exam, instructions for proctor.

Instructors please note: If a student is taking an exam at a time other than that listed on the exam schedule, you must communicate that information to the office staff. If Disability Services does not have direct confirmation from you in some form (e-mail, phone call, test cover sheet) authorizing the student to take the exam at an alternative time, the student will not be allowed to take the final exam in our office and will need to make other arrangements with their instructor. A verbal confirmation from the student is not sufficient. 

We appreciate your cooperation. Please call us at ext. 4500 if you have any questions or concerns.

On behalf of the International Student Advisory Council, the campus community is cordially invited to attend the 22nd annual end-of-year International Reception on Thursday, December 4, from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. in Butler Library 210.

Father Patrick J. Zengierski, director of the Newman Center, has demonstrated an admirable commitment to supporting, advising, and guiding international students and scholars during their stay at Buffalo State.

Looking forward to seeing all of you there.