Please join the Great Lakes Center for the seminar "Habitat Effects on the Space Use and Growth of Reef-Oriented Fish in the Gulf of Mexico" by Zy Biesinger, Ph.D., from the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences at the University of Florida, on Thursday, March 20, during Bengal Pause (12:15–1:30 p.m.) in Classroom Building B332. Students, staff, and faculty are welcome. Light refreshments will be served.

The Center for Excellence in Urban and Rural Education (CEURE) has opportunities available in two separate programs for students who are interested in working with children. The AmeriCorps Podolefsky ABLE programs provide opportunities for Buffalo State students to provide academic support and tutoring for students attending an after-school program.

In recognition of Dr. Aaron Podolefsky’s commitment to service and urban education, the Dr. Podolefsky Student Teaching Fellowship program provides opportunities for education majors (undergraduate and graduate) to gain valuable professional experience. The Dr. Podolefsky Tutoring Fellowship program provides similar opportunities for all students who have a sophomore or higher status. Students will receive an award of up to $2,100 that must be used to offset educational expenses for participating.

For more information or an application, please stop by the CEURE office in Caudell Hall 107 or contact Diane Mercuri, CEURE staff assistant, or Gina Pannozzo, Ph.D., program director, ext. 3610.

CEURE would like to thank Eleanore Woods Beals, '50, and Vaughn Beals for their generous donation and sponsorship of these programs.

The Fashion and Textile Technology Historic Costume and Textile Collection will open its new exhibit, Technology in Fashion: Synthetic Dyes, Sewing Machines, and Synthetic Fibers, on Thursday, March 13, from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. outside the exhibit case in the third floor hallway of the Technology Building. The exhibit uses historic garments from the 1860s through the 1970s to tell the story of selected technologies that have had an important contribution to fashion. For more information, please contact Arlesa Shephard, collection curator, ext. 4661.

Thank you to all students who celebrated the Year of the Teacher by sharing a personal teacher story. The Nominate a Teacher contest was open to all currently enrolled full-time Buffalo State undergraduate and graduate students, who were invited to nominate a K–12 teacher or college professor, in 200 words or less, by sharing how that individual made a positive impact on their lives. Online nomination forms were collected February 10–24. A committee reviewed the entries, and finalists have been selected for voting by the entire campus.

Now it's time for the campus community to make a choice. Voting is open Monday, March 10, through Monday, March 17. All campus students, staff, and faculty are eligible to vote. The student whose teacher receives the most votes will win an iPad mini. The nominated teacher will be honored in a ceremony hosted by the dean of education.

Cast your vote here!

This Year of the Teacher event is sponsored by the Student Life Office, the Career Development Center (CDC), and the School of Education Dean's Office. For more information, e-mail CDC director Stephanie Zuckerman-Aviles.

The Faculty Development Center, in collaboration with Turning Technologies’ Michael Howley, will present an information session on the use of clicker technology for classroom and other applications on Tuesday, March 11, from 12:15 to 1:00 p.m. in E. H. Butler Library 314. The program is open to all faculty and staff members. Please bring questions and ideas.

Registration is now open for the Conference on Instruction and Technology (CIT) 2014, scheduled for May 27–30 on the campus of Cornell University.

Registration is $200 for SUNY participants who register by Sunday, May 11. After May 11, the registration fee will increase to $250. 

SUNY FACT² will award a limited number of $100 scholarships to attend CIT.  Please refer to the SUNY FACT² Scholarships link on the CIT website for additional information and instructions on how to submit your "Statement of Interest."

Campuses that are members of the SUNY Center for Professional Development can use their points to pay for registration, workshops, and on-campus housing. Buffalo State has a limited number of points left for this year.

To register for CIT or for additional conference information, visit the CIT website and select "CIT 2014 Details." Please refer questions to your SUNY FACT² reps, Carlos Jones and Melaine Kenyon.

Hanbin Mao, associate professor of chemistry at Kent State University, will present his research talk "Lab-in-a-Trap Microanalysis" on Thursday, April 3, at 12:30 p.m. in Science Building 272. Before his talk, he will meet with Buffalo State students in Science and Math Complex 201 from 11:00 to 11:45 a.m. The abstract of his talk appears below.

This seminar series is sponsored by the Auxiliary Services Grant Allocation Committee, the Vice President for Student Affairs Office, and the Faculty-Student Association.

Abstract
By placing optical tweezers on a microfluidic chip, we developed a new microanalysis, Lab-in-a-Trap. In this method, objects with femtoliter volume are trapped by laser foci. Chemical and biochemical reactions are carried out inside this femtoreactor. Compared with regular lab-on-a-chip approaches, this method provides even smaller volume, which facilitates mixing of different components. Three examples will be discussed in this presentation. First, we investigated phase transitions of thermoresponsive macromolecules, PNIPAM. We also studied the physiologically relevant fusion process between two lipid droplets. Finally, we introduced a bead-on-a-tip temperature-control module to facilitate the investigation of kinetic and thermodynamic events in small volumes.

Note: This presentation, originally scheduled for March 13, was postponed because of inclement weather.

Students are invited to learn more about an international study opportunity in Kiev, Ukraine, during this information session on Wednesday, March 12, from 7:30 to 8:00 p.m. in Bacon Hall 209.

Contact Kimberly Kline, associate professor and chair of the Higher Education Administration Department, ext. 4855, for more information.

Hanbin Mao, associate professor of chemistry at Kent State University, will present his research talk "Lab-in-a-Trap Microanalysis" on Thursday, April 3, at 12:30 p.m. in Science Building 272. Before his talk, he will meet with Buffalo State students in Science and Math Complex 201 from 11:00 to 11:45 a.m. The abstract of his talk appears below.

This seminar series is sponsored by the Auxiliary Services Grant Allocation Committee, the Vice President for Student Affairs Office, and the Faculty-Student Association.

Abstract
By placing optical tweezers on a microfluidic chip, we developed a new microanalysis, Lab-in-a-Trap. In this method, objects with femtoliter volume are trapped by laser foci. Chemical and biochemical reactions are carried out inside this femtoreactor. Compared with regular lab-on-a-chip approaches, this method provides even smaller volume, which facilitates mixing of different components. Three examples will be discussed in this presentation. First, we investigated phase transitions of thermoresponsive macromolecules, PNIPAM. We also studied the physiologically relevant fusion process between two lipid droplets. Finally, we introduced a bead-on-a-tip temperature-control module to facilitate the investigation of kinetic and thermodynamic events in small volumes.

Note: This presentation, originally scheduled for March 13, was postponed because of possible inclement weather.

The Fashion and Textile Technology Department is proud to welcome John Crocker, business development manager for SDL Atlas Textile Testing Solutions, who will present "Why We Test Textiles" on Tuesday, March 11, during Bengal Pause (12:15–1:30 p.m.) in Technology Building 358.

Crocker has spent almost 20 years in the textile quality control industry and has experience in manufacturing, testing, and technical sales. As business development manager for SDL Atlas, he is responsible for working with customer relationships, standards development, laboratory setups, promotion of testing requirements, and installation and training for new customers. Before his promotion to business development manager, Crocker was responsible for managing agents and business in the United States and Canada, as well as aiding with promotions around the world whenever required, a position he held since joining SDL Atlas in 2004.

Crocker is an active member of several standards development organizations including AATCC, AHAM, ASTM, and ISO. Before joining SDL Atlas, he worked with Glen Raven as the lab manager, quality assurance manager, and ISO management representative. He holds a bachelor of science degree in industrial engineering from North Carolina State University.