Buffalo will host the 2009 North American James Joyce Conference, a five-day biennial symposium attended by Joyce scholars from around the world, June 13–17. Laurence Shine, lecturer of English at Buffalo State, is conference co-chair.

Shine, who joined Buffalo State in 1981, is a Dublin native and Joyce scholar. He said that Buffalo’s abundance of architecture, art, and theater—as well as the University at Buffalo’s James Joyce Collection, the world’s most comprehensive archive of Joyce literary artifacts and personal belongings—makes the city an ideal location for the symposium.

Dubbed “Eire on the Erie,” the symposium combines scholarly presentations and community events. James Hamm, professor of art conservation, and David Ben-Merre, assistant professor of English, are among the presenters. Hamm will discuss conservation concerns about the James Joyce Collection, and Ben-Merre will discuss Joyce’s letters.

Unveiled at the symposium will be nine Joyce family portraits that were restored by Buffalo State’s Art Conservation Department. The portraits, part of UB’s collection, will later travel to locations around the country.

The symposium also takes place during the 105th anniversary of Bloomsday, June 16, the day when Leopold Bloom, the fictional character in Joyce’s Ulysses,walked the streets of Dublin. Shine calls Bloomsday the world’s “only global literary festival.” Bloomsday Buffalo, the local version of the celebration, will include music, food, drinks, and Irish dancing at the Pearl Street Grill and Brewery and the Shea’s Smith Theatre. This is the 12th consecutive year for the Buffalo festival.

Symposium activities on Monday, June 15, will take place at the Burchfield Penney Art Center at Buffalo State College.

Shine considers Joyce “the best writer of the twentieth century.” He believes that Joyce’s works will shape the future of the English language.

“Joyce writes about the modern situation and weaves it in a tapestry with the history of civilization,” he said. “His works give meaning to life. He discusses the significance of everyone’s thoughts and successfully connects the most universal of things to the most particular.”

Shine hopes a successful North American conference will lead to Buffalo as a future choice for the International James Joyce Symposium. Otherwise, he is thrilled that Buffalo is on the “same plane” as Dublin, Paris, and Zurich as a global destination for Joyce scholars.

“Buffalo is a center of the Joyce universe,” Shine said. “Joyce is part of Buffalo’s future in tourism, and it’s only going to get bigger.”

The Center for Excellence in Urban and Rural Education (CEURE) will host a summer symposium on culturally relevant education in urban and rural schools on Saturday, June 6, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in Bulger Communication Center. Four outside scholars will lead discussions and breakout sessions for an anticipated group of more than 100 local teachers and administrators.

Kathy Wood, associate professor of elementary education and reading and director of CEURE, and Paul Theobald, professor and Woods-Beals Endowed Chair of CEURE, are excited about the symposium and have wanted to organize such an event for many years. They hope participants will learn how to amend lessons in order to better teach material to students.

“The symposium is a good way to connect the ‘urban’ and the ‘rural,’” Theobald said. “Participants will be able to think deeply about the differences and similarities teachers experience in their work lives. We plan to make this symposium as interactive as possible, and hope that what teachers can take away from this is the knowledge that teaching becomes more relevant and less of a chore when the curriculum is focused around the lives of students.”

Geneva Gay, professor of education at the University of Washington, will deliver the lunchtime keynote. She and Tyrone Howard, associate professor of urban schooling at the University of California, Los Angles, will serve as experts on urban schools. Aimee Howley, associate dean for research and graduate studies, and Craig Howley, associate professor of educational studies, both at Ohio University, will serve as experts on rural schools. Symposium participants will receive complimentary copies of the speakers’ books.

“The experts can help teachers make more sophisticated assessments of what they’re observing in the classroom,” Theobald said.

Theobald also said the symposium can benefit any faculty member at Buffalo State. “Anyone who is concerned about how a discipline is taught in urban and rural classrooms can benefit from attending the symposium,” he said.

Wood said teacher candidate supervisors on campus have asked for ways to gain further understanding about urban and rural environments. She hopes to make the symposium a tradition at Buffalo State.

The first 100 teachers to register will receive a $75 stipend. Faculty and staff are encouraged to attend this free event and register by tomorrow. Contact Diane Mercuri, staff assistant, CEURE, at 878-3610.

Louis Colca, associate professor of social work, relies on support from community organizations to interact with foster children for research and service to the region. But a local resource—the College and Community Partnerships minigrant—helped him foster lasting partnerships with agencies while also helping foster youth to excel in computer and social skills.

Colca, one of the first faculty members to apply for and be awarded a CCP minigrant, received two: $500 in 2007 and $800 last year.

He used the first toward a computer literacy program he developed called “Focus on Youth,” which trains adolescents how to work with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Together with the Center for Development of Human Services (CDHS), Child and Family Services, the Erie County Department of Social Services, and Global Village Therapeutic Foster Care, Colca provided a computer and training classes for each child.

In conjunction with Erie Community College’s Career Development Program, Colca applied his second minigrant toward a 10-month program for foster teens from the Erie County Department of Social Services and Berkshire Farm Center and Services for Youth. The teens performed teambuilding exercises, participated in an etiquette dinner at Campus House, and took part in 20 hours of career-development classes. The minigrant primarily provided funds to transport the youths to various sites for a variety of new experiences and to Buffalo State, where they gained exposure to life on campus.

Colca worked with about a dozen youths in each program. He believes the programs will have long-term benefits as well. He thinks some of the teens might eventually choose to attend Buffalo State, and that the programs help bolster the college’s image and its connections with local agencies.

The programs also allow some of Colca’s undergraduate students to participate in independent study. “The experience becomes a talking point in class,” he said. “Our students say the observation and participation is one of their best learning experiences because they get to directly see how to engage with foster children and foster families.”

Colca believes that while foster children are often at high risk for delinquent behavior, activities like those supported by the minigrants result in strong bonds of support between the youths. He said that three of the teens so far have successfully applied for paid internships as a result of skills they learned during the 10-month program.

“Foster children need a strong peer group,” he said. “Many need support to get through the perceived stigma associated with foster care. Our programs are just one of many factors that help them mature, but they make a difference.”

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Sociology faculty members are very excited about the renovated human interactions lab in their department. “The more we familiarize ourselves with the lab,” said Thomas S. Weinberg, professor of sociology, “the more ideas we come up with for using it.”

The new human interactions lab is a three-room suite consisting of a classroom, an equipment room, and the lab proper. The project is within the footprint of the old lab; all three rooms underwent substantial renovation. The classroom was enlarged slightly and converted to a smart classroom. The equipment room houses a new SONY TriCaster production system that controls cameras in the lab as well as sound and video recording. The equipment can also be used for editing. Innovative furnishings enable all students in the equipment room to observe the screens and control board.

The lab itself contains a table and chairs at one end. At the other end, four comfortable chairs and a small sofa cluster around a coffee table. It looks like a television studio set up for intimate on-camera interviews—which was the intention. Three small digital cameras, which can sweep over and zoom into their viewing areas, are fastened unobtrusively high up on the wall.

David Ross, chief television engineer with Instructional Resources, provided extensive technical assistance. “With the new classroom being a smart classroom,” he said, “we were able to connect output from the equipment room to the classroom.” This enables an entire class to observe a real-time small-group interaction together. To meet budget specifications as well as the department’s desire for small, unobtrusive, and quiet cameras, Ross adapted surveillance cameras for use in the lab.

“Dave was invaluable,” said Weinberg. “He guided us through every step of selecting and integrating the equipment.”

A human interactions lab is a necessity because sociology is the study of human interactions, whether those interactions are within a family or between cultures. Learning how to observe and analyze small-group interactions is a valuable tool for sociology students, enabling them to develop the skills necessary as they pursue careers or graduate work.

“The lab will give students tremendous opportunities to do research,” said Timothy McCorry, assistant professor of sociology. “The lab is comfortable, so people will be more relaxed, and students will be able to act as interviewers, participants, or observers with better results.”

Students will also be able to improve their skills at conducting research interviews, a tool necessary for practicing sociologists. “Whether a student goes on to conduct ethnographic research or to work in marketing research collecting data from focus groups,” said Weinberg, “this lab will help them develop professional-grade skills.” Students will be able to see themselves on video and learn from critiquing each other’s interviews in class.

Besides using the lab for studying group dynamics, faculty members and students will use the equipment room to edit video taken in other classes. “Our students in applied sociology classes have already used the Adobe Premier Pro software to edit a video we shot in the field,” said Gary Welborn, associate professor. “We hope to shoot more videos, because leaders in the refugee communities use them to show newcomers how to use American kitchens, Laundromats, and similar facilities.”

Weinberg said the lab can also be used to replicate some classic sociological research, such as the famous Asch conformity experiments. “Conducting research, observing small-group dynamics, and editing videos are just the beginning,” said Weinberg.

The third time will likely be a charm—on an international scale—for the newest edition of Learning to Think Things Through: A Guide to Critical Thinking across the Curriculum, by Gerald Nosich, professor of philosophy and humanities. That’s because publisher Prentice Hall’s decision to offer a third edition is based on demand from universities around the globe. The book has been translated into Arabic, Chinese, and Spanish.

Nosich is regarded as an expert in the study of critical thinking and has studied the discipline since the late 1970s. He regularly presents workshops on critical thinking across campus andaround the world.

Nosich hopes all students, through critical thinking, can better appreciate the disciplines they are studying and see their connections to everyday life.

“My intent is to help people think through things instead of using memorization or re-forming existing information,” he said. “It’s easy to lose sight of the forest for the trees. For example, there are lots of facts one needs to learn when taking a course in biology, but the central question of the course to keep in mind is ‘How does life work?’”

The third edition of Learning to Think Things Throughincludes a new section on critical writing. Before writers begin to write, Nosich said, they should think more deeply about where they came up with an idea for a topic.

He also incorporates the SEE-I model for the first time in this edition. Nosich thinks SEE-I—which stands for “state, elaborate, exemplify, illustrate”—is a strong way to truly understand a topic.

A fourth edition of the book is already in the works, Nosich said. He plans to gear it more toward teachers by including a section on how to assess critical thinking. As each edition grows, however, he said it is becoming more difficult to decide which parts to cut.

Nosich wrote Reasons and Arguments in 1982 and published the first edition of Learning to Think Things Through in 2000. He said he has also considered writing a book about intellectual traits—or what he calls “knowing your biases and knowing what you don’t know.”

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The college’s new research vessel was christened the RVJohn J. Freidhoff on Tuesday in memory of Capt. John J. Freidhoff, who lost his life in a tragic diving accident in 2007. Freidhoff—known affectionately as Captain John—served as the college’s field station manager and boat captain from 1994 until his death.

He was also a lieutenant commander with the United States Coast Guard Reserve, which took the lead in the naming ceremony.

As more than a hundred guests looked on, chief boatswain’s mate Ralph Kring of the Coast Guard introduced Cmdr. Sean O’Brien, who spoke of Freidhoff as a man who made things happen. “This vessel,” he said, “will remind us of John, and give us the chance to tell others who he was, what he did, and why this ship is named after him.”

President Muriel A. Howard said the presence of so many people at the Great Lakes Field Station “fulfilled one of John’s dreams.” She credited him with helping to make the Field Station a community facility. She thanked the Buffalo State College Research Foundation for making it possible to purchase the new research vessel, saying, “To protect the Great Lakes, we must understand them.”

Congressman Brian Higgins said Freidhoff’s legacy will live on in the Congressional Record, into which Higgins will read an account of Freidhoff’s service that states, in part, “[Freidhoff was]…a selfless, hardworking, charitable man…. As this vessel sails, Captain John’s legacy lives.”

Capt. Jeffrey Ogden of the U.S. Coast Guard spoke of the traditions that have been associated with launching new vessels for at least 4,000 years before announcing, “For the good of all those who endeavor to protect the waters of the Great Lakes, I hereby place the research vesselJohn J. Freidhoff in commission.”

Capt. Caleb Basiliko, research fleet manager and ship’s captain, is a former student of Freidhoff’s. He said Freidhoff was good at “seeing what people needed to learn, and teaching it to them.” He presented Freidhoff’s wife and children with a plaque commemorating the commissioning of the John J. Freidhoff, noting that the research vessel is already scheduled to work almost every day of the 2009 season.

The John J. Freidhoff was custom-built as a replacement for the 38-year-old RV Pisces, which experienced catastrophic engine failure in early 2008. Because of repair cost and the Pisces’s age, the Great Lakes Center decided to purchase a new vessel that would not only replace the Pisces but also expand the fleet’s capabilities.

They found it in the $118,000 Workskiff, which was custom-built to the specifications of Basiliko and other members of the Great Lakes Center team. The all-aluminum 27-foot sampling boat has speeds up to 36 knots (about 40 mph), although, said Basiliko, “We will never go that fast.” However, the speed will enable researchers to cover more distance in a day, especially useful when collecting samples over a wide area.

Basiliko said the boat features a stable, versatile platform that will be safe in most weather experienced on Lake Erie. With twin 150-horsepower Honda outboard engines, it can be used safely in the Niagara River’s powerful current. It can be launched in shallow water using readily accessible launches. The walk-through cabin can seat six people, and the vessel features a self-bailing deck and a removable dive door.

The John J. Freidhoff can be hauled via trailer, an important asset because it is often much faster to transport the vessel by land than by water, which results in more time available for on-board research.

The center’s research efforts include monitoring invasive species, assessing how land use affects water quality, tracking lake and watershed carbon and nitrogen dynamics, and documenting the effects of global climate change on Lake Erie and its plant and animal life. This summer, the John J. Freidhoff will be used by Great Lakes Center personnel as well as research scientists, faculty members, and graduate and undergraduate students.

During the commissioning ceremony, Rev. Steven Ridge’s closing remarks included the hope that the vessel would “unlock the wonders of the deep to those who sail it.” The Buffalo State College Great Lakes Center is looking forward to making as much use as possible of the John J.

The Buffalo State Mock Trial team took part in the Finger Lakes Regional Mock Trial Tournament held at Syracuse University in February. “We did better than we did last year,” said team coach Jon Lines, lecturer in the political science department.

Until last year, it had been several years since the college fielded a mock trial team. The new team came about when Laurie Buonanno, chair and professor of political science, and the pre-law committee wanted to increase opportunities for students interested in pursuing a law degree.

“To join the Mock Trial team, students can be any class rank and any major,” said Lines. “No matter what a student goes on to do, the skills learned from being on the team will be useful, especially the presentation skills and the teamwork.” All students are welcome to join.

The Mock Trial team belongs to the American Mock Trial Association, which sponsors the tournaments. In 2009–2010, mock trial teams from other area colleges will join Buffalo State’s team in a “scrimmage day” on campus in preparation for the annual tournament in February 2010.

The Mock Trial team is a student organization, and therefore not to be confused with Moot Court, which is a class. For many years, Judge Joseph Mattina taught the class; he retired in 2008 after serving the college as an instructor over a span of 30 years.

Town of Tonawanda Town Justice John J. Flynn now teaches the Moot Court class, which is cross-registered with political science, criminal justice, and sociology and is reserved for juniors and seniors. “My class is based on a murder trial,” said Flynn.

First, Flynn teaches the law and the legal procedures involved in a case tried in court, including the opening statement, direct examination and cross-examination of witnesses, and the closing statement. During the second half of the semester, the class is divided into prosecution and defense. He meets with both sides and helps students prepare presentations such as the five-minute opening statement.

Flynn, whose father was a lawyer, earned a bachelor’s degree from Bowling Green State University and a law degree from the University at Buffalo. He joined the United States Navy and served as the officer-in-charge of the Office of Legal Counsel at the United States Naval Academy, where he also taught military law and an ethics seminar. Currently, he is a commander in the United States Naval Reserves.

“I enjoyed teaching,” said Flynn, “so I was glad to have the opportunity to teach Moot Court here.” Flynn said the most common major for law students is philosophy. “There is no required major for law school,” he said, “but most students have majors that are analytical, such as philosophy or sociology.” He also emphasized that very strong writing skills are essential to succeed in law school. “Law schools don’t offer multiple-choice tests,” he said.

The School of Natural and Social Sciences supports students interested in law school through a pre-law committee headed by Virginia Grabiner, chair and professor of sociology. Kelly Boos, assistant to the dean, works with students interested in attending law school. Apre-law handbook is available to students, and a legal studies minor program is in review.

The number of majors in the dietetics programs, offered by the Dietetics and Nutrition Department, has more than doubled in the last five years, despite rigorous admissions standards and a daunting course load.

Suk Y. Oh, professor and chair of the department, hesitates to attribute the growth to any single factor. However, he can cite a number of initiatives that may have contributed, including extensive outreach. “We sent a letter to high school guidance counselors,” he said, “and we invited them to attend an open house in our department with high school juniors and seniors. We also visited career fairs at high schools and two-year colleges.” The department also works closely with admissions staff.

“We visit other departments at Buffalo State, too,” said Oh. “Our students must complete several chemistry and biology courses, so we visit chemistry and biology classes to talk to students about our program.” The department’s outreach efforts, combined with extensive media focus on nutrition-related topics, likely combined to contribute to the rise in dietetics enrollment, according to Oh.

The American Dietetic Association (ADA) accredits both of the college’s dietetics programs through the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education. “Nutrition is about more than food,” said Oh. “Students must understand the biology and chemistry involved in obtaining nourishment from food.” He also emphasized the importance of nutrition in recovering and maintaining health. “You have to eat well to recover from any disease,” said Oh, “and a diet prescription must be based on evidence and research.”

To be eligible to take the exam necessary to earn the title “registered dietitian,” the ADA requires students to complete extensive clinical practicums under professional supervision. At Buffalo State, students who graduate from the coordinated dietetics program can take the exam immediately after graduating; students who graduate from the didactic dietetics program must go on to complete a 12-month internship. The coordinated dietetics program is the only such program offered in the SUNY system.

The clinical rotation prepares students to prescribe diets appropriate for patients with illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, cardiac problems, and gastroenterological disorders. Other patients with specific nutritional needs are children, burn victims, and patients facing surgery. Students also learn how to use nutrition to prevent the recurrence of chronic disease.

Oh noted that students who complete the coordinated program often graduate with more than 140 credit hours, especially if they are transfer students. “It’s an expensive program to run because students must be supervised by our faculty,” he said.

Julie Willard, ’98, graduated from the coordinated dietetics program. “At the end of the practicum,” she said, “I felt very well prepared to do this work.” Today, she is the dietitian for the neonatal intensive care unit at Sisters of Charity Hospital. “I develop recipes based on how the babies are developing and what their needs are,” she said. “I love it. Buffalo State worked out perfectly for me.”

Proof that it takes a village, legions of volunteers and service-learning students from Buffalo State College are helping the beleaguered Asarese-Matters Youth Center achieve its vision of being a safe afterschool haven for at-risk youths to learn and play.

The center, located on Rees Street adjacent to the Buffalo State College campus, serves about 300 youths, ages 8 to 18, each week. Nearly half the young people who frequent the center in the summer are considered at-risk as they are passed from one relative’s or friend’s home to another. Many are newly arrived refugees who speak little English, indicative of the more than 70 languages spoken on the West Side.

The Asarese Youth Center was established in 1989. It is named in honor of Ottaviano “Tovie” Asarese and Alona Matters. Asarese founded and sponsored countless West Side sports teams through his Royal Printing Shop, which he still operates on Grant Street. Matters was a community activist who championed the need for a West Side youth center and served on the building committee.

Starting in fall 2005, Buffalo State Volunteer and Service-Learning Center (VSLC) students and faculty have been working with the community and the center’s staff to improve the building, programming, and safety. More than 15 service-learning classes have been involved in the revitalization of the center.

“What surprises me most is that people haven’t given up,” said director Mike Milovich. At the helm for 21 years, Milovich has championed and guided the center as it has moved between city and county ownership, often falling off nearly everyone’s radar.

In 2006, Buffalo State College increased its involvement and, working with Milovich, provided the momentum for continued change. Under the direction of Marian Deutschman, interim director of the College and Community Partnerships Office (CCP), and Gary Welborn, associate professor and Sociology Department chair, a special taskforce was created to help address the center’s needs. The taskforce eventually became “The Friends of Asarese,” a group composed of campus and community stakeholders, chaired by Thomas Koller, senior associate director of intercollegiate athletics.

With Buffalo State support, more improvements were made. City and county officials began addressing leaks, poor lighting, and other repairs. New York State Assemblyman Sam Hoyt donated computers and started to secure funds for a new gym floor. Buffalo State social work and psychology students provided tutoring. Based on input from youths at the center, design students developed renderings and recommendations for new colors, furniture, and fixtures. The college’s Athletics Department donated paint, materials, and labor for new flooring in the art room.

These and other improvements have helped the appearance and safety of the facility; however, the biggest change has come from establishing formalized programming, largely through the work of the VSLC, which is housed in the Career Development Center at Buffalo State.

In particular, formalized sports programming has helped relieve tensions that often arise between ethnic groups. Most recently, Milovich explained, the neighborhood kids from Somalia started squaring off with the newly arrived kids from Burma. “Sports are the great equalizer,” he said. “A ball rolls across the gym floor and they all go for it.” To that end, there are now football and soccer nights, as well as travel meets at other recreation centers.

For girls, there are arts and crafts, including Girls Night on Thursdays, and bingo. But that wasn’t always the case. Two years ago, Buffalo State sociology students observed that the boys played sports while the girls sat on the bleachers. The students surveyed the youths and made recommendations for programming.

Throughout all these improvements, CCP associate Michele Graves has worked with the Alumni Association and the VSLC to conduct periodic drives for clothing and toiletries. Most recently, more than 200 people came to the center for free clothes, books, toys, and household items, many of them walking out in warm winter coats onto snowy streets.

“It’s a little sea change happening on the West Side,” says Susannah White, VSLC associate. “To a person walking by, the center doesn’t look like much. It’s what’s happening inside that’s better, and that’s what really matters.”

The Intellectual Foundations unit of University College will offer the fourth annual Winter Pedagogical Institute on campus January 20–22, featuring two professional-development opportunities free of charge to faculty: a two-day workshop on critical thinking and a daylong workshop on teaching BSC 101 and integrating the Burchfield Penney Art Center into course curricula.

Gerald Nosich, professor of philosophy and humanities, will present “Teaching Critical Thinking across the Curriculum” on January 20 and 21 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. He will discuss how faculty can help students transfer knowledge learned in BSC 101—such as critical thinking and a broad understanding of the liberal arts—to classes in other disciplines. Participants are asked to bring course outlines and syllabi to the two-day workshop.

Douglas Koritz, assistant dean of intellectual foundations, will lead a workshop on January 22 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for those who are or will be teaching BSC 101. The morning will feature small-group discussions on effective pedagogy and the creation of faculty “teaching circles” to share knowledge and support. After the morning sessions and lunch, the group will travel to the Burchfield Penney Art Center to learn how to integrate the museum’s workspaces and collections into BSC 101 curricula. Kathy Gaye Shiroki, lecturer of art education and curator of museum learning and community engagement for the Burchfield Penney, will provide a tour of the facility and demonstrate hands-on initiatives designed to reinforce critical thinking.

All sessions begin in Bacon Hall 115 and include lunch. Those who attend a full workshop will receive $200 toward research, travel, or creative materials. Faculty are asked to register in advance with Linda Schultz, University College secretary, 878-5906.