In preparation for the rollout of the Buffalo State College smoke-free campus beginning on January 1, 2012, the Erie County Department of Health, in collaboration with Roswell Park Cancer Institute's smoking-cessation program, will offer opportunities for staff and students to access smoking-cessation counseling services on campus. These events will be held on the following dates:

Monday, October 17, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Monday, November 14, 10:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m.

Both events will take place in E. H. Butler Library 210.

Participants will be able to speak with a smoking-cessation counselor and will have access to aids to quit smoking. We will be offering smoking-cessation products such as nicotine gum, lozenges, transdermal nicotine patches, and educational materials to assist you with developing your individualized quit plan. These products and services will be offered at no cost.

Please see the EAP website for more information.

Please join the Great Lakes Center for two seminars on Thursday, October 27, in Classroom Building B118 during Bengal Pause. Daelyn Woolnough, research assistant professor of biology at Central Michigan University, will present “Determining the Spatial Linkages between Hosts and Parasites: Can We Fish to Predict the Condition of Freshwater Mussel Communities?” at 12:15 p.m.; and David Zanatta, assistant professor of biology at Central Michigan University, will present “Patterns of Post-glacial Colonization for Freshwater Mussels in the Great Lakes” at 12:45 p.m.

Faculty, staff, and students are welcome. Light refreshments will be served.

Banner (Self-Service) registration overrides demo sessions have been scheduled for the following days:

• Thursday, October 20, at 10:00 a.m.
• Thursday, October 20, at 2:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, October 26, at 1:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, November 1, at 9:00 a.m.

The sessions will take place in E. H. Butler Library 316 (CyberQuad, third floor). No registration is necessary.

Road repairs are scheduled for Iroquois Drive beginning Friday, October 7, weather permitting. The work will require closure of one lane of traffic at a time between the west entrance to Lot R, near Coyer Field, and the entrance to Lot W, near E. H. Butler Library. Those using Iroquois Drive as a thoroughfare may wish to use alternative routes through Tuesday, October 11. For more information about this or other construction-related projects, please e-mail vpfm@buffalostate.edu.

Christopher Nomura, associate professor in the Department of Chemistry at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, will present “Designing Metabolic Pathways for Biochemical Production of Biodegradable Plastics” today, October 6, at 12:30 p.m. in Science Building 272. He will discuss new pathways and methods of producing biodegradable polyesters called poly-3-hydroxyalkanoates (PHAs). PHAs have attracted great interest as environmentally friendly replacements for petroleum-based plastics and have potential applications as bulk-commodity plastics and biomaterials for biomedical use. They can be produced in bacteria using carbon and energy from renewable resources. His lab has been interested in understanding metabolic pathways in bacteria used to generate PHA polymers. This seminar is free and open to the public.

The Undergraduate Research Small Grants Program provides up to $400 to assist students in carrying out their research and creative activities during the academic year; up to $600 may be requested for single projects involving two or more students. The award is designed to help defray the cost of travel, supplies, and other materials necessary to conduct the project. It is not intended as salary for the student. For information on this and other programs to support undergraduate research, visit the Undergraduate Research website.

New for fall 2011: Separate deadlines for students and mentors

Deadline for student submission of applications: Midnight Wednesday, October 12.
Deadline for mentor submission of applications: Midnight Friday, October 14.

Applications must be completed online.

The Buffalo State Alumni Association has teamed up with Liberty Mutual to offer a defensive driving class to Buffalo State faculty, staff, alumni, and students on Saturday, November 12, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Ketchum Hall 113. Save money on your auto insurance by taking this class offered through Liberty Mutual Insurance Group. Friends and relatives are also welcome if accompanied by a faculty or staff member, alumnus, or student. The cost is $22 per person. To enroll, contact Brad Waldron, local BSAA representative, at (716) 677-2734, ext. 53691. Space is limited.

Be part of the action and cheer on the Buffalo Bills as they take on the New York Jets on Sunday November 6. The cost is $70 per person and includes tickets to the game, beverages on the bus, and transportation to the game and back to Buffalo State. The bus departs from Cleveland Circle at Buffalo State for Ralph Wilson Stadium promptly at 9:30 a.m.

Bring your favorite tailgate games and plan on having a great time with fellow Buff State alumni as the B-I-L-L-S beat the J-E-T-S!  This event is open to Buffalo State faculty, staff, and their families and friends. Register today! Space is limited.

Students can now print their unofficial transcripts through Self-Service Banner. These transcripts do not look like formal academic transcripts, but they can serve as a convenient listing of academic history for students to use in their academic planning. Notification and instructions have been posted on the student announcements page. Instructions are also available on the Registrar’s Office website.

Applications and nominations are requested for students to be considered for the following student awards. The deadline for nominations is Wednesday, November 23.

Student Leadership Awards

• Mildred Keller Campbell Leadership Award
• Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges
• Phillip Santa Maria Award for Student Leadership in Equity and Campus Diversity

Student Humanitarian Awards

• Luis M. Antonetti Student Humanitarian Award
• Minnie and Joe Engel Student Humanitarian Award
• Phillip Santa Maria Memorial Award

Nomination forms are available online. For more information, contact Charles B. Kenyon, dean of students, ext. 4618.