Best Buddies and the Student Council for Exceptional Children invite you to join Team Buffalo State to help us raise money for the New York Special Olympics. This year's Polar Plunge is being held at Woodlawn Beach in Hamburg, New York, on Saturday, December 1.

For more information, to register, or to donate to Team Buffalo State, visit the Polar Plunge website.

Free busing is available for those who plan to attend the event. The buses will leave the parking area in front of Cleveland Hall at 11:00 a.m. and return after the plunge. (Reservations and travel forms are required if you plan to ride on the bus. E-mail bestbuddiesbsc@yahoo.com for the required forms.)

We look forward to "Freezin' for a Reason" with you!

Please join us Friday, November 16, from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. for our annual department open house. Meet our graduate students, view works of art undergoing conservation treatment, and learn more about our programs. Please call ext. 5025 with questions or for more information.

Please join us for the sixth and final lecture in our Philosophy and Humanities Fall 2012 Faculty Colloquia series, "The Pius Wars," presented by Allen Podet, Ph.D., professor of religious studies, on Thursday, November 15, at 3:30 p.m. in Bishop Hall 242. Commentator: Troy Caruana, philosophy and French major.

Don't miss the final days of the 25 percent off Champion sale at the Barnes & Noble at Buffalo State Bookstore. Sale ends Friday, November 23. Get 25 percent off all Champion hoodies, sweatpants, crew-neck sweats, and T-shirts.

The 25 percent off Champion sale starts today and runs through November 23. Stop in the Barnes & Noble at Buffalo State Bookstore and save on all Champion hoodies, sweatpants, crew-neck sweats, and T-shirts!

As we approach the excitement—and stress—of the holidays, the Employee Assistance Program is sponsoring "Putting Stress In Its Place," a workshop led by Jo Yudess, lecturer in the Center for Studies in Creativity, on Wednesday, November 14, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. in Cleveland Hall 418.

This participative and interactive workshop will explore the times when stress is actually a good thing—and good for you—and teach simple and repeatable techniques for spotting and handling your anxiety.

Learn to take a mindful approach to the times when stress is a problem. Practice techniques for relieving the symptoms of anxiety: elevated heart rate and blood pressure, cold feet, etc. And, learn a special technique that no one will know you are using!

Contact Beverly MacKenzie to register today!

Learn how to prepare students for the on-demand constructed response and extended constructed response writing on the new teacher certification exams planned for implementation in April 2014. Participants will receive resources and learn (1) what we currently know about the writing portion of the exams, (2) the challenges teacher candidates often face with constructed response writing, and (3) strategies to address these challenges.

All teacher education faculty and supervisors are encouraged to attend this presentation by Michele Ninacs on Tuesday, November 27, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in Bacon Hall 115. The presentation will be repeated on Friday, December 14, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., immediately before the December TEC meeting. A light lunch will be provided on both dates.

Register for the Tuesday, November 27, session.
Register for the Friday, December 14, session.

Buffalo State Dining is conducting its customer service satisfaction surveys and we want your feedback! Stop in to the Campbell Student Union Food Court or Resident Dining hall between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. to take our new online surveys. Just for participating, you will receive a coupon for a free fountain beverage and also some sweet treats!

For more information on Buffalo State Dining, visit our website.

Robert Dunn of Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Buffalo Inc. will conduct the workshop "Credit Counts" today from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. in Cleveland Hall 418. This workshop will take the mystery out of credit reports.

Topics include

• what's on your credit report;
• how your credit score is determined;
• what to do to reestablish or maintain your credit worthiness;
• how to protect yourself against identity theft.

This event is sponsored by the Employee Assistance Program of Buffalo State. Please contact Suzanne Johnson, EAP chair, with questions.

David McCamant, associate professor of chemistry at the University of Rochester, will present his research talk "Ultrafast Laser Spectroscopy to Study UV Damage of DNA and the Photochemistry of Solar Energy" at 12:30 p.m. today, Thursday, November 8, in Science Building 272. An abstract of his talk appears below.

Before his presentation, from 11:00 to 11:45 a.m., McCamant will converse with undergraduate and graduate students at Buffalo State regarding the graduate program at the University of Rochester. This private conversation will be held in Science Building 271C.

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

Abstract
Physical chemistry can make important contributions toward solving current challenges in the fields of biophysics and renewable energy. In particular, photochemistry provides a deep understanding of issues such as the damage to DNA imparted by ultraviolet light and the molecular mechanisms of solar energy conversion.

The McCamant lab uses ultrafast lasers with pulse durations on the order of a ten-millionth of a millionth of a second (10^-13 s = 100 fs) to study these processes and thereby provides new fundamental understanding of the molecular dynamics that drive them. Our studies of DNA photochemistry have contributed to our understanding of the complex electronic structure of photo-excited DNA oligomers. Our femtosecond transient absorption studies of molecules used for solar hydrogen production reveal important mechanisms of energy and electron transfer in these systems. This talk will present this work as well as an overview of opportunities for research in graduate school at the University of Rochester.