The spring 2012 “Conversations” lecture series concludes on Friday, April 20, as John D. Draeger, associate professor of philosophy and humanities, presents “Respect for Humanity, the Battle against Bigotry, and the Cost of Moral Mistakes” at 3:00 p.m. in Ketchum Hall 320. Colleagues, friends, graduate students, and advanced undergraduate students are welcome. We hope to see you there.

Medical physics includes the application of physics principles and methods in the areas of diagnostic and interventional radiology, nuclear medicine, and radiation oncology. Roswell Park Cancer Institute's Matthew Podgorsak, chief physicist in the Department of Radiation Medicine, Lalith Kumaraswamy, assistant professor and staff physicist, and Daniel Bailey, medical physics resident, will present an overview of each of these areas from relevant historical background to state-of-the-art clinical practice and academic research, on Thursday, April 26, at 12:30 p.m. in Science Building 205. This discussion of the frontiers of clinical and academic medical physics will focus on radiation oncology physics opportunities at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.

Several fundamental physical constants had to be just the right values to produce the universe we live in. David Ettestad, associate professor of physics, will show how these constants had to be exquisitely tuned to create stars, galaxies, and life as we know it. His talk will take place at the regular Physics Club meeting on Thursday, April 19, at 12:30 p.m. in Science Building 205.

Paul Lubienecki, presidential fellow in the Monroe Fordham Regional History Center at Buffalo State, will present "The Buffalo Catholic Labor College and Lackawanna Steelworkers' Union" on Thursday, April 19, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. (Bengal Pause) in the Burchfield Penney Art Center's Collection Study Gallery.

This lecture explores the 1950s and organized labor in Lackawanna. It is presented in conjunction with the exhibition A Community of Steel, on view in the Community Gallery through July 1. Lubienecki's talk is free and open to the public.

Join Buffalo State Dining for a night of salsa and Latin American cuisine on Friday, April 20, from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Resident Dining, located in the Campbell Student Union. Enjoy classic dishes such as mofongo, tamales, fried plantains in garlic butter, mint mojito, and virgin strawberry daiquiri. Ever dreamed of learning how to salsa? Then this is your chance! Enter with a meal swipe or door price of $11.99.

For more information on Buffalo State Dining, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or visit our website at www.dineoncampus.com/bsc.

This workshop will focus on making changes to a previously taught online course in preparation for teaching it again in the upcoming Summer Session. Faculty members will reflect on their teaching experience and evaluate the effectiveness of their courses. Additionally, we will explore alternative content and interactions that can be applied to future course offerings. The workshop will be held on Wednesday, May 2, at 1:00 p.m. in E. H. Butler Library 318. Presented by Meghan Pereira and Beth Burns.

Register at http://bscintra.buffalostate.edu/registration/classdetails.asp?class=2825.

This workshop will focus on making changes to a previously taught online course in preparation for teaching it again in the upcoming Summer Session. Faculty members will reflect on their teaching experience and evaluate the effectiveness of their courses. Additionally, we will explore alternative content and interactions that can be applied to future course offerings. The workshop will be held on Tuesday, April 24, at 10:00 a.m. in E. H. Butler Library 318. Presented by Meghan Pereira and Beth Burns.

Register at http://bscintra.buffalostate.edu/registration/classdetails.asp?class=2823.

In this webinar, participants will gain knowledge of general assessment strategies, identify strategies for creating more secure online assessments, and examine grading plans in light of online assessment options. Presented by Pam Youngs-Maher and George Dale of SUNY Upstate Medical University. You can view this webinar on Wednesday, May 2, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. in E. H. Butler Library 181B or at any location with Internet access. There was no opportunity to preview this webinar.

Registration information is available at www.buffalostate.edu/professionaldevelopment/x1550.xml.

Many educators have read about and trained in the theory of learning styles. Believers in learning styles contend that people have innate styles in which they learn best (kinesthetic, auditory, or visual, for example), and that matching instruction to those learning styles will enable students to learn better. While there are appealing aspects of this approach (students are different in the way they learn), and it may make intuitive sense, the research supporting learning styles is very weak. This presentation will explore the idea of learning styles and highlight the arguments made by supporters and skeptics. The webinar is presented by Dan Feinberg, senior instructional designer with the SUNY Learning Network. You can view this webinar on Wednesday, April 25, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. in E. H. Butler Library 181B or at any location with Internet access. There was no opportunity to preview this webinar.

Registration information is available at www.buffalostate.edu/professionaldevelopment/x1549.xml.

The complete schedule and program for the 14th annual Student Research and Creativity Celebration is now available at www.buffalostate.edu/undergraduateresearch (pdf format; use the link in the upper-right corner).

The deadline for "Early Bird" printing of large-format posters is Friday, April 20. A 30-by-40-inch poster is $15 for students presenting in the Research and Creativity Celebration. There are a number of templates available to make designing a professional poster easy. Use the link above and click the "Early Bird" link.

This year's event includes more than 375 presentations, performances, and art exhibitions featuring the work of more than 500 undergraduate and graduate students. Encourage your students to attend the celebration and see what great things their talented classmates are doing!