This is a great time to recruit an undergraduate student and apply to the Undergraduate Research Office's Summer Research Fellowship Program. This program supports eight weeks of full-time summer research, scholarly, and creative activities. The summer research program is open to undergraduates in all academic disciplines. In this round of the program, we anticipate awarding 24 fellowships. Each fellowship provides a student stipend of $2,750, a faculty stipend of $1,000, and $500 for travel, supplies, and/or equipment to support the project.

Deadline for student input: Midnight Tuesday, March 27
Deadline for faculty input and approval: Midnight Thursday, March 29

Applications are available online or by scanning the QR code on the program poster.

Information sessions about this program will be held in E. H. Butler Library 210B on the following dates:

• Thursday, March 1: 12:15–1:30 p.m.
• Friday, March 2: noon–1:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, March 6: 12:15–1:30 p.m.

Students and mentors are encouraged to attend a session together. Light refreshments will be served.

Smart Boards are fast becoming a common fixture in today’s classrooms. Learn to move beyond the projection capabilities of this technology to maximize its learning potential for all students. This workshop is designed for teacher educators and will provide a forum for learning, sharing, and creating lessons that can be used in conjunction with Smart Boards and/or Smart Notebook software. Beginning with a brief overview of basic navigation of software, hardware, and Smart Tools, the session will be devoted to exploring Smart Exchange Gallery and creating activities to use in the classroom. In addition, participants will have the opportunity to review best practices of Smart Boards to fully utilize the interactive capabilities of this technology. Teacher educators will explore possibilities for use in their instruction as well as potential uses for the teacher candidates with whom they work. Join Molly Talty, director of information technology for the Grand Island Central School District, on Monday, March 26, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. in E. H. Butler Library 181B.

Register at http://bscintra.buffalostate.edu/registration/classdetails.asp?class=2780.

The 14th annual Student Research and Creativity Celebration will be held on Friday and Saturday, April 27 and 28. The deadline for student applications is midnight Wednesday, March 14; mentors have until midnight Friday, March 16, to revise and approve applications. Everything is done online. Students start the process by going to the Undergraduate Research Office home page and using the quick link in the upper-right corner or by scanning the QR code on the event poster. The website includes useful tips for preparing abstracts and artists statements, as well as programs from prior years.

Note: This program is open to undergraduate and graduate students, and students are encouraged to present work in progress. Individual and group presentations are accepted. Presentation formats include posters, talks, performances, and demonstrations. Please help your student(s) identify the mode that is best for them.

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 spring 2012: Separate deadlines for students and mentors
Deadline for student submission of applications: Midnight Wednesday, February 15
Deadline for mentor submission of applications: Midnight Friday, February 17

Applications must be completed online.

Join your colleagues for a hands-on demonstration of the Google Chrome laptop on Tuesday, February 28, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in E. H. Butler Library 316. The functionality is like no other. It is a new way to think about student computing in education. We will share examples of schools that have launched Google Chrome laptop labs. Google Chrome laptops are now available through Equipment Loan. Presented by Mark McBride and Andy Chambers.

Register at http://bscintra.buffalostate.edu/registration/classdetails.asp?class=2745.

The Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium is pleased to present "The Stellar Road to Freedom," the story of how the stars and other symbols were used by African Americans who escaped slavery and found their way northward to freedom. Portions of the song "Follow the Drinking Gourd" will be explained, as well as other symbols that may have been used.

The Big Dipper (the drinking gourd) and the North Star have been used for centuries in navigation and are highlighted in this presentation that relates to the history of the Underground Railroad in Western New York.

"The Stellar Road to Freedom" will be presented on Saturday, February 11, at 4:00 and 8:00 p.m. Encore presentations will be given at 7:30 p.m. on February 18 and 25. Reservations can be made online or by phone at ext. 4911.

For more information about all our programs, please visit us online at www.fergusonplanetarium.net.

The fashion and textile technology program will host the 2012 Cotton Symposium, sponsored by Cotton Incorporated, in October. Buffalo State undergraduate students who will be registered full time for the fall 2012 semester are invited to submit research papers for the Cotton Symposium. The symposium focuses on broadening our understanding of cotton usage in the apparel industry and highlighting the importance of sustainability issues with cotton. Student author(s) of winning paper(s) will receive $250 for first place, $150 for second place, and $100 for third place.

Authors are invited to submit papers for oral presentations or poster sessions in the following categories:

Track 1: Sustainability in cotton production/consumption of cotton apparel products
Track 2: Cotton history
Track 3: Global issues in the cotton industry

Submission guidelines
All undergraduate researchers should be sponsored by a Buffalo State College faculty member. Students should submit the contract form* by Friday, March 2. Papers should be submitted electronically to cottonsymposium2012@buffalostate.edu by Tuesday, May 15.

Papers must not exceed 15 double-spaced typewritten pages—including the cover page, references, and appendices—using 1-inch margins and 12-point Times New Roman typeface. The cover page should contain the author's name(s), the faculty sponsor's name(s), and the title of the paper.

*Contact Vicky Oh to obtain the contract form or for more information.

The Interior Design Department invites the campus community to the sixth annual Interior Design Student Show and closing reception on Friday, February 10, at 5:00 p.m. in the Czurles-Nelson Gallery in Upton Hall. Juried by Interior Design Department faculty, the exhibit showcases outstanding interior design studio projects. Student work encompasses introductory courses, residential design, retail design, public buildings, office lighting, and interior detailing presented in the forms of audiovisual media, drawings, physical models, and computer renderings. We look forward to seeing you! For additional information, please call the Interior Design Department secretary, Barb Chaffee, at ext. 5252.

Robert Clewis, assistant professor of philosophy at Gwynedd-Mercy College, will present "That's Awesome: Kant on the Sublime" on Monday, March 12, from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. in E. H. Butler Library 210 as part of the Year of the Arts celebration at Buffalo State. His talk is free and open to the public.

Clewis is the author of The Kantian Sublime and the Revelation of Freedom (Cambridge University Press, 2009). His lecture will focus on the sublime—which, in philosophy of art, refers to the quality of overwhelming size or greatness that inspires awe, enthusiasm, or respect—and the extent to which Kant relates the experience of sublimity to freedom.

This event is sponsored by the Buffalo State Philosophy and Humanities Department and the School of Arts and Humanities.

Melissa Donegan, Santa Clara University, will present "Room to Write: British Women's Survival Narratives" at 12:15 p.m. Thursday, February 16, in the Campbell Student Union Social Hall. Donegan's talk is part of the English Department series "Finding the Muse: Women Working in Literature and Art."

Sponsored by the Grant Allocation Committee, the Faculty-Student Association, the English Department, and the School of Arts and Humanities Dean's Office. For more information, contact Jennifer Ryan, associate professor of English, ext. 6820.