Saziye Bayram, assistant professor, Mathematics, has published the article “TGF-Mediated Dynamics in a System of Many Coupled Nephrons” in the Bulletin of Mathematical Biology 71: 1482–1506.

Jill M. Gradwell, assistant professor, History and Social Studies Education, established a partnership with the Albion Central School District and co-wrote a $1.4 million U.S. Department of Education–funded Teaching American History Grant titled “Setting Our Sites on History: Using Historical Museums and Landmarks to Teach Traditional American History.” Over a five-year period (2009–2014), the History and Social Studies Education Department will provide intensive, content-based professional development at local historical sites to elementary teachers in Orleans and Niagara counties that will focus on the social history of soldiers, African Americans, Native Americans, immigrants, working- and middle-class citizens, children, pioneers, and women.

Zhang Jie, professor, Sociology, and director, Center for China Studies, published his article “Reliability and Validity of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale in Rural Populations,” coauthored with Yuanyuan Kong and Li Zhou, in the Chinese Journal of Behavioral Medicine and Brain Science 18 (4): 372–374 (in Chinese).

Kenneth Orosz, assistant professor, History and Social Studies Education, was recently awarded the 2009 Alf Heggoy Prize for his book Religious Conflict and the Evolution of Language Policy in German and French Cameroon, 1885–1939 (New York: Peter Lang/American University Studies, 2008). The Heggoy Prize is awarded annually by the French Colonial Historical Society for the best work in French colonial history published in the preceding year. The prize committee described Orosz’s book as a “path-breaking reassessment of the cultural impact of language policy on colonial society” that “compels us to think differently about the dynamics of missionary-state relations, inter-confessional rivalries, and the ethno-centric ‘nationalism’ of certain missionary organizations.”

Annemarie Franczyk, assistant professor, Communication; David Franczyk, lecturer, History and Social Studies Education; and Andrea Tyrpak-Endres,lecturer, Philosophy and Humanities, toured Western Turkey in August as guests of BAKIAD, an Istanbul-based organization that promotes dialogue around cultural diversity and religious tolerance.

Zhang Jie, professor, Sociology, and director, Center for China Studies, published his article “A Case Control Study of Suicides in China With and Without Mental Disorder,” coauthored with Liang Zhou, in Crisis: The Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention 30 (2): 68–72.

Deborah Silverman, assistant professor, Communication, published her crisis communication article, “A Community Comes Together: The Crash of Continental Flight 3407,” in the summer 2009 issue of thePublic Relations Strategist, the quarterly magazine of the Public Relations Society of America. The issue was devoted to examples of best practices in communication following a crisis.

Jeffrey Hirschberg’s new book, Reflections of the Shadow: Creating Memorable Heroes and Villains for Film and TV, was published by Michael Wiese Productions. The book shows writers how to craft a great screenplay, teleplay, or novel by helping them create one-of-a-kind heroes and villains that audiences will never forget. It includes overviews of such films as The Dark Knight, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Casablanca, andThe Silence of the Lambs as well as interviews with the screenwriters of Die Hard, Gladiator, Spider-Man, andFatal Attraction. Foreword by Steven de Souza (Die Hard, 48 Hrs.,and Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life). Hirschberg will hold a book-signing at the Barnes & Noble at Buffalo State Bookstore on Thursday, October 1 during Bengal Pause (12:15–1:30 p.m.).

Roger Firestien, lecturer, International Center for Studies in Creativity, and graduate students in his spring semester course Designing and Delivering Creativity Education facilitated a series of town-hall meetings with Saint Joseph’s University Parish in Buffalo. The meetings were designed to help the parish develop its vision for the future. Twelve creative studies graduate students conducted the meetings that involved about 250 parishioners.

Zhang Jie, professor, Sociology, and director, Center for China Studies; and Dwight A. Hennessy, associate professor, Psychology, published their article “Are Women in China Sexist Toward Other Women? A Study of Chinese College Students,” coauthored with Jing Luo, Yaping Song, Kailin Ren, Qian Zhang, Zhifang Han, and Ping Yao, in the journal Psychological Reports 105: 267–274.