Dan MacIsaac, associate professor, Physics, and Kathleen Falconer, lecturer, Elementary Education and Reading, were the invited keynote speakers for the 2008 conference of the Ontario Association of Physics Teachers, held at Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario, May 22 and 23. Their talk was titled “How Video Analysis of Teaching Practices Leads to Better Student Understanding.” They also presented a workshop on Implementing the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP).

A paper by Jeffrey Hirschberg, assistant professor, Communication, and coordinator, television and film arts program, titled “The Villain as Outsider: Alex Forrest to Gordon Gekko” earned third place at the Broadcast Education Association’s (BEA) national peer-reviewed competition and will be published in the BEA’s journalFeedback. Hirschberg’s paper on Film Heroes took the top prize at last year’s conference. Both papers are part of Hirschberg’s upcoming book, due out in 2009.

Satasha L. Green, assistant professor, Exceptional Education, was appointed vice president of the New York State Council for Exceptional Children in fall 2007. NYS CEC is a chapter of the Council for Exceptional Children, the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving educational outcomes for individuals with exceptionalities, students with disabilities, and/or the gifted.

Jill M. Gradwell, assistant professor, History and Social Studies Education, along with S. G. Grant, associate professor and chair, Learning and Instruction, University at Buffalo, published an article in the Spring 2008 issue of the Journal of Social Studies Research and Practice 3 (1) titled “Identifying the Markers of History: Teachers and Researchers Describe the Assessment of Historical Knowledge and Understanding.”

For the past three years, Barbara J. Dray, assistant professor, Exceptional Education, has been working with the Multilingual Education Committee of the WNY Hispanic Alliance to advocate for appropriate programming for English language learners (ELLs) in the Buffalo Public Schools. During the first year, the committee worked to provide the Buffalo Board of Education with recommendations for a policy to guide appropriate programming for ELLs and to hire a director of multilingual education. Both were achieved. As part of an ongoing collaboration with the Buffalo Board of Education and Superintendent James Williams, district personnel—along with the Multilingual Education Committee, the District Parent Coordinating Council, and the School of Education at Buffalo State College—co-hosted a parent conference on April 19 titled Multilingual Communities of Past, Present, and Future: Celebrating Our Diversity.Lori Quigley, associate dean, School of Education, presented the keynote address, and Dray led a session with Lloyd Elm, associate professor, Elementary Education and Reading, for native-English-speaking parents on the conference theme to highlight cross-cultural relationships. The event was held at the Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts.

Jane R. Cushman, assistant professor, Mathematics, presented “Developing a Survey to Assess Pre-Service Teachers’ Views and Uses of Problem-Solving in Mathematics” at the Mathematical Association of America Seaway Section meeting, held in Syracuse, New York, April 11 and 12. The presentation included how the survey was developed and validated. A plea for assistance in determining if the survey is reliable was issued.

Sharon Cramer, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor, Exceptional Education, was the keynote speaker in the Professional Development Series at the University of Findlay, in Findlay, Ohio, on April 25. Her presentation, “Get Ready, Get Set, Go: Scholarship Satisfaction = Vision Plan of Action Support,” drew on her work at Buffalo State as co-founder of the “Write On!” program in 1997–1999.

Susan Baldwin, assistant professor, Health and Wellness, presented a paper, “HPV Vaccine: Medical Celebration or Controversy; Get the Facts,” with two Undergraduate Research Office Small Grant Program and Undergraduate Travel Program award winners: Sarah Harris and Lindsay Bath. Harris was awarded the national Undergraduate Health Major of the Year award, the first award winner in the Health and Wellness Department’s history. Baldwin also presented two papers at the 2008 American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance National Convention and Exposition in Fort Worth, Texas, April 8–12: “Handheld Remote Controls: Practical Applications; An Interactive and Creative Resource for the Advancement of Health Education and Promotion” and “Writing PEP Grants That Get Funded: The Health Educator’s Role.”

John Thompson, associate professor, Computer Information Systems, presented the paper “Online or On Campus?” at the 13th annual Technology, Colleges, and Community Worldwide Online Conference (TCC 2008) April 15–17. Two alumnae of the educational computing program—Alexis Knavel and Dina Ross—were coauthors. The international conference was held entirely online.

Elaine Polvinen, professor, Technology, presented her paper “What Comes First, the Virtual or the Real?” at the International Foundation of Fashion Technology Institutes’ 10th annual conference, held at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, March 8 and 9.