Alan Delmerico, research analyst, Center for Health and Social Research, received a grant award of $10,000 from the NYS Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) to collaborate with the Erie County Sheriff’s Office on underage drinking counter-advertising/marketing. The grant will fund the development and implementation of a targeted media campaign addressing underage drinking in the Sheriff’s patrol districts. The campaign will urge parents to be more aware of how their children can acquire alcohol.

The International Advisory Board of the International Journal of Learning has announced that Nancy A. Chicola, associate professor, Elementary Education and Reading, has been selected as the winner of the International Award for Excellence in the area of literacy and education. The editors selected her paper, “A View Beyond Tolerance: Teacher Candidate Experiences with Culturally Responsive Education,” from the 10 highest-ranked papers emerging from the referee process and according to the selection criteria outlined in the referee guidelines. As the winning author, Chicola has been invited to attend the 15th International Conference on Learning, to be held at the University of Illinois at Chicago June 3-6, where she will be formally acknowledged in a short presentation.

Vida Vanchan, lecturer, Geography and Planning, published a paper, “The Recent Growth Performance of U.S. Firms in the Industrial Design Sector: An Exploratory Study,” coauthored with Alan D. MacPherson, professor of geography and director of the Canada-United States Trade Center, University at Buffalo, in the international refereed journal Industry and Innovation 15 (1): 1–17.

John Thompson, associate professor, Computer Information Systems, presented a session, “Tips, Techniques, and Strategies for Effective Online Discussions,” for the Illinois Online Conference for Teaching and Learning February 13–15. This conference was entirely online.

John Thompson, associate professor, Computer Information Systems, co-chaired the Texas Computer Education Association’s second annual Educational Technology Research Symposium, held in Austin, Texas, on February 5. Thompson also presented a paper, “Technology Terms: A Study in Correct Spelling,” at the seventh annual International Conference on Teaching and Learning at Niagara University in Niagara Falls, New York, January 10 and 11.

Joe Marren, assistant professor, Communication, presented “One Monk’s Message: Establishing an Enlightened Ethic for the Media,” coauthored withKimberly Blessing, assistant professor, Philosophy and Humanities, as a fellow for the Colloquia Series in Applied Media Ethics at the University of Hawaii at Manoa in Honolulu, Hawaii, October 14–18, 2007.

Gail Maloney, senior associate director, Intercollegiate Athletics, was appointed to serve on the board of directors for the GIRLS (Goals, Integrity, Respect, Leadership, and Sports) Sport Foundation of Greater Buffalo in 2007. The foundation’s mission is to promote the importance of respect, self-confidence, a healthy lifestyle, teamwork, academics, and good sportsmanship through sports participation among girls. All programs focus on fostering these skills in underprivileged girls ages 4–18 across the city of Buffalo. Maloney hosted the group at Buffalo State on January 12 to view the women’s ice hockey game, basketball game, and swim meet, where they were oriented to Buffalo State College and higher education athletics and academics. Many future events are scheduled. To lend support in any way, please contact Maloney, (716) 878-6515.

Michael Johnson, associate professor, Modern and Classical Languages, published his article “‘Honey Falling upon Honey’: The Angelus Couple in the Works of Salvador Dali” in Beauty and the Abject: Interdisciplinary Perspectives (Studies on Themes and Motifs in Literature)88: 173–180 (L. Boldt-Irons, C. Federici, and E. Virgulti, eds.; Peter Lang, 2007).

Shannon Gormley Budin, assistant professor, Exceptional Education, published a paper, “Riding the Wave: Creating a Momentum of School Success,” in the January/February 2008 issue of Teaching Exceptional Children 40 (3): 65–70. Coauthors are David L. Lee, associate professor of special education, the Pennsylvania State University, and Phillip J. Belfiore, professor of special education, Mercyhurst College.

Sheila Christopher, research associate, Great Lakes Center, published a paper titled “Factors Controlling Nitrogen Release from Two Forested Catchments with Contrasting Hydrochemical Responses” in the January 2008 issue of Hydrological Processes 22: 46–62. She presented research titled “The Effect of Soil Freezing on Nitrogen Dynamics: A Snow Manipulation Study in a Forested Watershed in the Snow Belt of Gowanda, NY” at the 2007 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in San Francisco, California, December 10–14. Christopher also received a small grant from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Great Lakes Protection Fund titled “Phosphorus and Nitrogen Monitoring and Modeling in the Cattaraugus Creek Watershed, a Major Tributary to Lake Erie.”