Roger Firestien, lecturer, International Center for Studies in Creativity, delivered a seminar, “Unleashing the Power of Creativity,” to the Federal Aviation Administration’s Aviation Advisory Commission in Norman, Oklahoma, on September 16.
Martin Ederer, assistant professor, History and Social Studies Education, wrote and formatted illustrated tour pamphlets for Corpus Christi Church and St. Anthony’s Church, both in Buffalo, during summer 2008.
The SUNY University Faculty Senate regularly publishes documents designed to assist campus members with topics of concern. At the October 2008 meeting of the University Faculty Senate, the 2008 edition of the Governance Handbook was distributed to members. The handbook was last updated in 1995. Sharon Cramer,SUNY Distinguished Service Professor, Exceptional Education, was the editor of the revised handbook in 1995 and the chair of the Governance Committee that completed the update in 2008.
Four students from the Elementary Education and Reading Department, mentored by Professor Maria Ceprano, presented “Multimedia Approaches that Support Cross-Cultural Understandings: Curriculum Integration in a New Light” at the Niagara Frontier Reading Council’s Fall Conference on October 18 in Depew, New York. In line with their presentation, Lindsey Crill, Shannon Driscoll, Lisa Giardino, and Rebecca Tasner each discussed projects they had created and expanded upon since their enrollment in the childhood education program.
Maria Ceprano, professor, and Nancy Chicola,associate professor, Elementary Education and Reading, presented “Teacher Candidates Connecting with Parents and Children on Literacy and Cross Cultural Understandings” at the 2008 annual conference of National Network for Educational Renewal in Arlington, Texas, September 19–21. Their presentation described a project they facilitated last spring at the Enterprise Charter School. Teacher candidates enrolled in their methods classes held a cross-cultural literacy fair that enabled more than 70 children and their parents to engage in literacy-based activities as they learned about diverse cultural traditions.
John Cabra, assistant professor, Creative Studies, and Fulbright graduate student Diego Uribe ran a virtual 3-D creative problem solving session for IBM in Second Life. The meeting involved defining and bringing clarity to a challenge involving the deployment of breakthrough thinking tools in IBM’s social software. The session was well received. Cabra and Uribe received an invitation to run a follow-up idea-generation session.
Carol Townsend, chair and associate professor, Design, was chosen by the Chautauqua Institution’s Writers’ Center poet-in-residence, Geraldine Connolly, as the Spotlight Reader on July 15. The reader is chosen from the poetry workshop participants each week. Townsend read two poems titled “The Calling” and “Revenge of the Nerds” at the Center for Literary Arts.
John Thompson, associate professor, Computer Information Systems, participated in a panel presentation, “Writing for ISTE Publications,” at the National Education Computing Conference (NECC) in San Antonio, Texas, on July 1. Thompson is the editor of ISTE’s SIGCT publication, Journal for Computing Teachers.
Jodelle Magner, assistant professor, Mathematics, presented “Kaleidoscope... $2.00... Getting Students Engaged in Learning... PRICELESS!” at the 86th annual conference of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) in Salt Lake City, Utah, April 9–12. She also presented “Napier’s Rods in Today’s Classroom” at the Seventh Quadrennial Meeting of the International Study Group on the Relations between the History and Pedagogy of Mathematics, held in Mexico City, Mexico, July 14–18. This international group is affiliated with the International Congress on Mathematics Instruction (ICMI) and the International Congress on Mathematics Education (ICME). Her presentation discussed the use of historical mathematical documents in U.S. mathematics classrooms.
Joëlle Leclaire, assistant professor, Economics and Finance, has published a book: The Great Deficit Debacle: The Causes and Consequences of American Federal Budget Surpluses and Deficits (VDM Verlag, 2008).