The State of New York/United University Professions Joint Labor-Management Committees have announced that $50,359.45 has been allocated to SUNY Buffalo State for Individual Development Awards for the new program period of July 2, 2024, through July 1, 2025.
This award program is intended to assist employees in the UUP bargaining unit in developing their full professional potential and preparing for advancement by funding professional development activities. Information on eligibility requirements, types of projects or activities funded, funding priorities, and expenditure limitations along with the application and instructions are available on the Human Resource Management website.
The maximum amount that can be awarded for each employee under this program is $2,000. Employees may be funded for up to two projects or activities, not to exceed a total of $2,000. The funded activity must take place between July 2, 2024, and July 1, 2025. 
Applications for this award period must be received at uupida@buffalostate.edu no later than April 7, 2025. Award notifications will be sent by email on or around July 1, 2025.
Individual Development Awards committee members are Lisa Marie Anselmi and Jude Jayatilleke representing UUP, and Erika Grande and Charles Lyons representing management. If you have any questions regarding the awards, please email uupida@buffalostate.edu.

The Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies Interdisciplinary Minor invites you to a LGBTQ+ Community Organizing Forum that we are holding as part of our celebration of Women’s History Month.

Join us for a forum featuring local LGBTQ+ grassroots community organizers. Learn some of the history of local LGBTQ+ community organizing and find out how you can get involved today! Meet like-minded people and connect with others in our community.

The forum will take place on Wednesday, March 12 from 4:30 to 6pm in Technology Building 160.

This event is funded by Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and the Grant Allocation Committee.

Contact librarian Julie Setele for more information.

Come join us on April 10 from 12:15-1:30 p.m. in Butler Library 318. In this brown bag session, CCE Associate Director, Dr. Alice Villaseñor will provide an overview of the Buffalo State service-learning course designation process.

We expect there will be plenty of time for questions and discussions about particular courses, so bring a draft syllabus of a course you are considering designating for fall 2025 or later and get feedback from the group!

Please register through the Workshop Registration System. 

The spring midterm grading window will open in Banner on Monday, March 10, at 9:00 a.m. and closes on Friday, March 21, at 9:00 p.m. In addition to a midterm grade, faculty can mark how regularly a student has attended a course by entering 0 (never attended), 1 (sporadic, unsatisfactory attendance), or 2 (consistent, satisfactory attendance) in the “Hours Attended” field. Midterm grade submissions for all registered students are extremely helpful for campus-wide academic intervention and retention efforts. 

Students will be able to view their midterm grades in Banner and Degree Works as soon as they are posted. Advisers are encouraged to use Navigate functionality to review the records of their students and to communicate with those that may appear to need assistance.

Thank you for your commitment to our students’ success.

March is Women's History Month! Celebrate the achievements of women in the workplace and beyond. Together, we can foster equality, inclusivity, and progress. Also, March 7 is Employee Appreciation Day! Showing sincere appreciation improves morale, productivity, and employee retention. This month, take some time to learn how everyone can contribute to employee appreciation every day!

Check out our specially curated playlists located on your home page under "Team Playlists" in BizLibrary to learn directly from successful women, to think about how we can all foster an environment of growth, and see how you can show your employees the appreciation they deserve on a consistent basis.

The campus community is invited to attend the NYS Employee Assistance Program’s monthly webinar “Innovative Approaches to Healthy Eating” on Monday, March 10, from noon to 12:30 p.m.

Join us for the March WellNYS Weekly Challenges, where we'll explore innovative approaches to healthy eating, such as controlling portion sizes, cutting down on sugar, and discovering creative ways to eat mindfully. This webinar will provide you with affirmations for when you eat too quickly, tips to manage sugar cravings, and suggestions for the easiest meal to halve. This 30-minute seminar will be presented by Linda Carignan-Everts, Statewide Wellness Coordinator.

Register for this free 30-minute webinar through the WebEx meeting registration page. You will receive a confirmation email with instructions on how to join the session.

If you are unable to attend live, this webinar will be recorded and put on the WellNYS Everyday website.

WellNYS Everyday is a wellness initiative dedicated to educating, engaging, and empowering New York State employees to engage in healthy behaviors. For more information, visit oer.ny.gov/wellnys/everyday

Internal applications are being accepted for the following position on campus. This is an internal job posting open to employees of Buffalo State University who are currently paid from any state-appropriated-funds payroll.

Title: Senior Staff Assistant / Financial Analyst
Department: Financial Management
Salary: Competitive
Negotiating Unit: UUP

Brief Job Description:
This position is led by the Associate Vice President of Budget and Finance. Financial Analyst will aid in the development, implementation, and analysis of various campus budgets and funding sources. The successful candidate must be a self-motivated, team-oriented individual wishing to join a professional staff in a fast-paced environment.

Key responsibilities:

• Execute allocation, expenditure, and revenue transfers, both internally and inter-agency, in both FMS and Banner
• Report and monitor budgets, spend, and a variety of program activity
• Assign and track line numbers as part of position management
• Perform bi-weekly payroll reconciliations of FTE, budgeted salary and expenses, both year-to-date and year-over-year
• Internal control management of audits and identification of financial risks
• Perform salary and revenue projections for all funds
• Assist with tracking and monitoring all SUNY funded initiatives
• Serve as a Security Administrator for business systems
• Maintain chart of accounts and BI account group security
• Assist with all year-end processes and reports
• Preparation of invoices for a variety of programs

Skills:

• Possess a positive attitude and adaptability to continual change
• Excellent interpersonal skills to work effectively and in a collegial and professional manner with colleagues, management, faculty, staff, SUNY, and third-party contacts
• The ability to multi-task, meet goals and deadlines

To view the required qualifications and to apply, please view the posting on the Buffalo State Job Opportunities website at https://jobs.buffalostate.edu/postings/7787.

The posting is open for consideration of internal candidates through Friday, March 7, 2025.

Please join the Biology Department and the Great Lakes Center for the seminar “Medicinal Plants: Biosynthesis and Ecology of Plant Natural Products,” presented by Dr. Zhen Wang on Monday, March 10, at 3:00 p.m. in Bulger Communication Center 214. Attendees are welcome to arrive at 2:30 p.m. to enjoy coffee and cookies leading up to the seminar.

Research Seminar Abstract: Plants synthesize a myriad of specialized metabolites to cope with stresses and improve fitness. Some of these metabolites are widely used as medicines. Digoxin produced in foxglove plants is essential for treating heart failure and atrial arrhythmia. It belongs to a family of compounds called cardenolides with diverse therapeutic applications. Cardenolides are also found in monarch butterflies, which migrate from the U.S. to central Mexico each year. Despite the prominence of cardenolides in medicine and ecology, how they are synthesized in plants remains unknown. My lab has uncovered key genes responsible for cardenolide biosynthesis in foxglove plants, which paved the way for metabolic engineering to reconstitute digoxin biosynthesis in heterologous hosts.

The Teacher Education Council will meet at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, March 14, in Cleveland 418. Please join us for updates on campuswide programs, projects, initiatives, and certification issues. All education faculty and staff are welcome to attend. The agenda will be distributed via email.

Teacher Education Council meetings will be held monthly in Cleveland Hall 418 on the following dates:

September 13, 2024  (1:00 p.m.)

October 11, 2024  (1:00 p.m.)

November 8, 2024  (1:00 p.m.)

December 13, 2024  (Noon)

January 2025  (NO MEETING)

February 14, 2025  (1:00 p.m.)

March 14, 2025  (1:00 p.m.)

April 11, 2025  (1:00 p.m.)

May 9, 2025  (Noon)

For additional information, please get in touch with Joseph Zawicki, TEC chair.

Dr. Drew Barber from the Hauptman-Woodward Research Institute will give a research seminar on Thursday, March 14, 2025, from 12:15 PM to 1:30 PM in SAMC 151.

Seminar Title: Mechanistic Insights into OATP1B1: The Role of Bicarbonate in Transport

Abstract

The organic anion transporting polypeptide (OATP) 1B1 is a liver-specific transporter responsible for the uptake of numerous endogenous molecules and drugs before their metabolism and excretion by hepatocytes. Structurally, it belongs to the major facilitator superfamily and operates via an alternating access mechanism, facilitating solute movement between extracellular and intracellular compartments.

While most transporters function either passively—allowing solutes to move along concentration gradients—or actively, coupling transport to ATP hydrolysis or co-transported solutes, the exact mechanism of OATP1B1 remains unclear. Through mutagenesis, uptake assays, and kinetic analysis, we demonstrate that OATP1B1 uptake is regulated by bicarbonate. Interestingly, bicarbonate binds to a site distal to the ligand-binding domain rather than being co-transported. It is then broken down in an apparent enzymatic fashion, driving the transport cycle. This unique mechanism is highly dependent on a solvent-exposed, pH-sensitive histidine, which may explain OATP1B1’s pH-dependent activity. These findings provide new insights into the transport mechanism of OATP1B1 and its role in drug metabolism.