The Great Lakes Center's mission is to improve the quality of the environment by providing the best possible science to decision-makers concerned with the health and sustainability of Great Lakes resources. This is accomplished, in part, through high-quality research and current graduate and undergraduate education.

To advance this mission, the GLC is pleased to present the Great Lakes Faculty Scholars Program. Under this program, the GLC will fund a course release for one semester to allow faculty members to have the time needed to bring an external grant to fruition. Faculty members interested in this program must show evidence of some preliminary groundwork toward a grant application on any topic relevant to the Great Lakes or its watershed, including urban environments adjacent or connected to the Great Lakes.

We seek to bolster collaborations between faculty members in any department at Buffalo State with faculty members affiliated with the GLC, or to further collaborations between BSU faculty members and colleagues at other institutions. Faculty members in the program may also receive one Huppuch Tuition Scholarship, if needed, to entice a prospective graduate student to help carry out the proposed research. Huppuch Tuition Scholarships cover all costs associated with full-time, in-state graduate tuition.

We will fund two faculty scholar awards per year. Application deadlines are as follows: Faculty members seeking a fall course release should submit an application by Monday, April 1, and those seeking a course release for spring 2025 should apply by Tuesday, October 1.

More information on the Great Lakes Faculty Scholars Program and application materials can be found on the GLC website.

Please join us during spring break for Team Trivia, hosted by Andy Binder, director of operations for the Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall, on Tuesday, March 26, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Caudell Hall 127. 

Questions will cover a wide variety of topics, including geography, pop culture, history, and science, with random facts questions thrown in! Don't miss this fun opportunity to test your knowledge with colleagues. 

Please register through the Workshop Registration System.

Please join the Teaching and Learning Center for the session "An Evidence-Based Teaching and Learning Tool for the College Classroom," presented by Jessica Fitzpatrick, associate professor of social work, on Thursday, March 14, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in Butler Library 134.

This interactive training will let you experience how simulations can be used in your courses to engage students and enhance learning and participation in the classroom.

Please register through the Workshop Registration System.

The Office of Mental Health (OMH) offers New York State employees an opportunity to practice various coping skills and strengthen their resilience through OMH Wellness Groups, which aligns with the vision of supporting a healthy workplace environment. The groups include deep breathing and simulation exercises to allow employees to practice rather than have group discussions. Group sessions offer a warm, inviting space that fosters relaxation virtually and provides examples of calming techniques and basic coping skills. Remember that the mind and body are one, and psychological health is just as important as physical health to your overall well-being.

The group sessions are free, confidential, and anonymous, and virtual employees can call in from any phone. Group sessions include Monday Meditation, Mindful Mondays, Taking Care of Mind and Body, and Tending to Self.  Please see the OMH calendar for group session details and how to join (PDF, 450 KB).

Please contact OMH with questions.

Please join us for the Cultural Café, a monthly event that brings together members of the Buffalo State community over conversation, culture, and coffee and light refreshments, today, March 6, at noon on the first floor of Butler Library. This is a great opportunity to meet new people and find common ground with other internationally minded members of the community in a casual, relaxed atmosphere. We will celebrate women around the world during Women's History Month. This event is sponsored by the Equity and Campus Diversity Office, Butler Library, and Global Engagement.

Please join us for the next Cultural Café, a monthly event that brings together members of the Buffalo State community over conversation, culture, and coffee and light refreshments, on Wednesday, March 6, at noon on the first floor of Butler Library. This is a great opportunity to meet new people and find common ground with other internationally minded members of the community in a casual, relaxed atmosphere. We will celebrate women around the world during Women's History Month. This event is sponsored by the Equity and Campus Diversity Office, Butler Library, and Global Engagement.

It's that time of the semester already! Please submit your textbook adoptions through our Adoption and Insights Portal, which can be found on the Buffalo State Faculty and Staff page, under Resources: Textbooks and Course Materials. 

The earlier we receive adoptions, the more materials we can carry over to next semester and have books readily available for students to purchase.

Please email course materials manager Trista Hayes or bookstore manager Lynn Puma with any questions.

The Graduate Advisory Council is accepting nominations for Outstanding Master's Theses and Outstanding Master's Projects completed during the 2023 calendar year. The purpose of these awards is to recognize outstanding student research and applied work at the graduate level. Up to three thesis awards and three project awards will be made. Nominations will be accepted for students who graduated in 2023 (J-Term, May, August, or December).

Nominations may be made by thesis or project advisors or by students themselves. The advisor or committee member initiating the nomination process must submit a letter of support describing why he or she feels the project or thesis should be recognized. The nominator must also solicit feedback from the department chair and one external evaluator (i.e., a faculty member external to the committee, either on campus or from another institution). The nominator, department chair, and external evaluator should use the electronic nomination form to submit their individual evaluations. 

Questions and an electronic version of the nominated thesis or project should be sent to Kevin Miller, director of graduate studies.

The deadline for submission of nominations and copies of theses and projects to Graduate Studies is Wednesday, March 13.

In last week's Totality Tuesday, we talked about eye safety and eclipse glasses, but there are ways to indirectly view the eclipse, too. Because you won't be looking directly at the Sun, these are safe ways to watch the eclipse without eclipse glasses.

An easy method is to make a pinhole projector. This is done by making a pinhole in a piece of cardboard or cardstock and letting sunlight pass though that pinhole onto another piece of cardboard. The disk of the Sun will be projected onto the second piece of cardboard. To make it work even better, you can cut out a square from the middle of the cardboard, cover it with aluminum foil, and then punch the hole through the tinfoil. The Sun will show up best if the second piece of cardboard is white or has a piece of white paper taped to it. You can also make a pinhole projector using a cardboard box such as a cereal box.

Other pinholes will project an image of the Sun, too. You can use a colander, a slotted spoon, a cheese grater, or even your fingers. Beneath leafy trees, you can also see many projections as sunlight passes through spaces between the leaves.

An activity while using a pinhole projector is to outline the shape of the projected Sun at certain intervals, such as every 15 minutes. This will give you a nice record of your observations of the eclipse. You can also make a pattern of pinholes so the projected crescent suns shows that pattern, such as your name, the date, or a heart. Be sure to take a picture!

When using a pinhole projector, your back is to the Sun, so it is safe. Before totality, you will be able to watch how the appearance of the Sun changes as it is covered more and more by the Moon. You can then use the pinhole projector after totality to observe as more and more of the Sun becomes visible. During totality, you should be looking at the Sun's corona and experiencing totality.

Next week, we will discuss what to be thinking about as you plan for April 8.

Question of the Week: Why doesn't a solar eclipse happen every month?  

Answer: A solar eclipse happens during a new moon when the Moon blocks the Sun, causing the Moon's shadow to pass across Earth's surface. We have a new moon every month (sometimes two!). The reason we don't get a solar eclipse every month is that the Moon's orbit is tilted about 5 degrees with respect to Earth's orbit around the Sun. This means the Moon's shadow is usually too high or too low during a new moon to hit Earth's surface.

For information about Buffalo State's eclipse events, visit the Buffalo State Eclipse website. Questions? Email eclipse@buffalostate.edu.

Both the summer and fall 2024 master schedules are now available online in Banner SSB and Schedule Planner. Students can view their assigned time ticket (registration start date) directly in Banner.

Students are encouraged to plan ahead, review their courses, and use Schedule Planner. They can leave their desired schedule in their Schedule Planner cart and then submit it starting at 6:00 a.m. on their designated registration start date.

After their assigned registration start date, registration is continuous. 

Summer and fall 2024 registration begins Wednesday, April 3.