Please join the Biology Department and the Great Lakes Center for the seminar "Tales of Ticks and Taq: Tick-Borne Pathogen Surveillance and Research in New York State," presented by Melissa Prusinski, research scientist and laboratory supervisor with the NYS Department of Health, on Monday, February 6, at 3:00 p.m. in Bulger Communication Center 216. At the lab and in the field, Ms. Prusinski focuses on assessing tick populations parallel to their associated pathogens. Attendees are welcome to arrive at 2:30 p.m. to enjoy coffee and cookies leading up to the seminar.

Abstract
In response to the increase and geographic spread of tick-borne disease in New York State, the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) launched a Statewide Tick-Borne Pathogen Surveillance Initiative in 2008 and began actively monitoring tick populations across the state and testing them for pathogens. Ms. Prusinski will detail this coordinated and systematic statewide effort, which enables the NYSDOH to monitor tick population density, species composition and distribution, determine pathogen prevalence, and track changes in these at over 750 publicly accessible locations across New York State over time. She will discuss the NYSDOH tick surveillance results that are shared directly with local county-level health departments, medical providers, and other stakeholders and are publicly available online. The tick and pathogen samples generated by NYSDOH surveillance efforts are used to study tick and pathogen population genetics, test prospectively and retrospectively for emerging pathogens, and form the basis of laboratory experiments on pathogenesis, pathogenhost interactions, co-infection dynamics, and other related vector ecology studies. Ms. Prusinski will provide an overview of these ongoing research studies. The data and findings generated by these efforts form the basis of NYSDOH tick-borne disease educational campaigns and help refine tick-borne disease risk assessments and predictions, as well as guide the targeted implementation of tick-borne disease prevention and interventional strategies.

Online withdrawal from a course can be entered directly in Banner from 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, February 8, through 11:59 p.m. Friday, April 7, for any student who does not have a hold that prevents registration-related activity.

A new feature in Banner allows students to enter an online withdrawal from a course directly in Banner—including anyone who has a hold that normally would prevent this activity—from 12:01 a.m. Friday, February 17, through 11:59 p.m. Friday, April 7. Before these dates, from February 8 to 16, students with such holds must use the Request to Withdrawal from Course Due to A Hold form (PDF, 210 KB). Detailed information about withdrawal from a course can be found on the Registrar's Office website.

The Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) Network is pleased to announce its third annual conference of the Latin American (LatAm) COIL Network, which will take place virtually from June 12 to 16. The conference offers opportunities to learn about cutting-edge COIL partnerships and how they are enhancing the student experience.

This is the third conference in Latin America dedicated to COIL (virtual exchange). The central theme of the conference is “COIL After the Pandemic: Where Are We Going?" Participants are expected from around the world.

Please submit proposals online by 9:00 p.m. (EST) Sunday, March 12.

More information can be found on the LatAm COIL website.

Would you like to have SUNY move your courses from Blackboard to Brightspace? Faculty members can request migration of one section of each course they have taught using Blackboard Learn. For example, if you teach the same course in different semesters, please select one section to be migrated. You must complete one form for each course migration request.

Please use the Course Migration into Brightspace Request Form to have SUNY migrate your course.

Faculty members will have access to Blackboard through Monday, April 10.

Have other questions or need assistance?

• The Buffalo State IT Knowledge Base has many articles to assist with Brightspace. Use the search bar at the top to find information on other topics.
• Please direct any questions about Brightspace functionality to SUNY Online.
• If you need on-campus assistance from Instructional Design and Distance Learning, please submit a ticket through the IT portal.
• Check for upcoming Brightspace workshops on campus in the Workshop Registration System.

Instructors can copy course materials from one Brightspace course to another. This Knowledge Base article, "Copying a Course in Brightspace," explains the steps to take.

Have other questions or need assistance?    

• The Buffalo State IT Knowledge Base has many articles to assist with Brightspace. Use the search bar at the top to find information on other topics.    
• Please direct any questions about Brightspace functionality to SUNY Online.    
• If you need on-campus assistance from Instructional Design and Distance Learning, please submit a ticket through the IT portal.    
• Check for upcoming Brightspace workshops on campus in the Workshop Registration System.  

Please join us for the Teaching and Learning Center session "An Introduction to the Institutional Review Board at Buffalo State," presented by Jill Norvilitis, professor of psychology, and Gina Game, research compliance manager for sponsored programs, on Thursday, February 23, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in Butler Library 318.

Before the review process, researchers must be sure that their project is, in fact, research with human participants as defined by the federal government. To qualify as research with human participants, the following must be true: (1) The participants must be living. The use of records is still considered research with human participants, although oral history and journalism are specifically excluded. (2) The project is a systematic investigation; that is, it is designed to be a study. For example, instances in classrooms where teachers ask students’ opinions on the material to gauge progress are not research; however, if that same teacher designs a study to evaluate two methods of teaching the material to see which is more effective, this would be research if the third criterion is met. (3) The project is designed to contribute to the generalized knowledge. To qualify as research, the person conducting the project must intend for it to be disseminated at some level. On our campus, we also review student projects that may not be disseminated but that meet the first two criteria so that our students will learn the process of research with human participants and because we have contracted with the federal government to do so.

Please register through the Workshop Registration System.

Please join the Teaching and Learning Center for the scholarly discussion "White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism," presented by John Draeger, professor of philosophy and director of the Teaching and Learning Center; and Berg Miller, assistant professor of social work, from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. in Butler Library 318 on the following Fridays:

February 17
March 17
April 21

Coffee, tea, and a light breakfast will be served.

Please register to attend through the Workshop Registration System.

Butler Library will host a three-part Faculty Scholarship Series, presented by Joseph Riggie, head of information management, and Chris Hulsman, electronic and educational resources librarian. Attendance at all workshops in the series is optional. All workshops will be held from 12:15 to 1:00 p.m. in Butler Library 318. Please register through the Workshop Registration System.

Part 1: Research Resources for Faculty: Butler Library’s Access to Journal Packages, Interlibrary Loan, and Other Digital Tools
Thursday, February 16
This workshop focuses on Butler Library’s subscription access to scholarly journal packages. Find out which journal packages and which publisher subscriptions you have access to. We will explain our discovery system, Alma/Primo ALL Search, and other modern research databases that are available to you and your students. We also explain our interlibrary loan and resource-sharing services and the upcoming changes that will expedite accessing resources we may not subscribe to. Additionally, we will review individual library research instruction workshops that are available for your classes and specific research assignments.

Part 2: Know Your Impact: Using Bibliometrics and Altmetrics to Measure the Impact of Your Research
Tuesday, March 21
This workshop addresses our library subscription tools that will assist you in measuring your scholarship’s impact and reach. Using our Web of Science subscription, we can find which research is citing your scholarship. Additionally, we can help you find bibliometrics like H-Index. More recent measurements have surfaced over the last decade like Altmetrics that measure where your research might be mentioned in news outlets, social media, and citation software like Mendeley.

Part 3: Playing the Open Access ‘Mind’ Field: Dodging Predatory Journals and Article Processing Charges
Tuesday, April 11
This workshop addresses the open access publishing landscape. Publishing open access has become ubiquitous in academia and will continue to grow, as any federally funded study must be open access (OA) when published starting in 2026. Many obstacles and concerns surround open access publishing, especially predatory journals and avoiding the escalating costs of article processing charges (APCs). We will discuss strategies to avoid predatory publishers and dodge APCs in the open access realm. We will also discuss recent agreements that may waive OA publishing APCs for Buffalo State faculty now and in the future for some publishers.

Buffalo State is looking for volunteers to join the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). The CERT program educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may affect their area and trains them in basic disaster response. Using training learned in the classroom and during exercises, CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event when professional responders are not immediately available. CERT members are also encouraged to support emergency response agencies by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness projects in their community.

CERT is also fun! New member training begins Thursday, February 16. All faculty and staff members are welcome. Sign up as soon as possible using the links below. All four sessions are required to become a CERT member, so be sure to register for all sessions. Some preparation must be completed ahead of time as well. Details will be sent to you after you sign up. 

New Member Classes
Thursdays 9:00–11:00 a.m.
Cleveland Hall 418 

• February 16 – CERT Organization, Disaster Preparedness
• March 2 – Medical Operations 1 and 2
• March 16 – Disaster Psychology and Terrorism
• March 23 – Fire Safety and Light Rescue

Please email questions to cert@buffalostate.edu.

Join the Faculty Development, Online Learning, and Instructional Design and Distance Learning teams from Buffalo State University, D'Youville University, Niagara University, and Siena College for the webinar "ChatGPT and What It Might Mean for Higher Education" on Friday, February 3, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. The teams will provide insight into the benefits and drawbacks of ChatGPT in education and will share their own experiences using this AI tool.

Don't miss this valuable opportunity to collectively grapple with this emerging technology and its implications.

Please register online. Zoom information will be sent to registrants the day of the webinar.

Please contact Jamie Tabone, instructional designer and lecturer, with questions.