The annual Art and Design Fall Student Exhibition, which showcases art by students in 100- and 200-level art and design courses, opens today in the Czurles-Nelson Gallery in Upton Hall and runs through Wednesday, November 30. The Buffalo State community is invited to join students, faculty, and staff at the opening reception on Thursday, November 10, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Please join the Biology Department and the Great Lakes Center for the seminar “Life in the Trenches: The Biology of the Planet’s Deepest-Living Fishes,” presented by Mackenzie Gerringer, assistant professor of biology at SUNY Geneseo, on Monday, November 7, at 3:00 p.m. in Bulger Communication Center 214. Dr. Gerringer received her Ph.D. in marine biology from the University of Hawaii at M?noa in 2017. She will discuss how the abiotic and biotic aspects of the environment at various ocean depths structure the evolution and distribution of fish. 

Abstract
The deep ocean represents the largest habitable environment on our planet. Although we consider deep-sea environments harsh—with cold temperatures, high pressures, an absence of sunlight, and limited food supply—they are home to an amazing diversity of fishes. Using collections from bathyal, abyssal, and hadal depths, Dr. Gerringer’s research explores the adaptations that fishes have evolved to succeed in deep-sea habitats and how environmental conditions structure fish distribution. This talk will focus on the snailfishes, family Liparidae (Scorpaeniformes), which have found notable success in the hadal zone from ?6,000 to 8,200 m. The family includes the deepest-known vertebrate, Pseudoliparis swirei Gerringer & Linley 2017, collected from the Mariana Trench from a depth of 7,966 m (SIO 16-88). The dominance of this family in trenches represents a clear shift from the fish community found at abyssal depths, where elongate, solitary fishes such as rattails (Macrouridae), cutthroat eels (Synaphobranchidae), tripodfishes (Ipnopidae), eelpouts (Zoarcidae), and cusk eels (Ophidiidae) are most common. Multiple factor’s structure fish communities at the abyssal-hadal boundary, including the roles of pressure adaptation, feeding ecology, and life history. In addition to their success in deep-sea trenches, snailfishes also have representatives that live from the intertidal through abyssal depths, with over 400 described species. Studying snailfish species across this full bathymetric range of fishes allows us to investigate adaptation into the deep oceans within a constrained phylogeny. For example, using CT scans of snailfishes from the complete depth range of bony fishes, Dr. Gerringer’s team tested the hypothesis that deep-sea fishes have low-density bones, revealing complex relationships between morphology and habitat. This talk takes an integrative approach, spanning enzymatic, organismal, and ecological scales, and uses techniques in taxonomy, physiology, ecology, and biomechanics that leverage the power of collections to inform new understanding of life in the deep ocean. 

Come and celebrate the First Friday of each month with the Newman Center at 12:05 p.m. in Butler Library 210. We will gather for Mass, give thanks and praise, and start the month with a renewed perspective. Our next First Friday Mass will take place November 4. All are welcome!

Buffalo State undergraduates are cordially invited to participate in the ninth annual SUNY Undergraduate Research Conference (SURC), an all-day event with keynote luncheon and Graduate Fair to be held on the campus of SUNY Maritime College in the Bronx, New York, on Friday, April 14, 2023. Student presenters and their faculty mentors will receive support for conference registration, transportation, and accommodation through Buffalo State's Undergraduate Travel Program. Student abstract proposals for oral presentations, research posters, art displays, and creative performances will be accepted via the online submission portal scheduled to open in December (deadline TBA). Please contact SURC campus coordinator Carolyn Guzski if you are interested in participating.

ConnectLife will be on campus Thursday, November 10, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union lobby, looking for donors for its campus blood drive on Thursday, November 17, in Houston Gym. Volunteers will be present to promote the event, provide information, and schedule appointments. Appointments can also be made by phone at (716) 529-4270 or online through the ConnectLife website (sponsor code 001047). Appointments are encouraged but not necessary.

Please email the Civic and Community Engagement Office or call (716) 878-3919 with questions.

Students are invited to participate in a free live cooking class with returning Hospitality and Tourism alumnus Stephen Forman, ’92, on Thursday, November 17, at 7:00 p.m. on campus. Chef Forman serves as the executive chef of Delaware North, which oversees the stadiums for our local Buffalo Bills and Sabres.

This special class will also be streamed via Facebook Live. The International Student and Scholar Services Office will sponsor a watch party with free refreshments and possibly some food tastings of the international menu that will be offered to the live audience. This special event will not only address the fears and challenges that students face as independent adults cooking in a shared space but will also celebrate International Education Week.

Students who are interested in participating in the live cooking show in person must complete the online form. Preference will be given to residential students, international students, and health ambassadors. Students who do not meet these parameters but are still interested in being part of the live audience can contact Paula Madrigal, assistant director of prevention and health promotions. (No sign-up is required for the watch party in the Assembly Hall.)

If you are unable to make it to either of the in-person events, you can watch live from the location of your choice or find the video after the event.

Weigel Health Promotion, the International Student and Scholar Services Office, Residence Life, and Thyme-N-Honey are proud to bring this event to campus.

Please contact Paula Madrigal with questions.

The Newman Center will celebrate Mass for the Feast of All Saints today, November 1, at 12:05 p.m. in Butler Library 210. All are welcome.

Our loved ones are part of what the church calls the "Communion of Saints." The church commemorates these "saints" by celebrating All Saints and All Souls Day on November 1 and 2.

Open enrollment for the 2023 NYS Flex Spending Account (FSA) begins today, November 1, and ends at 11:59 p.m. Monday, December 12. The program helps eligible state employees save money on necessary health- or dependent-care expenses, because the money set aside in these accounts is not subject to federal, state, or Social Security taxes. 

The Flex Spending Account offers three benefits:

The Health Care Spending Account (HCSA) lets you set aside any amount from $100 to $2,850 for the 2023 plan year to pay for health-care expenses that are not reimbursed by your health insurance or other benefit plan; however, only medically necessary medical, hospital, dental, vision, hearing, and prescription drug expenses for you, your spouse, and your eligible dependents can be reimbursed by your HCSA.

The Dependent Care Advantage Account (DCAA) allows your family to set aside up to $5,000 in pre-tax dollars for eligible custodial child care, elder care, or disabled dependent care expenses that are necessary for you and your spouse, if you are married, to work.

The Adoption Advantage Account allows employees to set aside up to $15,950 to pay for expenses related to the adoption of an eligible child with pre-tax dollars. This benefit is available to M/C employees and those represented by CSEA, PEF, UUP, NYSCOPBA, and PBA.

Complete information on the Flex Spending Account can be found on the Governor's Office of Employee Relations website. If you wish to take advantage of this benefit submit your application for enrollment online or by phone at (800) 358-7202. You will need your NYS Employee ID number, which is located on your pay stub, to complete your application. Please be sure to enroll by December 12. If you are enrolled for the 2022 plan year, you must re-enroll to continue your benefits in 2023.

Important note: Employees who do not work for 26 consecutive pay periods should consider electing a shorter time frame for their deductions, so they do not lose coverage while off the payroll. For example, faculty members who are not paid through the summer should elect to have all deductions taken in the spring semester to have coverage for all of 2023.

The 2023 enrollment deadline of 11:59 p.m. December 12 will be strictly enforced.

The enrollment period for the 2023 Productivity Enhancement Program (PEP) is now open and runs through Monday, December 12. PEP allows eligible CSEA, UUP, PEF, and M/C employees to exchange previously accrued vacation or personal leave for a credit toward their biweekly New York State health insurance costs. Sick leave credits cannot be exchanged under this program.

Employees who participated in PEP for 2022 must file a new election form to enroll in the 2023 program. Details and enrollment forms can be found on the Human Resource Management website.

To participate, eligible employees must file an election form with the Human Resource Management Office, Cleveland Hall 403, by close of business (5:00 p.m.) Monday, December 12.

For program details, please select the link for your bargaining unit:

• CSEA Program Details (PDF, 250 KB) and Election Form (PDF, 225 KB)
• UUP and M/C Program Details (PDF, 80 KB) and Election Form 

The 2022–2023 “Conversations in and out of the Disciplines” series continues today, November 4, as Marcus Watson, assistant professor of Africana studies, presents “Half-Connecting Theory: Reading Health and Pathology in the World around Us from an African Psychology Perspective” at 3:00 p.m. in Ketchum Hall 320. The talk will be followed by a brief Q&A and a short wine and cheese reception. Everyone is welcome.

The “Conversations” series was started 15 years ago by Ann Colley, SUNY Distinguished Professor Emerita of English, to “celebrate and draw attention to the research being done in various departments at Buffalo State College.” Over the last decade, colleagues from Anthropology, Art Conservation, Art History, Biology, Chemistry, English, History, Mathematics, Philosophy, Political Science, and Secondary Education, among others, have shared their work with the Buffalo State and Buffalo communities.

Stay tuned for more information about our upcoming talks this spring, which will include presentations by Hilary Lochte, assistant professor of English education; Kimberly Kamper-DeMarco, assistant professor of psychology; and A. D. Annas, associate professor and director of television and film arts.