SPRING 2018 VOL. XXVII, NO.1

UB LAUNCHES $650 MILLION CAMPAIGN

By Mary Cochrane helping us secure our vision. From the Vice Provost....3 “Our Boldly Buffalo campaign will ampli- n April 30, UB launched a fund- fy UB’s mission of transforming ambitious, Ellen Dussourd Retires...... 4 raising campaign that is the larg- dedicated students into thoughtful lead- O est in university history and the ers and change-makers who have an im- UB Start-up Goes Global..5 largest in the history of the State measurable impact on our region and the University of New York system. world,” Tripathi added. “It will further the Healthcare in Jamaica.....7

Fogarty Grant for Jamaica...9

Global Innovation...... 10

Food Lab...... 11

Live-in-Labs...... 12

Bangladesh...... 13

Aid to Syria...... 14

Sustainability Program in Costa Rica...... 15

Buffalo in Venice...... 16

Language Support...... 17 Boldly Buffalo: The Campaign for UB seeks work of our award-winning faculty, whose to raise $650 million to deliver transforma- research discoveries made here in Buffalo One World Cafe...... 18 tive changes for the public research univer- will help millions of local and global citi- sity, Western New York and the world, ac- zens improve their environments, their Margaret Atwood...... 19 cording to UB President Satish K. Tripathi. health, their prosperity and their commu- “Our historic campaign is taking place nities.” during an incredible regional renais- Rodney M. Grabowski, UB vice presi- International Activities of sance—truly one of the boldest periods in Faculty & Staff...... 21 dent for university advancement, said the the history of UB and the City of Buffalo,” university already has secured more than said Tripathi. $451 million through the campaign, and Directory...... 27 “With this campaign, we affi rm our com- propelled improvements across the univer- mitment to an even brighter future here sity. UB International and around the globe. As we look forward, “Boldly Buffalo is a campaign about im-

Visit the Offi ce of International and consider our shared aspirations for UB pact, and it already has begun to benefi t Education website at: and our students, we recognize inspiring our students and faculty, our region and http://www.buffalo.edu/ generous support from our alumni, friends our world,” Grabowski said. “Gifts from internationaleducation and community members is essential to generous alumni and donors have to date continued on p. 2 2 BOLDLY BUFFALO others. His wife, Saraswati Bahethi, is SSAI’s corporate sec- continued from page 1 retary and treasurer. “We would not have a successful business today without funded 109 scholarships and fellowships, and established the education and training I received at the University at 13 endowed chair and professor positions.” Buffalo,” Bahethi said. One of these positions is the Peter A. Nickerson, PhD, Gifts like these are what Boldly Buffalo is all about, Professor and Chair in the Department of Pathology and Grabowski said. Anatomical Sciences, established by the beloved longtime “With this campaign we are encouraging our alumni UB professor who died in 2017 and left a $4.5 million be- and friends to think boldly, to act boldly and to be inspired quest to the Jacob School of Medicine and Biomedical Sci- by what UB can accomplish with their active support and ences. investment,” Grabowski said. “There is so much at the uni- Through campaign gifts, UB has constructed new build- versity that engenders pride. The campaign will help us ings, including the downtown home of the Jacobs School — named to honor the Jeremy M. Jacobs fam- ily for lifetime giving and contributions to the university, includ- ing their historic $30 million campaign gift — and created new centers, such as the

CAMPAIGN FOR UB CAMPAIGN Stephen Still Institute for Sustainable Transportation and tell that story.” Logistics in the schools of management and engineering, Peggy and Jeremy Jacobs, a UB alumnus, are the honor- established through engineering alumnus Still’s $4 million ary campaign co-chairs. Jeremy Jacobs has been chair and gift last fall. trustee of the UB Foundation, and chair of the UB Council “This ongoing effort truly is transformational for the uni- since 1998. The couple and their family are the university’s versity,” Grabowski said. largest donors. Noting that nearly 61,000 donors have made 160,000 “UB feeds Buffalo’s high-skilled workforce, it is the re- gifts to the campaign thus far, ranging in size from $1 to gional hub of artistic and cultural expression, and it is the more than $30 million, Grabowski emphasized that “each engine of Buffalo’s thriving medical industry,” Jacobs said. is as important as the next, because they combine to make “With this campaign, we have the opportunity to further a tremendous impact.” magnify the university’s impact on Buffalo.” A total of 10,505 alumni made their fi rst-ever gifts to The campaign launches publicly at a time of great mo- UB. And more than 100 donors have pledged gifts of $1 mentum for the university. This year, in U.S. News and million or more, “including several that came in this week World Report, UB achieved its highest rank ever among as we prepared to make this historic announcement,” the nation’s best public national universities, at No. 41. Grabowski said. And, in the category of the nation’s best universities – Saraswati and Om Bahethi made one of those gifts, giv- public and private – UB has risen 24 spots over the past ing $1 million to the UB physics department for student decade, more than any institution in the Association of scholarships. American Universities. In 1967, Om Bahethi traveled to UB from Jodhpur, India, UB students have won top academic awards in recent to pursue a PhD. He arrived with $7 in his pocket, three years, including Truman, Goldwater, Marshall and Udall weeks into the fall semester. He had been hired to teach scholarships; National Science Foundation fellowships; a class and, having arrived late, was afraid he wouldn’t Fulbright awards; and the Gates Cambridge Scholarship. receive the teaching stipend, leaving him with no income. Several UB faculty have received prestigious awards of But UB’s international student offi ce hired an instructor to late, including membership to the National Academy of temporarily teach the class until Om reached Buffalo, and Engineering; a career award from the American Society for had Om’s stipend waiting for him, a gesture Om said he Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics; and a National has never forgotten. Science Foundation career award, one of the highest hon- Today, Om Bahethi is chairman of SSAI, which provides ors NSF offers to early-career faculty. scientifi c and technical support services to federal science Campaign co-chairs Dan and Gail Alexander of Canan- agencies including NASA, the NOAA, USDA and many daigua, New York, are UB graduates who met as students, continued on p. 4 FROM THE VICE PROVOST 3

any foreign policy observers have noted with Ordinary citizens are typically not familiar with the alarm the administration’s ongoing efforts to critical role of career diplomats in maintaining our for- M hollow out the Department of State, leaving eign policy and defending American interests around the that agency with a reduced cadre of experienced experts globe. who can advise the president, the secretary, and the ad- This impressive brain trust has evolved over many years ministration on critical geopolitical and national security to support America’s many relationships and engage- issues. Despite assurances by Mike Pompeo, the new Sec- ments throughout the world. Without these individuals’ retary, to bring “swagger” back to the department, there specialized and extensive knowledge of foreign languages, is no evidence as yet that this critical human resource defi - cultures, histories and ideas, US diplomacy simply could cit will be addressed. not function. It is reported that up- A useful analogy wards of sixty percent of might be drawn in the top-ranking career diplo- sphere of higher educa- mats have retired or left tion. There is no doubt the service, and that ap- that our institutions, plications to the foreign and particularly major service are down by fi fty research universities like percent. Earlier this year my own, have come to the McClatchy Newspa- rely increasingly on in- pers reported that in ad- ternational education dition to leaving many experts who serve as senior positions unfi lled chief diplomats for their

at the State Department, institutions. FROM THE VICE PROVOST the administration is Given the rapid glo- promoting far fewer ca- balization of higher ed- reer foreign service offi - ucation, these senior cers to senior positions, international offi cers thus blocking career advancement and further encourag- (SIOs) have become invaluable to their presidents and ing departures. The administration has also proposed dra- provosts as they seek to establish and leverage strategic matic cuts to the department’s budget. international partnerships that help advance their institu- The notion that administration can do without such ex- tional missions and foster positive, mutually benefi cial re- pertise and that the president and a small circle of advi- lations with other universities around the world. sors can adequately manage US foreign policy is naïve and Identifying suitable partners and cultivating successful misguided to a dangerous degree. Yet this appears to be and mutually rewarding relations with them requires a the way the administration prefers to operate, with the diplomatic expertise comparable to that of senior State President agreeing to negotiate directly with Kim Jong-un Department offi cials. Indeed, it is not uncommon to fi nd of North Korea, without the groundwork that seasoned retired career diplomats transitioning to SIO roles at major diplomats would normally undertake to better ensure a universities. Their skill set is eminently transferable to this successful outcome. new environment. The president’s National Security Strategy, published in In an era in which diplomacy is neglected and underval- December 2017, correctly declares, “The United States ued, I wish to underscore its vital importance, not only for faces an extraordinarily dangerous world, fi lled with a wide our foreign policy and national security, but also for the range of threats that have intensifi ed in recent years.” well being and success of our institutions of higher educa- It may be debated whether the world has become more tion, which must operate in a global, highly competitive dangerous recently and if so how much that is attribut- environment. able to the US conduct of its foreign policy; however, most Regardless of populist attacks on professional experts would agree that our country must now deal with a very and the value of diplomacy itself, SIOs must continue their complex set of challenges, and that relevant expertise is important work of forging ties across national and cultural needed to address them. frontiers. Diplomacy can save the world.  Even an “America First” foreign policy can succeed only if it is conceived and implemented by experts who under- Stephen C. Dunnett is professor of foreign language educa- stand the rest of the world, and how the US is perceived tion and vice provost for international education. there. 4 ELLEN DUSSOURD, DIRECTOR OF ISSS, RETIRES AFTER 19 YEARS AT UB

llen Dussourd, Assistant Vice Provost and Director and complicated.” of International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS), Among many other impacts felt in Dussourd’s offi ce, E retired from UB in April 2018 after a highly success- the terrorist attacks prompted the launch of SEVIS, the ful career leading the offi ce that looks after the uni- Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, by the versity’s international students. newly established Department of Homeland Security, to When she joined UB in 1999 from Indiana University, more strictly monitor international students and scholars Dussourd was already a senior international educator with in the US. SEVIS and the accompanying new regulations many years’ experi- made Ellen’s life and that ence in the fi eld. of her team a living hell, it Although her pre- might be said. vious career had Beyond the onerous com- largely focused on pliance mandates SEVIS English as a Second imposed was the terrible Language teaching quandary that international and administration, student professionals were Dussourd soon came thrust into, in having to be- to be known as an come full-time monitors of expert in the area of their students on the govern- regulatory compli- ment’s behalf. ance for internation- Their roles, in other words, al students and was were confl icted since they invited to speak at entered the fi eld to serve in- national conferences ternational students and be ELLEN DUSSOURD RETIRES of professionals in their advocate, not to be a the fi eld. surrogate for DHS in moni- “In retrospect, it toring immigration compli- can be said that El- ance. Yet this latter role has len’s timing in taking President Tripathi, Ellen Dussourd and Stephen Dunnett tended to overshadow the the job at UB when former. she did was unfortunate, given that 9/11 was just around Further complicating matters at the time was the rapid the corner,” said Stephen Dunnett, Vice Provost for Inter- growth in international enrollment that UB was experienc- national Education. “That event sparked a cascade of reg- ing thanks to our vigorous recruitment efforts overseas. ulatory changes that made her job a lot more challenging continued on p. 9 BOLDLY BUFFALO More than 60 university alumni, friends and supporters continued from page 2 are serving as UB campaign volunteers, actively partnering then married after Dan left the university, at age 20, to with the university to achieve the campaign’s bold and become Buffalo’s youngest fi refi ghter. After treating an in- ambitious goals. They hail from across the country—from jured man who urged him to become a doctor, Dan decid- San Diego to Washington, D.C.—adding a national per- ed to return to UB, where he fi nished a BA and a medical spective to the campaign. degree. He went on to become an orthopedic surgeon In addition to student scholarships, campaign funds will while Gail, who graduated from UB with a fi nance degree, be used to increase the number and quality of experien- became his practice’s manager. The Alexanders gave $1 tial learning opportunities—including study-abroad pro- million to establish scholarships for Buffalo public school grams, internships and externships—so students can de- graduates and others who hope to attend medical school. velop beyond the classroom. Gifts also will be put toward “Receiving the letter of acceptance from the Jacobs building new facilities and modernizing existing structures School changed my life,” Alexander said. “That’s why where students learn and interact, and will support faculty Gail and I gave to establish scholarships, particularly for research and the creation of more endowed faculty posi- students who couldn’t otherwise afford to attend medi- tions to attract top professors and researchers to UB. cal school. Our hope is that the scholarships will attract The campaign is the ninth in UB’s 172-year history.  inner-city kids—such as those from my alma mater, Hutch Tech—who want to become caring, compassionate phy- Mary Cochrane is associate director of donor and alumni sicians.” communications for University Advancement. UB START-UP HAS GLOBAL ASPIRATIONS 5

By Charlotte Hsu “As a faculty inventor, Dr. Hangauer worked tirelessly to grow his company, with the dual goals of helping cancer oday, Athenex is one of Buffalo’s best-known life sci- patients and helping the Buffalo area prosper,” Govinda- ences companies. raju says. T The fi rm, which develops cancer therapies, em- “His achievements as an entrepreneur are impressive, ploys nearly 500 people, including 130 in Western and I hope his success will inspire other UB researchers to New York. It’s headquartered in downtown Buffalo, has a follow in the same path.” factory in Newstead and is opening a large manufactur- Dozens of UB faculty, staff and students have launched ing facility in Dunkirk. It has offi ces in Asia and across the spinoff companies in recent years, including many in Buf- U.S. It has been publicly traded on the Nasdaq since last falo Niagara’s growing life sciences sector. These include year, when it raised $66 million in an initial public offering companies such as Abcombi Biosciences, which is de- (IPO). But back in the ear- ly 2000s, the company was just an idea, born from a series of discover- ies made in the lab of UB medicinal chemist David Hangauer. Hangauer was unusual for an academic: He had started his career in pri- vate industry, joining the GOES GLOBAL UB START-UP UB faculty in 1989 after spending a decade as a At the MOU signing at HKPU in January 2018: President Tripathi (6th from right, in front), Stephen Dunnett (4th scientist at pharmaceuti- from right, in front), Johnson Lau (7th from right, in back) and Teresa Bair (far right, in back) Photo: HKPU cal giant Merck. He was passionate about research, but also had an entrepreneurial veloping a pneumonia vaccine; Cytocybernetics, which bent. screens new drugs for harmful side effects; and For-Robin, Hangauer co-founded Athenex, then called Kinex, in which is also developing a cancer drug. 2003, and spent the next 13 years working to build the To get Kinex off the ground, Hangauer tapped a fellow company into one of UB’s most successful spinoffs. UB alumnus as CEO: Allen Barnett, who earned his PhD in The university supported him along the way, patenting pharmacology at UB. Barnett was a pharmaceutical exec- a drug discovery process called “Mimetica” that his UB utive with national name recognition. team developed, and backing his company with funding Barnett also helped recruit Johnson Lau as another for research and development (R&D). Athenex’s fi rst lab co-founder of the company. Lau, also a former Scher- was at UB, consisting initially of space carved out of Han- ing-Plough executive, joined Kinex as chairman of the gauer’s faculty lab. board, a role he still holds today. Now, the university’s investments are paying off for Bringing Lau on was a prescient move: Lau, an MD and Western New York—and for UB. As part of Athenex’s orig- pharmaceutical executive with international connections, inal agreement to license Hangauer’s UB discoveries, the was named CEO upon Barnett’s retirement in 2012 and university received company stock. In September 2017, has led the company to further growth, including the UB sold its shares for $5.8 million. In accordance with uni- fi rm’s globalization and the successful IPO in 2017. versity policy, the majority will return to UB, to be reinvest- ed in research and education. Partnering with UB in the early days “Athenex is a wonderful success story for UB and for UB was a vital partner in Kinex’s early days. As an early the region,” says Venu Govindaraju, vice president for re- order of business, the company began negotiations to li- search and economic development. “It shows how univer- cense Hangauer’s research discoveries from the universi- sity research can lead to innovations that benefi t society ty. Robert Genco, who oversaw UB’s technology transfer while helping drive economic development. By bringing team, was instrumental in formulating a deal. discoveries from the lab into industry, it has grown into The fi rm had no laboratories yet, so its scientists set up a company providing high-paying jobs to Western New shop in Hangauer’s UB lab. Yorkers, including many UB graduates. “Chemistry requires special workspace, so I did what’s continued on p. 6 6 UB START-UP continued from page 5 Athenex and UB are already very active, with many exist- ing partnerships. called a facilities use agreement with UB where I could “Our visit to China with UB, where we met with four carve out that little bit of space in my lab and have part- Chinese universities to explore opportunities for innova- time employees from the company work in that space and tive R&D collaborations, was a signifi cant milestone in the make compounds,” says Hangauer, who served as the evolution of UB and Athenex working together,” says Bair, fi rm’s chief scientifi c offi cer. “It was like a Kinex embassy, also a UB law school graduate. “Now we’re joining forces and it was a lot cheaper and faster than contracting the for continued global growth with international partners.” work to outside companies.” The principal partner in the visit is Hong Kong Polytech- When the time came to open a headquarters with lab nic University (HKPU), which has had an affi liation agree- space, Kinex turned to UB again. ment with UB for ten years. The January trip resulted in an The company located downtown in UB’s New York State invitation to HKPU to send a delegation to UB in the spring Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences to further explore potential collaboration. not long after the building’s 2006 opening. There, the Six HKPU staff, led by Ping-Kong Wai, Vice President for fi rm collaborated with UB scientists and used the clean Research and Development, and Terrence Lau, Director of room—a highly specialized facility—to manufacture drug Innovation and Technology, spent several days in Buffa- capsules for early clinical trials of KX-01, one of the can- lo (April 29-May1), meeting with Athenex staff as well as cer therapies in the company’s pipeline. Though the fi rm’s potential collaborators in the School of Engineering and headquarters have moved to new offi ces on the Buffalo Applied Sciences, the Jacobs School of Medicine and Bio- Niagara Medical Campus, Athenex still maintains offi ces medical Sciences, and Roswell Park Comprehensive Can- and lab space in the building. cer Center. As an outcome of the HKPU visit, the two universities Going public and going global are identifying the likeliest areas for research collaboration

UB START-UP GOES GLOBAL UB START-UP As Hangauer’s work with Kinex intensifi ed, UB continued with potential commercialization opportunities. its support, allowing him to scale back on teaching and re- search from 2010 until he retired as an associate professor Changed entrepreneurial landscape in WNY of chemistry in 2013. Looking back to 15 years ago, Hangauer and Barnett feel As Kinex’s chief scientifi c offi cer, Hangauer oversaw key that much has changed in Buffalo for entrepreneurs. research during a period of rapid growth. This growth in- “The startup scene in Western New York was nothing cluded a name change to Athenex in 2015 and the fi rm’s like it is today. People were not familiar with biotech com- globalization under the leadership of Johnson Lau, who panies at all,” Barnett says. “UB, at that time, was not ex- became CEO in 2012. actly known as a household name for spinning off success- With Lau at the helm, Athenex opened overseas facili- ful companies. It’s totally changed now, and we’d like to ties, raised more than $200 million in private funds from think we had something to do with that.” Asian investors, secured a $225 million investment from As an institution, UB has increased support for entre- New York State for the company’s Western New York- preneurs. Programs designed to accelerate commercial- based operations, grew the company to nearly 500 em- ization range from new sources of R&D funding to a re- ployees globally, and took the company public on the cently launched National Science Foundation I-Corps Site Nasdaq Stock Exchange in 2017. program, which is run by the Business and Entrepreneur Hangauer retired in 2016, but he takes pride in Athen- Partnerships teams in UB’s Offi ce of the Vice President for ex’s continued success. Several of his former PhD students Research and Economic Development to help faculty in- still work for Athenex, including Michael Smolinski, the ventors conduct market research on innovations. company’s director of preclinical operations. The Blackstone LaunchPad at UB, new in 2016, intro- Though Hangauer and Barnett have retired from Athen- duces students and others on campus to entrepreneurship ex, Lau—CEO and chairman of the board—has continued as a viable career path and provides coaching to help get to cultivate the company’s partnership with UB. ventures off the ground. In late January Lau and Teresa Bair, Athenex vice pres- The entrepreneurial ecosystem in Western New York is ident for corporate development and legal affairs, visited stronger than ever today, and Hangauer hopes Athenex Asia with partners from Western New York that included inspires other academics to take the leap into industry.  UB President Satish K. Tripathi and Vice Provost for Inter- national Education Stephen Dunnett. Charlotte Hsu is a news content manager for University Com- During the trip, Athenex and UB met with universities munications. and institutes in Hong Kong and China, with the goal of exploring new R&D collaborations in a region where both HEALTHCARE IN JAMAICA: A MEDICAL MODEL THAT WORKS 7

By Harold Burton satisfy this objective students attend classroom sessions at UB over 3 days to learn how cultural evolution has di- ixteen undergraduate pre-health majors and one verged from biologic evolution in Western society to cre- teaching assistant participated in the inaugural ate an environment of abundance and comfort. S study abroad program in Jamaica during winter ses- This phenomenon, referred to as Evolutionary Discor- sion 2018. The program, Behavior-Driven Disease: dance has led to widespread overconsumption of food A Global Epidemic is directed by Harold Burton, a retired and a sedentary lifestyle. Stu dents then travel to Jamaica faculty member in the School of Public Health and Health for 2 weeks to be immersed in their culture and health- Professions. He was assisted by Erin O’Brien, a graduating care. While in Jamaica our major objective was to compare senior in the school. and contrast medical models between our two countries. The learning outcomes of the program are based on the observation that the prevalence of obesity has increased HealthCare in Jamaica precipitously among the world’s population and is now The United Nations has classifi ed Jamaica as a developing considered a major global health concern. This condition nation whose economy has transitioned from a base in ag- results largely from an unhealthy lifestyle and greatly in- riculture and industry to mainly tourism. The per capita in- creases the risk of developing heart disease and type II di- come of Jamaica has increased over the past few decades abetes—two leading causes of death around the world. which now positions it in the category of “upper middle income” compared with other “like” countries around the world. However, the income is not evenly split and the majority of Jamaicans do not benefi t from the lucrative

tourist industry. IN JAMAICA HEALTHCARE As a result they must scratch out a living as best they can with little or no government support. This socioeconomic framework is re- fl ected in the health care system. The rich can afford health insur- ance and have private doctors and hospitals. On the other hand, the poor receive primary care services through a network of 320 com- The UB student participants gather on the UWI campus in Jamaica munity health clinics distributed throughout the island. Treating and managing these diseases costs billions All these clinics are expected to adhere to specifi c guide- of dollars each year, but if we can somehow facilitate a lines provided by the Ministry of Health regarding preven- healthier lifestyle in our world population, a simple and tion and treatment, but suffi cient resources are lacking to effective way to reduce risk and help manage existing dis- such an extent that all medical information is still kept in ease, much of this fi nancial burden can be eliminated. Two handwritten records stored in fi ling cabinets. behaviors in particular that increase the risk of obesity are This situation, coupled with lack of suffi cient staff results sedentary lifestyles and poor nutrition. in long wait times to see a physician or nurse, sometimes Obesity is not only a global health concern, it is the num- in the range of 8-10 hours. If the disease or condition is ber 1 public health problem in the U.S. Jamaica currently severe enough to receive secondary or tertiary care, they has a lower prevalence of obesity than the U.S., but as the are referred to one of the public hospitals on the island. country becomes more “westernized” obesity and related However, the same problems exist there – records are behavior–driven diseases are accelerating rapidly, resulting handwritten, they are usually understaffed and wait times in a huge burden on a struggling health care system. to receive care are again, quite long. Overall, this environment in which Jamaica is transi- Program Objectives tioning from developing world status toward economic The overarching goal of the program is to have students stability presents an excellent opportunity for pre-health identify and describe factors that are contributing to this students to observe disparities in health care services. rapid increase in behavior-driven disease in Jamaica. To This environment also lets them examine how new-found continued on p. 8 8 HEALTHCARE IN JAMAICA continued from page 7

“affl uence” affects the population as a whole in terms of Role of Social Environment lifestyle (in particular diet and exercise) and how this trans- Another observation students reported was the “caring” lates into the recent sudden and precipitous increase in atmosphere that existed in the clinics we visited. Despite behavior-driven disease. the long wait times, the patients never complained. When queried about this phenomenon by our students, Impact on UB Pre-Health Students the patients responded they know and understand the The impact on our students is far reaching. Most impor- conditions under which the staff works and considered tantly they have an opportunity to observe health care dis- them as among the hardest working and most caring in- dividuals they know. When nurses, doctors and social workers were ques- tioned about this same observation, they responded the social aspect—including the family and even the com- munity in the treatment (or prevention) process is just as important as prescribing medications in terms of positive outcomes. This underlines the importance assigned by medical staff to the social environment when considering a treatment regimen but more importantly the recovery process. The staff knows many of the patients leave the clinic, where they know someone cares about them and return to an environment in which they are subjected to social

HEALTHCARE IN JAMAICA HEALTHCARE stress that may arise from economic hardship, unsanitary living conditions or even violence. It is paramount, then in the eyes of the medical staff to include the family of the Two UB students with a diabetic patient at Kingston Public Hospital patient (and even the community) in the process to ensure a successful outcome. Many experts agree that social stress may negatively af- parities in a nation where socioeconomic inequalities are fect the body’s regulatory systems in the same manner as refl ected in the health care system. chemical toxins in our food and in the external environ- Although Jamaica is slowly transitioning from develop- ment. But, a survey of the scientifi c literature on this topic ing world status toward some semblance of economic shows the social environment and its impact on health is stability, only a fraction of the population benefi ts from greatly understudied. the current economic engine - tourism. Students will learn The healthcare system in Jamaica affords an opportuni- that despite overcrowded and understaffed conditions in ty for our students to explore the social aspect of health- a healthcare environment with few resources, the system care delivery and to gain a different perspective – one that somehow works. doesn’t rely heavily on drug prescriptions, but rather em- Through observation and interaction with medical staff phasizes the human element. and patients, students who participated this year conclud- To conclude, the dedicated medical staff who serve the ed that patients benefi t from a dedicated medical staff inhabitants of this small island nation enabled our aspir- who have few choices other than to be creative in deliv- ing health care professionals to gain insight into a medical ering effective care. One method they rely on heavily is model that is low on resources but very high on caring and lifestyle modifi cation through behavior change to prevent compassion. and manage most chronic (or non-communicable) diseas- This model also provided an excellent opportunity for es. them to experience fi rst-hand a system that works – but This is a different approach than what is most common doesn’t cost very much. in the U.S., where only 3% of health care dollars is direct- NOTE: This study abroad program is affi liated with UB’s ed toward prevention. Our system relies heavily on drug Center for Integrated Global Biomedical Sciences. The prescriptions to treat and manage disease. The United Center is dedicated toward helping create a healthier States has 5% of the world’s population, but prescribes world population and bridge gaps in global health care 75% of the world’s medications. We also have the highest disparities through innovative education and research.  per capita health care cost among high income countries, but some of the poorest outcomes. FOGARTY GRANT TO SUPPORT VIRAL INFECTION RESEARCH IN JAMAICA 9 do, professor of parasite epidemiology at the University of By Marcene Robinson the West Indies and director of national laboratory services at the Jamaica Ministry of Health. B has received a $1.1 million award from the Na- Under the program, graduate students and fellows will tional Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Fogarty Interna- gain clinical and translational science training, as well as U tional Center to lead the training of 15 scientists develop an expertise in one or more of the following areas: from Jamaica and the Caribbean in viral infection research. arbovirology – viruses transmitted by arthropods, such as The fi ve-year grant will establish the Global Infectious mosquitoes and ticks; chronic viral infections that include Diseases Research Training Program, a research collabora- HIV, hepatitis B and C, and the Zika, chikungunya and tion between the UB Center for Integrated Global Biomed- dengue viruses; or antiviral drug development. ical Sciences, University of the West Indies, SUNY Upstate Students and fellows will alternate periods of training Medical University and Jamaica Ministry of Health. at SUNY research labs under faculty mentors while com- Driven by the shortage of researchers available to con- pleting research on endemic or life-threatening infectious duct immediate research during the recent outbreaks of diseases at the University of the West Indies. the Zika and chikungunya viruses, the Jamaica Ministry Research training labs in pharmacology, virology and of Health named the establishment of a virology research immunology will be established at UB, University at Al- program as one of Jamaica’s highest national health pri- bany and Rush University, respectively. Jack DeHovitz, orities. SUNY Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine at SUNY The Global Infectious Diseases Research Training Pro- Downstate Medical Center, will chair the program’s train- gram will produce a new generation of virology research- ing advisory committee. ers in Jamaica by providing University of the West Indies By increasing the number of virology researchers in Ja- graduate students and postdoctoral fellows with training maica, the program aims to further advance development at SUNY research laboratories. of the Jamaica Center for Infectious Diseases Research, a “This new initiative will promote the development of Ja- collaboration between SUNY, University of the West Indies FOGARTY GRANT FOR JAMAICA maica as a virology research hub in the Caribbean region and Jamaica Ministry of Health. and lead to exciting innovations and new collaborations The program will also engage faculty of the SUNY Glob- among UB, SUNY and University of the West Indies fac- al Health Institute and build on UB’s designation as a Cen- ulty, fellows and graduate students,” says Gene Morse, ter of Excellence in the Global Virus Network, a worldwide lead investigator on the award, director of the Center for coalition of institutions dedicated to the study and treat- Integrated Global Biomedical Sciences and SUNY Distin- ment of viral infection. The University of the West Indies is guished Professor in the UB School of Pharmacy and Phar- an affi liate of the Global Virus Network.  maceutical Sciences. Co-principal investigators include Timothy Endy, profes- Marcene Robinson is associate director for community rela- sor of medicine and director of the Division of Infectious tions for University Communications. Disease at SUNY Upstate Medical University, and John Lin-

ELLEN DUSSOURD international students,” Dunnett noted. continued from page 4 Among her many contributions to programming for the campus community, Dussourd has had the lead role Sustaining that growth would not have been possible af- in two annual programs with a focus on contemporary ter 9/11 had Dussourd and her team not been so effective international issues and UB’s larger global identity—Inter- in managing the regulatory challenges. national Education Week, which debuted in November The number of enrolled international students at UB 2002 to celebrate the university’s international character nearly tripled during Dussourd’s career at the universi- and cultural diversity; and the Alison L. Des Forges Sym- ty—from 1700 to 5000 enrolled students, plus more than posium, created in 2010 in honor of the late human rights 2,000 students on post-graduation Optional Practical champion and held each spring with a focus on current Training and many more dependents and family members. human rights challenges in critical parts of the world. Undeterred by the upheavals that followed 9/11, Ellen In light of her outstanding contributions to internation- navigated the rapidly changing environment of US immi- al education and to UB, Dussourd was honored with the gration policy and skillfully led the implementation of SE- Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Services VIS and the campus compliance software, Sunapsis. in 2008. An active member of the Professional Staff Senate “Thanks to her and her team’s thoroughgoing efforts, (PSS), she went on to co-chair the PSS Awards Committee UB achieved and maintained a sterling compliance record for many years, promoting the recognition of her fellow during her tenure, while continuing to expand services for professional staff.  10 FOOD SYSTEMS THE FOCUS OF GLOBAL INNOVATION CHALLENGE

By Jessica Scates farmers experience. This approach neglects the complex- ity and localized nature of urban and regional food sys- here are more than 500 million families that farm tems. Producers who farm in different contexts face differ- on fewer than 2 acres of land around the world. ent challenges. T These smallholder farmers — who rely largely on An alternative approach is farmer-centered: learning family labor — cultivate over 50 percent of the crops that from and building capacity among farmers in order to are consumed in people’s homes. This year’s Global Inno- achieve practical and sustainable solutions to meet the vation Challenge (GIC) at UB focuses on cultivating equity consumption demands of the world’s population and for those who grow our food. the farmers themselves. Nevertheless, with an increasing The weeklong workshop in May 2018 was open to stu- policy emphasis on large-scale agricultural production, in- dents from UB and other U.S. and international universities novative strategies are needed to support and empower across all majors, from anthropology and architecture, to smallholder farmers. English and engineering, political science to public health, This year’s Global Innovation Challenge expert fellows and all levels. will help workshop participants better understand the is- GIC participants engaged in team-building activities, sue. The experts are: and work with international experts and UB faculty to de- Tanveer Ahmad Dar, state project manager for J&K velop social, technological, business, educational and pol- State Rural Livelihoods Mission for the Government of icy innovations to address signifi cant and persistent global Jammu and Kashmir. He has led many programs in Kash- health challenges. mir on the issues of livelihoods, children’s rights, mental The focus for this year’s event in Hayes Hall was develop- health, education and disaster responses, and has been ing innovative strategies to improve the health, livelihoods actively engaged in many initiatives on governance and and environments of smallholder farmers — in turn, culti- people’s rights. GLOBAL INNOVATION vating food equity across the Global South. Biraj Patnaik, regional director (South Asia) for Am- The Global Innovation Challenge, through a partnership nesty International and also the principal adviser to the of the UB Food Systems Planning and Healthy Commu- Commissioners to the Supreme Court in the Right to Food nities Lab with the United Nations Food and Agriculture case. He has been responsible for the oversight of food Organization (FAO), provides students with context and programs of the government of India on behalf of the real-world research ideas that address challenges the FAO court for the past 10 years. works to mitigate. Jim Sumberg, an agriculturalist by training with more Jorge Fonseca, programme adviser for the Food Systems than 25 years of experience working on small-scale farm- Strategic Programme, gave the charge to students on May ing systems and agricultural research policy in sub-Sa- 21 and served as a judge. Students had the opportunity haran Africa and Latin America. More recently, Sumberg to interact directly with the FAO and other international has worked on the agricultural development potential of partners as they develop research proposals. “home-grown school feeding,” the changing global food Through the Global Innovation Challenge, participants system and the growth of interest in “local” food within also had the opportunity to: the UK. • Learn about the life experiences and challenges Jorge M. Fonseca, programme adviser for the Food smallholder farmers face. Systems Strategic Programme of the Food and Agriculture • Partner with faculty experts and international pro- Organization of the United Nations. In this capacity he fessionals. provides expertise to member states in different areas • Advance their creative problem-solving and collab- related to food systems, including activities pertaining to oration skills. FAO’s Urban Food Agenda. For FAO, he previously served • Compete for funding to further their ideas. as economic and food system analyst, and also as an agro- Smallholder farms provide at least 50 percent of the ag- industry offi cer providing supervision of fi eld projects in ricultural output for domestic consumption in most low- Latin America, Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa. and middle-income countries. This is the third year for the Global Innovation Chal- Yet, they withstand the worst food insecurity, especially lenge. Last year’s GIC addressed the humanitarian refugee in the Global South. Limited access to capital, markets, crisis. The fi rst event focused on creating innovative san- land, technology and training, as well as political stressors, itation solutions for the 360 million children and adults gender inequities and, more recently, climate change, am- around the world who have disabilities.  plify the vulnerability of smallholder farm families. Historically, top-down policy efforts have been the pri- Jessica Scates is administrative coordinator of the UB Com- mary strategy for addressing the challenges smallholder munity for Global Health Equity. FOOD LAB EXPANDS GLOBAL EFFORTS 11

By Yeeli Mui, Alexandra Judelsohn, and Samina Raja Cao, Jessica Gilbert, Rajiv Kishore, Nadia Koyratty, Lucia Leone, Sara Metcalf, Harvey Palmer, Subhashni Raj, John he Food Systems Planning and Healthy Communi- Ringland, Sarah Robert, Hannah Stokes, Debabrata Taluk- ties Lab (Food Lab), led by Samina Raja, professor dar, Helen Wang, Marion Werner, and Wenyao Xu. T of urban and regional planning, and located in the School of Architecture and Planning, examines the role Community-Engagement and Impact that local government policy plays in promoting health Over the past year Raja and the Food Lab have worked and food equity. with multiple international organizations and communi- The Food Lab team is ty partners to translate comprised of research traditional research into staff, high school, un- policy and community dergraduate, graduate, impact. doctoral students, and With support from a postdoctoral fellow, CGHE and a partnership and works closely with with Resources for Urban the Community of Ex- Agriculture Foundation cellence in Global Health (RUAF), the Food Lab Equity (CGHE), a univer- team has launched a sity-wide center. unique Global Database In the past year, the for City and Regional Food Lab has ramped Food Policies. up global work, building Available online, this partnerships with univer- free, searchable database FOOD LAB’S GLOBAL FOCUS sities and organizations, contains sample food creating educational op- Food Equity Ideas Lab (Photo: Douglas Levere) systems policies, includ- portunities, and working ing legislations and plans directly in the Global adopted or enacted by South. sub-national governments across the globe. Interested policymakers and stakeholders can fi nd policies to inspire New Scholarship Bridging Global North and South policy change in their communities. A special issue of the international journal Built Environment The Food Lab also manages a similar national database on planning for equitable urban and regional food systems of policies focused on sub-national policies in the United was published October 2017, with guest editors Samina States, but far greater information gaps exist in the Global Raja, Kevin Morgan (Cardiff, UK), and Enjoli Hall (UB). South. This issue of Built Environment, which includes multiple articles from faculty, staff and students from multiple dis- New research endeavors ciplines across UB, connects food equity discourse from The Food Lab has initiated work for a new project in across the Global North and Global South. UB students the Global South titled Planning for Regenerative, Equi- and faculty whose work is published in this article include table Food Systems in Urbanizing Global Environments Martha Bohm, Subhashni Raj, Heather Orom, Isok Kim, (Plan-REFUGE). Working with faculty from multiple univer- Roberto Diaz, Aye Bay Na Sa, Rosie DeVito, Alex Judelsohn, sities and community partners in the Global South, team and Samina Raja. members are examining the daily living practices of small- In January of 2017, CGHE sponsored the Food Equity holder farmers, starting in India. Ideas Lab (FEIL), with Raja and Erin Sweeney (MUP candi- We defi ne daily living practices as smallholder farmers’ date) leading. Through a competitive process, 16 faculty preferences and practices categorized into interrelated and PhD candidates were selected to be FEIL fellows. domains, including their agrarian, politico-economic, en- During the three-day training faculty fellows worked vironmental, social and cultural, and dietary and health in four multi-disciplinary teams to develop innovative re- domains. search ideas with the aim to improve food equity among Defi ned globally as smaller than two hectares in size, smallholder farmers in the Global South. Two teams were smallholder farms encompass only eight percent of all awarded pilot funding to launch projects in the Domini- agricultural land but account for about 70 percent of all can Republic and Thailand. farms. FEIL fellows include So Ra Baek, Martha Bohm, Jessica Further, smallholder farms contribute signifi cantly to continued on p. 12 12 AMRITA’S LIVE-IN-LABS: UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH IN RURAL INDIA cational training in the creation and testing of potential By Lisa Vahapoglu solutions. Arsalan and Aye Bay Na Sa evaluated wearable medical ith the support of the Community for Global devices for people with cardiovascular disease and diabe- Health Equity (CGHE), in January 2018, Medical tes who live in rural, remote villages where there are few or WSciences students Arsalan Haghdel and Aye Bay no healthcare facilities and providers. The wearable elec- Na Sa, Environmental and Civil Engineering double major trocardiogram (EKG) device and the non-invasive glucose Matthew Falcone, and Architecture and Planning graduate monitor that they tested were designed by the Amrita Uni- student Nicole Little traveled to India to conduct research versity’s Center for Wireless and Networks Applications. through Amrita University’s Live-In Labs (LILA) program. Specifi cally, Arsalan and Aye Bay Na Sa conducted tests Summarizing the experience, Arsalan – who intends to in which the same patient would participate in a non-in- go to medical school after graduation – enthused, “It’s in- vasive and a standard blood glucose test. “The glucose teresting to see how even at this stage in my education I monitoring device that we used was a photo sensor that can bring something of value to health care delivery.” This emits rays of infrared light and red light to the skin, and it is exactly the point. receives the refl ected light to give electronic signals called The Amrita University administrators and educators who photoplethysmography. We can subsequently get the glu- launched LILA explain that their chief aim was to fi nd ways cose levels of the patients by analyzing the refl ected light to integrate education into day-to-day life, and in so do- signal,” Aye Bay Na Sa explains. ing, to foster strategic planning (rather than mere survival) The same basic process was followed by Arsalan and Aye in rural communities. Bay Na Sa with the EKG devices: the data generated for The “labs” referred to in the program name are 101 vil- each patient from the 4 Lead EKG devices, were compared lages in rural India where student researchers live, assess to the data from the same patient generated by the stan- the local community’s challenges, and apply their edu- dard 12 Lead device. AMRITA LIVE-IN-LABS AMRITA continued on p. 27

FOOD LAB Ghana, Kashmir, and Jamaica.Findings from this line of re- continued from page 11 search will inform guidance on food systems planning in the Global South for the Food and Agriculture Organiza- food security, providing at least fi fty percent of the agricul- tion of the United Nations. tural output for domestic consumption in most developing To further help cultivate food equity in the Global South, countries. Still, many smallholder farmer households face CGHE also hosted its annual Global Innovation Challenge issues of food insecurity and have to adjust their practices from May 21 - 25, 2018. This one-week workshop wel- in the face of globalization, changing climatic conditions, comes students of all levels and majors who will engage and rapid urbanization. in team-building activities with expert international stake- In January 2018, the Food Lab completed fi eld visits in holders and UB faculty (see p. 10). two states of India with teams comprised of UB students and in-country partners, such as Thanal Institute and Global education opportunities Western Orissa Farmers Union. Yeeli Mui, a recent grad- The Food Lab team aims to connect its global research uate from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public with global educational opportunities for students at UB Health and postdoc in CGHE and the Food Lab, led a team and in the Global South. In summer of 2017, Rehana Dar, in the state of Kerala, and Erin Sweeney, MUP candidate an undergraduate student in agriculture, and Midhat from the UB School of Architecture and Planning, led a Fayaz, a PhD student working under the advisement of Dr. team in the state of Odisha. Shakil Romshoo at the University at Kashmir, collaborated Together, both teams conducted over 40 in-depth inter- with the Food Lab team on research linking food systems views with smallholder farmers and key stakeholders, in- to land use change. cluding planning offi cials, agricultural offi cers, and grass- The Food Lab is a host site for Dr. Abdul Ahad roots organizations. Guru Foundation Scholars that provides support for early Results of this work will illustrate the extent to which career professionals from Kashmir to visit the United States smallholder farmers make trade-offs across daily living for professional development. In April 2018, the Food Lab practice domains as well as describe the experiences of welcomed Ms. Fayaz from Kashmir University to observe small-holder farmers within the context of the gover- research at the Food Lab over a six-week period. This pro- nance, planning, and policy landscape of urbanzing com- gram will promote collaboration between the cities of munities in India. Buffalo and Srinagar (Kashmir), both places of scholarly Upcoming fi eld visits are planned for Summer 2018 in interest for the Food Lab team.  ADDRESSING ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE IN BANGLADESH 13

By Lisa Vahapoglu

urrounded by a circular river system that receives the Established in the 1960s, icddr,b is renowned for its wastewater discharge of a population approaching role in the development, testing, and scaling of the use of S20 million, the physical geography of Bangladesh’s oral rehydration solution to combat pernicious diarrheal capital city, Dhaka, contributes to a number of sig- diseases including cholera. In its early years, icddr,b also nifi cant public health hazards, including the interaction of founded a robust public health and demographic surveil- pathogenic bacteria with antibiotic residues and chemi- lance site some 50 kilometers south of Dhaka: Matlab. cals. Now the longest-running site of its Despite substantial chal- nature globally, Matlab is an inspi- lenges ranging from the ration and a veritable data mine to topographic to the infra- researchers in public health through- structural, Bangladesh has out the world. been making progress in Welcomed by icddr,b partners increasing the public’s ac- Dr. Munir Alam and Dr. Mahbub cess to safe water and im- Rahman, Aga, Aldstadt, Islam, and proved sanitation. I met with their research team at That said, the entire the organization’s headquarters in country’s vast web of riv- Dhaka. With the guidance of icddr,b er systems—and their researchers, the UB team took wa- fl ood-prone nature—cre- ter samples from river banks, public ate a dangerously-effi cient water fountains, clinic wash basins, means for bacterial patho- and other sources for eventual mass ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE gens to circulate, develop spectrometry analysis in Aga’s lab immunity to common- back in Buffalo. The UB group was ly-prescribed antibiotics, also taken to Matlab to do more wa- and thereafter infect peo- ter sampling and to meet with icd- ple and livestock, the latter dr,b practitioners, researchers, and of which can, in turn, infect surveillance administrators. or re-infect human beings, Going forward, with the support who, in turn, deposit their of CGHE and thanks to the collabo- waste products (replete rative partnership of Alam, Rahman, with antibiotic-resistant and their team at icddr,b, UB’s AMR bacterial pathogens) back A polluted waterway in Dhaka (Photo: Jared Aldstadt) “dream team” will continue to inves- into the environment. tigate the environmental transforma- In practice, this vicious cycle of the waterborne circu- tion of bacterial pathogens, and assess drivers and trans- lation of superbugs means that patients, including those mission dynamics. who have not taken antibiotics, show up at local hospitals Islam notes that many important questions remain to with serious, antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. How be answered: “To what extent does accumulated antimi- to treat these patients is a very pressing public health con- crobial residue in the environment select for AMR, at both cern, as is gathering information about the circulation and a bacterial and genetic level? How fl uidly is AMR spread infection pathways of these pathogens. in water? What are the effects of naturally-occurring phe- While antibiotic resistance (also known as antimicrobi- nomenon, such as monsoons and fl oods on the spread of al resistance, or AMR) is a global concern, the prevalence AMR? How easily do humans pick-up AMR from water and and extent of the problem is particularly signifi cant in food sources, and how stable is this carriage?” Bangladesh. With support from the Community for Glob- Noting that it will take “serial investigations” to address al Health Equity (CGHE), this past July (2017), a research the complexity of AMR in Bangladesh and beyond, Islam’s team composed of Diana Aga (Chemistry), Jared Aldstadt aspiration is that the joint research of UB and icddr,b will (Geography), and Shamim Islam (Pediatric Infectious Dis- eventually result in improved AMR mitigation and preven- eases) traveled to Bangladesh to study the problem of en- tion strategies. vironmental AMR and to meet with UB collaborators at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Lisa Vahapoglu is program coordinator for the UB Community Bangladesh (icddr,b). for Global Health Equity. 14 EXPANDING AID FOR SYRIAN REFUGEES

By Marcene Robinson

irst, Othman Shibly led the creation of dental clin- perimenting with a new program to repair homes in Syria ics to treat Syrian refugees. Then, he helped form in exchange for the owner’s permission to allow refugee F schools. Soon, he will rebuild homes. families to occupy the house for two years. Each year, the UB dental professor expands Miles for With a friend, Shibly is fi nancing the project out-of-pock- Smiles, a bi-annual mission to the borders of his native Syr- et. They estimate that each house will cost $500 U.S. dol- ia to deliver free lars—or $250,000 oral health care Syrian pounds—to and education repair. to children who Nearly 70 per- lack access to cent of Syrian refu- treatment due gees live below the to the ongoing extreme poverty civil war. line—less than $2 Shibly, along per day, accord- with volunteers ing to the United from around Nations. The pro- the world, will gram could pro- soon travel vide Syrian families to Lebanon’s with an alternative Bekaa Valley to to refugee camps,

AID FOR SYRIAN REFUGEES deliver care to which are often more than 900 overcrowded and refugee chil- have inhumane dren and, for living conditions. the fi rst time, Shibly is also teenagers. The Volunteers deliver dental care to Syrian children in refugee camps working to re-es- team will also tablish the schools provide treatment to more than 300 children with disabil- that he helped create after they were recently displaced by ities who attend Ecole Saint Maxime Kfarchima in Beirut. a bombing in Damascus, the capital of Syria. With the help The weeklong trip, from April 30 to May 4, is Shibly’s of donations from various organizations, he is assisting the 15th since the war began. schools’ move to northern Syria. Volunteers from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, These students, however, are not refugees. The schools, King’s College London Dental Institute and Saint Joseph which range from elementary to secondary, educate the University of Beirut will help Shibly fi ll cavities, perform children of families who chose not to leave the war zone. extractions, deliver oral health education and more. The sooner the schools are settled, the faster they can More than $25,000 worth of dental supplies and equip- return to providing a brighter future for thousands of the ment were donated by Henry Schein, the world’s largest children affected by the war. provider of health care products and services. Logistics Each year, Shibly leads the delivery of dental care to and support were organized by the Syrian American Med- more than 2,000 refugee children, about 1 percent of the ical Society. 200,000 children displaced by the war. “This trip is unique in adding, for the fi rst time, care and To reach more people and expand to year-round care, treatment for Lebanese children with special needs. Also, Shibly is turning to teachers to bridge the gap. this is the fi rst time we have expert faculty from Harvard In partnership with Harvard University and Kings Col- University and King’s College to evaluate our work and ad- lege London, he is in the planning stages of creating a vise how we can improve the quality of patient care,” says program that trains teachers in refugee camps on how to Shibly, clinical professor in the School of Dental Medicine. perform basic oral health care. Since 2012, he has helped open more than 20 dental If successful, the program would bring Shibly one step clinics in Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon, and created 15 closer to his goal of providing every Syrian refugee child schools in Syria that have taught more than 5,000 chil- with an education and a smile.  dren. To provide refugees with adequate housing, Shibly is ex- TEACHING SUSTAINABILITY IN COSTA RICA 15

By Peter Murphy

ohn D. Atkinson believes engineering students want to study abroad, but struggle to fi t se- J mester-long trips into dense schedules. So he found a way they can have that opportunity. Atkinson, assistant professor of environmental engineering, was one of eight UB faculty members who traveled to Costa Rica last June as part of UB’s fi rst-ever Study Abroad incubator, a program for faculty and staff interested in designing and lead- ing new study abroad initiatives. “Costa Rica is fascinating,” Atkinson says. “They are highly ranked in global sustainability surveys. Almost 98 percent of their electricity is from re- newable resources. Over 25 percent of their land is protected forests.” During the trip, “I saw the implementation of what I discuss in my on-campus class,” he says. “I needed to get students there, fast.” John ATkinson (2nd from r) with students in Costa Rica Atkinson developed CIE 464: Sustainability in Latin America: A Case Study in Costa Rica. the difference between what people think it means to be In less than fi ve months, working with advocates in the sustainable and what is actually required. RICA IN COSTA SUSTAINABILITY Offi ce of International Education, UB Sustainability, the Atkinson encourages students to try one activity each Experiential Learning Network, the School of Engineering week to improve personal sustainability, and then tweet and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and SEAS’ Offi ce of Diversity about it. They might, for example, try going vegetarian and Inclusion on the trip’s logistics. (#nomeatweek) or donating unused clothing (#spring- In January 2018 he and 16 students returned to Buffalo cleaning). Atkinson brought the #447challenge to local after spending more than two weeks in the Central Amer- and virtual audiences last October when he spoke at the ican country. annual TEDxBuffalo event. His talk, “Sustainability For- “The trip reinforced what I want to be doing in my life,” ward,” aimed to motivate people to live the sustainable says Kaitlyn Alcazaren, a senior environmental engineering lives he believes they desire. major. “It might put you out of your comfort zone, but Using CIE 447 as an example, he encouraged his audi- there’s nothing like getting out of the classroom, being ence to step up. “No one is going to solve this for you,” in a gorgeous place and learning about super-interesting he said in the talk. “Rise up. Take responsibility for your ac- topics.” tions. Mobilize your people. Now, more than ever, change The course focused on Costa Rica’s agriculture, energy will only proceed through bottom-up, individual-level and ecotourism industries. Students toured and met with lifestyle modifi cations. I challenge everyone listening to professionals from Costa Rica’s top fi ve energy sources: hy- change something in your life.” droelectric, geothermal, wind, bagasse (sugarcane waste Atkinson says the study abroad course, the #447chal- that is burned) and solar. They also spent time in the cap- lenge and the TEDxBuffalo talk are all part of his larger ital city, the cloud forest and at the beach. goal to increase and diversify opportunities for students to Atkinson describes the trip as an overwhelming success, learn about sustainability. He notes that more and more showing “that UB engineering and science students want students approach him about sustainability careers each to, can and should study abroad.” year. He plans to offer the course again during Winter Session “Students are smart. They forecast where things are go- 2019, and encourages students from majors across cam- ing, and appreciate that this is the path to be on, indepen- pus to consider applying next fall. Now that the inaugural dent of major,” Atkinson says. “They want to know more, trip is complete and the spring semester has begun, Atkin- read more, take more classes. “Sustainability isn’t a fad. As son says he’s excited to be back in the classroom for his educators, we need to respond.”  other sustainability course, CIE 447. He has expanded— and will rename—his #447challenge, a Twitter-based ex- Peter Murphy is outreach coordinator for the Department of periential learning project he developed to show students Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering. 16 BUFFALO IN VENICE architecture and urban design. And its infl uence — both the tangible and unseen — comes to life in the imagina- By Rachel Teaman tions of our students, faculty and even alumni who carry the city with them into every corner of the world.” or more than fi ve decades, Buffalo has inspired and The school has chosen the medium of fi lm for its exhib- situated the teachings and research of UB’s School it, stitching together a story of school and city through F of Architecture and Planning. In creative exchange, the sights and sounds of Buffalo and students at work on the experiments of its students and faculty—built works, campus and in the community. Gregory Delaney, clinical mobilized plans, bold ideas—have woven new dimensions assistant professor of architecture with a focus in urban de- into the fabric of the city. sign and architectural history, will serve as co-curator with architecture professor and Associate Dean Korydon Smith. The school will collaborate with lo- cal fi lmmaker John Paget to produce the fi lm. Paget’s documentary-style fi lms on Buffalo and its architecture have gained national acclaim. An exhibition catalog of faculty and stu- dent refl ections on the city as con- text to their work will complement the fi lm. Students and faculty will be in- volved in the production, curation and installation of the exhibit, as well as workshops and a study abroad BUFFALO IN VENICE BUFFALO program hosted in Venice during the biennale. Viewings of the exhibit in Buffalo are planned after the close of the biennale. Palazzo Bembo (fi rst red building in from left), site of the Time Space Existence Exhibition in Venice “For us, it’s the full arc of Buffa- lo’s history and the complexity of its current character—in rise and ruin, rust and revival—that Now the School of Architecture and Planning is taking shape us,” Delaney explains. “We, in turn, get to play a Buffalo’s story of place — and its place within it — to the small role in shaping the city, from research studios and world as an invited exhibitor at the 2018 Venice Architec- design-build interventions to large-scale master plans and ture Biennale. partnerships with local agencies and industries. “The col- The six-month event is the world’s largest and premier laboration with John Paget and the medium of documen- exhibition of architecture and design, fi lling the streets of tary fi lm give us the opportunity to share the experience the historic city of Venice with more than 300,000 visitors of our school and city with Venice and the visitors to this from around the globe. The exhibit opens May 26 and year’s biennale.” runs through November. The school’s intimate relationship with Buffalo dates Recognized as having a research-intensive program that back to the school’s founding in the late 1960s, and it was engages its city as a testbed for design and planning inno- planning students in the mid-1980s who started conceiv- vation, the school is one of only 20 academic institutions ing of Buffalo’s downtown as a neighborhood and hosted invited to participate in “Time Space Existence,” an offi - citywide conversations on a new planning framework that cially sponsored collateral exhibition of the biennale. continues to emerge today. Much of the school’s inter- Time Space Existence is hosted by the European Cultural nationally signifi cant work has its roots in Buffalo. Recent Center and sponsored by the Global Arts Affairs Founda- developments include experiments in design with terra tion to provoke discussion on the most pressing challeng- cotta, sheet metal and concrete with local industry; con- es facing the profession and academy today. The school’s struction of a nationally award-winning zero-energy hous- exhibit will be hosted at Palazzo Bembo, a 15th-century ing prototype; and the design of food-system plans now palazzo located on Venice’s Grand Canal. being implemented in communities around the world.  “The Venice Biennale is a singular opportunity to put Buffalo and our school on the global stage of architecture Rachel Teaman is communications offi cer for the School of and design,” says Dean Robert G. Shibley. “Buffalo holds Architecture and Planning. an important place among the world’s greatest cities for global university, “improvingtheenvironment andser- cation, notesthatasUBmoves towardbecomingatruly adaptable andmoremarketable onaworldstage.” dents, aswell.Itwillmake themmoretolerant, Studies andPrograms,orCISP. says Biehl,whoalsoischairoftheCouncilonInternational in inclusionandengagementofinternationalstudents,” offer auniquechanceforUBtobecomenationalleader greater thannow. Sciences. “Infact,thecompetitionmayneverhavebeen al educationandenrollmentoftheCollegeArts fessor ofanthropologyandassociatedeanforinternation- sifying throughoutthecountry,” saysPeterF. Biehl,pro- classroom life. international studentsatUBmorefullyintocampusand Provost CharlesF. Zukoski,thatlookedintointegrating a taskforce offacultyandadministrators,deliveredto contained inthe159-pagereportofatwo-yearstudyby Tim Cauller(Photo:MeredithKulwicki) achieve theireducationalandsocialgoalsattheuniversity. dent inclusionandengagement,enablestudentsto E By MichaelAndrei LANGUAGE SUPPORTKEYTOINTERNATIONAL STUDENTINCLUSION Stephen C.Dunnett,viceprovost forinternationaledu- “This willhavelifelongbenefi “The recommendationsofthecampus-widetaskforce “Competition toenrollinternationalstudentsisinten- The actionsareamongmorethan50recommendations in UB’s actionplantopromoteinternationalstu- iments causedbylanguageareamongpriorities nhancing languagesupportandreducingimped- ts forourdomesticstu- well foralong time.” part oftheUBcharacter,” hesays.“UB hasbeendoingthis fi ofEnglish languagelearning. trajectory UB —andwhatmoststudents need—istocontinuethe he says. knowledge andunderstandingoftheEnglishlanguage,” student tobesuccessfulisgoingrequireasophisticated pectations thatourprofessorsaregoingtohaveforany tively demandingtask. complex,challengingandcogni- they aretakingonavery may havehad,”Caullersays,“oncetheyarriveintheU.S., ready putineightto10yearsofEnglishstudy. at U.S.collegesanduniversities—UBhaveal- that mostinternationalstudentswhoarepursuingdegrees for EnglishasaSecondLanguageInstruction,pointsout barrier.” have aculturalcomponentaswell,”heexplains. dream isEnglishlanguageprofi says. “Formany, theirbiggestchallengetorealizingthis earning theirdegreeandmakingAmericanfriends,”he who getsonaplanetocometheU.S.hasdreamof vices forinternationalstudentsmustbeaclearpriority.” ciency withtheEnglishlanguage isahighlyintegrated “Building internationalstudents’ familiarityandpro- “From thatperspective,thefi “Even underthebestofcircumstances, thelevelofex- “And whateveramountofEnglishlanguagestudythey Timothy Cauller, thenewlyappointedprogramdirector “As muchaswecan,wanttoremovethelanguage Dunnett saystheuniversity’s ESLprogramandthe internationalstudent “I thinkitisfairtosaythatevery remember andwhatyoudon’t. Sothecourses to readcarefully, toknowwhatyouneed Theydon’tmemorizing everything. knowhow our internationalstudentsareaccustomedto Wood says. students whoareintheU.S.forfi study skills,whichmakeadifferenceformany a lotmorethanjustteachEnglish.They courses arealsoafactorinretention.“Theydo for internationaleducation,addsthatESL institute ishere.” select us,manyofthemdothatbecause strategy. Sowheninternationalstudentsdo ESL policies,whichworkasarecruitment progressive ant tous,”hesays.“UBhasvery ment levelsofinternationalstudents. decades andremainkeytoincreasingenroll- drivers ofinternationaleducationatUBfor English LanguageInstitute(ELI)havebeen “Coming fromdifferentcultures,someof John J.Wood, seniorassociateviceprovost import- “ESL andELIhavealwaysbeenvery ciency.” rst partofwhatwedoat continued onp.27 rst time,” 17 LANGUAGE SUPPORT 18 STUDENTS SELECT “ONE WORLD CAFE” AS NAME OF NEW EATERY

By Michael Andrei who could join us this afternoon. I know this is going to be great for our students,” he said. he UB student community has voted “One The opening of One World Café will complete the third World Café” as the new name for the university’s phase of Heart of the Campus, the UB2020 initiative to T much-anticipated international eatery in the Heart enhance the student learning experience by creating a of the Campus. learning landscape in the center of the academic spine. The winning entry was submitted by Sayre Stowell, a The renovation of Silverman Library and development of third-year aerospace engineering major, in response to a 1Capen and 1Diefendorf were the fi rst and second phases student-wide naming contest. of the initiative. The announcement of the winner, and the second- and “This is an amazing special event for us today,” said A. third-place en- Scott Weber, vice tries, was made president for stu- Tuesday by Gra- dent life. ham Hammill, “When we cut vice provost for the ribbon in educational af- 2020, a new and fairs and dean unique addition of the graduate to the university school, at an will occupy one event in Found- of the busiest ers Plaza court- crossroads on the yard, the site of North Campus, in

ONE WORLD CAFE the new eatery. the space where “When Sayre we’re standing was asked what right now,” We- inspired him ber said. to submit this “This phase of name, his an- the project will swer was sim- create a ‘front ple: ‘The name L to r: Sayre Stowell, Ray Kohl, Scott Weber and Graham Hammill (Photo: Meredith Kulwicki) door’ to the uni- for an interna- versity, around tional eatery in the heart of the campus should refl ect unity and under the existing overhangs of Capen Hall and the and diversity, just as much as the university it represents,’” Founders Plaza courtyard. Hammill told those gathered for the announcement. “This will meet the demand for expanded dining fa- The second-place entry, “World Market,” was submitted cilities among a growing campus population, while also by Michael Bentz and Liping Lin. The third-place entry, bringing to UB an international eatery and community “The Centre,” was submitted by Harris Bresowsky. space where students, faculty, staff and visitors can enjoy Hammill, who is also chair of the steering committee for a diverse selection of foods from around the world in a the project, said it has been a pleasure to watch the initia- welcoming, multicultural environment,” he said. tive progress and come to life. Weber noted the design and cuisine of One World Café “This process has been truly collaborative in nature,” are based on a collaboration between the campus com- he said. “I extend a sincere thank you to UB leadership, munity and the project’s designer, Cannon Design. our partners in Campus Dining and Shops, the Heart of “This is truly a transformative initiative that is being de- the Campus committees, the Faculty Student Association signed by the UB community, for the UB community,” he Board and Cannon Design,” Hammill said. said. “When it came time to develop an offi cial name for the In welcoming remarks, Ray Kohl, marketing manager for space, there was no question that our largest stakeholder Campus Dining and Shops (CDS), cited the signifi cance of group, our students, would be instrumental in choosing the collaboration between CDS and Cannon Design. its identity,” Hammill said. “From the onset we made it a “CDS is very pleased to be working with Cannon’s priority to include students in the process, and with that world-class design team on this project,” Kohl said. “Three has come invaluable ideas and feedback that has helped members of the team — all UB graduates — are here with shape this project. us today: Peter McCarthy, Luke Johnson and Chris Whit- “I also extend a special thank you to those individuals comb. continued on p. 27 MARGARET ATWOOD SPEAKS AT UB ON BEHALF OF THE HUMANITIES 19

By Charlotte Hsu of the moral and philosophical consequences of these ad- vances? “Like a hammer, any technology is morally neu- t has happened before. And it can happen again. tral,” Atwood said. “You can build a house with a hammer, If we disregard the humanities, we can lose our mor- or you can kill your enemy with it.” I al bearings, and totalitarian regimes can rise. Science can run amok and lead us astray. A world without a moral compass That, perhaps, is a takeaway of the talk that Margaret In Adolf Hitler’s Germany, Benito Mussolini’s Italy and Sta- Atwood, one of the world’s greatest writers, gave to a lin’s Soviet Union, pressure to conform and demonstrate packed Mainstage The- loyalty to the party in atre at UB’s Center for power was great. Intel- the Arts on the evening lectuals were vulnerable of March 9. because they were likely Atwood, a novelist, to have nonconforming essayist, poet, literary thoughts, Atwood said. critic and environmen- Those who publicly ex- tal activist, is known pressed disagreement as the author of the faced danger, even “Handmaid’s Tale” and death. the “MaddAddam” tril- This suppression is ogy. She was speaking mirrored by The Hand- at UB as the 2017-18 Ei- maid’s Tale, which is set leen Silvers Visiting Pro- in Cambridge, Massa-

fessor in the Humanities chusetts, at a time when MARGARET ATWOOD at UB. a patriarchal, religious These speculative regime has overthrown works of fi ction portray the government. Terri- dystopian societies in fying events, including which, respectively, au- executions, occur on thoritarian rulers have L to r: Robin Schulze, Margaret Atwood, David Castillo (Photo: Meredith Kulwicki) the grounds of what quashed free speech used to be Harvard Uni- and thought, and versity. bio-engineering has led to a near-apocalypse for human- Atwood told the UB audience that Harvard began as a kind. The “Handmaid’s Tale” has been adapted into an Puritan, theological seminary in the 17th century when Emmy Award-winning television series by Hulu, a stream- New England was “emphatically not a democracy.” ing service. “That bears remembering,” she said. “Where we have “Nothing went into The Handmaid’s Tale, the novel, and once been, we can be again.” nothing goes into ‘The Handmaid’s Tale,’ the TV series, that does not have a precedent in real life,” Atwood told The story of humanity the audience at UB. As humans, who are we? How do we want to live? With wit, candor and sometimes dark humor, she kept Art, literature, philosophy and more — the humanities her listeners enthralled — and laughing — as she discussed — inform the answer. Both science and the humanities are tyranny and other bleak subjects. made by human hands and, therefore, are part and parcel Atwood’s lecture opened “Humanities to the Rescue,” of what we are, Atwood told her listeners. a weekend of programming presented by the university’s “The arts and humanities must reclaim a central place Humanities Institute. Activities included an environmental in the public arena,” said David Castillo, Humanities In- fi lm series, curated by UB history professor Adam Rome, stitute director and professor of Romance languages and that showcased documentary makers whose works spark literatures, who, along with institute Executive Director environmental activism. Kari Winter and College of Arts and Sciences Dean Robin Atwood’s talk argued powerfully for the import of the Schulze, introduced Atwood to the audience at the start humanities in an age where academia is tilting toward the of the night. natural and physical sciences — fi elds seen as capable of When it comes to human wholeness—to the question generating revenues for institutions of higher learning. As of who we are and what we want to be—“the humanities a society, we are intrigued by new technologies. But what must be engaged,” Atwood insisted.  20 INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS SHINE IN THREE-MINUTE THESIS COMPETITION By Sally Jarzab The polish with which Odonkor and the others deliv- typical dissertation might contain more than 50,000 ered their talks was the result of in-depth training provided words and would take hours to present. What if you during workshops offered last fall leading up to the big Ahave only three minutes? event. The workshops and a host of other resources were Participants in the 2018 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) open to those with an eye on a 3MT prize, as well as to competition proved that it is not only possible for gradu- any graduate student looking to improve his or her pub- ate students to explain their research in that abbreviated lic-speaking skills. timeframe. It’s interesting and entertaining, too. Thirty students participated in that fi rst phase. They then had the opportunity to submit video applications to be included among the 12 fi nalists at the competition. The practice-makes-perfect ap- proach helped Camila Rosat Consi- glio nab the $250 People’s Choice Award for her presentation on how sex hormones play a role in men’s and women’s immune responses, and how those differences could be leveraged when it comes to fi ghting disease. Rosat Consiglio, who is from Brazil and studies immunology in UB’s Ros- THREE-MINUTE THESIS AWARDS well Park Cancer Institute Graduate Division, also claimed the third-place judges’ prize of $500. Second place, a prize of $750, was awarded to Naila Sahar from Paki- L to r: Philip Odonkor, Camila Rosat Consiglio, Naila Sahar (Photo: Meredith Kulwicki) stan. Her presentation, titled “Who Is a Muslim Woman?” outlined the Hosted by the Graduate School and Blackstone Launch- barrier-breaking research she is conducting as she pursues Pad, 3MT challenged UB doctoral students from any disci- a PhD in English. pline to inform an audience what their research is — and Judges were Anthony Chase, theater notable and assis- why it matters — for a chance to win monetary prizes. tant dean of arts and humanities at SUNY Buffalo State; Twelve contestants competed during the afternoon Laurie Dean Torrell, executive director of Just Buffalo Lit- event, held in the Center for the Arts Screening Room be- erary Center; and Anthony Johnson, president and CEO fore a panel of guest judges charged with selecting fi rst-, of Empire Genomics and founding partner of Buffalo Bio- second- and third-place winners. Audience members vot- sciences. ed for their favorite presentation to determine the People’s Buffalo broadcaster Kevin O’Neill served as master of Choice Award winner. International students did particu- ceremonies. The UB Gospel Choir performed during the larly well in the UB competition. judges’ deliberations. The event was free and open to the The 3MT competition was started at the University of public, emphasizing the twin goals of celebrating student Queensland in Australia in 2008 and has spread to more research and sharing it with the community at large. than 600 universities across more than 59 countries. This “Most doctoral students spend their days in libraries and was the second year the event has been offered at UB. laboratories talking to other academics,” said Graham L. Philip Odonkor from Ghana took the $1,000 top prize Hammill, vice provost for educational affairs and dean of for his presentation titled “Is Your House Smarter Than a the Graduate School, who, along with President Satish K. Mud Hut?” The answer, from the perspective of this PhD Tripathi and Provost Charles F. Zukoski, gave remarks at student in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace the event. “If research is to have an impact on the broader Engineering, is no. During his three minutes onstage, world — and we hope it does — it has to be communi- Odonkor explained how his research aims to change that cated.”  by developing better ways to track people’s energy habits at home. His vision, he said, is the realization of net-zero Sally Jarzab is a senior content editor for University Commu- energy smart buildings. nications. INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES OF FACULTY AND STAFF 21

SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING Department of Economics Department of Architecture Alex Anas, Frank H. and Josephine L. Goodyear Professor and chair, Joyce Hwang, associate professor, was awarded the 2017 Interna- was an invited speaker at the panel discussion on “Challenges in Ur- tional Craft and Design Residency at the Australian National Universi- ban Transportation Policy for the Greater Toronto Area and Beyond” ty, School of Art and Design, in Canberra and was in residence there held on March 22, 2018 at the University of Toronto, Canada. On for part of summer 2017. During that time, she began collaborating March 23, during the University of Toronto Conference on Issues with faculty in both design and biology, as well as with an ecologist in Transportation, held in the Rotman School of Management, he working with the Australian Capital Territory’s Parks and Conservation presented his paper titled “How and how much do public transporta- Service to develop an artifi cial habitat structure for the city of Can- tion megaprojects induce agglomeration economies?: The case of the berra. Grand Paris project,” co-authored with Huibin Chang, an alumnus of the department, and currently on the faculty of the University of Inter- COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES national Business and Economics, Beijing, China. On March 29, Anas Department of Anthropology gave the keynote speech titled “Urban Logistics” at the Tenth Deborah Reed-Danahay, professor and Jean Monnet Chair, pre- Bi-Annual Postal Economics Conference on E-commerce, Digital sented a keynote lecture to the meeting of the World Literatures: Cos- Economy and Delivery Services, held at the Toulouse School of mopolitan and Vernacular Dynamics Research Program at Stockholm Economics in France, March 29-30, 2018. University in February 2018. Her talk was entitled “Pierre Bourdieu’s World-Making: Between Ethnography and Literature.” She presented Isaac Ehrlich, SUNY and UB Distinguished Professor, presented a paper on “EU Mobility, Brexit, and the Liminal: ‘Incertitude’ among the lead paper titled, “Has Higher Education been a Major Channel French Citizens in London” at the American Anthropological Associ- through which the US Became an Economic Superpower in the 20th ation Meetings in Washington, D.C. in November 2017. Her article Century?” in the Asian Development Bank Institute and Asian Growth “Bourdieu, Social Space, and the Nation-State: Implications for Migra- Research Institute workshop on “Public and Private Investment in Hu- tion Studies” was published in the journal Sociologica [Bologna] in a man Capital and Intergenerational Transfers in Asia,” held in Kitaky- special issue on Space, Interaction and Communication in fall 2017. ushu City, Japan, November 14-15, 2017. Ehrlich was invited by the She spent winter session 2018 in London continuing her ethnograph- CEO of the Asian Development Bank Institute in Tokyo to stay at the ic research on French migrants and the implications of Brexit for mo- ADBI as a Visiting Fellow for a few weeks in April 2018 to partici- bile EU citizens. The 2017-18 Jean Monnet Distinguished Lecture, pate in a project on fi nancial asset allocation by Aging Populations sponsored by her Jean Monnet Chair, was delivered in April 2018 by worldwide. The project involved meetings with leading researchers Michael Herzfeld of Harvard University, who spoke on “Paradoxes and at Tokyo University, Japanese senior government offi cials, and major Paroxysms: Nationalism, Migration, and the Dream of Cultural Identi- Pension companies in Japan. Work on the project will also involve core ty–Refl ections from the Southern Fringe.” faculty at the UB Center for Human Capital. INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES INTERNATIONAL Jaume Franquesa, assistant professor, was invited to give the paper Department of English “The rural roots of dignity: Republican and reactionary specters in rural Walter Hakala, associate professor, received a Short-Term Senior Spain” at the Emancipatory Rural Politics Initiative 2018 International Fellowship in Iranian Studies from the American Institute of Iranian Conference, Authoritarian populism and the rural world, organized by Studies, which supported a trip to Maharashtra and Karnataka, India, the Transnational Institute and the International Institute of Social Sci- in March 2018 for a project on the history of Urdu inscriptions. During ences, The Hague, Netherlands, 17-18 March, 2018. Franquesa was this trip Hakala conducted research at the Archaeological Survey of invited to give one of the keynote lectures, “Engaged anthropology: India’s Arabic and Persian Epigraphy Offi ce in Nagpur and visited the Juxtaposed spaces and non-synchronos times,” at the 14th Confer- sites of early Urdu inscriptions preserved in Achalpur, Bidar, Gulbarga, ence of Spanish Anthropologists (XIV Congreso de la FAAEE), Valencia, and Bijapur. He also presented papers at the Indian Institute of Sci- Spain in September 2017. He has also been invited to take part in the ence, Education and Research and the Department of Linguistics at International Workshop “Grassroots economics: Meaning, project and Deccan College, both in Pune, Maharashtra. His book Negotiating Lan- practice in the pursuit of livelihood,” organized by the ERC Project guages: Urdu, Hindi, and the Defi nition of Modern South Asia (New York: Grassroots Economics. It will take place at the Instituto Internacional Columbia University Press, 2016; New Delhi: Primus Books, 2017) was de Sociología Jurídica, Oñati, Gipuzkoa, Spain, 23-27 June 2018. awarded Honorable Mention in the 2018 Bernard S. Cohn Book Prize by the South Asia Council of the Association for Asian Studies. Phil Stevens, associate professor, has been invited to write the Fore- word to the proceedings of the 28th Conference of the Pan African Karen Mac Cormack, adjunct professor, gave poetry readings June Anthropological Association, held at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, 10, 2017 at Bank Street Arts, Sheffi eld, UK and June 12, 2017 at Uni- Awka, Nigeria, in August, 2016. The papers, edited by P-J Ezeh of the versity College London, London, UK. University of Nigeria, Nsukka, will be published in Nigeria this year. As an academic discipline, anthropology was widely dismissed by newly Carine Mardorossian, professor, was asked to join the Advisory independent African nations as a tool of colonialism, and regarded as Board of the Cross/Cultures Series for Brill Publishers’ Literature & Cul- potentially subversive by autocratic leaders. Stevens, who has con- tural Studies list. Brill is a Dutch international academic publisher in ducted various anthropological projects in Nigeria since the 1960s, with offi ces in the Netherlands and the United States. regards the persistence and success of the PAAA as a sign of both the entrenchment of democratic ideals and the maturation of higher ed- Tanya Shilina-Conte, assistant professor, gave a paper, “‘This Video ucation in Africa. The organization is dedicated to the application of Does Not Exist:’ A Remix of Blank Screens in Cinema,” at the Soci- anthropological insights to the alleviation of real human problems in African development. The 2016 papers address the theme of anthro- ety for Cinema and Media Studies conference in Toronto, Canada, in pological approaches to confl ict resolution. March 2018. In June 2018, she is giving a paper, “When the Internet Goes Dark: Elective Mutism in Social Media,” at the European Net- Department of Art work for Cinema and Media Studies conference in Amsterdam, the Reinhard Reitzenstein, associate professor, took part in the CRE- Netherlands. Her article, “Filmmaking Machine and the Black Screen ATOUR 2nd International Conference - Emerging and Future Trends as a Tool of Deterritorialization,” has been translated into Portuguese in Creative Tourism in Porto, Portugal June 7-9, 2018. His research and is forthcoming in Leitura: Teoria & Pratica (Associação de Leitura appears in a new publication by University of Toronto professor Mark do Brasil) in 2018. Cheetham, Landscape into Eco Art/ Articulations of Nature since the “60s.” Reitzenstein’s project called “Transformer,” is the cover image Department of Global Gender Studies for that publication. Another major project, “Waiting, Watching, Wait- Kari Winter, professor of American Studies and executive director ing,” was featured at the fi rst Bonavista Biennale in Newfoundland, of the Humanities Institute (interim), represented the UB Humanities Canada in late 2017 and will remain in situ for another year. 22 Institute at the annual meeting of the CHCI (Consortium of Human- Canada Research Chair at the Center for Research in the Brain, Music ities Centers and Institutes) in Cape Town, South Africa, August 10-13, and Language at McGill University. He is a scholar in residence from 2017 and presented a paper on racial justice and public history at the April 2nd through July 31st of 2018. The research focus of this visit will CHCI Public Humanities conference on August 14, 2017. Winter pre- be on how the rhythmic organization of speech and music infl uences sented a paper in Toronto, Canada in May 2017 at the International the planning of serial order, and how this may vary across English Autobiography/Biography Association conference. The Humanities In- and French given differences in the rhythmic organization of these stitute cultivated and supports a wide range of international research languages. by faculty and graduate students. The Institute partnered in spring 2018 with the Guru Foundation to sponsor a Visiting Humanities Fel- Department of Romance Languages and Literatures low from Kashmir, Malik Sajad, a graphic novelist of exceptional pow- Elizabeth Scarlett, professor and chair, organized and hosted a er (March 15-April 15, 2018). concert by the University of Salamanca (Spain) Tuna Universitaria. This musical group presented an evening of traditional Spanish and Department of History Latin American song at UB on October 10th, 2017, in honor of His- Hal Langfur, associate professor, published in Brazil’s most pres- panic Heritage Month, sponsored by the Zengierski Family Spanish tigious history journal the article “Canibalismo e a legitimidade da Language and Culture Fund. They also played in the Student Union guerra justa na época da Independência” [“Cannibalism and the Le- and around the North Campus during daytime hours of that week. gitimacy of Just War in the Era of Independence”], Revista Brasileira de História 37, no. 75 (2017): 119-43. In March 2018 he presented his research to members of Cornell University’s Latin American Studies Department of Sociology Program. His talk was entitled “Indians, Territorial Consolidation, and In April 2018, Kevin T. Smiley, assistant professor and a core faculty Improvised Justice in the Forests of Southeastern Brazil, 1750 – 1800.” member of RENEW, is the co-author (with Michael Oluf Emerson) of a new book published by New York University Press titled Market Cities, Department of Jewish Thought People Cities: The shape of our urban future. Using original survey Richard A. Cohen, professor, gave a short lecture entitled “Busi- research and qualitative analysis, the book compares and contrasts ness with a Human Face,” at a business school in Vilnius, Lithuania, two cities – Copenhagen, Denmark and Houston, Texas – to discuss on February 6, 2018. At the end of June 2018, he will give a lecture the wide variations in cities today, and the implications for a range of on “Politics and Ethics The Uncertain Future of Democracy,” at the social outcomes like the environment, diversity. invitation of the Department of Political Science, University of Rome, La Sapienza, Rome, Italy. From July 2-6, 2018, he will direct the 6th annual Levinas Philosophy Summer Seminar, attended by 12 interna- Department of Theatre and Dance tional participants, at the University of Chicago Center in Paris, Paris, Meredith A. Conti, assistant professor of theatre, present- France, on the topic of “Emmanuel Levinas: Ideology and Justice.” ed “’What a noble mind is here o’erthrown!’: Gendering Victori- an Madness at London’s Lyceum Theatre” at the British Society INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES INTERNATIONAL Department of Music of Literature and Science in Oxford, England, in April 2018. The James Currie, associate professor and coordinator of musicology, talk featured research from her new book, Playing Sick: Perfor- was invited to participate in October 2017 on a panel at Mozart Soci- mances of Illness in the Age of Victorian Medicine (Routledge, 2018). ety of America meeting at the University of Western Ontario, Canada, where he gave a paper entitled “Allanbrook in the Mirror,” and in No- Eero Laine, assistant professor, is a member of the executive board of vember to give a performance lecture, “Annihilation,” as part of the Performance Studies international (PSi) and is also an organizer for the November 2017 Tuning Speculation V: Vibratory (Ex)changes, orga- second annual PSi summer school. The summer school will take place nized by The Occulture in Toronto, Canada. He also collaborated with in Daegu, South Korea before and during the annual PSi conference in the composer Diana Soh on a commission for Radio France (“A/Z”) July 2018. The event brings together an international cohort of junior for which he wrote the text. The piece was premiered on Radio France and emerging scholars and artists for a week of workshops, seminars, in October 2017. In February of 2018, Dr Currie returned to Canada, and performances. to the Department of Music at the University of Toronto to give a lec- ture (“Mozart; or the Comedy of Absolute Necessities”) in their Distin- SCHOOL OF DENTAL MEDICINE guished Guest Lecture Series before fl ying to the UK where he was in- Department of Periodontics and Endodontics vited to talk about the interactions between his work as a musicologist Abhiram Maddi, assistant professor, has been appointed an hon- and his activities as a performance artist in a talk entitled “Kill Yourself/ orary adjunct assistant professor at Manipal University in India for a Musical Life: Performance as Research and Professional Death,” in the three-year term. This appointment involves visiting, collaboration in Department of Music’s Guest Lecture Series at the University of Hud- teaching and research, and participating in continuing dental edu- dersfi eld. He then fl ew to Asia where he was invited to present in cation. Maddi visited Manipal University in March-April, 2018 for a Distinguished Guest Lecture Series in the Departments of Music at 4-day program as a guest speaker. This program involved a continuing Hong Kong University, and in China at Soochow University and the dental education program on the topic of peri-implantitis. It also in- Shanghai Conservatory of Music. He also participated in a preconcert volved interacting with dental students regarding career opportunities talk in Singapore for the premier by the Singapore Symphony Orches- in the United States. Maddi interacted with the postgraduate peri- tra of piece for soprano and orchestra by the composer Diana Soh (“A odontics residents who presented intriguing clinical cases for clinical is for Aiyah”) for which he wrote the words. He then returned to the diagnosis and treatment planning. United Kingdom where he was invited to give a talk in Scotland, in the Department of Music of the University of Glasgow drawn from his GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION work on the relationship between Edward Said and Jean Genet (“Slow Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Introductions: Said, Genet, Barenboim, Beethoven”). Seong Won Han, assistant professor, delivered an invited talk enti- tled, “Who wants to have a career in teaching? Trends between PISA Department of Physics 2006 and PISA 2015” at the OECD PISA Governing Board Meeting, Andrea Markelz, professor, spent the 2017-2018 academic year as a held at the OECD Headquarter, Paris, France on November 8, 2017. visiting scientist in the group of Lehrstuhl Rupert Huber at the Univer- The meeting explored ways in which PISA (Programme for Interna- sity of Regensburg, Germany. During that time she pursued studies at tional Student Assessment) is being used in research in support of pol- the BESSY II photon source - Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin as well as gave icy making and provide a space for dialogue between PISA Governing invited talks at: BioTHz2017 in Frascati, Italy; Johannes Kepler Univer- Board members, OECD offi cials and academics on emerging trends in sity Linz, Austria; Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, Germany; global education. Philipps-Universität Marburg, Germany; Ruhr University Bochum, Ger- many and Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main, Germany. In January 2018, Stephen L. Jacobson, UB Distinguished Professor, gave an invited lecture at the Institute for Educational Planning & Ad- Department of Psychology ministration at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana, entitled: “Man- aging the school organization,” and in March 2018, as a Fellow of the Peter Q. Pfordresher, professor, has been awarded a Fulbright Fund for the Advancement of Humanities and Social Sciences in Israel, although we often think of elections, constitutions, and courts as key 23 he delivered guest lectures on “Principals and school effectiveness: indicators of democracy, what each of these things can tell us de- Current status, challenges, and future directions” at Ben Gurion Uni- pends on its particular cultural and historical context. In Taiwan, she versity of the Negev in Beersheba, Israel; and “School leadership for suggests, administrative action and administrative law may illuminate academic, organizational and community sustainability” at The Open democratic development. In particular, she concludes that bureau- University of Israel in Ra’anana. crats paint an administrative state with a direct connection to the people under its purview--a kind of “direct bureaucracy”—helping to Department of Learning and Instruction legitimize state action. Bernstein will return to Taiwan in summer 2018 The department has awarded the annual Judith T. Melamed Fellow- to present her fi ndings at an Academia Sinica conference on executive ship to Yuqing Olivia Tian from China. Tian began her graduate practices. She will also travel to Germany this summer to conduct pre- studies in TESOL in fall 2017. She was previously enrolled in the In- liminary research for a related project on German administrators. Her tensive English Program during summer 2017. Tian graduated from research in Taiwan and Germany builds upon her ongoing research Shandong University, China in July 2017. Before coming to UB she involving interviews with U.S. federal administrators, as part of a larger had been a volunteer interpreter for a rock climbing champion, and a exploration of the structure of administrative power and the legitima- volunteer teacher at an orphanage. tion of administrative action in democratic states.

Department of Library and Information Studies David M. Engel, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor, helped to or- Dan Albertson, associate professor; Valerie Nesset, associate pro- ganize and conduct a Young Scholars Workshop in December 2017 in fessor; and Heidi Julien, professor, presented at the iConference in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Asian Law and Society As- Sheffi eld, U.K. March 24-28, 2018. Albertson presented a poster with sociation at National Chiao Tung University in Taiwan. The workshop colleague Melissa Johnston titled “Digital video curation: Adding to a trained a group of graduate students and young faculty members user-centered understanding.” Nesset presented a paper co-authored from East, South, and Southeast Asia in socio-legal research methods, with Bryce Bible, Chief Information Offi cer at UB, titled “Building un- publication strategies, and career planning. In January 2018, Engel derstanding between users and designers through participatory de- conducted a workshop on Law & Society Research Methods for grad- sign: The Bonded Design approach,” and Julien, with colleagues from uate students at the Chiang Mai University Law School in Thailand. a range of other institutions, presented a workshop on qualitative re- CMU is one of UB’s longtime exchange partners. In March 2018, En- search. gel published a new book, Injury and Injustice: The Cultural Politics of Harm and Redress (Cambridge University Press) with co-editors Anne Amy VanScoy, assistant professor, will present a paper at the Cana- Bloom and Michael McCann. The book is a cross-cultural collection dian Association for Information Science CAIS conference in Regina, of essays by an international group of authors, addressing “some of Canada (May 30-June 1, 2018), with Deborah Hicks from the Univer- the most diffi cult and important debates over injury, law, and inequal- sity of British Columbia and Mary Cavanagh from the University of ity now taking place in societies around the world.” In May 2018, Ottawa titled “Understanding public libraries’ conversations: Promises Engel presented the annual Van Vollehoven Lecture at the University and challenges of microblogging data.” Heidi Julien will be presenting of Leiden, The Netherlands, on the topic, “Rights of the Relational a paper at the same conference, titled, “Thirty-one tears of the Cana- Self: Law, Culture, and Injury in the Global North and South.” In June ACTIVITIES INTERNATIONAL dian Journal of Information and Library Science: A content analysis.” 2018, he is scheduled to present the annual lecture of the Centre for Valerie Nesset will present “Researching the researchers: Gathering Socio-Legal Studies, Oxford University in England, on the topic of “All data on academics’ use of technology” at that conference. Dan Alb- Injuries Are Relational: Individual Legal Consciousness Reconsidered” ertson will present “Digital social services: From data aggregation to culturally competent content.” In addition, VanScoy is presenting a James A. Gardner, SUNY Distinguished Professor, visited the Uni- paper at the Libraries in the Digital Age conference in Zadar, Croatia versity of Barcelona in Spain throughout the months of March and (June 13-15, 2018) titled “Challenges to Diversity and Inclusion for April 2018, where he taught an introductory seminar on American American Librarians of Color: Uniqueness and Difference.” Dan Albert- constitutional law and participated in a symposium on free speech son is presenting a paper at the same conference, titled “Digital social and criminal law. services: From data aggregation to culturally competent content.” Nicole Hallett, assistant clinical professor, served as a short-term SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND APPLIED SCIENCES legal expert for the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering in Mexico City, training the directors of three new labor law clinics Cemal Basaran, professor, was invited to give a plenary lecture at Mexican law schools: Universidad Nacional de Mexico, Instituto in September 2018 at the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus Tecnológico Autónomo de México, and Universidad Autónoma de at their Innovations in Mechanical Engineering - 2018 Conference. He Mexico. received the invitation from Sergei Sherbakov, who is the Vice-Chair of the Belarus State Commitee on Science and Technology. The title Meredith Kolsky Lewis, professor, travelled to Wellington, New of Basaran’s talk is “Is it time to replace Newtonian Mechanics with Zealand with 10 law students for two weeks in January 2018 as part Unifi ed Mechanics Theory: Unifi cation of Newtonian Mechanic and of the course “New Zealand: International Economic and Compar- Thermodynamics.” ative Law in Context.” Professor Lewis and her students met with academics, government offi cials, private practitioners and a Supreme Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering Court justice; and visited a Maori marae, Parliament, the Supreme Victor Paquet, professor and chair, delivered a keynote address at Court, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and a wildlife sanc- the International Conference on Ergonomics, Humanizing Work and tuary. Lewis also gave several presentations on international trade law Work Environment in Aligarh, India in December 2017. His presen- and global economics including “The International Economic Order tation, titled, “Minimizing Work Disability through Universal Design in the Trump Era” at National Tsing Hua University, Institute of Law Research and Practice” was attended by faculty, researchers and stu- for Science and Technology in Tsing Hua, Taiwan on December 12, dents from India, Europe and South America. The conference was 2017, and “Current Trade and Investment Developments: WTO, Me- sponsored by the International Ergonomics Association (IEA) and In- ga-FTA and Plurilateral Trade Agreement Negotiations and Notable In- dian Society for Ergonomics (ISE), and the theme of the conference is “Ergonomics for Improved Productivity.” vestor-State Dispute Settlement Issues” at Georgetown University Law Center Institute of International Economic Law’s Global Trade Acade- SCHOOL OF LAW my in Washington, D.C. on November 17, 2017. On November 16, Anya Bernstein, associate professor, visited Taiwan three times in 2017, she participated as a panelist on “NAFTA Renegotiation: Inter- the past three years as a Visiting Scholar at Academia Sinica, Taiwan’s national Trade and Arbitration Going Forward” at George Washington premier research institute. While there, Bernstein conducted inter- University Law School’s International Arbitration Student Association views for a research project that explores how Taiwanese government and International Law Society in Washington, D.C. In September of administrators relate to the legislature and how they understand their 2017, she presented “The ‘New’ Plurilateralism in International Trade place in their democracy. Bernstein is writing an article arguing that Law” at the University of Warwick Conference in Warwick, England. 24 Makau W. Mutua, SUNY Distinguished Professor, delivered the key- JACOBS SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES note at the symposium “The Crisis of Human Rights: Why TWAIL Still Department of Biomedical Informatics Matters,” held in Berlin, Germany in January. Mutua also delivered Peter L. Elkin, professor and chair, presented the abstract ti- the lecture “Is the Age of Human Rights Over?” at the Centre for Hu- tled “AI Disease Surveillance: NVAF patient cohorts with their CHADS- man Rights in the University of Pretoria in South Africa in February. In VASc and HAS-BLED Scores using Natural Language Processing and March, Mutua appeared on Jeff Koinange Live, Kenya’s most watched SNOMED CT Led to the Identifi cation of Patients Who Require Treat- talk show. ment and are Currently Untreated” at the Medical Informatics Europe Jessica Owley, professor, spent all of 2017 as a visiting professor at conference in Gothenburg, Sweden on April 24-26. The study looked the Universidad Pontifi cia—Comillas (ICADE) in Madrid, Spain, where at a bio-surveillance method for electronic health records using struc- she will be returning annually to offer a course on comparative envi- tured fi elds plus natural language processing of clinical text compared ronmental law. She brought fi ve students to the International Climate to structured fi elds alone. Structured plus clinical text had a higher Change treaty negotiations in Bonn, Germany in November 2018. sensitivity in comparison to structured data alone, allowing for an in- While there, Owley presented at an event sponsored by the Interna- creased number of true positive cases, patients who may benefi t from tional Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on climate change an oral anticoagulant, to be identifi ed. law. In December 2018, she will be bringing another group to the annual negotiations taking place in Katowice, Poland. While in Po- In August 2017, Diane G. Schwartz, research associate professor, land, she will be presenting her research and meeting with faculty presented a paper, “Health Sciences Library Closings; a Context Sen- at Jagiellonian University in Krakow. In January 2018, Owley traveled sitive Pilot Study” at the Context Sensitive Health Informatics 2017 to Santiago, Chile to participate in the second global congress of the conference, August 18-19, 2017, held on the campus of the City Uni- International Land Conservation Network. At the end of May 2018 versity of Hong Kong. It was a wonderful opportunity to revisit this she is presenting her research that compares land conservation policy tantalizing city, which she last visited twenty years ago when Hong in the UK and the US at the annual meeting of the Association of Law Kong was formally returned to the People’s Republic of China. From Property and Society at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. She Hong Kong she travelled to Hangzhou, China, where she attended recently published a book chapter, “The Use of Property Law Tools the 16th World Congress on Medical and Health Informatics (MedInfo) for Soil Protection,” in International Yearbook of Soil Law and Policy 2017, August 21-25, 2017. MedInfo was an impressive experience (Harald Ginzky, Elizabeth Dooley, Irene Hauser, Till Markus, & Tianbao due to the broad representation of informationists from around the Qin, eds. Springer Global Publishing). She is a member of the Inter- world and the diversity of research results reported. The fi nal stop national Academic Association on Planning, Law, and Property Rights on her trip was a visit to Capital Medical University in Beijing. Her (PLPR), the International Ecological Law and Governance Association, husband, Stanley A. Schwartz, also a UB faculty member, and she, and on the board of the Association of Law, Property, and Society (and were invited to lecture to faculty, and trainees at the medical school. co-editor of the organization’s international peer-reviewed journal). Her presentation focused on clinical decision support systems. She is member of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law, World Commission on Protected Areas, and Species Survival Commis-

INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES INTERNATIONAL Department of Emergency Medicine sion. Jeffrey J. Thompson, clinical assistant professor and associate res- idency director, is currently serving as a medical missionary at the Stephen Paskey, lecturer in Law, Legal Analysis, Writing and Re- MCM General Hospital, and the Myungsung Medical College in Addis search, both presented and moderated a panel at the 2018 Interna- Ababa, Ethiopia. During his one-year tenure at MCM/MMC (Janu- tional Conference on Narrative in Montreal, Canada. His presentation ary-December 2018) Thompson is working as Director of Emergency was titled “Law’s DNA: The Double Helix of Rhetoric and Narrative.” Medicine, where he oversees the educational and clinical activities of the emergency room, including a 10-month lecture series he has de- David A. Westbrook, Louis A. Del Cotto Professor, participated in veloped called the Emergency Medicine Core Training Program. This the King’s College Transnational Law Summit 2018: The New Human weekly didactic and skills series is attended by over 40 regular partic- Condition: Creating Justice for Our Future held in the UK on April ipants, including general practitioners, nurses, medical students, and 10-13, 2018. Westbrook moderated a panel titled “Trade, Borders, emergency medicine and surgery residents wishing to advance their and the Prospect for International Economic Justice.” From October knowledge, understanding, and skills in emergency medicine prac- 31 through November 3, 2017, Westbrook was a global scholar at tice. As a specialty, emergency medicine is new throughout most of Université Catholique de Louvain, where he presented “EU and the Africa, including Ethiopia. At present there are only two emergency World: How to think about ourselves?”; “The politics of large polities: medicine residency training programs in the entire country, one of the imagination of identities and allegiance in the EU, US and Rus- which has partnered with MCM General Hospital and whose residents sia” (with Dimitry Kochenov and Pierre d’Argent); “Deploying Our- are working under Thompson’s supervision. In addition to his work in selves: Islamist violence and the Responsible Projection of US Force”; Ethiopia, he will be a guest instructor at a hospital in Somaliland this and “Unicorns, Guardians, and the Concentration of the US Equity summer and will present at the Best Evidence in Emergency Medicine Markets”. In September 2017, Westbrook presented “Happy Endings? conference in Dubai, UAE just before returning to the US to resume his (Partially) Reconciling Ourselves to Bureaucracy through Teleology” at duties in at UB in December 2018. the Telos/HSE Moscow Conference, and “After the End of Revolution: Constitutional Order Amid the Crisis of Democracy” at the National Department of Medicine Research University Higher School of Economics in Moscow. He con- John K. Crane, associate professor, participated in international tinues to work with Global Foresight, a multi-year, multi-disciplinary medical teaching in Kenya, Mar. 8-22, 2018, as part of a team from project run out of Stockholm University and funded by the Jubileums- Medical Education International (MEI). Crane was joined by George fond, the Swedish Foundation for the Humanities and the Social Sci- Stewart, Jeffrey Jackson, and John Coppes. The fi rst teaching location ences, itself established by the Riksbank, the central bank of Sweden. was in Chorgoria Hospital, central Kenya, Mar. 11- 15. The second week was spent teaching in Kisumu, southwestern Kenya, at a gov- SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT ernment-run County Hospital in Chulaimbo, Kenya. Crane’s presen- Department of Marketing tations included “Opportunistic Infections in AIDS,” “Fever in a Man In summer 2017, Debabrata (Debu) Talukdar, professor, was in- from Africa,” and “Infectious Complications of the Opiate Addiction vited by the World Bank to serve as a research consultant to one of its Epidemic.” In addition, Crane and the other members of the team research projects on sustainable development for the Africa division. participated in ward rounds in Chogoria. Another highlight of the trip The project is investigating the living and economic conditions faced was a visit to the Kenya Medical Research Institute, in Kisumu, where by the urban slum residents in Kenya and how relevant policies can the team learned about the research going on there related to tuber- help with sustainable development goals in Kenya as it faces rapid culosis (TB), and the newest generation of interferon-gamma release urbanization. Two of Talukdar’s research articles based on this proj- assays for diagnosis of latent TB. ect were recently accepted for publication at World Development, a leading academic journal in the disciplinary domain of development Anne Curtis, SUNY Distinguished Professor, Charles and Mary Bauer economics. Professor and chair, was invited to present at the 30th Annual Con- gress on Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Reykjavik, Iceland and Department of Neurology 25 Dublin, Ireland last June 2017. While in Reykjavik, Curtis spoke on Gil I. Wolfe, UB Distinguished Professor and Irvin and Rosemary “The Role of Cardiac Devices in Chronic Heart Failure: The Heart Fail- Smith Professor and chair, is once again serving on the program com- ure Electrophysiology Connection”. In Dublin her topic was “Pacing mittee for the International Congress of Neuromuscular Disease, to in Patients with AV Block: What Are the Options?” Also in June 2017 be held in Vienna, Austria from July 6-10. The ICNMD meeting is held Curtis traveled to Vienna, Austria for the Europace Cardiostim 2017 every two years, and is the one international congress that convenes symposium. While there she gave a presentation on “Arrhythmias neuromuscular experts across the entire spectrum of motor neuron, induced by Chemotherapy and Biological Treatment.” In July 2017, peripheral nerve, neuromuscular junction and muscle disorders. Wolfe Curtis traveled to Vancouver, British Columbia where she was asked will be delivering two lectures on myasthenia gravis during the meet- to speak at the 22nd World Congress on Heart Disease. Her talks in- ing and will also chair one of the platform sessions. cluded: “Improvement in Quality of Care for Atrial Fibrillation in Get With The Guidelines-Atrial Fibrillation (GWTG-AF),” and “Improving Robert Zivadinov, professor, traveled in May 2017 to the 7th An- Understanding, Treatment and Outcomes in Atrial Fibrillation.” nual Meeting of the International Society for Neurovascular Disorders (ISNVD), which took place in Taormina, Italy, where he and his col- Paresh Dandona, SUNY Distinguished Professor and chief of Endo- leagues at the Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center presented a total crinology, is on the move in spring 2018, traveling to multiple loca- of six podium and poster presentations. At this conference, Zivadinov tions, giving a variety of presentations, as well as receiving a pres- chaired a discussion on imaging and mechanisms of neurodegenera- tigious award. In February 2018, Dandona attended the 1st Annual tion, and gave a talk entitled Effect of a Cerebral Protection Device on Meeting of the Androgen Society in Lisbon Portugal where he spoke Brain Lesions Following TAVI in Patients with Severe Aortic Stenosis. In on “The role of testosterone therapy in classical hypogonadism.” On October 2017, Zivadinov’s group presented a total of 22 abstracts for April 10, 2018, Dandona was in Frankfurt, Germany at an Endocrinol- both podium and poster presentations at the Paris, France meeting ogy Advisory Meeting where his topic was “The role of Empaglifl ozin of the 7th Joint European and American Committee for Treatment in Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus. On April 20, Dandona is scheduled to and Research on Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS) in France. At attend the Challenges in Diabetes 2018 Referendum in Mumbai, India the Paris conference, Zivadinov’s platform presentation was entitled where he will discuss “Hypogonadism and diabetes and obesity.” On “Watching the Hourglass: Disease Monitoring and Detecting Disease May 4, 2018 Dandona traveled again, this time to Thailand where he Activity in Multiple Sclerosis (CME).” His poster presentations includ- received the “Glory of India” award. ed: Impact of fi ngolimod on MRI brain volume measures in RRMS patients with active disease at baseline: Results from MS-MRIUS, a Jeffrey Lackner, professor, vice chair of research, and chief of the longitudinal observational, multicenter real-world outcome study in newly formed Behavioral and Preventive Medicine division, is sched- a clinical routine; Slowing of cortical grey matter atrophy with Teri- uled to attend the 3rd Annual Meeting of the Federation of Neuro- fl unomide is associated with delayed conversion to clinically defi nite gastroenterology and Motility, which is being held in Amsterdam, The MS; Lateral ventricular volume as a proxy for brain volume loss in the Netherlands in August 2018. Lackner will be discussing “Therapeutic assessment of no evidence of disease activity: Results from a longitu- advances in functional gastrointestinal disorders with a focus on novel dinal, multicentre, real-world study; Establishing pathological cut-offs INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES INTERNATIONAL behavioral treatments developed at the University at Buffalo and fund- for LVV expansion rates; LVV measurement is feasible on low-resolu- ed through a landmark NIH grant.” tion T2-FLAIR MRI pediatric MS; Defi ning the anatomical & physio- logical hierarchy of neurodegeneration of the afferent visual system Richard Quigg, The Arthur M. Morris Professor and chief of the di- in MS: A cross-sectional study with spectral domain OCT, visual fi elds vision of Nephrology traveled to Wales, United Kingdom as a visiting multifocal ERG, EDSS, regional & whole brain atrophy; Conversion to professor this past December 2017. In addition to teaching, he pre- clinically defi nite multiple sclerosis is associated with lobule-specifi c sented a talk on “Insights into complement in health and disease.” atrophy of the cerebellum; Cognitive impairment and brain atrophy Quigg is currently a visiting professor in Tokyo, Japan where he is in MS: A 10-year follow-up study; Disability measures used in MS pa- scheduled to discuss “The role of complement in experimental renal tients: Correlations with MRI-derived global and microstructural dam- diseases.” age; MS patients who improve in their disability over time develop mess brain atrophy compared to those who remain stable or progress; Thomas Russo, professor and chief of the Infectious Disease division, Aging is accelerating central atrophy in MS patients, and fi nally Tha- and vice chair for fi nance, attended the European Congress of Clinical lamic WM in MS: An MRI study combining DTI and QSM. In March Microbiology & Infectious Diseases in Madrid, Spain from April 21-24, 2018, Zivadinov traveled to Warsaw, Poland, to attend in the 12th 2018. While There Russo will be speaking on “Hypervirulent Klebsiella World Congress on Controversies in Neurology, where he participated pneumoniae: An emerging pathotype poised to infl ict global havoc.” in a discussion on the topic of progressive forms of MS and whether they respond to agents used for the relapsing forms of the disease. Brahm Segal, professor in the division of Hematology & Oncology For the neuroimmunology segment of the program, Zivadinov was and vice chair of Faculty Development, and Professor of Oncology involved in a pro and con discussion on whether the central vein sign and Chief of Infectious Diseases at the Roswell Park Comprehensive is really helpful in differentiating MS from other white matter diseases. Cancer Center traveled to Havana, Cub from April 24-27, 2018 for a collaborative meeting at the Center for Molecular Immunology. Department of Ophthalmology Steven J. Fliesler, UB Distinguished Professor, Meyer H. Riwchun Sanjay Sethi, professor and Chief of the Pulmonary, Critical Care Chair and vice-chair/director of research, is presenting a research sem- and Sleep Medicine division, and Assistant Vice President for Health inar, “Retinal Degeneration and Rescue in an Animal Model of Smith- Sciences, traveled to Milan, Italy September 9-13, 2017 to attend the Lemli-Opitz Syndrome (SLOS)” at F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Basel, European Respiratory Society International Congress. While there, Switzerland on June 22, 2018. Sethi spoke on “The microbiome in chronic respiratory diseases.” On February 23-24, 2018, Sethi was asked to speak at the Internation- Sangita P. Patel, clinical assistant professor, and Brandon Clair, an al Symposium on Clinical Update in Respiratory Medicine where his ophthalmology resident, traveled in December 2017 to Kota, India for topic was “Acute and chronic infection in COPD.” This spring Sethi is 2 weeks to initiate collaboration with D. D. Verma. Verma is director of traveling to Osaka, Japan for the 58th Annual Meeting of the Japanese the D. D. Eye Institute and the D. D. Netra Seva Foundation, and pro- Respiratory Society. While there, Sethi is providing an update on Phar- vides ophthalmology training fellowships and charitable eye care in macotherapy in COPD. Northern India. The goals are to provide UB ophthalmology residents and supervising faculty with exposure to international ophthalmology Andrew Talal, professor of Medicine in the Gastroenterology, Hepa- and cataract surgery, exchange ideas on ophthalmic surgical educa- tology and Nutrition division traveled to Figueira da Foz, Portugal for tion, and provide charitable care. Patel and Clair performed cataract a March 24, 2018 presentation at the MSD Symposium in the Por- surgery for 25 patients and assisted in many more. tuguese Liver Congress. Talal was invited to provide a review of his clinical practice, how many patients treated, regimen preferred, SVR Department of Physiology and Biophysics and his published study about how to reach and treat the patients in Mark Parker, assistant professor, presented an invited seminar enti- OAT centers using the telemedicine. 26 tled “Signs of proximal renal tubular acidosis without acidemia in an SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK Nbce1b-null mouse” on April 13, 2018 at the 61st Annual Meeting of Denise Krause, clinical professor, coordinates the school’s Mentor- the Canadian Society for Molecular Biosciences in Banff, Alberta, Can- ship program and has recruited and incorporated Canadian mentors ada. Parker also presented a talk entitled “Features of the pH-sensitive and students in the program. H+/OH- conductance mediated by SLC4A11” at a satellite meeting on pH regulation on April 11. Laura Lewis, assistant dean for global partnerships and director of fi eld education, has received a Fulbright Scholar Award to participate Department of Surgery in the International Education Administrators Program in France in David H. Rothstein, associate professor and Oishei Children’s Hos- 2019. This program is designed specifi cally for U.S. higher education pital pediatric surgeon, and research fellow Sarah B. Cairo returned professionals. These two-week seminars demystify higher education in to the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in January 2018 for fol- the destination country and include campus visits with a cross-section low-up work on their project, “Characterizing Pediatric Surgical Ca- of universities and colleges; briefi ngs with faculty and administrators, pacity in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.” Working princi- government offi cials, and leading educational experts; and tours of historical and cultural sites. pally in the North Kivu provincial capital, Goma, they met with Min- istry of Health offi cials, colleagues at the HEAL Africa and North Kivu Nadine (Shaanta) Murshid, assistant professor, focuses on institu- Provincial Hospitals, and gave lectures at those locations as well as at tions, structural sources of violence, social policy, and health disparities the Université des Grand Lacs medical school. The project, funded in in Bangladesh and Pakistan. She has published the following manu- part through a seed grant from the UB Community for Global Health scripts: Murshid, N.S. (2018). Poor hygiene and bullying victimization Equity, is intended to improve outcomes in pediatric surgical diseases in Pakistan, Children and Youth Services Review; and Murshid, N.S. through a multimodal approach including more rigorous referral of & Bowen, E.A. (2018). A trauma-informed analysis of the Violence children born with surgically correctable congenital anomalies, men- Against Women Act’s provisions for undocumented immigrant wom- toring of local surgeons on pediatric surgery particulars, and collabo- en, Violence Against Women. Murshid has also written 4 Op Eds for ration with nursing educators for postoperative care optimization. The The Daily Star, a Bangladeshi periodical. Her recent pieces have been team then continued on to the third biannual meeting of the Global titled: “No Country for Beauty”; “If Not Now, Then When?”; “2017: The Year We Found Purpose”; and “Of Lists, Naming, and Shaming.” Initiative for Children’s Surgery, in Vellore, India. Traveling with Cairo and Rothstein was Jacques Bake, a Congolese general surgery resident Melanie Sage, assistant professor, is on an international non-profi t who was sponsored by the CGHE seed grant to further his pediatric board, husITa, whose focus is the ethical use of technology in human surgery education. In Vellore, Rothstein participated in a panel discus- services settings. sion on pediatric surgery in confl ict zones, based on his experience with the non-governmental humanitarian relief organization, Doctors Larry Shulman, professor and dean emeritus, presented a workshop Without Borders. Based on previous work and discussions at the Vel- titled, “The Dynamics and Skills of Supervision for Leading Edge (a

INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES INTERNATIONAL lore meeting, the Oishei Children’s pediatric surgery research group training program) in Toronto, Canada and a workshop titled Engaging has begun work on a low-literacy, pictogram-based education tool for and Working with the Hard to Reach Client for Mission Empowerment midwives, primary care providers and parents to improve identifi ca- in Stratford, Ontario. tion and referral of newborns with surgically-correctable congenital Mickey Sperlich, assistant professor, hosted Clare Law, who is a Win- anomalies. ston Churchill Memorial Trust fellow. Law and Sperlich collaborate on the UK’s National Center for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTH PROFESSIONS “Better Start” Initiative in Blackpool, UK at the Blackpool Centre for Department of Biostatistics Early Child Development. Sperlich also co-authored a paper with re- Lili Tian, professor, associate chair and director graduate studies, will searchers from the UK and two Australian researchers: Sperlich, M., organize an invited session titled as “Recent Developments in Diag- Seng, J., Rowe, H., Fisher, J., Cuthbert, C., & Taylor, J. (2017). A cy- nostic Studies and Related Topics” at the 2018 International Chinese cles-breaking framework to disrupt intergenerational patterns of mal- Statistical Association (ICSA) China Conference, July 2-5, 2018, Qin- treatment and vulnerability during the childbearing year, Journal of gdao, China. She will also present an invited talk titled as “Recent Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing, 46(3), 378-389. developments of Statistical Methods in Diagnostic Studies Based on Generalized Inference” at the same conference. UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES Christopher Hollister, Education Librarian, visited UB’s Singapore In- Jihnhee Yu, associate professor, was appointed as an editorial board stitute of Management (UB-SIM) partnership program to present on member of the Journal of Korean Data & Information Science Society, the Libraries’ e-textbook initiative and its new SUNY-funded open ed- the Society’s offi cial journal. It was founded in 1989 and its focus is ucational resource textbook program. He also reported the results of the methodological development of “big data” and dissemination of a study on UB-SIM students’ use of e-textbooks, and he conducted a relevant techniques. Yu was invited as a statistical advisor at the De- review of SIM Library operations. Additionally, Hollister consulted with partment of Advanced Materials and Chemical Engineering, Catholic the Singapore National Library’s Manager of Content and Services on University of Daegu, South Korea. She advises on uncertainty analysis the development of a new, grant-funded Singaporean Studies collec- of chemical production processes and their cost analysis. She traveled tion in the UB Libraries. to Daegu in December 2017, delivering a invited presentation for the topics related to uncertainty analysis. VICE PROVOST FOR INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION Stephen C. Dunnett, professor and vice provost for international Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences education, is an invited speaker at the annual Summer Institute, Inno- John Wilson, professor, gave a keynote lecture on March 20, 2018 vative and Inclusive Internationalization in Higher Education, at Boston at the 6th International Symposium on Vitamin C, held in Seoul, Korea. College (BC) in June 2018, co-sponsored by the Center for Interna- His lecture was titled, “Vitamin C for sepsis.” tional Higher Education at BC and World Education Services. Dunnett will give a presentation on “Institutional Perspectives on Innovative Department of Rehabilitation Science and Inclusive Internationalization.” Kimberley Persons, clinical assistant professor and academic fi eld- work coordinator, is presenting two research projects at the 17th World John J. Wood, senior associate vice provost for international educa- Federation of Occupational Therapist Congress in Cape Town, South tion, is part of a panel session at the annual conference of the Euro- Africa. She will complete an oral presentation entitled “Occupations pean Association for International Education in Geneva, Switzerland in of Young Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: September 2018. The panel is titled, “Bienvenue! Creating a Welcom- From Their Perspective” and a poster on a collaborative research with ing Environment for Incoming International Students.”  Erie Community College entitled “The Effects of an Intraprofessional Education among Occupational Therapy and Occupational Therapy Students.” LANGUAGE SUPPORT ONE WORLD CAFE DIRECTORY 27 continued from page 17 continued from page 18 Offi ce of the Vice Provost for International Education (716) 645-2368, 645-2528 (Fax) Cauller notes that international stu- “UB is recognized for having one Email: [email protected] dents are trying to assimilate Amer- of the leading university culinary pro- Web: buffalo.edu/internationaleducation Stephen C. Dunnett, Vice Provost ican culture and people, as well as grams in the country,” he said. “We John J. Wood other people from around the world regularly receive input from our stu- Senior Associate Vice Provost Patricia Shyhalla who are part of their environment. dents, especially our Student Advisory Associate Vice Provost and Director “For some of the students who are Board—new thoughts and fresh ideas Resource Management Trevor Poag, Director of Global Learning the least engaged, it is due to their about what they like, and what sort of Opportunities lack of profi ciency in English,” he foods they would like to see. Marvis Robinson Financial Resource Offi cer says. Members of the UB community at- Phoung Van, Staff Assistant for Resource The wide range of recommenda- tending the event were offered free Management tions offered by the Provost’s Task samples of three international foods International Enrollment Force on International Student Inclu- that may be served at One World Management (716) 645-2368, 645-2528 (Fax) sion and Engagement include addi- Café, including Vietnamese Summer [email protected] tional sections to provide more inter- Roll, Chicken Matar Keema and Ja- Joseph J. Hindrawan Associate Vice Provost and Director national students with fi rst-semester maican/Caribbean Salad. Raymond Lew, Associate Director access to ESL courses, and expanding Following an initial February con- Laurel Root, International Recruiter capacity at the Center for Excellence test in which UB students submitted International Admissions in Writing to assist students whose their naming suggestions, about 600 (716) 645-2368, 645-2528 (Fax) [email protected] fi rst language is not English with writ- students voted in a second contest to Steven L. Shaw ing assignments. choose the new name from among Assistant Vice Provost and Director Jessica M. Kane, Assistant Director for Initiating a structured conversation several fi nalists. Stowell’s submission Marketing and Communications

series between international students received 49.45 percent of the fi nal Amy Matikosh, Assistant Director for DIRECTORY Outreach and domestic students in the same student vote. He was awarded $500 Joshua Harrington, Admissions Advisor discipline around topics of mutual in- in UB Dining Dollars. Bentz and Lip- Kaileigh Hubbard, Admissions Advisor Namita Thomas, Admissions Advisor terest is also among the recommen- ing each were awarded $200 in Din- Zachary Demaio, Admissions Assistant dations being considered.  ing Dollars for their second-place en- Katherine Szymaszek, Admissions Assistant try. Bresowsky received $100 in Din- International Student and Scholar Michael Andrei is a public affairs spe- ing Dollars for third place.  Services (716) 645-2258, 645-6197 (Fax) cialist for University Communications. [email protected] Kathryn Tudini Assistant Vice Provost and Director Jessica Ereiz, Assistant Director LIVE-IN-LABS Amy Burk, SEVIS Coordinator James Bowman continued from page 12 International Student Advisor For her part, Aye Bay Na Sa relished Jenna Lenz International Student Advisor Arsalan notes that “if these devices the ability to communicate with oth- Darla Maffei are successful, they can be applied to ers. “While I was in the tribal village International Student Advisor Amanda Vakeva health care challenges to fi t the needs of Mothakara, I tried to learn basic International Student Advisor of other underprovided populations Malayalam phrases so I could intro- Caitlin Rioux, Inclusion and Engagement Coordinator globally, not just in India.” duce myself and greet the villagers,” Another LILA feature is the relation- she says, adding that it was a delight Immigration Services (716) 645-2355, (716) 645-6197 (Fax) ship of the student researcher to the “to have learned enough Malayalam Oscar E. Budde, Esq. local villagers. Student researchers are to share conversations with children.” Associate Vice Provost and Director Cinthya Alvarez, encouraged to approach their time It’s this blend of interpersonal rela- Immigration Law Specialist embedded within a rural village with tionships and real world experience Alissa Bailey, Paralegal openness to learning about—and conducting research that distinguish Study Abroad Programs learning from—their host community the LILA from other overseas student (716) 645-3912, 645-6197 (Fax) [email protected] members. One of experiences. Mary Odrzywolski, Director Arsalan’s most cherished mementos “Though there were certainly chal- Olga Crombie, Assistant Director Krista Pazkowsky, Study Abroad Advisor the LILA experience is a photograph lenges doing fi eld work, we were able of himself surrounded by children to get a lot of data collected since Council on International Studies and Programs with whom he would play soccer people here are very welcoming, (716) 645-2368, 645-2528 (Fax) each day when he was not working. friendly and cooperative.”  Peter F. Biehl, Chair Non-Profi t Org. U.S. Postage PAID Buffalo, NY Permit No. 311 UB INTERNATIONAL Offi ce of International Education University at Buffalo The State University of New York 411 Capen Hall Buffalo, NY 14260-1604 U.S.A.

KATHRYN TUDINI IS NEW ISS DIRECTOR

t the end of April 2018 Kath- tional leadership as Chair of the ryn “Katie” Tudini took up International Student and Schol- A her appointment as the new ar Regulatory Practice Commit- Assistant Vice Provost, International tee of NAFSA: Association of In- Student and Scholar Services (ISSS). ternational Educators, the largest She succeeds Ellen Dussourd, who professional association of its kind retired after 19 years of service to in the world. She has alos served UB (see p. 4). Tudini was selected in NAFSA’s Trainer Corps since from an excellent pool of candi- 2010. In 2017 she was awarded dates that emerged from a national the Georgia Tech Provost Award search. for Management in Action. Tudini joins UB from the Georgia Tudini anticipates a smooth Institute of Technology, where she transition for the offi ce thanks to has served since 2013 as Assistant the excellent stewardship of her Director of the Offi ce of Interna- predecessor, Ellen Dussourd.  tional Student and Scholar Services and prior to that as Senior Advisor. All told, she has more than ten years of experience in the fi eld, including from Canisius College in 2007. Her UB INTERNATIONAL  a three-year stint as an international husband, Jeff Tudini, is a proud alum- student advisor at Georgia State Uni- nus of UB’s M.S. in Environmental versity in Atlanta. Engineering program. They have two is published twice yearly by the A native of Western New York, Ka- young children. Offi ce of International Education tie earned her undergraduate degree Well regarded in the fi eld of immi- of the University at Buffalo, in Psychology from SUNY Fredonia gration compliance as this pertains to The State University of New York. in 2005 and her master’s in College international students, Katie was re- Student Personnel Administration cently appointed to a position of na- John J. Wood, Editor