Discovery Seminar Program - Fall 2007
Architecture and Planning
Bioinformatics
Chemical and Biological Engineering
- Energy: Science, Technology, and the Environment
- From the Microstructure of Makeup to the Science of Sweat Socks: Exploring Nanomaterials in Consumer Products
- Molecular Nanotechnology and Bionanotechnology
Chemistry
Computer Science and Engineering
Education
English
Geology
Gynecology/Obstetrics
History
Libraries
Management Science & Systems
MCEER - Earthquake Engineering to Extreme Events
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Media Study
Microbiology and Immunology
Music
Pharmacology and Toxicology
Physics
Radiation Oncology, Biophysics
Regional Institute/Urban and Regional Planning
Rehabilitation Science
Social Work
Theatre & Dance
Visual Studies
Women’s Studies
Architecture and Planning
Design Matters: New Ideas in Architecture and Planning from Global Leaders
- Instructor: Brian Carter
- Department: School of Architecture and Planning
- Day and Time: Wednesdays, 5:30-6:30 pm
- Section: OOO
- Registration Number: 153855
Learn about the built environment that surrounds us from the leading architects and planners who design it. You’ll be exposed to cutting-edge developments in architecture, urban planning, and environmental design through a series of fascinating lectures by renowned professionals, researchers, designers, and academics who will present a range of topics associated with design, ranging from the study of materials and the creation of a sustainable building to the planning of cities. Students will maintain a diary of the lectures and research the contributions of guest speakers before attending the lectures. Attendance is vital and students should be prepared to participate actively in lively discussions surrounding the presentations.
Bioinformatics
Difficult Problems, Easy Solutions: Referent Tracking in Biomedicine
- Instructor: Werner Ceusters
- Department: Bioinformatics
- Day and Time: Mondays, 1:00-1:50 pm
- Section: CC
- Registration Number: 118330
In laboratories throughout the world, researchers are making strides to improve the way we live through amazing advances in biomedical science. From discovering cures for diseases to developing innovative new drugs, biomedical research depends on computer technology to progress. But what if the data produced by these groundbreaking scientists was incompatible, the commonalities of patient records lost because computer applications were unable to understand each other? Join renowned researchers from UB’s Ontology Research Group for this fascinating seminar that will uncover the role of Referent Tracking in Biomedicine, an innovative technique combining the distinct disciplines of biomedicine, philosophy, and informatics. Learn how common sense and logical thinking can lead to solutions that give software agents the capacity to know what natural language terms refer to. By allowing disparate information resources to be exchanged, life-saving scientific research can be shared across disciplines.
Chemical and Biological Engineering
Energy: Science, Technology, and the Environment
- Instructor: Michael Ryan
- Department: Chemical and Biological Engineering
- Day and Time: Wednesdays, 4:00-4:50 pm
- Section: O
- Registration Number: 206348
The scientific, technological, and environmental aspects associated with energy development, consumption, and conservation are vital to our planet. In this seminar, we’ll delve into the historical development of various technologies, current energy usage, and the environmental impact of various forms of energy, including solar, wind, geothermal, tidal, hydroelectric, nuclear, and fossil fuels. Through relevant reading assignments and thoughtful class discussion, you’ll gain an awareness of issues relating to the environmental impact of energy usage, such as land use, air pollution, and global climate change; an appreciation of the risks and hazards associated with energy production; and knowledge of energy conservation measures.
From the Microstructure of Makeup to the Science of Sweat Socks: Exploring Nanomaterials in Consumer Products
- Instructor: Mark Swihart
- Department: Chemical and Biological Engineering
- Day and Time: Tuesdays, 3:00-3:50 pm
- Section: I
- Registration Number: 071265
We read the labels on our consumer products, but do we really know what they’re made of? As more nanotechnology-enabled products enter the marketplace, they are eliciting varying reactions ranging from hope to hype to hysteria. Using electron microscopy and other state-of-the-art characterization techniques, you'll identify the nanoscale structures behind familiar products, such as cosmetics, tires, computer chips, inks, drug delivery devices, antibacterial undergarments, and cleaning products. Class discussion will focus on the role that nanoscale materials play in the function of these products. Several field trips to high-tech on-campus materials characterization labs will bring to life the nanotechnology behind these everyday products.
Molecular Nanotechnology and Bionanotechnology
- Instructor: Paschalis Alexandridis
- Department: Chemical and Biological Engineering
- Day and Time: Tuesdays, 12:00-12:50pm
- Section: H
- Registration Number: 045821
The central theme of this Discovery Seminar is the manipulation of molecules (biological and synthetic) to obtain nanostructures with tailored properties and desired function. The students will be introduced to this fascinating research area in a series of interactive lectures that address in tandem molecules, nanostructures, and their applications, and will gain an appreciation of the phenomena governing organization at the nanoscale, and the advanced tools that we employ to probe such organization. Topics to be covered include: Molecular organization: self-assembly & directed assembly; Lipids – drug delivery; Collagen – biomaterials; Proteins – molecular machines; DNA – hybrid materials; Dendrimers – nanomedicine; Block copolymers – nanocomposites; Photoresists – optical lithography; Self-assembled monolayers – soft lithography; Carbon nanotubes – molecular electronics; Adaptive and responsive materials. Tools: electron microscopy, scanning probe microscopy, scattering, molecular modeling.
Chemistry
Analytical Chemistry: The Central Science
- Instructor: Frank Bright
- Department: Chemistry
- Day and Time: Wednesdays, 12:00-12:50 pm
- Section: LLL
- Registration Number: 172392
The field of analytical chemistry seeks to measure and understand the chemical composition, structure, and function of matter, and has a wide range of real-world applications. This seminar will focus on the development and use of state-of-the-art instruments to perform important measurements, such as those aiming to unveil the molecular-level workings of a chemical system to wound repair and the detection of cancers. Lectures and class discussions will be led by leading UB professors who have collectively published more than 1000 peer-reviewed papers and have won dozens of national and international awards.
Computer Science and Engineering
Wireless World: Programming Wireless Sensor Networks
- Instructor: Murat Demirbas
- Department: Computer Science and Engineering
- Day and Time: Wednesdays, 3:00-3:50 pm
- Section: NN
- Registration Number: 255392
From Wi-Fi hot spots to hand-held devices, the world is going wireless. Be at the forefront of wireless technology with this exciting introduction to wireless sensor networking, an innovation used in military surveillance, inventory tracking, and seismic detection devices. Learn how to program using state-of-the-art wireless sensor network (WSN) nodes, such as Mica2’s and Tmotes, and deploy innovative WSN applications. Through hands-on projects, you’ll explore WSN applications in TinyOS and then delve into implementing protocols for habitat monitoring and in-door personnel tracking applications using WSNs.
Education
Sell Yourself: Creating Electronic Portfolios
- Instructor: Mary Troy
- Department: Graduate School of Education
- Day and Time: Thursdays, 2:00-2:50 pm
- Section: S
- Registration Number: 030062
Need help presenting your creative work to land that internship or job? Collect your digital media – video, music, animation, or whatever medium you work in – and present it using the latest techniques in electronic portfolio creation. Learn how to professionally organize your work using html, PDFs, and PowerPoint so your portfolio stands above the rest!
English
Mythology
- Instructor: Diane Christian
- Department: English
- Day and Time: Wednesdays, 1:00-1:50 pm
- Section: MM
- Registration Number: 428528
Mythology is praised and reviled. In one frame it’s ‘sacred story,’ synthetic and poetic thinking, religion. In another, it’s false, misleading, and dangerous fabulation. Robert Graves the great 20th century mythographer was assembling The Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology mid century and was forbidden to include Biblical Mythology. He remarked “Mythology is somebody else’s religion.” We’ll look a little bit at this ancient argument (Homer and Plato) but mostly at some great primal myths about gender. Genesis, for example, offers two versions of gender origin: male and female created in the divine image, and Adam molded from clay from whose rib Eve is made. Ideas and laws about nature, order, and sex are based on the stories. We’ll consider how genders form and relate in primal myths from around the world and take longer looks at Hebrew, Greek, Dogon, Mayan, and Science (Darwin, Hrdy) stories. We might think of some movies too.
Geology
Tapped Out? Nonrenewable Resources and Society
- Instructor: Tracy Bank
- Department: Geology
- Day and Time: Wednesdays, 10:00-10:50 am
- Section: KK
- Registration Number: 073654
With a growing societal and media interest in energy independence, global warming, and sustainability, this seminar’s focus on the geological availability, exploitation, and use of the Earth’s nonrenewable resources is both timely and essential. Topics will include the origin and discovery of metallic minerals, nonmetallic minerals, and energy resources such as coal, oil, and gas. Through lively class discussion and relevant assignments and projects, students will gain a better understanding of the economic fluctuations of these industries and predictions of future market trends, as well as the environmental impacts of their exploitation.
Gynecology/Obstetrics
Recreational Drugs and Their Effect on Fertility
- Instructor: Lani Burkman
- Department: Gyn/Ob
- Day and Time: Tuesdays, 5:00 - 5:50 pm
- Section: JJ
- Registration Number: 279185
How and when does fertilization happen? Is marijuana all that bad? What about the natural marijuana found in your body? Join renowned researcher Dr. Lani J. Burkman in the lab at Buffalo’s Children’s Hospital to see first-hand the impact recreational chemicals have on the fertility of both men and women. Using the latest research and state-of-the-art tools, you’ll study normal fertilization and see the changes in sperm function for men who were addicted to tobacco, marijuana, or methamphetamine.
Please note that the location of this seminar is at Children’s Hospital in Buffalo. Students can easily get to this location, but should allow ample travel time. Transportation from the South Campus is available via the metro train. The Utica metro stop is 2 blocks from Delaware Avenue, and the next block is Children’s Hospital.
History
Catholicism and the Oppressed: A Historical Introduction to Liberation Theology
- Instructor: Patrick McDevitt
- Department: History
- Day and Time: Wednesdays, 12:00-12:50 pm
- Section: M
- Registration Number: 257087
Liberation theology, a sometimes-controversial strain of progressive Catholicism that developed in post-World War II Latin America, inspired various social justice campaigns around the world, as well as political movements throughout Latin America before it fell out of favor with Pope John Paul II and his theological watchdog Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI). This seminar – which takes a historical, rather than philosophical or theological approach – will focus on the relationship between religion, society, and economics as interpreted by liberation theologians, who argued that poverty is inherently oppressive and that it is the obligation of Christians to work (and sometimes fight) to eliminate or alleviate it. To this end, they argue that Christians should choose the side of the poor against the interests of the wealthy, which often put them in conflict with their own hierarchy within the Catholic Church.
Libraries
Comic Books and Graphic Novels in American Culture
- Instructor: Michael Lavin
- Department: University Libraries
- Day and Time: Mondays, 2:00-2:50 pm
- Section: D
- Registration Number: 290828
Comic books, though available worldwide, represent a uniquely American art form. So-called “graphic novels,” broadly defined as comic books published in book format, presently enjoy a growing popularity in the United States, especially among teenagers and young adults. Today, graphic novels have moved beyond the traditional super-hero fare to embrace virtually every literary type and genre. This seminar, intended for newcomers to the field of comic books and graphic novels as well as longtime readers and fans, will explore how themes and characters in graphic novels reflect issues and concerns in contemporary American society. Through readings and discussion, students will survey the history of comic book art in America and examine how graphical storytelling differs from traditional narrative.
Management Science & Systems
IT in a Flat World
- Instructor: Rajiv Kishore
- Department: Management Science & Systems
- Day and Time: Fridays, 9:00-9:50 am
- Section: U
- Registration Number: 051329
As the world’s economy becomes increasingly global, businesses must adapt their information technology (IT) platforms and systems to meet new challenges and opportunities. The jobs of the future will require an understanding of the global distribution of work (GDW) in areas such as human resources, operations, finance and accounting, and IT. Through timely research and real-world applications, you’ll learn more about the globalization phenomenon and how “market-driven” firms can leverage it to manage their cost structures and encourage innovation in their products, processes, and services.
MCEER - Earthquake Engineering to Extreme Events
Extreme Events: UB’s Research Role
- Instructor: Michel Bruneau
- Department: MCEER - Earthquake Engineering to Extreme Events
- Day and Time: Every other Tuesday, 10:00-11:50 am
- Section: G
- Registration Number: 224840
Extreme Events are brief, abrupt episodes – such as hurricanes and terrorist attacks – that pose grave risks to human populations. To meet the challenges of these natural and human-caused hazards, UB researchers are collaborating across disciplines and delving into topics such as structural/system engineering to achieve disaster resilience, medical and psychological reactions to extreme stress, disasters caused by avalanches and volcanoes, and preventing some types of disasters by identifying those with hostile intent. In this Discovery Seminar, seven faculty researchers from various departments who are immersed in Extreme Event studies will make thought-provoking presentations and engage students in interactive discussions.
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
The Road to Scientific Success: Preparation for a Scientist or Engineer that Leads
- Instructor: Deborah Chung
- Department: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
- Day and Time: Mondays, 5:00-5:50 pm
- Section: EE
- Registration Number: 180392
Technological innovations are critical for industrial success and national prosperity. Do you want to be a scientist or engineer that makes an impact in the world of science and technology? Do you want to be a leader that advances science and technology? Are you interested in discovery and innovation? How can research be carried out effectively? Join Professor Deborah Chung, an award-winning researcher and editor of The Road to Scientific Success: Inspiring Life Stories of Prominent Researchers book series, in this seminar designed to set you on the road to success in science or engineering. Through engaging readings and discussions, you’ll learn about what is needed for success in scientific or engineering career, particularly the education, career development, career paths, research strategies, technology needs, invention, competition, scientific judgment, communication, continuous learning, multidisciplinarity, challenges, goals and keys to success.
Media Study
Free Culture: Copyright, Stealing, and Sharing
- Instructor: Dave Pape
- Department: Media Study
- Day and Time: Wednesdays, 11:00-11:50 am
- Section: LL
- Registration Number: 240793
Virtually all media encountered in our daily lives is controlled by copyright. Traditional copyright supporters argue that ownership is necessary to promote creativity while others advocate cultures of sharing. Understanding of copyright is important for both media creators and media consumers and this seminar will examine the current intellectual property issues with relevant cultural implications. From file-sharing and sampling to Linux and Wikipedia, students will gain a valuable overview of copyright issues and the development of free culture.
Microbiology and Immunology
Infectious Diseases: Modern Plagues and Pestilences
- Instructor: Thomas Russo
- Department: Microbiology and Immunology
- Day and Time: Thursdays, 4:00-4:50 pm
- Section: T
- Registration Number: 039618
From issues of global pandemics and bioterrorism to vaccine development and food security, understanding infectious diseases is more important than ever. Through informal and highly interactive discussions, students will learn from some of UB’s top experts about a variety of human pathogens, the clinical aspects of the diseases they cause, and research approaches designed to improve the outcome of these infections. Each class will cover different human pathogens – such as Staphylococcus, E. coli, influenza virus, fungal pathogens, and agents of bioterrorism – opening the door to further study or careers in biomedical research and/or academic medicine.
Music
Your Brain on Music
- Instructor: Krista Johnson
- Department: Music
- Day and Time: Mondays, 4:00-4:50 pm
- Section: E
- Registration Number: 182032
What is it about that song? The one that makes you dance, makes you cry, or puts a smile on your face. Why does music have the ability to change our moods? Uncover the power that music has on our brains and its role in teaching both regular and special education classes. Weekly readings, class discussions, and a final project will reveal recent research on music’s influence on the brain’s chemistry and physical composition. An enlightening course for educators, musicians, or music lovers.
Pharmacology and Toxicology
Scientific Methods: Science, Technology, and Human Values
- Instructor: David Triggle
- Department: Pharmacology and Toxicology
- Day and Time: Wednesdays, 2:00-2:50 pm
- Section: N
- Registration Number: 491310
The 21st century poses a number of extremely serious challenges and critical public policy decisions that require input and dialog from an informed public. How will hot button scientific issues – such as energy availability, climate change, gene-based technologies (foods, stem cells diagnostics, genetic enhancement, etc.), surveillance and privacy, intellectual property and knowledge privatization, and economic and cultural globalization – be dealt with by government, media, the scientific community, and the public? This seminar will explore the scientific method and the ethos of science, the relationship between science and its applications to a set of contemporary problems, and uncover how science policy is made, translated, and implemented.
Physics
The Nonlinear World
- Instructor: Surajit Sen
- Department: Physics
- Day and Time: Mondays, 12:00-12:50 pm
- Section: W
- Registration Number: 212540
Nonlinear science has been around since pre-Newton days. This seminar is designed to introduce young, creative minds to a repertoire of realizations of nonlinearity that we commonly encounter every so often. Topics that will be covered include: Linearity versus Nonlinearity: About Pendula, swings and things; The Anatomy of Some Disasters: Avalanches, mudslides, tsunamis, earthquakes and other terrible events; and Nonlinearity to the Rescue: Shock mitigation, air purification, winning battle strategies and more. The one credit hour course will be informal and non-mathematical in nature requiring a knowledge base of no more than Regents level science and mathematics. Students will be exposed to lectures by the instructor, films, refereed online resources from digital libraries and special sessions by visiting lecturers. The student evaluations will be performed on the basis of a creative report that will reflect the student’s understanding of the broader scientific issues in a nonlinear science problem.
Radiation Oncology, Biophysics
Bridging the Gap Between Medicine and Physics: Topics in Medical Physics
- Instructor: Matthew Podgorsak
- Department: Radiation Oncology, Biophysics
- Day and Time: Thursdays, 9:00-9:50 am
- Section: P
- Registration Number: 340089
Medical Physics, an applied branch of physics, primarily interacts in the diagnosis and treatment of human disease. Through state-of-the-art technologies such as imaging and radiotherapy, medical physicists work in hospitals and university research centers helping to save lives through their application of scientific knowledge. In this fascinating seminar, taught by the Director of Medical Physics at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, students will learn more about the facets of medical physics – such as research, technical development, and clinical health care – that make the field essential to society's health.
Regional Institute/Urban and Regional Planning
Researching the Buffalo Niagara Region
- Instructor: Kathryn A. Foster
- Department: UB Regional Institute/Urban and Regional Planning
- Day and Time: Tuesdays, 4:00-4:50 pm
- Section: JJ
- Registration Number: 080471
The Buffalo Niagara Region – your college-era home – is a complex, fascinating bi-national region encompassing Western New York and Southern Ontario. It is replete with remarkable physical, economic, political, and social attributes and issues worthy of our consideration, particularly from the perspective of young adults. Drawing from online regional information resources, media coverage, guest commentators, seminar discussions, and class member investigations, this Discovery Seminar will provide participants with the tools of the trade for regional research, an understanding of and appreciation for how these issues shape and are shaped by the region’s young adults, and insights on possible majors (from journalism to social sciences to public health and beyond). Three course faculty – from sociology, political science, and urban and regional planning – will guide the seminar and join the fun.
Rehabilitation Science
Growing Old: The Biological, Social, and Economic Issues of Aging
- Instructor: Robert Burkard
- Department: Rehabilitation Science
- Day and Time: Tuesdays, 9:00-9:50 am
- Section: F
- Registration Number: 418388
Thanks to advances in medicine, Americans now live longer than ever. What are the implications of this trend on our health care institutions, social service infrastructure, and political landscape? This seminar will review biological, social, and economic aspects of the aging continuum, from the moment of conception until death. Engaging reading and lively class discussions on narrow aspects of aging will reveal the complexity of an issue relevant to all of us.
Social Work
The Power and the Fear: Exploring Cultural Diversity
- Instructor: Denise Krause
- Department: Social Work
- Day and Time: Mondays: 8/27, 9/10, 10/15, 11/12, 11/31, 6:00-9:00 pm
- Section: EEE
- Registration Number: 443618
How do ability, age, class, ethnicity, gender, race, sexual orientation, and religion influence our constructs of ourselves and our place in the world? This seminar, taught by a Clinical Associate Professor in the School of Social Work, provides a unique opportunity to examine the “lens” through which we view the world, exploring our own biases and the struggles to recognize and challenge them. Through thoughtful class discussions, experiential exercises, and guest lectures, students will share their own experiences with diversity, bias, and discrimination. Note: This course meets only on 8/27, 9/10, 10/15, 11/12, and 11/31.
Theatre & Dance
Communicating Through Movement: Exploring Contemporary Dance
- Instructor: Melanie Aceto
- Department: Theatre & Dance
- Day and Time: Mondays, 11:00-11:50 am
- Section: DDD
- Registration Number: 129208
Contemporary concert dance is among the world’s most expressive and exciting art forms, using the power of human movement to communicate and express ideas. In this vibrant seminar, join a renowned modern dancer, choreographer, and educator in uncovering why we inherently like or dislike a dance, dance’s potential to communicate, and finding meaning from movement. Through live concerts, videos, and engaging class discussions, you’ll explore dance through the elements of Time, Space, and Energy while considering the additional elements of concert dance, including music/sound, lighting, and costumes. With an educated eye, and heart, you will never again leave a dance concert saying, “I didn’t get it.”
Visual Studies
Decoding da Vinci and the Renaissance
- Instructor: Charles Carman
- Department: Visual Studies
- Day and Time: Wednesdays, 12:00-12:50 pm
- Section: 444
- Registration Number: 089469
Uncover the facts (and fiction) behind The Da Vinci Code in this overview of the Italian Renaissance. We’ll investigate the origins of the Renaissance and discuss its importance on culture, art, and science today. Through the work and lives of artists such as Masaccio, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, and Michelangelo, you’ll gain scholarly insight into the ideas and achievements that shaped the transition between the Middle Ages (Dark Ages) and the modern/post-modern world. Through intriguing course materials and lively class discussions, you’ll be transported on a journey to 15th Century Europe.
Women’s Studies
Globalization, Democracy, and Gender
- Instructor: Barbara Wejnert
- Department: Women’s Studies
- Day and Time: Wednesdays, 9:00-9:50 am
- Section: K
- Registration Number: 181213
How are democratization and globalization (including capitalistic economic development) interconnected with gender? This seminar will survey recent debates about global development and diffusing democracy, examining current research in this important field. Through lively class discussions, we’ll assess the impact these forces have on gender relations; culture and cultural identity; women vs. men social, economic, and political opportunities; and maternal health.
Last updated: October 22, 2007 2:07 pm EST