From Avalanches to Steroids, UB Forum for Teachers Has Science Covered

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Bat fleas, nematodes and intelligent design are just a few of the myriad subjects covered by the University at Buffalo's 2009-10 Western New York Science and Technology Forum, "Horizons of the Sciences," for Western New York teachers.

"Alpine Terror: Avalanches" is the subject of the first talk to be given Sept. 9 from 7:30-9:30 p.m. by Charles H.V. Ebert, SUNY Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the UB Department of Geography in the College of Arts and Sciences. The lecture and all others in the series, with the exception of two field trips -- to the Erie Canal and the Daemen College Research and Information Commons -- will take place from 7:30-9:30 p.m. on Wednesdays through Jan. 13 in Room 201 Natural Sciences Complex on the UB North (Amherst) Campus.

The program is designed to expose teachers at all levels -- elementary, middle and high school -- from Western New York districts, including the Buffalo Public Schools, to some of the most exciting new scientific developments in a broad range of fields.

Lectures are given by scientists and researchers from UB and other institutions and agencies, as well as private industry.

Selected topics to be covered this year by UB faculty include "Cyber Security: Challenges for the Future" (Shambhu Upadhyaya, professor of computer science and engineering); "Intelligent Design: Scientific Creationism's Next Generation -- Faster, Smarter and Still Wrong," (Charles E. Mitchell, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of Geology); and "Performance-Enhancing Drugs in Sports" (Monica Spaulding, professor of medicine, UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences).

Faculty members in the UB Department of Biological Sciences will lecture on: "Bats, Caves and Bat Fleas" (Katharina Dittmar De La Cruz); "Grapes, Yeast and Wine" (Paul J. Cullen) and "What You Can Learn from a Nematode" (Denise Ferkey). All are assistant professors.

George H. Nancollas, SUNY Distinguished Professor and Larkin Chair in the UB Department of Chemistry, who created the forum back in 1970, runs it with co-directors Stephen Free, professor of biological sciences, and Marcus Bursik, professor of geology.

The fee for the series is $30. For a complete schedule, or to register for the series, contact Barbara Raff at 645-6805.