Spring 2013 - University Honors College - University at Buffalo

I Am HospiceBethany (Arber) CalkinsHonors Scholar, Class of 2003Harvey MacKay once said, “Find something youlove to do and you’ll never have to work a dayin your life.” There aren’t too many people inmy personal life who love what they do, and I’massuming that this trend translates to the generalpopulation. I, however, am the exception. I lovewhat I do. I am a board certified hospice andpalliative medicine physician.Anyone who has lost a loved one knows that thereare no more painful days than those surroundingtheir death. Family members are exhausted fromthe long journey leading up to this time; therehave been sleepless nights punctuated by fearand anxiety, and days as long as any lived before.Patients are often in and out of hospitals anddoctors’ offices for months on end, receivingdebilitating treatments, waiting long hours forappointments, and attempting to process andintegrate information about their disease, theirprognosis, and their medications. They oftenreceive conflicting information from differenthealth care providers and undergo an exhaustiveschedule of interviews with clerks, nurses, trainees,physicians, and consultants and all in the settingof an already exhausted mind and body that isno longer functioning at 100%. After all of theirstruggles, some hear what they perceive as theworst news of their life: “There is nothing more wecan do.”My work in hospice begins when people feel theyhave nowhere to turn. My colleagues and I arethe answer to “there is nothing more we can do.”Our stance is that there is always more to do.Symptoms can be ameliorated, taboo topics canbe broached, and hopes and goals can change,usually from quantity of life to quality of life.Hospice patients and their families benefit froman array of services, including top notch medicalcare, chaplaincy, social work, massage therapy,music therapy, child life and bereavement services.Our field has expounded on the idea of theinterdisciplinary team, as we all work together toensure quality in our patients’ days.There are times when I listen to my patients’stories in awe of all they’ve been through andaccomplished in their lives. War stories, love6u n i v e r s i t y a t B U F F A L o

stories, stories of persecution and of courage inthe face of defeat are prevalent in everyday people.What my patients don’t know, however, is that Iconsider the stories that they share with me on adaily basis to be gifts; lessons learned, relationshipscherished, and history lived.When I think of how I came to Hospice, I believethat my story, both personally and professionally,began as the daughter of a volunteer firefighter.He would often take me to his first aid classes,mostly because there was no babysitter. I tookmy Barbie dolls and played quietly on the floorin the back of the room. Some of my dad’sfavorite stories are of when, at seven years old,my head would pop up in the backof the room to answerquestions for theinstructor that no oneelse could (“The ABCsare Airway, Breathing,and Circulation”). Ialso joined him onhis first aid calls,where I would watchthe patient loadedinto the ambulanceand try to guessthe affliction. Ruleswere, though, that Iwasn’t allowed out ofthe car (that rule wasoften broken as veteranfirefighters allowed meout and to the sidewalkto monitor the goings-on).On one infamous camping tripwith my father, lunch was cut short tofollow a fire truck to its final destination. Clearly,medicine was right for me.Fast forward to my last year of high school, when Iapplied for and was accepted into a new programthat allowed fifteen seniors into a hospital toobserve all areas of medicine. By seventeen yearsold, I was watching hysterectomies and roundingwith attendings. This experience paved the wayfor admission to the University at Buffalo, where Iwas invited to join the Advanced Honors Programafter my second year. Here, I was encouragedto create my own degree in the Anatomical andPathological Sciences (following detours throughthe schools of nursing and medical technology).Independent study time allowed me to develop myskills in the anatomy lab and taught me to workhard to reach my goals.I can see now that there was more than onelaunching pad to hospice and palliative medicineduring college. Not only did the Advanced HonorsProgram give me the outlet I needed to customizemy university experience, but simultaneously, mygrandfather was admitted to Hospice Buffalo withlung cancer. Facing the loss of my first ever familymember, I spent afternoons and evenings with mygrandfather in whichever setting he happened to beresiding at the time. We talked about our family’spast and future; we laughed with each other, andmost importantly, made time for eachother. My grandfather gave medating advice, and made sureNow, more thanten years later,I am Hospice.I join with families in this verydifficult time in their liveswhen it may seem that othersare turning awayfrom them.I worked hard in school.Hospice gave us the timeto share these momentsand the permissionto take the time tolove each other. Thiswas a defining timein my life. WithHospice’s help, Iwas able to say allthat I wanted to sayto my grandfatherbefore he died, andhe was able to do thesame.Now, more than tenyears later, I am Hospice.I join with families inthis very difficult time intheir lives when it may seem that othersare turning away from them. The field of hospiceand palliative medicine is relatively new, andwith the advent of health care reform, is growingexponentially. With so few board certified hospiceand palliative medicine practitioners out there,nearly each role is a leadership role. Not only amI Hospice, but I’m to be a leader in my field, andthe Advanced Honors Program, my family, and myeducation have readied me to work hard, and at thesame time, never work a day in my life.More information about Hospice Buffalo, itsmission, and the services it provides, please visithospicebuffalo.com.N U M B E R X X X V I | S P R I N G 2 0 1 3 7

Talking About ARachel Lynn BrodyHonors Scholar, Class of 2003ust before Earth Day 2012, I published an anthologyof short stories called HOT MESS: speculative fictionabout climate change. It shot onto a top 20 list,sold well both in its first week and in the time since itspublication, and has been recommended by experts inenvironmental fields as an important and interestingapproach to raising climate change awareness.Cover Illustration by Sarah HartleyAs both editor and one of several writers on theproject, my role in preparing HOT MESS waschallenging and multi-faceted. From approachingother writers, to finding a cover artist, from conceivingthe idea to promoting it to readers and other markets,everything was up to me which was an exciting andengaging challenge.The project began with a conversation between me andmy mom, my first summer back from Scotland, whereI’d earned an MFA in Dramatic Writing (’05) fromQueen Margaret University College. When my poststudyingvisa ran out, I moved to New York City – andthat summer, I landed in the middle of a heat waveunlike any I’d experienced before:“New York City was hot. Not ‘better put on flip flopsand a tank top’ hot. 105 in the shade hot. Born andraised in Buffalo, New York, and having just spentfour years living in Scotland, I remember callingmy mom as I walked home from work one day. Shecould probably hear the sweat in my voice. “Whatwas I thinking?” I asked her. She had no answer.” –rlbrody.comThe A/C spent most days and nights cranked to max.I gave up on styling my hair and on wearing clothesthat wouldn’t wind up plastered to me by sweat. Thesememories are the cornerstone of my impression ofManhattan’s summers: overpowering, oppressive andable to make a person give up hope of ever feelingcomfortable again. Ultimately, the phone conversationwith my mom planted the seed for HOT MESS.When one decides to put together a multi-authoredpublication, a few skills are necessary. You have to beable to communicate effectively with diverse people,8u n i v e r s i t y a t B U F F A L o

understand multiple points of view and maintainstrict project deadlines, all while adjusting to theneeds of the project’s particular components. Editing,copyediting, proofreading, and attention to detail arecritical for producing professional-quality writtenwork, particularly when you’re trying to get your headabove the electronic publishingcrowd. But your work doesn’t endwhen the publication goes live.While each of the authors involvedin the project had experience (ora willingness to gain it) in onlineself-promotion via social media,it was up to me to coordinate theeffort, arrange press appearancesand readings, deal with logisticsand venues for those appearancesand more.Self-publishing authors must also know their medium:according to one oft-cited Amazon statistic, 80% of allself-published books never sell over 100 copies. Thanksto my experience selling tickets for Fringe festivalshows in Edinburgh (where fighting for an aboveaverageaudience in a crowd of literally thousands ofproductions is a challenge) and my understandingof targeted online marketing, as well as friends andcontacts willing to help spread the word, HOT MESSbroke this threshold within a few weeks of publication.What kind of work experience contributed to HOTMESS? I had already held a couple jobs whereenvironmental concerns played a role– first as aStudent Assistant to Walter Simpson in the UB Greenoffice, and later as an Administrative Assistant atthe National Design Award-winning, NYC-basedarchitecture and design firm, TsAO & McKOWNArchitects. I knew there were new technologies andinnovative solutions addressing issues of fuel efficiency,clean power and more. I also knew that climate changewas a contentious issue, and “global warming” didn’treally convey the full spectrum of issues our speciesand planet will be faced with as scientific models onrising temperatures and sea levels are borne out.One of the things I learned at UB was that it’s anartist’s responsibility to open up new routes ofcommunication within culture; with HOT MESS I waslooking for a way to make readers think; not aboutwhat caused climate change, or whose fault it was, buthow its effects would be felt and coped with by peoplearound the world.Photo courtesy of Leah AlconcelWhile HOT MESS is my first book, publishing it (nowavailable for Kindle and in print) was far from my firstproduction. After graduating from UB’s Media Studiesprogram, I went to Queen Margaret University College(QMUC) in Edinburgh, Scotland to earn an MFA inDramatic Writing. There, I wrote and produced plays,ran a weekly script developmentworkshop open to writers, directorsand actors alike, worked with localcompanies like the Traverse Theatreas part of their Young Writer’sGroup and reviewed theatricalproductions for The British TheatreGuide – a role I still fulfill fromtime to time now that I’m livingin Manhattan. Because of theseexperiences publishing HOT MESSfelt, in some ways, like a naturalextension of my producing work.Rather than offering solutions, HOT MESS takes acue from my education at UB and the way we wereencouraged to ask questions of standard models inboth the Media Studies department and within Honorsseminars ranging from Medieval Italian Literature toMagic, Witchcraft & Sorcery (an anthropology course,and one of the most challenging I ever took as anundergraduate). Through both my studies in the HonorsCollege and experiences in the wider UB and SUNYcommunities I learned early on about how the actionswe take today can echo into the future, and given that,why it’s important that those actions be positive anddesigned to educate/include a wider audience.Hot Mess: speculative fiction about climate change isa product of a globally aware group of writers anddesigners who came together to use our crafts andspread to a message about the human consequences ofclimate change. To date, the collection is selling steadily,and we’ve donated a portion of proceeds to climaterelatedcharities including The Earth Island Institute,the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund and EpiscopalRelief & Development.As I write this, it’s been nearly a year since HOT MESSwas published. The book has been included on 2012Top Ten lists, appeared on internet radio shows, andinspired at least one person who read it to go out andbuy a re-usable Keurig coffee filter.In other words, it’s fulfilling a goal my UB educationprepared me to undertake: making a positive differencein the world.N U M B E R X X X V I | S P R I N G 2 0 1 3 9

Patrick S. BroadwaterSr. Copywriter/Editor,Undergraduate AdmissionsOn the Front Linesof Cyber DefenseBich Vu is no longer in ROTC, but she is still in training to defendher country.Vu, a senior Honors student, is enrolled in the Advanced Certificatein Information Assurance program at the University at Buffalo,a graduate program offered through the Center of Excellencein Information Systems, Assurance, Research and Education(CEISARE) aimed at developing expert defenders to protect theUnited States from cyber attack.A Vietnam native, Vu came to the U.S. at age 9 and quicklydeveloped a deep attachment for her adopted country. By the timeshe matriculated at UB, she had joined the Army ROTC programand Pershing Rifles organization at nearby Canisius College. Butshe also had a lifelong interest in computers and technology,which led her discover a way to provide protection in a completelydifferent manner.“I wanted to apply my skills in another way,” said Vu, who ismajoring in computer engineering, electrical engineering andmath. “I guess there is a little bit of fear in me that there are a lot ofpotential things that people can do to harm us. So, I think that wasmy motivation.”“It’s great to make products and develop new things and create newinventions, but we need security systems to protect us and makesure that people don’t use those things for bad purposes. I kind ofgravitated toward security because in order to have the great thingsthat we do, we need to be able to protect them somehow.”Vu’s participation in the program is aided by a $1.6 million federalgrant provided to UB in 2012 by the National Science Foundation.The grant provides stipends, tuition and fees and associated book,travel and health insurance expenses for up to 16 students over itsfour-year lifespan. In exchange, students who participate in thetraining – usually for two years – must agree to work for the federalgovernment for an equal number of years after they graduate.“We have thousands of positions open in the government forpeople in this field. There aren’t enough trained people incybersecurity to protect everything,” said Shambhu Upadhyaya,director of CEISARE, one of more than 100 federally designatedtraining centers in the U.S. “The whole idea of this scholarshipis to get enough students who are interested in this topic –computer security – and have them join the federal workforce atthe national level.”Cybersecurity is a growing area of concern within the corridorsof power. Hackers and other malevolent groups, such as terroristorganizations, pose a serious threat to U.S. national security due tothe increasingly online nature of key infrastructure systems. Anyvulnerability in electrical grids, transportation systems, financialsystems and military installations can be found and exploited bythese groups, causing mass disruption, panic or even physical orhuman damage.“It’s a big problem because the Internet is open. There is noaccountability. It’s just driving with no speed limits, basically,”said Upadhyaya. “So people abuse, attack, break into accounts andnetworks. If you leave any vulnerability, someone will find it.”UB’s information assurance program trains defenders of thosesystems. The program is open to master’s level students. To earn thecertificate in information assurance, students must complete therequisite courses – 14 to 15 hours of coursework in areas such ascryptology and wireless network security – and also participate inweekly research group meetings, attend at least one conference incybersecurity and work on an ongoing research project.“What we do is equip them with the basics,” Upadhyaya said. “Wecover the fundamentals, some applications and they do some handsonwork. They learn all of the skills so then they can apply them.”Students who are part of the NSF grant program are then funneledinto the federal workforce, going on to join such agencies asthe FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, the SecuritiesExchange Commission and the Federal Trade Commission.The NSF Federal Cyber Service Awards program began in 2001,and the next year UB earned center designation status, allowing itto qualify for program funding. After three unsuccessful proposals,Upadhyaya and his colleagues, H. Raghav Rao from the School ofManagement; Tom Cusick from the Department of Mathematics;and Mark Bartholomew from the School of Law, received theirfirst multiyear award in 2008. That grant of $860,000 allowed UBto train 11 students over four years. By then, the center had beenfairly well established and had hosted a workshop for the local10u n i v e r s i t y a t B U F F A L o

community and NSF officials. But, according to Upadhyaya, theuniversity’s strategic location also played a factor. Home to oneof only 16 regional computer forensics labs in the country andsituated on an international border, Buffalo was a selling point ingetting the grant proposal approved.And when it came time to apply for a renewal in 2012, Upadhyayaand UB highlighted the benefits of that location as well as the trackrecord of success of the first cohort group. The result was a grantnearly twice as large as the previous award.“It’s like, ‘If I am going to give you more money, show me whatyou did with the money I gave you earlier,’” Upadhyaya said ofthe renewal process. “I know that some of my colleagues at otherschools didn’t get their scholarship renewed simply because theydidn’t do as good a job as us in terms of explaining what they haddone, showing the track record and inspiration for their growth.”One difference in the second grant proposal was the inclusionof a mechanism for including undergraduates in the program.Most, if not all, of UB’s information assurance work is done at themaster’s level. But Upadhyaya wanted a way to lock in talentedundergraduates like Vu who were interested in the program, sohe proposed that the NSF include funding for qualified BS/MSprojects and earn funding for college.“She prepared herself as an undergrad,” Upadhyaya said. “She wascoming to my research group meetings as a sophomore. I went toan Honors College lunch and talked about the scholarship. She wasjust a freshman at that time but it sounded interesting to her. Whenshe applied, she already had a good understanding of what the fieldis and where she was heading.”Good preparation is especially important for Vu, who as a foreignbornfemale is not the prototypical face of the U.S. cybersecurityforce. Like all candidates for the scholarship, Vu was interviewed toensure that she was likely to pass a background check and obtainthe necessary security clearances. But as a woman, she’s still aminority in the field. Among U.S. cybersecurity workers, malesoutnumber their female counterparts roughly 7 to 1, according to a2006 International Data Corporation survey.“We’re all in it together and we’re all working toward the goal,so it’s not about what gender you are,” Vu said. “I feel like it’ssomething I’ll definitely have to overcome, but I try not to let itstop me. Rather, I’ll show them how good I am. Then they can’tignore me.”We all live on the same planet, so whatever we dois going to have an impact on everyone else.students. Under the grant, BS/MS students get an additional yearof funding while they complete their undergraduate studies, butthen must complete an extra year of government service uponcompletion of the program.“I figured, well, when I graduate, I want to work for a federalagency anyway, so the requirement didn’t seem that bad,” said Vu,the first BS/MS student at UB to receive a three-year award. “I’mstill surprised. Sometimes I think there should be more that I needto do in order to satisfy the requirements of the program. But Ithink it’s great. They’re really open to you doing your own thingand learning in your own way.”For Vu, getting involved in the program was an easy decision. Andso was the decision to accept her. Not only had she excelled inthe classroom, but Vu was president of the UB Society of WomenEngineers, had studied abroad twice, was pursuing a minor inJapanese and had been involved in an engineering outreachprogram with Northrop Grumman while a student at Buffalo’sHutch Tech High School. In her junior and senior years, sheparticipated in the WORTHY program (Worthwhile to Help HighSchool Youth), where she was able to work on engineering-relatedVu has gotten plenty of support at UB along the way. She consultsregularly with Upadhyaya and Bina Ramamurthy, associateprofessor of computer science and engineering, and has worked asa teaching assistant for associate professor Carl Alphonce and theHonors College Colloquium, heading a team that volunteered atthe Gloria J. Parks Community Center.“Service learning and community service and being aware of thecommunity is a good focus, because that’s important and relevantin every field,” Vu said. “And that helped in the sense that, I’m notjust here to pursue a degree. I’m here to make an impact on mycommunity too. So whatever I do there’s a lot of possibilities for meto help those around me.”Which is exactly the reason that Vu got into the informationassurance program: to make a difference.“I want to know where we’re most vulnerable and how I cancontribute the most by researching in that one field, rather thanresearching something that is there and is convenient.“We all live on the same planet, so whatever we do is going to havean impact on everyone else.”N U M B E R X X X V I | S P R I N G 2 0 1 3 11

Jesse HanchettHonors ScholarClass of 2013Science andIt is safe to say that for most of us littlethought goes into what could exist directlyunder our feet. We drive miles a day, walk toand from the place that we call home, but it isunlikely that we are aware at any given time ofwhat is lying just six feet under where we stand.Whether it is the route we take to work duringthe week, the weekend biking trail we frequentin the mornings, or the ground we scuff whenwalking to class here at UB, a certain ignoranceof what lies below remains intact for the majorityof us. That is, until a reason arises that requirestapping below the surface.It wasn’t until contractors were hired to build anew road on South Campus near Michael Halland Bailey Avenue that people in Buffalo becamewidely aware of what only a few had previouslyknown. As it turns out, a 19th century poorhousewas located on the same land that UB’s SouthCampus is situated on today. This past summer, anewly planned road that would run near MichaelHall and connect Bailey Avenue to the SouthCampus was set to be built directly atop the formerpoorhouse’s cemetery, where hundreds of residentswere buried throughout the years of its existence.Before the construction of the new road could becompleted, a large ongoing anthropological effort,headed by the anthropology department at UB,to excavate and rebury the remains at a secondaryburial location began.Unlike most people, members of UB’s Departmentof Anthropology spend a large amount of timecontemplating the earthen depths on a regularbasis. It is their livelihood to investigate and piecetogether a logical story from the fragmentedartifacts the earth has preserved. In particular, aselect team of graduate students, undergraduatesand supervising professors spent the summer12u n i v e r s i t y a t B U F F A L o

months excavating and cataloging hundreds of thepoorhouses human skeletal remains in order tolearn more about the population, as well as securea proper final burial for them.It has been know since the 1960’s that analmshouse—known as The Erie CountyPoorhouse (ECP)—once occupied the area thatis now home to UB’s South Campus. Accordingto a Ph.D. dissertation by anthropologist and UBalum, Dr. Rosanne L. Higgins, the original ECPwas constructed in 1829 and later moved to itsfinal location near Bailey Avenue and Main Streetin 1850. From then the institution remained intact,but conditions for the inmates were grave indeed.Overcrowding and infectious diseases contributedto an ungodly death toll at many poorhouses ofthe time. ECP in particular had large outbreaksof cholera and measles around the time of itsrelocation, resulting in many deaths. The deathstory with the evidence we have. “We won’t knowtheir names, but at least [after the project is done]we will know some things like their age and sex. It isthe bones that tell their story to the anthropologistswho are trained to listen,” she said.Although there is some population data aboutthe ECP, there are still many unknowns about thepeople who lived and died there. The department ofanthropology is studying evidence from the bonesin order to determine who these people were. Forexample, traits like gender, age, stature and somediseases and trauma can be deduced from skeletalevidence. The anthropologists at UB are in thebeginning stages of a year-long effort to discover asmuch information as possible from the extractedremains before they are re-interred. This will bedone so they can paint a collective picture of thisgroup that was so widely overlooked by society inthe past.Amelioration:rate for people livingin ECP was one forevery six, or about17%, a harsh statistic. Many of these dead wereburied in the poorhouse’s cemetery where theyremained until this past summer’s excavation.AnthropologistDr. Joyce Sirianni,along with Dr. DougPerrelli, director ofthe archaeologicalsurvey, is supervisingthis project. Siriannihas a long-standinginterest in preservingthe dignity of theindividuals bymaking a scientificeffort to understandtheir situation andpiece together theiran Honors College ExperienceThe area around South Campus where the excavation took place.For my Honors Contract last fall, I was one ofthe undergraduates on the team working onthis project. I amcontinuing to workwith the lab thisspring where wewill soon begindetermining thedemography ofthe cohort. Afterthis project iscompleted, theindividuals willbe given a properburial and finalresting placeat Forest LawnCemetery.N U M B E R X X X V I | S P R I N G 2 0 1 3 13

HonorsCollegeGoesCory NealonUB ReporterWaste FreeThe task seemed implausible: feed 175 students withoutproducing an ounce of trash. Yet, that’s exactly what UB’sHonors College did this fall as it welcomed back studentsfrom summer vacation. The meal, dubbed a “zero wasteevent,” took place September 6, 2012 in the Don SchackStudent Lounge inside the Honors College in Capen Hall.Elizabeth Colucci, Senior Assistant Director announcedat 11:30 a.m. that lunch was served. While free, there wasa catch: Leftover food must be placed in compost buckets,while paper plates and cups go into biodegradable bagsto be recycled later, she said. Students complied withoutfuss. It was, after all, a free meal of sandwiches, potatochips and cookies, said Haley Arnold, a sophomore HonorsScholar majoring in chemistry, “I don’t think I would goto something just because it’s a zero-waste event,” she said.“But I’m happy that the Honors College is doing it.”In addition to composting and recycling paper goods,Colucci said the Honors College would recycle plastic sodabottles and condiment tubs, and reuse the plastic sandwichtrays. It was the second trash-free lunch served since Augustby the Honors College, which teamed up with the Office ofSustainability and Campus Dining & Shops to organize theevents. The idea, according to Erin Moscati, sustainabilityeducation manager in the Office of Sustainability, is to showstudents, faculty and staff another way to make UB a moresustainable and eco-friendly institution.UB composts food from its dining centers, has a750-kilowatt solar power installation, and is committed tobuilding energy-efficient facilities such as the new WilliamR. Greiner Residence Hall. But there is always more that canbe done, said Moscati, whose office advocates everythingfrom car-pooling and recycling to renewable energy andzero-waste events. “We want to demonstrate to the UBcommunity that there is a different, more environmentallysustainable way to do things,” she said.The message is being heeded by Campus Dining & Shops,Wellness Education Services and the Honors College, allof which compost food scraps, she said. It’s also reflectedin UB’s eco-friendly building projects, which, in additionto Greiner Hall, include Barbara and Jack Davis Hall onNorth Campus, designed for gold certification under theU.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy andEnvironmental Design (LEED) rating system.The zero-waste events were aided by Johnston Paper,Auburn, which provided cups and plates at discountedrates, Moscati said. In addition to not generating waste,the events help reduce UB’s environmental footprint andlimit garbage collection costs. “We try to encourage theUB community to think about creative ways to reducetheir individual environmental impacts. This project was asuccess because of the Honors College leadership and theircommitment to sustainability,” she said.14u n i v e r s i t y a t B U F F A L o

Life Raft: Don’t Miss the Boat!Paul StephanHonors Scholar, Class of 2013Never has a nuclear attack been as enjoyable as the imaginaryone that hit the Honors College this semester. Honors, alongwith the Undergraduate Academies, hosted the second annualLife Raft Debate on January 31. Here’s the situation: Due tosome remarkable circumstances (this year there was a nuclearattack), the world is about to end, and the last seat on the liferaft will go to a representative of a single academic discipline.Five professors argue why their discipline is essential tobuilding a new society, and the audience chooses a winner.Each professor passionately argued their discipline’scase, and the packed house enjoyed the back andforth dialogue. The Life Raft Debate offered goodconversation among the disciplines, something is sadlylacking in today’s intensely specific academic world.One of the reasons I really like this event is that itdisplays the different value offered by each field, andthe way we need each field in its own way. A worldwithout effective organizations, or without poetry,seems as disastrous as a world without modern sewage.The Life Raft Debate isespecially pertinent now,when all disciplines havebeen working to justifytheir existence to societyat large.Dr. James Jensen, anengineering professor, waselected the winner of this year’s debate.Apparently no one thought to ask who had designed thosenuclear weapons from which we were escaping. Oh well.Alumni Updates1991Melissa (yOUng) sCHROEDERMelissa will be taking a sabbatical leaveto collaborate with faculty and studentsin the Peacebuilding Ph.D. program atPayap University in Chiang Mai Thailand.Melissa is an Associate Professor ofCommunication Studies at Texas ChristianUniversity in Fort Worth, TX.1993Jeffrey HaJDUkJeff has been working as a physical therapistwith Liberty Home Care and Hospice since2000. He lives his wife Liane and son Jacobon the coast of North Carolina.1995Amanda (Russell)OrensTEInAmanda was recentlypromoted to AssociateProfessor of Biologyat Centenary Collegeand is currentlyserving as chair ofthe Department ofMathematics andNatural Sciences. Here she is with herhusband Matt (Honors ‘95) and daughtersCecilia (6yrs.) and Cassandra (4yrs.).1997Stan ShihStan started a practice for general dentistryand prosthodontics with his wife inYonkers, NY, named Westchester FamilyDentistry (Wfdentistry.com). Together theyhave a son (5yrs.) and a daughter (3yrs.).2001Syed Augmoal AliSyed recently earned his MBA fromCornell University and is workingas a manager at Accenture in theirmanagement consulting practice.Elias DakwarElias completed a Neurosurgical Residencyfrom the University of South Florida andis currently working on a Pediatric SpinalDeformity Fellowship in Philadelphia.Michaelangelo ROCCOMichaelangelo is a Walt Disney Imagineerin Los Angeles, working as a Creative Leadfor the Connected Experiences groupwithin Imagineering.What they’re doing now…2002Atul JainAtul joined the faculty at the Universityof Chicago as an Assistant Professor ofMedicine. He is a clinician educator whopractices general internal medicine andvascular medicine.Lucy(Boulatnikov)WilkeLucy is a SeniorManufacturingEngineer at Delphiin Rochester, NY.She is workingon the development of manufacturingprocesses for vehicle components.2004Marissa (MODICa) DeMonstoyMarissa recently graduated from UB LawSchool, where she received the AlbertR. Mugel award for demonstrating thegreatest proficiency in estate planning lawand future interests. She is an attorney atthe Stamm Law Firm in Williamsville, andlives with her husband Keith (UB ‘05) anddaughter Madeline (4yrs.) in Amherst, NY.N U M B E R X X X V I | S P R I N G 2 0 1 3 15

Alumni UpdatesWhat they’re doing now…Lindsay (Pratt) QuintiloneAfter five years in the Livingston CountyDistrict Attorney’s Office, Lindsay joinedthe small Geneseo, NY firm of Cannon &Van Allen as a general litigation attorney.2005Ruth KleinmanRuth is engaged to Steven Morris and theycurrently live in Manhattan, NY.Adam SokolowAdam is an ORISE Postdoctoral Fellow atthe Army Research Lab.Amy VankIRkAmy received her MFA in Dance from theUniversity of Arizona and currently lives inTucson, AZ.2006Mary SchmidMary was recently hired as the HighSchool Connections Coordinator atFayetteville Technical Community Collegein Fayetteville, NC. She oversees the localbranch of the North Carolina Career andCollege Promise initiative that allows highschool students to take college coursestuition-free.2008Alexander KesslerAlexander graduated from UB MedicalSchool and is currently at the University ofRochester Medical Center for his residency.Lauren O’sHEa-HaugeLauren is living in Washington and ismarried to Adam Hauge from Montana.2009Christopher HowardChristopher is currently playing the role of“Older Billy” on The US National Tour of“Billy Elliot.”Christina LoganChristina is an associate at Fenster &Lewis, LLC.Catherine nICasTROCatherine is currently working as a Latinteacher at East Aurora High School in EastAurora, NY.Nicole TriesteNicole is a graphic designer at Butler/Till,a media and communications agency inRochester, NY.2010Elliott KellerSince graduation, Elliott been working asa dance performer with Celebrity Cruises,Mike Moloney Entertainment Companyin Las Vegas, and Busch Gardens Europein Virginia. He is also a teacher andchoreographer.Kinsey (Davidson) O’BRIEnKinsey is in her third year at UB LawSchool, where she is a member of theBuffalo Law Review and the winner of the2012 Desmond Moot Court Competition.After graduation (and passing the barexam), she will be joining Hurwitz & Fine,P.C. as an associate attorney.Mark PawlowskiMark is currently at UCLA workingon his MA/Ph.D. in the Departmentof Art History in Medieval ByzantineArchaeology.Cindy SiderisCindy is currently the Production Managerat TheaterMania.com, a resource forBroadway and regional theater news,listings, and tickets.Charlotte (Bovenzi) SkiffCharlotte is a certified doula.2011Marisa HornbakerMarisa is in her second year in the MD/Ph.D. program at the University of TexasHealth Science Center-Houston/MDAnderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX.Mary (Brummond) LesTERMary is currently a second year veterinarystudent at Cornell University College ofVeterinary Medicine.Mark PereiraMark is currentlyattending law schoolat Penn State.Victor SkiffVictor is a medical student at LECOM.Meredith ZintzMeredith graduated from the CounselorEducation: Community Mental HealthCounseling Program at St. BonaventureUniversity and is getting married thissummer!BirthsStephanie (PlaHITko) Annandale(1999)gave birth to her second son, HudsonAndrew, on his big brother Hunter’s 3rdbirthday, September 24, 2012Jess (Cavano)Gestwicki (2000)and her husbandwelcomed their thirdson, Peter Francis,born October 4, 2012.Kelly(McLaughlin)Becker (2002)and her husband Justin welcomed theirfirst child, Charles Leo on June 29, 2012.Sara (CenTER) gUTMann (2003) andTurner gUTMann (2003)had their first child, Henry, on May 9,2012.Kathleen (Hennessey) MCgRath(2005)and her husband Tom welcomed their firstchild, Lily Grace, on June 30, 2012.Charlotte(Bovenzi) Skiff(2010) and vICTORSkiff (2011)welcomed their firstchild, Titus Alexander,in July 2012.MarriagesAlexander Kessler (2008) maRRIEDJennifer Stabel (2008)in June 2012.Kinsey (Davidson) (2010) maRRIEDMICHael O’BRIEn, (UB 2010),on August 10, 2012 in Buffalo, NY.Mary (Brummond) (2011) maRRIEDGaRTH LesTER (UB 2011)in the summer of 2012.Attention Alumni!To update our records please logonto honors.buffalo.edu/alumni andcomplete the alumni update form.*We would also like to include aphoto of you (and/or your children)with your update! Photos can bee-mailed to Karyn St. George atkcs9@buffalo.edu.16u n i v e r s i t y a t B U F F A L o

Thanks to you,I’ll always be entertaining.An Honors College Research and Creative Activities Award meant Caitlin McLeod wasone of 20 international students from 14 countries chosen to perform as a group—using props, puppets and costumes they created from paper—in Prague duringthe Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space in 2011. Calling it “the first truecollaborative process I was involved in,” McLeod said the experience “proved to be amagical night, one that I will never forget.” A double major in art and theater design,McLeod hopes to someday own a small puppet theater company, work in streettheater and design shows for urban summer festivals. The best reason to supportUB is what students like Caitlin will do in the future.The best public universities have the strongest private support.www.giving.buffalo.edu