Honor Roll / Recognizing the accomplishments of Western New Yorkers
Published: November 29, 2009, 12:30 am
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Three University at Buffalo students were awarded Fulbright scholarships for the 2009-10 academic year. Meghana Gadgil, Katherine Cumberland and Catherine Dunning are abroad studying and contributing to the health and education systems of other countries. They are among the more than 1,500 U. S. citizens who will study, teach or research abroad as Fulbright scholars this academic year.
Gadgil, of Berkeley, Calif., is a student in the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Cumberland, of Gasport, is working as an English teaching assistant in the Kaohsiung public elementary schools and studying Mandarin in Taiwan. Dunning, of Poughquag, is working as an English teaching assistant at Ecole Normale Superieure, the Teacher’s College of the newly established University of Maroua in Cameroon.
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• Two Roswell Park Cancer Institute researchers have been awarded a two-year, $650,000 grant by the National Institutes of Health to study a novel approach to treating breast cancer with tamoxifen. Dr. Gokul Das and Dr. Swati Kulkarni are co-lead investigators. Das will direct research operations and Kulkarni will direct clinical operations for the study.
Tamoxifen is approved for the treatment of women diagnosed with certain types of early and advanced stage breast cancer. The study should provide screening guidelines to identify patients who are likely to be responsive to tamoxifen therapy. In addition, it will help avoid unnecessary exposure of patients with tumors unresponsive to tamoxifen.
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• Time Warner Cable and the United Ways of Western New York have announced the winners of the 2009 Heroes Awards at a luncheon in the Statler Towers ballroom in downtown Buffalo.
The honorees include: Robby Takac (Music Is Art), Advancing Artists Award; Miriam Smith (Equi*Star Inc.), Community Fixer Award; Sister Geraldine Warhling (The Warde Center), Education Leader; Lexi Keller, Minor Miracle Worker; and Jerry Mosey, Senior Star.
The winners are chosen from 15 finalists, in five categories, by the public via online voting.
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• The State University of New York board of trustees approved the appointments of eight faculty members to the rank of Distinguished Professor, one of four distinguished designations that constitute the highest system tribute conferred upon SUNY instructional faculty.
The Distinguished Professorship is given to those who have achieved national or international prominence and a distinguished reputation within the individual’s chosen field.
Receiving the promotion are: Marilyn Desmond, University at Binghamton Department of English and Comparative Language; Thomas Dublin, University at Binghamton Department of History; Randall H. McGuire, University at Binghamton Department of Anthropology; Esther S. Takeuchi, University at Buffalo departments of Chemical and Biological Engineering and Electrical Engineering; Evelyn
J. Bromet, University at Stony Brook Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science; Eva Feder Kittay, University at Stony Brook Department of Philosophy; Ann C. Colley, Buffalo State College Department of English; and Lawrence A. Fialkow, University at New Paltz Department of Mathematics and Computer Science.
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• Roswell Park Cancer Institute Dr. Roberto Pili has been awarded a grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the role of histone deacetylase inhibitors in treating renal cell carcinoma. The two-year grant is for $675,000.
He is the chief of the Genitourinary Section of the Department of Medicine and co-leader of the Genitourinary Program at Roswell Park.
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• Six University at Buffalo scientists and engineers have won 2009 National Science Foundation CAREER awards, the foundation’s most prestigious award for junior investigators, which recognizes and supports the early career-development activities of teacher-scholars “who are most likely to become the academic leaders of the 21st century.”
University at Buffalo’s 2009 winners are: Sarbajit Banerjee, Ph. D., assistant professor of chemistry; Jason Corso, Ph. D., assistant professor of computer science and engineering; Sambandamurthy Ganapathy, Ph. D., assistant professor of physics; Atri Rudra, Ph. D., assistant professor of computer science and engineering; Javid Rzayev, assistant professor of chemistry; and Sheng Zhong, assistant professor of computer science and engineering.
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Two Boy Scouts from Troop 523 in Lackawanna have earned the Eagle Scout rank. A Court of Honor was held on Tuesday for Tymothy R. Takacs, son of Karl and Denise Takacs of Woodlawn, and Mark P. McHugh, son of Mark and Kathleen McHugh of Lackawanna. Tymothy and Mark are both 2009 graduates of St. Francis High School in Athol Springs and are both attending Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pa. The Eagle Scout is the highest advancement award the Boy Scouts of America offers to scouts and only 4 percent of all Boy Scouts attain Eagle rank.
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• Buffalo resident Jacob Fox has committed 10 months to national and community service by joining AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps. Fox is one of 298 Ameri- Corps members of the national entity currently serving in the Pacific Region, based in Sacramento, Calif. During their 10 months of service, Corps members work in teams of 10 to 12 and are deployed across the Pacific Region states: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, and the territories of Guam and American Samoa.
The campus’ 28 teams provide support to faith-based, community service organizations, and government agencies and are on 24-hour call, if needed, to aid disaster relief efforts anywhere in the country.
citydesk@buffnews.com
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