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NU’s Student Research Wins Awards

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Niagara University chemistry/biochemistry students won four of eight awards at the WNY American Chemical Society's 2010 Undergraduate Research Symposium March 6. The students received two first-place awards for oral presentations, and first- and second-place awards for poster presentations.

Approximately 50 students representing about 10 universities in New York state and Canada attended the event, which was held at Niagara and co-hosted by the department of chemistry and biochemistry and the university's ACS student affiliates. Keynote addresses were given by Dr. Susan E. Burke, principle scientist in vision care research and development at Bausch & Lomb, and Dr. Ignacio Vargas, associate professor in the department of chemistry at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario. The students also had the opportunity to network with various representatives from business and chemistry graduate programs who were in attendance.

"This was a wonderful opportunity for Niagara's department of chemistry to showcase the research going on not only at the university, but throughout Western New York as well," said Dr. Ronny Priefer, associate professor of chemistry and vice chair of WNY ACS. "It also allowed the students to learn what opportunities are available to them after graduation, and how what they're doing now has real applications down the road."

Winning presentations included "Comparison of Na(CN)BH3 and Si-CBH; Reductive Amination Agents," by junior Paolo Grenga; "Iodinated Cubane Derivatives and their Thermal Properties" by senior Justin Griffiths; "Novel Synthetic Route to a Library of Isoflavone Derivatives," by senior Kyle Biegasiewicz; and "Expression, Purification, and Kinetic Characterization of FET5 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae" by junior AnneMarie Laurri.

St. Vincent de Paul Will Be the Focus of Lecture

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400

St. Vincent de Paul will be the focus of a lecture sponsored by Niagara University's history department on Thursday, March 25, at 7 p.m. in St. Vincent's Hall Room 407. Featured presenters Dr. Stephanie Wichhart, assistant professor of history at Niagara University, and the Rev. Thomas McKenna, C.M., NU's assistant to the president for mission development, will discuss "Does History Make the Person or Does the Person Make History: The World of St. Vincent de Paul." This lecture is the second in a series to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the deaths of Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac. The event is free and open to the public.

St. Vincent de Paul, a 17th century Catholic priest, inspired others to respond compassionately to people's basic needs. He founded the Congregation of the Mission, a community of priests and brothers who sponsor Niagara University. His contemporary, St. Louise de Marillac, was a pioneer in religious life and in the provision of human services, and the founder of the Daughters of Charity.

For more information, please contact the Rev. Thomas McKenna, C.M., chair of the 350th anniversary committee, at tmckenna@niagara.edu or 286-8123.

St. Louise de Marillac Was Focus of Lecture

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

St. Louise de Marillac was the focus of a lecture sponsored by the Niagara University theology and women's studies departments Tuesday, March 9, at 5 p.m. in the university's Castellani Art Museum. Sister Margaret John Kelly, D.C., executive director of the Vincentian Center for Church and Society at St. John's University, New York, discussed "St. Louise de Marillac: An Unheralded Practitioner in the Catholic Human Rights Tradition," as one of the university's Henry and Grace McNulty lectures. The presentation was the first in a series of lectures to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the deaths of Saints Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac.

Kate Clifford Larson, Author of Harriet Tubman Biography, Spoke at Niagara University on Feb. 4

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The author of a noted biography of Harriet Tubman was the featured speaker at an event to celebrate an important facet of our region's history in the Underground Railroad movement. The event, held Feb. 4 at Niagara University's Castellani Art Museum, also commemorated the recent establishment of the Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Area Commission and the work of the North Star Advisory Committee.

Dr. Kate Clifford Larson, author of "Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero," offered a public lecture on Harriet Tubman and her importance to the Underground Railroad movement. Following her talk, Dr. Larson moderated a roundtable discussion focusing on the process for preserving our local history and ensuring accessibility to the public. Participants included:

Dr. Milton Sernett, Professor Emeritus of African American Studies and History at Syracuse University
Dr. Lillian Williams, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of African and African American Studies at the University at Buffalo
Dr. Keith Griffler, Associate Professor in the Department of African and African American Studies at UB
Kevin Cottrell, Project Coordinator of the North Star Initiative
Dr. William H. Siener, public historian and independent scholar

The event, sponsored by the Niagara University history department, the City of Niagara Falls, and Key Bank, provided an evening of education and discussion on a fascinating topic commensurate with the efforts of the commission to create the Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Area.

Living with Grief the Focus of Teleconference

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Niagara University's department of social work and Niagara Hospice will co-sponsor the Hospice Foundation of America's 17th Annual "Living with Grief" teleconference on Wednesday, March 24, from 1:30 to 4 p.m. in Bisgrove Hall, Room 350-351, on the Niagara University campus. This event is free and open to the general public.

The live webcast conference is titled "Cancer and End-of-Life Care" and will be moderated by CNN special correspondent Frank Sesno. The teleconference will address care options related to cancer diagnoses as well as loss and grief reactions for patients, families and professional caregivers. The teleconference will also examine psychosocial aspects of cancer, pain management, and ethical issues related to the disease.

Reservations are required. For more information or to make a reservation, please contact Dr. Clementine Laverman, social work department director, at 716-286-8520.

Video Game Scholar Was Featured Speaker at 2010 Media Awareness Day

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Video game scholar Dr. Nina Huntemann spoke on the effects of violence, race and gender in video games as part of the 2010 Media Awareness Day on Wednesday, March 10, at Niagara University.

Huntemann is an associate professor of media studies in the department of communication and journalism at Suffolk University, Boston. Her research focuses on new media technologies, particularly video and computer games, and incorporates feminist, critical cultural studies and political economy perspectives. Most recently she co-edited with Matthew Thomas Payne the anthology "Joystick Soldiers: The Politics of Play in Military Video Games" (Routledge, 2010). She produced and directed the educational video "Game Over: Gender, Race and Violence in Video Games" (2000), distributed by the Media Education Foundation, and is currently creating an update to that film. She has published several articles on the image of women in video games, women's use of the Internet for social change, and the political economy of the U.S. commercial radio industry. Huntemann spoke about the impact of violence and racial and gender stereotyping in video games during the media day event.

A second event was an exhibition of student work and presentation of awards for a student video contest. Communication students from Niagara University and local high schools showcased research and creative work and competed for monetary prizes for video public service announcements on media literacy.

Media Awareness Day was created to foster awareness and understanding of the mass media. By learning how the media operate in terms of disseminating information, individuals can begin to interpret critical messages beyond those offered by the media and form their own educated opinions about the world.

Media Awareness Day is sponsored by the communication studies department of Niagara University and Lambda Pi Eta, the communication honor society of Niagara University.

NU's Student Chapter of the Club Managers Association of America Named Best in the Nation

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Niagara University's student chapter of the Club Manager's Association of America was named Student Chapter of the Year by the organization at its 83rd World Conference in February. The student group, in only its third year of existence, was selected among 47 chapters based on a series of factors including number and variety of educational programs offered, member employment and internships in clubs, membership growth, relationship with the state chapter of CMAA, and member attendance at events.

Students who join Niagara's CMAA are required to complete a rigorous schedule of educational and networking events and to work at a club each summer between academic semesters. Dr. William Frye, associate professor of hospitality and tourism management and club adviser, noted that these requirements, in addition to the chapter's significant membership growth and internship placements with top-rated clubs, helped the chapter win the title. "Receiving the award was affirmation and confirmation that the model is sustainable," he said. "It proves to ourselves and to others that what we are doing will create successful opportunities for these students."

The Niagara University CMAA student chapter focuses its efforts on education, professional development, networking, and placement in accordance with the CMAA's mission of fulfilling the educational and related needs of its members.

Niagara University’s Community Service Efforts Honored

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Niagara University has been named to the 2009 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for exemplary service to the community. This is the fourth time that Niagara has been selected for this honor, the highest federal recognition a school can achieve for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning and civic engagement. The honor roll was established in 2006 by the Corporation for National and Community Service.

Niagara was among 12 colleges and universities in New York state named as Honor Roll with Distinction members. Honorees for the award were chosen based on a series of selection factors, including scope and innovation of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentive for service, and the extent to which the school offers academic service-learning courses.

Service projects at Niagara involve the volunteer efforts of an estimated 2,000 students, who provide approximately 55,000 hours of service annually as tutors in local school districts and as interns and volunteers in more than 40 social service agencies and organizations in Western New York and southern Ontario. Niagara also operates ReNU Niagara, a community outreach partnership center that coordinates programs in Niagara Falls. Niagara's four colleges also operate centers that provide research, training, and professional and educational services for business and industry, school districts, and families.

Niagara University to Provide Free Tax Help

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Accounting students from Niagara University's College of Business Administration will again provide free tax assistance to members of the Niagara Falls community this tax season. The program, called Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA), is sponsored by the Internal Revenue Service.

"Niagara University has participated in this program for many years," said Alfonso Oddo, chair of the accounting department. He noted that members of Beta Alpha Psi, the international honor society for accounting, and the college's Accounting Society will coordinate the program.

Under the program, NU students prepare and electronically file federal and state tax returns free of charge for elderly and low-income taxpayers in the community. Starting mid-February, assistance will be provided from 6 to 8 p.m. at the following locations:

Niagara University, Room 205 St. Vincent's Hall: Feb. 25; March 2, 4, 9, 11, 16, 18, 23, and 25; April 13 and 15.
Family Resource Center, 3001 Ninth St.: March 3, 10, 17, and 24; and April 14.

No appointments are needed to participate in this free service.

Former Niagara University President, the Rev. John G. Nugent, C.M., Passes Away

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The Rev. John G. Nugent, C.M., the 21st president of Niagara University, passed yesterday at the St. Catherine's Infirmary in Philadelphia, Pa., from natural causes. Father Nugent was 87.

"The entire Niagara University family is mourning the loss of Father John Nugent," said the Rev. Joseph L. Levesque, C.M., president of Niagara University. "Father Nugent played a key role in the long history of Niagara. In his time as president, he made the university much stronger, and he guided it with a keen focus on the Vincentian mission of the university."

Father Nugent began his time at Niagara in 1966 as the dean of the Graduate School and the School of Education. He left that position in 1972, and then held a seat on the Niagara University board of trustees. He was named chairman of the board in 1978.

Father Nugent became president of Niagara in August of 1981, and he was immediately charged with establishing fiscal stability for the university. He instituted tough fiscal controls, which played a major role in creating a stronger economic condition at the university. As president, Father Nugent welcomed Mother Teresa of Calcutta as Niagara's commencement speaker in 1982. Under his presidency, Niagara introduced a new degree program in computer and information sciences, earned accreditation from the Council on Social Work and named the "Taps" Gallagher Center in honor of the legendary basketball coach.

Father Nugent was ordained a priest on May, 26, 1949, and received a Doctor of Canon Laws degree in 1953 from Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Before joining Niagara, he was a faculty member at St. Joseph's College in Princeton, N.J. (1949-50). He was a teacher of moral theology, ethics, literature and music at Mary Immaculate Seminary in Northampton, Pa. (1953-54), and became director of scholastics there from 1954-60. Father Nugent was the superior and director of the seminary for six years before his first assignment at Niagara.

After leaving Niagara, Father Nugent served in many roles, including professor of Canon Law at Mary Immaculate Seminary, member of the formation team for the DePaul Novitiate in Germantown, Pa., and in general ministry St. Vincent's Seminary in Germantown.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Feb. 9 at the Miraculous Medal Shrine 500 East Chelten Avenue in Philadelphia, Pa. The burial was at St. Joseph's Seminary in Princeton, N.J.