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Middle school = students from=20 across western New York descended on St. Bonaventure University = Feb. 6 to=20 display their mathematical prowess in the regional phase of the = 2010=20 MATHCOUNTS competition, a national contest for 6th, 7th, and 8th = grade=20 students.

Contestants = worked both=20 individually and in four-person school teams on questions designed = by the=20 National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), the main = sponsoring=20 organization.

The four = schools competing=20 here, with their coaches, were: Allegany-Limestone Middle School = (Kathy=20 Stamets), Cheektowaga Central School (David Guzzino), Falconer = Central=20 School (Stephanie Rhinehart), and Tapestry Charter School from = Buffalo=20 (Garett Farrugia). In team competition, Tapestry Charter School = finished=20 in first place, Falconer Central School in second place, and=20 Allegany-Limestone Central School in third place.

The top three = individual=20 scorers, in order, were Michael Ginsberg of Cheektowaga Central = School,=20 Ryan Dukarm of Tapestry Charter School, and Zachary Darrow of=20 Allegany-Limestone Central School. Locally the contest was = financially=20 supported by St. Bonaventure University and an anonymous grant. = The top=20 school teams and the top individuals received trophies. The top = three=20 teams have been invited to the New York State competition to be = held on=20 March 13 at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy.

The top = individuals from=20 the state contest will advance to the national competition May 6-9 = at Walt=20 Disney World. Other organizations providing financial support for = the=20 contest at the national level include CNA Foundation, = ConocoPhillips,=20 National Defense Education Program, Northrup Grumman Foundation, = Pitsco=20 Education, Raytheon Company, Texas Instruments, 3M Foundation, and = the=20 National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.=20

St. Bonaventure University is set to host its = 22nd annual=20 High School Programming Competition on Friday, Feb. 26.

About 120 different high school programming = teams have=20 participated over the competition=92s 21-year history. The = competition,=20 which only drew local teams in its early years, has hosted teams = from as=20 far as California. There are more than a dozen teams registered = for this=20 year=92s competition coming from Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and = New York.=20

=93We have a very strong reputation for having a = well-run=20 competition with challenging problems,=94 said Dr. Steve = Andrianoff,=20 associate professor of computer science at St. Bonaventure and = competition=20 director. =93Several of the schools attend other programming = competitions=20 and relate that ours compares favorably.=94

Each team, which consists of four students and = an advisor,=20 will work in a computer laboratory located on campus; they will = all=20 receive the same six to eight problems to solve.

Scoring is based on the speed at which each team = submits=20 correct solutions. Most of the competition requires the teams to = write a=20 complete program that meets particular specifications and details, = but=20 there are some problems that stress the importance of thorough = testing=20 when writing a program.

Last year=92s champions, from McQuaid Jesuit = High School in=20 Rochester, are returning this year to attempt to defend their = title=20 against a field that includes four first-time participating teams, = including Phillips Exeter Academy of New Hampshire, Mercer (Pa.) = Area High=20 School, and Nichols School of Buffalo.

For more information visit the contest=92s Web = site at=20 www.cs.sbu.edu/contest.

Ciolek has served as interim = director since=20 April 16, during which time she was instrumental in supporting the = Employee Benefits Advisory Committee=92s evaluation of a new = health benefits=20 approach for St. Bonaventure University.

=93Anne has demonstrated during = this interim=20 period that she not only has the talent and intellect necessary = for this=20 important role, but that her personal drive, creativity and = commitment to=20 serving the faculty and staff of St. Bonaventure University are=20 remarkable,=94 said Brenda McGee Snow, senior vice president for = Finance and=20 Administration.

Ciolek will oversee all aspects of = human=20 resources, including recruitment; employee staff training, = development and=20 evaluation; payroll; and benefits administration. Prior to her = service as=20 interim director, Ciolek served 11 years as payroll manager, and = three=20 years as payroll clerk.

She earned an associate of arts = degree from=20 Jamestown Business College and is pursuing a certificate of Human=20 Resources Management at Cornell University.

=93I am excited and honored to = serve the=20 university in this capacity and would like to thank everyone who = has been=20 instrumental in making this opportunity possible,=94 Ciolek said. =

In December, Ciolek was appointed = secretary of=20 the Board of the Health Benefits and Welfare Educational Trust of = Western=20 New York.

The university will conduct a = regional search=20 to fill a position in the payroll office.

Differences=20 Are Us: Student Panel

Forty-seven students across seven university programs, along = with=20 members of the University's Disability Committee (Dr. Anne-Claire = Fisher,=20 Dr. Paula Scraba, Craig Sinesiou and Phil Winger) attended the=20 "Differences Are Us" workshop Monday, Feb. 15, in the auditorium = of the=20 William F. Walsh Science Center.

Dr. Barbara Trolley, the chair of the committee, indicated the = purpose=20 of the workshop was to open up a dialogue among students and = enhance=20 awareness around disabilities.

The audience heard the personal accounts of four panel members: = a=20 student with a physical disability, a student with a learning = disability,=20 an alumni with a hearing impairment, and a student with a sibling = with a=20 developmental disability.

The panel discussed challenges such as: changes in demands and=20 assistance from high school to college, others not understanding = invisible=20 disabilities, infrequent but occasional stereotypical comments in = classes,=20 ineffective medications or ones with side effects that impact = focus and=20 sleeping, not having a lot of extra free time, and accessibility = concerns=20 such as the placement of ramps in buildings.

Additional areas of discussion included the desire to "try to = do it=20 alone" and not self-identify, versus asking for support from the=20 Disability Services Office; the desire to explain that they are = not trying=20 to do less than other students, but they may need alternative = formats to=20 complete the same assignments; and needing programs for all types = of=20 disabilities.

Closing suggestions by the panel included: "don't be afraid to = ask=20 questions," "educate others," "stand up for your beliefs, = self-advocate,"=20 "start as a grizzly bear and end up as a teddy bear in teaching = children=20 with disabilities" (i.e., children need structure in the = beginning),=20 "don't yell at children with disabilities," "make sure directions = are=20 clear," and "talk directly to people with hearing = impairments=97not behind=20 them." Perhaps one of the panel members said it best when she = indicated,=20 "normal is just a setting on a dryer!"

Additional questions regarding disability services on campus = may be=20 directed to: Adriane Spencer, Coordinator of Disability Support = Services,=20 (716) 375-2065 or aspencer@sbu.edu.

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Former Ambassador to Morocco to = discuss U.S.=20 foreign policy in the Middle East

The Father Mychal Judge Center will welcome the = former=20 Ambassador to Morocco to campus March 15.

Edward Gabriel,=20 Ambassador to Morocco in the Clinton Administration and Olean = native will=20 present at 7 p.m. in The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts.

The title of the presentation is =93A Principled = U.S. Foreign=20 Policy in the Middle East.=94

=93I will quote St. Francis and make a = recommendation in this=20 regard as part of the talk,=94 Gabriel said.

Gabriel has an extensive background in = international=20 affairs, with his experience convening multilateral policy forums=20 involving national security, environmental, trade and energy = issues. He=20 has been active in advising the U.S. Government on Mideast policy = matter=20 and has been involved in matters of Russian and European nuclear=20 non-proliferation and safety.

From November 1997 to March 2001, he was the U.S. = Ambassador=20 to the Kingdom of Morocco during which time a new U.S.-Morocco = strategic=20 relationship was launched on political, military and economic = levels.

Gabriel is president and CEO of The Gabriel = Company, LLC,=20 which represents American corporations and international interests = on=20 investment projects and policy strategies. He is also active with=20 non-profit organizations. He is a Visiting Fellow at the Center = for=20 Strategic and International Studies, a member of the Global = Advisory Board=20 of George Washington University, a founding member and vice = chairman of=20 the American Task Force for Lebanon, a member of the boards of = Amid East,=20 the Keystone Center, the Tangier American Legation Museum, the = Casablanca=20 American School and the American School of Tangier.

He holds a bachelor=92s degree in business from = Gannon=20 University. Along with his presentation, Gabriel will be meeting = with=20 faculty, staff and students on campus that afternoon.

A reception is scheduled to take place following = the=20 presentation.

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SBU Theater students to present = 'Reality=20 Bites: One Act Festival V'

Theater students and faculty members are gearing = up for a=20 biennial rite of spring on the St. Bonaventure University campus = =96 the=20 presentation of four one-act plays in a production that repeats = itself=20 over four nights.

=93Reality Bites: One Act Festival V=94 will be = performed at=20 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, March 24-27, at the = University=92s=20 Garret Theater adjacent to Devereux Hall.

There will be an audience talk-back session after = the=20 performance on Friday, March 26, during which the cast, crew, = designer and=20 director will discuss the production and take questions from the = audience.=20

Performed will be works by Samuel Beckett and = Harold Pinter,=20 both Nobel Prize winners; David Ives, a noted Broadway and = Off-Broadway=20 writer whose one-act plays have been popular with SBU Theater = audiences;=20 and Lawrence G. Smith, an Artie Award-nominated playwright who has = had=20 several works performed regionally, including one that=92s playing = at=20 Buffalo=92s Alleyway Theater.

The Garret Theater entrance inside the quad at = Devereux Hall=20 Audiences will be taken on a journey through the strange and = unusual, from=20 being trapped in a manipulative desert to watching a noted = historical=20 figure reliving his own demise over and over, said Dr. Ed. Simone, = chairman of the Department of Visual and Performing Arts and head = of the=20 SBU Theater program.

The evening includes Pinter=92s hard-hitting = examination of=20 state-sanctioned torture, an exploration of loneliness, as well as = silent=20 pieces for two moving bodies in the style of Japanese Buto.

The production =93is meant to amplify SBU=92s = commitment to=20 nonviolence and social justice and to look at how we realize our = lives in=20 time and space,=94 said Simone. =93The four plays and the movement = pieces are=20 reflections of different aspects of an awareness of the human = condition as=20 it is and as it might be. There=92s comedy, but there=92s some = very powerful=20 argument made in these pieces as well.=94

The production contains adult language and subject = matter=20 and is meant for mature audiences, he cautioned.

Rebecca Misenheimer, assistant professor of = theater at St.=20 Bonaventure, is the production=92s designer and technical = director.

The cast includes SBU theater majors Ryan = Kasperski, Emily=20 West, Karim Troncelliti, Liz Mohun, Lizzy Vivino and Ashley = Waterman,=20 theater minor Clint Lienau, as well as these SBU students from = other=20 disciplines: Cameron DeOrdio, James Torres, Mike Dlugosz, Sean = O=92Shea and=20 Katie Desautels.

Also performing is 11-year-old Tyler Richmond from = the Olean=20 Theatre Workshop. The show will also feature live, original music=20 performed by Olean composer and percussionist Moses Mark Howden, = an=20 adjunct music instructor at SBU, and members of the University=92s = percussion ensemble.

The stage manager is Monica Edwards and assistant = stage=20 managers are Catherine Turner and theater minor Corrie Damulis. =

Student technicians include theater majors Erin = Lowry, Chris=20 Britten and Paul Finley, as well as these students from other = disciplines:=20 Hannah Coon, Katie Reusch, Mary Harner, Tawanna Jones-Smith, = Mallory=20 Diefenbach, Tanisha Gamble, Christiana Eckel, Justin Carter, = Carolynn=20 Harrington, Sarah Schweiger and Leanna Chojnacki.

Seating in the intimate Garret Theater is limited = and=20 performances of previous SBU Theater productions have been sold = out.

To reserve a seat for =93Reality Bites: One Act = Festival V,=94=20 call the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts box office (716) = 375-2494.=20 Any unsold tickets will be available as free =93student rush=94 = seats=20 beginning at 6:30 p.m. the night of each performance. Students = must show=20 their ID.

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SBU students tell high-schoolers = why=20 'Catholics Go Green'

ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. =97 Although he was wearing = brown, Br.=20 Kevin Kriso, O.F.M., and three SBU students were welcomed at a = Buffalo=20 youth convention to share why =93Catholics Go Green.=94

Br. Kevin was joined by St. Bonaventure students = Morgan=20 Beacker, Tony Zambito and Zack Domes at the Diocesan Youth = Convention in=20 Buffalo Feb. 13. The group led the discussion =93Catholics Go = Green=94 during=20 a breakout section offered to the 700 Catholic high school = students=20 attending the three-day event.

Br. Kevin said the SBU team discussed why good = science and=20 Catholic/Franciscan approaches are important when it comes to the=20 environment.

=93The care of the environment is the care of the = poor. For=20 instance, pollution. The people who suffer from pollution the most = would=20 be the poor,=94 he said. =93All of our actions have justice = dimensions to=20 them,=94 said Br. Kevin.

The group also gave the high school students = suggestions on=20 how to be more environmentally friendly, and they debunked some = common=20 excuses given by teens who are not yet committed to =93going = green.=94

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Friday = Forum

Date:=20 Feb. 26
Time: 12:30 - 1:30=20 p.m.
Location: University=20 Club
Speaker: Phil=20 Winger
Title: How Do You Make Buildings that = Do Not=20 Fall Down in Earthquakes?
Summary: The recent Haiti earthquake = was of=20 only modest magnitude by world standards=97how did it turn into = such a=20 catastrophe? How is seismic design similar to, and different from, = other=20 kinds of building construction? What is the interplay between = natural=20 forces, technology, and economic or social factors? What would it = take for=20 something similar to happen in other parts of the world?

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Newsmakers

Dr. Carl J. Case, professor of = business=20 information systems, and Darwin L. King, = professor of=20 accounting, presented their paper "Microblogging at the Fortune = 50: An=20 Examination of Twitter Implementation and Usage" at the American = Society=20 of Business and Behavioral Sciences 17th Annual Conference held in = Las=20 Vegas on February 18-21, 2010

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Your Career in Primetime: A Week of = Career-Related Programming and Workshops Culminating in the = =93Season=20 Finale=94 of CareerFest! Be on the lookout for workshop = listings!

Students can now pre-register for = CareerFest=20 2010! Registration is not required to attend, but pre-registrants = will be=20 entitled to many pre-event opportunities, including pre-printed = nametags,=20 drop-in resume reviews, resume copies on professional paper and = more!

For more information on this and = other Career=20 Center events and workshops, visit the Career Center=92s events=20 calendar.