Students, faculty and staff have been invited to join in the “conversation” regarding research done by
professors of all fields.
Three times a semester, a different professor gives an hour-long lecture to share his or her professional
research. This group of lectures, entitled the “Conversations in and out of the Disciplines Lecture
Series,” takes place in Ketchum Hall 320 and is open to faculty, graduate and undergraduate students
and community members.
After the speaker showcases his or her research, an open forum is held for discussion and any
questions.
Ann Colley of the English department started the series in fall 2008. Colley said she has a passion for
research projects.
“I started this because I felt there was a lot of research going on at the college that doesn’t necessarily
get attention from the college,” she said. “It gets attention from a lot of professional venues but not the
college in itself.”
Colley said the lectures are studies that are intended to create a conversation among people outside that
area of study.
“It’s the research done by the professors,” she said. “It’s not graduate or undergraduate. It’s done by the
people that are teaching you.”
According to Colley, previous lectures included professors from all different departments such as
anthropology, English, biology and history.
“Normally, I don’t get to hear someone in biology talk about what he or she is working on, and its
really neat!” Colley said.
The first lecture of this semester took place Friday and was presented by Kevin Williams, associate
professor of earth sciences. Williams shared his research about “Detecting Subsurface Ice in the
Canadian Arctic.”
Williams discussed his travels to the Canadian Arctic with a few graduate students to do a hands-on
study.
“I was lucky enough to collaborate with folks at McGill University, Wayne Pollard and a couple of
grad students,” he said.
Colley said the lectures are a way to demonstrate the importance of diverse, professional research at
Buffalo State.
“We don’t have to bring someone from outside the campus,” she said. “We have so much wealth of
knowledge right here in the Buffalo State Community.”
Colley said that 20-35 people attend the lectures and take part in the following discussions.
The next lecture is at 3 p.m. on Friday, March 15, and will be presented by Kimberly Blessing, a
professor of philosophy and humanities. The lecture is entitled “Theistic and Atheistic Theories about
the Meaning of Life.”
The final lecture, “The Numbers Behind the Kidney: Mathematical Modeling of Renal Dynamics” by
Saziye Bayram, associate professor of mathematics, is scheduled for Friday, May 10. Both Talks will
take place in Ketchum Hall room 320.
Spencer Trotman can be reached by email at trotman.record@live.com.