The Independent Student Publication of the University at Buffalo WEDNESDAY EDITION v February 23, 2011 Vol. 60 No. 56 v ubspectrum.com Courtesy of UB
Although University Residence Halls and Apartments did not return The Spectrum’s inquiry regarding the rent and construction costs of Greiner Hall, the sophomore dorm is set to open in 2014.
Beerology: Science on Tap
Greiner Hall To Bring Easy Living to UB
LESLIE TUNMOREStaff Writer
HANNAH BARNESStaff Writer
Beer. The mere thought of those beautiful flavors, the varying degree of amber colors, and the sound of the bottle cap as it hits the floor appeals to the senses of many. From wheat beers and IPAs to Oktoberfest specials and pumpkin blends, it is quite obvious that Buffalo residents love their beer.
The Buffalo Museum of Science was looking for a new fundraiser idea that would appeal to a more mature audience. The museum wanted to play off of an already-existing event called “Star Lights, Drinks & Bites,” which is a wine-tasting event held on the museum’s rooftop in the summer. Beerology offers a wide variety of activities, which includes beer tasting from participating breweries including Magic Hat, Flying Bison, Lake Placid, and Great Lakes Brewing Co. “It’s the only chance you’ll get to walk around and check out some dinosaur bones while enjoying a tasty beverage,” Collins said. Experts on various science and beer-related topics will give “beer talks.” Topics will include beer and food pairing for beginners, the science of beer, and what goes into it. A presentation will also be given on “malting,” which is a process in beer making, and on the history of beer in Buffalo, according to Collins. When most people think about beer, the science that goes into the beverage typically gets overlooked. “There certainly is both an art and a science to brewing. Especially when you start to talk about industrial levels of production, the science really comes to the floor, ” said Ethan Cox, president of Community Beer Works, a nano-brewery in Buffalo that opened in June of 2010. “If you want to put out a product that is the same and consistent every time, and your customers expect that, then it’s
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This year, instead of speaking about the science behind beer, Cox will be educating the audience on the ample array of beer and food pairings. “I’m of the strong opinion that beer is actually a better complement to a wider range of food than wine,” Cox said. “I don’t hate wine, but I do think that wine gets far too much spotlight.” Benjamin Briggs, a sixth year student in the Medicine and Molecular Virology doctorate program at UB, will discuss the science behind making beer. Briggs, who studied biological sciences at Cornell University, is no stranger to the science behind brewing. “When I was an undergraduate…I did some of my honors thesis work in a yeast genetics lab,” Briggs said in an e-mail. “I got into brewing beer just after coming to Buffalo six years ago, and my reasons stemmed mainly from my interests in microbiology. In general, I enjoy applying science to every part of my life, and it’s fun to turn your kitchen into a fermentation lab.”
This August, the new building, located next to the Ellicott Complex, will be open for residency to 600 sophomores, giving the class of 2014 the first chance to live there. “It’ll add much needed sophomore housing to the campus,” said Barbara Ricotta, the associate vicepresident for student affairs. “We have upper-class housing, we have graduate housing and freshman housing, but we don’t have anything that’s specifically geared for sophomores, which is why the building was designed.” The rooms in Greiner Hall are suite-style, with a few singles sprinkled in. Each suite features two double rooms with a storage area, sink area, and a shower room. There will be air conditioning and heat that can be controlled by the residents, vaulted ceilings, and flexible-use furniture in each room. Each floor will have a lounge with a large-screen TV, a kitchen, and a laundry room, and there will be wireless Internet and cable TV access throughout the building. “I’m really hopeful about living there; it’s my first choice for housing,” said Sara Ogurek, a freshman biomedical sciences major. “I like that it’s new and air-conditioned, and I like the setup of the rooms.” Greiner Hall is not only for residential living, as it will also include a business center, entertainment lounge, and classrooms. The
Even though this event isn’t scheduled to take place until April, tickets – which cost $40 and include drink tickets, unlimited food, a commemorative mug, and access to the museum – are expected to sell out weeks before opening night. “The first two years, we sold out at 500 tickets in a matter of weeks,” Collins said. “This year, we were able to double that, so we originally had 1,000 tickets and right now, we have only about 100 left. Everybody in Buffalo loves beer, and it turned out to be a great thing for us.” Tickets for this event are available at the Buffalo Museum of Science or online at www.sciencebuff.org/ events/beerology. All of the proceeds from this event will help to fund the educational programs that the Buffalo Museum of Science currently has in Buffalo. g
“The first floor will be a real living, learning opportunity. There will be classrooms on the first floor [that], in the evenings, can be converted to receptions, workshops, all kinds of things,” Ricotta said. “The upper floors will be secure, so if you don’t live in the building, you can’t go upstairs. It’ll have the latest in technology. It’ll have areas for small study groups to work together. It’s the future of housing, to combine the living and learning areas.” Named after the university’s 13th president, William R. Greiner, who served at UB for 42 years, the hall hopes to follow in his vision of making the university a place of vibrant intellectual and social life. At a public memorial for Greiner, who died in 2009, guests had the chance to sign a structural beam that would become an important part of the new hall. Greiner’s leadership at UB helped to transform student life, developing the state-of-the-art apartment complexes that are here today. Greiner Hall is also another way for UB to extend its green streak, as it will be certified as a LEED Gold building. This title, awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, acknowledges “green” work in building. Some features Greiner Hall will have are eco-friendly furnishings, high-efficiency faucets, Energy Star appliances, recycled building materials, and energy-wise building exteriors and windows. The building will feature an Au Bon Pain Café, providing students
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Strong Gas Smell in Fronczak Hall Under Investigation AMANDA WOODSManaging Editor
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University Police evacuated Fronczak Hall Tuesday afternoon due to a strong natural gas odor in the building.
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An initial e-mail alert, sent out at 5:18 p.m., warned students, faculty, and staff to stay away from the
with alternatives to dorm food. It will be located on the first floor, which will be accessible to everyone on campus. To obtain access to the rest of the building, residents will be able to swipe their cards to get to the elevator or stairs. Assignments for Greiner will be made with a lottery system. Sophomores will be given preference based on the number of semesters they have lived at UB, with students who have lived here for two semesters receiving higher preference than those who have lived here for one semester or not at all. Students who have submitted their housing deposit will be notified if they are eligible to live in Greiner and can indicate a preference to live there between March 8 and 10. Eligible students will then be grouped based upon the numbers of semesters they have lived on the UB campus, and random reservation numbers will be assigned to students within each group. Starting with the lowest number assigned, students will be given spaces in Greiner Hall until they have all been filled. If students know with whom they want to room, they may apply as two roommates or as four suitemates, and the lottery numbers of the students who are together will be averaged to produce one number, which will dictate the group’s assignment. The first wave of Greiner assignments will be sent out the week of March 14, and students will be able to decide if they want to spend the next year in the new hall. “It’s an exciting new addition to housing for students,” Ricotta said. “I think the students are excited and interested in it.” g
E-mail: features@ubspectrum.com
Engineering Career Institute Director Prepares Students For Takeoff DANNIELLE O’TOOLEAsst. News Editor Ready for Takeoff! A Winning Process for Launching Your Engineering Career is the creation of Dean Millar, director of the Engineering Career Institution. Millar’s book was written to accompany ECI courses, which prepare engineering students for the workforce by teaching them vital job-hunting and professional success skills. The Engineering Career Institute (ECI) is a program unique to UB that primes engineering students for vocation and places students in paid co-op assignments at engineering firms.
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“We say that it features science on tap,” said Erin Collins, business development manager at the Buffalo Museum of Science. “It’s a beer-tasting event, but we really try to focus on the science behind beer: how beer is made, home brewing, ingredients that go into beer. It’s all a very scientific process, and it also give us a chance to reach an audience that might be different than a family with kids that comes in during the day.”
the scientific aspects of the brewing process that matter, like the repeatability, replicablity, and all that stuff. To do that, even as a home brewer, but especially at a production level, you need to make sure that every stage in the process happens the same way every time.”
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Beerology is a fundraiser for the Buffalo Museum of Science that allows the audience to experience and learn about the science behind making beer. Tickets are now on sale for the event, which will take place on Saturday, April 9.
Courtesy of Buffalo Museum of Science
The Buffalo Museum of Science reveals the science behind beer this April.
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The Buffalo Museum of Science has created an event to fulfill that love.
Dorm rooms in the movies are always so much nicer than real life. But now, with the addition of William R. Greiner Hall to the University at Buffalo campus, life may really be that sweet.
building’s premise is to enrich the academic experience of the students who live in it by blending residential, academic, and recreational amenities.
building. Despite this, three Spectrum reporters were not hindered from entering Fronczak, and a few students were walking in and out of the building. The odor was prevalent on the first floor of the building, but undetectable on the higher floors. Minsoo Kim, a graduate student in the physics department, was working in a Fronczak lab when a fire alarm went off in the building. He said that he was forced to leave the lab and was not allowed to re-enter. Police investigating the incident at the scene were observing a sample of methanethiol, also known as methyl mercaptan, a colorless gas
with a rotten cabbage-like smell, which was found in a Fronczak garbage can. One officer suspected it was the cause of the odor. However, a later e-mail alert, issued at 5:44 p.m., stated that police had located the source of the natural gas smell and it was not caused by a leak. The e-mail included no mention of the methanethiol gas. Police told The Spectrum in a phone call that the incident was a false alarm and is currently under investigation. Stay tuned to The Spectrum for updates on this story.
E-mail: news@ubspectrum.com