Career Services highlights alternative post-grad jobs My Future Ex art exhibit draws students to Buffalo THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO, SINCE 1950
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Bulls host UConn, chase second straight win
Friday, September 27, 2013
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Volume 63 No. 14
‘ BACK< & FUTURE’ BEN TARHAN
Senior Sports Editor
Michio Kaku’s journey to finishing Albert Einstein’s final manuscript started in his parents’ garage. When he was in high school, Kaku built an atom collider that generated a magnetic field 20,000 times that of the earth, which is “enough to pull the fillings out of your teeth if you got too close to the machine.” “My poor mom thought I was crazy building all these gigantic machines in the garage,” Kaku said. “But it got me a scholarship to Harvard and that set me off on this great journey to find out what was in that book.” On Wednesday night, Kaku, a world-renowned physicist, futurist and popular science advocate, addressed a packed Alumni Arena as the inaugural speaker of the 27th annual Distinguished Speakers Series. He sat down with The Spectrum for an interview beforehand. Kaku believes science is not a luxury but “an engine to all the wealth you see around you,” and he has taken on a role in popular science to push this point. After graduating from Harvard in 1968 and receiving his Ph.D. from the University of California-Berkeley in 1972, Kaku has dedicated his career to popularizing science. He appeared in his first documentary, We Are the Guinea Pigs, in 1980 and has since appeared in many movies and TV shows. He has discussed topics ranging from parallel universes to time travel to UFO sightings. He
Michio Kaku discusses the effect of science over the next 100 years
Courtesy of Enid Bloch, UB Reporter Michio Kaku, a world-renowned physicist, futurist and popular science advocate, addressed Alumni Arena Wednesday night as the first speaker in the 27th annual Distinguished Speakers Series.
has also published seven books, including two New York Times Best Sellers, “Physics of the Impossible” and “Physics of the Future.” His next book, “The Future of the Mind,” is scheduled for publication in 2014. Kaku is currently a physics professor at CUNY City College. Kaku discussed physicists’ influence on the past through inventions like the laser and the
transistor but brought comedy to his talk as well, quoting Yogi Berra and Woody Allen, often evoking waves of laughter from the audience. Kaku also discussed his educational journey and what he thinks is wrong with the way physics is taught today. Kaku’s journey was inspired by his two childhood heroes: Albert Einstein and Flash Gordon.
He admired Einstein for his life’s work but enjoyed Flash Gordon’s portrayal of the future. It was Einstein’s unfinished manuscript that motivated Kaku to become a physicist. He wanted to learn not just how to read Einstein’s book, but also how to finish it. At the same time, he was in awe of the ray guns, starships, aliens and the technology of the future portrayed in the television
show “Flash Gordon.” “But then I began to realize that the two things are really the same – physics and the future,” Kaku said. “If you want to really understand the future – to get a time frame of what’s possible, what’s impossible, when might certain technologies come to fruition – you really have to have a grounding in physics.” SEE KAKU, PAGE 6
UB calls it ‘quits’ Stampede of events on its UB QUIT program helps students quit smoking – for good GABRIELA JULIA Staff Writer
Katie Cuartas, a freshman occupational therapy major, had her first cigarette at the age of 13. She started smoking cigarettes regularly when she was a freshman in high school, and it has been about a month since she quit. “[Smoking] is a temporary stress reliever, but I’ve found other methods to relieve stress in a healthier way,” Cuartas said. “Smoking cigarettes has definitely hurt my respiratory system, especially when I was swimming for my high school team. I constantly felt short of breath.” UB believes it has the solution to help students like Cuartas break the habit. Primary clinician Lisa Germeroth, a graduate student in the clinical psychology Ph.D. program, has created UB QUIT, a program that offers students a new way to quit smoking. So far, Germeroth said the program has had very successful results as approximately 85 percent of group members have become smokefree. Germeroth said she saw many students who wanted to quit smoking come through the Psychological Services Center, but the center never had a good recommendation of smoking cessation programs. Germeroth was eager to find a program based on up-to-date research that offered
Chad Cooper, The Spectrum
Graduate student Lisa Germeroth created UB QUIT, a new program at UB that offers students an effective and efficient way to quit smoking.
students the opportunity to quit smoking. The three-week program costs $65 and provides a combination of group therapy sessions and nicotine replacement treatment. During each group therapy session, clinicians – who are advanced clinical psychology students working toward their Ph.D. – prepare each participant for their “quit day.” SEE UB QUITS, PAGE 6
way for homecoming 2013 JAMES DRAGONETTE
Staff Writer
Student Association members are looking forward to a packed schedule of new events surrounding this year’s homecoming bash. SA, in conjunction with other on-campus organizations like UB Athletics, is on a mission to provide students with not only a better college football experience on game day, but also a more engaging Spirit Week and homecoming. SA officials are confident students will be receptive to the revamped schedule. Spirit Week, which costs around $15,000 annually, according to SA Entertainment Coordinator Marc Rosenblitt, will run from Monday to Saturday, when the football team will take on the Eastern Michigan Eagles at UB Stadium. SA will host a variety of events in and around the Student Union during Spirit Week, including games, giveaways, public-art activities, contests and a tailgating event come game day, all with the intention of bringing clubs and students together to promote school spirit. The tailgating events – which kicked off Sept. 14 in the Bulls’ home opener against Stony Brook – have been a joint venture between SA and other organizations, most notably UB’s athletic department, which has contributed roughly half of the $30,000 total cost of the Party at the Point tailgates, according to
Chad Cooper, The Spectrum
A variety of exciting events, including a breakdance session, took place at UB's first Tailgate Series event before the football team's home opener Sept. 14. In this photo, Brendan Tom, a senior communication major, does a backflip.
Rosenblitt. “Financially, it doesn’t break the bank,” said SA Vice President Lyle Selsky. “We’re getting a lot of bang for our buck with Athletics’ financial support as well.” Both sides contributed money and effort, Selsky added. By Friday, many of SA’s larger events will begin, most notably the annual Homecoming Carnival – a free event taking place beside Lake LaSalle. The carnival will feature rides, games, food and live entertainment, among other attractions, and will precede the pep rally, bonfire and fireworks display, which are scheduled to run until 10 p.m. The carnival is expected to cost SA around $45,000 to $50,000 this year, which is substantially lower than what it would have cost had other campus organizations not been so helpful in
funding the event, according to Rosenblitt. “We were able to get sponsorships from the office of Student Life, Alumni Association and university athletics,” Rosenblitt said. “They’ve all been very gracious and have given a combined total of about $12,000 to help us increase this year’s carnival.” For those looking to do something other than attend the carnival, the host of Discovery Channel’s “Cash Cab,” Ben Bailey, will put on a comedy show in Alumni Arena at 7 p.m. on Friday before he heads outside to help emcee the pep rally. The men’s soccer team will face off against the Bowling Green Falcons at UB Stadium at 7 p.m. on the same day. Students looking to watch the sporting event can look on as the Bulls seek a win against their first conference opponent this season. SEE HOMECOMING, PAGE 6