Research

Richard Lamb, associate professor from the Department of Learning and Instruction, wants to measure the potential causal relationships between violent/aggressive behavior and video game play because these relationships are still under debate and not clearly understood. Lamb and his research team in the UB Neurocognition Science Laboratory are developing computational models to identify the underlying social health factors related to playing video games.

Kathleen Conroy, clinical assistant professor from the Department of Counseling, School and Educational Psychology, along with others from five professional organizations, have created a training program on the latest gambling addiction research and resources. For nearly 20 years, Conroy has been working in the gambling recovery field and educating others on gambling.

Dorothy Siaw-Asamoah, clinical assistant professor in the UB School of Management, formed a partnership with the University of Cape Coast (UCC) to allow students to study abroad in Ghana. The partnership focuses on three themes related to social innovation and entrepreneurial leadership: economic development, education and healthcare. Siaw-Asamoah brought aboard Stephen Jacobson, UB Distinguished Professor from the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy (ELP), to teach classes in Ghana and bring GSE students with him overseas.

In our society, indigenous groups such as Native Americans often struggle with the decision of how to address environmental issues in their everyday lives. Historically, indigenous groups have drawn upon traditional knowledge to address environmental concerns but modern society also offers scientific knowledge as a resource in this decision making process.

The 21st century workplace is driven by data, creating a need for employees who can manage this influx of information. “The need to train data science librarians stems from the ever-increasing amounts of patient data being generated by electronic health records, as well by as the internet and social media,” said Diane G. Schwartz, research associate professor from the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

Megan Holland, research assistant professor from the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy, is partnering with a nonprofit that provides a college preparatory pipeline program for traditionally underrepresented students to analyze alumni data to better understand the experiences of their alumni, including the impact of the supports they receive in college. The collaboration is part of the UB Graduate School of Education Faculty in Residence Program.

How can caterpillars help preschoolers develop coding skills and computational thinking? Fisher-Price and the Fisher-Price Endowed Early Childhood Research Center (ECRC) in the Graduate School of Education are working together to answer this question in preschool classrooms and children’s homes.

Sam Abramovich, assistant professor from the Department of Learning and Instruction and the Department of Library and Information Studies, in collaboration with the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, has been awarded a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to develop reliable and valid ways to measure the learning and associated benefits of Makerspaces in libraries.

Amanda Nickerson, director of the Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention, and professor from the Department of Counseling, School and Educational Psychology, and Dan Albertson, associate professor from the Department of Library and Information Studies, have been awarded $175,000 from the New York State (NYS) Developmental Disabilities Planning Council (DDPC) for their collaborative research project, “Multimedia and Peer-to-Peer Prevention Support.”

The Graduate School of Education, in collaboration with Buffalo Public Schools, will launch the UB Teacher Residency Program in summer 2019. The program has three goals for the initial urban teaching cohort: (1) increase the number of learner-ready teachers in the city of Buffalo; (2) diversify the pool of teachers in the city of Buffalo; and (3) increase the number of teachers who stay in the teaching profession in Western New York urban schools. The UB Teacher Residency Program was launched with the support of a Cullen Foundation grant and has since been awarded additional funding through a federal Teacher Quality Partnership grant.