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Lanford Presidential Prize goes to Rachel King

Christine Davis Mantai

Rachel E. King, who compiled an impressive array of achievements during her SUNY Fredonia career, will receive the 2007 Lanford Presidential Prize from the Oscar and Esther Lanford Endowment at Fredonia’s afternoon Commencement on Saturday, May 12. Ms. King, from Syracuse, N.Y., will graduate with degrees in Communication/Public Relations and English. She compiled an outstanding grade point average at Fredonia and was the recipient of the 2007 Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence.

Summer Band Camp registrations now being accepted

Christine Davis Mantai

The 17th annual Fredonia Summer Band Camp will be held from Sunday, June 24 through Saturday, June 30. Set on the beautiful campus of SUNY Fredonia, the Fredonia Summer Band Camp offers a friendly and relaxed setting for the musical growth of students. The camp takes advantage of the university’s first-rate facilities and world-class teachers. Outstanding performers and teachers provide unique opportunities for learning, improving technical skills and expanding musicality.

Campus opens doors to kids on special day

Christine Davis Mantai

During the nationally-observed “Take Our Daughters & Sons To Work Day,” the campus welcomed dozens of children of employees. Professor Jill Johnston-Price (Visual Arts and New Media) gave a one-hour workshop to allow children between 7 and 13 to see hands-on two-dimensional animation production. After the class, the children were given the opportunity to hand-paint small wooden flowers and sculptures in the Campus Center.

Registration opens for summer session at SUNY Fredonia

Christine Davis Mantai

Commencement at SUNY Fredonia is approaching all too quickly, but registration has already begun for two summer sessions, each offering undergraduate and graduate level courses along with assorted noncredit courses, workshops and online learning opportunities. “There are many reasons why students enroll in summer sessions at SUNY Fredonia: to get ahead in their studies; to explore new or special areas of interest; to fulfill professional continuing education requirements; or to simply catch up,” said Eric Skowronski, the new director of SUNY Fredonia’s Office of Lifelong Learning. “It’s never too late to learn,” Mr. Skowronski said. “That’s my personal philosophy and the philosophy of this department.”

Ms. Nighthawk is serving internship at Sheriff’s Office

Christine Davis Mantai

Though her internship is limited to 50 hours of total work, Brittany Nighthawk, a junior majoring in criminal justice, has actively participated in a wide range of projects while working in the crime scene analysis area of the Chautauqua County Sheriff's Department. She assisted the District Attorney’s office with technology preparation for a homicide hearing. That assignment involved research into the use of three chemicals to generate latents, or invisible images produced on porous material that can be rendered visible through photographic processing.

Canadaway Creek is a revenue stream for Chautauqua County

Christine Davis Mantai

Revealed in a survey conducted by the State D.E.C. and biologists at SUNY Fredonia recently is that anglers from all over the United States—and even as far away as Europe—travel to Canadaway Creek in hopes of landing a hefty, hard-fighting fish known as the steelhead. The researchers determined that on average each non-resident angler spends $64 per day in the Village of Fredonia and other parts of the county. With the prime steelhead season running from September to December, and again from February to April, that could add up to an impressive flow of dollars into the county’s economy. In photo, a D.E.C. interviewer queries a fly fisherman in Canadaway Creek.

Biologists have grant to study genetics of Lake Erie's smallmouth bass

Christine Davis Mantai

Sportfishery of the smallmouth bass in Lake Erie has for years been of considerable economic value to Chautauqua County. In an effort to learn more about the population of this species in the lake and its tributaries, SUNY Fredonia Biology Professors Tim Strakosh and Ted Lee will study the genetic makeup of the smallmouth bass, beginning this summer. “As far as we know Lake Erie has never been stocked with smallmouth bass, which means that the fishery is based upon a possibly pure, wild strain of smallmouth bass,” Dr. Strakosh said. “To help ensure a healthy fishery we need a good understanding of their population genetics.”

Gary Lash receives grant from state energy authority

Christine Davis Mantai

A major grant to facilitate oil and natural gas exploration by improving an analytical technique used to assess rock formations thought to contain these deposits has been awarded to Gary Lash, professor in SUNY Fredonia’s Geosciences Department. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority awarded just over $131,000 to Dr. Lash to address problems associated with the assessment of thermal histories of Middle and Upper Devonian black shale, an emerging source of hydrocarbons – or natural gas and oil -- in Western New York State and Western Pennsylvania.

New Horizons Band performing Spring Concert May 3

Christine Davis Mantai

The New Horizons Band of Western New York will present a Spring Concert at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 3 at Fredonia High School Auditorium in Fredonia, NY. The concert is free, but the band would appreciate donations of non-perishable food that will be donated to the Food Pantry of the Chautauqua County Rural Ministry.