2021 Rustgi Undergraduate Conference on South Asia
Isolation and its Discontents February 26th and 27th, 2021 University at Buffalo, SUNY
We present the third annual Rustgi Undergraduate Conference on South Asia by reflecting upon the rich history of South Asia and its connection to present-day conditions. We invite papers on the theme of “Isolation,” where isolation may be interpreted broadly, whether in its social, political, or environmental sense. To a lot of us today, isolation on a global scale would seem like a novel phenomenon. But both in its metaphorical and literal manifestations, isolation has throughout history been a marker of something tempestuous and has provoked resistance. The conference will feature a keynote lecture from Aniruddha Dutta, Associate Professor in the departments of Gender, Women’s and Sexuality Studies and Asian and Slavic Languages and Literatures at the University of Iowa.
Undergraduate participants from all disciplines, working on any topic relating to the region, are welcome to submit proposals. Possible topics of discussion include:
Socio-political forms of isolation, including separation and seclusion
Physical isolation
Surveillance
Efforts to isolate certain “master categories” (caste, race, gender, nationality) out of the messy reality of humanity
Myths of environmental isolation
Atavistic claims, be they nationalist, religious, linguistic, or otherwise
Isolation and diaspora
While this list of suggestions is by no means exhaustive, we encourage papers that address less commonly researched sociopolitical issues, communities, or theories. We hope to organize panels around presentations addressing similar issues that draw from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, including the social sciences, natural sciences, engineering, management, humanities, fine arts, and others.
Format The conference will be held online on Friday, February 26th, and Saturday, February 27th, 2021. Students presenters should plan for 15-minute presentations. Each panel will include 30 minutes for discussion.
Deadline Proposals, including 250-word abstracts and the contact information of a faculty supervisor, must be submitted via the online submissions portal (http://bit.ly/rustgisubmissions2021) by January 1st, 2021.
When submitting abstracts, applicants must affirm that they will be enrolled as undergraduate students at the time of the conference. Those in graduate programs or not currently enrolled in an undergraduate program will not be permitted to present. The organizers reserve the right to confirm student status with their advisor and home institution.
We are beginning a tutoring program with high school students from Buffalo Public Schools, and as such, we are seeking undergraduate-level tutors, particularly those in math and science.
Tutoring will be held Monday-Thursday between 2-5 p.m. We are asking that those who are interested commit to at least two afternoons per week.
Ideally, we are looking for tutors who could qualify for a Work Study program; that would allow them to be paid for their time. Otherwise, the tutors would need to work on a volunteer basis.
You can apply on Handshake and can certainly reach out to me directly with any questions.
Thank you for your consideration and help with this matter!
The University at Buffalo School of Management would like to welcome you to our upcoming event dedicated to diverse business leaders. At the UB School of Management, we seek to build strong, diverse and inclusive cohorts in all our programs across a wide spectrum of diversity including ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender orientation. Our Diverse Leaders event is designed for prospective applicants to our MBA, Professional MBA, Executive MBA, and Master of Science programs. This year we look forward to connecting with prospective candidates through an entirely virtual experience. During this intimate online experience, you’ll have the opportunity to: Learn about the UB MBA and MS programs, student experience, and resources to support diverse students Gain valuable information on how to position yourself as a leading candidate for admission Network with current students, faculty, staff, and alumni
If you’re considering grad school or beginning your journey to applying to programs and wonder if the UB School of Management is a good fit for you and your career goals, this is your opportunity to learn more.
Join us on Tuesday, November 17, 2020 at 9:00am or Thursday, November 19, 2020 at 3:00pm on zoom. Please RSVP to Tim Matthews at trm7@buffalo.edu for zoom details by Monday, November 16, 2020 at 12 noon.
Aaron Shaw, Assistant Director of Recruitment, MBA and MS Programs, will walk you through the ins and outs of each program. He will provide an overview of the admissions criteria as well as advice and guidance on:
critical dates
application requirements and components
what the admissions committee is looking for
This virtual event begins with a presentation and ends with an extensive Q&A covering topics such as test scores, work history, and much more.
Are you interested in a career based in legal studies, politics, justice, criminology, or another field of law? UB’s chapter of the international pre-law fraternity Phi Alpha Delta can provide insight, guidance and networking into these examples and more!
We are a coed professional fraternity open to any major! We offer connection into law related fields along with countless professional workshops such as how to build a resume, proficiency in public speaking, etc., guest speakers ranging from law professors to local judges, upwards of $2,500 LSAT prep and study materials, and more! Altogether, it is a rare opportunity to connect with likeminded, ambitious students interested in expanding their professional skills and assets.
If you are interested in joining or would like to receive more information, please do not hesitate to contact me, Elizabeth Payne, at epayne2@buffalo.edu. We have extended our deadlines for recruitment up until the end of week 6 of classes, due to the current pandemic, and are looking to welcome more members into our organization.
Academics and Advice: Friday, October 9th, 3-4pm. Virtual. Honors College Faculty Fellows Craig Centre: Transnational Studies, Maya Chilbert: Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Matthew Paul: Psychology, and Lindsay Brandon Hunter: Theatre and Dance will be on hand to share their stories, offer advice, and answer questions.
For more information on the Honors College Faculty Fellows:
Race and Racism: Thursday, October 15th, 4-4:50pm. Virtual. Dr. Henry Louis Taylor, Director of the Center for Urban Studies and Professor of Urban and Regional Planning will lead a discussion about race and racism in our country, our communities, and on campus.
For more information on Dr. Taylor’s work on race and racism:
Health and Healthcare: Thursday, October 29th, 4-4:50pm. Virtual. Dr. Daphne Bascom, Vice President, Population Health at Saint Luke’s Health System, UB Honors College Alumna, and Marshall Scholar Recipient, invites students to join her for a conversation about public health and her work as a leader in the field.
For more information on Dr. Bascom’s work in public health:
In the past year, we have witnessed popular uprisings that have led to changes in governments in Algeria, Sudan, and Puerto Rico. At the same time, the United States used various methods to encourage or force regime change in Iran, Syria and Venezuela. Internal popular uprisings are often undertaken on pretexts of defending or extending human rights, but they can sometimes result in abuses of human rights. And calls for regime change in the name of “democracy” and “human rights” are often used to justify imperial intervention resulting in additional domestic repression.
The Honors College Faculty Fellows will have their Introductory panel zoom meeting on Friday October 9th 3-4pm
-meet the Honors Faculty Fellows for the 2020-2021 school year
-hear their stories of how they themselves went from 18 year old college students to becoming UB faculty and researchers in their academic fields.
-see yourself in their stories and learn the paths they took to their current positions.
-Moderated panel discussion on 10/9 with time for Q & A from you the honors student audience.
-ZOOM coordinates are below
-should probably list the discipline of each fellow in the advertising as well
-meet YOUR Faculty Fellows, learn of their specialties and interests and utilize them throughout the year as you craft your own academic and perhaps research path
Time: Oct 9, 2020 03:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
I hope that each of you are well and finding connection, support, and stimulation, in spite of the unprecedented circumstances affecting us all this fall. I have happy news to share.
The UB Center for Diversity Innovation Distinguished Visiting Scholars (DVS) faculty cohort has arrived in Buffalo for the 2020-21 academic year. Each member of the cohort will engage with UB’s students, faculty and throughout the fall and spring semesters. Programs with the Scholars, which will be open to all members of our community, will include public talks, art exhibitions, book clubs and film viewings, class visits, workshops, opportunities to chat on ZOOM, and various celebrations throughout the year. (Please check out www.buffalo.edu/cdi for ongoing posting of events and use the “contact us” form to add yourself to the email list for notifications.)
The breadth of the Scholars’ work and interests—anti-racist pedagogy; artistic depictions of migration; writing as a means to promote social justice; the empirical examination of different forms of racial inequity such as in health outcomes, policing and incarceration; contemporary Kenyan political history; women’s roles in historic rebellions; race and representation in romanticism; the influence of Black girls and women in shaping educational outcomes; the mapping of Indigenous communities and study of settler-colonialism—creates points of intersection with students, faculty and staff across all departments and units and the hope that members of the entire UB community will participate in Scholar events.
SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES TO CONNECT with THE SCHOLARS through MENTORING CIRCLES:
In addition to all of these larger, university-wide and departmental/program-level opportunities to meet the Scholars via class visits or other activities, a special component of this visiting scholar program is that each Scholar will lead two mentoring circles—one for 10 graduate and another for 10 undergraduate students.
These circles will enable students to have meaningful, small group interaction with the Scholars (even if that interaction is via ZOOM in the near-term) and meet other students with whom friendships can be formed and academic, personal and professional support exchanged, and a sense of community developed. Importantly, students in the circles will play a key role in welcoming the Distinguished Visiting Scholars to UB and Buffalo.
The group activities within the mentoring circles will vary—selected by Scholars in conjunction with students in the circles—but will enable you to meet with other students as well as the Scholars to have discussions about your experiences, interests, and goals.
ALL UB undergraduate and graduate students are eligible to participate. Because the circles must be limited in size to permit these small group interactions, students must express interest through a brief survey and statement.
The process is not time-consuming and this not a graded assignment. J The Scholars will be interested in learning about you in order to select students as part of their circles. And do remember that these circles will be only one of many means for you to “meet” and learn with the Scholars throughout the year. There will be many other opportunities.
I hope you will consider completing the survey and submitting a short statement indicating your interest. If you have questions, do not hesitate to consult a faculty member in your department/program (particularly the Director of Undergraduate or Graduate Studies) or others, as well as me: ub-cdi-scholars@buffalo.edu with your questions. (NOTE: The survey has been tested and does meet accessibility standards, but please reach out to accessibility services or to the Center, if you need assistance.)
DEADLINE TO SUBMIT YOUR INTEREST IN PARTICIPATING: Sunday, October 4th at 5 pm.
(Notification of selection by: October 11th.)
We all hope you will read about the Scholars on the Center website and consider being a part of this program which we think will greatly benefit you and be part of making each Scholar’s year at UB fun and memorable!
