The Institute for Community Health Promotion/Center for Health and Social Research (ICHP/CHSR) has been working with Preventionfocus, Inc. since 2006 to evaluate their programs with the intent to improve the methods and instruments utilized in the implementation and assessment of its prevention services. The overall focus of this collaboration is to optimize delivery system components needed to assure that data are collected and analyzed appropriately. The objective of this arrangement is to provide PF with comprehensive data and evaluation services to meet contractual requirements for reporting performance targets and goals and to help ensure optimal delivery of services. These activities are the basis of a cycle of continuous quality improvement (CQI) that includes the development and implementation of valid data collection systems, the statistical analysis of program performance data, and an interpretation of results focused on identifying and implementing programmatic responses that will improve the delivery and impact of the services provided by PF.
The Institute for Community Health Promotion (ICHP) Center for Health and Social Research (CHSR) at Buffalo State University has worked with the Mental Health Advocates of WNY (MHA) for many years to assess the effectiveness of its services and programs. The overall focus of this collaboration is to assist with issues surrounding program performance targets for MHA’s BEST and TGFV programs. Evaluation will focus on a cycle of continuous quality improvement (CQI) that includes statistical analysis of program performance data and an interpretation of results focused on identifying and implementing programmatic responses that will improve the delivery and impact of the services provided by MHA. Dr. Delmerico will manage the project through his direct involvement and through the oversight of other ICHP/CHSR staff as needed.
Poor nutrition is the leading cause of illness in the U.S. While a healthful diet is often the first line of treatment for the management and delayed progression of several diseases, food insecurity increases the prevalence of chronic disease by 40%. Residents of Buffalo, New York are disproportionately impacted by food and nutrition insecurity as a result of high poverty rates and inadequate access to healthful food. The objective of this study is to understand the extent to which nutritional needs of food pantry clients with chronic diseases are being met in Buffalo, NY. We will examine the nutritional adequacy and suitability of food items provided by food pantries to clients with chronic diseases at market-style and prepacked handout-style food pantries.
Dr. Pennuto has received funding for another five years to continue to administer the WNY PRISM program. The WNY PRISM mission is to proactively identify, evaluate, and address invasive species priorities in western New York using a coordinated partnership of local professionals, organizations, and community members to improve, restore, and protect local aquatic and terrestrial resources.
In this study, a simple yet versatile method will be developed and utilized for identifying the number of exfoliated graphene layers transferred on an oxide substrate from optical images, utilizing a limited number of input images for training, paired with a more traditional number of a few thousand well-published Github images for testing and predicting. The method specifically will leveraet the red, green, and blue (RGB) color channels of image pixels and create a correlation between the green channel of the background and the green channel of the various layers of graphene. It is the intent of this project that the developed methodology will serve as a feasible alternative to deep learning-based graphene recognition and traditional microscopic analysis. The proposed methodology will aim to work well under conditions where the effect of surrounding light on the graphene-on-oxide sample is minimum and will allow rapid identification of the various graphene layers. The study additionally will address nonhomogeneous lighting conditions, enabling prediction of graphene layers from images that are lower in quality compared to typically published in literature. In all, the proposed methodology should open up the possibility for the non-destructive identification of graphene layers from optical images by utilizing a new and versatile method that is quick, inexpensive, and works well with fewer images that are not necessarily of high quality.
AmeriCorps is a federally funded service program that provides citizens the opportunity to engage in full- or part-time service to their communities. New York State AmeriCorps subgrants are awarded to public or private nonprofit organizations (including faith-based), other community organizations, Native American tribes, institutions of higher education, local governments, state agencies or other non-federal governmental entities within states or territories (e.g., cities, counties), labor organizations, partnerships and consortia, and intermediaries that will operate solely in New York State and focus on one (1) or more of the six (6) focus areas identified by the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. These focus areas are the following:
1. Disaster services
2. Economic opportunity
3. Education
4. Environmental stewardship
5. Healthy futures
6. Veterans and military families
This project intends to increase the number of undergraduate students who utilize the EvaluateUR method when they conduct research or serve in internships. From our extensive evaluations of the current three variants of EvaluateUR, we have identified several barriers to wider adoption of this method. These barriers include: (1) Faculty and/or lab directors who are willing to accept undergraduate research students but who for various reasons do not want to complete the independent assessments of student progress; (2) The absence of an EvaluateUR variant designed for students participating in internships; (3) Courses that include a research component at a scale that falls below what instructors classify as a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE); (4) The subscription fee that covers essential technical support is too high for most community college faculty mentoring only a few undergraduate research students each year; and (5) The current absence of a convenient way to support a community of users. To overcome these barriers, this project will develop, pilot, evaluate and disseminate: Objective 1: A student-only scored version of the EvaluateUR method for community college students conducting research at a university or other research laboratory; Objective 2: A variant of the EvaluateUR method for students participating in government, business or industry internships; Objective 3: A version of EvaluateUR-CURE for shorter duration course-based undergraduate research experiences; Objective 4: A no-cost version of the EvaluateUR method for faculty mentoring three or fewer students in summer or academic year research; and Objective 5: An online forum for the community of EvaluateUR users to pose questions and share best practices.
The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is a Child Nutrition Program funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). In New York State, the State Education Department (SED) administers the program. The SFSP provides reimbursement for nutritious meals served to children in lower income areas at no cost when school is out.
The invasive Red Swamp Crayfish is known to have significant negative impacts on native crayfish populations. Although Red Swamp Crayfish have established populations in several Great Lakes watersheds, there are no populations in the New York watersheds, with the single exception of a population on the property of the Park School of Buffalo. Containment and population control measures are necessary to prevent damage. To measure the ability of predatory fish to control the Red Swamp Crayfish population in Park Pond, we will monitor the Red Swamp Crayfish during the summer and fall 2023. That fall we will introduce channel catfish and largemouth bass. We will repeat the monitoring efforts in 2024. Although limited in scope, we will compare catch rates before and after the fish introductions to assess the efficacy of population control.
The purpose of the project is to examine the effectiveness of a micro hot spot (MHS) crime reduction program developed by the Buffalo Police Department (BPD) and initiated in March, 2022. The MHS program was developed by the BPD in response to the increased number of shootings and gun homicides in the city. It is hypothesized that if police officers are specifically assigned to directed patrol tactics in MHS locations, then the number of shootings and gun homicides will decrease over time.
This project will use multiple geospatial data sets, including local zoning ordinances, transportation routes, and community amenities, to identity suitable areas in the County for affordable housing development. The final report will act as guidance for Erie County, HUD grantees, local governments, and the affordable housing development community as they seek to increase the development of affordable housing units.
Training in Hospitality for Returning Individuals as Valued Employees (THRIVE) is a skill-based employment pipeline program designed to equip individuals currently or formerly involved in the justice system for employment in the hospitality/tourism industry, which has been identified by the Regional Council as a targeted sector for Western New York. This project seeks to connect individuals most in need of work with an industry most in need of workers. Trainees will receive two credentials (ServSafe Food Server and TIPS), intensive training in a commercial kitchen, as well as a SUNY Buffalo State micro-credential. Participants will receive career preparation training provided jointly by the Buffalo Employment Training Center and SUNY Buffalo State’s own Career and Professional Education office. Trainees will have access to area employers throughout the program. THRIVE will take place primarily at the Erie County Correctional Facility. IF warranted, The Buffalo City Mission has will host THIVE to serve post release individuals. The location of the training is subject to change based on need and demand.
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