On Friday, February 3, the Serious Games Meetup Group had a fantastic meetup as faculty, staff and students came to experience Virtual Reality (VR). Using PC- and Sony Playstation-based VR technologies, attendees sampled a variety of applications ranging from immersive entertainment to educational and exploratory simulations.  Participants considered the many possibilities of the new technology for education!

Special thanks to P.J. Moskal, PhD, associate professor of digital media arts and Andrew Stewart, PhD, assistant professor of biology for supplying the Virtual Reality equipment!  Stay tuned for more Serious Games Meetups, on the first Friday of every month during the fall and spring semesters!

Submitted by: Mark Gallimore, PhD, instructional designer, COLI

Banners along Washington Street’s literary corridor now display the names of 15 diverse novelists, poets, and playwrights with Buffalo connections.  Eric Gansworth, professor of English and Lowery-Writer-in-Residence, is among those honored.  Others include Mark Twain, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Joyce Carol Oates.

Part of the LIT CITY campaign, the project will also include a mural honoring Robert Creeley, a sculpture celebrating Lucille Clifton and poems and writing excerpts engraved in the sidewalks.

Read more here.

Submitted by College Communications

Griffin Week, presented by UNYTS, begins Wednesday, February 8 with a week full of athletic-related activities!

Kicking off the event is the MAAC Swimming and Diving Championships. Several of your Griffs are favored to capture events including diver Travis Wright and women’s swimmer Becca Anthone. Qualifying swims start at 10 a.m. each morning with finals slated for 6:00 p.m.

Check out www.GoGriffs.com or www.MAACsports.com for additional information plus daily results and schedules.

Griffin Week t-shirts are on sale daily at the C-Block office and student tickets to the basketball double-header against Niagara will be distributed beginning Wednesday evening. Limited tickets remain for those games. Don’t forget, faculty and staff  receive a discount with their Canisius ID’s. Call 888-TIXX for your seats to hoops and hockey.

Here is the complete list of events:

February 8-11 – MAAC Swimming & Diving Championships (ECC Flickinger Center)

February 10 – W. Basketball vs. Niagara – 5:30 p.m. (Free pizza for students in between games)

February 10 – M. Basketball vs. Niagara – 8:00 p.m.

February 14 – M. Basketball vs. Iona – 7:00 p.m. (Anderson’s Ice Cream at halftime)

February 15 – Hockey vs. Niagara – 7:35 p.m. (HARBORCENTER)

February 15-16 – UNYTS Blood Drive 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. in Palisano

February 16 – W. Basketball vs. St. Peter’s – 7:00 p.m. (Play4Kay event)

Submitted by: John Maddock, associate athletic director, external affairs