The new EOC will better serve the 1,900 low-income students who receive vocational training and exam-preparation courses through the EOC each year, with enhanced technology and a foothold on the Medical Campus to boost the center’s allied health programs. The EOC prepares students for college and civil service exams and offers certification courses for dental assistants, medical technicians and a variety of other jobs. The new facility offers extensive cutting-edge technology integration that will allow the EOC to better help students and explore the possibility of online classes.

Eric Sweet, Brad Tober, Kathy Czarnecki and Christopher Whitcomb attended the grand opening ceremony Friday to hear remarks from University at Buffalo President Satish K. Tripathi, New York State Assembly member Crystal Peoples-Stokes, State Senator Tim Kennedy, Lt. Governor Robert J. Duffy, Executive Director of the EOC Julius Gregg Adams and City of Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown. At one point during the ceremony, the Cannon Construction Services team was asked to stand to be recognized for their efforts with the project.

“The mission of the UB Educational Opportunity Center is to produce lifelong learners who are self-directed, empowered and committed to excellence. We have an incredible range of students who attend the UB EOC,” Adams said. “By moving to the new facility, we will be able to provide our students with progressive education and training, and engage our faculty in new teaching pedagogy and paradigms that will benefit our students entering workforce development and college preparation.”

Below are photos from the grand opening ceremony.

Executive Director of the EOC Julius Gregg Adams

Buffalo President Satish K. Tripathi

New York State Assembly member Crystal Peoples-Stokes

Eric Sweet and New York State Assembly member Crystal Peoples-Stokes

City of Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown

State Senator Tim Kennedy

From (L-R) Brad Tober, Executive Director of the EOC Julius Gregg Adams and Eric Sweet

The Cannon Design team stands for recognition.

Ribbon Cutting. Credit: Douglas Lavere

Opening of the Educational Opportunity Center in Downtown Buffalo. Credit: Douglas Levere

Businesses around the world are learning this teenagers are amplifying their messages through social media and website like Change.org. One recent example is when Sarah Kavanagh employed Facebook and Twitter to remove a controversial additive (brominated vegetable oil) from Gatorade’s sports beverage. Kavanagh is continuing her push and heading an effort to get Coca Cola to drop the additive, as well. Learn more about this effort and trend via this link.

It’s an important trend to monitor as people can use social media to comment on construction materials, projects, etc. All the more reason to support efforts within the profession like the Health Product Declaration.

Cannon Construction Services handled all CM for the 68,000 sf LEED Gold project which offers a collaborative learning environment that is linked to the UB downtown gateway via a 5,000 sf connector with an adjacent conference room. This new state-of-the-art facility will allow the EOC to emphasize academic and vocational programming for the various allied health fields expected to be in demand in the community.

Our team will be posting photos and updates via social media from the grand opening celebration.

Reading Joseph Farman’s recent obituary in the New York Times, I was reminded of his Ozone Hole discovery almost thirty years ago, and was drawn into the interesting story of his dedication as a scientist and researcher. With the British Antarctic Survey in 1957, he began collecting the ground level ozone readings which eventually resulted in one of the most important environmental discoveries of the twentieth century. But what emerges beyond the discoveries, the subsequent adoption of the Montreal Protocol to ban CFC’s, and Farman’s related personal recognition, are the quotes, taken from the Times obituary, regarding his methods and diligence.

“…his commitment to the prosaic first principles of data collection, they said, in the remotest outpost of the scientific world, produced discoveries unimagined by other scientists and overlooked by orbiting satellites.”

“But Mr. Farman refused to stop making ground-level readings, despite his superior’s questions about their usefulness, and despite his lack of standing in the field of ozone research.”

“His dedication, as much to the principle of scientific record keeping as to ozone study, would make him something of a working class hero among scientists.”

After twenty five years of recordings he had collected enough evidence to show that ozone levels over the Antarctic had fallen by 40% in just a ten-year period and that the ozone hole was a real and present danger to life on earth. Sharon Roan, author of Ozone Crisis: The 15-Year Evolution of a Sudden Global Emergency, noted his modest willingness to do the research he thought was important to do. “He wasn’t looking for anything astonishing — just doing a little job, and persevering at it. And he came up with the most astonishing discovery.”

At the same time that Joseph Farman began his environmental recordings, another climate science pioneer, Charles David Keeling, was initiating his recordings of atmospheric carbon dioxide, two miles high on the rim of the Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii. As a scientist with Scripps Institution of Oceanography, he began making daily recordings with a device he developed at Caltech. These measurements were begun as part of a one-year initiative, the International Geophysical Year. Like Farman, Keeling’s persistence and discipline resulted in daily recordings which have been consistently recorded since 1958 and are now referred to as the Keeling Curve. Historical research has shown that, prior to 1750, pre-industrial levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide ranged from 275-285 ppm. When Keeling initiated his measurement the level was about 315 ppm, and his subsequent measurements recorded the growth attributed to human activity and fossil fuel consumption. The terms greenhouse effect, global warming and climate change all have origins resulting from this data and Keeling’s subsequent research.

When the May report of atmospheric carbon dioxide recordings showed measurements of more than 400 ppm, it was seen as a possible tipping point. Many believe, like climate scientist James Hansen, that we must reduce levels to 350 ppm to mitigate the range of environmental impacts associated with higher levels of concentration of atmospheric CO2. Framed around the crucial need for reduction to this lower level, Bill McKibben’s environmental movement, 350.org, also reacted to the announcement of the 400 ppm recording.

But back to the nexus of the climate science pioneers, Farman and Keeling, and the recent events that remind us of the important lessons of their research. Both scientists began their studies in remote locations and at about the same time in the late 50′s, just as Sputnik went into space. Both were personally passionate, believing in themselves and the importance of their work, and persisting over significant time in the measurements which have changed our understanding of the planet. Farman and Keeling left us powerful lessons, yet we still have much to learn.

The eVap Cooling Systems is able to use the existing water loop and create a steady flow of cool water at exactly the temperature and pressure the research equipment needs. The cooling system keeps the fluid separate, clean and can even use special fluid developed by 3m that does not conduct electricity.

How can this system increase productivity in research environments? It ensures that when city water main supplies encounter breaks or other challenges that cut off the flow of water to the building – research equipment won’t require emergency shut downs. It also eliminates the risk of flooding, another major risk in laboratories that rely on once-through cooling.

Our team encounters organizations like this – those still relying on once-through cooling and wasting resources – and we recognize they no longer must accept these dated standards. Research institutions can and should begin using the innovative eVap technology immediately to save money, water, time and productivity.

While visiting the Cree Lighting factory in Wisconsin a couple of months ago, we were able to tour different areas of the city to see real world applications of installed Cree products.  Not only was seeing the latest technology in action highly beneficial, but experiencing the different applications from a color viewpoint was in and of itself valuable.  Many of us agreed the 4000-4300K applications were the most pleasant to be under at nighttime, making the spaces appear vibrant and well lit, but not too washed out or stark.  5000K and up tends to appear more on the blue side of the visual spectrum and wasn’t as highly favored.

When choosing a color temperature for your next exterior project, talk to your lighting rep and see if there are any local applications that you can visit.  Seeing is believing in these cases, so if you can’t visit a site, always ask for a working sample of a product.