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Simons Foundation Announces Historic $500M Gift to Stony Brook University Endowment The Simons Foundation’s contribution is the largest unrestricted endowment gift to a higher education institution in American history The Simons Foundation, a philanthropy working to advance the frontiers of research in mathematics and the basic sciences, today announced a historic $500 million endowment gift to Stony Brook University during a news conference at the foundation’s Manhattan headquarters. This monumental gift — the combined largesse of the Simons Foundation and Simons Foundation International — is the largest unrestricted donation to an institution of higher education in U.S. history. The extraordinary gift is also expected to grow by up to $1 billion in contributions for Stony Brook University’s endowment by capitalizing on New York State’s 1:2 endowment matching program and other philanthropy inspired by this gift. This transformative donation will cement Stony Brook’s place as New York’s flagship research institution and provide the means to invest in areas most urgent and necessary to help sustain the university’s commitment to educational excellence, research innovation and community support. Investments stemming from this gift will have a direct and positive impact on perpetual funding for student scholarships, endowed professorships, innovative research, and excellent clinical care. Click here to read the original article.
2023.06.16 Hits 3624
Wallace Selected to Present at United Nations Conference on Africa February 3, 2022 Adryan Wallace, assistant professor in the Department of Africana Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences, was recently selected by the United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (OSAA) to present at an upcoming conference on “Africa’s fiscal space, fragility, and conflict.” Wallace, who also has affiliations in the departments of Political Science and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies, will present a paper with policy recommendations to representatives of member states and UN entities. Her paper will also appear in a UN-OSAA publication of policies that can be implemented by UN offices and relevant heads of state. The UN-OSAA’s goals include promoting efforts by African countries and development partners to improve the fiscal space for sustainable growth, avoiding the worsening of fragility, and preventing conflict on the continent. Wallace, who holds a PhD in Political Science, an MA in African Studies, and a BS in Psychology, conducts research that combines quantitative and qualitative methods to examine the interactions among gender equality, state fragility, and regional economic integration in Africa. She has served as a member on previous policy panels for the UN and for the U.S. State Department’s U.S. – Africa Leaders’ Summit for the Obama Administration, as well as a delegate during a meeting with the chair of the African Union, His Excellency Moussa Fake Mahamat, at the African Union Representational Mission to the U.S. in Washington, D.C. The majority of Wallace’s work focuses on how Muslim women in West Africa are able to articulate their development interests within the context of Sharia law and secular political institutions. Her current book project analyzes the ways that Hausa women in Kano, Nigeria and Tamale, Ghana, use their non-governmental (NGO) and community-based organizations (CBOs) to challenge the economic roles ascribed to them by the state and to mobilize politically around gender issues. Click here to read the original article
2022.03.15 Hits 3645
Governor Hochul Names Stony Brook a Flagship University in State of the State Address January 6, 2022 In her first State of the State Address on Jan. 5, Governor Kathy Hochul announced the formal designation of Stony Brook University and The University at Buffalo as New York State’s flagship universities as part of her plan for “A New Era for New York.” A joint statement from the two universities said, “The official recognition of these premier centers of higher education as joint flagships of the State University of New York (SUNY) system reflects the preeminent role that The University at Buffalo and Stony Brook University play statewide, nationally and internationally as models of research and academic excellence. This designation acknowledges the excellence and reputations of our universities and it will further enhance our ability to continue to recruit the world’s most accomplished faculty and attract outstanding students — regardless of their income or socio-economic background — and attract even more highly competitive federal research funding.” “We are nationally recognized for our ability to produce cutting-edge research at the same time as we offer a world-class education to students from all socio-economic backgrounds, which in turn provides them unmatched social and economic mobility,” said Stony Brook President Maurie McInnis. “Our ambition, as leading public research universities, is to grow our combined annual research expenditures to bring jobs, innovation and renown to New York State. This recognition by the State of New York will strengthen our mission to deliver the benefits of our research, clinical care and education locally, regionally, nationally and globally. We thank Governor Hochul for her decision to designate our campus as one of two SUNY flagships.” Hochul’s plan includes a number of proposals aimed at higher education in general and Stony Brook specifically, including: Additional funding to construct a multidisciplinary engineering building on campus Supporting the Stony Brook/Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory partnership to launch NeuroAI, an initiative that combines neuroscience and artificial intelligence Expansion of the Stony Brook Center for Clean Water Technology research to include wastewater treatment technology and creation of the Suffolk County Wastewater Management District, both with the goal of protecting Long Island’s aquifer system Funding for the modernization and repair of scientific labs Funding for “Grand Challenges” that will encourage cross-disciplinary research Increased funding to attract world-class faculty and researchers The joint statement noted that across the country, flagship universities are those that provide vital leadership in advancing their home state’s public higher education mission, provide a comprehensive array of professional schools and degree programs, and are proven economic catalysts. “Flagships attract the world’s best and brightest faculty and students and are nationally and internationally recognized for the quality and impact of their research and academic innovation and rigor.” Stony Brook and Buffalo are both members of the prestigious Association of American Universities, have built reputations as research-intensive institutions with preeminent academic programs, and their combined economic impact on the state exceeds $8.9 billion annually. They enroll nearly 59,000 students, have hundreds of thousands of alumni, have annual research expenditures of over $660 million, and offer more than 700 degree programs across academic disciplines. Hochul also outlined a healthcare plan aimed at rebuilding and growing the state’s healthcare workforce by 20% over the next five years, with a $10 billion commitment that includes $4 billion to support higher wages and bonuses, and $2 billion for healthcare capital infrastructure and improved lab capacity. The plan also calls for increased training, attracting students by providing financial support for the education of healthcare professionals who work in New York State, supporting career flexibility for direct care workers, investing in digital innovation, making affordable healthcare coverage available to everyone, expanding and improving access to prenatal and postnatal care, establishing a state master plan for aging, and strengthening addiction, suicide, mental health and domestic violence services. Hochul’s agenda includes nine key components: rebuilding our healthcare economy; protecting public safety and taking strong action against gun violence; investing in New York’s people; investing in New York’s communities; making New York’s housing system more affordable, equitable, and stable; making New York a national leader in climate action and green jobs; rebuilding New York’s teacher workforce and reimagining higher education; advancing New York’s place as a national equity model; and making critical reforms to restore New Yorkers’ faith in their government. Click here to read the original article
2022.01.12 Hits 4187
Stony Brook Launches Master's in Journalism Program December 13, 2021 Stony Brook University’s School of Communication and Journalism (SoCJ) is launching a Master of Science in Journalism program. Students are now able to apply for the program and begin working toward their degrees in the 2022-2023 academic year. An updated version of a previous program, the new master’s in journalism will offer students a firm grounding in multimedia journalism and ethics, while helping them develop skills that are increasingly important in our divided society: inclusive communication and community engagement, data journalism and visualization, and solutions-based journalism. “Journalism is vital to democracy, but to fill that role, people need to trust journalism,” said Laura Lindenfeld, dean of the SoCJ and executive director of the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science. “With this program, the School and its future graduates will help to re-establish trust in journalism by looking critically at data and working alongside communities to find and tell the stories that need to be told. Our graduates, in partnership with the communities they cover, will be able to reflect the reality of individuals’ lived experiences in ways that traditional journalism hasn’t.” The program is designed for individuals who are new to journalism and early-career media professionals seeking to advance in their careers. Click here to read the original article
2022.01.06 Hits 3699
Lonnie Wollmuth Receives 2021 Lupus Innovation Award December 14, 2021 Lonnie Wollmuth, professor in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, was named a recipient of the 2021 Lupus Innovation Award by the Lupus Research Alliance. Wollmuth’s project, “Diversity of anti-NMDA receptor autoantibodies in lupus patients” is among 11 projects selected, representing a wide range of areas of discovery from probing the development and progression of lupus to pointing to potential personalized therapies. Studying the disease from different vantage points can maximize the overall understanding of the disease, which can lead to more viable treatment options. The award offers up to $150,000 per year total costs for up to two years. Lupus is an autoimmune disorder where individuals produce antibodies against their own body leading to a wide range of symptoms. Prominent symptoms include brain disorders ranging from memory loss to more severe problems such as epilepsy and psychosis. These symptoms negatively impact quality of life, and treatments are limited. Wollmuth’s lab will develop strategies targeting the NMDA receptor, a molecule that controls communication between nerve cells to prevent or reduce brain disorders in lupus patients. NMDA receptors are involved in numerous brain functions including higher order processes like learning and memory. In some lupus patients, antibodies are produced that target the NMDA receptor, which alters the functioning of the receptor and may be linked to brain disorders. Using mouse models, Wollmuth’s research team will first look at the damage caused by individual antibodies targeting the NMDA receptor obtained from different lupus patients, and then see if the damage can be blocked by various agents. His study will lay the foundation for personalized medicine for lupus patients experiencing brain disorders by showing how the NMDA receptor is affected, and by identifying potential therapeutic agents. “We are proud to support fundamental lupus research through these grants in order to encourage the development of novel and/or improved therapeutic options for the lupus patient community,” said Teodora Staeva, chief scientific officer, Lupus Research Alliance. Wollmuth received his PhD in physiology and biophysics from the University of Washington, Seattle. Before joining the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior in the College of Arts and Sciences in 1998, he was a senior fellow in the Division of Cell Physiology at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research from 1993 to 1998. He is a co-director of the Center for Nervous System Disorders at Stony Brook University and is a member of the Society for Neuroscience and the Biophysical Society. The Lupus Innovation Award provides support for highly innovative approaches to major challenges in lupus research with a special emphasis on exploring fundamental mechanisms, novel targets for drug development, novel technologies and interdisciplinary approaches. Click here to read the original article
2022.01.06 Hits 2374
DTS Students Intern at Korea Joongang Daily ‍ Three undergraduates learned the journalistic trade at their internship at Joongang Daily. This is the kind of hands-on project experience that our students get at SUNY Korea. All students and professors associated with SUNY Korea are in boldface below. ‍ [Journalism Internship] ESG could be more than an investment philosophy https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2021/11/26/englishStudy/journalism%20internship/SUNY2021-ESG-could-be-more-than-an-investment-philosophy/20211126111658485.html News reposted below: ‍ Consumers want to see change, not just a passing trend ‍ “I do not want to buy products that may harm the environment or ignore workers’ labor,” said university student Jung Hye-won. Jung isn’t the only one. Consumers today are increasingly interested and willing to purchase from companies that create social value. This leads companies to adapt so-called ESG management systems to bring new changes into consumer behavior. ESG stands for environmental, social and governance. It’s industry jargon, but has quickly become a buzzword in Korea. These three components serve as a tool to assess how sustainable or ethically responsible a company is in the long run for investors. Although ESG is a non-financial performance standard, it is a valuable criterion for measuring company performance for investors. Investors can set standards in accordance with ESG principles to assess how future-proof a company is. The environment section measures how well a company contributes to the environment. Companies are expected to deal with issues like biodiversity, climate change and cutting carbon emissions. By doing so, companies can save energy and operational costs as well as appeal to consumers. For social aspects, companies focus on areas such as customer satisfaction and human rights. This leads to employee satisfaction, increases in social integrity and stronger relationships among community members. Lastly, board composition and executive compensation are areas that decide how a company structures its governance. A successful governance framework can formulate positive relationships with investors and increase government support and financial aid. The three standards represent a shift in investment philosophy. In the late 20th century, investors looked for companies that would generate profits. In recent years, however, reports have begun to support the idea that there are financial benefits of backing ethical and responsible companies in the long run. This led to the United Nations officially coining the term ESG in 2004 and develop several investment initiatives. A recent joint conference hosted by the Federation of Korean Industries invited 60 executives from companies like Samyang Holdings and Hanwha General Chemical to discuss the importance of ESG management and its future values. Korean conglomerate Posco has already announced that its steel will be produced using hydrogen instead of coal. Hyundai Motor Group plans to invest 1 trillion won ($875 billion) into environmentally friendly fuel and technology. A college student surnamed Koo said he favors automobile company Volvo because of their safety philosophy. The automaker’s advertising campaigns have boasted about its all-electronic production, contributing to Koo’s trust in the brand. Although his first priority may be quality, Koo is willing to reconsider decisions if a company gets involved in seriously unethical issues. Sira Maliphol, an assistant professor in the Department of Technology and Society at SUNY Korea, says that ESG management is certain to be a long-run trend. “ESG management is not something that is going to stop,” Maliphol said. He explained that increasing consumers’ demand for social responsibility and tackling environmental problems makes companies continue improving their governance, even if the corporations do not know how big the impact of ESG management is going to be yet. There are also those who haven’t heard of the issues but are still positive about the message that ESG delivers. Younger consumers have already been applying many of the ESG standards to their consumption patterns, taking a greater interest in environmental and ethical concerns in particular. A sophomore surnamed Lee remembers hearing about a taxi service company run by deaf taxi drivers. After hearing the CEO’s philosophy and attempts to offer opportunities to a marginalized group of people, Lee immediately felt more interested in the business. Still, some skeptical voices doubt whether these trends are enough to bring about actual change. Data analytics consultant Kwon doesn’t really follow the ESG trend, even though she acknowledges the change is needed. Kwon says there is a danger of people just unconsciously following trends without actually understanding or addressing the principles behind consumer behaviors. Anthony Pennings, a professor in the department of technology and society at SUNY Korea, pointed out the impact of social media and public relations on ESG management trends, with some brands capitalizing on its popularity to sell products. He says that corporations’ ESG campaigns and policies are spread through social media and the news, and consumers, who are now following the trend for ESG management, are influenced by the exposure, not by the original ESG index. Pennings concluded that consumers should make sure to get their news from credible sources to avoid being caught by the PR campaigns. BY CHOO SI-EUN, JOO YEON-SOO AND YOO DONG-YEON [sieun.choo@stonybrook.edu, yeonsoo.joo@stonybrook.edu, dongyeon.yoo@stonybrook.edu]
2021.12.10 Hits 7488
Staller Center’s Instrument Petting Zoo Spreads Holiday Cheer at SB Ch… On Friday, December 3, musicians from the Stony Brook Department of Music caroled throughout the Children’s Hospital, spreading holiday cheer and joy to the children, families and staff. The Staller Center’s Instrument Petting Zoo is a program that helps the Staller Center for the Arts reach out to the community and share live interactive musical experiences. This program helps inspire an appreciation of music and instruments for young people. “To be able to spend time at the Children’s Hospital and see the smiles on the kids faces and the tears of joy in the parents eyes as the musicians performed holiday music was emotional, but we’re so happy we were able to come together and collaborate in this way,” said Staller Center’s Outreach Director Paul Newland. “We are grateful to Island Federal who helped provide the support for this initiative, and we’re already planning more musical visits.”
2021.12.10 Hits 21548
SBU’s Peter Khalifah Part of Team to Receive DOE Funding for Electric … Brookhaven National Laboratory has received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for “Battery500 Phase 2,” which involves research aimed at understanding and improving materials for electric vehicle (EV) batteries. Stony Brook is a partner in Brookhaven Science Associates LLC, managing the Laboratory for the DOE. Enyuan Hu (front) and Peter Khalifah, two of the principal investigators for battery research projects that just received DOE funding, at Brookhaven Lab’s NSLS-II X-ray Powder Diffraction beamline. “President Biden’s administration wants to make it easier for millions of American families and businesses to make the switch to electric vehicles,” said Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm in a DOE statement announcing the funding. “By developing smarter vehicle batteries, we can make these technologies cheaper and more accessible, while positioning America to be become a global leader of EV infrastructure production and clean energy jobs.” As partners in Battery500 Phase 2, which is led by DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, a team of scientists — including Peter Khalifah, a professor in the Department of Chemistry at Stony Brook University who holds a joint appointment at Brookhaven Lab — will conduct studies to identify battery electrode materials with increased energy density. Such materials could reduce the size and weight of batteries used in electric vehicles and/or extend the vehicle’s driving distance for a given battery weight with better safety characteristics. Identifying lower-cost materials is another primary goal. The total budget of Battery500 Phase 2 is $75 million for the next five years. It is a renewal of funding for the original Battery500 Consortium, which was established in 2016. Under the new funding arrangement, Brookhaven Lab will receive $1.3 million per year for the next five years. Khalifah, along with Brookhaven associate chemist Enyuan Hu, will serve as the two leaders of a cross-cutting thrust on materials characterization within the consortium. In the next five years, the Brookhaven team will continue their efforts to develop and deploy sensitive characterization techniques that can illuminate the changes that occur in lithium metal anodes, metal oxide and sulfur cathodes, and new electrolytes during their use in rechargeable batteries. These efforts will help understand and overcome the factors limiting the performance of this exceptionally high-energy density class of batteries and will accelerate the rate at which this technology can become commercially viable.
2021.12.10 Hits 17660
Emily Carll ’20 Selected for Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship Stony Brook alumna Emily Carll ’20, who majored in Political Science and Asian and Asian-American Studies, has been selected for the nationally competitive Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Program Fellowship. Carll will become SBU’s first-ever Pickering Fellow, and receive $84,000 to pursue a Master’s degree in the field of international affairs. Carll is a previous recipient of the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) in Hindi, and is currently serving as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Serbia. She is also guaranteed placement as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State upon completion of her degree. “I am so proud of Emily and excited to see where she goes from here,” said Jen Green, director for Fellowships Advising and Professional Development at the Stony Brook University Graduate School. “She is already one of our most decorated alumni in terms of success in external fellowships competitions. Emily was also selected for a highly competitive State Department internship, during which she had the opportunity to serve in Washington, D.C. and at the U.S. embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. I am thrilled, but not entirely surprised, that she was selected as Stony Brook’s first Pickering Fellow.” “Emily is our first fellow from Stony Brook, and I am confident that the education and skills she gained there helped her compete in this rigorous selection process,” said Lily Lopez-McGee, director for the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Program. “Her experiences and skills are sure to help her success in graduate school and eventually the Foreign Service. We are looking forward to seeing all that she will accomplish. I hope that more Stony Brook students and alumni will follow Emily’s lead into this rewarding career of international service.” Carll recognized the community of mentors who supported her throughout her undergraduate career at Stony Brook, particularly Harsh Bhasin (Political Science), Anna Geisherik (European Languages), and Gregory Ruf (Asian and Asian-American Studies). In order to be selected as a Pickering Fellow, candidates must successfully navigate a high-stakes interview at the national level, and a committee of Stony Brook faculty and staff helped Carll prepare, including Jennifer Carlino (Undergraduate Academic Affairs), Rosalia Davi (Graduate School), Miguel Garcia-Diaz (Pharmacology and the Graduate School), Lisa Ospitale (Graduate School), and Tara Rider (SoMAS).
2021.12.07 Hits 20980
Robert Crease Awarded 2021 Institute of Physics William Thomson, Lord … Robert Crease, professor and chair of the Department of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences, has been awarded the 2021 Institute of Physics (IOP) William Thomson, Lord Kelvin Medal and Prize. Crease has received this award for his 21 years writing Physics World’s outstanding “Critical Point” column, devoted to describing key humanities concepts for scientists, and explaining the significance of key scientific ideas for humanists. Crease has written, co-written, translated, and edited nearly 20 books on the history and philosophy of science, several of which sprang from material in “Critical Point.” These books have been reviewed in places as diverse as The Economist, the London Review of Books, and the Wall Street Journal, and translated into a total of 10 languages. One book in particular, The Quantum Moment: How Planck, Bohr, Einstein, and Heisenberg Taught Us to Love Uncertainty, is about the real and fanciful impact that quantum mechanics has had on philosophy, culture, and life. The book stemmed from an innovative class that Crease and physicist Alfred Goldhaber co-taught at Stony Brook University. “My sincere congratulations to Bob on his receipt of the William Thomson, Lord Kelvin Medal and Prize,” said Nicole Sampson, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and distinguished professor of chemistry. “His decades-long contribution to the sciences from a humanist’s perspective, through his “Critical Point” column and numerous publications as well as inventive course offerings that blend the arts and sciences, is testament to the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration as we navigate our ever-changing world. I applaud Bob for his commitment to communicating ideas and knowledge from his own area of expertise for the benefit of other disciplines.” Crease is also co-editor-in-chief of Physics in Perspective, whose mission is to “bridge the gulf between physicists and non-physicists through historical and philosophical studies that typically display the unpredictable as well as the cross-disciplinary interplay of observation, experiment, and theory that has occurred over extended periods of time in academic, governmental, and industrial settings and in allied disciplines such as astrophysics, chemical physics, and geophysics.” “I’m thrilled to get this award,” said Crease. “The IOP, a century-old scientific organization, gave it to me for more than 20 years of writing the column, “Critical Point” for Physics World. It’s a good sign for the humanities, for the column explores the numerous intersections between humanities and the sciences. In a science-dominated world, I think, the vitality of the humanities is threatened, not by interacting too much with the sciences, but too little. By the way, Kelvin, the scientist for whom the award is named, occupied what at the time was called a ‘Chair of Natural Philosophy.’ ” Other books include Philosophy of Physics, an IOP ebook, and the final portion of J. Robert Oppenheimer: A Life, which was begun by physicist Abraham Pais and left incomplete with his death. Crease also edited Science Policy Up Close by physicist and U.S. Presidential Science Advisor John H. Marburger III. For these and other contributions to history and philosophy of science, Crease was elected a fellow of the APS and IOP. Crease received BA from Amherst College and PhD from Columbia University. He has written more than 75 reviews, editorials, and other short pieces on philosophy, history, and science for academic journals and The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Nature, Newsday, and more. Crease has also appeared on a range of radio programs, from the BBC to the offbeat “Talk Nerdy.” “On behalf of the Institute of Physics, I warmly congratulate all of this year’s Award winners,” said Professor Sheila Rowan, president of the Institute of Physics. “Each and every one of them has made a significant and positive impact in their profession, whether as a researcher, teacher, industrialist, technician or apprentice. Recent events have underlined the absolute necessity to encourage and reward our scientists and those who teach and encourage future generations. We rely on their dedication and innovation to improve many aspects of the lives of individuals and of our wider society.” The Institute of Physics is the professional body and learned society for physics, and the leading body for practising physicists, in the UK and Ireland. The IOP awards celebrate physicists at every stage of their career; from those just starting out through to physicists at the peak of their careers, and those with a distinguished career behind them. They also recognize and celebrate companies which are successful in the application of physics and innovation, as well as employers who demonstrate their commitment and contribution to scientific and engineering apprenticeship schemes.
2021.12.03 Hits 20546
Civil Engineering Undergrad Takes on Multiple Research Projects Ephraim Bryski ’22 — the URECA researcher of the month for December 2021 — is a senior civil engineering major who joined the Coastal and Hydraulic Engineering Research Lab of Ali Farhadzadeh, assistant professor in the Department of Civil Engineering, as a freshman. Bryski works on designs to increase the effectiveness of oyster reefs for wave attenuation and shore protection. His previous work in Farhadzadeh’s group on the motion of flood-borne debris led to a URECA presentation in 2019 as well as a recently co-authored publication in the Journal of Hydraulic Engineering. In his sophomore year, Bryski also joined the Materials and Mechanics Lab of Kedar Kirane, assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, where he has learned to use molecular dynamics to study quasi-brittle strength distribution in silica, has analyzed the size effect of creep in brittle rock, and developed models of rock beams and run simulations in Abaqus. In Summer 2019, Bryski participated in the NHERI REU (National Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure – Research Experiences for Undergraduates) program at O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory, Oregon State University. On campus, Bryski has been involved as a peer tutor in the Academic Success and Tutoring Center since September 2019, and as a member of the Concrete Canoe Team since 2019. He also served as secretary of the Stony Brook Student Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (August 2019-August 2021). Bryski plans to continue at Stony Brook in the accelerated master’s program in Civil Engineering following his graduation in May.
2021.12.02 Hits 21183