August, 30 2021: University Senate Report

Office of the Provost

Updates

Searches in CEAS and Libraries

The Provost’s Office has begun the process of searching for two permanent deans: the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (CEAS) and Stony Brook University Libraries. Jon Longtin has served as CEAS interim dean since June, 2021, succeeding Fotis Sotiropoulos, who served as dean starting October 2015. Shafeek Fazal was appointed interim dean for University Libraries in August 2019, and continues to serve as associate dean for Library Technology, Discovery & Digital Initiatives. The Provost’s Office is working with Human Resources to engage search firms to conduct searches for these critical positions.

Provost Visits to Classrooms

For the opening week of the fall semester, Dr. Goldbart visited nine classes across a variety of subjects, including anthropology, chemistry, sustainability, and history. Instructors invited Dr. Goldbart to introduce himself, welcome students back to classes, and even share the etymology behind the Provost title.

Connections -- A Space for Faculty and Staff Interaction

As part of its efforts to create opportunities for faculty and staff interaction, the Provost’s Office has launched a new space in which faculty and staff can come together to share ideas and enjoy each other’s company. The Connections lounge in the Wang Center Skylight Gallery will be available for walk-in breakfasts, lunches, and afternoon snacks from 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM, Monday through Friday. Additionally, the space may be booked via the Provost’s Office for morning and late afternoon events. The Provost’s Office invites faculty to attend a ribbon cutting ceremony on September 9th at 5:00 PM (invitation and event information to follow via email). For more information, visit the website.

Governors Island Initiative

The University is developing an expression of interest in connection with a competition hosted by New York City and the Trust for Governors Island. Modeled after the 2011 Roosevelt Island Applied Science initiative, this competition will select a university-led partnership to develop a “living laboratory” on Governors Island that will support equitable climate solutions through research, community engagement, workforce development, and global and local partnerships. Leveraging Stony Brook’s deep commitment
and expertise in climate-related science and sustainability, the University assembled a faculty and staff team to solicit ideas both within and outside the University. In addition to the material developed by the faculty/staff team, further members of the Stony Brook community recently submitted more than 50 ideas for inclusion in the proposal.

Awards and Accolades

Journalism Student Awards for Excellent Reporting

Fifteen Stony Brook journalism students and recent graduates were recognized by three news organizations for their excellent reporting. Honors came from the Long Island Fair Media Council, the New York Press Association, and the Hearst Journalism Award Program. Students received awards from the Fair Media Council and the Hearst Journalism Award Program. Several stories from their reporting were printed in Newsday and aired on WSHU, the local public radio station. The reporting was completed for an advanced journalism class, taught by Terry Sheridan and Karen Masterson, in Fall 2019.

School of Communication and Journalism Awards Record Number of Scholarships
A record-setting 15 students this spring received scholarships from Stony Brook’s School of Communication and Journalism (SoCJ). The scholarships, all funded by private support, recognize students for their academic and professional achievements during their careers at Stony Brook. Cumulatively, the School awarded $26,000 to its students.

Nobuho Nagasawa’s Solo Art Show in NYC Opens August 19
The Westwood Gallery in New York City is presenting a solo exhibition by installation artist Nobuho Nagasawa, professor the the Department of Art in Stony Brook’s College of Arts and Sciences. Nobuho Nagasawa: Drawn to the Light is being held August 19 through October 16. The installation combines Nagasawa’s deep-rooted tradition of multidisciplinary art, fusing technology, light, sound and community engagement. On a 35-foot gallery wall with sculptures of the moon, Nagasawa will stencil hundreds of luna moths over the course of the exhibition, marking a visual memory that connects to emotional memory. The luna moth — a mythical symbol in many cultures — represents the inner spirit, intuition, awareness and trust in ourselves. After 12 months in metamorphosis, the luna moth exists for less than 10 days as a winged adult and is rarely seen due to its nocturnal nature. Their short life span reminds us of our moments to live and love to the fullest. On the final day of the exhibition, Nagasawa will erase the moths as a symbolic act of release for all we have lost during COVID-19.

DOE Award Aims to Accelerate Advancements in Zero-Emissions Vehicles
A research group led by Esther Takeuchi, distinguished professor in the Department of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering has received an award of more than $2.2 million, part of a DOE initiative aimed at facilitating new technologies to reduce CO2 emissions from passenger cars and light- and heavy-duty trucks. Co-investigators include Amy Marschilok, associate professor in the Department of Chemistry, Kenneth Takeuchi, distinguished teaching professor in the Department of Chemistry, Carlos Colosqui, associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, three scientists from Brookhaven National Laboratory, and a full professor from Brown University. Titled “Fluorinated Ester Local High Concentration Electrolytes for Operation of Li-ion Batteries under Extreme Conditions,” the initiative will develop electrolytes for operation of Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries for operation under extreme conditions of fast charge, wide temperature range and severe abuse. Objectives of the project include characterizing transport and stability of the new electrolyte systems; evaluating electrochemical behavior under baseline and extreme conditions; and optimizing electrochemical behavior under extreme conditions through variation of composition.

SBU Team Wins SUNY Award to Help Fund Technology Startup, Orchid Imaging
A team from Stony Brook University won the SUNY Startup Summer School (S4) Class of 2021 Demo Day quick pitch competition on August 11, designed to showcase grant proposals and research of 153 SUNY students and faculty in the emerging technologies fields. The winning startup, Orchid Imaging, is led by David Gu, SUNY Empire Innovation Professor in SBU’s Department of Computer Science; Rong Zhao, director of the Software Systems Division at Stony Brook’s Center of Excellence in Wireless and Information Technology (CEWIT); and Shikui Chen, associate professor in Stony Brook’s Department of Mechanical Engineering. Orchid Imaging was formed in 2020 to commercialize 3D imaging technologies invented at Stony Brook University by Professor Gu, which includes a high-performance 3D scanner and an image analysis software based on his research in computational conformal geometry.

Stony Brook Medicine Holds 17th Annual Science & Research Awareness Series
Stony Brook’s Department of Anesthesiology sponsored the 17th Annual Science and Research Awareness Series (SARAS), a three-week lecture and workshop series for high school and undergraduate students that is designed to heighten awareness of basic, clinical and translational sciences and associated specialties in the biomedical field. Every year, 130 students from all over the
country and some international students attend SARAS. This year, following COVID safety guidelines, 65 students were accepted into the program. Most of the students were from Suffolk and Nassau, with a few from Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan. Scientists, physicians, allied health professionals, health administrators and other experts taught students about different topics, specialties and also laboratory and clinical techniques. Interaction between these experts and the students enhanced the educational experience and gave the students insights into topics and careers in biomedical science.

SBU Receives Empire State Development Life Science Entrepreneur Development Grant
Stony Brook University received an Empire State Development grant of up to $500,000 to address the growing need for entrepreneurial talent in New York’s life science ecosystem. The College of Business will partner with the Center for Biotechnology and Department of Biomedical Engineering to create a 16-credit Life Sciences Innovations and Entrepreneurship Advanced Graduate Certificate for all life science graduate students within the university and region. The Life Science Entrepreneur Development Grant
Program was created to promote a culture of entrepreneurship within life science-focused academia, as well as to encourage academic scientists to direct their research toward commercial applications.

SBU-BNL Seed Grant Program Awards $317K to Eight Teams
Eight joint teams from Stony Brook University and Brookhaven National Laboratory were awarded a total of $317,000 to support new research collaborations as part of the annual SBU-BNL Seed Grant Program. Now in its 23rd year, the program is an annual competition fostering collaborative efforts between scientists at Stony Brook University and Brookhaven National Laboratory. A record number of eight proposals were designated for funding, between $25,000 and $45,000, and included proposals from various disciplines across campus and the School of Medicine. This year’s successful principal investigators (PI) and their research projects included:

Zhaozheng Yin (PI, Biomedical Informatics and Computer Science) and Xianghui Xiao (Co-PI, NSLS II): Annotation-efficient Deep Learning for High-throughput Biological Discovery
Haibin Ling (PI, Computer Science) and Qun Liu (Co-PI, NSLS II/Biology): DeepCryo: Heterogeneous Electron Microscopy Analysis using Deep Learning
Klaus Dehmelt (PI, Physics and Astronomy) and Takao Sakaguchi (Co-PI, Physics): A novel readout system for particle detectors based on Si-pixel readout chips
Markus Seeliger (PI, Pharmacological Science/Chemistry) and Alexi Soares (Co-PI, NSLS II/Life Sciences/Biomedical Tech): LI-XRA:Lead Identification through High Throughput X-ray Crystallography
Jacob Houghton (PI, Radiology) and Vanessa Sanders (Co-PI, Collider Accelerator/MIRP): iRGD-Mediated Enhancement of Targeted α-Particle Therapy for Pancreatic Cancer
Klaus Mueller (PI, Computer Science) and Xianghui Xiao (Co-PI, NSLS II): Semantic Fusion and Visualization of Multi-Channel Multi-Modality Volume Data for Material Science Research
Dimitris Assanis (PI, Mechanical Engineering) and Rebecca Trojanowski (Co-PI, Energy Conversion Group, Interdisciplinary Science Department): Large Eddy Simulations for Superior, Computationally Optimized Oxidation using Biomass (LESS CO₂ using Biomass)
Shanshan Yao (PI, Mechanical Engineering) and Esther Tsai (Co-PI, Center for Functional Nanomaterials): Multiscale Design and Characterization of Soft–Rigid Interfaces for Hybrid Skin-Like Wearable Electronics and Soft Robotics

Emergency Medicine Chief Resident Wins Two National Awards

Dr. Samita Heslin, a chief resident in Stony Brook University Hospital’s Department of Emergency Medicine, received the 2020 Emergency Medicine Residents’ Association Academic Excellence Award, which is given to a resident or fellow who has done outstanding work in research or other academic pursuits. Dr. Heslin also received the 2021 RAMS Leadership in Emergency Medicine Award from the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, which is given to a medical student or practicing emergency medicine resident who has taken a leading role in their student interest group or residency program, and has made an impact on the local, regional, national or international level through their efforts in clinical and non-clinical arenas. After graduating from her residency in Emergency Medicine this past June, Dr. Heslin joined the Department of Emergency Medicine as attending physician, assistant professor, and assistant medical director.

Biomedical Engineering Professor Honored By ASME
Danny Bluestein, professor of biomedical engineering at Stony Brook University, was named the 2021 recipient of the Savio L-Y. Woo Translational Biomechanics Medal from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). The award recognizes an individual who has translated meritorious bioengineering science to clinical practice through research, education, professional development, and service to the bioengineering community. The award was established in 2015 by the Bioengineering Division (BED) of the ASME. Bluestein’s research interests include the elucidation of physical forces that regulate cellular function in flowing blood, and translation of this knowledge to numerical and experimental strategies aimed at optimizing the thromboresistance of Mechanical Circulatory Support devices, multiscale modeling of thrombosis, and enhancing clinical diagnostics of cardiovascular diseases processes and progression for developing strategies to achieve better clinical outcomes of procedures and devices for patients who suffer from these diseases.

Recent Events

Alan Alda Film Festival

The Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science and the Stony Brook Film Festival offered a five-film festival of classics personally selected by acclaimed actor, author, and activist Alan Alda. The films showcased a portion of Alda’s 60-year career as an actor and his versatility as a storyteller. Proceeds from the festival support professional development and graduate programs to promote research
collaboration. Alda co-founded the Center in 2009. The Center has worked with more than 15,000 scientists and researchers around the country and internationally.

Stony Brook Hosts “Truth, Science and Free Speech” Town Hall

Stony Brook’s Center for Changing Systems of Power held a Town Hall discussion on “Truth, Science and Free Speech” on May 17 via Zoom. The event featured keynote speaker Ali Velshi from MSNBC; Stephanie Kelton, Professor of Economics and Public Policy; Sara Nelson, International President, Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO; and John Barry Ryan, Associate Professor of Political Science. Nicole S. Sampson, Dean for the College of Arts and Sciences, gave welcome remarks. The discussion was moderated by Charles Robbins, Director for the Center for Changing Systems of Power.