Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney has announced that the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, along with the Suffolk County Police Department, and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, has partnered with the Fund for Animal Cruelty Treatment of Suffolk, Inc. (“FACTS”), a 501(C)(3) not-for-profit organization, for the utilization of their animal cruelty crime victims fund.
“Prosecuting an animal cruelty case is unlike any other crime, in that the evidence of the crime consists of a living, breathing animal that needs to be cared for while the case or investigation is pending,” said District Attorney Tierney. “Abused or neglected animals require a significant amount of resources including veterinary care, shelter, transportation, medication, and food. We have partnered with FACTS so that the money needed for the care and recovery of abused and neglected animals can be funded by donations, alleviating the burden on Suffolk County taxpayers.”
“FACTS is proud to partner with the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, Suffolk County Police Department and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office by providing costs of care that benefit animal cruelty victims,” said Joyce Glass and Barbara Dennihy, co-founders of FACTS. “This funding allows animal victims to receive necessary care while recovering and cases are pending. FACTS meets an identified need during the investigation and prosecution of cases, focusing on victims without a voice. Donations to FACTS allow us to speak for animal victims by providing the care and treatment they deserve.”
“Animal cruelty cases are particularly disturbing as the victim is defenseless and voiceless,” said Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney K. Harrison. “This new partnership ensures that injured or neglected animals receive the necessary care they deserve while the case moves through the court process. This is a win-win for animal rights as well as Suffolk County taxpayers.”
“Often times, when our Deputy Sheriffs are reporting to a domestic violence situation or similar crime, they find animals that are also victims of cruelty or abandonment,” said Suffolk County Sheriff Errol D. Toulon, Jr. “This partnership with FACTS will allow us to immediately get these animals the proper treatment and housing they deserve without worrying about where the funding for their care is coming from.”
Financial assistance from FACTS will help treat and care for animals that are victims of criminal animal cruelty investigations that are being prosecuted by District Attorney Tierney’s Biological, Environmental, and Animal Safety Team.
To kick off FACTS’ fundraising, Kristie Johnson, president of Foos Fire, Inc., a local Suffolk County fire sprinkler business, and Kristie’s husband, Christopher Johnson, presented FACTS with a $10,000 check.
If you would like to donate to FACTS, please visit www.FACTSSAVES.org, and click on the “Donate Now” button. You can also donate to FACTS on Venmo, to username @factssaves. Donations can be mailed to: FACTS, 2168 Nesconset Highway, Suite # 310, Stony Brook, New York 11790.
Lucas Cheadle with two pieces of artwork in his office, from left by Porferio Tirador 'Gopher' Armstrong, a Cheyenne-Caddo native from Oklahoma and Oklahoma Kiowa artist Robert Redbird. Photo by Austin Ferro
By Daniel Dunaief
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Assistant Professor Lucas Cheadle knows a thing or two about under represented groups in the field of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
Of Chickasaw, Choctaw and Cherokee lineage, Cheadle, who was born in Ada, Oklahoma, was recently named one of 31 inaugural Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s (HHMI) Freeman Hrabowski scholars.
Lucas Cheadle. Photo by Steve Ryan/ AP Images for HHMI
The first scholars in this highly competitive and unique program, which drew 1,036 applicants, will receive funding that will last at least five years and could get as much as $8.6 million each for their promising early research and for supporting diversity, equity and inclusion in their labs.
“This is the first time a program of this type and magnitude has been attempted,” said HHMI Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer Leslie Vosshall. The scholars are “doing things that set them in the top one percent in creativity and boldness and we are certain we are going to have really healthy, inclusive, diverse labs.”
Vosshall said the scholars, which include scientists from 22 institutions, including Columbia, Harvard, Duke, Cornell, Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, hit it “out of the park” in their science and diversity efforts.
HHMI, which has committed $1.5 billion for Freeman Hrabowski Scholars, will award about 30 of these select scholarships every other year for the next 10 years, supporting promising scientists who can serve as mentors for under represented groups while also creating a network of researchers who can provide advice and collaborations.
The first group of scientists to receive this support is “diverse in such a way that it reflects the U.S. population,” Vosshall said.
The program is named after Freeman Hrabowski, who was born in Birmingham, Alabama and was president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, from 1992 to 2022. Hrabowski, who was arrested during the civil rights movement, created a tutoring center in math and science for African Americans in high school and college and helped create the Meyerhoff Scholars Program.
Cheadle was celebrating the December holidays in Oklahoma when he learned he was a semifinalist, which was “really surprising and exciting,” he recalled. Becoming an HHMI scholar is “amazing” and “very validating,” he said.
Bruce Stillman, President and CEO of CSHL, suggested that HHMI recognition is “a prestigious achievement” and, in a email, wrote that he was “pleased that [Cheadle] was included in the list of remarkable scientists.”
Stillman predicted that Cheadle’s passion about increasing diversity in science would have a “major influence” on CSHL.”
Scientific questions
Cheadle appreciates how HHMI funds the scientist, not individual projects. With this unrestricted funding, which includes full salary and benefits and a research budget of about $2 million over the first five years and eligibility to participate in HHMI capital equipment purchasing programs, Cheadle and other scholars can pursue higher-risk, higher-reward projects.
“If I have a crazy idea tomorrow, I can do that with this with funding,” Cheadle explained.
Cheadle, who joined CSHL in August of 2020, studies the way the immune system shapes brain development, plasticity and function. He also seeks to understand how inflammatory signals that disrupt neural circuit maturation affect various disorders, such as autism.
Last September, Cheadle and his lab, which currently includes six postdoctoral researchers, two PhD students, one master’s student, a lab manager and two technicians, published a paper in Nature Neuroscience that showed how oligodendrocyte precursor cells, or OPCs, help shape the brain during early development.
Previously, scientists believed OPCs produced cells that surrounded and supported neurons. Cheadle’s recent work shows that they can play other roles in the brain as well, which are also likely instrumental in neural circuit construction and function.
When young mice raised in the dark received their first exposure to light, these OPCs engulfed visual processing circuits in the brain, which suggested that they helped regulated connections associated with experience.
With this new position and funding, Cheadle also plans to explore the interaction between the development of nerves in the periphery of the brain and different organs in the body, as well as how immune cells sculpt nerve connectivity.
He is not only studying this development for normal, healthy mice, but is also exploring how these interactions could explain why inflammation has arisen as such an important player in neurodevelopmental dysfunction.
Stillman explained that Cheadle’s work will “have broad implications.”
A talented, balanced team
Cheadle is committed to creating a balanced team of researchers from a variety of backgrounds.
“As principal investigators,” Cheadle said, “we have to actively work to have a diverse lab.”
He has posted advertisements on women’s college forums to garner more applications from women and under represented groups. He has also adopted a mentorship philosophy that focuses on inclusivity.
Cheadle explained that he hopes to be adaptable to the way other people work. Through weekly lab meetings, mentorship arrangements and reciprocal interactions, he hopes to provide common ground for each aspiring scientist.
He recognizes that such goals take extra effort, but he feels the benefits outweigh the costs.
During annual events, Cheadle also leans in to the cultural diversity and differences of his staff. He hosts a pre-Thanksgiving pot luck dinner, where everybody brings a food item that’s important and close to them.
Last year, he made pashofa out of cracked corn that his stepmom sent him from the Chickasaw Nation in Oklahoma. Pashofa is a traditional meat and corn Chickasaw dish. Other lab members brought tropical beverages common in Brazil.
In terms of diversity in science, Cheadle believes such efforts take years to establish. Through an approach that encourages people from different backgrounds to succeed in his lab, Cheadle hopes to share his thoughts and experiences with other researchers.
Cheadle last summer hosted a Chickasaw student on campus to do research. He is working with the Chickasaw Nation to expand that relationship.
As for the Freeman Hrabowski scholars, Vosshall said all HHMI wants to do is “allow everybody to do science.-
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HHMI Chief Scientific Officer Vosshall celebrates benefits of diversity in science
By Daniel Dunaief
It’s not one or the other. She believes in both at the same time. For Leslie Vosshall, Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at Howard Hughes Medical Institute, science and diversity are stronger when research goals and equity work together.
Leslie Vosshall. Photo by Frank Veronsky
That’s the mission of the new and unique HHMI Freeman Hrabowski Scholars program. HHMI this week named 31 inaugural scholars as a part of an effort designed to support promising scientists who provide opportunities to mentor historically under represented groups in research.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Assistant Professor Lucas Cheadle was among the 31 scientists who became HHMI scholars (see related story above), enabling him to receive financial support for the next five years and up to $8.6 million for the next decade.
In an interview, Vosshall said the “special sauce of this group” of scientists who distinguished themselves from among the 1,036 who applied was that they excel as researchers and as supporters of diversity. Bringing in people who may not have had opportunities as scientific researchers not only helps their careers but also enables researchers to take creative approaches to research questions.
“When you bring in people from the ‘out group’ who have been historically excluded, they have an energy of getting into the playing field,” she said. That innovation can translate into successful risk taking.
As an example, Vosshall cited Carolyn Bertozzi, a chemist at Stanford University who shared the 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for helping to develop the field of bioorthogonal chemistry, which involves a set of reactions in which scientists study molecules and their interactions in living things without interfering with natural processes.
Her lab developed the methods in the late 1990’s to answer questions about the role of sugars in biology, to solve practical problems and to develop better tests for infectious diseases. “This scrappy band of women chemists tried this crazy stuff” which provided “massive innovations in chemical biology,” Vosshall said. Mainstream science often solidifies into a groove in which the same thing happens repeatedly. “Innovation comes from the edges,” she added.
In her own to hire staff in her lab, Vosshall has taken an active approach to find candidates from under served communities. “People who have pulled themselves up have worked so hard to get to where they are,” she said. “It’s important to dig deeper to find talent everywhere.”
Keeping away from the off-ramp
The number of under represented groups in science has improved over the last few decades. Indeed, when Vosshall joined Rockefeller University, where she is the Robin Chemers Neustein Professor, she couldn’t count 10 women faculty. Now, 23 years later, that number has doubled.
The number of people in under represented groups in graduate programs has increased. The problem, Vosshall said, is that they “take the off-ramp” from academic science” because they don’t always feel “welcome in the labs.” Supporting diversity will keep people in academic science, who can and will make important discoveries in basic and translational science.
As a part of the Freeman Hrabowski program, HHMI plans to survey people who were trainees in these labs to ask about their mentoring experience. By tracking how developing scientists are doing, HHMI hopes to create a blueprint for building diversity.
HHMI has hired a consultant who will analyze the data, comparing the results for the results and career trajectories. The research institute will publish a paper on the outcome of the first cohort. Researchers in this first group will not only receive money, but will also have an opportunity to interact with each other to share ideas.
New approach
When Vosshall earned her PhD, she considered an alternative career. She bought a training book for the Legal Scholastic Aptitude Test and considered applying to law school, as she was “fed up with how I was treated and fed up with science”
Nonetheless, Vosshall, who built a successful scientific career in which she conducts research into olfactory cues disease-bearing insects like mosquitoes seek when searching for humans, remained in the field.
To be sure, Vosshall and HHMI aren’t advocating for principal investigators to hire only people from under represented groups. The promising part of this scholarship is that HHMI found it difficult to get the final number down to 31, which “makes me optimistic that the [scientific and mentorship] talent is out there,” she said. Over the next decade, HHMI plans to name about 30 Freeman Hrabowski scholars every other year. If each lab provides research opportunities across different levels, this will help create a more diverse workforce in science, which, she said, benefits both prospective researchers and science.
A scene from 'Peter Pan and Wendy' Photo from Disney +
Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel
Peter Pan traces his roots back to 1902. Created by Scottish author J.M. Barrie, the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up first appeared in The Little White Bird before being placed center stage in Barrie’s play, Peter Pan (1904). In many stage incarnations, Peter was most often played by a young-looking actress, notably Maud Adams, Mary Martin (the 1954 Broadway musical broadcast on television), Sandy Duncan, and Kathy Rigby.
Alexander Molony as Peter Pan. Photo from Disney +
There are dozens of cinematic adaptations, both animated and live-action. The story has been revisited and reinvented from the 1924 silent film, spanning Disney’s memorable (and, for many, definitive) 1953 cartoon, to Robin William’s grown Peter in Hook (1991). Captain Hooks have included Boris Karloff, Hans Conried, Jason Isaacs, Stanley Tucci, and Dustin Hoffman.
Now, Peter Pan and Wendy arrives on Disney+. Based on the Barrie source and Disney’s animated feature, the film’s first half covers no new ground, with the opening scene remain predictably problematic. The standard exposition remains the same, showing the Darlings in the early nineteenth-century nursery. The children play pirates, resist bedtime, the mother sings a lullaby, etc. The new piece is Wendy, the eldest child, being sent away to boarding school, something in which she has no interest. Wendy is frustrated by life’s changes, and she makes the wish never to grow up. A vague nod towards the theme of time threads through the opening and carries lightly throughout.
Ever Anderson as Wendy in a scene from ‘Peter Pan and Wendy’. Photo courtesy of Disney +
The first half of the film feels like a musical without the songs. Each section builds but never quite reaches a climax before shifting to the next moment. Because it offers little original to the well-trod story, the action treads water. However, director David Lowery (who has penned the screenplay with Toby Halbrooks) accelerates the plot by having the pirate’s capture of the children moved to their arrival in Neverland. This allows for a slightly more original second half with a new point of view.
The emphasis in Peter Pan and Wendy is a message of female empowerment, with the most self-actualized Wendy to date. Here, the protagonist works with a misunderstood Tinker Bell and a re-envisioned Princess Tiger Lily. This Peter Pan is truly the story of Wendy Darling, and where it places this focus, it soars. In addition, there are as many girls as boys in Peter’s tribe, and even a few female pirates. The creators present an overall welcome diversity that feels in no way forced and celebrates both the freedom of fantasy and the changing times.
Jude Law as Captain Hook. Photo from Disney +
Also introduced is a revised history of Peter and Captain Hook. Revealed is the friendship between the young Hook—James—and Peter. James left Neverland to search for his mother, creating a schism between them. Hook failed to reconnect with his parent and was rescued and recruited by the pirates, quickly ascending to captainship. The narrative is a bit convoluted, but once clarified, it provides a certain understanding between the enemies and an almost cathartic resolution.
Alexander Molony is a subdued Peter Pan, stronger in the quiet moments but hesitant in the more bombastic. Perhaps, Lowery chose this approach to highlight Wendy’s independence and maturation. Ever Anderson’s Wendy starts hesitantly but builds in power, stature, and depth in the character’s arc. Anderson easily avoids precociousness, offering a likable, humorous, and resourceful center.
Jude Law presents a less flamboyant Captain Hook but cleverly mines the subtlety. His Hook is smoothly wicked yet introspective, genuinely bloodthirsty, and wholly believable, finally owning the character in his unique approach. The underlying sadness enriches his Hook/James. Barely recognizable, Jim Gaffigan eschews the expectation of an over-the-top Smee and leans towards charmingly underplaying. Alyssa Wapanatâhk and Yara Shahidi do their best with the underwritten Tiger Lily and Tinker Bell, with Shahidi’s final interaction with Wendy strongly resonating.
Jim Gaffigan as See. Photo from Disney +
The almost traditional screenplay has flashes of wit, but more would have been welcome. Peter Pan and Wendy is visually striking, with a darker but evocative palate provided by cinematographer Bojan Bazelli and production designer Jade Healy. The flying effects feel natural, and the sword fighting well-staged. Daniel Hart composed a score that neatly blends traditional “Disney adventure” with a hint of New Age. Cleverly, a running joke makes use of The Pirates of Penzance.
It remains to be seen where this version will land. Compared unfavorably to the popular Robin Williams — Dustin Hoffman Hook? Placed ahead of the disastrous 2014 live event (with Allison Williams and Christopher Walken)? Or left in the forgotten netherworld of the 1976 television special (with Mia Farrow and Danny Kaye)? In the meantime, a handsome, mostly engaging, but somewhat uneven Peter Pan and Wendy will fly across screens for the present.
James Rossie conducting field work at Lake Turkana. Photo by Susanne Cote
By Daniel Dunaief
Dead men might not tell tales but fossilized apes and the soil around them may change a narrative. That’s what happened recently when a large collaboration of researchers gathered clues from an ape fossil in Moroto, Uganda that lived 21 million years ago and from a detailed analysis of the soil.
James Rossie in his lab. Photo by Emily Goble
Scientists have long thought apes started climbing upright, which is an important evolutionary step, all those years ago to reach fruit in a habitat dense with trees. Recent evidence from two publications in the journal Science, however, suggest that the habitat included grassland and woodlands.
James Rossie, Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Stony Brook University, studied the teeth of the fossil, called Morotopithecus, to determine what this ancient ape ate.
“The important thing about the teeth of Morotopithecus is a shift towards folivory” or leaf eating, Rossie said. “The surface of the molars were elongated with well-developed crests” which indicate that this primate consumed leaves rather than fruit.
By contrast, molars of animals that eat fruit are more rounded. Additionally, carbon isotope dating of the enamel suggest that they fed on water-stressed plants. This discovery and analysis changes not only the narrative of this particular ape species, but also of the evolutionary progression and habitat of primates.
A rendering of ancient apes foraging in trees. Image courtesy of Corbin Rainbolt
This analysis indicated that apes lived in areas of open woodlands, where there were patches of trees separated by stretches of grassland about 10 million years earlier than scientists originally believed. During the miocene period, they would have had to evade predators such as Simbakubwa, an extinct carnivore that was larger than a lion.
“It was very unexpected that an ape with upright, versatile climbing abilities was living in a seasonal woodland with open, grassy patches, rather than in a closed tropical forest,” said Laura MacLatchy, a Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Michigan and the leader on the study.
“The findings have transformed what we thought we knew about early apes, and the origins for where, when and why they navigate through the trees and on the ground in multiple different ways,” Robin Bernstein, Program Director for Biological Anthropology at the National Science Foundation, said in a statement. “The effort outlines a new framework for future studies regarding ape evolutionary origins.”
The fossils Rossie and his colleagues examined including the lower part of a face, the palate, upper teeth, a couple of vertebrae, the lower jaw, and a complete femur. It’s unclear if these fossils came from one individual or from a collection of apes. With considerable wear and tear on the teeth of the upper jaw, the owner of those bones was an adult, Rossie said.
The mandible of an ancient ape with the left molar enlargement inset. Photo by Laura MacLatchy
By studying the bones as puzzle pieces that fill in a narrative, researchers concluded that the smaller, thick femur, or thigh, bone helped the ape climb quickly and effectively up the trunks of trees.
The longer legs of a human push us away from trees, making it harder to climb, while the shorter, sturdy legs of an ape enable it to get closer to the trunk and reach lower branches quickly.
Apes that fed on leaves would likely have had larger bodies to accommodate the need for a longer digestive tract. A heavier animal that navigated through trees would run the risk of falling to the ground if their weight caused a branch to break.
By climbing upright, apes could distribute their weight more evenly over several branches, enabling them to maneuver through the trees to the leaves while reducing the strain they put on any one branch.
In a second paper published together as a part of this analysis, soil researchers studied the environment at Moroto and at several other sites of similar age across eastern Africa.These soil scientists determined that the early habitat included forests and grasslands.
Cooperative work
Rossie believes the work of numerous scientists over a long period of time not only represents a paradigm shift in thinking about ape evolution and the environment in Africa, but also in the way scientists across a wide range of expertise collaborate.
James Rossie conducting field work at Lake Turkana. Photo by Susanne Cote
The researchers who trained Rossie and his colleagues were more competitive and guarded, he said. They didn’t share information with each other about their findings and wanted other researchers to learn about their findings through journal publications.
“We decided to take a different strategy” about a dozen years ago, he said. “It occurred to us that these separate silo attempts to reconstruct these environments were incompatible, with different methods and strategies. We couldn’t put it together into a coherent picture.”
By working together with the same methods, the scientists had comparable data and developed a coherent picture. Such broad collaborations across a range of fields required a “bit of a leap of faith,” he added. The scientists knew and trusted each other.
Indeed, Rossie and MacLatchy have known each other since the early 2000s when MacLatchy first asked Rossie to study other fossils.
Bringing numerous researchers across a range of expertise was a “game theory experiment,” Rossie added. Researchers could have published smaller papers about each site more quickly, but chose to combine them into the more meaningful synthesis.
MacLatchy suggested that the work on this project that involved sharing data across multiple sites, as well as joining forces in a range of expertise, makes it possible to reconstruct habitats with much greater detail.
“We are also able to obtain a regional perspective, which is not possible if interpretations are based on individual fossil sites,” she said. “I’d like to think this kind of collaboration will become standard.”
A resident of Centerport, Rossie is a hockey fan and is pulling for the Islanders.
He enjoys studying teeth because a single tooth can provide considerable information about an animal’s place among other species and about its strategies for getting and processing food.
His professional studies have come full circle. As a college junior at St. Lawrence University, he attended a field school run by Harvard University and the National Museum of Kenya at Lake Turkana. Almost every moment of that experience made him more eager to pursue paleontology as a career.
“As fate would have it, my field project is now centered on an area on the west side of Lake Turkana that I first visited back in 1995,” he explained.
The Turkana Basin Institute serves as his home base during the field season and he is grateful for their ongoing logistical support.
As for future work, Rossie is studying the fossils of at least four different species of apes in Lake Turkana in Kenya.
The medical community doesn’t universally agree about the value of milk and dairy consumption for preventing osteoporosis and fractures later in life. The prevalence of osteoporosis in the U.S. is increasing as the population ages. If you are over 50, your risk for osteoporosis should be on your radar. Fifty percent of women and 25 percent of men will break a bone due to osteoporosis in their lifetimes, according to the Bone Health & Osteoporosis Foundation (1).
Hip fractures are most concerning, because they increase mortality risk dramatically. In addition, more than 50 percent of hip fracture survivors lose the ability to live independently (2).
Does dairy consumption make a difference for osteoporosis risk?
The importance of drinking milk for strong bones has been drilled into us since we were toddlers. Milk has calcium and is fortified with vitamin D, so milk could only be helpful, right? Not necessarily.
The data is mixed, but studies indicate that milk may not be as beneficial as we have been led to believe. Even worse, it may be harmful. The operative word here is “may.”
The results of a large, observational study involving men and women in Sweden showed that milk may actually be harmful (3). When comparing those who consumed three or more cups of milk daily to those who consumed less than one, there was a 93 percent increased risk of mortality in women between the ages of 39 and 74. There was also an indication of increased mortality based on dosage.
For every one glass of milk consumed there was a 15 percent increased risk of death in these women. There was a much smaller, but significant, three percent per glass increased risk of death in men. For both men and women, biomarkers that indicate higher levels of oxidative stress and inflammation were found in the urine.
This 20-year study was eye-opening. We cannot make any decisive conclusions, only associations, since it’s not a randomized controlled trial. It does get you thinking, though. The researchers surmise that milk has high levels of D-galactose, a simple sugar that may increase inflammation and ultimately contribute to this potentially negative effect.
Ironically, the USDA recommends that, from 9 years of age through adulthood, we consume about three cups of dairy per day (4).
Previous studies show milk may not be beneficial for preventing osteoporotic fractures. Specifically, in a meta-analysis that used data from the Nurses’ Health Study for women and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study for men, neither men nor women saw any benefit from milk consumption in preventing hip fractures (5).
In a 2020 meta-analysis of an array of past studies, researchers concluded that increased consumption of milk and other dairy products did not lower osteoporosis and hip fracture risks (6).
Does calcium supplementation reduce risk?
We know calcium is a required element for strong bones, but do supplements really prevent osteoporosis and subsequent fractures? Again, the data are mixed, but supplements may not be the answer for those who are not deficient.
In a meta-analysis involving a group of observational studies, there was no statistically significant improvement in hip fracture risk in those men or women ingesting at least 300 mg of calcium from supplements and/or food daily (7).
The researchers did not differentiate the types of foods containing calcium. In a group of randomized controlled trials analyzed in the same study, those taking 800 to 1,600 mg of calcium supplements per day also saw no increased benefit in reducing nonvertebral fractures. In fact, in four clinical trials the researchers actually saw an increase in hip fractures among those who took calcium supplements. A weakness of this large study is that vitamin D baseline levels, exercise and phosphate levels were not considered in the analysis.
Does supplementing vitamin D reduce risk?
Finally, though the data are not always consistent for vitamin D, when it comes to fracture prevention, it appears it may be valuable. In a meta-analysis involving 11 randomized controlled trials, vitamin D supplementation resulted in a reduction in fractures (8). When patients were given a median dose of 800 IUs (ranging from 792 to 2,000 IUs) of vitamin D daily, there was a significant 14 percent reduction in nonvertebral fractures and an even greater 30 percent reduction in hip fractures in those who were 65 years and over. However, vitamin D in lower levels showed no significant ability to reduce fracture risk.
Where does that leave us?
Our knowledge of dietary approaches is continually evolving. Milk and dairy may be an example of this. No definitive statement can be made about calcium, although even in randomized controlled trials with supplements, there seemed to be no significant benefit. However, the patients in these trials were not necessarily deficient in calcium nor vitamin D.
In order to get benefit from vitamin D supplementation to prevent fracture, older patients may need at least 800 IUs per day, which is the Institute of Medicine’s recommended amount for a population relatively similar to the one in the study.
Remember that studies, though imperfect, are better than tradition alone. Treatment and prevention approaches should be individualized, and deficiencies in vitamin D or calcium should usually be treated, of course. Please, talk to your doctor before adding or changing any supplements.
Dr. David Dunaief is a speaker, author and local lifestyle medicine physician focusing on the integration of medicine, nutrition, fitness and stress management. For further information, visit www.medicalcompassmd.com or consult your personal physician.
The Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHoF) it is now accepting applications for their 2023 Student Scholarship program. The Deadline for applications is Friday, May 12th, 2023.
“For over a decade, the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame has been delighted to distribute tens of thousands of dollars for scholarships, providing support to numerous aspiring professional musicians and music teachers,” said Tom Needham, LIMEHOF Education Committee Chairman.
LIMEHoF will award $500 scholarships to graduating students. These scholarships will provide funding for eligible graduating high school students from Nassau, Suffolk, Brooklyn, Queens, or Kings (Brooklyn) Counties who have shown an interest in pursuing a career in music. To apply and to read the eligibility requirements, please download the scholarship application (https://www.limusichalloffame.org/scholarshipsgrants/).
Student ScholarshipsApplications Deadline: Friday May 12th, 2023
All applications must be postmarked by the application due date in order to be accepted.
The LIMHOF Education Committee will base selections on the completed application and the following:
400 to 500-word essay on education and career goals
High school transcript
Letter of recommendation from an individual who can attest to the applicant’s commitment to a music career
Eligibility criteria is:
Graduating high school senior from Nassau, Suffolk, Brooklyn (Kings) or Queens counties
Minimum 2.5 GPA
Accepted full-time at an accredited college or university
Demonstrated interest in pursuing a career in music
Demonstrate Financial need
U.S. citizen or legal resident with I-55 permanent residency
Founded in 2004, the Long Island Music Hall of Fame is a 501(c) (3) organization dedicated to the idea that Long Island’s musical heritage is an important resource to be celebrated and preserved for future generations. The organization, which encompasses New York State’s Nassau, Suffolk, Queens, and Kings (Brooklyn) Counties, was created as a place of community that inspires and explores Long Island music in all its forms. To date, the organization has inducted more than 120 musicians and music industry executives, and also offers education programs and scholarships, and awards to Long Island students and educators.
Dr. Harold Paz. Photo by Stony Brook Medicine/Jeanne Neville
Harold “Hal” Paz, MD, MS, has been appointed to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Accelerating Treatments and Improving Quality of Life committee. As a member of the committee, Dr. Paz, Executive Vice President for Health Sciences at Stony Brook University and the Chief Executive Officer at Stony Brook University Medicine, will conduct a study to identify and recommend key actions for the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to undertake to make amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) a livable disease within a decade.
“I’m delighted to have an opportunity to serve on this committee,” said Dr. Paz. “It is an honor to be a part of a group working collaboratively to support ALS therapeutic development. Through this work, we hope to accelerate promising developments that will improve the quality of life of affected individuals and their families.”
ALS is a rapidly progressive, invariably fatal neurological disease. There are currently no treatments to stop or reverse the disease, although various FDA-approved formulations may extend life by several months. Stony Brook Medicine is the home of the Stony Brook Neuromuscular Disease and Christopher Pendergast ALS Center of Excellence, an ALS Association Certified Center providing comprehensive diagnosis and treatment for patients of all ages with neuromuscular disorders. This distinction recognizes Stony Brook’s collaborative approach and its ability to provide the highest quality care for people with ALS and their families.
The National Academies study, which is congressionally mandated and sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, will consider the landscape of ALS therapeutic development, care, services, and supports. Dr. Paz and the rest of the committee will develop a report with recommendations for key actions that federal agencies, the pharmaceutical industry, and nongovernmental organizations can take, including identifying opportunities for collaboration.
With over 25 years of leadership in health services and academic medicine, Dr. Paz has established himself as a nationally renowned healthcare leader with a unique combination of expertise in both academic medical centers and a Fortune 50 company. Dr. Paz is a recognized visionary who advocates a comprehensive model to address the health and wellness of individuals and communities in a rapidly evolving society. Throughout his career, Dr. Paz’s research has focused on quality management, clinical outcomes, healthcare effectiveness and employee health benefit design. He has authored over 100 publications on these topics.
Beyond his roles at Stony Brook University and Stony Brook University Medicine, Dr. Paz serves on the National Academy of Medicine Leadership Consortium, the board of directors of Research!America, the Curai Health advisory board and has served on the boards of Select Medical Corporation, United Surgical Partners International, the Association of American Medical Colleges, the Association of Academic Health Centers and the National Health Council.
Photo Caption: Harold L. Paz, MD, MS, Executive Vice President for Health Sciences at Stony Brook University and the Chief Executive Officer, Stony Brook University Medicine, appointed to National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine ALS Committee.
Credit: Photo by Stony Brook Medicine/Jeanne Neville
The Whaling Museum & Education Center, 301 Main St., Cold Spring Harbor will host its annual craft brew tasting event, Whales, Ales and Salty Tales on June 3 from 2 to 5 p.m. with a special VIP hour from 1 to 2 p.m.
The Whaling Museum invites adults age 21+ to join them for craft beer tastings provided by Long Island breweries including Blind Bat Brewery (Centerport), Destination Unknown Beer Company (Bayshore),Ghost Brewing Company (Bayshore), Great South Bay Brewery (Bayshore), Jones Beach Brewing Company (Long Island Location TBD), Long Beach Brewing Company (Oceanside), Secatogue Brewing Company (West Islip), and Take Two Brewery (Bayshore), with more to come.
“Whales & Ales is one of our signature events. We are delighted to get very positive feedback from the community every year. The historic spin on enjoying local brews makes our program unique from other similar events, ” said Nomi Dayan, Executive Director of The Whaling Museum & Education Center.
In addition to tastings from new brewers, this indoor/outdoor event will include a brand-new activity for attendees to partake in. Each ticket includes the chance to try your hand at the signature craft of whalers, scrimshaw. With the help of museum educators, attendees can design their own scrimshaw-style keychain to take home after viewing some of the museum’s impressive scrimshaw collection throughout the museum.
“We are excited to welcome back breweries that attended last year and to announce some new breweries participating for the very first time! We are honored to have them showcase their finest brews with us. New this year we are offering our scrimshaw craft for attendees to design and take home their own scrimshaw-style keychain. We hope it will be a special memento for supporting a good cause while having a great time with friends and enjoying brews!” said Gina Van Bell, Assistant Director, The Whaling Museum & Education Center.
Attendees will be immersed in the who, what, and why of whaling in the 19th century during our Whaleboat Chats presented by museum educators twice throughout the event. These talks will take place around our 19th century whaleboat, the star of the museum’s permanent collection and the only fully equipped whaleboat in New York State with all its original gear.
Brewers will host chats in our workshop twice throughout the event during “Ale Tales”. This gives attendees an opportunity to hear about the brewing process firsthand.
Also included in the day’s activities are live acoustic music with The Other Two, Acoustic Duoperforming classics from the 60s, 70s, and 80s sponsored by Evolution Piping, Steamfitters of NY and the option to stop by our food truck for the day, All American Wontons, offering delicious handheld wontons in a variety of flavors.
Advanced registrants will receive a commemorative tasting cup sponsored by Mercedes of Huntington. Tickets purchased at the door will also receive a cup while supplies last.
General admission tickets are $40, museum members pay $30 and designated drivers can purchase tickets for $15. VIP admission tickets are $70 and include 1pm entry time and a 2023 event t-shirt. Museum members can purchase VIP tickets for $60. Advance tickets are limited, and tickets purchased at the door are $5 more per ticket. The 2023 event t-shirts are sponsored by H&M Powles Marina. Purchase tickets here.
This event supports the museum’s community education programming and helps the museum raise important funds to continue offering innovative and creative programming throughout the year.
This is a 21 and over event, photo ID will be checked at the door. There are still more opportunities for local businesses to get involved. Interested companies can contact Gina Van Bell at 631-367-3418 ext. 12 or [email protected].
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About The Whaling Museum & Education Center
The Whaling Museum & Education Center is the only museum in the world open year-round which explores the whaling history of the Long Island region. The Museum engages the community in exploring the diversity of our whaling heritage and its impacts to enrich and inform our lives. The museumis located at 301 Main Street, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724. Visit cshwhalingmuseum.org and follow The Whaling Museum on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter@cshwhalingmuseum
Legislator Bontempi addresses the attendees at last year’s Veteran’s Appreciation Breakfast.
Legislator Stephanie Bontempi (R-18th L.D.), along with her colleagues in government, Assemblymen Keith Brown (R-12th A.D.) and Steve Stern (D-10th A.D.), are gearing up for another Veterans Appreciation Breakfast in May. Last year’s breakfast was a great success, with veterans from all points of Huntington and some surrounding communities.
“We can never do enough for our veterans,” said Bontempi. “Having events like these where veterans can gather is tremendously valuable, as it stokes camaraderie while giving us a chance to show how much we appreciate them.”
This year’s installment of the annual breakfast is sure to attract an even bigger and more diverse crowd of veterans, not only because of its ever-growing notoriety, but also because of the new district lines associated with Assemblymen Brown and Stern. For instance, the 10th Assembly District now includes part of Nassau County. While the breakfast is more Huntington-centric in nature, Veterans from nearby areas are more than welcome to participate.
“Suffolk County is proud and very lucky to be home to the largest veteran population in New York State,” added Bontempi. “These veterans are a constant source of inspiration to everyone, and I am very much looking forward to seeing them at the breakfast.”
The 2023 Veterans Appreciation Breakfast is taking place on May 19th, from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM, at the American Legion Post 360, located at 1 Mill Dam Road in Huntington. Veterans interested in attending need to pre-register with their contact information and number of guests (maximum of 2) via email at [email protected] or via phone at 631-854-4500.
Stony Brook University Professor Harold Metcalf has been selected as the Optica (formerly OSA), Advancing Optics and Photonics Worldwide 2023 recipient of the Esther Hoffman Beller Medal. Metcalf, a distinguished teaching professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy in the College of Arts and Sciences, is being honored for outstanding mentorship of undergraduate students in hands-on optics research and for organizing an annual symposium for students to present their work during the Frontier in Optics/Laser Science (FiO/LS) conference.
The Beller Medal is presented for outstanding contributions to education in optical science and engineering. Consideration is given to the recipient’s outstanding teaching and/or original work in optics education that enhances the understanding of optics. The scope of the award is international, and candidates at every career stage are considered. It is endowed by a bequest from the estate of Esther Hoffman Beller.
“My sincere congratulations to Hal on this momentous achievement,” said Nicole S. Sampson, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and distinguished professor of chemistry. “His dedication to education – from mentorship of students from the high school to graduate level – in addition to his decades-long committment to advancements in optical science, are testament to the promience and recognition of our Physics and Astronomy program at Stony Brook. We are fortunate to have him among our faculty.”
Metcalf was recognized by Optica for being “a dedicated educator and mentor. He created the Laser Teaching Center (LTC) at Stony Brook University, which provides inquiry- and project-based active learning for students from high school to the graduate level. Another of his significant contributions to education is the annual Symposium on Undergraduate Research/LS [sponsored by the Division of Laser Science (DLS) of the American Physical Society] which takes place as part of Frontiers in Optics (FiO/LS). During the Symposium, undergraduate students present their research in oral and poster sessions and network with leading professionals in the field.
Metcalf’s research is focused on optical control of atomic motion, and he was one of the leaders in the earliest experiments of Laser Cooling and Trapping. He has published three textbooks, including “Laser Cooling and Trapping.” Metcalf has also held several visiting appointments, including Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); École normale supérieure (ENS) Paris, France; Utrecht University, Netherlands; University of Bonn, Germany and Beijing Institute for Modern Physics, China.
“This is a richly deserved award, as Hal is such a generous contributor to the Department and the Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics community, particularly to the younger generation,” said Chang Kee Jung, PhD, distinguished professor and chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy. “In addition, Hal made seminal contributions to the field of laser cooling and trapping of neutral atoms. The members of our Department appreciate him greatly, and I am very proud of his accomplishments.”
Metcalf earned his Bachelor’s degree in physics from MIT and his PhD in physics from Brown University. He was a postdoc at Stony Brook University before joining their faculty. Metcalf is a recipient of the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, and is a Fellow of Optica and the American Physical Society.
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