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Lav Varshney and Nina Kshetry at their family's farm in Urbana, Illinois, which Varshney said has been inspirational for recent research on AI methods for predicting impacts of climate change on agriculture.

By Daniel Dunaief

Lav Varshney has made significant contributions to everything from public policy as a White House Fellow to generating  new recipes through the Chef Watson system he helped build at IBM to working at businesses he helped create.

Lav Varshney. Photo courtesy of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

The inaugural director of the Artificial Intelligence Innovation Institute, or AI3, Varshney will arrive at Stony Brook University in August from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he has been a faculty member in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Varshney “has an international profile” and is at the “center of what’s happening at a political and legislative level,” said SBU Provost Carl Lejuez in an interview.

Varshney’s mandate includes building research hubs, supporting mentorships and having an impact on the community as a part of Stony Brook’s downstate flagship status.

“There are a lot of ways where people at Stony Brook and in the community are going to be able to participate” in the use of artificial intelligence, said Lejuez. 

Among numerous other opportunities, Varshney, who will report to Lejuez, will work with Vice Provost for Academic Affairs Amy Cook to build on the ways the university is using AI in the curriculum.

“We’re supporting an infusion” of AI into classrooms, Lejuez continued.

At this point, AI3 is funded with $10 million over the first five years, with some additional financial support to build out his own research interests.

“Our funding is meant to be a seed over these five years,” said Lejuez. AI3 has a “real capacity to grow and bring in significant funding on its own.”

Stony Brook will also continue to benefit from its role in Empire AI, which is a combination of schools supported by Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), with financial backing from the Simons Foundation. Empire AI involves a consortium of public and private institutions, including the University of Buffalo, Binghampton University and the University at Albany, among others. 

SBU appeal

Varshney believes Stony Brook’s growth and commitment to AI are on a “very upward trajectory,” he said. “There are a lot of interesting initiatives and the new institute will hopefully bring them together.”

He hopes to collaborate with members of the campus from medicine, the arts and sciences, engineering, business, and atmospheric sciences to develop AI-driven solutions that have a positive impact on society.

Lab Varshney with Deputy National Security Advisor Anne Neuberger in 2023.

Varshney explained that it’s clear AI is a general-purpose technology.

“We need to work to make sure it quickly diffuses to nearly all society/ industrial/ scholarly sectors to have appropriate impact,” he explained.

From his position on Long Island, where he will also continue to work with Brookhaven National Laboratory on projects including in quantum information science, Varshney plans to continue to work on AI policy and how to make it safe, secure, accessible and adaptable to people’s needs.

The new inaugural head of AI3 encourages members of the community to work with Stony Brook, engaging with the institute and faculty.

“One of the main goals of AI3 is to get AI out into the world where appropriate, so [I] would very much welcome the community and local industry to engage with AI3 so we can learn what could be helpful,” Varshney said.

He plans to listen to faculty, students and community members to learn what could be helpful.

Borrowing from ‘Ironman’

Varshney recognizes that most people struggle to wade through information overload.

“Rather than a scarcity of information, [people have] too much,” he said. “One of the things I’m hoping we can make progress on” is the use of an AI filter to find and share what’s relevant.

Generative AI, in which a computer system “learns” from patterns and combinations of information, can help. Borrowing from the computer helper in Marvel’s Ironman franchise, Varshney suggested a “Jarvis-like assistant that can give you the right information when you need it.”

Varshney recognizes that governments might use information filters to create surveillance or information manipulation.

Varied backgrounds

As an AI expert, Varshney has worked to support government efforts and initiatives, in a corporate setting and for academic institutions.

He contributed to the executive order on AI that President Joe Biden signed at the end of October 2023.

He also co-founded Kocree with former graduate student Haizi Yu. The company uses artificial intelligence to allow users to cut melodies, rhythms and arrangements from music to create novel pieces.

He used the platform to create music for his sister-in-law’s wedding that combined the backgrounds and interests of the two families.

Born in Syracuse, New York, Varshney traces his roots to India. His great, great grandfather on his mother’s side, Ishwar Varshnei left India in 1904 and studied for a year as a special student in Chemical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Varshnei took a boat from Japan, a train from San Francisco, traveled through St. Louis where he saw the World’s Fair, and ended up in Boston, where he was the second Indian to attend MIT. 

After Varshnei returned to India, he became involved in early efforts in glassmaking, applying the science he learned to society.

Also eager to contribute science to society, Varshney is moving from Illinois with his wife Nina Kshetry, whom he describes as “professionally more accomplished than I am.” Kshetry is the founder and president of Ensaras Inc., which specializes in advanced analytics and artificial intelligence solutions for optimizing wastewater plant operations. She is also the co-founder and VP of Circle H20, which is a company that builds waste-to-value and wastewater treatment plants.

Kshetry plans to engage with Stony Brook through the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem as well as with the Department of Civil Engineering/ School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences.

Impressed with all the ways Varshney has deployed AI, Lejuez hopes to provide ongoing support for the new director’s many interests.

“When someone has proven that they can juggle a lot of things at once, I’m going to help continue to make sure they have what they need,” Lejuez said.

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Joe-Pye weed
A Column Promoting a More Earth-Friendly Lifestyle

By John L. Turner

John Turner

An emerging and growing aspect at environmental sustainability has been the embrace by many homeowners to implement a number of positive practices in and around their homes to help wildlife. Perhaps foremost is the idea of landscaping with native plants to support pollinating insects such as bees and butterflies while also being attractive to the human eye. 

Responding to this growing trend of using native plants in residential landscapes,  a number of Long Island based nurseries and other sources have begun to offer a wide variety of native species.  One outstanding source for native plants is the Long Island Native Plant Initiative (LINPI, www.linpi.org), located at the Sisters of Saint Joseph property at 1725 Brentwood Road in Brentwood; it offers a wide variety of attractive native trees, shrubs, wildflowers and grasses for purchase, including more than forty species from which to select.

Joe-Pye weed

These are not only native species but plants which were grown from seeds collected from native species growing here on Long Island, known as our local ‘ecotype.’ These include numerous trees and shrubs such as eastern red cedar, northern bayberry, sumac, and beach plum; wildflowers like milkweeds, asters, Maryland golden-aster, Joe-pye weed, several bush clovers, common evening primrose, and prickly pear cactus, and grasses like little bluestem, purple top, and deer tongue.    

LINPI’s website also contains a helpful plant database that can guide you toward certain species depending on the homeowner’s sun and soil tolerance and other aspects like bloom season, attractiveness to butterflies and birds, or deer resistance.    

Planting native species that support wildlife has never been easier and is a great way to pay our debt to insects that help to sustain human society.

A resident of Setauket, author John L. Turner is a naturalist, conservation co-chair of the Four Harbors Audubon Society, and Conservation Policy Advocate for the Seatuck Environmental Association.

 

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METRO photo

By Luciana Hayes

This Father’s Day locals reflect on the special moments they shared with their fathers throughout their lives. 

TBR News Media asked community members, “What is your favorite memory with your father?”

Andrew Handel

Andrew recalls one on one breakfast with his dad before school. He referred to it as a “kind of special treat” that he cherishes to this day.

Katie Heuzey, Huntington

Katie’s favorite memory with her father was going out to her favorite restaurant, Pancho Villas in Huntington. She remembers her usual order, a burrito with melted cheese, like it was yesterday.

Jeremy Flint, East Setauket

Jeremy shares that his best memory with his father was when he and his brother helped their dad build a shed and clubhouse in their backyard. But the best part was when they got to sign their names next to their hand prints in the cement. Jeremy reflects by saying, “It stuck with me from the time I was a little kid.”

Mary Mantia, Holbrook

Mary remembers the hugs she shared with her father more than anything else. She describes the memories by noting, “He wasn’t a lovable man, but every once in a while we would listen to some music and he would give me a hug and it was just really nice.”

Josette Bianchi, East Setauket

Josette’s fondest memories with her father were Saturday morning hikes at Webster Park in Webster, New York. She recalls there being a tree that fell across a creek and she would treat the tree like a balance beam as she embraced her inner gymnast. She later mentioned, “My dad always encouraged me to try new things and to take chances and not just with that, but in life in general.”

Sevilla Lebowitz, East Setauket

Sevilla’s favorite memories with her father are the weekend beach trips. She recalls learning to fish, swimming, and a lot of unforgettable memories in the sand.

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Pixabay photo

 By Bob Lipinski

Bob Lipinski

Fish stews, soups, and chowders are a popular and integral part of the cuisine in many coastal regions worldwide. These flavorful and substantial dishes have been enjoyed for centuries, featuring a diverse selection of seafood as the primary ingredient. Common additions include potatoes, tomatoes, various vegetables, onions, and other complementary components.

The main distinctions between fish soup and fish stew are liquid content and regional naming. Fish soup generally has a thin, brothy base that is lightly colored. Fish stew is a thicker, heartier dish with larger chunks of fish and less liquid than soup. Some examples of stew are bouillabaisse, brodetto, Cacciucco, Caldeirada, Cioppino, Ciuppin, waterzooi, zarzuela, and Zuppa di Pesce.

The word “chowder” originally referred to a large cooking pot or “chaudière” (cauldron) in French. Fish chowder traditionally has a thicker, richer consistency and includes larger pieces of fish, potatoes, vegetables, and salt pork.

Manhattan clam chowder is a brothy, tomato-based soup featuring clams, potatoes, and various vegetables. Manhattan chowder gets its name from a cookbook, “Soups and Sauces” by Virginia Elliott and Robert Jones (1934), although tomato-based clam chowder recipes existed before. The soup has little to do with New York City’s most popular borough and no one knows for sure why or when the name was given.

New England clam chowder is known for its hearty, creamy base, made with milk or cream, and often thickened with potatoes and a roux, introduced in New England by French, Nova Scotian, or British settlers in the 1700s.

Other states making their version of clam chowder include Connecticut, Florida, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Rhode Island.

Some wines that pair well with these offerings are: 

Lamberti Prosecco “Extra Dry,” DOC, Veneto, Italy. Aromatic and fruity with hints of chamomile, pears, and ginger; flavors of apples, citrus and melon. Pair with bouillabaisse and New England Clam Chowder.

2023 Bolla Soave “Classico,” DOC, Veneto, Italy. Apple, pear, and honeysuckle aromas with flavors of peach, and melon, with a slightly bitter-almond aftertaste. Pair with brodetto and Cioppino.

2023 Bread & Butter Chardonnay, California. Aroma of tropical fruit and buttered toast with hints of vanilla, oak, almonds, and pears. Pair with Cioppino and New England Clam Chowder.

2023 Bread & Butter Pinot Noir, California. Did anyone say spicy cherry, red currant, and raspberry! Notes of tea, bay leaf, cinnamon, and plums. Pair with bouillabaisse and Manhattan Clam Chowder.

2023 Bread & Butter Cabernet Sauvignon, California. Bouquet of black currant, raspberry, and oak with hints of chocolate-cherry, and spices. Pair with Cacciucco and Cioppino.

Bob Lipinski is the author of 10 books, including “101: Everything You Need To Know About Whiskey” and “Italian Wine & Cheese Made Simple” (available on Amazon.com). He consults and conducts training seminars on Wine, Spirits, and Food and is available for speaking engagements. He can be reached at www.boblipinski.com OR [email protected].

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Deer ticks aka blacklegged ticks typically carry Lyme disease.METRO photo
The effects of Lyme disease can be debilitating

By David Dunaief, M.D.

Dr. David Dunaief

Warm weather is imminent and, if you’re like me, you’re looking forward to enjoying more time outside this summer.  

Summer’s arrival also means that tick season is in full swing, although “season” is becoming a misnomer when we refer to ticks. A June 16th New York Times article shared some of the challenges of changing tick behavior and the expansion of tick types and overlapping tick-borne diseases we’re now seeing in the Northeast (1).

The most common of these is Lyme disease, which is typically carried by deer ticks, also known as blacklegged ticks. Deer ticks can be as small as the period at the end of this sentence. The CDC site is a great resource for tick images and typical regions (2).

If a tick bites you, you should remove it with forceps, tweezers or protected fingers (paper) as close to the skin as possible and pull slow and steady straight up. Do not crush or squeeze the tick; doing so may spread infectious disease (3). In a study, petroleum jelly, fingernail polish, a hot kitchen match and 70 percent isopropyl alcohol all failed to properly remove a tick. The National Institutes of Health recommends not removing a tick with oil (4).

When you remove a tick within 36 to 48 hours, your risk of infection is low. However, you can take a prophylactic dose of the antibiotic doxycycline within 72 hours of tick removal if you are not experiencing a bulls-eye rash — a red outer ring and red spot in the center (5). This can significantly lower your risk of developing Lyme disease, although doxycycline does sometimes cause nausea.

Know Lyme symptoms

The three stages of Lyme disease are: early stage, where the bacteria are localized; early disseminated disease, where the bacteria have spread throughout the body; and late stage disseminated disease. Symptoms for early localized stage and early disseminated disease include the bulls-eye rash, which occurs in about 80 percent of patients, with or without systemic symptoms of fatigue, muscle pain and joint pain, headache, neck stiffness, swollen glands, and fever (6).

Early disseminated disease may cause neurological symptoms such as meningitis, cranial neuropathy (Bell’s palsy) and motor or sensory issues. Late disseminated disease can cause Lyme arthritis, heart problems, facial paralysis, impaired memory, numbness, pain and decreased concentration (4).

Lyme carditis is a rare complication affecting 1.1 percent of those with disseminated disease, but it can result in sudden cardiac death (7). If there are symptoms of chest pain, palpitations, light-headedness, shortness of breath or fainting, clinicians should suspect Lyme carditis.

Check for ticks 

The CDC suggests wearing protective clothing, using insect repellent with at least 20 percent DEET and treating your yard. Always check your skin and hair for ticks after spending time outside. Also, remember to check your pets; even if treated, they can carry ticks into the house.

Check for Lyme infection

Lyme disease often can be diagnosed within the clinical setting or with a blood test. However, testing immediately after being bitten by a tick is not useful. It takes about one to two weeks for IgM antibodies to appear and two to six weeks for IgG antibodies (6). These antibodies sometimes will remain elevated even after successful antibiotics treatment.

Remember that a single tick can transfer more than one disease, so you might need testing for other common tick-borne diseases, as well.

Monitor for post-Lyme effects

There is an ongoing debate about whether “chronic Lyme” disease exists. In one analysis of several prospective studies, researchers recognize that there are prolonged neurologic symptoms in a subset population that may be debilitating even after Lyme disease treatment (8). These authors also suggest that there may be post-Lyme disease syndromes with joint pain, muscle pain, neck and back pain, fatigue and cognitive impairment. They note, however, that extended durations of antibiotics do not prevent or alleviate post-Lyme syndromes.

The lingering effects of Lyme can debilitate you and might be a result of systemic inflammation (9). Systemic inflammation and its symptoms can be improved significantly with dietary and other lifestyle modifications.

Prevention is key to helping stem Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. Become diligent about performing tick checks any time you’ve been outside. If you do find a tick, contact your physician immediately about prophylactic treatment.

References: 

(1) “The Tick Situation is Getting Worse. Here’s How to Protect Yourself.” New York Times. 16 June 2025. online. (2) https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/about/where-ticks-live.html. (3) Pediatrics. 1985;75(6):997. (4) nlm.nih.gov. (5) Clin Infect Dis. 2008;47(2):188. (6) uptodate.com. (7) MMWR. 2014;63(43):982-983. (8) Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther. 2011;9(7):787-797. (9) J Infect Dis. 2009;199(9:1379-1388).

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.

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Avocado Superfood Salad

By Heidi Sutton

Summer brings sunshine-filled days along with the season’s bounty of some of the most delicious produce. 

Now is the time to enjoy those in-season fruits and vegetables when they are at the peak of freshness in recipes like Grilled Sweetpotato and Blueberry Salad that offers all the tastes of the season with greens, fresh blueberries, walnuts and blue cheese.

Or try this Avocado Superfood Salad, which combines kale, spinach, walnuts, blueberries, sweet potato, tomatoes and creamy avocados into a tasty, colorful and healthy lunch or dinner.

Grilled Sweetpotato and Blueberry Salad: SEE VIDEO HERE

Recipe courtesy of Culinary.net

Grilled Sweetpotato and Blueberry Salad

YIELD: Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:  

3 medium sweetpotatoes peeled and sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt to taste

pepper to taste

4 cups spring salad mix

1 cup fresh blueberries

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles

lemon wedges for garnish (optional)

Lemon Honey Vinaigrette:

6 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 1/2 tablespoons honey

salt to taste

pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

To make lemon honey vinaigrette: In bowl, mix olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard and honey. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Preheat grill to medium heat. Drizzle sweetpotatoes with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Grill sliced sweetpotatoes on each side about 5 minutes, or until sweetpotatoes are tender and slightly charred. Remove from grill and let cool.

To arrange salad, spread spring salad mix onto large platter and top with grilled sweetpotatoes, blueberries, walnuts and blue cheese crumbles.

Top with lemon honey vinaigrette and garnish with lemon wedges, if desired.

Avocado Superfood Salad

Recipe courtesy of Family Features

Avocado Superfood Salad

YIELD: Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS: 

8 cups kale or baby spinach leaves

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil divided

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt or to taste, divided

1 cup walnuts

1 cup blueberries

1 cup diced cooked sweet potato

1 cup halved grape tomatoes

2 large ripe, fresh California Avocados seeded, peeled and sliced horizontally

vinaigrette dressing for serving

DIRECTIONS:

Slice kale or spinach into fine shreds and place in mixing bowl. With clean hands, massage 1 tablespoon olive oil into shredded greens. Place on serving platter or individual plates and sprinkle with a little salt.

In medium skillet over medium heat, heat remaining oil. Add walnuts and stir to coat. Toast 2-5 minutes, stirring frequently, being careful not to burn walnuts. Remove from pan and let cool slightly. Arrange blueberries, sweet potatoes, grape tomatoes and avocado slices on top of kale and spinach, leaving space for walnuts. Add walnuts to salad and sprinkle with remaining salt. Serve with vinaigrette dressing.

 

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Moxy and Principessa

Adopt Moxy and Principessa!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Introducing this week’s shelter pets, Moxy and Principessa. This endearing brother/sister duo arrived at the Smithtown Animal Shelter after their Dad fell upon hard times and could no longer care for them. They loved their Dad so very much and are having a difficult time adjusting to shelter life. Their ability to love deeply is truly heartwarming, and our greatest wish is to find them a loving home where they can enjoy their golden years.

Moxy is a stunning nine-year-old domestic short-hair orange tabby.  He exudes warmth and affection. Moxy would love nothing more than a chance to bring joy to a lucky family’s heart and home. A little patience and kindness will be rewarded with endless loyalty and companionship. He would do well in a quiet home with other cats and possibly calm dogs, but not children.

Principessa is a gorgeous nine-year-old domestic short-hair torti female.  Her affectionate nature makes her the perfect companion, ready to share her love and warmth with a caring family. Expect a double dose of purring, lap naps, and snuggles while in the company of this sweet pair. Principessa would thrive in most home environments, including those with older kids, other cats, and possibly calm dogs.

These two lovely siblings bring double the love and companionship—if you’re looking to add warmth and joy to your home, consider opening your heart to Moxy and Principessa. They’re ready to shower their new family with endless love!

If you are interested in meeting  Moxy and Principessa please fill out an application to schedule time to properly interact with them in a domestic setting.

All of the felines at the Shelter are current on vaccines and have received a full workup (blood work, Feline HIV & Leukemia tested, physical exam etc) by a board certified Veterinarian.

The Town of Smithtown Animal & Adoption Shelter, 410 Middle Country Road, Smithtown is open Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Sundays and Wednesday evenings by appointment only). For more information, call 631-360-7575.

 

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METRO photo

By Daniel Dunaief

Daniel Dunaief

Amid efforts to revisit budgets and cut federal spending, numerous initiatives have cut, frozen or threatened to reduce contributions to science.

Such approaches, through the Big Beautiful Bill and the Fiscal Year 2026 budget, threaten the future of research.

“Science funding is critical, and paying the full costs of scientific research is important,” explained Kevin Gardner, Vice President for Research and Innovation at Stony Brook University. “We pay the full price for defense contractors and don’t expect them to lose money doing important work for the federal government. Universities are the same.”

Indeed, in the Big Beautiful Bill, cuts to Medicaid threaten health care, which could have implications for the care hospital patients receive as well and the health of local hospitals themselves.

“Cuts to Medicaid indeed are a tremendous threat both to our community and to those that rely on the medicaid program and to the hospitals and academic medical centers that treat patients,” Gardner added. “They threaten the viability of academic medical centers across the country, including Stony Brook.”

Cuts to Medicaid funding may also strain state budgets, which may affect state university funding as well.

Even as senators prepare to review the Big Beautiful Bill, which passed a contested House by a single vote and that has some Republicans expressing buyer’s remorse, Gardner worried about federal research support.

“I remain very concerned about research funding,” Gardner wrote in an email. “I sometimes hear hopeful things, but overall I am not confident at all that the robust research funding that has driven prosperity across the US will continue.”

Gardner and co-author Michael Kinch, Chief Innovation Officer at Stony Brook, wrote an opinion piece in STAT News.

Half of all the drugs approved in the United States from 2020 to 2024 had key patents from academic universities. Most of that work was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), according to their opinion piece.

And yet, the administration has shared a proposed budget for 2026 that cuts National Institutes of Health funding by 43 percent compared with 2025 levels, according to STAT  News.

While spending less might appear beneficial in the short term, it threatens innovation, people’s health and future economic gains that might have otherwise come from research.

In dollars and cents, the return on investment from every dollar of NIH spending on research leads to $2.46 in economic activity overall, according to Bruce Stillman, President and CEO of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL).

Cutting back not only has economic consequences but could affect training opportunities for future researchers.

Investments in basic scientific research, such as the kind done at CSHL “fuels innovation, boosts the economy, and paves the way to key medical advances,” Stillman wrote in the president’s essay.

The messages, policies and words from the Trump administration and some of the members of his cabinet have suggested that they are prepared to cut science funding by as much as 50 percent, according to the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Political leaders from both sides of the aisle generally understand the value and importance of science, said Gardner.

These leaders, regardless of their party, need to stand up for the health and well-being of their constituents and the strength of the economy today and in the future by supporting science.

In the meantime, leaders in other countries have sensed a huge opening and are offering the best and brightest current and future scientists impressive and attractive packages to work in other institutions. These packages have worked for some scientists, who have decided to pursue their research interests on foreign soil, the way so many scientists from earlier decades used to do in the United States.

Our American politicians must stand for more than whatever their parties or their party leaders want or demand, particularly now. Yes, the country needs to make hard choices. Voting for science funding, supporting grants that have already passed through a rigorous screening process, and encouraging the kinds of questions that lead to a better future, should not be one of them.

That includes basic research, which is different from translational research.

“I visited a lab yesterday and was shown a new type of microscope that allowed a new way to observe living cells divide,” Gardner explained. “We don’t know what the new discoveries will be from that work, but we can imagine all the ways cell division contributes to health and disease.”

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Yuka Mobile App. Photo from Yuka Facebook

By Leah S. Dunaief

Leah Dunaief,
Publisher

In a world of apps, I have recently added two to my cellphone. One has to do with what we eat. The other tells me what birdsong I am hearing. Both are useful and please me, so I will share them with you if you haven’t already discovered them.

The first is Yuka.

“The app prompts users to scan the bar codes of foods and personal care items—in grocery stores and at home—and then offers a score out of 100 to indicate how ‘healthy’ it is for you or the environment,” according to The New York Times, where I learned of this clever app. 

When you touch the icon, a scanner opens. Then all you have to do is position the bar code of the product in the box provided on the screen, and you are immediately rewarded with both a specific number and a verdict.

It’s an irresistible toy. I went running around the house, first to the pantry in the kitchen, then the bathroom and the bedroom, pointing at items I use. 

I was often shocked. The first bottle I evaluated was a peanut salad dressing I use frequently. It came out with a score of 24/100 and the word “bad.” Who knew? The app further broke down the rating by listing negatives: additives (1 limited risk), sugar (10 grams too sweet), sodium (220mg too much), and calories (120 a bit too caloric). It then went on to list the positives: protein (2g some protein), fiber (0.9g some fiber), and saturated fat (1g low impact).

Sadly, since I like the flavor so much, the app could not offer a better alternative for this dressing under “recommendations.” 

On the other hand, a green lentil pasta I enjoy is rated 100/100 excellent. No additives, no synthetic herbicides and therefore organic, excellent amount of protein (21g), excellent amount of fiber (9g), no saturated fat, low sugar (1g), and no sodium. The only negative was its caloric count: a bit too caloric (310 calories). That was all welcome news.

Now I am going to have to stop putting the peanut dressing on the pasta and find some other topping, perhaps Silver Palate Marinara sauce with low salt, which was rated excellent at 75/100.

It was fun checking out my foods on a rainy Saturday afternoon.

Originally introduced in France in 2017, this app came to the United States in 2022 and has more than 40 million followers now. Yuka uses an algorithm to score the products based on 3 parts: nutritional quality (60 percent), additives and their risk (30 percent) and organic (10 percent). As you might guess, high protein and high fiber are “good,” high sugar, sodium, saturated fats and calories are “bad.” 

This app is just one offering toward the goal of eating healthy, but it can help.

Merlin Bird ID mobile app

The second app is one for the birds. Literally. It’s called Merlin Bird ID and it will tell you what birds are singing nearby. The way it works, I guess, is that it records the bird sounds, then matches them up with its data base of birdsong. At the moment when I am writing this, the Merlin Bird has identified the American Robin in my backyard. It has also shown me a picture. 

Again, it’s great fun knowing who else is in the neighborhood. Oops, the Robin has just been joined by a Gray Catbird, a Song Sparrow, a Northern Cardinal and a Yellow Warbler. I wonder if they are talking to each other or just thinking out loud.

The other day, when I thought I was surrounded by half a dozen birds, my app told me it was just a Mockingbird holding court.

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File photo by Kyle Barr

Driving to work in the morning, we may brace ourselves for the pothole that, day-after-day, violently shakes our car as we drive over it. However, one day to our delight, we notice it is filled with smooth asphalt. Then, we may decide to stop for coffee at a recently opened shop before heading to work. We take a detour to avoid traffic near a new housing development.

From the pothole, to the new coffee shop, to the traffic, the rhythms of our days are shaped by our elected officials and the decisions they make on behalf of the community.

As the conduit for local news, we hear residents’ opinions on development, infrastructure, funding, open space, historical preservation, economic growth and policy. These issues are constantly topics of discussion, and rightfully so. The decisions our town and village officials make in these areas shape our lives: where we shop and live,  and how much we pay in taxes. We all have opinions on the decisions local officials make. June 17 is the day we can act. 

Our local elected officials have the power to make changes that could impact us for years after they leave office. As their constituents, we are their guides and as voters we choose and empower the decision-makers. What do we want our community’s future to look like and which candidate will take us there? 

We give local elections less thought and focus, especially when compared to the highly publicized federal elections. Over half of eligible voters turn out for federal elections while fewer than a quarter vote in local elections. 

In May, residents voted on their district’s budget, and if there were available seats on the board, for school board trustees. In the Huntington Union Free School District, only about 1,000 residents voted out of the 24,000 registered voters in the district, according to the district website. That amounts to around 4%. 

School board trustees could have a significant impact on the quality of education and programming. What the children in that district learn, what clubs they join, and what amenities the building offers can be altered by school boards. Our elections have concrete implications, not only during a two or four-year term, but in decades to follow. 

This month, we are voting for the mayor and trustees of Port Jefferson Village and for town supervisor and several board members for the towns of Smithtown and Huntington. In November, we will vote for our congress members, assembly members and senators.

To work towards what we envision for our community, and to protect the parts we value, we must do our part and vote. 

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