Community

Stony Brook University: Entrance sign

Climate change is the most pressing issue of our time. Stony Brook University is honored to be a finalist for the historic Governors Island Center for Climate Solutions. Stony Brook University is under consideration by the City of New York and the Trust for Governors Island to become the anchor institution that will reimagine Governors Island, creating a global hub for climate science research and innovation.

If selected from among three other institutions, Stony Brook University will build the New York Climate Exchange — an ambitious new marketplace for investment and collaboration around solving the climate crisis. Featuring an innovative campus dedicated to sustainability and climate justice, the Exchange will generate transformative environmental, economic, technical, and social solutions without leaving any community behind.

“We are extremely excited to continue to be in the running for tackling one of the most urgent causes of our time, the climate crisis. We thank the Trust for Governors Island for recognizing Stony Brook University as a finalist,” said Stony Brook University President Maurie McInnis. “Looking forward, we hope to be able to put our longstanding commitment, expertise, strength and unparalleled research capabilities to work to benefit our community, our region, our country and our planet through Governors Island’s transformational initiative … The New York Climate Exchange.”

Key elements of The New York Climate Exchange include:

  • An engaging and interactive living laboratory with 335,000 square feet of green designed building space, including research labs, classroom space, exhibits, greenhouses, mitigation technologies, and housing facilities.

  • A Research and Technology Accelerator that will source and nurture ideas, projects, and new ventures dedicated to solving the climate crisis.

  • Green jobs training, doubling the number of green job trainees from 16,000 to 32,000 within ten years.

  • Partnerships and collaborative grant opportunities with community-based organizations already working to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

  • A Citizens Advisory Council, composed of key local stakeholders to ensure that partners’ and neighbors’ voices are heard and amplified as we jointly develop and implement new climate solutions, including those of low-income communities of color.

  • A self-sufficient community that goes “beyond zero” toward net positive sustainability.

  • Academic programs that prepare students at every level for careers focused on climate change solutions and environmental justice with hands-on learning, including a semester “abroad” on Governors Island, fellowship and internship programs, and continuing education.

Stony Brook University is the leading public research university in the greater NYC area, and a proud member of the SUNY system. Its areas of foremost academic distinction include its School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, and the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science. Alongside Stony Brook University, the New York Climate Exchange’s founding partners include Brookhaven National Laboratory, University of Oxford, and University of Washington. Additional academic partners include Columbia University, Stanford University, Yale University, University of Tokyo, SUNY Maritime College, and Rochester Institute of Technology.

Stony Brook has invested in partnerships with more than 20 local organizations and unions including We Act for Environmental Justice, Good Old Lower East Side, 32BJ, New York City Employment and Training Coalition, the Urban Assembly New York Harbor School, the Museum of the City of New York, and more. A full list of current partners can be found on the Governors Island website.

Do you know a lot about movies? Then join the Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington for Movie Trivia Night: At Home Edition on Monday, Jan. 3 at 8 p.m. hosted by Daniel French. Tickets are $10, $7 members. To sign up, visit www.cinemaartscentre.org.

How do I play? 
It’s simple! When you purchase your ticket, you will provide a valid email address for admission. This email address will receive a Zoom meeting code and password.
What do I need to play? 
You will need two electronic devices – preferably a computer/laptop/iPad and a smartphone. We will use the computer to stream the trivia over Zoom and we will use the smart phone to answer the questions (using the program AHASlides). This will be explained in more details when we get going, but for now, please know that you will need two devices to play.
Who can I play with?
Your ticket of $10 ($7 Members) gets your team access to Trivia. Your team will consist of whomever you are physically with right now. We will not be able to combine efforts with people you are not physically with. If you would want to play against the people you are with, that’s allowed as well.
What do I get if I win?
Well, we’re all winners when we play trivia and now you get to support the Cinema Arts Centre that you know and love. But in a more real way, the winning team will get up to four (4) CAC Gift Cards (1 Per Team Member) and bragging rights!
Is this anything like the monthly trivia?
Yes and no. Yes in that it is trivia hosted by Daniel French. No in that it will be structured a bit differently and will not have any other links to the monthly trivia (no sneak peeks, tournament of champions, etc.).
For any questions please email Daniel French at [email protected]
Sign up here.

The Smithtown Senior Citizens Department has announced that it has recently expanded its Medical Alert Program. In addition to offering in-home medical alert monitoring services, residents now have the option to choose a GPS enabled system that travels where ever they go. The program is open to all residents age 60 and older.

This Medical Alert Program allows seniors to live independently, with the comfort and peace of mind, knowing that help is just a touch away. Through a partnership with American Medical Alert Corporation (AMAC), a Connect America Company, residents simply wear a lightweight, touch activated system that can be worn as a pendant or on the wrist (home based system only). Once an alert is activated, trained emergency operators respond to help with the situation, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“Our objective with this personal emergency response system is to ensure the well-being of our seniors and enable them to remain safely in their homes. Perhaps just as important is to provide seniors with the peace of mind knowing that if they ever need help they will get it,” said Doreen Perrino, Smithtown Senior Citizens Department Program Director.

Residents who are interested in obtaining a Connect America Medical Alert system can inquire through the Smithtown Senior Citizens Department at 631-360-7616. The service is available for a low monthly monitoring fee of $18 for the in-home system and $30 for the GPS enabled system. There are no installation fees, long term contracts or cancellation penalties.

For more information on this and other Smithtown services, please contact Smithtown Public Information Officer Nicole Garguilo at 631-360-7600 or via email at [email protected]

Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson continues its 2021-2022 season with a mainstage production of Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery from Jan. 8 to Feb. 5.

The play is afoot! Comedic genius Ken Ludwig (Lend Me a Tenor, Moon Over Buffalo) transforms Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic The Hound of the Baskervilles into a murderously funny adventure. Sherlock Holmes is on the case. The Baskerville heirs have been dispatched one by one and, to find their ingenious killer, Holmes and Watson must brave the desolate moors before a family curse dooms its newest descendant. Watch as our intrepid investigators try to escape a dizzying web of clues, silly accents, disguises, and deceit as five actors deftly portray more than forty characters. Does a wild hellhound prowl the moors of Devonshire? Can our heroes discover the truth in time? Join the fun and see how far from elementary the truth can be.

Tickets are $35 adults, $28 seniors and students, $20 children ages 5 and over, $20 Wednesday matinees. To order, call 631-928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com.

MEET IAN AND IRIS!

This week’s shelter pets are bonded siblings Ian (black and white male) and Iris (grey female) —7-month-old domestic short hair mixes up for adoption at the Smithtown Animal Shelter.

Ian and Iris were very skittish kittens when they came to the shelter through its TNR program.  With lots of time and patience, they have learned to love people.  Ian is a complete mush and will even let shelter vounteers dress him up. Iris is more adventurous than her affectionate brother, but loves to get some pets wherever she can.  These two are like a pair of therapy cats — they are pure stress relief.  They love to play and eat treats.  These two are very attached to each other and would love to find a home together.

If you would like to meet these sweethearts, please call ahead to schedule an hour to properly interact with them in a domestic setting.

The Smithtown Animal & Adoption Shelter is located at 410 Middle Country Road, Smithtown. Shelter operating hours are currently Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Sundays and Wednesday evenings by appointment only). Call 631-360-7575 or visit www.smithtownanimalshelter.com.

Photo from Stony Brook Athletics

The Stony Brook University women’s basketball team (9-2, 0-1 America East) put together a valiant come-from-behind effort, but fell to NJIT (6-6, 1-0 America East), 54-49, in the conference opener on Dec 30.
 
NJIT took the lead early in the first quarter and controlled it for the duration of the contest. The Seawolves trailed 16-4 after the first quarter and the early deficit proved to be the difference. Following the first quarter, Stony Brook went on to outscore NJIT, 45-38, over the final three quarters of play.
 
The Seawolves cut the Highlanders’ lead to as little as two points with 1:53 to play in the game. Junior guard Gigi Gonzalez absorbed contact and converted a driving layup, which brought Stony Brook within two points of the lead, 48-46.

NJIT was able to hang on to its lead and seal the win despite being outscored by Stony Brook, 16-12, in the fourth quarter. The Seawolves had a trio of student-athletes finish in double figures with senior guard Anastasia Warren leading the way with a game-high 15 points. Gonzalez registered 14 points, while graduate forward Leighah-Amori Wool tallied 11 points.
 
STATS AND NOTES:

  • Warren led all scorers with a game-high 15 points. The guard did a bulk of her damage from the free-throw line as she went a perfect 7-of-7 from the stripe. It was the fifth time this season that she finished a game scoring in double figures.
  • Gonzalez poured in 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the field and 4-of-5 shooting from the free-throw line. The guard recorded two rebounds and two steals in 36 minutes of play. It was the eighth time this season that she scored in double-digits.
  • Wool finished the game with 11 points and four rebounds. The forward is closing in on 1,000 career points as her 11 points this afternoon brought her career total to 993.
  • Graduate forward India Pagan scored six points, pulled down six rebounds, and swiped three steals.
  • Junior guard Veronica Charles came off the bench to pull down six rebounds in 17 minutes of action.

“NJIT was the better team today. We will learn and grow from this loss,” said head coach Ashley Langford following Stony Brook’s America East opener on Thursday at NJIT.

The team is back in action on Sunday, January 2, when it hosts Hartford at 2 p.m. The game is set to air on ESPN+ with Sam Neidermann (play-by-play) and Rob Pavinelli (analyst) on the call. Be sure to purchase your tickets now to be a part of the action!

#4 Tykei Greene. Photo by Victor Yu/Stony Brook Athletics

The Stony Brook men’s basketball team treated its fans to a holiday win on Dec. 29, knocking off Farmingdale State 87-57 in front of 1,824 fans at Island Federal Arena to round out the non-conference schedule.

Tykei Greene recorded his second double-double of the season, finishing with a team-high 20 points and 12 rebounds to lead the way for the Seawolves. Jahlil Jenkins (15 points) and Jaden Sayles (13 points) joined the Queens native in double figures.

Stony Brook used a hot start to pull ahead, shooting 61.3 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes. They were able to hold a Farmingdale State team that shot 36.3 percent as a team from deep to 20 percent from 3-point land in the first half.

Geno Ford‘s club now sits 8-5 as it heads into America East play on Sunday in West Hartford, Conn., against the defending league champions Hartford.

STATS AND NOTES

  • The 30-Point win was Stony Brook’s first since the win against Point Park (12/15/20). 
  • The 25-point lead at halftime was the largest for the Seawolves this season.
  • Sayles finished in double-digits in the first half for the first time this season, scoring 13 points. He is the sixth different player to score in double figures in the opening 20 minutes this season.
  • Jenkins recorded a new career-high in steals, swiping six, the most steals in a single game since Roland Nyama at Maine (1/17/15).
  • Omar Habwe dished out seven assists and set a new career-high, surpassing his previous record of five.
  • Greene raked in 20 points and pulled in 12 rebounds to record his seventh career double-double. He now sits tied for seventh in the record book with Elijah Olaniyi and Demetrius Young (2007-09). Greene’s 20 points are also a new season-high. 
  • Alex Christie finished the night with eight points, setting a new career high.

“I think there’s always room for improvement, in every win. I think this was a very well-played game for all 40 minutes … We came in with a different type of focus coming off Christmas break and the loss to Florida. We just had a more, locked-in focus for this game and we knew we had to be more prepared when getting ready to play this team,” said graduate forward Omar Habwe.

“We had a great game offensively tonight. A lot of the baskets we had were assisted, which is always good. We were moving it around and that was really a focus for us going into conference play. Coach always harps on us getting paint touches, whether it’s feeding the post or driving and kicking it. Once you get in the paint, it gets the defense to suck in and we can kick the ball out and move it.,” said graduate center Jaden Sayles.

“Pleased with the way we played, especially in the first half. That’s a team that has a lot of 3-point shooting and we knew they were capable of doing what they did in the second half, making nine threes … you need to play some games where you can get everybody in the game. I’m really pleased with the way we got through the non-league 8-5, especially with who we played. We played Hofstra, Yale and Bryant who were all picked to win their leagues, as well as Kansas who could win a national title. When you start going through and looking at who we’ve played, to get through that schedule 8-5 is awesome,” said head coach Geno Ford.

Up next, the Seawolves open league play against Hartford on Sunday afternoon, Jan. 2, taking on the Hawks at 2 p.m., in West Hartford, Conn.


The America East Conference has announced that the Stony Brook men’s basketball game versus UMBC, scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 6, has been postponed due to COVID-19 issues within the UMBC program.

Per America East policy, every effort will be made to reschedule postponed games. Rescheduled dates will be announced at a later time.

All single-game tickets for Jan. 6 will be accepted for the rescheduled date or can be exchanged for any 2021-22 regular season home game. If you wish to exchange your tickets, call 631-632-9753 or email [email protected].

New Year’s Laughin’ Eve

Laugh in the New Year with New Year’s Laughin’ Eve at Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson at 6 p.m. and again at 8 p.m. Now in its 13th year, the lineup will include Eric Haft, Joe DeVito and a surprise guest comedian. Hosted by Paul Anthony. Tickets for the early bird show are $50, tickets to the prime time show are $65. To order, call 928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com.

Northport Scout Joseph Luft on the trail and steps he rebuilt on the Vanderbilt Estate. Photo from Vanderbilt Museum
Project enhanced beauty of estate and safety for visitor-hikers

Joseph Luft rebuilt the steps on a steep trail at the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum as part of his project to become an Eagle Scout.

Luft, a junior at Northport High School and member of Troop 41, reconstructed the hill and the steps leading from the Wishing Well Garden at the Vanderbilt Mansion down to the Boathouse on the waterfront. Jim Munson, the Vanderbilt’s operations supervisor, said the old steps had begun to fail and became a safety concern. On a Troop 41 trip to the Museum in 2020, Luft noticed the deterioration and decided he wanted to make the trail his Eagle project, Munson said.

Above right: Kyle Roelofs, Michael Monda, Connor Jorgensen, James Posillico, Joe Luft, Ryan Edebohls, Will Ponder, David Luft. Photo by Virginia Luft.

Elizabeth Wayland-Morgan, executive director of the Museum, said, “We’re grateful to Joe for his important contribution to the Vanderbilt. The rebuilt hill, steps, and trail are crucial not only to the beauty and accessibility of the estate grounds, but also to the enjoyment and safety of visitors who hike the trail.”

Luft, who chose the project because he loves hiking, started planning it a year ago. He began working on the trail in August and with help from his family, troop, and friends completed work on October 2. He thanked “14 incredible scouts” for helping him raise $1,324 by holding a car wash and for working with him to complete the trail.

“The most surprising aspect of the project,” Luft said, “was how willing people were to lend a hand whenever I needed help or volunteers. Whether it was purchasing supplies or scrubbing down cars, someone was always there with me to help make sure it was done right. The people at the Vanderbilt were incredibly flexible with timing and with occasionally lending us one of their golf carts to haul tools.”

Luft, who is about to complete the Eagle Scout requirements, said it felt “amazing” to finish the project. “It was a huge weight lifted off my shoulders, a lot of stress and work. But the project was finally done and all I could do was sit back and look at everything accomplished with a smile.”

He said he learned a lot about how to organize fundraisers and how to write emails in a professional manner. “I also learned something about time management and how strong a community Northport is when it comes to people supporting each other.”