Community

The team celebrates after Friday night's game Photo courtesy of Stony Brook Athletics

For the third time in its last four games, the Stony Brook University women’s basketball team (8-1) had at least four student-athletes score in double figures en route to a victory.

The Seawolves knocked off Penn (4-7), 75-69, on Dec. 10 inside Island Federal Arena behind the quartet of graduate forward India Pagan, junior guard Gigi Gonzalez, senior guard Earlette Scott, and graduate forward Leighah-Amori Wool all scoring in double-digits.

Pagan led the way with a season-high 20 points on an efficient 8-of-15 shooting from the floor as she dominated down low. Gonzalez finished the game with 14 points and did a bulk of her damage in the contest in the second half as she totaled nine points over the final 20 minutes. Scott and Wool each added 10 points apiece as they helped guide the Seawolves to their eighth victory of the season.

After a back and forth first half, Stony Brook used a 12-0 scoring run that carried over from the first half into the second to build its lead. The Seawolves were able to go ahead, 43-36, at the conclusion of the scoring spurt. Following that run, Stony Brook never looked back as it led for the remainder of the contest and secured its conference leading eighth win of the season.

The Seawolves’ lead grew to as large as 13 points in the fourth quarter as Gonzalez gave Stony Brook its biggest advantage of the game as she converted a driving layup with 6:35 to play. Penn responded and got within five points of the lead with 4:52 to play in the game, but the Seawolves were able to fend off the Quakers’ come-from-behind attempt.

“I’m proud of how we found a way to win – we were resilient today. We’ve had a lot of moving pieces and parts; I’m really glad that they locked in for 40 minutes and were able to be resilient, kept fighting, and found a way. I’m pleased to get a win right before we go on a long break. Overall, I’m just proud of the way they keep being resilient, growing, and pushing through all the adversity that we had,” said head coach Ashley Langford.

The Rocky Point Boy’s Lacrosse Program collected over 300 bags of clothes, shoes, blankets and other donations to support our local communities. 

Families of players from kindergarten to alumni dropped off donations to spread holiday cheer and to give back to the community that they care about.

Player volunteers who helped during collection included: Colton Feinberg , Kyle Moore, Will Levonick, Jack Fredriksen, Justin Hachmann, Keith Hilts, Nate Aiello, Brogan Casper, Dj Xavier, Brennan Protosow, John-Ryan Torreblanca, John Tringone and Mason Pina.

The project was organized by the Rocky Point Lacrosse Booster Club parents’ group.

Photo courtesy of Pinelawn

Pinelawn Memorial Park and Arboretum has created a special holiday program enabling families to have their loved one’s memorials adorned with environmentally-friendly holiday decorations, which are recycled and repurposed, at the end of the season, and turned into compost used to continue to nourish the various plantings throughout Pinelawn’s 500-acre property.

The decorations consist of a living evergreen base and are trimmed with assorted ornamental elements, and finished with a red velvet bow. Families have the option to select from a variety of decorative options for their loved ones’ final resting place, including blankets and sprays for plots, and evergreen wreaths, cones, and tree-shaped decorations for mausoleum locations. Families can purchase the evergreen decorations through Pinelawn, and have Pinelawn place them on their behalf. This program also helps families who wish to adorn their loved one’s memorials with vibrant holiday decorations when they are not able to place them themselves.

“We recognized that we were taking too much artificial material to the landfill at the end of each holiday season so we introduced this environmentally-friendly program in 2010,” said Justin Locke, Pinelawn’s President.  “This allowed us to reduce our carbon footprint and be more conscious of the environment.  At the end of the season, we remove any artificial components then chip and compost the decorations.  The compost is regularly turned over to facilitate the process and create mulch that is used to enrich flowering beds and newly planted trees.” 

“Following in the footsteps of our founders, we are always looking to be good stewards to the environment and help educate the community throughout the year,” continued Locke.  “Our families very much appreciate the holiday program which not only allows them to pay tribute to their loved ones during the holiday season but also helps the environment where their loved ones are laid to rest.”  

Pinelawn’s holiday program began the day after Thanksgiving and continues through mid-January.  Once the holiday season is over, Pinelawn’s team collects the holiday decorations, which are composted and spread throughout the 500-acre property both in the planting beds and also when planting or transplanting trees. 

For more information about Pinelawn’s environmentally-friendly holiday program, including regulations regarding placement, and to select and purchase decorations, visit www.pinelawn.com or this link.

Proceeds from the sale of Pinelawn’s holiday decorations go to the Pinelawn Maintenance Fund, which helps provide support in the care of Pinelawn’s magnificent 500-acre grounds and arboretum.  Recently awarded Level II status from the International Arboretum Accreditation Program, ArbNet, the Pinelawn Arboretum is maintained by a full-time gardening staff, including a certified arborist, to ensure spectacular park-like grounds.

Pinelawn Memorial Park and Arboretum, located in Farmingdale, New York, is a non-sectarian cemetery prided on creating and maintaining a beautiful and serene environment where families can find tranquility and comfort.  Its open and expansive landscape features hundreds of acres of manicured grounds, unique architecture, flowing bronze fountains, and flower-lined walks.  Its beautiful memorial gardens offer all who visit, scenic beauty where they can reflect upon their loved ones in peace. For more information on Pinelawn Memorial Park and Arboretum, or to schedule a tour of the property, visit www.pinelawn.com or call 631-249-6100.

As part of a STEM Partnership with the School District, Smithtown HS West Marine Biology students in Kimberly Williams’ class get an inside look at real world dilemmas, which Long Island must face regarding future solid waste and recycling concerns.

The Town of Smithtown, in partnership with the Smithtown Central School District, embarked on phase two of its first STEM program partnership. On  Dec. 2, students in Kimberly Williams’ Marine Biology class at High School West, got an inside look at the Town’s Recycling and Solid Waste process at Smithtown Municipal Services Facility as it relates to the environment and the major challenge Long Island will face, once the Brookhaven landfill closes in 2024.

Sanitation Supervisor Neal Sheehan and Smithtown Solid Waste Coordinator, Mike Engelmann led a hands-on experiential learning trip with marine biology teacher, Kimberly Williams. Students saw the process of what happens to waste once it leaves the curbside, the many different materials which Smithtown recycles, challenges of fluctuating recycling markets, and the harmful impacts which can occur without personal awareness and responsibility.

“This was the first of several STEM programs, together with the school district and it couldn’t have been better received. This generation is very conscious of critical environmental issues, like protecting the watershed, and Long Island’s impending waste crisis. Bringing their lesson plans from the chalk board to the real world, so students can witness the benefits of their hard work before their eyes, is not only exciting… It’s beneficial to the community they call home. I’m especially grateful for the School Districts partnership in this phenomenal learning experience for our youth,” said Supervisor Ed Wehrheim.

The day began with a basic understanding of where solid waste and recycling goes once it leaves the curb at home. Students learned about the recycling markets, recent changes the Nation was forced to make once China closed the doors to the U.S. industry and the consequences of contaminated materials being disposed of in a country without the same regulations as the United States. The Smithtown HS West marine biology students had an excellent, previous understanding of plastics pollution happening in our oceans. Neal Sheehan and Mike Engelmann gave an in depth presentation on the upcoming closure of the Brookhaven Landfill, the harmful and invasive environmental impacts of trucking waste off the Island, and the possible solutions to expand recycling and removing ash off the Island.

“This was the most fun I’ve had at work in years. First, I can’t believe how engaged the kids are. This generation is so aware of the impacts we as humans have on our local environment and they are eager to solve the problems at hand. I’m very excited to work with the class on the final stage of the partnership. I have a hunch we’ll have some excellent new employees working in the various fields of environmental planning, and engineering in the very near future!,” said Neal Sheehan, Sanitation Supervisor.

The class toured the Municipal Services Facility (MSF) where they saw cardboard and paper being sorted, and learned the do’s and don’ts of recycling properly. Students got an eagle eye view of the various material drop sites residents can utilize, such as electronic waste and ​​household appliances, construction and demolition, and glass. From the top of the hill, they observed the massive wood chipping operation, which is made from residential brush and tree branch collection and given away to residents for free. Additionally, students got to see groundwater monitoring locations, located at the former landfill site. The Town is required to monitor the underlying groundwater as a part of the post-closure care period. At the end of the tour, Smithtown Environmental Planner, Liam Trotta took a drone up in the air to show students the Solar array and wind turbine located on the grounds.

“It really makes all the difference when you get to physically see the whole operation right in front of you. We could see the concern and surprise on each student’s face, despite their face masks.  Concerned when they learned that the average Long Islanders is responsible for almost five pounds of waste in one day… Pleasantly surprised when they saw just how much we in Smithtown reuse and recycle, and even happier to learn that their solid waste was being recycled into energy at Covanta. But, when we explained the environmental and economical impacts of trucking the remaining ash and C & D off Long Island, you could hear a pin drop in the room. They understand that a clock is officially ticking to implement a solution… and they are very eager to tackle the issue at hand,” said Mike Engelmann, Smithtown Solid Waste Coordinator.

The STEM Partnership takes a hands-on approach to real world environmental issues affecting the community, utilizing the branches of science in order to apply possible ideas or solutions to improve the problem. Such topics covered include solid waste & recycling, invasive species, stormwater runoff, nitrogen pollution and water quality. Phase One is a simple introduction video presentation for students to understand the scope of each issue. Phase Two involves site and case studies where students witness each issue in person and have the opportunity to ask questions which are answered by official Town experts in each field. Phase Three is conducted in the classroom where students will present solutions to each concern. At every stage of the partnership, the Town and School district work in tandem to help students apply lesson plans to each real world scenario. The Town of Smithtown hopes to expand this program to all local school districts who are interested.

Photos from Town of Smithtown

Photo from Town of Brookhaven
Donated toys surround a holiday tree at Town Hall. Photo from TOB

On December 6, Supervisor Ed Romaine and Councilman Neil Foley visited the “North Pole” at the Town of Brookhaven’s INTERFACE Program headquarters in Patchogue to accept gift donations from NY State Senator Alexis Weik. The Senator collected dozens of toys in her district to help needy families have a happy holiday season. The “North Pole” facility is used to store and distribute toys donated during the Town’s INTERFACE Toy Drive. Pictured left to right are Supervisor Ed Romaine; INTERFACE Coordinator Josephine Lunde; Senator Alexis Weik and Councilman Neil Foley.

The INTERFACE Toy Drive is sponsored by the Town of Brookhaven Youth Bureau. Through raising donations, they will provide presents for thousands of children in need, ranging in age from infant to 15 years of age. Donations can be dropped off at the following Town locations now through December 17:

  • Brookhaven Town Hall, One Independence Hill in Farmingville
  • Brookhaven Highway Department, 1140 Old Town Road in Coram
  • New Village Recreation Center, 20 Wireless Road in Centereach
  • Brookhaven Calabro Airport, 135 Dawn Drive in Shirley
  • Rose Caracappa Senior Center, 739 Route 25A in Mount Sinai
  • Moriches Bay Recreation Center, 313 Frowein Road in Center Moriches
  • Brookhaven Town Parks & Recreation, 286 Hawkins Road in Centereach
  • Brookhaven Town Vehicle Control, 550 North Ocean Avenue in Patchogue

For more information, please call the Town of Brookhaven Youth Bureau at 631-451-8044 or visit the Town website.

Stock photo

Brookhaven Town Hall, 1 Independence Hill, Farmingville hosts a blood drive on Wednesday, Dec. 15 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the 2nd floor auditorium. Appointments preferred by calling 1-800-933-2566 or by visiting www.nybc.org. All donors will be entered into a Home for the Holidays sweepstakes and receive a McDonald’s voucher. For more information, call 631-451-9100.

Enyuan Hu (front) and Peter Khalifah, two of the principal investigators for battery research projects that just received funding from the Department of Energy, at NSLS-II's X-ray Powder Diffraction beamline.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $209 million in funding for 26 new laboratory projects focusing on electric vehicles (EV), advanced batteries, and connected vehicles. Scientists from DOE’s Brookhaven National Laboratory will play key roles in two EV battery projects—one aimed at understanding and improving materials for battery anodes and cathodes and another to guide the design of safer electrolytes. The funding comes from the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).

“President Biden’s Administration wants to make it easier for millions of American families and businesses to make the switch to electric vehicles,” said Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm in a DOE statement announcing the funding. “By developing smarter vehicle batteries, we can make these technologies cheaper and more accessible, while positioning America to be become a global leader of EV infrastructure production and clean energy jobs.”

Brookhaven Lab will be involved in projects aimed at understanding and refining the materials that make up all major components of batteries [https://www.energy.gov/science/doe-explainsbatteries]—the anode (negative electrode), cathode (positive electrode), and the electrolyte that shuttles charged ions from one electrode to the other as electrons move in the opposite direction through an outside circuit to provide power. (For rechargeable batteries, like the ones in electric vehicles, the whole system runs in a reversible manner, allowing for repeated charge and discharge cycles.)

Both Brookhaven projects will make use of research capabilities at two Brookhaven Lab user facilities, which operate with funding from the DOE Office of Science: the National Synchrotron Light Source II [https://www.bnl.gov/nsls2/about-NSLS-II.php] (NSLS-II), which produces extremely bright x-rays for studying a wide range of materials, and the Center for Functional Nanomaterials [https://www.bnl.gov/cfn/] (CFN), home to a suite of electron microscopes [https://www.bnl.gov/cfn/facilities/microscopy.php] and nanoscale fabrication tools [https://www.bnl.gov/cfn/facilities/nanofabrication.php]. These facilities give scientists access to information about the atomic-level structure and chemical properties of battery materials, including under operating conditions. Scientists can use what they learn from these characterization studies to fine-tune and test new material designs with the goal of improving and optimizing performance. These two projects will be carried out by scientists in Brookhaven Lab’s Chemistry Division.

Battery500 Phase 2

As partners in “Battery500 Phase 2,” which is led by DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), a team of Brookhaven scientists will conduct studies to identify battery electrode materials with increased energy density. Such materials could reduce the size and weight of batteries used in electric vehicles and/or extend the vehicle’s driving distance for a given battery weight with better safety characteristics. Identifying lower-cost materials is another primary goal.

The total budget of Battery500 Phase 2 is $75M for the next 5 years. It is a renewal of funding for the original Battery500 Consortium, which was established in 2016 [https://www.bnl.gov/newsroom/news.php?a=111858].

Under the new funding arrangement, Brookhaven Lab will receive $1.3 million per year for the next five years. Brookhaven chemist Xiao-Qing Yang will serve as the general coordinator for the Battery500 Phase 2 consortium and as Brookhaven Lab’s point of contact. Brookhaven associate chemist Enyuan Hu is another principal investigator (PI) for this project. And Peter Khalifah, another Brookhaven PI, who holds a joint appointment at Stony Brook University, will serve as one of the two leaders of a cross-cutting thrust on materials characterization within the Consortium.

“Our team has made important discoveries over the past five years during Battery500 phase 1, which resulted in increased funding for Brookhaven and an increased project-leadership role for Battery500 Phase 2,” said Yang. “We are quite excited to be a member of this great consortium and confident in the success of this Phase 2 project.”

As an example of the success of the original Battery500 funding initiative, the Brookhaven team, working in collaboration with colleagues at PNNL and elsewhere, provided important insight into the electrochemical surface reactions of lithium metal anodes [https://www.bnl.gov/newsroom/news.php?a=117633]—one of the key components being explored to fulfill the energy density sought by Battery500. They also identified the failure mechanisms of these lithium metal anodes [https://www.bnl.gov/newsroom/news.php?a=118736] after long-term cycling. In addition, the team uncovered evidence that high voltage charging can induce strain and crack [https://www.bnl.gov/newsroom/news.php?a=114414]ing in nickel-rich cathode materials, and developed exceptionally sensitive methods for quantifying defects [https://www.bnl.gov/newsroom/news.php?a=116984] associated with disorder across atomic sites. Results from these last two studies are guiding the design of improved cathodes.

In the next five years, the Brookhaven team will continue their efforts to develop and deploy sensitive characterization techniques that can illuminate the changes that occur in lithium metal anodes, metal oxide and sulfur cathodes, and new electrolytes during their use in rechargeable batteries. These efforts will help understand and overcome the factors limiting the performance of this exceptionally high energy density class of batteries and will accelerate the rate at which this technology can become commercially viable.

Solid state electrolytes

Another Brookhaven team, led by Enyuan Hu, will spearhead a new project to study solid state battery electrolytes. Electrolytes allow negatively and positively charged ions to flow between a battery’s anode and cathode. Most of today’s EV batteries use organic liquid electrolytes, which are highly volatile and flammable.

“Solid state batteries are intrinsically safer and have potentially higher energy density than conventional liquid-electrolyte-based batteries,” Hu said.

The Brookhaven team (one of 17 projects just awarded funding for studying solid state electrolytes under the new announcement) will conduct research on ceramic-polymer composite solid-state electrolytes. The total funding for this 5-year project is $2.5 million, including $300K per year for Brookhaven Lab and $200K per year for collaborators from Harvard and the University of California, Irvine.

This project leverages the electrolyte expertise within the Chemistry Division of Brookhaven Lab, the advanced characterization tools available at NSLS II and CFN, the ceramic and polymer expertise at Harvard and UC Irvine, and the established long-term collaboration among the three institutions.

“These important projects will help advance the development of electric vehicle batteries,” said Alex Harris, director of Brookhaven Lab’s Energy Sciences Directorate and acting chair of the Lab’s Chemistry Division. “We are grateful for the sustained funding for both the specific battery research projects and for the user facilities that enable the fundamental scientific studies that will push these technologies forward.”

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (NY), in the DOE statement, said, “I am proud to have fought for this vital DOE funding to bring innovation home to New York State and our world-class Brookhaven National Laboratory. This investment is a down payment on a greener, more prosperous future for all of us, and I look forward to supporting more of these projects in the future.”

Brookhaven National Laboratory is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit science.energy.gov. [https://www.energy.gov/science/]

Follow @BrookhavenLab on Twitter [http://twitter.com/BrookhavenLab] or find us on Facebook [http://www.facebook.com/BrookhavenLab/].

The Miller Place-Mount Sinai Historical Society hosted its annual Visit with Mailman Mark event on the grounds of the historic 1720 William Miller House on Dec. 5. 

Children eagerly lined up in front of the building that once served as the area’s original post office to greet Mailman Mark and give him their letter to Santa who promised that they would all receive letters back from the North Pole before Christmas.

The well-attended event also featured a vintage fire truck complete with a Dalmatian mascot named Sparky, holiday crafts, story time, raffle baskets and delicious holiday cookies. 

Proceeds from the event will be used for the preservation and restoration of the William Miller House, the oldest home in Miller Place. 

—­ All photos by Heidi Sutton 

Photo from Town of Brookhaven

Brookhaven Town Highway Superintendent Daniel P. Losquadro, Supervisor Ed Romaine and Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich joined with residents and community members for the ribbon-cutting of a new sidewalk installed along West Meadow Road and Trustees Road from Mt Grey Road to the entrance of West Meadow Beach. Funding for this project, which cost approximately $283,000, was fully covered by a grant from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

“This half-mile stretch of roadway is heavily traversed with traffic to and from the beach,” said Superintendent Losquadro. “Pedestrians, bicyclists, lifeguards, and residents can now feel safer accessing West Meadow Beach along the new sidewalk.”

Supervisor Romaine said, “West Meadow Beach is a popular destination for pedestrians all year round and now a walk down Trustees Road is much safer than before. I thank Superintendent Losquadro and the men and women of the Highway Department for making the improvements to our infrastructure that will have a lasting impact for years to come.”

Councilmember Kornreich said, “It was truly an honor to be able to take part in making our community a safer place for our residents. I am so thankful to those who were able to contribute their time and effort to this project. My team and I will continue to work hard to ensure the safety and well-being of our residents. I would like to encourage everyone to take a walk down Trustees Road toward West Meadow Beach to have an opportunity to relax and appreciate the value in our community.”

Annemarie Waugh of Sidewalks for Safety said, “A huge thanks to Edward Romaine, Daniel Losquadro, and Jonathan Kornreich for taking a critical step in making Setauket a safer place for pedestrian safety and healthy lifestyles. As a result of their efforts, this highly-trafficked section of West Meadow Road now allows walkers and runners to safely access West Meadow Beach and Trustees Road.”

By Cayla Rosenhagen

Cayla Rosenhagen

What do you get when you combine a fun, learning experience full of incredible creatures with a festive, homemade craft fair? Magic and fun for the whole family!

The festival took place at Sweetbriar Nature Center in Smithtown on December 4. I arrived with my family a little after dusk, eager to see the rescue animals and browse the tents full of artwork and handicrafts. Vendors’ booths were spread out across the lawn, sparkling with colorful fairy lights and candles, and decked with festive garlands. 

Smiling festival-goers walked around sipping hot chocolate, visiting the shops, and meeting the ambassador animals, accompanied by friendly and knowledgeable Sweetbriar volunteers. The upbeat music of local ska and pop-punk cover band Crisis Crayons contributed to the cheerful atmosphere.

Many of the vendors I met with sold nature-related goods and artwork. For instance, Audra Donroe is an art teacher and creator from Northport. Her vibrant and stunning display of work ranged from original artwork and prints to postcards and ornaments utilizing natural imagery such as owls and plant life. She grew up coming to Sweetbriar and has been vending for 4 years. “Any chance I have to bring awareness and support to Sweetbriar, I gladly do it,” she says.

I also visited a booth selling organic, homemade elderberry syrup. It was run by the business’s founders, Connor and Tommy, aged 7 and 9, and their parents. I spoke with their mother, Michelle Biddle, who explained that elderberry is a natural remedy for cold and allergy symptoms.  

Other vendors included Once Upon A Favor, who were selling irresistibly aromatic bath bombs, soaps, and candles, and Beast Makers, who sold one-of-a-kind jewelry and occult items made out of ethically sourced animal bones and antlers.

Throughout the event, volunteers from the Center gave presentations about some of the animals who are permanent residents there. Guests met Opal the Virginia Opossum, Seven of Nine the Barred Owl, Stitch the Red-tailed Hawk, Nebula the Barn Owl, and more. Sweetbriar provides care for over 100 animals.  For many of them, Sweetbriar is their forever home as they cannot be released back into the wild due to their injuries.

According to Sweetbriar’s program coordinator, Veronica Sayers, the Holiday Party is an annual event that has taken place for around 40 years. Veronica explained that vendors pay a fee to take part in the event, and the proceeds go towards food and other vital resources for the animals Sweetbriar rehabilitates and cares for.

The event itself was free for visitors, although donations were appreciated. If you are interested in donating to help support the Center’s work and the animals in their care, please see their website for more details on how to do so. Other ways to show your support include spreading the word about Sweetbriar and attending their upcoming events. These include the Owl Prowl on December 9, weekly yoga classes, and the Superheroes of the Sky raptor event on January 1st.

Come visit Sweetbriar and be mesmerized by the incredible animals yourself! The Nature Center and Preserve at 62 Eckernkamp Drive in Smithtown are open daily from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, please call 631-979-6344 or visit sweetbriarnc.org.

Cayla Rosenhagen is a local high school student who enjoys capturing the unique charm of the community through photography and journalism. She serves on the board of directors for the Four Harbors Audubon Society and Brookhaven’s Youth Board, and is the founder and coordinator of Beach Bucket Brigade, a community outreach program dedicated to environmental awareness, engagement, and education. She is also an avid birder, hiker, and artist who is concurrently enrolled in college, pursuing a degree in teaching.