contest

Ward Melville High School Team 15041 demonstrated exceptional mathematical prowess in the prestigious High School Mathematical Contest in Modeling this year. Photo courtesy the Three Village Central School District

Two teams of students from Ward Melville High School demonstrated exceptional mathematical prowess in the prestigious High School Mathematical Contest in Modeling (HiMCM), earning top distinctions in an international field of competitors.

Ward Melville High School Team 15702 demonstrated exceptional mathematical prowess in the prestigious High School Mathematical Contest in Modeling this year. Photo courtesy the Three Village Central School District.

The HiMCM, an esteemed competition that challenges teams of up to four students to develop mathematical models addressing real-world problems, emphasizes critical problem solving, collaboration and clear communication. This year’s competition saw participation from 1,055 teams representing 474 schools across 20 countries and regions.

Ward Melville High School was proudly represented by Team 15041, consisting of Amanda Liang, Sarah Wu and Victoria Ye, and by Team 15702, including Tina Xing and Anna Xing. Both teams achieved remarkable success in the competition. Team 15702 earned the Finalist designation, placing them in the top 5% of all participating teams. Team 15041 attained the highest honor of Outstanding Winner, a distinction awarded to only eight teams worldwide and placing them in the top 1% of all competitors. Notably, among these eight Outstanding Winners, only three hailed from the United States, including Team 15041 from Ward Melville and a team from Stuyvesant High School in New York State.

The success of these teams highlights the strength of Ward Melville’s mathematics program and the commitment of its students and faculty to excellence in STEM education. Congratulations to Team 15041 and Team 15702 for their extraordinary accomplishments.

Research associate Dr. Ejiro Umaka is pictured with BNL’s sPHENIX detectorEjiro Umaka at the sPHENIX. Photo by Kevin Coughlin/BNL

By Daniel Dunaief

Despite their importance in making a turkey sandwich, a clarinet, and an adorable puppy wagging its tail possible, quarks and gluons don’t figure into the realm of subjects discussed at water coolers, which, incidentally, also depend on the interaction between these subatomic particles.

Ejiro Umaka has the opportunity to change that, at least for a general audience including national legislators, in under three minutes while using only one slide.

A Research Associate at Brookhaven National Laboratory, Umaka won $2,000 at BNL’s second SLAM competition, in which she and nine other junior scientists presented their research in front of a live audience. Umaka planned to present her work this past Wednesday, March 5th to an audience of politicians, judges and people generally interested in science.

Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY1) attended the previous event and extended his congratulations to Umaka.

“Dr. Umaka’s unwavering commitment to advancing scientific knowledge and her exceptional curiosity exemplify the pioneering spirit that positions Long Island at the forefront of research and technological development,” LaLota wrote in an email. “I am confident that [she] will represent Suffolk Count with distinction, and I eagerly anticipate her continued achievements.”

While the winner of the national competition will receive $4,000, the opportunity to compete and to describe her work for a general audience has already provided important experience for Umaka.

“I am honored to represent BNL,” Umaka explained in an email. “I am thrilled to discuss my work to a large audience without the usual scientific jargon, which has led to a deeper understanding of my work.”

During the SLAM competition, these scientists, whose competition will be live-streamed, use three minutes to inspire, captivate, and enlighten audiences whose decisions could affect future support and funding for important research projects.

In 2023, when Daniel Marx, Deputy Group Leader of the EIC Accelerator Design Group at BNL, traveled to Washington to represent BNL, he met several politicians from around the country, including Reps LaLota and Andrew Garbarino (R-NY2).

The politicians, many of whose districts, like LaLota’s included a national lab, were “certainly interested,” said Marx. He recalls speaking with Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN3), who served as Chairman of Energy and Water Appropriations.

Fleischmann, whose committee sets the budget for the Department of Energy and the national labs, was “very interested in having a conversation with us about the interplay between science and politics and how we can work together on that.”

Marx also enjoyed meeting with Bill Foster (D-IL14), who has a PhD in physics and has signs like “I love physics” in his office. “He has a really good grasp of what’s going on,” Marx recalled.

Foster asked penetrating and important questions about Marx’s work on developing the Electron Ion Collider.

Quarks, gluons and slowing down

Umaka is looking forward to representing BNL at the national competition and to sharing the science she does with a national audience.

Umaka works at the sPHENIX experiment, which is a radical makeover of the original PHENIX experiment. The experiment collects data at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, or RHIC.

The size of a two-story house with a weight of about 1,000 tons (or about five adult blue whales), the sPHENIX detector will capture snapshots of 15,000 particle collisions per second.

After the superconducting magnet at the core of the sPHENIX traveled across the country from the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in California to Brookhaven, it was installed in 2021. Umaka arrived at the lab before the sPHENIX was assembled.

“It’s not every time as a physicist or junior researcher that you start off with an experiment that is new,” said Umaka. 

The sPHENIX had to work out some early challenges. Initially, the experiment planned to use a mixture of gases in the time projection chamber that included neon. The war in Ukraine, however, created a shortage of neon, so the lab switched to a different gas and added isobutane. The group celebrated with an isobutane cake. Fortunately, the supermarket hadn’t run out of them.

Umaka explained in her winning talk that her experiments allow the team to explore the universe as it was millionths of a second after the Big Bang, when the primordial soup that contained quarks and gluons came together to create the world we know.

She compares the process at sPHENIX to having chicken soup in the form of the quark gluon plasma. The researchers then shoot small objects within a jet that are similar in scale to the other ingredients in the soup so they scatter off each other. From there, they can deduce the microscopic nature or point like structure of the plasma.

The role of sPHENIX is to record jets that come from the collision of nuclei that release quarks. 

“The jet shoots through the soup, and this is why we can use jets as a probe,” Umaka explained.

In the experiments, the soup exhibits collective behavior, which is similar to the response of a school of fish that turn in unison when disturbed. When the researchers look at the soup on the level of individual quarks and gluons, the particles should behave like molecules in a gas. 

By recording lots of collisions, sPHENIX increases the likelihood of finding and recording desirable jets useful for probing the soup at the level of individual quarks and gluons.

“We want to discover how the fluid-like (collective) nature of the soup emerges from fundamental interactions of quarks and gluons,” Umaka explained. 

Nigerian roots

Born in Nigeria, Umaka moved to Houston in her teens when her parents transferred to the United States. When she was younger, she wasn’t confident in her science aptitude. She took difficult courses in which the social structure worked against her advancement as a woman.

In Houston, she took a particle physics course. The professor suggested she’d do well in his group and that she’d get to go to Geneva to do research.

“Sign me up,” she recalled saying, and she did.

A resident of Brookhaven, Umaka enjoys visiting the mall, reading books, attending yoga classes, listening to music and talking with family.

As for the SLAM event, Umaka appreciates the way the competition has increased her visibility.

“If people like the talk, they will invite you to do other stuff, which is great,” she said.

——————————————

To watch Ejiro Ukama give her presentation at the National SLAM competition, click here and go to 1:48.

 

The Brutalist' has been nominated for 10 Academy Awards including Best Picture. Photo by Lol Crawley/A24

By Tim Haggerty & Jeffrey Sanzel

This year’s Oscar race is an unusual one. It is the first season since 1987 that three horror films received nominations. AI controversies entered the discussion, including use in fixing translations, autotuning songs, and script adjustments. Oscar nominations have become increasingly a tool to bring awareness to films rather than just acknowledge excellence. Films are giving limited releases and then hitting wide release months later. Over the last number of years, the Academy has often leaned towards honoring careers rather than the particular performance. Politics certainly affected, if not directly influenced, this year’s roster. 

Here is a rundown of some of the major categories.

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Timothée Chalamet’s Bob Dylan (A Complete Unknown) and Sebastian Stan’s Donald Trump (The Apprentice) are biographical portraits that do not resort to caricature or parody, exposing humanity in the former and the demon of winning in the latter. While a leak revealed that the director used AI to alter Adrien Brody’s Hungarian accent in The Brutalist, Brody still gives a passionate career best, holding the screen for 3 1/2 hours. The Brutalist will most likely give Brody his second Best Actor statuette.  

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

This category is a tight race. Karla Sofía Gascón is the first openly transgender actress nominated for this award. Cynthia Erivo received universal accolades for Wicked’s Elphaba. Fernanda Torres (I’m Still Here) turned in a top-tier performance. But Demi Moore is most likely to win for The Substance. While performances in horror films rarely get a nod (previously passed-over actresses include Toni Collette, Florence Pugh, Mia Goth, and Lupita Nyong), Moore could win for her performance, her legacy, and the genre itself. While a longshot, Mikey Madison could be a dark horse surprise as she carried Anora. 

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

While the actors in this category present a good range of performances, Kieran Culkin’s prodigal cousin in A Real Pain has dominated this award season’s category. His work is unique, raw, and unexpected, almost guaranteeing a win.

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Ariana Grande (Wicked) and Isabella Rosalini (Conclave) deserve an award in this category. But Zoe Saldaña has the strongest presence in the unusual Emilia Pérez and will win.

BEST DIRECTOR

Perhaps Bradley Corbet’s mammoth undertaking The Brutalist could have garnered him Best Director, but an erratic Oscar campaign might have damaged his path. Sean Baker is one of the era’s greatest independent directors, with an oeuvre comparable to the best of John Cassavetes and Elaine May. An artist who created Tangerine completely on his phone and who turns non-actors into stars, his win for Anora will celebrate great filmmaking. 

BEST WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)

Peter Straughan’s Conclave is the frontrunner in this category. The fantastic drama following the election of a pope balances introspection with political commentary.

BEST WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)

Sean Baker’s Anora and Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold’s The Brutalist have run neck-and-neck in awards. While both scripts are exceptional, Anora’s delightful mix of humor and shades of darkness might give it the edge. Its recent garnering of the Writers Guild Award almost secures its win.

BEST PICTURE

A scene from ‘Anora’. Photo courtesy of Neon

Since the expansion of the Best Picture category from five to ten nominees for the 82nd Academy Awards (2010), the race is glutted with unlikely winners. Certainly, Dune: Part Two falls into this category. Other films are deemed too small or niche to get the top prize. If not for the AI controversy, the epic The Brutalist would most likely win, harkening to films like Gone with the Wind and Lawrence of Arabia. But its length is not a point in its favor. 

Anora is this year’s frontrunner, receiving the Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or at Cannes, the Critics’ Choice, Directors Guild, and Producers Guild Awards. To date, Anora has received 193 nominations and 70 wins. Sean Baker might be the first person to win four Oscars for a single film: producer, writer, director, and editor.

And some parting Shout Outs …

Best Production Design: All five nominees deserve to share the award, though Wicked’s spectacular visuals will triumph.

Best Documentary Short: I Am Ready, Warden is a powerful portrait of a death row inmate in the week leading up to his execution. 

Best Cinematograpy/Original Score: The Brutalist’s Cinematography (Lol Crawley) revived 70 mm VistaVision (the film stock of pictures like Vertigo — last used in 1961’s One-Eyed Jacks) and offered outstanding visuals. Its Original Score (Daniel Blumberg) is exceptional.

Best Animated Feature Film: The Wild Robot (probable winner), Flow (runner-up), and Memoir of a Snail are all first-rate Animated Features. That said, Inside Out 2 remains a strong possibility.

Best International Feature Film: The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Germany), secretly shot in Iran, tells the story of a family struggling with the country’s resistance to progression, specifically for women. A film that builds extraordinary tension, it is a must-watch for anyone wishing to see political protest and retaliation cinematically explored. However, the win will likely go to I’m Still Here (Brazil). 

—————————————–

Tune in to the 97th Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday, March 2, to see who carries the film industry’s highest honors. Hosted by Conan O’Brien at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, the show will be broadcast live by ABC starting at 7 p.m. For the first time, the Oscars will also be streamed live on Hulu. You can also watch via Hulu Live TV, YouTubeTV, AT&T TV and FuboTV. 

From left, Linda Lugo accepts her award from Sylvia Ryndock, NYSAR 2025 Awards Committee Chair. Photo courtesy of New York State Association of REALTORS®

The New York State Association of REALTORS® (NYSAR) honored Linda Lugo of Huntington with the 2024 Community Service Award for her dedication and commitment to animal rescue in Long Island during the association’s “Opportunity Awaits” Mid-Winter Business Meetings at the Crowne Plaza Albany–Desmond Hotel in Albany from Feb. 3 to 6.

The NYSAR Community Service Award recognizes REALTORS’® community involvement supporting initiatives aimed at a community’s youth, improving the quality of education, quality of life for older Americans, homelessness prevention, as well as efforts following natural disasters and other community needs.

For over a decade, Lugo, a member of the Long Island Board of REALTORS®, has been instrumental in helping displaced animals across Long Island and beyond, find homes. Her journey began just after Superstorm Sandy when Long Island was devastated and many people, and their pets, were without homes. Lugo helped care for pets that were left behind or unable to be reunited with their owners. In less than a year, Lugo helped care for over 400 dogs.

Since then, Lugo started “Animal Response and Rescue Coalition,” a non-profit organization which helps teach first responders how to work with animals during a disaster. She has also fostered over 40 dogs in her own home, working with Proud Rescuers of Puerto Rico, who help abandoned dogs and cats find their forever homes in the United States.

“I am honored to receive this award because it helps to bring greater awareness to what is happening to dogs, cats, and other animals in places like Puerto Rico,” said Lugo. “I thank the Awards Committee from the bottom of my heart for this award. It means the world to me!”

Along with an inscribed award, a grant of $1,500 will also be made in Lugo’s name to a charity of her choice.

METRO photo

Doherty Enterprises-owned Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar restaurants on Long Island announced the official launch of their 9th annual Above and “BEE”yond Teacher Essay Contest. The annual essay contest celebrates outstanding teachers, nominated by their students, by awarding each a $500 sponsorship check and hosting a special end-of-year class party.

The essay contest is open at participating Applebee’s restaurants on Long Island that are owned and operated by local franchisee, Doherty Enterprises (see complete list of participating restaurants below).

This spring, four exceptional educators – two from Nassau County and two from Suffolk County – will each receive a $500 sponsorship check to enhance their classrooms for the 2025-2026 school year. Additionally, the winning teachers will enjoy a celebratory end-of-year party with their current class!*

To participate in the contest, students are invited to submit an essay in person at their local Applebee’s, detailing why their teacher should be named Applebee’s “Teacher of the Year.” Elementary school students are asked to write a ½ page essay, while middle and high school students must submit a 500-word essay explaining why their teacher stands out.

As an added bonus, all students who submit an essay will be rewarded with a free ice cream certificate for future use.

Each student may submit only one essay, and entries will be accepted at participating Applebee’s locations through Sunday, March 16,  with a strict deadline of 10 pm ET. Winners will be announced on Friday, April 18, and the class parties will take place in June. If class parties are not feasible, they will be substituted with two Dinner for Four certificates for the student who wrote the winning essay.

“We’re excited to kick off the ninth annual Above and ‘BEE’yond Teacher Essay Contest at our Long Island Applebee’s locations,” said Brian McDonnell, director of operations for Doherty Enterprises’ Applebee’s Long Island. “It’s an honor to celebrate the incredible teachers who dedicate themselves to shaping young minds. This contest gives students the opportunity to highlight the lasting impact their teachers have made while shining a spotlight on the educators who go above and beyond every day.”

Applebee’s Above and “BEE”yond Teacher Essay Contest entries will be accepted at the following Applebee’s locations owned and operated by Doherty Enterprises on Long Island:

Nassau County: Baldwin, Bellmore, Bethpage, Elmont, New Hyde Park, Rosedale, Valley Stream, and Westbury.

Suffolk County: Bohemia, Brentwood, Commack, Deer Park, East Farmingdale, East Islip, Farmingville, Lake Grove, Lindenhurst, Miller Place, Patchogue, Riverhead, and Shirley.

Two winners will be selected from both Nassau and Suffolk counties. Prizes are subject to change. If end-of-year parties are not viable, class parties will be replaced with two Dinner for Four certificates.

Students from Great Neck South Middle School, left, and Ward Melville High School during their final Science Bowl matches that secured their first-place wins. Photos by David Rahner and Kevin Coughlin/BNL
Both teams will compete for the National Science Bowl title in April

Bright minds from Great Neck South Middle School and Ward Melville High School won first place at regional middle and high school Science Bowls — fast-paced question-and-answer academic competitions — hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton on Jan. 30 and Jan. 31.

The Science Bowl tests students’ knowledge on a range of science disciplines including chemistry, biology, physics, mathematics, astronomy, earth, and computer science.

The teams’ first place wins secured them an all-expense-paid trip to the National Science Bowl, where they’ll compete with students from around the country. The National Science Bowl is scheduled to take place from April 24 to April 28 near Washington, D.C. 

“The regional Science Bowl competition brings together some of the best and brightest STEM students from our region. We must inspire these students by highlighting career pathways and training opportunities, setting them on the path to become the next generation of STEM professionals,” said competition coordinator Amanda Horn, an educator with Brookhaven’s Workforce Development and Science Education Office. 

The winning teams also received a banner to hang in their schools, the top four teams received trophies, and the top three received medals. The first-place high school team won $500 and the second-place team won $250. All prizes and giveaways are courtesy of the event’s sponsors, Brookhaven Science Associates and Teachers Federal Credit Union.

Middle School Science Bowl Top Four

Great Neck South Middle’s first-place team, from left to right, Diane Caplain (coach), Zale Zhang, Nathan Li, Ryan Tsai, Leeann Lee, and Nathan Wong (coach). Photo by David Rahner/Brookhaven National Laboratory

The regional middle school Science Bowl on Jan. 30 was open to schools from Long Island and New York City.

Team members from Great Neck South Middle School spent hours the day before the middle school competition studying as much as they could, said student Ryan Tsai. Each team member specialized in a different subject.

“I would like to thank the math people for doing math,” said Tsai, who focused on chemistry questions.

Looking ahead to the National Science Bowl, captain Nathan Li added, “We’re looking forward to not getting last place and also just having a good time.”

First Place: Great Neck South MS (Team 1)

Second Place: Hunter College MS

Third Place: Paul J. Gelinas JHS

Fourth Place: R.C. Murphy JHS

High School Science Bowl Top Four

Ward Melville High School’s winning team, from left to right, Philip Medina (coach), Harry Gao, Anna Xing, Sean Skinner, Jason Yin, and Gunes Sunar. Photo by Kevin Coughlin/BNL

Ward Melville Senior High School is sending a team to the National Science Bowl for the third straight year.

To prepare for the regional high school competition on Jan. 31, the team studied even more than they did last year since two previous members graduated since then, said captain Sean Skinner. They also practiced how to buzz in to answer questions as fast as possible, he said.

“Most of us have read a textbook cover to cover in our main fields,” Skinner said, noting that each team member specialized in a subject or two. He added that he was happy with the teamwork Ward Melville showed. “Everyone was really positive and focused; that was awesome to see,” Skinner said. “I think my favorite thing is working together with other people to solve a problem that goes between both of your skills.”

First Place: Ward Melville Senior HS

Second Place: Great Neck South HS

Third Place: Roslyn High School

Fourth Place: General Douglas MacArthur Senior High School

Encouraging STEM participation

Science Bowl competitors learned about research happening at Brookhaven Lab straight from scientists, engineers, and postdoctoral researchers at the STEM Expo. (David Rahner/Brookhaven National Laboratory)

Both competitions kicked off with an introduction to Brookhaven Lab’s role as one of 17 DOE national laboratories and its unique facilities that aid researchers in making groundbreaking discoveries.  

Gary Olson, deputy site manager at the DOE-Brookhaven Site Office, encouraged students and their teachers to explore STEM training opportunities available through DOE programs.

“We need your minds. We need your inputs. We need your collaboration with your peers who are sitting next to you, in front of you and behind you to make those world-class discoveries, those scientific leaps of sorts, those transformational things, whatever they may be,” Olson said.

Students also heard from two early-career scientists at Brookhaven Lab about their areas of research.  

Amie Dobracki of the Environmental and Climate Sciences Department shared with middle schools why researchers study aerosols and their impacts, and how the tiny particles are key ingredients in the formation of clouds.

Success! These middle school students quickly cracked codes to unlock treats during the STEM Challenge. (David Rahner/Brookhaven National Laboratory)

Ejiro Umaka of the Physics Department explained how sPHENIX, one of two detectors that captures particle collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, a DOE Office of Science User facility for nuclear physics research at Brookhaven, helps scientists further understand the nature of matter in our early universe.

During a STEM Expo organized by the Lab’s Workforce Development and Science Education Office, students were the ones asking questions. Scientists from across the Lab’s disciplines offered demonstrations that revealed the basic principles of vacuum chambers, electron beams, software that operates instrumentation used to view materials at the nanoscale, and more.

Science Bowl competitors also toured the National Synchrotron Light Source II, a DOE Office of Science User facility at Brookhaven.

Teams that did not move on to the competition’s final double elimination rounds had the chance to further test their know-how at a STEM Challenge. They quickly put their minds together to solve puzzles that revealed codes to unlock boxes filled with treats. The teams with the fastest times won gift bags.

Middle school STEM Challenge results: First Place: New Hyde Park Memorial High School;  Second Place: Great Neck South Middle School (Team 2); Third Place: Plainedge Middle School

High school STEM Challenge results: First Place: Lindenhurst High School; Second Place: Long Beach High School; Third Place: Jericho High Schoo

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.

 

Alumni and current students perform and pack the house to celebrate popular Rocky Point Music Teacher

Students, former students, colleagues, friends and family of Rocky Point Elementary Music Teacher and Department Chairperson Craig Knapp packed the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEOHF) recently to honor the 2024 ‘Educator of Note’ winner. The ceremony was held at LIMEHOF’s museum location in Stony Brook at 97 Main Street. The event featured three musical performances by current and former students, live and video recorded speeches from colleagues and students, a video presentation about Knapp’s career and a special citation presentation by New York State Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio. 

“The Long Island Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame is thrilled to honor Craig Knapp with the ‘Educator of Note’ Award and to recognize his extraordinary dedication, innovation, and profound impact on countless students and on music education in our community,” said LIMEHOF Vice Chairman Tom Needham, who manages LIMEHOF’s education programs. 

“I am absolutely honored to be inducted into the Long Island Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame as the 2024 recipient of their ‘Educator of Note,’ said Knapp. “To be included on the list of past honorees—many of whom I have worked with collaboratively in a variety of music education organizations, committees, conferences, and initiatives—is both gratifying and humbling. I am very proud that I carved out a successful career in a rather unconventional and unique way.” 

The event was emceed by LIMEHOF Educational Committee Member Mike Rodgers who is also director of music and performing arts in the Plainview-Old Bethpage School District. Live speakers included Music Department Chair from Rocky Point School District Amy Schecher, 5th Grade Student Emma Wurm, Executive Director of the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra of New York (MYO) Dr. Anthea Jackson, New York State Assemblywomen Jodi Giglio. There were also recorded messages from colleagues including MYO Concert Choir Director Dr. Doreen Fryling.  

“I thought today’s event was absolutely beautiful particularly the students were the highlight of it,” said Rodgers. “Not only to see the work that was done but the reflection from the students themselves.” 

Current and former students honored Knapp with special musical performances. Rocky Point Students Serena Carley and Olna Carley, MYO Treble Choir students Nate Drinkwater and Andrew Nagle. Former student now Deer Park Music Teacher Grace Donofrio sang Georges Bizet’s Carmen accompanied by pianist Sara Ruggerio. 

“Mr. Knapp is one of the most inspiring people and most deserving people of this kind of award,” said Donofrio. “He inspires me to be a music teacher, and I hope that I can be half of him one day as I learn and grow and continue in my career.” 

Former student Julia Brandow traveled in from out of town, driving for over five hours to honor Knapp. 

“Once he told me this was happening, I had to come… it was like no question, Brandow said. “He has done so much for us. The least I could do was be here today for him. Music is the biggest thing in my life and he 100% is the foundation for that.”

Music Teacher Desiree DeMelfi (herself a 2019 LIMEHOF Scholarship recipient) also spoke. She had nominated Craig and was mentored by him when she started her music teaching career. 

“Craig has always wanted me to be the best music teacher and course director I could be,” said DeMelfi. “The impact of a true educator and mentor is evident from my story alone. Craig saw an opportunity to guide a young student from the same town he grew up in. He acted as a leader and decided to give me the best student teaching experience possible.” 

 With an impressive career that spans 27 years on Long Island, Craig Knapp is the 18th music teacher to be recognized by LIMEHOF since the ‘Educator of Note’ Award was established in 2007. This award recognizes exceptional teachers who demonstrate a commitment to music education, play an active role in the community, and have a significant influence on the lives of music students of all backgrounds and abilities. 

Craig Knapp is the director of the Nassau and Suffolk Treble Choirs of the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra of New York, Elementary Classroom Music Specialist and Choral Director in the Rocky Point Public School District, former Adjunct Assistant Professor at Hofstra University, former Director of the Early Childhood Community Music Program at Stony Brook University, music educator, guest conductor, clinician, folk dance leader and author. He says of all his accomplishments, the most significant honor to him is the lasting influence he has had on his students. 

“I have the luckiest job in the world as I get to wake up every Monday morning and make music with incredible children,” Knapp said. “Of all that I have achieved—more important than any accolades I could receive, books I could publish, guest conducting opportunities I could receive, invitations to present at professional development conferences, or performances I direct—my greatest accomplishment, and what I’m most proud of, is that students still come to visit me decades later to tell me that I was their favorite teacher and to thank me for the positive impact I had on their life. What could be better than that?”

For more information about the LIMEHOF ‘Educator of Note’ Award, visit https://www.limusichalloffame.org/educator-of-note/

Each year, Maple Family Centers replaces all the pins at its five bowling centers with brand-new ones. This year, the company came up with a fun way to involve the local community by staging its inaugural Holiday Pin Decorating Contest.

Beginning Thanksgiving week, the teams at Maple’s five bowling centers distributed thousands of free pins to bowlers and community groups upon request, inviting them to paint or otherwise decorate their pins and enter their creations in the contest. To enter, participants had to upload a photo of their decorated pin by New Year’s Eve.

“We were amazed by the community’s response,” said Teresa McCarthy, Director of Community Outreach for Maple Family Centers. “Libraries, schools and numerous Girl Scout troops requested pins so they could decorate them as a craft project. We dropped off a bunch for the Long Beach Public Library’s kids’ programs, and then they requested more for the adults.”

With five bowling centers in two states – Maple Lanes RVC in Rockville Centre; Coram Country Lanes in Coram; Jib Lanes in Flushing.; Maple Lanes Countryside in Clearwater, Fla.; and Maple Lanes Lakeland in Lakeland, Fla. – Maple uses thousands of pins each year. “We used to sell back old pins to a company that would refurbish them and/or redesign them into ‘Happy Birthday’ pins, some of which we would hand out at our bowling centers,” said Maple Vice President Joe LaSpina. “But that company went out of business during COVID, and we had several years’ worth of used pins – maybe about 10,000 – sitting in inventory.”

Many contest participants created their pin designs with acrylic paint. Others used collage or décollage. About 75% of the entries featured holiday themes, such as snowmen, nutcrackers or Christmas trees. “One of our bowlers, who is a genuine artist, created a ‘storm’ theme that featured the logo of Storm, which is one of the largest bowling ball manufacturers,” said LaSpina. “He gave it to us to present to the owner of Storm as a holiday gift.”

Two winners – one adult and one youth (under 18 years old) – were chosen from each bowling center. The winners each received a free Family Fun Pack, which includes two games of bowling and shoe rentals for up to eight people. “We received a lot of amazing entries, which made it very difficult to select the winners,” McCarthy said. All contest participants received a coupon for a free game of bowling.

Many schools on Long Island requested pins for their art projects, including Baldwin High School, Charles E. Walters Elementary School in Yaphank, Coram Elementary School, Hempstead High School, Holy Angels Regional School in Patchogue, Lynbrook High School, Marion High School in Lynbrook, the Long Beach Special Education Program, and Ridge Elementary School.

“We were thrilled that so many bowlers, as well as schools and community groups, wanted to join in the fun and create decorative bowling pins,” McCarthy said. “Since we regularly upcycle pins, we plan to continue this project in the future.”

For more information about Maple Family Centers, visit www.maplelanes.com.

All photos courtesy of Maple Family Centers.

 

Florence Aghomo

Stony Brook University has announced that doctoral student Florence Aghomo won the Young Women in Conservation Biology (YWCB) Award from the Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) Africa Region. Aghomo is a doctoral student in the Interdepartmental Doctoral Program in Anthropological Sciences (IDPAS) and a member of the Institute for the Conservation of Tropical Environments (ICTE) under the supervision of State University of New York (SUNY) and Stony Brook Distinguished Service Professor Patricia C. Wright.

This annual award presented to a woman aims to recognize and applaud contributions to conservation. Aghomo was selected for her:

  • evidence of leadership, creativity, self-motivation, and enthusiasm in the execution of conservation work;
  • evidence of service to conservation biology; and
  • ability to work with others across gender, social class, and ethnicity to achieve concrete conservation outcomes.
Florence Aghomo

Since June 2019, Florence is the coordinator of the Red Colobus Conservation Network project under the Primates Specialist Group of the Species Survival Commission of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN/SSC/PSG), Re:wild and the African Primatological Society (APS). Under this project, she is technically and administratively coordinating the implementation of the Red colobus Conservation Action Plan (ReCAP) and an international network (more than 300 primatologists). She is responsible for sourcing collaboration with conservation partners and organizations, fundraising and reviewing members’ proposals. She is also responsible for hosting, organizing, and steering meetings with international partners and members, sustaining digital platforms, monitoring and evaluating achievements, and supporting youth professional growth through training and mentorships.

Before this position, Aghomo’s research/work involved studying the behavior and ecology of endangered Red colobus monkey as well as establishing practices to ensure their protection and safety in the Korup National Park in Cameroon. Her work takes her into dense forests where these monkeys live and she explores the canopies of trees looking for these large primates.

“They [Red colobus monkeys] are so special because they are very beautiful, unique, and perfect indicators of ecosystem health or habitat change since they are usually the first group of primates to leave a habitat when any disturbances or degradation occur,” said Aghomo. “Moreover, their diversity reflects the various bioregions of the African forested areas at large.”

Passionate for primate well-being and conservation, in 2020, Aghomo facilitated the creation and legalization of the Cameroon Primatological Society (CPS) and organized the 1st and the 2nd General Assemblies with the support of Re:wild. In Madagascar, she created a Language and Environmental Center in Ranomafana under her foundation “Flor’Afrique” to support education and conservation in this part of the world, which is home to a high biodiversity (Biodiversity hotspot) and the world’s second leader in primate diversity.

“Florence is a conservation hero, who has already made an incredible difference in saving wildlife in Africa,” said Professor Wright. “I am pleased to see her apply her skills to Madagascar and to graduate school here at Stony Brook. We are looking forward to sharing in her future accomplishments. She is a winner!”

The YWCB Working Group was established in 2005 by the Africa Region of the SCB, based on the need to fill the gap created by the limited numbers of women professionals in the field of conservation science in Africa. It was further mandated to act as a platform for early career African conservation biologists to share experiences (albeit with a major emphasis on women), generating incentives and mentorship opportunities to strengthen female conservation biologists in their careers.

Aghomo currently resides in Stony Brook while studying at Stony Brook University.

 

Gurwin Jewish Nursing & Rehabilitation Center announced the winners of the 2024 Annual Gurwin Photo Contest, revealing the photos at a wine and cheese reception in Gurwin’s Simon Rainbow Room at the 460-bed skilled nursing facility in Commack on Dec. 9. 

Nearly 1,000 submissions are received each year from across the globe by amateur photographers and students, and are judged by a panel of professional photographers for clarity, composition, subject matter and suitability for display at the Center.

This year’s judges, Iris Zaverdas De Vita of Golden Iris, Tony Lopez of Tony Lopez Photography, and Josh Schmidt of The Tiffen Company, chose 34 winning photos. 

Grand Prize, Honorable Mentions, as well as a Best-in-Show winners were awarded in 12 categories: Action/ Sports, Altered/Enhanced, Children, Landscapes, Long Island/ New York, Nature, People, Pets, Still Life, Student, Travel, and Wildlife. Gurwin residents and staff also weighed-in on their favorites for  “Resident/ Staff Selection” winners.  

Best-in-Show went to Regina Matarazzo (Tobyhanna, PA) for her photo “Seagull Under the Pier” and Best-In-Show Runner-Up to Alan Sloyer (Roslyn) for “Millie’s Diner.”

“We are thrilled to celebrate not only the incredible talent of our photo contest winners but also the joyous return of our in-person reception at the Gurwin Jewish Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, marking the first time since the pandemic,” said Stuart B. Almer, President and CEO of Gurwin Healthcare System. 

“Each year we are so very impressed by the incredible artistry of the participants, many of them perennial supporters of our unique contest.  We are pleased to showcase their work, and a grateful for the beauty and inspiration the photos bring to our residents.”

Winning photos are permanently displayed in the Center’s renowned Tiffen Gallery, named in memory of Helen and Nat Tiffen of The Tiffen Company, long-time sponsors of the contest.  More than 1,000 photos are showcased throughout the Center for the enjoyment of the community’s 460 long- and short-term residents, staff and visitors. 

Photos not selected for a prize award are repurposed as reminiscence aids, for visual stimulation and art therapy, providing a source of comfort and inspiration, for residents throughout the Center, including  Gurwin’s Memory Care Unit and Adult Day Care Programs.

“It’s hard for me to fathom that we’ve been hosting this contest for 31 years…at first, it was a way to decorate our newly opened nursing home; today, it’s so much more than that,” said Dennine Cook, Chief Corporate Communications Officer for Gurwin Healthcare System. 

“All the selections, whether they be honorable mentions, grand prizes or resident/staff selections, will be judged, discussed and enjoyed  by so many appreciative eyes for years to come. That is the real honor – that your photos will hang for decades in our residents’ home,” Cook added.