Fueled by a dominant 8-0 run and strong second-half defense, Stony Brook men’s lacrosse defeated CAA foe Monmouth, 13-9, at LaValle Stadium on April 12. Collin Williamson and Justin Bonacci led the Seawolf attack, each recording a game-high six points.
Good goalie play and timely offense allowed the Hawks to take a 3-1 lead with 5:55 remaining in the first. The Seawolves scored two of the final three goals in the first quarter, bringing the score to 4-3 in favor of Monmouth heading into the second quarter.
Stony Brook opened the scoring in the second with a man-up goal from Williamson to even things up at 4-all. Each team traded a goal to make it 5-5 with 7:42 remaining in the first half.
Monmouth tacked on a pair of goals late in the second quarter to take a 7-5 lead into the locker room.
The Hawks carried their momentum into the third quarter, scoring the first two goals of the second half and giving themselves a 9-5 lead with 6:55 remaining in the third. The Seawolves answered back just nine seconds later after Robbie Smith won a face-off and raced downfield to bury Stony Brook’s first goal of the half.
From that point on, the Seawolves took full control of the game, scoring the final two goals of the quarter, including a buzzer-beater from Gary Correa that brought them within one goal heading into the final frame.
Stony Brook evened things up with 11:47 remaining in the fourth as Bonacci buried the game-tying goal. Just over four minutes later, the Seawolves took their first lead of the day on a goal from Williamson.
Now in the driver’s seat, Stony Brook tacked on three more fourth-quarter goals to bookend an 8-0 run that spanned more than 21 minutes of game action to secure victory over the Hawks.
The win gives Stony Brook a 2-1 lead in the all-time series.
Up next, the team will travel to Philadelphia for its next matchup against Drexel on April 19. The contest will begin at noon and will stream live on FloCollege.
The Stony Brook women’s lacrosse team defeated Campbell, 19-12, in a comeback effort on April 13 at Barker-Lane Stadium in Buies Creek, N.C. A second-half surge saw the Seawolves outscore the Fighting Camels 10-4 over the final 30 minutes to overcome a halftime deficit and emerge victorious.
After an even first quarter (3-3), Campbell would go on to score four straight to take a 7-4 lead with 6:49 remaining in the first half. The Seawolves and Camels then traded goals before Stony Brook found the back of the net twice courtesy of Isabella Caporuscio and Riley McDonald and cut the Camels’ lead to 8-7 heading into halftime.
The Seawolves surged out of the gates in the second half, netting nine goals (four woman-up) to start the third quarter and take a comfortable eight goal lead. McDonald, Charlotte Wilmoth, Caporuscio, Alexandra Fusco, and Molly LaForge were responsible for the dominant display of Stony Brook goals.
The fourth quarter would become a back-and-forth affair with Campbell outscoring Stony Brook, 4-3, but the Seawolves were able to close out the come-from-behind victory with a strong second half offensive performance.
Up next, the team returns to Long Island for their home finale at LaValle Stadium on Friday, April 18 at 6 p.m. as they face off against undefeated Drexel. Stony Brook won both the regular season (18-11) and postseason (9-6) contests over the Dragons last season. Coverage is set to be available on FloCollege.
Photo courtesy of Stony Brook University Athletics
Stony Brook women’s track and field continued its busy April slate on April 12 in Rhode Island, competing at the Friar Invitational hosted by Providence. The Seawolves recorded five top-ten placements, with the day’s best performance coming from Jasmine Mason-Rudolph in the 400m hurdles.
HIGHLIGHTS
Mason-Rudolph placed third in the 400m hurdles event (1:07.26).
Enyero Omokeni finished fourth in the 200m race (26.59).
Grace Sisson recorded a fifth-place finish in the 3000m (10:06.89).
Samantha St. Juste placed seventh in the 200m (27.29).
Shaylen Goslar finished ninth in the mile run, setting a new PR with a time of 4:51.46.
“The Friar Invitational was an opportunity for some of our younger guys and girls to compete in one of the better meets in the Northeast,” head coach Andy Ronan noted. “Shaylen ran very well in the mile, and I also felt that Danielle produced a good effort in the same event. Grace also had a nice run on the night.”
The team is back in action on April 18, competing at the Virginia Challenge and Wake Forest Invitational. Both events are scheduled for a noon start.
Photo courtesy of Stony Brook University Athletics
Stony Brook men’s track and field continued its busy April slate on April 12 in Rhode Island, competing at the Friar Invitational hosted by Providence. The Seawolves recorded three top-six placements as a team.
HIGHLIGHTS
Michael Ye finished fifth in the 200m (23.56).
Ryan Scarry placed fifth in the 400 hurdles (58.07).
Luke Clackett finished sixth in the 400 hurdles (58.21).
“The Friar Invitational was an opportunity for some of our younger guys and girls to compete in one of the better meets in the Northeast,” head coach Andy Ronan noted. “Guys struggled a bit tonight, but hopefully will grow from the experience and use it to train and race better in the weeks ahead.”
The team is back in action on April 18, competing at the Virginia Challenge and Wake Forest Invitational. Both events are scheduled for a noon start.
Photo courtesy of Stony Brook University Athletics
Erik Paulsen jumpstarted the Seawolves with a two-run homer in the first inning, but Campbell responded with six unanswered runs and ultimately defeated Stony Brook 16-6 on April 13 at Joe Nathan Field in the series finale.
Stony Brook right-hander John Rizzo worked around a runner in the top of the first, keeping the Camels off the board. In the bottom half, Nick Zampieron reached base and Erik Paulsen followed with a two-run blast to right, giving the Seawolves an early 2-0 lead.Campbell quickly answered in the second inning, hitting a pair of home runs and scoring four runs to take a 4-2 lead. Brett Davino singled with one out in the home half of the inning, but Stony Brook was held scoreless.
The Camels kept their momentum in the third, tacking on two more runs via another home run to extend their lead to 6-2. The Seawolves were retired in order to end the frame.
With two runners on in the top of the fourth, Matthew Canizares entered the game for Stony Brook and struck out the first two batters he faced. However, the next hitter launched a three-run homer to stretch Campbell’s lead to 9-2.
Stony Brook punched back with two runs in the bottom of the fourth. Johnny Pilla led off with a single to center and later scored on a sacrifice fly from Matt Miceli. Zampieron brought home Luke Szepekwith a two-out single through the left side to cut the deficit to 9-4.
Campbell responded in the fifth, scoring four runs on three hits, including two more home runs, to push the lead to 13-4.
The Seawolves kept battling in the bottom half of the inning. Nico Azpilcueta extended his on-base streak by leading off the frame with a solo home run — his 12th of the season. Chris Carson added an RBI single, trimming the margin to 13-6.
Campbell tacked on another run in the sixth and added two more in the seventh to close out the scoring and take the series finale, 16-6.
Up next, the team hit the road this weekend for a three-game CAA series at Hofstra. Game one is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Friday, April 18 and will stream live on FloCollege.
Scene from the Long Island Youth Climate Summit. Photo by William Stieglitz
1 of 12
Scene from the Long Island Youth Climate Summit. Photo by William Stieglitz
Scene from the Long Island Youth Climate Summit. Photo by William Stieglitz
Scene from the Long Island Youth Climate Summit. Photo by William Stieglitz
Scene from the Long Island Youth Climate Summit. Photo by William Stieglitz
Scene from the Long Island Youth Climate Summit. Photo by William Stieglitz
Scene from the Long Island Youth Climate Summit. Photo by William Stieglitz
Scene from the Long Island Youth Climate Summit. Photo by William Stieglitz
Scene from the Long Island Youth Climate Summit. Photo by William Stieglitz
Scene from the Long Island Youth Climate Summit. Photo by William Stieglitz
Scene from the Long Island Youth Climate Summit. Photo by William Stieglitz
Scene from the Long Island Youth Climate Summit. Photo by William Stieglitz
Scene from the Long Island Youth Climate Summit. Photo by William Stieglitz
By William Stieglitz
Approximately 300 students from 17 local high schools and at least one middle school gathered April 4 for the first Long Island Youth Climate Summit at Stony Brook University. Organized by Students for Climate Action and Renewable Energy Long Island, the event centered on environmental education and advocacy, with students encouraged to get involved with grassroots.
“It’s really important that students remember that they have a voice, that they have power, that there’s a lot they can do locally,” said Harrison Bench from S4CA. “We are teaching students about the science behind climate change, the science behind renewable energy, but we’re also giving them practical tools in advocacy. … They go back to their towns, their communities, their schools, and they have the actual skills necessary to continue to push for change, where change matters most.”
Speakers at the event came from a variety of organizations. Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, taught how to distinguish misinformation from environmental fact. Energy and construction organizations, such as the Haugland Group and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, spoke on the benefits of offshore wind and solar projects, while also encouraging careers in climate and energy. And Monique Fitzgerald, a climate justice organizer at Long Island Progressive Coalition, shared information on New York’s 2019 Climate Act, which aims to lower greenhouse gas emissions but has not been fully funded, and encouraged calling on Governor Kathy Hochul (D) “to double down on investments in New York State.”
Additionally, there was a panel with six elected officials — Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine (R), Suffolk County legislators Steven Englebright (D, Setauket) and Rebecca Sanin (D, Huntington Station), Southold Town Supervisor Al Krupski (D), East Hampton Town Deputy Supervisor Cate Rogers (D) and New York State Senator Monica Martinez (D/WF, Brentwood) — who all spoke on the importance of advancing clean energy. Bench expressed that he would have liked an even larger turnout of representatives, saying “it would have been really great to have more Republican elected officials on the town board,” but also that he hopes to increase the number for next year.
The student response to the event was positive, with the teens saying they especially appreciated learning about offshore wind and hearing from keynote speaker Christopher Gobler, from the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University. “I like that it brings attention to a lot of the issues right now,” said a student from Westhampton Beach High School. “It’s super, super important, especially in our political climate, with the pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement.”
“I feel like it was very empowering,” said another student, who does local beach cleanup each summer. “Before, I thought that maybe I wouldn’t have had as much of a difference, like, just one person at a time. Now I’m hearing that there’s 300 other students here that are all here for the same reason. We can all go out together and all make an impact and that together, I feel like, [we] can really make a difference in the world, which is what I really care about the most.”
After about 4 hours of learning, students took a break for pizza and to meet with exhibitors from organizations such as PSEG Long Island, the New York League of Conservation Voters and Drive Electric Long Island. They then reconvened for action items, starting with making postcards to send to their congressional representatives. Students wrote letters on one side and got creative with designs on the other. Among the colorful images of wind turbines and the globe were messages such as “Only One Planet Earth,” “Use your brain power! Support wind power!” and “Please support renewable energy before we go under water.” Afterward, the students started petitions to bring back to their schools, focusing on crafting their asks, arguments, methods of distribution and timeline.
Melissa Parrot, executive director of ReLI, said the summit “exceeded our expectations.” She wanted the event to be solution oriented rather than just restating the problems. “We know we wanted climate science. We know we wanted action. We know we wanted careers. We know we wanted elected officials to be part of this process. So it kind of just figured itself out.”
Caption: Professor John Pardon. Photo by John Griffin/Stony Brook University
Stony Brook University Professor John Pardon is a co-recipient of the New Horizon in Mathematics prize which is part of the Mathematics Breakthrough prizes that are awarded annually. This award is given to early-career researchers who have already produced important work in their fields. The prize will amount to $100,000.
Professor Pardon was recognized for his research that has produced a number of important results in geometry and topology, particularly in the field of symplectic geometry and pseudo-holomorphic curves, which are certain types of smooth surfaces in manifolds.
The Breakthrough Prize honors an esteemed group of the world’s most brilliant minds for impactful scientific discoveries, including a subset responsible for substantial progress in the understanding and treatment of major diseases. The Prize – popularly known as the “Oscars® of Science” – was created to celebrate the wonders of the scientific age by founding sponsors Sergey Brin, Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg, Julia and Yuri Milner, and Anne Wojcicki.
“That John has received this honor so early in his career is a testament of course to his own commitment to unraveling some of the mysteries of geometry and to the incredible research that is going on at the Simons Center and in the math department in the College of Arts and Sciences,” said Carl W. Lejuez, executive vice president and provost. “John is an exemplary of what makes Stony Brook the state’s top public university and a flagship. I sincerely congratulate him on his Breakthrough Prize.”
“John Pardon has produced a broad spectrum of outstanding results in various areas of geometry and topology including as an undergraduate and PhD student. He co-created effective algebraic machinery for computation of symplectic invariants, which brought many new applications. Most recently, John proved a conjecture of Maulik, Nekrasov, Okounkov, and Pandharipande for a large class of complex three-dimensional manifolds, including all Calabi–Yau threefolds.” said Luis Alvarez-Gaume, director of the Simons Center for Geometry and Physics.
This is the fifth Breakthrough Prize for Stony Brook University’s faculty. Previous to Professor Pardon, winners include C.N. Yang/Wei Deng Endowed Chair and Professor Alexander (Sasha) Zamolodchikov in 2024, Distinguished Professor Emeritus Peter van Nieuwenhuizen 2019, Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy Chang Kee Jung and his group in 2016 and Professor Sir Simon K. Donaldson in 2014.
Eleven international students’ visas have been terminated since March 28, Stony Brook University officials confirmed. The University’s Office of Global Affairs notified the students.
“We want to assure you that our Global Affairs team is exceptionally knowledgeable in advising our international community and are working around the clock to provide individualized support to our international students, faculty, and scholars,” reads a letter written by Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Carl W Lejuez, Graduate School Dean Celia Marshik and Senior Associate Provost for Global Affairs Lindsi Walker. “They are leveraging their extensive network of partners, including SUNY, to gather up-to-date information on resources and guidance.”
University representatives did not disclose why the visas were revoked and referred questions to SUNY. On March 21, Interim President Richard McCormick released a letter addressing unrest among international students. The letter came amidst an increase in visa terminations across New York and the country.
In January, President Trump reversed a policy that prevented Immigration and Customs Enforcement from making arrests in schools and places of worship.
According to Inside Higher Ed, more than 700 international students have had their visas revoked across the country as of April 11. In New York, at least 62 students across eight public and private universities have had their visas terminated.
“As you know, this is a time of heightened uncertainty for international students on the nation’s college campuses. I am writing to emphasize that you are a valued member of our campus community,” McCormick wrote in the March letter.
Students with questions regarding their visa status are directed to Stony Brook University’s Visa and Immigration Services, the office of International Student Success,Counseling and Psychological Services or the Student Support Team.
In the typical process of developing cures for medical problems or diseases, researchers explore the processes and causes and then spend years searching for remedies.
Ke Jian Liu. Photo by Jeanne Neville, Stony Brook Medicine
Sometimes, however, the time frame for finding a solution is cut much shorter, particularly when the Food and Drug Administration has already approved a drug treatment for another problem.
This could be the case for hemorrhagic stroke. Caused by a burst blood vessel that leads to bleeding in the brain, hemorrhagic stroke represents 13 percent of stroke cases, but accounts for 50 percent of stroke fatalities.
That’s because no current treatment exists to stop a process that can lead to cognitive dysfunction or death.
A researcher with a background in cancer and stroke, Ke Jian “Jim” Liu, Professor of Pathology and Associate Director or Basic Science at the Stony Brook Cancer Center who joined Stony Brook University in 2022, has found a mechanism that could make a hemorrhagic stroke so damaging.
When a blood vessel in the brain bursts, protoporphyrin, a compound that attaches to iron to form the oxygen carrying heme in the blood, partners up with zinc, a similar metal that’s in the brain and is released from neurons during a stroke. This combination, appropriately called zinc protoporphyrin, or ZnPP, doesn’t do much under normal conditions, but could be “highly toxic” in hypoxic, or low-oxygen conditions.
“We have done some preliminary studies using cellular and animal stroke models,” said Liu. “We have demonstrated on a small scale” that their hypothesis about the impact of ZnPP and the potential use of an inhibitor for the enzyme that creates it ‘is true.’”
These scientists recently received a $2.6 million grant over five years from National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, which is a branch of the National Institutes of Health.
Focusing on a key enzyme
After Liu and his colleagues hypothesized that the ZnPP was toxic in a low-oxygen environment, they honed in on ways to reduce its production. Specifically, they targeted ferrochelatase, the enzyme that typically brings iron and protoporphyrin together.
Iron isn’t as available in this compromised condition because it has a positive charge of three, instead of the usual plus two.
Liu discovered the role of zinc in research he published several years ago.
When a hemorrhagic stroke occurs, it creates a “perfect storm,” as the enzyme favors creating a toxic chemical instead of its usual oxygen carrying heme, Liu said. He is still exploring what makes ZnPP toxic.
The group, which includes former colleagues of Liu’s from the University of New Mexico, will continue to explore whether ZnPP and the enzyme ferrochelatase becomes an effective treatment target.
Liu was particularly pleased that currently approved treatments for cancer could be repurposed to protect brain cells during a hemorrhagic stroke. Indeed, with over 80 approved protein kinase inhibitors, which could work to stop the formation of ZnPP during a stroke, Liu and his colleagues have plenty of potential treatment options.
“We’re in a unique position that a clinically available drug that’s FDA approved for cancer treatment” could become a therapeutic solution for a potentially fatal stroke, Liu said.
To be sure, Liu and his colleagues plan to continue to conduct research to confirm that this process works as they suggest and that this possible therapy is also effective.
As with other scientific studies of medical conditions, promising results with animal models or in a lab require further studies and validation before a doctor can offer it to patients.
“This is an animal model, based on a few observations,” said Liu. “Everything needs to be done statistically.”
At this point, Liu is encouraged by these preliminary studies as the subjects that received an inhibitor are “running around,” he said. “You can see the difference with your own eyes. We’re excited to see that.”
Earlier hypotheses for what caused damage during hemorrhagic stroke focused on the release of iron. In research studies, however, using a chelator to bind to iron ions has produced some benefits, but they are small compared to the damage from the stroke. The chelator is “not really making any major difference,” said Liu.
The Stony Brook researcher did an experiment where he compared ZnPP with the damage from other metabolic products.
“ZnPP is several times more toxic than all the other things combined,” which is what makes them believe that ZnPP might be responsible for the damage, he said.
Proof of principle
For the purpose of the grant, Liu said the scientists were focusing on gathering more concrete evidence to support their theory. The researchers are also testing a few of the protein kinase inhibitors to demonstrate that they work.
In their preliminary studies, they chose several inhibitors based on whether the drug penetrates the blood brain barrier and that have a relatively high affinity for ferrochelatase.
“This opens the door for a new phase of the study,” Liu said. “Can we find the best drug that provides the best outcomes? We are not there yet.”
Removing zinc is not an option, as it is a part of 2 percent of the proteome, Liu said. Taking it out would “screw up the entire biological, physiological system,” he added.
Liu speculates that any future drug treatment would involve a relatively small dose at a specific time, although he recognized that any drug could have side effects.
In an uncertain funding climate in which the government is freezing some grants, Liu hopes that the financial support will continue through the duration of the grant.
“Our hope is that at the end of this grant, we can demonstrate” the mechanism of action for ZnPP and can find a reliable inhibitor, he said. “The next step would be to go to a clinical trial with an FDA-approved drug, and that would be fantastic.”
Trailing 13-7 heading into the bottom of the ninth, the Stony Brook baseball team mounted a stunning seven-run rally, capped by Luke Szepek’s game-tying three-run homer and a walk-off single from Chanz Doughty, to secure a 14-13 victory over Sacred Heart on April 8 at Joe Nathan Field.
Scott Gell got the Seawolves on the board in the second with a one-out solo homer to left-center. In the third, Evan Goforth walked and came around to score on Erik Paulsen’s double into the right-field gap. Nico Azpilcueta capped the frame with a sacrifice fly, giving Stony Brook a 3-0 lead.
Vincent Mariella tossed a clean fourth inning out of the bullpen, and Aidan Colagrande followed with a scoreless fifth, allowing just a walk.
Sacred Heart struck back in the sixth, scoring four runs to take a 4-3 lead. Stony Brook immediately answered as Paulsen doubled again and Azpilcueta launched a two-run shot off the scoreboard—his 10th homer of the season—to reclaim a 5-4 advantage.
The Pioneers responded with a five-run seventh inning, including a two-run homer and a three-run blast to take a 9-5 lead. Stony Brook got two runners on in the bottom half but couldn’t capitalize.
Paulsen took the mound in the eighth and surrendered four runs, including a two-run homer, as Sacred Heart extended its lead to 12-5.
The Seawolves showed fight in the bottom of the eighth, cutting the deficit to 12-7. Chris Carsonreached on a fielder’s choice, and after a walk by Nick Zampieron, Matt Miceli drove in Carson with an RBI single. A defensive error allowed Zampieron to score.
After Sacred Heart added one more in the top of the ninth to make it 13-7, the Seawolves came roaring back. Paulsen singled, Doughty doubled, and Johnny Pilla walked to load the bases. A wild pitch scored Paulsen, and Gell delivered a two-RBI single to left, narrowing the gap to 13-10. Matthew Jackson singled off the bench, setting the table for Szepek, who crushed a pinch-hit three-run bomb to tie the game.
With the momentum fully in their favor, Stony Brook loaded the bases again on three straight walks. Doughty then stepped up and ripped the walk-off single to center, scoring Brett Davino and completing the unforgettable comeback.Right-hander Jacob Pedersen made his third start of the season and looked sharp early, retiring five of the first six batters he faced and finishing three scoreless innings with four strikeouts.
The team returns to Joe Nathan Field this weekend for a three-game set against Campbell. First pitch on Friday, April 18 is scheduled for 2 p.m., with all the action streaming live on FloCollege.