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Stony Brook University

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Stony Brook University. File photo

By Daniel Dunaief

Like colleges around the state and country, Stony Brook University is preparing for the possibility that New York State students will no longer be required to pass Regents exams to graduate from high school.

Stony Brook University Provost Carl Lejuez. File photo

During Covid-19, when many schools including SBU made reporting Scholastic Aptitude Tests, or SATs, or American College Testing, or ACTs, optional, the university continued to take a broader view of college applicants.

“The idea of holistic admissions has been something that has been gaining steam for a while,” said Provost Carl Lejuez in a wide ranging interview. Such an approach brings numerous potential student strengths into the admissions decision process.

“Judging by the success we’ve been having, we feel good about our ability to bring in the best students and help them succeed,” Lejuez added.

The admissions process at SBU has been considering additional factors, such as students’ educational experiences and opportunities, the adversity they experienced, and their trajectory and improvement.

A flagship public university, Stony Brook has become an important higher education entry point for students who are first-generation college applicants.

The university does not “want to make the process so onerous that it becomes less successful when you think of low income, first generation students who may not have a lot of the same opportunities” as students in wealthier, more established school districts, Lejuez said. The university wants to be “rigorous and equitable” in the strategy for bringing in the best students.

In the meantime, Stony Brook University recently completed its first full week after the departure of President Maurie McInnis, who had led the school for four years and is now the president of Yale University.

“The mark of a good leader is an organization that continues to thrive when they’ve gone and that is something, because they’ve created the right infrastructure and hired the right people and developed the right culture” that McInnis did, Lejuez said. “While folks are eager to have our permanent leadership in place, things are exactly how they should be.”

Indeed, Stony Brook in the coming days is expected to announce an interim president, who will take the reins for the university while the school conducts a national search, chaired by Stony Brook Council Chairman Kevin Law, for the seventh president.

Since McInnis’s departure, Stony Brook Medicine Executive Vice President Dr. William Wertheim has overseen operations as Officer-in-Charge.

Professor grades

In evaluating professors, Stony Brook uses student-driven evaluations. The university also has peer faculty observe classes and provide feedback.

“We are revising a lot of our promotion and tenure guidelines,” said Lejuez. “We’ve been very, very clear that you have to be an excellent teacher as well as an excellent researcher here at Stony Brook.”

Stony Brook emphasizes the importance of teaching at faculty orientation, where administrators urge new professors to visit and get to know the options available at the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching.

Through various assessments, SBU is working to ensure students are learning the lessons and ideas they should in classes.

The university made its first set of revisions this year by providing a midpoint feedback at the three-year mark for professors on a six-year tenure track throughout the university. Such feedback had been available for faculty in the College of Arts of Sciences previously.

“When you see professors who are struggling with their research or teaching, they should be getting feedback,” said Lejuez. “Sometimes they don’t get it until they’re going up for tenure. That’s not fair to the students or the faculty for that matter.”

To help students throughout their educational journey, Stony Brook invested several million dollars in increasing the number of advisors, while also increasing the support within the tutoring center.

These efforts have paid dividends, as the retention rate from first year to second year for students, which had been in the mid 80 percent range, is moving higher. Within two or three years, SBU would like to see that number reach 92 percent or more.

As for international efforts, the university plans to connect resources in places like the Turkana Basin Institute in Kenya, Centre ValBio in Madagascar and SUNY Korea, which is a partnership between SBU, SUNY and the South Korean government.

“I, as well as several deans and faculty, have made trips to all three in the past year and we are increasing our support,” said Lejuez. “We have also been ramping up fundraising efforts.”

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Stony Brook University Hospital

Stony Brook University Hospital’s Cardiothoracic Surgery Program within the Stony Brook Heart Institute has earned a prestigious three-star rating, the highest rating possible, from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) for its patient care and outcomes in mitral valve repair/replacement (MVRR) procedures and isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG or heart bypass surgery) procedures. The latest rating period is from Jan 2021 to Dec 2023. Stony Brook received its first three-star CABG rating in 2017, and has consistently received the top ratings since.

“The three-star ratings are reflective of our entire Heart Institute’s dedication — from surgeons, nurses, physician assistants and many other healthcare professionals — to delivering top-quality care and outcomes for our patients,” says Henry J. Tannous, MD, FACS, Co-Director, Heart Institute, Chief, Cardiothoracic Surgery and General T.F. Cheng Chair, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University. “At Stony Brook, patients can have the confidence of knowing they’re getting cardiac care from world-class cardiothoracic physicians at one of the top-rated facilities in the nation.”

The recent analysis of the STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database included data from 964 participants on cases between 2021 and 2023. Participating programs were rated on a range of one to three stars. The STS three-star ratings — one of the most sophisticated and highly regarded overall measures of quality in healthcare — that Stony Brook achieved is an “Overall Composite Score” for patient outcomes and quality of care for isolated CABG surgery procedures and MVRR procedures performed. It measures a surgical team’s performance before, during and after the surgical procedure. More than 95 percent of hospitals in the U.S. with cardiothoracic surgical programs submit data to the STS, and approximately 20 percent of participants receive the three-star rating for CABG and approximately 10 percent receive a three-star-rating for MVRR procedures.

“At Stony Brook Medicine, we take great pride in our long legacy of raising the level of cardiothoracic surgical care for our patients,” says Apostolos Tassiopoulos, MD, FACS, Chair, Department of Surgery; Chief, Vascular and Endovascular Surgery and Professor of Surgery, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University. “We remain laser-focused on serving our community with all the best that only a University-based academic medical center can offer — the most advanced technology, an outstanding cardiovascular staff and the full spectrum of lifesaving cardiothoracic interventions.”

This year, Healthgrades also named Stony Brook University Hospital as one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Cardiac Care™ (2015-24). Stony Brook is one of only two hospitals in New York State to be named among America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Cardiac Care for ten years in a row.

About Stony Brook Heart Institute:

Stony Brook Heart Institute is located within Stony Brook University Hospital as part of Long Island’s premier university-based medical center. The Heart Institute offers a comprehensive, multidisciplinary program for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease. The staff includes full-time and community-based, board-certified cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons, as well as specially trained anesthesiologists, nurses, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, respiratory therapists, surgical technologists, perfusionists and other support staff. Their combined expertise provides state-of-the-art interventional and surgical capabilities in 24-hour cardiac catheterization labs and surgical suites. And while the Heart Institute clinical staff offers the latest advances in medicine, its physician-scientists are also actively enhancing knowledge of the heart and blood vessels through basic biomedical studies and clinical research. To learn more, visit www.heart.stonybrookmedicine.edu.

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File photo by David Ackerman
Steven Sandoval. Photo from BU

The Suffolk County Volunteer Firefighters Burn Center at Stony Brook University Hospital — the only designated burn care facility in Suffolk County, has 10 Safety Tips this July 4th Weekend as families celebrate the holiday.

Many will spend the holiday in their backyards for barbecues, cookouts or build fire pits where there’s a greater risk to sustain a burn injury. Steven Sandoval, MD, Associate Professor of Surgery and Medical Director of the Suffolk County Volunteer Firefighters Burn Center at Stony Brook University Hospital, says “I expect an uptick in patients around this time every year. Firework injuries range from facial burns to loss of digits or hands. Sparkler burns are also a common holiday injury. They burn at several thousand degrees and can cause second-or third-degree burns. The best way to prevent burns in the first place is with safety tips and precautions to eliminate potential dangers.”

  1. Fireworks are safe for viewing only when being used by professionals.
  2. Sparklers are one of the most common ways children become burned this holiday, even with a parent’s supervision.
  3. Do not have children around any fireworks, firepits, barbecues or hot coals. Teach them not to grab objects or play with items that can be hot. Go through a lesson where they learn to ask permission.
  4. Limit the use of flammable liquids to start your fire pits and barbecues. Use only approved lighter fluids that are meant for cooking purposes. No gasoline or kerosene.
  5. Don’t leave hot coals from fire pits and barbecues laying on the ground for people to step in.
  6. When cleaning grills, the use of wire bristle brushes can result in ingestion of sharp bristle pieces requiring surgery.
  7. If you are overly tired, and consumed alcohol, do not use the stovetop, fire pit or a fireplace.
  8. Stay protected from the sun. Use hats and sunblock, and realize that sunblock needs to be reapplied after swimming or after sweating.
  9. Use the back burners of the stove to prevent children from reaching up and touching hot pots and pans.
  10. Always use oven mitts or potholders to remove hot items from the stove or microwave. Assume pots, pans and dishware are hot.

“I want people to enjoy a safe 4th of July and reduce the risk of burn injuries. And, if burned do not go anywhere but a facility specializing in burn treatment,” says Dr. Sandoval.

As the only designated burn care facility for more than 1.6 million residents of Suffolk County, the Burn Center at Stony Brook University Hospital coordinates burn services throughout the county, and conducts training and research in burn care. The Burn Center also serves as a resource to neighboring community-based hospitals. Patients of all ages – from infants through geriatrics – are treated at the Burn Center.

To reach the Suffolk County Volunteer Firefighters Burn Center at Stony Brook University Hospital, call 631-444-4545.

For immediate help, call the burn unit directly at 631-444-BURN.

 

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Clockwise from top left, Musankwa sanyatiensis leg bones as they were discovered in the ground on Spurwing Island, Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe. Image courtesy of Paul Barrett; Musankwa sanyatiensis fossil bones in situ, after mechanical preparation, and after CT scanning. Image courtesy of Paul Barrett; and an artist reconstruction of Musankwa sanyatiensis showing position of fossil bones (in blue). Rendering by Atashni Moopen

By Daniel Dunaief

The dinosaur family tree has few members in Zimbabwe, as only four fossils have been found in the region.

Kimberley Chapelle

Recently, researchers from several universities, including Kimberley “Kimi” Chapelle, Assistant Professor in the Department of Anatomical Sciences in the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, described a new species of dinosaur from a 210 million year-old fossilized hind leg in the journal Acta Palaeontologica Polonica.

Reconstructing the entire dinosaur from the bones they discovered in Lake Kariba, the scientists, led by Paul Barrett from the Natural History Museum of London, estimated that this plant-eating sauropodomorph weighed about 850 pounds and was among the larger dinosaurs in the late Triassic period.

The first new dinosaur species described in the Mid-Zambezi Basin of Northern Zimbabwe in more than 50 years, the sauropodomorph survived a mass extinction event that wiped out about 76 percent of all terrestrial and marine creatures. The sauropodomoprh group includes animals like the enormous Brontosaurus, which came later in the evolution of the lineage. Chapelle was on the field expedition in 2017 when Barrett noticed the fossil sticking out of the ground.

The discovery was “extremely exciting, as there was a high chance it was going to be something new,” said Chapelle. “It was well-preserved in articulation and we knew the bones came from the same individual.” She participated in the lengthy process that involved excavating the rare find, creating a reconstruction, isolating the bones to look at the structure, describing the fossil and comparing it to other, closely-related dinosaurs to determine where it sits on the family tree.

The researchers named this species Musankwa sanyatiensis, using the name of the houseboat Musankwa on which they lived and worked as they searched for fossils during the dry seasons around the man-made Lake Kariba.

“Musankwa is cool because it’s one of only a handful of dinosaurs from Zimbabwe, a country with amazing fossil resources that have yet to be fully discovered,” explained Jonah Choiniere, a Professor in the Evolutionary Studies Institute at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg South Africa, who served as Chapelle’s PhD advisor. “Because we don’t have any specimens of Musankwa in similar-age rocks in South Africa, it tells us that during the Triassic period there might have been slightly different species groups of dinosaurs in the two countries.”

The Earth looked considerably different when this long-necked dinosaur was searching for its plant meal, as the land masses of the planet were combined in one supercontinent called Pangaea. In that time, Musankwa’s predators likely included meat-eating therapods and crocodile-like reptiles, which are ancestors of modern crocodiles.

Keep your head up

Hunting for fossils in Zimbabwe, which presented an opportunity for this kind of discovery, came with some challenges.

Kimberley Chapelle with Jonah Choiniere at Lake Kariba. Photo from Jonah Choiniere.

For starters, researchers lived aboard the houseboat Munsankwa, whose name in the Tongan dialect means “boy close to marriage.” Lake Kariba, which was created between 1958 and 1963 and is the largest artificial lake and reservoir by volume, gets “really hot in the summer and all you want to do is swim,” said Chapelle.

That, however, is ill-advised, as modern crocodiles roam the waters of the lake so regularly that people stay far from the shoreline.

To combat the heat, Chapelle drank plenty of water, applied regular sunscreen and wore large hats and long sleeves to keep the strong rays of the sun off her skin. Additionally, the researchers worked between morning and afternoon. The scientific expedition had an armed game ranger with them, to keep scientists safe.

“When you’re looking at fossils, you are always looking at the ground,” Chapelle said. At one point, she looked up and saw a hippo about 50 feet from her. “You have to remember to be aware of your surroundings,” she  said.

Field experience

Choiniere, who inspired his former student to consider entering the field when he first arrived at the University of Witwatersrand, saw Chapelle in action when she first did some field work.

Chapelle’s scientific curiosity never faltered, despite some significant field misadventures that included staying in a rotten old farmhouse without plumbing, sleeping in tents in the freezing cold in the backyard of a rural pub, hiking through brambles over the side of a mountain, and touring around Germany eating nothing but stewed cabbage and pork in brown sauce, and staying three to a hostel room to save money.

“In [Chapelle’s] case, there was never any doubt — she loved the field from day one and has never looked back,” Choiniere explained.

Choiniere believes Chapelle has a “unique skillset among paleontologists,” as her talents include math, observations of shape and structure, histology, three-dimensional data processing and field work. Beyond her diverse skills, Choiniere appreciated Chapelle’s time management skills and her pleasant demeanor, which enabled her to greet him with a smile even when he delivered his part later than she anticipated.

A promising LI start

Chapelle, who started working at Stony Brook at the end of January, is enjoying a return to New York. A native of Johannesburg, South Africa, she  had done a postdoctoral fellowship at the American Museum of Natural History in 2021.

A current resident of Rocky Point, Chapelle lives close to the beach. She and her husband Dominic Stratford, an Adjunct Professor at Stony Brook and Archaeologist and Associate Professor at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, brought their Australian Shepherd named Shango with them.

A runner who recently completed the Shelter Island 10K and who loves taking pictures, Chapelle, who is the daughter of a doctor, originally thought she’d want to become a veterinarian. When she took a course in her third year of college with Choiniere, she was hooked by the link between evolution and anatomy.

As for the recent paper, Chapelle is pleased that people can read about this newly discovered dinosaur.

“This is years and years of work that gets put into this,” she said. “It also gives us a push to keep finding new things and publishing.”

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The festival opens with 'The Blond Boy from the Casbah.'

Stony Brook University’s Staller Center  for the Arts turns into a movie lover’s mecca when new independent films screen at the Stony Brook Film Festival on evenings from Thursday, July 18 to Saturday, July 27. The popular festival, now in its 29th year, will become a hub for some of the best filmmakers working today, a meeting ground for favorite actors and rising stars, and a showcase of new masterpieces as it pairs memorable short films with an array of features you won’t see anywhere else.

Presented by Island Federal, this year’s lineup boasts 36 films from 19 countries and kicks off with the U.S. Premiere of The Blond Boy from the Casbah, Alexandre Arcady’s semi-autobiographical dramedy about growing up in Algeria before emigrating to France as a teen. Festival Programmer Kent Marks describes the film as a “thought-provoking, unique journey through the past on the surprising path to self-discovery.”

Closing the festival is the U.S. Premiere of the German epic One Million Minutes, an inspiring true story that follows an over-worked family trying to find balance in their lives, starring festival-favorite Karoline Herfurth.

The festival will close with a screening of ‘One Million Minutes.’

While the films are never chosen with an overall theme in mind, oftentimes, a theme seems to emerge, and 2024 is no exception. “While our goal is to always program the best films we can find, this year, we gave ourselves the added goal of keeping an eye out for films that appeared to be on the lighter side so we could give our audience some extra laughs in their lives — something that we felt many people could use,” says SBFF & Staller Center Director, Alan Inkles. 

As festival-goers have come to expect, the 2024 schedule is still peppered with hard-hitting films, compelling dramas, and some very unique science-fiction.

This year’s festival features nine films from Stony Brook Film Fest Alumni. “Filmmakers depend on these festivals to help them get their films distributed so as many people can see them as possible and to gauge how a live audience is responding to their work – Our alumni love returning because we have a large, engaged audience and ensure they get the best showing and hospitality possible,” says Marks. “One of the most exciting parts for me is seeing these films up on the big screen and watching how the audience reacts,” says Outreach Director Paul Newland, “after spending so much time previewing these films, it’s truly exciting to see them have their big premiere in the festival, and our filmmakers love it too.”

One of the key features of the Stony Brook Film Festival is that there is absolutely no other way to see these films. 

“Netflix and streaming services are easy and comfortable, and we get that, but these films are not offered on streaming services. They’re films looking to get picked up for distribution in order to stream or play in theaters – a lot of people don’t get that – so this is the prime opportunity to be the first to know and to see some truly incredible films that you cannot see anywhere else,” says Inkles. This year’s festival boasts 17 world, U.S., East Coast, and U.S. premieres of features and shorts throughout the festival.

This year’s festival has a secret film—one that you will only know about if you come in person on July 21. The film—a major motion picture starring well-known Hollywood faces—was produced by a native Long Island filmmaker whose films have previously played the festival. It tells an inspirational true story with an amazing local hook. As with almost all films in the festival, a question-and-answer session between the filmmakers and the audience will follow the preview.

“We are very excited to have filmmakers from all over the world join us for their premiere screenings. Our audiences can gather in a huge theater with Long Island’s largest screen, to see movies the way they were meant to be seen,” said Inkles. 

Additional sponsors for the Stony Brook Film Festival include Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, LLP; Suffolk County; Altice Media; and WLIW21.

FILM SCHEDULE

For a complete description of all of the films, visit stonybrookfilmfestival.com.

OPENING NIGHT
Thursday, July 18 at 7 p.m.

Short: Chauncey

Feature: The Blond Boy from the Casbah

Friday, July 19 at 7 p.m.

Short: Iron Lung

Feature: The Queen of My Dreams

Friday, July 19 at 9:30 p.m.

Short: Detox

Feature: Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person

Saturday, July 20 at 7 p.m.

Short: The Hope Chest Has a Secret Drawer

Feature: The Strangers’ Case

Saturday, July 20 at 9:30 p.m.

Short: Two Cents & A Footlong

Feature: Take A Chance on Me

Sunday, July 21 at 7 p.m.

Short: The Grievance

Feature: SPECIAL SNEAK PREVIEW of a major motion picture produced by a SBFF alumni and Long Island resident

Sunday, July 21 at 9:30 p.m.

Short: Revived

Feature: Month to Month

Monday, July 22 at 7 p.m.

Short: Where We Belong

Feature: Marguerite’s Theorem

Monday, July 22 at 9:30 p.m.

Short: In the Night

Feature: Excursion

Tuesday, July 23 at 7 p.m.

Short: Split Ends

Feature: Free Money

Tuesday, July 23 at 9:30 p.m.

Short: Where Do Ants Sleep At Night

Feature: A Fantastic Relationship

Wednesday, July 24 at 7 p.m.

Short: exuvia

Feature: Mediha

Wednesday, July 24 at 9:30 p.m.

Short: [subtext]

Feature: Running on Sand

Thursday, July 25 at 7 p.m.

Short: Mimesis

Feature: Mastergame

Thursday, July 25 at 9:30 p.m.

Short: Bible Camp

Feature: Daughter of the Sun

Friday, July 26 at 7 p.m.

Short: The Overlook

Feature: After the Fire

Friday, July 26 at 9:30 p.m.

Short: On the paths awakened

Feature: A Real Job

CLOSING NIGHT
Saturday, July 27 at 7 p.m.

Short: If

Feature: One Million Minutes

CLOSING NIGHT AWARDS

9:30 p.m. Presented on stage.

Ticket information 

All screenings are held at Stony Brook University’s Staller Center for the Arts, 100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook in the 1,000-seat Main Stage theater. Cinephiles will want to see all 36 films. There’s passes for that. For those who can’t, there are passes for that, too. All festival pass types come with guaranteed priority seating, Q&As with filmmakers, discounts, and other perks at partner locations, including local eateries and breweries, as well as a festival gift.

The Flex Pass is intended for those who aren’t sure about purchasing a 10-day pass. For $75, pass holders also receive entry to any five nights of the festival except for closing night.

A Regular Pass – $100 – also includes entry to all films and the closing night awards ceremony.

The Gold Pass VIP – $250 – also includes entry to all films, VIP First Priority reserved seating, and invitations to the Opening Night and Closing Night parties at St. Georges Golf Club in Setauket and on the rooftop at Curry Club at SaGhar in Port Jefferson, respectively.

Individual tickets  of $15 per person, $13.50 for seniors will be available after July 5. Tickets may be purchased at stonybrookfilmfestival.com/pass.

To learn more about the different membership levels and their benefits, call the box office at 631-632-2787 or visit www.stonybrookfilmfestival.com.

This article originally appeared in TBR News Media’s Summer Times supplement on June 20.

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Photo courtesy of Stony Brook Medicine

Breast cancer research at the Stony Brook Cancer Center is taking a long-lasting, impactful leap forward thanks to the generous support from the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund. The Fund, which has been supporting research grants at Stony Brook for the last 25 years, has established a new $5.5 million endowment that will be used in perpetuity to fund breast cancer research at Stony Brook Medicine.

Carol M. Baldwin dedicated her life to helping other women overcome the struggles associated with breast cancer after her own diagnosis in 1990 and enduring a double mastectomy. After raising her six children on Long Island, New York, she formed the Fund in 1996 with her family, friends and health professionals with a mission to fight and ultimately win the battle against breast cancer. That same year, Stony Brook dedicated the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Care Center in recognition of her efforts to raise funds for cancer research. The care center continues to operate today within the Stony Brook Cancer Center. In addition to cancer care, the center treats patients with benign conditions of the breast and offers community education on overall breast health and cancer prevention.

“Carol was very supportive of local women who were newly diagnosed and would become their advocate to make sure they received the right treatment,” said Brian J. O’Hea, MD, director of the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Care Center. “This newly endowed fund will allow the expert care and research to continue and will ensure Carol’s legacy will always live on here at Stony Brook.”

Over the past few decades, the Fund has provided seed grants to more than 100 researchers at Stony Brook Medicine as they investigate the causes, prevention and treatment of breast cancer. In memory of Carol, who passed away in 2022, the new endowed Fund will ensure that breast cancer research at Stony Brook will continue for years to come. With the State Endowment Match Challenge and the Simons Infinity Investment Challenge, this gift will have an impact of $16.5 million.

“Through the support of the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund, our researchers will learn more about breast cancer, providing us better methods of detection and treatment,” said William Wertheim, MD, interim executive vice president of Stony Brook Medicine. “This endowed gift will allow that important work to continue in perpetuity as our researchers search for advances in technology and medicine.”

This past May, the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC) awarded the center a full three-year reaccreditation. According to O’Hea, NAPBC-accredited programs have demonstrated excellence in organizing and managing a breast care center to facilitate multidisciplinary, integrated and comprehensive breast cancer services.

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Microcystis bloom in Lake Erie. Photo by Matthew Harke

Study links warming since the 1990s to the intensification of Microcystis blooms

Climate change is causing a series of maladies by warming land and sea. A study published online in Limnology and Oceanography Letters, demonstrates that one consequence of climate change that has already occurred is the spread and intensification of toxic algae blooms in Lake Erie.

A team of scientists led by Christopher Gobler, PhD, a Professor  in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) at Stony Brook University, used high resolution satellite-based temperature data along with the growth response of the blue-green algae that plagues Lake Erie –  Microcystis. Their study demonstrates that since the 1990s, the western basin of Lake Erie has warmed and become significantly more hospitable to this alga and that ‘blooms’ of Microcystis have become more intense in these same regions. Microcystis can cause serious health concerns as the gastrointestinal toxin, microcystin, can be harmful to humans and animals.

“Toxic or harmful algal blooms are not a new phenomenon,” says Gobler. “These events can sicken humans by contaminating drinking water or harm aquatic life as toxins cycle through food webs.”

And the problem is worsening. “The intensity of these events has increased across the globe and this study has demonstrated that warming since the 20th century has expanded the bloom season of Microcystis in the western basin of Lake Erie by a month,” notes Gobler.

While several studies have predicted that toxic algae blooms may become more common in the future, this is one of the first studies to link the recent intensification of Microcystis blooms in a specific ecosystem to decadal warming. Confidence in the findings of the study came from the match of the modeled findings to the intensification of these events in western Lake Erie during this century.

“It was remarkable and reassuring to see our hindcast models fall in-line with observations in Lake Erie over the past 30 years,” said co-author, Benjamin Kramer, PhD, who received his doctorate at Stony Brook University and is now a post-doctoral scholar at the University of Minnesota. “It gives us confidence that these model parameters and our approach can be applied to hindcasting and even forecasting of these events elsewhere.”

The study brought together biologists with climate scientists who made use of ecosystem observations, laboratory experiments, and thirty years of satellite-based temperature estimates that are made daily and with a very high degree of spatial resolution.

“Today, collaborating with scientists outside of your discipline is almost a requirement to solve the tough questions,” said climate modeler, and co-author, Owen Doherty, PhD. “This study showed the value of interdisciplinary collaboration through a novel combination of laboratory, observational, and modeling work.”

And the study has important consequences for policy and the future of the oceans.

“This study demonstrates that the warming that has already occurred is now impacting human health and our water resources,” said Gobler. “An important implication of the study is that carbon emission and climate change-related policy decisions made today are likely to have important consequences for the spreading and intensification of toxic algal blooms in large lake ecosystems.”

Caption: Microcystis bloom in Lake Erie.

Photo credit: Matthew Harke

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Luis Medina Faull conducting research on a ship in Venezuela.

By Daniel Dunaief

Typical sampling of ocean water excludes small microplastics which, as it turns out, are much more abundant even than larger pieces.

Luis Medina Faull

That’s the conclusion of a recent paper published in Marine Pollution Bulletin based on research conducted by Luis Medina Faull, Lecturer and IDEA Fellow, Sustainable Climate Justice and Solutions at the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University.

Using Raman microspectrometry to test ocean waters from the Caribbean to the Arctic, Medina Faull discovered smaller microplastics that were 10 to 100 times more abundant than the larger ones.

“We can’t see these plastics and, until recently, we couldn’t even track the samples,” said Medina Faul. “These small pieces can be easily ingested by marine organisms, such as fish” who translocate them into tissues where humans can consume them. “They are an emerging contaminant in our ocean so we have to be very concerned.”

Microplastics not only harm organisms that live in the ocean, but also create a health threat to humans, appearing in breast milk, heart muscles, blood, and waste products such as feces.

Microplastics can alter cell activity. The threat these particles pose to the environment and human health increases the urgency to understand this contaminant.

At this point, scientists don’t yet know how much of these microplastics fish have consumed although every species studied has evidence of microplastic ingestion.

Plankton nets can find microplastics that are between 300 and 500 micrometers or larger. Medina Faull, however, can detect microplastics that are 1 to 300 micrometers.

In samples taken from the Northeast Coast of Medina Faull’s native Venezuela, the Gulf Stream Current, which includes the Caribbean and Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Arctic Ocean, the Stony Brook scientist found that the most abundant microplastics were between 1 and 14 micrometers, with 60 percent under 5 micrometers.

His findings exceeded previous combined reports about the abundance of these microplastics by six orders of magnitude.

While the larger particles of microplastics weighs more in the ocean, “it is important to measure the number of particles and their mass,” Medina Faull explained in an email, which will help “to understand the plastic budget in the ocean and the possible ecological or biological impact of these particles.”

The general public, government agencies and the scientific community have become increasingly concerned about microplastics. Medina Faull recently attended the first New York State Microplastics summit organized by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation and the State University of New York at Buffalo. They discussed the kind of microplastics thresholds that could be harmful to humans and the environment.

The challenges of small pieces

The primary ingredient in plastics, which are made from fossil fuels, is carbon, constituting about 70 to 90 percent of the material that creates packaging, coverings, wraps and other products.

Luis Medina Faull conducting research on a ship in Venezuela.

Determining the origin and content of these microplastics, which are a collection of materials manufactured and sold in different countries, is challenging. Microplastics in the ocean come from mismanagement of solid waste, dumping, fisheries, tourism and other sources.

For the larger pieces of microplastics, which are still exponentially smaller than the eight-inch water bottle that people drink at baseball games and picnics, researchers can determine where the plastic was made.

For the smaller pieces, scientists can link materials to specific activities. Polystyrene is used in floating devices, such as buoys, as well as in fishing, boating and tourism. Polystyrene is also used in food containers and clothing. For these smaller microplastics, scientists have a hard time pointing out the source.

Additionally, smaller microplastics of the kind Medina Faull found in abundance, can contain a mix of particles, suggesting that the ocean contaminant likely came from a recycling process.

“We call them plastics, but there are [numerous] types of materials with different chemical compositions,” he said. These may interact differently with the environment and the oceanic organisms.

At this point, Medina Faull suggested that the majority of the ocean remains undersampled, which makes it difficult to know the concentration and distribution of microplastics.

Microplastics are also distributed in different parts of the ocean, as some of them float at the surface while others sink to the bottom. The process for vertical transport in the water column isn’t well studied.

New plastic producing technology

Some companies are working to develop bioplastic materials. Made from natural polymers or polymers produced by algae or bacteria, these plastics might dissolve more rapidly and provide a safer environmental alternative. These could be photo, bio or chemically degraded faster than synthetic polymers.

As for his own consumer decisions, Medina Faull thinks about ways to reduce his own plastic use regularly.

For starters, he tries to reduce the use of plastics in his own house. He drinks water from the tap and, when he does use plastic, he tries to make sure it’s more than for a single use. 

He urges residents concerned about the use of plastics to buy local products, which not only help the community but also reduce the need for as much plastics for shipping.

When he buys toys for his two-year-old daughter Aila Marina, he tries to make sure they’re manufactured with recycled plastic or wood.

Aerosolized plastics

When microplastics are small enough, they can become aerosolized amid a heavy surf, as the impact of water releases them into the air.

Areas in the Arctic and Antarctic have now found evidence of microplastics that were carried by the wind.

“We know that they are part of these complex transfer mechanisms in the ocean,” said Medina Faull.

A native of Margarita Island, Venezuela, Medina Faull spent considerable time growing up in and around water. He grew up going to the beach, surfing, scuba diving, and spearfishing.

Medina Faull and his wife Elizabeth Suter, who is also a marine scientist and works at Molloy University in Rockville Centre, live in Long Beach with their daughter.

When he’s not on, near or studying the water, Medina Faull appreciates the opportunity to create objects in his own woodworking shop. He has made furniture for his office, a toy chest for his daughter and picture frames.

As for the message from his work, Medina Faull believes any contamination is cause for concern.

“We need to be aware” of microplastics, he said. There are “so many things we don’t understand yet.”

For consumers, he urges people to be careful about what they are buying and consider ways to reduce plastics.

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Dr. William Wertheim. Photo by Jeanne Neville/Stony Brook Medicine

Stony Brook University President Maurie McInnis has announced that William Wertheim, MD, MBA, has been promoted to executive vice president, Stony Brook Medicine. Dr. Wertheim, who has been serving as the interim executive vice president role will continue to report to the university’s president and is a member of the senior leadership team. In this role, he will continue to work in partnership with academic, hospital and clinical leadership and with community partners to ensure the continued development and excellence of the premier academic medical center and health system. Stony Brook Medicine’s leadership team will continue to report to Dr. Wertheim.

“I have been impressed by Dr. Wertheim’s engaging leadership style that prioritizes collaboration and action,” said President McInnis. “He is deeply respected for his approach that has fostered a culture of teamwork and inclusivity and as a result, Stony Brook Medicine continues to make meaningful strides in expanding patient access, elevating research, and innovating in its approach to teaching and learning. I am confident that Stony Brook Medicine will continue to thrive under his leadership.”

Under Dr. Wertheim’s leadership, Stony Brook has grown patient visits throughout its hospitals, ambulatory centers and clinical practice groups. The recruitment of 28 new providers to the East End has allowed Stony Brook Medicine 14,000 additional patient visits in the community. From supporting the development of clinical research spaces at Stony Brook University Hospital and the Lake Grove and Commack Advanced Specialty Care centers to participation in student and resident research days across the institution, it is clear Dr. Wertheim wholeheartedly believes in Stony Brook Medicine’s research mission and supports innovation in clinical practice.

Dr. Wertheim joined Stony Brook in 1996 and previous to his interim position, served as vice dean for academic affairs of Stony Brook’s Renaissance School of Medicine (RSOM). He also holds the Endowed Chair in Graduate Medical Education at RSOM and is president of the Stony Brook Medicine Community Medical Group.

A graduate of Harvard University and New York University School of Medicine, Dr. Wertheim completed his internal medicine residency at University of Michigan Hospitals, where he also served as chief resident. He worked as a clinical faculty member at the University of Michigan’s Veterans Administration Hospital, then moved to New York, where he worked at The Brooklyn Hospital Center.

“Having been part of this remarkable academic healthcare center for years, I’ve seen the unwavering commitment, the tireless dedication and the profound impact we make on the lives of our patients and their families,” said William A. Wertheim, MD, MBA, executive vice president for Stony Brook Medicine. “Together, we’ve championed excellence in healthcare and education, solidifying our position as a leader in academic medicine. I am deeply excited about the journey ahead and the future we will shape together.”

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World Trade Center worker. Photo courtesy Steven Spak

By Daniel Dunaief 

First responders who raced to the World Trade Center site on 9/11 or who helped with the massive clean up effort did so at risk to themselves.

That was as true during those days and weeks after the attack as it is now, with many of the first responders experiencing a range of diseases and conditions linked to the difficult work they did in 2001.

In a study released recently in the journal JAMA Network Open, Sean Clouston, Professor in the Program in Public Health and in the Department of Family, Population and Preventive Medicine in the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, showed that 4.6 percent of the responders in a study developed dementia. That compares with 0.5 percent for the general population of people who would develop cognitive declines in a similar age group.

Between November of 2014 and January of 2023, 228 responders without dementia and under 60 years old at the start of the study developed dementia over the next five years.

“It’s stunning to see these kinds of symptoms in such young people,” said Clouston.

Through the Stony Brook WTC Health and Wellness Program, Clouston and other researchers have documented some of the cognitive declines in this population, who likely inhaled the kinds of fine particulate matter that can enter the brain and cause damage even as the immune system fights to try to target the unwelcome contaminants.

“We assume this made it in the brain, but in such a way that it wasn’t overwhelming immediately,” said Clouston. “Once you get into a neurodegenerative space, most of these diseases take a long time to develop” with neurodegenerative processes sometimes taking decades to occur.

The exposure could have caused an immune reaction. They are not sure whether symptoms emerged because the reaction was stronger or if the symptoms developed because higher exposure triggered a stronger reaction.

“It’s like trying to fight a fire, and the truck rolls over a garden to do it,” said Clouston.

Fortunately, the brain has considerable redundancy, which makes it possible to reroute brain signals to compensate for problems. Over time, however, that ability might be damaged by that work or by the exposure.

Determining which particular chemical or chemicals causes the greatest damage is difficult, particularly because the collapse and burning of the buildings caused a heterogeneous mixture of so many industrial products to enter the air. It may not matter much, as any material in the brain could be a problem. The type of exposure may also affect the severity of the immune reaction or which parts of the brain are damaged.

Scientists suggest that some of the contaminants that have contributed to health defects may come from the various tools in offices, such as computers and air conditioners.

“As we go forward [with other studies], that will be a focus of ours, to see if we can’t isolate at least one or maybe a couple” of chemicals that could exacerbate the cognitive decline, Clouston said.

Different exposures

Clouston and his collaborators used surveys to find out exposure at the site.

Some of the first responders, for example, used face masks and wore personal protective equipment, including hazmat suits. The incidence of dementia among that group was considerably lower than it was for those who didn’t wear masks.

Five or six out of every 1,000 workers who wore PPE developed dementia, while those without protection developed cognitive decline at the much higher rate of 42 out of 1,000.

The researchers tried to address the possibility that those people who were masks lived a healthier lifestyle prior to 9/11 and may have already been less likely to develop diseases or health conditions.

“We tried to account for that,” Clouston said. In most cases, people aren’t avoiding the kinds of activities or decisions that likely contribute to dementia, such as diet and exercise, which, the general population “widely ignores already,” he said.

Additionally, while a family history of dementia or other medical conditions mattered to some degree for the reported cases, they weren’t sufficient to invalidate the statistically significant result.

To be sure, Clouston acknowledged that the study could have a screening bias, as cognitive evaluations every 18 months likely far exceeds how often most people in the same age group receive testing for their mental acuity.

This is one reason they developed a minimally exposed group that could account for that bias. In that group, dementia was close to, but still higher than the expected rates for the general population.

The number of first responders with dementia far exceeded this group.

Other health threats

Medical professionals have been studying the impacts of other events that release aerosolized particles that could be hazardous to people’s health and could damage the environment.

Burn pits, which the military used in Iraq and Afghanistan, among other locations, contributed to cancers and other diseases among members of the military serving overseas.

Natural disasters, such as the Maui fire last August that not only burned through forests but also destroyed commercial buildings, also create a hazard.

People fled the fire quickly and then returned to search for their loved ones, Clouston said, which exposed them to aerosolized dust.

It would be “good to think about studies to consider risk of dementia” from these events, he added. 

“These studies would probably take a while to complete as the risk grows with time and with age.”

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