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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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David Wrobel. Photo by Travis Caperton, University of Oklahoma

Stony Brook University has named David Wrobel, PhD as the next dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS). Wrobel joins Stony Brook from the University of Oklahoma, where he currently serves as dean of the Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences. His appointment at Stony Brook begins August 1, 2024.

In his new role, Wrobel will oversee the largest college at the university, managing 25 department chairs, 11 center/institute directors and five associate deans as well as serving as the main financial officer of CAS including managing and increasing research expenditures. CAS is a diverse and multifaceted college that serves approximately 70% of the student population across its 30 majors, 40+ minors, 25 departments, and 27 PhD programs. The Dean will work with the Advancement team to engage and inspire potential donors and secure additional funds to support the work of CAS. He will contribute to shaping CAS faculty by leading efforts to recruit and retain excellent teacher-scholars who embrace Stony Brook’s mission of inclusive teaching and scholarly, research, and creative excellence.

“Dr. Wrobel is an experienced administrator and renowned scholar who is exceptionally well-suited to lead CAS at Stony Brook. He and I have had many conversations already about the incredible strengths and potential in CAS among the faculty, staff, and students, and its many outstanding departments, centers, and programs,” said Carl Lejuez, provost and executive vice president.

Wrobel has served as dean of the Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences at Oklahoma since 2017, serving as interim for a year before being permanently appointed to the role in 2018. Under his leadership, he has worked with his team on a variety of significant achievements including:

  • navigating from inherited financial debt to a positive fiscal position;

  • securing the largest gift in OU history to name the college, as well as a $16 million gift to found a new quantum research center and two major department naming gifts;

  • implementing a strategic plan; establishing a School of Biological Sciences and a School of Population Health and Human Performance (pending regents’ approval); and

  • creating scholarships and programs to enhance support for underserved undergraduates, attract top graduate students, and support faculty research and creative activity.

At Oklahoma, Wrobel is the David L. Boren Professor and Merrick Chair of Western American History. He is an historian of the American West and American thought and culture, and has been recognized for excellence in teaching, research, and service. He was the inaugural recipient of the David L. Boren Professorship, one of the most prestigious honors at Oklahoma. Other honors include the Western Heritage Award for his nonfiction book, Global West, American Frontier: Travel, Empire and Exceptionalism from Manifest Destiny to the Great Depression; the Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences Holden Award for Teaching Excellence; and research fellowships from Yale University’s Beinecke Library, the Huntington Library, the Newberry Library, and the American Philosophical Society.

Wrobel’s most recent book is America’s West: A History, 1890-1950 (2017). He is also the author of Promised Lands: Promotion, Memory and the Creation of the American West and The End of American Exceptionalism: Frontier Anxiety from the Old West to the New Deal. His current book project is John Steinbeck’s Country: A Writer’s Defense of Democracy. Wrobel co-edits The Modern American West book series and serves on the editorial board for the Steinbeck Review, and for Montana: The Magazine of Western History.

He is also known for his work with teachers around the country, participating in and directing many teacher institutes sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities, U.S. Department of Education, National Council for History Education and other organizations. He is past president of the Western History Association, the American Historical Association’s Pacific Coast Branch, and of Phi Alpha Theta, the National History Honor Society.

Wrobel has also held positions at other higher education institutions including Widener University, Hartwick College and the College of Wooster. He holds a master’s and doctoral degrees in American Intellectual History from The Ohio University and earned a bachelor of arts degree in history/philosophy from the University of Kent, Canterbury, England. Wrobel was also department chair and professor of history at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

“I am thrilled and honored to begin my work in support of the exceptional faculty, staff, and students of CAS at Stony Brook,” Wrobel said. “The College and Stony Brook exemplify the ideal and the purpose of a student-centered, public research university to ensure high levels of access and opportunity to advance social mobility, and to integrate students at all levels into the mission of creating and applying new knowledge and understanding of the physical world and the human condition to make our communities stronger. I look forward to joining the Stony Brook community and continuing my work of advocacy for and integration of the Sciences, Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts at one of the nation’s leading public institutions of higher learning.”

Joining Wrobel in the move east are his wife, Janet Ward, PhD, and their three children. Ward will join the Provost’s Office in an associate provost role focused on support for the arts, humanities, and social sciences. At Oklahoma, she is Brammer Presidential Professor of History and faculty fellow for strategic initiatives in the Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences. She also served at Oklahoma as the inaugural faculty director of the Arts and Humanities Forum, as senior associate vice president for research and partnerships, and, most recently, as American Council on Education fellow at Yale University.

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David Wolman (left) is honored for his service as a control tower operator in the 412th Air Service Group, 8th Air Service Force, 100th Bomber Group in England. Frank Agoglia (right) is honored for his time serving with the 325th Glider Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division. On June 6, 1944, he landed his glider behind enemy lines in Sainte-Mère-Église, France. Photo courtesy SUNY/Valerie Caviness
Photo courtesy SUNY/Valerie Caviness
Photo courtesy SUNY/Valerie Caviness
Photo courtesy SUNY/Valerie Caviness
Photo courtesy SUNY/Valerie Caviness
Photo courtesy SUNY/Valerie Caviness
Photo courtesy SUNY/Valerie Caviness
Photo courtesy SUNY/Valerie Caviness
Photo courtesy SUNY/Valerie Caviness

The Long Island State Veterans Home commemorated the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion with a special service and the presentation of Proclamations of Meritorious Achievement to two Normandy Invasion veterans on June 6.

New York State and Suffolk County awarded Proclamations of Meritorious Achievement to 100-year-old U.S. Army veteran Frank Agoglia and 102-year-old U.S. Army Air Corps veteran David Wolman, both residents of the Long Island State Veterans Home.

Agoglia, who landed his glider in Ste. Mere Eglise, France, behind German defenses, and Wolman, who worked 72 hours straight as an air traffic controller during the Normandy invasion, were recognized for their heroic service during D-Day and Operation Overlord.

A candle-lighting ceremony honored the 150,000 Allied troops who landed on the beaches of Normandy, all service members who served during World War II, the 41 million men and women who have worn the uniform in defense of freedom, the more than 600,000 members of the armed forces who have made the ultimate sacrifice, and the current 2 million members of the

“For over 33 years, the Long Island State Veterans Home at Stony Brook University has had the honor and privilege to have cared for this special generation of veterans,” Executive Director Fred Sganga said. “We will never forget the service and selfless sacrifice of so many soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen. Today, we thank all of our World War II veterans for their fortitude and perseverance eighty years ago – for answering the call, in order to make the world a safer place. World War II veterans set high standards for bravery and courage and passed the baton to later generations of servicemen and servicewomen, who met the challenge by continuing to defend America and her allies around the world to this day.”

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A humpback whale with propeller scars in inshore waters of the New York Bight. A humpback whale surface feeding in inshore waters of the New York Bight. Image taken under NOAA Permit No 26260. Credit: Thorne Lab, Stony Brook University

By Daniel Dunaief

Concerns about the connection between offshore wind farms and whales strandings are likely just a lot of hot air.

Pictured from left, Lesley Thorne with lab membersChelsi Napoli, PhD candidate; Nathan Hirtle, PhD candidate; and Josh Meza-Fidalgo, Research Associate.

In a recent study published in the journal Conservation Biology, Lesley Thorne, Associate Professor in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University, and David Wiley, Research Coordinator for NOAA’s Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, pointed to vessel strikes as an important driver of the increase in humpback whale strandings.

To address concerns about whether the development of offshore wind farms led to the death of these cetaceans, Thorne and Wiley compared the distribution and timing of humpbacks between 1995 and 2022 relative to anthropogenic factors, such as vessel strikes and entanglement in fishing gear, as well as elements associated with wind farm development.

“We know that there is a narrative out there suggesting that the surveys used for site assessment and characterization are factors” in these whale strandings, said Thorne. “Studying strandings, mortalities and injuries of large whales is important as it can provide information” about the relative impact of different threats.

The researchers found that New York and Virginia were hotspots of mortalities and serious injuries, with a subset of strandings confirming that vessel strikes were the cause of serious injuries or death.

A number of parts likely played a role. Beginning in 2016, vessel traffic in New York and New Jersey increased at the same time that observers noticed an increase in humpback whales.

These whales have also expanded into new foraging areas in recent years, regularly using inshore New York waters as a foraging ground starting around 2011.

The increase in the population of menhaden, which are a fatty, energy-rich forage fish, in the mid 2010s also expanded humpback whale feeding ground.

Menhaden tend to form dense surface schools in shallow coastal waters in mid-Atlantic states such as New York. These cetaceans often use surface foraging behavior to feed on menhaden, which could make them more vulnerable to vessel strikes.

Understanding and appreciating the causes of these strandings could lead to informed decision-making, in developing offshore wind farms and in creating responsible regulations for various vessels around the time whales might be foraging.

Wind farm activity

During the time these scientists studied humpback whale strandings, seven wind turbines were constructed and then operational. 

Looking at humpback strandings, the highest number of strandings in Rhode Island and neighboring states during the unusual mortality event occurred in years following construction, including 2017 and 2022, and not in the year when construction occurred. 

In Virginia, the highest number happened years before construction.

Their assessment of these patterns did not suggest a link between strandings and site assessment and characterization surveys for offshore wind development. Survey authorizations increased over the course of the unusual mortality events and primarily occurred between New Jersey and Massachusetts, whereas elevated patterns of strandings did not follow this pattern.

In the year 2016, Massachusetts had one survey authorization related to offshore wind.  Massachusetts, however, showed a lower number of strandings relative to other years, while the area from North Carolina to Rhode Island had higher strandings.

Thorne and Wiley are not involved in the stranding response. They used the data from the National Marine Mammal Strandings Database, which provides standardized data on marine mammals strandings collected by strandings responders.

They studied changes in the location and timing of humpback whale strandings, and of humpback whale mortalities and serious injuries that were caused by vessel strikes and entanglements.

To be sure, Thorne emphasized that their study focused on humpback whales, which are the species that strand most frequently. Other large whale species have different distributions, foraging and habitat preferences, which clouds the picture for any broader analysis.

Vessel strikes

The biggest increases in strandings occurred from Rhode Island to Virginia.

In the waters near New York and Virginia, strandings had some of the highest increases. Stranding responders confirmed the prominent role of vessel strikes in mortalities and serious injuries near these states.

As for the whales, they have also changed their spring and summer feeding ranges. Until more recently, the southern feeding range extended much further north, to the Gulf of Maine as well as areas farther north, such as Iceland and Greenland.

While humpbacks have foraged in New York waters periodically in the past, they have been consistently feeding in these waters during the summer since 2011.

The whales are following one of their food sources, as the population of menhaden has increased off the south shore of Long Island and in other mid Atlantic states.

Juveniles have also used the waters off the coast of Virginia as a supplemental feeding ground.

“We know that vessel strikes, along with entanglement in fishing gear, are the major threats to large whales around the world,” said Thorne.

When boats are moving more rapidly and whales are feeding in regions with a higher density of vessel traffic, such mortality events are more likely.

Possible solutions

For starters, the scientists urge further study to add to the body of research, including a more thorough understanding of the movements and habitat use of humpbacks and other large whales. 

Additionally, assessing the abundance and distribution of prey species will contribute to an understanding of habitat use and the health of large whales.

She also suggested further work to analyze feeding and feeding in shallow coastal habitats with the risk of vessel strikes.

Slowing ships down reduces the risk from a vessel strike.

“There’s a lot of interest in how we can better use dynamic management instead of management that is focused on fixed areas and times,” said Thorne.

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Yi-Xian Qin

Yi-Xian Qin, PhD, SUNY Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Biomedical Engineering Department at Stony Brook University, was recently elected a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). He is also Director of the Orthopaedic Bioengineering Research Laboratory and Co-Director of the Institute for Engineering-Driven Medicine.  

Professor Qin’s expertise and contribution in science are in the areas of biomechanics and mechanobiology in musculoskeletal tissue adaptation and cellular regulation, space medicine, and nanomaterials. His research has been focused on developing novel approaches for promoting tissue engineering and regeneration and translation through physical regulation and characterization of tissue quality, as well as evaluating the mechanisms responsible for tissue remodeling and their translation. 

Andrew Singer, Dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences said, “This is a well-deserved recognition for Professor Qin who is a brilliant and dedicated researcher, an alumnus of our mechanical engineering program and a leader in our College of Engineering and Applied Sciences.”   

The East Setauket resident is among the pioneers who discovered bone’s ability to rapidly adapt to its functional environment, bone fluid flow, and regeneration to dynamic signals. He has published more than 180 peer-reviewed articles, and related books and chapters, as well as several US patents. Some of his patents include ultrasound diagnostic imaging and therapeutics, as well as mechanical stimulation, technologies for musculoskeletal diseases like osteopenia and fracture with the potential of bone loss prediction in microgravity in long-term space mission and clinical impacts. 

He earned both his MS degree and PhD from the Department of Mechanical Engineering from Stony Brook University.

The ASME Committee of Past Presidents confers the Fellow grade of membership on worthy candidates to recognize their outstanding engineering achievements. Nominated by ASME Members and Fellows, an ASME member has to have 10 or more years of active practice and at least 10 years of active corporate membership in ASME.

In addition to this recent honor, Professor Qin is also a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR), Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering (IAMBE), and International Academy of Astronautics (IAA).

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Dr. Michael Kinch Photo courtesy of Washington University in St. Louis

Stony Brook University has announced that Michael Kinch, PhD, has been appointed as the inaugural chief innovation officer (CINO) for the university. Kinch brings extraordinary experience at the highest levels of industry and academia, including roles at Yale and Washington University—two institutions known for their cultures of innovation and demonstrated success translating knowledge into marketable solutions. He will report to the new incoming vice president for research, Kevin Gardner, beginning August 1, 2024 and will be a member of the president’s university council. He will also hold a faculty position in the university’s Department of Pharmacology.

As CINO, Kinch will lead the Office of Economic Development and provide direction and oversight of campus-wide initiatives related to accelerating innovation and economic development, including incubation and technology transfer. His efforts will focus on technology-based entrepreneurship, venture capital, and other sources of startup investment, as well as the research commercialization and economic development programs from faculty and student research and initiatives. In addition, Kinch and his staff will collaborate with departments and colleges/schools across campus to amplify the university’s service to advance Stony Brook’s economic impact on the region and develop partnerships with external entities that benefit the university and help advance economic development interests of these external entities.

 “As a leader who brings people together and who knows that research, scholarship and discovery are a universal language, Michael is an excellent leader to help the university realize its boldest ambitions to make a profound, positive impact on society for generations to come,”said Stony Brook University President Maurie McInnis.

Kinch has worked extensively in higher education including in his most recent role as the executive dean of sciences at Long Island University where he creates and deploys innovative approaches to improve biomedical translation and entrepreneurship. He founded and directed the Center for Research Innovation in Biotechnology, which analyzes the sources of biomedical innovation.

Previous to that position, Kinch served as associate vice chancellor, founder of the Centers for Research Innovation in Biotechnology and Drug Discovery and professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics at Washington University in St. Louis. There he helped lead entrepreneurship activities and founded the Centers for Research Innovation in Biotechnology (CRIB) and Drug Discovery (CDD), which analyzes innovation in the science and business of medicines. At Yale University, he founded and led the Yale Center for Molecular Discovery. He has been a lecturer at the Krieger Program in Biotechnology at John Hopkins University; associate professor at the Indiana University School of Medicine, West Lafayette Campus at Purdue University; and served as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Kinch has worked in the private sector overseeing Research and Development as Vice President for Research and Development/Chief Scientific Officer at Functional Genetics, Inc. and Head of Cancer Biology & Translational Sciences at Medimmune, Inc. He is also the author of six books, has published extensively in peer-reviewed publications and participated in national media appearances and interviews about his research.

Kinch earned his PhD in Immunology from Duke University Medical Center and his BS in Molecular Genetics.

“I am excited by the incredible potential for innovative commercial development on Long Island in general and Stony Brook University in particular,” said Kinch. “The university has incredible expertise in key aspects of science and technology that are needed to address looming challenges, including but not limited to affordable and sustainable energy to biomedical applications.”

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Stony Brook University Hospital

Money magazine has ranked Stony Brook University Hospital (SBUH) as the #2 Best Hospital for Pediatric Care in the country. These services are provided by Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, the leading children’s hospital on Long Island, with more than 180 pediatric specialists in 30 specialties delivering cutting-edge research, technological innovations, clinical trials and breakthrough techniques.

Money evaluated over 6,000 hospitals and narrowed it down to just 74 based on a rigorous analysis of 13,500 data points. The rating is based on five key factors; mortality, safety, readmission, patient experience and timely and effective care. Ranking scores are then translated into a letter grade. SBUH received an overall grade of an “A,” the highest of any New York and Long Island hospital.

“I’m delighted that Stony Brook University Hospital has been recognized by Money magazine for providing world-class pediatric care,” said William A. Wertheim, MD, MBA, Interim Executive Vice President for Stony Brook Medicine. “This ranking is a testament to the exceptional care and dedication of our pediatric team, who work tirelessly to ensure the health and well-being of our youngest patients, who understand that children are not simply small adults but have unique health and social needs, and remain committed to ensuring our community receives the highest quality healthcare services.”

“As Suffolk County’s first and only children’s hospital, we understand the needs of caring for a child affect the entire family,” says Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ, Chief Executive Officer of Stony Brook University Hospital. “I am extremely proud of our team of compassionate and experienced pediatricians, pediatric surgeons and specialists who devote themselves to delivering the best possible outcomes for children on Long Island.”

This past April, Stony Brook University Hospital also received an “A” ranking for General Practice and was ranked number 19 on Money magazine’s prestigious “Best Hospitals of 2024” list.

 

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