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Enviro Group Continues to Lead Way on Water Conservation

by TBR Staff - December 26, 2019

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Shellfish-Coastal-Steward-From-Left-Volunteer-Bill-Negra-President-Dennis-Mellett-Treasurer-Mark-Campo-070118_Kyle-Barrw — Long Island Coastal Steward volunteer Bill Negra, president Denis Mellett and treasurer Mark Campo at Mount Sinai Harbor. Photo by Kyle Barr

By Peggy Spellman Hoey

Coastal Steward Long Island has a three-pronged plan of attack in an unending, dirty battle — the one all environmentalists have been fighting — to keep local beaches and waters clean for years now. And it seems to be working.

Coastal Steward board members and local divers plunge into Port Jefferson Harbor Aug. 18. Photo from Coastal Steward

What started out as loosely organized beach cleanups led by a local resident has spread to incorporate aquaculture conservation, restoring shellfish to Mount Sinai and Port Jefferson harbors, and marine education teaching youngsters about marine life and water quality. Its education programs include harbor seining and marsh exploration, shellfish hatchery tours and plankton microbiology, in which students use microscopes to identify plankton.

Through its fundraising efforts, the group is also able to subsidize busing costs for schools that cannot fund field trips to the center.

The organization’s long-standing partnership with the Town of Brookhaven at its beach and marina complex on Long Island Sound in Mount Sinai allows for its educational programs to be run out of the Mount Sinai Marine Environmental Stewardship Center. In the complex’s maricultural center, the oyster seeds are grown for eventual release into the harbor.

Brookhaven Councilwoman Jane Bonner (R-Rocky Point) called the organization a good partner and a nice complement to the town and its work to restore water quality.

“They are all about water quality,” she said. “Their message is the right one and their heart is in the right place.”

In addition to its beach-cleaning projects, about four years ago, the group began leading underwater cleanups, recruiting local divers to volunteer their services to remove debris such as garbage, mechanical parts, and household items like furniture that has ended up on the water’s bottom.

The addition of educational programs and underwater cleanups evolved from the group’s efforts to clean beaches after organizers realized something had to be done to address the trash coming in with the tide.

“There is no end to beach cleanups, but if we educate before it gets in the water, we keep it out of the water in the first place,” said Denis Mellett, a dive instructor who serves as the president of Coastal Steward LI.

Ashly Carabetta, the organization’s executive director, said the group has also seen success with one of its newer programs, the Youth Ocean Conservation Summit, where youngsters get to listen to guest speakers, including scientists and educators such as aquanaut Fabien Cousteau, a documentary filmmaker and the grandson of Jacques-Yves Cousteau.

Long Island Coastal Steward volunteer Bill Negra checks oysters cages in Mount Sinai Harbor. Photo by Kyle Barr

“It’s just a great opportunity for these kids to get to be surrounded by people in the field [of marine science] and talk amongst themselves,” she said.

Another part of the program includes a segment where participants break off into groups and develop a project for which they apply for grant money and then work over the next year to complete the project. The projects can be anything from creating a children’s book about water quality to devising a plan to limit single-plastic use in schools.

Giving the group a final plug, Bonner noted it is always looking for volunteers, and it’s a well-rounded organization with which anyone of any age can become involved.

“This is a nice way to be involved and you are really making a difference — beach cleaning and water quality,” she said.

Carabetta noted the importance of a beach cleanup is that anyone can do it, but the organization does have other roles to fill.

“We are looking for volunteers, part-time educators to try to expand our reach in many ways,” she said.

CSHL’s Gladman studies mutation that raises sorghum yield

by Daniel Dunaief - December 23, 2019

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cshlgladmanriverheadharvest — Nicholas Gladman with a harvest of sorghum at Cornell University’s Long Island Horticultural Research Lab in Riverhead. Photo by Sendi Mejia

By Daniel Dunaief

When people buy a bag of potato chips, they often find that half of the bag is filled with air. The same is true of a sorghum plant, which produces livestock feed and is converted into ethanol, part of many gases that power cars.

In a typical sorghum plant, half of the flowers become grain, while the other half remain infertile. As the world grapples with food shortages and scientists seek ways to increase the yield of a wide array of plants, researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory wondered whether they could increase that yield.

Building on previous work done in the lab of Doreen Ware, an adjunct professor at CSHL, postdoctoral fellow Nicholas Gladman characterized a mutation for a single gene that lowered the level of a hormone. The effect of the lower hormone, or jasmonic acid, at a specific time and place within plant development doubled the fertility of the sorghum plant.

“When we don’t have a functional version of this enzyme, it releases this form of development that wouldn’t normally occur,” Gladman said. “You get increased fertility in flowers.”

The gene they studied is called MSD2. The researchers published their work in International Journal of Molecular Sciences. Another gene, MSD1, which Ware’s lab characterized in 2018, is a likely regulator for MSD2. Other genes may also serve as regulators of MSD2, Gladman said. Disruptions in either gene leads to altered flower development and seed production.

Gladman’s postdoctoral research adviser Zhanguo Xin collaborated on the work. Xin, who is a research molecular biologist at the United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service, explained that Gladman characterized the mutants, identified the interaction between MSD1 and MSD2 and identified the regulatory sequences of MSD1.

This research could extend to other cereal crops, which have the same conserved sets of genes that affect their growth and fertility.

A concern in altering any gene resides in the overall effect on the health of the plant. Creating a super plant that falls over and dies in a slight wind, can’t fend off common infections, or requires a perfect blend of soil would likely offset the benefit of the increased fertility. Plant geneticists would like to ensure any mutation doesn’t make the plant less viable in the long run.

“Sometimes there can be a trade off between an agriculturally beneficial genetic change by introducing other detrimental effects,” Gladman explained in an email. “Optimally, plant geneticists will try to ensure the side effects of any mutation are insignificant to farmers; sometimes, this is more difficult and the downsides may not always present themselves at the early stages of lab investigation.”

This particular gene is narrowly and spatially expressed within the plant, Gladman said, and the researchers haven’t been able to identify or quantify the effect of this gene on anything else other than flowers and floral architecture.

The gene and the hormone would be a concern if it were expressed more broadly and at high levels throughout other plant tissues, but that doesn’t seem to be the case, he said.

The researchers have looked at other tissues, such as the leaf and stem, and have found that MSD2 is expressed in low levels in these other areas. Plants that have the MSD2 mutation do not demonstrate any noticeable differences in growth compared to nonmutants in the field or in greenhouse conditions. If this mutated gene had an agricultural benefit, farmers would likely crossbreed a plant that had this gene with an elite sorghum hybrid line

Ideally, the benefits of the increased fertility would combine with benefits of all the genetic components of the hybrid lines as well. The way the researchers involved in this study produced this more fertile version of sorghum is an “acceptable type of breeding for organic or conventional farming,” Gladman said.

While the plant increases the grain number per seed head, it doesn’t necessarily produce greater overall yield in part because the seeds are smaller. Researchers haven’t been able to confirm that yet in a field condition, although they hope that’s the case.

Gladman was grateful for the opportunity to work in Ware’s lab and to collaborate with Xin. The effects of disrupting similar genes in maize and Arabidopsis, which is a plant in the mustard family that scientists often use in genetic studies, influences flower fertility.

He said researchers in Ware’s lab can perform additional developmental analysis. The researchers in Ware’s lab may seek additional collaborators for other analyses down the road as well.

“How this particular pathway is triggered and cross-communicates with other developmental pathways is very complex, but influences so much about traits that control grain production and yield that it is essential for further investigations,” he explained.

Gladman arrived at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in 2017. Prior to conducting research on Long Island, he finished his doctorate at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where he worked on Arabidopsis. He decided he wanted to get more involved with crop species and explored research opportunities at United States Department of Agriculture labs. He was working with Xin in Lubbock, Texas, before transitioning to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

Gladman has been delighted by the “wonderful place to learn,” where he is surrounded by “people who are always willing to talk and engage and collaborate.”

A resident of Greenlawn, Gladman enjoys hiking along the Hudson and in the Adirondacks. He credits a high school biology class he took in Grandview Heights High School in Columbus, Ohio, with instilling in him and his three brothers an appreciation and love of science. He particularly enjoyed a unit on the “genetics of disease” that inspired him to pursue a career in the sciences.

As for his work, Gladman is excited to be a part of research that may, one day, increase the productivity of crop species. He said thoughts about food shortages are “a constant concern and driver of our research.”

Book Review: ‘Miss Kim’s Class Goes to Town’

by Melissa Arnold - December 23, 2019

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Half Hollow Hills senior writes children’s book celebrating local history

Reviewed by Melissa Arnold

It’s Jay Nagpal’s senior year at Half Hollow Hills High School in Dix Hills, and like everyone else in his grade, he’s got a lot to do. There’s classwork to finish, college applications to mail, a social life to keep up and the future to consider. But in the midst of all that, he’s also taken up an unexpected task.

On Nov. 30, Nagpal published his debut book for children, “Miss Kim’s Class Goes to Town.” The 17-year-old wrote the book in hopes of sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm for local historical sites with the next generation. The book plays out just like a real class trip, with questions from students and helpful commentary by “Mr. Robert,” an actual historian in Huntington.

The informative storyline coupled with cartoonish, fun illustrations will capture the imaginations of local children.

What came first for you, the interest in writing or history?

It was history. From a young age, I was lucky enough to do quite a bit of traveling with my family, and we would always make a point of going to the historical sites or museums in the places we were visiting. We’ve gone to Rome, Paris, London and many other places in Europe that are rich in history. I think being exposed to that at such a young age is what’s given me such a great interest in history now.

Do you have a favorite historical time period?

It bounces around, but years ago I was very interested in ancient history like you would see in Rome. Later on, I became more interested in the American Revolution, and last year I spent a lot of time focusing on World War II and postcolonialism.

Why did you decide to write this book?

Last year, I started to see that while I was really passionate about history, a lot of other people just aren’t. In my history classes, I noticed that many of the other students weren’t engaged in the material, and I started to wonder if there was something I could do to engage kids in a meaningful way. I thought that I could create a platform that focused on local history and stir up interest around that for people my age.

Ultimately, I founded the Dix Hills-Melville Historical Association. It was uncharted territory for me, but I had tremendous support from the Huntington Historical Society and the local school district. Robert Hughes from the Huntington Historical Society supported me from the very beginning. I compiled all the important historical sites, landmarks and archives with their help, and created a website that would provide me with a forum to write features and blog posts about history. For example, we just celebrated Walt Whitman’s 200th birthday in May, so it was important to write about that on the website.

Are any of the children in the book named after people you know?

A lot of the names in the book have meaning to me. Early on, one of the students mentions a teacher named Miss Martin. That’s a reference to Karen Martin, who is the archivist at the Huntington Historical Society. Mr. Robert, the town historian, is directly based off of the real Robert Hughes. Dylan is my friend’s brother, whose parents published the book, and some of the other students are also named after friends of mine.

What was it like to see the book for the first time?

It was a surreal feeling, for sure. After months of going through the entire process of publishing and putting everything together, it was so rewarding to finally see the finished product.

How long did writing take?

I started over the summer, and the book was published about six weeks ago. A lot of the research had already been done in founding the historical association, so I already had the information I needed.

How did you go about getting it published?

A close friend’s parents actually run a publishing company called Linus Learning, and they were very open to the idea of publishing my book.

What about the illustrations? Did you do them, or did you work with someone else?

I’m definitely not an artist, and one of the great challenges of the project was finding the right illustrator. I ended up going online and using a service called Fiverr to connect to a very talented illustrator who lives in Sri Lanka. Her name is Thushari Herath, and she really did a phenomenal job. There are a lot of cultural differences between us, so we had to talk about things like what side of the road the bus would drive on, what classes would look like, how people would dress and so on. It took a bit of extra effort, but it was all worth it because she’s so talented.

What is the recommended age for this book?

Older elementary school kids will probably get the most out of it, starting at about third or fourth grade. My goal was to be as accessible as possible, though, so people older or younger than that shouldn’t feel discouraged to read it.

What’s next for you? Do you want to write more books?

Right now, I’m focusing on finishing up my college applications. I’m looking to stay somewhere in the Northeast that has a strong history program − I’d like to pursue some kind of research track through graduate school and maybe a Ph.D. down the road. I’m not totally sure about anything yet, but that’s what I’m thinking about lately.

I hope to do something like this book again in the future, especially if it makes an impact on local students.

Where can we learn more about you?

I share information and thoughts about local history at www.dixhillsmelvillehistory.org.

“Miss Kim’s Class Goes to Town” is available online at Amazon.com, at Huntington Historical Society events and at the gift shops of historical sites around Huntington.

Man’s Best Friend Gets a New ‘Leash’ on Life in Heckscher Park

by Donna Deedy - December 21, 2019

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Dog copy — Dogs will be permitted into Huntington’s Heckscher Park begining Jan. 1. Photo by Media Origins

On Jan. 1, the Town of Huntington will begin a three-month pilot program to allow leashed dogs in Heckscher Park, subject to certain limitations. If the trial period is successful, the pilot will extend in three-month increments to gather data from use of the park in different seasons.

The program is the result of a town board resolution, sponsored by Councilwoman Joan Cergol (D), developed in response to a petition that circulated this past summer calling for better access to the park for dogs and their owners.

Greenlawn resident Karen Thomas helped draft and circulate the successful petition campaign this past summer.

“Over 2,500 dog owners have spoken and the Huntington board listened,” said Thomas.

Cergol announced her position on opening up the park to dogs on a trial basis in a Sept. 5 Times of Huntington news article. The resolution she drafted was unanimously approved at the town’s Oct. 16 board meeting.

“The relationship between dogs and humans continues to evolve, and it is becoming increasingly common to see dog owners and their canine family members together in public places,” Cergol said. “I am excited that we are about to extend this option at Huntington’s downtown signature park and look forward to our partnership with [the nonprofit Long Island Dog Owners Group] in ensuring the pilot program’s success.”

LI-DOG is a nonprofit advocacy group looking to increase access for dog owners to public spaces. It’s president, Ginny Munger Kahn, was designated as the lead public education campaign coordinator.

“Our job is to make sure all the dog owners know that it’s in their best interest to follow the basic guidelines,” she said. “Overall, respect other park users. That’s the key.”

Specifically, this means keeping dogs on a leash less than 6-feet long and under control. No retractable leashes are allowed, and people are limited to no more than two dogs per individual. People are also expected to clean up after their dogs once they do their business. People, Kahn said, are good with this part.

“People have precedence over dogs on the path,” Kahn said. “Step off the path onto the grass as people pass by unimpeded.”

Heckscher Park’s trails, which are more narrow than other town pathways, suggest that this is an important part of the guidelines to remember.

Cergol formed an advisory committee that includes representatives of her staff, various town departments, LI-DOG and the town’s Citizens Advisory Committee on Persons with Disabilities to create the educational program. The group has met twice and has developed program guidelines from those gatherings and individual conversations.

The committee has so far planned to post signage at various spots in the park, including all the major entrances. A video to be aired on the town’s government access television channel and on its social media pages and LI-DOG’s pages will demonstrate what is allowed and what is not. They’ve also developed informational cards to hand out to dog owners in the park.

“We believe ultimately having leashed dogs in the park is a really good thing,” Kahn said. “For one thing, dogs influence socializing among people who don’t know each other.”

They also deter geese, which are fouling the parks pathways.

Brittany’s Baskets of Hope founder wins L’Oreal Paris award

by Heidi Sutton - December 20, 2019

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14th Annual L'Oréal Paris Women Of Worth Awards — Kat Graham and Honoree Brittany Sciavone attends the 14th Annual L'Oreal Paris Women Of Worth Awards at The Pierre on December 04, 2019 in New York City.

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By Melissa Arnold

It’s been a whirlwind December for Huntington’s Brittany Schiavone.

Earlier this year, 30-year-old Brittany was chosen as one of 10 finalists in the 14th annual L’Oreal Paris Women of Worth national competition, an event celebrating the achievements of amazing women from all walks of life.

Brittany, who has Down syndrome, is the founder of Brittany’s Baskets of Hope (BBOH), a nonprofit organization that delivers care packages to new parents of children with Down syndrome.

Since its inception five years ago, BBOH has mailed or hand delivered more than 850 baskets to families in 49 states and Puerto Rico. The baskets contain educational materials, pampering products for families, a blanket and clever, Down-themed clothing for their little one.

Brittany won $10,000 for being a finalist in the competition. Her story and those of the other finalists were chronicled on L’Oreal’s website, and for one month, anyone could vote for the woman who most inspired them.

On Dec. 2, Brittany and her longtime friend, Ashley Asti, headed to New York City to prepare for the Women of Worth gala later that week, where the top finalist would be named the National Honoree.

“On Monday, a car service was sent for us and we headed into the city. That night, there was a dinner for all the finalists to meet and talk about their initiatives,” said Asti, who has known Brittany for several years. “Brittany walked to the head of the table and spoke to the group with so much confidence. She is so intuitive and took all of it in stride.”

The second day was quieter, with a full day of workshops to help the women learn more about the intricacies of running a nonprofit organization.

Finally, Wednesday arrived. Joined by her mother, Sue Schiavone, the ladies headed to the Pierre Hotel in Manhattan, where they had makeovers from L’Oreal staff. “There were two people doing my hair and makeup. They gave me smoky eyes and curls. It was amazing,” the finalist said.

The star-studded gala paired each finalist with a celebrity who accompanied them throughout the night. Among the attendees were Dame Helen Mirren, Gayle King, Viola Davis, Camila Cabello, Amber Heard and Debby Ryan.

Brittany’s celebrity navigator, actress Aja Naomi King of ABC’s “How to Get Away with Murder,” spent the night sharing stories and laughs and introduced her onstage. And at the end of the night, both women cried tears of joy when Brittany was named the 2019 Women of Worth National Honoree. She had earned thousands of online votes and will receive an additional $25,000 to benefit BBOH.

“I’m so excited that I won, because now I can help even more families like mine know that they’re not alone,” the honoree said, adding that she hopes she can soon send a basket to Alaska, the only state they’ve yet to hear from.

Sue Schiavone finds herself thinking about families all over the world. “It’s nice to know that we’re not going to have to worry about where the money is coming from anymore,” she said. “Shipping costs are so expensive, and we’ve received so many messages from people in other countries asking for us to send baskets. We can start to think about that now. It opens up so many doors for Brittany, and for us.”

To learn more about Brittany’s Baskets of Hope, donate to the cause or to request a care package, visit www.brittanysbasketsofhope.org.

Photos courtesy of L’Oreal Paris

Officials React After Jury Convicts Former DA on Corruption

by Donna Deedy - December 19, 2019

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Spota5w — Former Suffolk County District Attorney Tom Spota. File photo

Jurors rendered the verdicts Dec. 17 for former Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota and the head of his corruption bureau Christopher McPartland.

On the charge of conspiracy to tamper with witnesses and obstruct an official proceeding against Spota and McPartland: “Guilty.” On the charge of witness tampering and obstruction of an official proceeding against Spota and McPartland: “Guilty.” On the charge of obstruction of justice against Spota and McPartland: “Guilty.”

The case revealed local corruption and cover-ups that required the assistance of the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI. Some officials, who have issued formal statements, say they are thrilled with the outcome, including current Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart and Suffolk County Legislator Rob Trotta (R-Fort Salonga).

“As we learned, the very people charged with upholding the law were the ones who were found guilty of assisting James Burke in his attempt to get away with his crime,” Hart stated. “Instead of being leaders and standing up for justice, they did their best to manipulate the system and everyone who stood in their way.”

Trotta, a former Suffolk County police detective and an often outspoken critic of the department, said he feels vindicated.

“It is unfortunate for the honest and dedicated cops that these men thought they were above the law and could get away with anything,” Trotta said. “Thanks to the great work of the United States Attorney’s Office and the diligence of the jury, justice will be served.”

“It is unfortunate for the honest and dedicated cops that these men thought they were above the law and could get away with anything,”

– Rob Trotta

Spota and McPartland were indicted in Oct. 2017 on federal charges for covering up the crimes of former police chief James Burke. In 2012, Burke, a St. James resident, was charged and convicted of assaulting Christopher Loeb, of Smithtown, who broke into Burke’s department-issued SUV that was parked in front of the former police chief’s home and stole a duffel bag allegedly containing a gun belt, ammunition, sex toys and pornography. Burke, according to prosecutors, beat Loeb inside the 4th Precinct station house in Hauppauge. After being sentenced to 46 months in prison, Burke was released Nov. 2018. He completed his sentence under house arrest in April 2019.

Both Hart and Trotta have suggested that related investigations continue.

“We have been monitoring this case closely and remain in contact with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District,” Hart stated. “We are also in the process of reviewing all of the testimony and evidence presented at trial, and upon further review will take appropriate action if warranted.”

Trotta is particularly concerned about rooting out further corruption, an issue central to his 2019 reelection campaign.

“Unfortunately, this trial exposed that corruption continues in Suffolk County and hopefully the United States Attorney’s Office will continue its investigation into Suffolk’s widespread corruption problem,” Trotta stated. “It’s embarrassing that the DA, chief of corruption, chief of police, chair of the conservative party have all been arrested and found guilty in the past few years.”

However, Hart holds a more positive outlook.

“We want to assure members of the public that the current leadership of this department is committed to integrity, honesty and professionalism,” she stated. “I am continuously impressed by the work and level of commitment by our police officers and residents of this county should feel proud of their police department.

Northport Tigers Maul Newfield Wolverines, 69-33

by Bill Landon - December 16, 2019

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On the road, Northport was too much for Newfield as the Tigers powered their way to a 69-33 League III victory over the Wolverines Dec. 13.

Northport’s Sophia Yearwood stood atop the scoring charts draining five treys, two field goals and a free throw for a team high 20 points. Kerry Dennin netted 13 points and Danielle Pavinelli banked 10.

Raiyah Reid led the way for the Wolverines with six field goals, a triple and two free throws for 17 points. Teammates Megan Spina and Madison Roman tacked on 6 points apiece.

The win lifts Northport to 3-0 and deals the Wolverines their first loss of the season dropping them to 4-1.

Volunteer designers and garden clubs deck Vanderbilt Mansion halls

by TBR Staff - December 14, 2019

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Vanderbilt Museum Library — The Vanderbilt Mansion library is decked out for the holidays.

The holidays have arrived at the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum in Centerport as the halls of the Vanderbilt Mansion are decked in their holiday finery. From the stately library to the dining room to the bedrooms, the grand house is filled with lighted trees, ornaments, wreaths, ribbons, poinsettias, garlands and elegantly wrapped faux gifts.

These embellishments are the creative work of designers and garden clubs that volunteer their time each year. Their creative touch brings additional charm and magic to the spectacular, 24-room, Spanish Revival house, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

“The garden clubs and decorators have been with us for many years, and this year we welcomed two new designers. Ethan Allen of Huntington created the Enchanted Flight of the Cardinals installation for us in the Memorial Wing lobby, and Felicia Greenberg contributed her magnificent silk floral sculptures. Our visitors will be delighted with the 2019 holiday season decor,” said Stephanie Gress, director of curatorial affairs.

Designers Mary Schlotter (right) and Krishtia McCord decorate the mansion dining room.

Centerport designers Mary Schlotter and her daughter Krishtia McCord – who operate Harbor Homestead & Co. – brought back the festive holiday dresses they created and displayed in the mansion during the past two years. This year, the dresses adorn Rosamond Vanderbilt’s luxurious, mirrored dressing room. The duo also decorated the dining room.

“Our dining room design was inspired by Downton Abbey,” Schlotter said. “The room and furniture are dark, but the window has a beautiful view of Northport Bay and Long Island Sound. We decided to set the table in simple whites and silver – two silver candelabras flanked by compotes arranged with white magnolia, amaryllis, pine cones and magnolia leaves. In the center of the table is a silver pheasant. We folded the napkins in a bishop’s miter form to give the place settings a royal feel. We think [Downtown Abbey butler] Mr. Carson would approve.”

One sideboard is set for dinner, she said, the other for dessert and spirits.“The sparkling glasses, and the silver and white design touches catch the light and give a sense that Christmas dinner is about to be served.”

Other participants include the Dix Hills Garden Club, Honey Hills Garden Club, Nathan Hale Garden Club, Asharoken Garden Club, Three Village Garden Club, Centerport Garden Club, volunteers from the Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners Program of Suffolk County, Felicia Greenberg of Table Art and Event Designs and Vanderbilt staff members Killian Taylor and Maryann Zakshevsky.

Lance Reinheimer, executive director of the Vanderbilt Museum, said, “We’re grateful each year to these creative and generous volunteers who use their creative skills to bring enchanting holiday grandeur to this grand house.”

Visitors can see the captivating results from now through Dec. 30 by tour on Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday (and Thursday to Monday, Dec. 26 to 30) at regular intervals between 11:15 a.m. and 4 p.m.

The Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum is located at 180 Little Neck Road in Centerport. For more information, call 631-854-5579 or visit www.vanderbiltmuseum.org.

Photos courtesy of the Vanderbilt Museum

BNL, CSHL, SBU address gender imbalance in STEM

by Daniel Dunaief - December 14, 2019

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BNLwomeninstem — Interns Nylette Lopez (rear) and Stephanie Taboada characterize catalysts as they attempt to convert carbon dioxide and methane into synthesis gas this past summer at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Photo from BNL.

By Daniel Dunaief

This article is part two in a two-part series.

Local medical and research institutions are aware of the challenges women face in science and are taking steps to ensure that women receive equal opportunities for success in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (or STEM). Times Beacon Record News Media reached out to members of each institution and received an overview of some initiatives.

Brookhaven National Laboratory

The Department of Energy-funded research facility has created a number of opportunities for women, including Brookhaven Women in Science. This effort has been active for over four decades and its mission, according to Peter Genzer, a BNL spokesman, is to support the development of models, policies and practices that enhance the quality of life for BNL employees and emphasize the recruitment, hiring, promotion and retention of women.

BWIS offers annual awards, outreach events and various networking opportunities in the lab and community, while the lab’s Talent Management Group partners with BWIS to bring classes and speakers to discuss issues specific to women.

In October, the group hosted Kimberly Jackson, a vice chair and associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Spelman College, who gave a talk titled “Realigning the Crooked Room in STEM.”

The Leona Woods Distinguished Postdoctoral Lectureship Award at BNL, meanwhile, celebrates the scientific accomplishments of female physicists, physicists from under-represented minority groups and LGBTQ physicists and to promote diversity and inclusion. BNL awarded the lectureship this year to Kirsty Duffy, a fellow at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.

For the past five years, BNL has also partnered with a local chapter of Girls Inc., which helps to “encourage young women towards careers” in STEM, Genzer explained in an email.

BNL has also collaborated with the Girl Scouts of Suffolk County to organize a new patch program that encourages Girl Scouts to work in scientific fields. As of September, county Girl Scouts can earn three new Brookhaven Lab patches, and the lab hopes to extend the program nationwide across the Department of Energy complex.

BNL also provides six weeks of paid time off at 100 percent of base pay for a primary caregiver after birth or adoption and one week of full pay for a secondary caregiver. BNL is exploring plans to enhance support for primary and secondary caregivers, Genzer said.

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory has taken several recent steps as part of an ongoing effort to encourage gender diversity.

In October, a group of four CSHL administrators traveled to the University of Wisconsin in Madison to discuss mentoring. The goal was to train them on how to design and deliver mentoring training regularly to the faculty, postdocs and graduate students on campus, said Charla Lambert, the diversity, equity and inclusion officer for research at CSHL. The first version of the training will occur next spring. The ultimate goal is to ensure the research environment at CSHL emphasizes good mentoring practices and is more inclusive for all mentees.

CSHL has also hosted a three-day workshop in leadership practices for postdoctoral researchers and junior faculty since 2011. The workshop, which is run through the Meetings & Courses Program, trains about 25 postdoctoral researchers and junior faculty each year and has about one per year from CSHL, addresses how to hire and motivate people, while providing constructive feedback.

Lambert said family-friendly policies were already a part of CSHL policies, which include a child care facility. Members of the faculty receive extra funding when they travel to conferences to provide additional child care.

Lambert, who is a program manager for extramural Meetings & Courses overseeing diversity initiatives, has worked to get the demographic data for participants centralized, analyzed and used in developing policies. She believes this kind of data centralization is an area for potential improvement in the research division, where she is working to ensure an equitable distribution of resources among CSHL scientists.

Throughout her nine-year career at CSHL, Lambert said she has worked with the meetings and courses division to make sure the 9,000 scientists who visit the facility each year include women as invited speakers. She also works to reach course applicants from a wide range of institutions, including outside of prestigious research schools.

Ultimately, Lambert is hoping to help change the culture of science among the researchers with whom she interacts from a wide range of institutions. She feels that those people who leave the STEM fields because something about the culture of science didn’t work for them represent a “huge loss” to the field and creates a “survivorship bias.”

Stony Brook University

For Stony Brook, gender diversity is “very important,” said Latha Chandran, the vice dean for Academic and Faculty Affairs at the Stony Brook University Renaissance School of Medicine.

Chandran said more men entered the field of medicine 14 years ago. That has completely changed, as women have outnumbered their male counterparts in medicine for the last three or four years.

Chandran cited a number of statistics to indicate changes at the medical school. For starters, women faculty constituted 38 percent of the total in 2011. This April, that number climbed to 48.1 percent. That puts Stony Brook in the top 79th percentile of medical schools in terms of female representation.

While the overall numbers are higher, women are still underrepresented in the top tiers of the medical school, as 18 percent of the department chairs are women. She hopes more women can lead departments and that they can serve as role models that others can aspire to follow.

As for harassment, Chandran said Stony Brook was above the national mean in 2011. For almost all categories, Stony Brook is now below the national mean.

In 2011, Stony Brook created We Smile, which stands for We can Eradicate Student Mistreatment in the Learning Environment. The goal of this program is to educate people about harassment and to ensure that any mistreatment is reported. Through this effort, Stony Brook medical students are aware of the policies and procedures surrounding reporting.

Stony Brook is also addressing any bias in admission procedures by prospective applicants, who receive a standardized scenario to address with an admissions officer. In 2025, admissions officers will not have any information about the qualifications of the individual and will evaluate his or her response during interviews only based on response to scenarios.

Stony Brook University has almost finalized its search for a chief diversity candidate. Chandran expects that the medical school will “continue to make progress.”

Northport Moves Bus Depot off School Grounds

by David Luces - December 13, 2019

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District Hires Environmental Firm to Test Middle School

NMSDepot — Northport district officials have found an alternative location for its bus depot. Photo from Close Northport MS Facebook page

In response to a Nov. 20 TBR News Media article that uncovered that the Northport-East Northport school district was in violation of laws governing petroleum bulk storage, district officials announced at the Dec. 12 board meeting that they found a new bus depot and refueling location.

“We have found an alternate location and the resolution would allow the school board to enter negotiations to finalize that work with Cavay’s [Building & Lumber Supply] on Brightside Ave.,” Robert Banzer, superintendent of schools, said.

Over the last several weeks, the district addressed its violations with the Suffolk County Health Department and officials there said that the site was reinspected without violations found.

A separate resolution unanimously passed that would allow the district to utilize the fueling facilities operated by the Village of Northport for its bus fleet and maintenance.

“We are still seeking other possible methods of fueling, including [reaching out to] some of our other municipalities. We have reached out to them and they are considering it, “ Banzer said. “By January we should have this [relocation] in motion, if not sooner.”

Other highlights of the meeting include the board approving the subcommittee’s recommendations in hiring PW Grosser Consulting, a Bohemia-based environmental firm to begin framing a soil testing plan for the Northport Middle School. The firm would recommend soil testing parameters to the district beginning sometime in January.

The subcommittee members said that the firm could come do an initial walk-through of the building as early as later that week and would do other work throughout the winter break when students aren’t in school.

The announcements were made just days after students were again evacuated from several classrooms in the middle school after children were overcome by fumes.

A parent of a middle school student who spoke at the meeting said that children should be moved out of the school while testing is being done.

“We are very concerned, we need an answer ourselves on how this [testing] is going to happen,” he said. “The safe alternative is that they [the students] leave the school, and you do your testing.”

Subcommittee member Lauren Handler said as a group they haven’t discussed that as an official topic but agreed that the kids shouldn’t be in the building when they don’t know if its safe.

No vote was formally conducted on that issue.

State and county health officials have stated that the school board has jurisdiction over air quality at the school and not health officials.

The subcommittee plans to meet each Monday, beginning Jan. 6 or 13 of next year.

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