Miller Place School District’s annual registration process for Andrew Muller Primary School’s kindergarten begins Monday, March 1 through Friday, March 19. Miller Place-Sound Beach children who are five years old on or before Dec. 1 are eligible to enter kindergarten for the 2021-2022 school year.
As part of the two-step process, residents will begin by scheduling a mandatory appointment via the district’s online platform. In order to avoid any delay in the registration process, please have the following documentation accessible and available for each child that is entering kindergarten at the time of your scheduled appointment: 1) completed registration packet, 2) original birth certificate, 3) immunizations and current physical from your child’s physician, 4) proof of residence, and 5) custodial documentation (if applicable). Please note, incomplete registration packets will not be accepted and you may be asked to reschedule.
Registration appointments will be conducted at Central Office located at 7 Memorial Drive, Miller Place. For more information regarding the registration process, please call Natalie Vazquez at 631-474-2700 ext. 728.
For more information about the Miller Place School District, please visit the District’s website.
Hank Aaron: “I tell young people — including my granddaughter — there is no shortcut in life. You have to take it one step at a time and work hard. And you have to give back.”
These were the words of one of the most prolific baseball players ever to hit against opposing pitchers. Aaron had staggering numbers that saw him compile 755 home runs, 3,771 hits, 2,297 runs that were driven in, and he held a career batting average of .305.
On Jan. 22, this noted giant within “America’s Pastime” died at 87 years old.Always armed with a big smile and a can-do attitude, Aaron was a true ambassador to baseball that saw him reach some of the highest personal achievements that any person has ever gained in this game.
Surpassing Babe Ruth was an endeavor that Aaron worked on during the length of over 20 years in baseball. After the 1973 season, he hit 713 home runs and had to wait the following season to surpass this record. At 9:07 p.m. on April 8, 1974, in front of over 53,000 fans, Aaron stepped up to the plate, with light bulbs going off, and reporters were eager to write about the two-run home run swing that surpassed Ruth.
Since he left baseball in the late 1970s, Frank Tepedino worked at Port Jefferson Sporting Goods, where he was a fixture behind the counter. For decades, he screened T-shirts, uniforms and he provided professional advice for local families to help them pick out baseball equipment.
This Brooklyn native and resident of St. James was a talented hitter who was on the rosters of the New York Yankees, Milwaukee Brewers and the Atlanta Braves. He was later a 9/11 firefighter who threw out the first pitch in the New York Yankees playoff game against Oakland Athletics, only weeks after the nation was attacked by terrorists.
During his career, Tepedino played next to the historic baseball figures of Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, Thurman Munson, Bobby Murcer and Aaron. Tepedino opposed baseball legends of Joe Morgan, Johnny Bench, Willie Mays, Mike Schmidt and Bridgehampton local farm boy Karl Yastrzemski.
Frank Tepedino, a resident of St. James, retired from the baseball scene decades ago, but the memories of playing alongside Hank Aaron, who passed away last month, in the 70s are memories he could never forget. Photo courtesy of Frank Tepedino
Tepedino recalled that it was an amazing experience to compete against the best players ever to put on a uniform. According to him, “Players like Aaron changed the entire atmosphere of the game, the stadiums and their own teams. They were a different caliber of talent and playing with Aaron, you always appreciated his work ethic toward the game. You always wanted to do your best within his presence. If you appreciated baseball greatness, Aaron was one of the top five ever to take the field.”
When looking at the newsreels and pictures of Aaron hitting the pitch from Los Angeles Dodgers’ Al Downing over the left field wall, Tepedino can be seen welcoming him after he rounded the bases. On an electric night, the look of Aaron running around the bases and being patted on the back by two fans was one of the greatest sports scenes ever recorded. With his sideburns and blue Braves jacket, Tepedino along with his teammates and coaches, greeted Aaron at home plate.
During this chase to surpass this record, Tepedino recalled, “Everyone was wondering when Aaron was going to hit enough home runs — except Aaron. As a power hitter, he was fully confident that he would eventually catch Ruth.”
The game resumed with Aaron staying in the game for one more at bat, but he was physically and mentally exhausted from this daunting experience, and Tepedino replaced him in the lineup.
It was a wonderful night for baseball, but there were many concerns over the personal safety of Aaron.Even in 1974, 20 years after the Brown vs. Board of Education ruling that ended the “separate but equal” conditions within public schools, poor conditions for Black Americans were still present.Tepedino remembered that these ballplayers had to face difficult segregation conditions within hotels, restaurants and traveling accommodations.
Long after President Harry Truman (D) desegregated the armed forces, Jackie Robinson broke the baseball color barrier and President Lyndon Johnson (D) signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, African Americans were still battling for equality. During his own career, Tepedino met Robinson and as he played for the Yankees, he was trained by Olympic hero Jesse Owens. Tepedino looked back “in awe” of these athletes that accepted an immense responsibility to fight for an entire race of people in America.
In 1948, a younger Aaron cut class in Mobile, Alabama, to see Robinson speak at a local drugstore. After seeing this extraordinary player and activist speak, Aaron was determined to be a professional ballplayer who later faced similar hatred problems that Robinson had to endure with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
At an early age, Aaron was continually warned by his parents to stay clear of the Ku Klux Klan that marched near his home and widely displayed burning crosses. In 1952, Aaron signed his first professional contract with The Negro Leagues team of the Indianapolis Clowns, where early scouts determined that he was an “all-around hitter.”
Tepedino identified the racial complexities of this time, noting that “the Black ballplayer in the South still had limited rights, compared to when we played games in Chicago, where you would see leaders like Jesse Jackson visit our teammates in the locker room.”
For Aaron, it was an amazing chase to overcome Ruth’s record, but at a dangerous personal cost.Starting in 1973, the Atlanta Braves had a security presence for him during home and road games.Eventually the Federal Bureau of Investigation sent agents on the field to protect him from the numerous death threats that he received.
Every day, Aaron read hate mail that threatened the kidnapping of his children if he attempted to break Ruth’s record. Aaron later stated on CNN, “I’ve always felt like once I put the uniform on and once I got out onto the playing field, I could separate the two from, say, an evil letter I got the day before or event 20 minutes before. God gave me the separation, gave me the ability to separate the two of them.”
Hank Aaron. Photo from the Baseball Hall of Fame
In 1973, for most of the season the Braves were contenders to make the playoffs. At 39 years old, Aaron was at the cusp of passing this record by hitting 40 home runs. Tepedino remembered that the enhanced scrutiny and media hype never impacted Aaron’s performance on the field. Tepedino also described the positive support that his manager Eddie Mathews had toward his former longtime teammate in Aaron.Both Mathews and Aaron terrorized opposing pitchers within the heart of the Braves lineup by hitting between them 863 home runs. Next to Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth, this was one of the most feared tandems ever to consistently oppose pitching for many years.
Unlike daily media scrutiny of today, Aaron during most of his pursuit, only had the Braves beat writers covering the team. It was not until he was within reach of Ruth that there were over 50 reporters following his every movement until April 8, 1974.
Tepedino enjoyed playing with Aaron and remembered him to be a “soft-spoken man, that never bragged, was approachable, that always flashed a big smile. During this stressful time, the team realized that he was under immense pressure, and we all gave him his space.”
With a full house of fans, and Gov. Jimmy Carter (D) in attendance, Aaron’s home run was hit beyond the left field reach of Dodger Bill Buckner. With his family around him, Aaron later held onto the ball that was retrieved from the fans. After the game, he spoke with President Richard Nixon (R) who congratulated him on this endeavor. Later after Aaron crossed home plate with this record in his name and surviving through this immense pressure, the prolific hitter said to the media, “I just thank God it’s all over.”
The last time that Tepedino saw Aaron was five years ago at a major dinner in New York City to support Baseball Assistance Team. They were with many other former ballplayers helping to raise money for some of their peers who had fallen upon hard economic times.
While Tepedino was pleased to see Aaron and to say hello to this legendary figure, these former players were once again together to share a special “comradery and fraternity” of former athletes who were reminiscing about their days in the sun.
Through the passing of an absolute gentlemen in Aaron, who was a special player and a citizen to fight for enhanced rights for African Americans, Tepedino surely has witnessed major American memories within local and national history.Through his own immense baseball talent, Tepedino shared the field with athletic figures who will never fade away from “America’s Pastime.”
Sean Hamilton of the Rocky Point High School History Honor Society contributed to this article.
Rotarian Rob Woods delivering to the Miller Place School District. Photo from Kevin Mann
Photo from Kevin Mann
Deirdre Dubato and Suzanne Johnson present to one of the many organizations the Rotary Club of Rocky Point donated masks to. Photo from Kevin Mann
Deirdre Dubato presents to Trisha Ewald of Blessings in a Backpack. Photo from Kevin Mann
Larry Kogel presents to Kevin Coster of William Floyd School District. Photo from Kevin Mann
Kevin Mann presented to Keith Owens of KO Cares in Middle Island. Photo from Kevin Mann
Peter LaRosa presenting to Robert Woods of North Shore Youth Council. Photo from Kevin Mann
Deirdre Dubato, president of the Rotary Club of Rocky Point, said that when she first heard of the Million Mask Challenge just after Christmas, she knew her club had to get involved.
Along with other Long Island-based rotaries, the Million Mask Challenge is inspired to help people in need of masks within the community.
Earlier this month, 40 rotaries from Brooklyn to Montauk gathered in Hicksville to retrieve a batch of masks to distribute to schools, food pantries and shelters.
The Million Mask Challenge — originally created by Rotary International — began when The Rossi Family Foundation donated hundreds of thousands of masks to the local chapter, in hopes that along with the donation, more masks could be acquired and reach a million people worldwide.
Dubato said that since they gathered in early January, 14,000 adult masks and 1,000 kids-sized masks were brought to different organizations.
“Every soup kitchen, food pantry and school district are having issues finding masks,” she said.
So, they decided to help out by donating to local spots that were in need. The 1,000 children’s masks went to the North Shore Youth Council and to Blessings in a Backpack — which helps students in the Longwood Central School District.
And it won’t stop there. Dubato said that as long as they keep gaining masks, they will continue to distribute them.
The Rotary Club of Rocky Point covers the Rocky Point, Miller Place, Shoreham-Wading River, Middle Island and Longwood School districts.
Dubato said they’re always looking for new members.
“If giving back to the community is your goal,” she said, “Then you are welcome.”
It’s helping the environment, but saving a whole lot of money, too.
The Town of Brookhaven Highway Department recently completed phase I of its energy-efficient street light conversion program — a program replacing all low-pressure sodium and high-pressure sodium overhead lights with light-emitting diode (known as LED) streetlights.
Brookhaven Highway Superintendent Dan Losquadro (R) said he began researching for this project as soon as he joined the Highway Department in 2013. With the size of the town being equivalent to all of Nassau County, he said that his department is responsible for 44,000 streetlights. With the support of Supervisor Ed Romaine (R) and the Town Board, the project was approved.
“The goal that I had in those first years was to go after the highest energy-consuming fixtures that we had,” Losquadro said.
Brookhaven Highway Department employees replace streetlight fixtures and poles as part of the town’s light conversion project. Photo from the Town of Brookhaven.
During phase I, the department tackled streetlights that are mounted on utility poles known as “cobra heads,” which tend to use the most wattage, and most of those overhead lights have been finalized, after three short years of work. Phase II is now in effect, moving to convert all existing neighborhood post top fixtures to LED lighting, and replacing old fiberglass poles with new aluminum poles to be completed by 2023.
“There are a multitude of factors that play in as to why we wanted to do LED,” the highway superintendent said, noting the energy savings, cost savings and maintenance cost that LED lighting can have. “Not only are you saving that money every year on energy, but instead of having a bulb that’s going to last you two-to-three years, you’re buying a fixture that has a 10-year warranty, with an anticipated life expectancy of up to 20 years — so your maintenance costs go down tremendously.”
Losquadro added that LED lighting is safer and will prevent light pollution compared to other bulbs.
“I’m a firm believer to do something once and do it right,” he said. “This is about the future of Brookhaven Town, and doing things that are going to pay long term with benefits to everyone, myself included as a resident.”
The total project cost was $11.25 million, however, $4.5 million was paid for with part of the $20 million Municipal Consolidation and Efficiency Competition grant the town was awarded. The remaining $6.75 million was paid for with town funds.
In 2020, alone, the town has saved $930,000 in energy costs.
Losquadro said, from a taxpayer perspective, the town has already saved $1.5 million. By just using raw numbers, they can expect to pay off the project in less than five years.
“To convert the entire town, it’s a big endeavor,” he added. “You make the upfront investment, but you know you’re going to get a payoff in short.”
He said that “even with a 10-year warranty, you’re paying it off before the things are even out of warranty. And with an anticipated life expectancy of 20-years plus, it’s a tremendous, tremendous savings.”
Port Jefferson’s East Beach after the sand dredging was completed this week. Photo by Gerard Romano
The decade-long, multimillion-dollar project to spruce up Mount Sinai Harbor and its jetties is finally looking more complete, as the dredging project was finalized this past week.
In November of last year, the Town of Brookhaven permitted Suffolk County to complete the dredging at a total cost of $2 million with close to 80,000 cubic yards of sand.
A shot from the dredging process last month. Photo by Gerard Romano
“This is just another project where the layers and layers and layers of government all the way up to the federal level worked together,” said Village of Port Jefferson Mayor Margot Garant.
But the project is more than baskets of sand returning to the local shorelines. After many years of planning, both the east and west jetties in Mount Sinai Harbor were repaired in May 2020. For 10 years, both have been largely submerged at high tide, with water and sand leaking through breaks in the stones and settling into the mouth of the harbor.
Garant added that after about 60 days, “basketfuls of sand” were brought back to Port Jefferson’s East Beach, which included sand from the postponed Stony Brook Harbor dredging project, to replenish the erosion caused throughout the years.
“We’re just so thrilled to have our beach back,” she said.
Brookhaven Councilwoman Jane Bonner (R-Rocky Point) said the completion of the project was a long time coming.
She said there were numerous issues with the jetties, the inlet and the harbor itself.
“We rebuilt the fishing pier that has been subjected to numerous nor’easters, built two new jetties and a complete dredge of the beaches,” Bonner said. “I’m hopeful it lasts a long time.”
The same spot in 2018. Photo by Gerard Romano
In November, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers designated that most of the sand be primarily brought to the Port Jefferson side of the harbor. While Bonner admitted she hoped for an equitable split of sand, she’s happy that the goals of keeping recreational boaters and fishermen safe, while enhancing the North Shore’s water quality, have been achieved.
“All levels of government have put a lot of money and resources into this project,” Bonner said. “It’s a win-win.”
It’s not completely done, though. Garant said the next phase is to repair the retaining wall going down the hill and revegetate the bluff.
“It’s just an ongoing process of protecting our shoreline,” she said.
The first place Great Neck South High School team members, pictured from left, Matthew Tsui, David Wang, Anthony Zhan (team captain), Jansen Wong, Bradley He, and coach James Tuglio pose for a photo after winning first place in 2020.
Great Neck South High School earned the top spot in the Long Island Regional High School Science Bowl hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory on Saturday, Jan. 30.
The winning team faced off virtually against 23 other teams from a total of 18 high schools in the regional competition, part of the DOE National Science Bowl® (NSB). The students tested their knowledge in areas including biology, chemistry, earth and space science, energy, mathematics and physics in the fast-paced question-and-answer tournament.
The win marks the second consecutive year team members Anthony Zhan, Bradley He, Matthew Tsui, David Wang, and Jansen Wong secured first place for their school.
“By having the same team for both years, you grow a lot as a team,” said team captain Zhan. “I think a big factor in our success was our team chemistry. We play really well as a team and as a group of friends.”
For the first time since its establishment in 1991, the competition had to pivot to a virtual format. Teams competed remotely via video chat rooms ran by volunteer moderators, judges, and scorekeepers. After three preliminary rounds, 16 teams advanced to elimination rounds, in which Great Neck South outlasted the rest.
Mary Alexis Pace, coach to second place team The Wheatley School, acknowledged Brookhaven’s Office of Educational Programs (OEP) and volunteers for their hard work in organizing the regional competition.
“I am thankful Brookhaven Lab was able to make this competition work in such a strange year,” Pace said. “I know I speak for all of my students when I say that we truly appreciate the efforts that go into making this event happen.”
Great Neck South will join the top teams from regional science bowls around the country in the National Science Bowl®, which will be held virtually throughout April and May 2021.
Second place: Wheatley School–Viraj Jayan, Freddy Lin, Victor Li, and Avinash Reddy
Third place: Ward Melville High School (team one)–Neal Carpino, Gabriel Choi, Matthew Chen, Ivan Ge, and Prisha Singhal
Fourth place: Plainegde Senior High School–Aidan Andersen, Luke Andersen, Joseph Devlin, Matthew Garcia, and Tyler Ruvolo
This year’s event also featured a Cybersecurity Challenge open to all Science Bowl students who did not compete in the final elimination rounds. Students worked individually to solve a cybersecurity-related puzzle and learn about Brookhaven’s cybersecurity efforts. Jacob Leshnower from Half Hollow Hills East took first place, Anant Srinivasan of Commack High School took second place, and Ishnaan Singh of Commack High School took third place.
More about the Science Bowl
In the 2021 Long Island Regional Science Bowl organized by Brookhaven Lab, all participating students received a Science Bowl t-shirt. Winning teams also received trophies and medals, and the top four high school teams received cash awards. Prizes were courtesy of Teachers Federal Credit Union and Brookhaven Science Associates (BSA), the event’s sponsors. BSA is the company that manages and operates Brookhaven Lab for DOE.
The Long Island Regional Science Bowl is one of many educational opportunities organized by Brookhaven’s OEP. Every year, OEP holds science workshops, contests, internships, field trips, and more for students in kindergarten through graduate school. For more information on ways to participate in science education programs at Brookhaven Lab, visit the OEP website.
More than 315,000 students have participated in NSB since it was established in 1991, and it is one of the nation’s largest science competitions. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science manages the NSB Finals competition. More information is available on the NSB website.
Brookhaven National Laboratory is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://energy.gov/science.
After serving on the Riverhead Town Board for 11 years, it’s time for something new.
Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio (R-Riverhead) started her term this month, by replacing now-state Sen. Anthony Palumbo (R-New Suffolk) in his former Assembly district. When state Sen. Ken LaValle (R-Port Jefferson) chose not to run again for the Senate in Albany, Palumbo took his seat after battling it out against Democrat Laura Ahearn.
The Long Island delegation is featuring seven new faces out of 16 Republican representatives — four new State Assembly members and three new senators — and Giglio, a woman with more than a decade-long political history on the East End, is thrilled to take on a new challenge.
“It’s very exciting being in Albany,” she said. “I’m honored by the fact that the voters elected me to represent them, I am working hard every day, learning the system and trying to represent them to the best of my ability.”
Apart from being a former Riverhead board member, Giglio owns her own construction management company. Now she’s ready to tackle whatever 2021 will bring.
“It’s very important in this political and economic climate that we all come together and do what’s best for not only the people of New York state, but for the country,” she said. “I always try to listen to what other people have to say whether I agree with them or disagree with them.
The new assemblywoman said that she will “never be condescending, even if I have a different viewpoint.” Her goal is to find solutions to the problems New York state is currently facing.
Property taxes
Giglio said one of the bills she is currently working on is to waive penalties and interest for late payments of property taxes for homeowners impacted by the pandemic and those on a fixed income.
“By adding penalties and interest every single month that they don’t pay is a strain on the people that are trying to pay their taxes,” she said.
The assemblywoman wants to waive penalties in 60 days from Dec. 31. If a person cannot pay in those two months, there would be no penalties or interest from 60 days to the 90 days, making it a smaller percentage.
Waste management
“We need to figure out our garbage situation with recyclables because we live on an island and clean water and clean air is very important to us,” Giglio said.
With the Brookhaven Landfill expected to close in 2024, the assemblywoman wonders how will waste be removed from the Island.
“What’s the plan? How are we going to get garbage off of Long Island?” she asked. “The costs of getting garbage off of Long Island is really going to have a tremendous tax impact on the residents.”
COVID-19 vaccines
Giglio is hoping to combat the vaccine distribution issues Long Islanders are facing. By rolling out a coherent vaccine plan, she said, then COVID recovery can begin.
“You have to get people vaccinated where they feel comfortable going out and they feel secure,” she said. “That will recreate the businesses opening up, opening up the catering halls, opening up everything at full capacity.”
Giglio said she is unhappy that New York has been at “such a disadvantage compared to other states.”
“I think we should be getting the vaccinations sooner than later,” she said. “It should have been a collaborative effort, whereas the Legislature decided who was the most vulnerable and when the vaccines came in who would be the people to be vaccinated first. It’s based on us as elected officials hearing from our constituents as to who the most vulnerable are.”
Bikes outside the dorms at Stony Brook University. Photo from Kimberly Brown
"Ready for the iced tea and a chat" at Mimi Hodge's Sound Beach home. Photo from Mimi Hodge
A scene outside Bea Ruberto's home in Sound Beach. Photo from Bea Ruberto
Snow covered SBU. Photo by Kimberly Brown
Students trek to the dorms during the storm. Photo by Kimberly Brown
A winter wonderland at Stony Brook University. Photo by Kimberly Brown
A scene outside Bea Ruberto's home in Sound Beach. Photo from Bea Ruberto
A scene outside Bea Ruberto's home in Sound Beach. Photo from Bea Ruberto
A scene outside Bea Ruberto's home in Sound Beach. Photo from Bea Ruberto
Ducks at Niegocki Farms in Mount Sinai enjoy the snow Feb. 1. Photo by Tricia Niegocki
Tricia Niegocki's son walks through the snow at Niegocki Farms in Mount Sinai. Photo from Tricia Niegocki
A pig at Niegocki Farms in Mount Sinai hanging out in the snow. Photo by Tricia Niegocki
Outside the Wagner building, a Stony Brook University student braves the cold, on his way to get a meal from West dining. Photo by Chris Cumella
Stony Brook University's Roosevelt Quad hidden behind ferocious winds and pristine, untouched, freshly-fallen snow. Photo by Chris Cumella
Gwendolyn and Gordon Jensen enjoy the snow in Smithtown. Photo by Donna Jensen
Caroline Busby enjoys the snow in St. James Feb. 1. Photo by Patricia Busby
Michael Bilotti, 5, of Nissequogue, built a snowman named Blueberry. Photo by Doug Bilotti
On Monday, Feb. 1, the first snowstorm of the year hit Long Island, causing people to stay home and shovel nearly two-feet of snow. We asked residents to share their snow day photos with us.
Nature plays a wonderful game of hide-and-seek with its secrets.
One day, Joan might be searching for, say, an apple tree in the forest. Joan might consider all the elements that appeal to an apple tree. She might expect the journey to take two hours but, to her surprise, discovers a tree on the way.
That’s what happened to Valentina Bisogni, a physicist at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Bisogni, who works at the National Synchrotron Lightsource II, wanted to figure out how the thickness in a magnetic film affected traveling modes involving the spin property of electrons, known as spin waves. Specifically, she wanted to control the energy of the spin wave.
This might be important in future devices that involve passing along information through an electron’s spin rather than through charge, which is the current method. Controlling the spin wave could be another way to optimize the performance or improve the efficiency of future devices.
Transmitting charge creates unwanted heat, which can damage the components of an electronic device and limit its usefulness. Heat also creates energy inefficiencies.
Valentina Bisogni with a collection of tomatoes in a garden in Bellport Village. Photo by Claudio Mazoli.
Bisogni, who arrived at BNL in 2014, has been working on a beamline called Soft Inelastic X-ray Scattering, or SIX. Each of the new beamlines at the nearly billion-dollar facility has its own acronym and number that corresponds to their location in the accelerator ring.
Before she planned to apply an electric field that might control the spin wave, however, Bisogni figured she’d explore the way thinner iron materials affected the spin.
That’s when the metaphorical apple tree appeared, as the thickness of iron films, that were as thin as one to 10 nanometers, helped control the spin wave before applying any electric field.
“This result was not expected,” Bisogni said. This was preparatory work to a more detailed, dedicated study.
“Not having had any benchmark of iron crystals in general with the technique I am using, it was logical to study this system from a bulk/ thin form to a very thin film,” she explained in an email.
Bisogni and a team from Yale University recently published the results of this work in the journal Nature Materials.
While this unexpected result is encouraging and could eventually contribute to the manufacture of electronic devices, Bisogni said this type of discovery helps build a fundamental understanding of the materials and their properties at this size.
“For people assembling or designing devices or wave guides, I think this is an ingredient that has to be considered in the future,” Bisogni said.
This kind of result could enable the optimization of device performance. When manufacturers propagate a signal based on spin dynamics, they would likely want to keep the same frequency, matching the signal along a medium from point A to point B.
The effect of the thickness on the spin was like a power log, which is not quite exponential as the experimenters tested thinner material, she said.
Bisogni plans to continue with this collaboration, as the group is “excellent in preparing and characterizing this kind of system.”
In the bigger picture, Bisogni is focused on quantum materials and altering their spin.
She is also overseeing the development of a system called Opera, which copies the working conditions of electronic devices. Opera is the new sample environment available at SIX and is developed within the research project to copy device-working conditions in the beamline’s measurement chamber.
Bisogni ultimately hopes her work may improve the energy efficiency of electronics.
A resident of Bellport Village, Bisogni lives with her partner Claudio Mazoli, who is the lead scientist for another beamline at the NSLS II, called the Coherent Soft X-ray Scattering, or CSX.
Bisogni said the couple frequently enjoy exchanging ideas and have an ongoing active collaboration, as they share several scientific passions.
The couple met at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble, France when they were working in the same lab.
Bisogni was born and raised in Spoleto, which is in the province of Perugia in the center of Italy. Bisogni speaks Italian and English as well as French and German after her work experience in France, Germany and Switzerland.
Bisogni said she and Mazoli are “very food-centric” and can find numerous epicurean opportunities in the area of Long Island and New York City. The weather is also similar to home, although they miss their family and friends from Italy.
The couple purchased a house together during the pandemic and have been doing some work to shape the house to their needs. They remodeled the bathrooms in an Italian/ European style, purchased a German washing machine and dryer and painted some walls.
In the summer, Bisogni, who likes to eat, cook and grow vegetables, enjoys spinach, tomatoes and light-green zucchini.
As for her work, Bisogni is currently pleased with the state of her beamline, although she said its development took considerable team effort and time during the development, construction and commissioning.
At this point, her research team includes two and a half permanent scientists and two post-doctoral scientists. Within the team, they have two post-doc researcher positionslooking to fill, one for her research project and another dedicated to her colleague’s research project.
Ultimately, Bisogni is excited with the opportunities to make fundamental discoveries at work.
“It is, in general, very exciting, as most likely you are doing something for the first time,” Bisogni explained in an email. “It is true that you may fail, since nobody is going to tell you if what you are doing is going to work or not, but if you get it right, then it is extremely rewarding.”
To commemorate American Heart Month, February is dedicated to heart disease research and heart health care.Dawn Blatt, a resident of Miller Place, had a heart attack on Feb. 20, 2012, while on vacation with her family and chooses to share her story.
While in California, she began feeling chest pressure that lasted about 20 minutes and eventually went away. She thought it was nothing, and didn’t want to say anything or ruin the trip.
“About two hours later, when we were sitting in the hotel, that chest pressure came back and actually got worse,” she said. “I started getting pain down my left arm, the chest pressure turned to some pain. I was feeling anxious.”
Blatt knew something was going on and she had to act on it. She was getting ready to head into the elevator to catch a ride to the hospital in a city she didn’t know when her husband called 911.
The paramedics did vitals and were talking about EKG changes in her hotel room. Blatt, a physical therapist, heard terms that are usually said to her patients — not typically to her.
The then 46-year-old was taken by ambulance to the hospital and after talking with a doctor, he said that she did indeed have a heart attack.
“That sense of denial that I was having the whole time even though I knew what the symptoms would correlate to was still a shock for me to hear those words,” she said. “And everybody that came in to the room kept saying, ‘Oh, you’re so young!’ and that really got me angry after a while because obviously I wasn’t too young — I had a heart attack.”
The mother of two did not have previous signs or symptoms. She didn’t have the risk factors that would lead people to think she would have a heart attack. Blatt said she was always on the treadmill and was an active person.
“The recovery was physically and emotionally challenging for me,” she said.
In California, to address her cardiac catheterization, one stent was put in her left anterior descending artery in her heart during 1st cardiac catheterization, and four more were added when she came home to New York.
Nearly nine years after the heart attack, Blatt now has no restrictions or limitations.
“I feel like I was lucky,” she said. “But since then, I have started to learn about the fact that so many women are not aware of risk factors, or that the signs of a heart attack can be different for women, especially.”
So, she’s using her voice to talk to others and build a supportive community for people who’ve have been through similar situations. An active member of the national organization WomenHeart, she’s there for other women who have dealt with heart problems big and small.
“The women that I have met through WomenHeart are my heart sisters, and they’re the people that get it,” she said. “It’s so helpful to be able to ask questions of people who’ve been through similar experiences, and that can help give you support or ask questions. That’s why I have decided to help spread the word, raise awareness and support other women living with heart disease.”
Blatt added that sharing her story with others not only gives them someone they can relate to, but is a healing experience for her, as well.
According to Blatt, she has learned a lot of facts about heart health from the nonprofit. WomenHeart has a directory of scientific data, links, an advisory panel of doctors and researchers throughout the country, and is trustworthy and credible.
She said, for women specifically, it’s important to know that heart disease is the leading cause of death for women and there are plenty of signs to know when something wrong is happening.
“A lot of people think, ‘Younger women don’t have heart attacks, they don’t have heart disease,’ but I’ve met so many women in their 20s, 30s and 40s with various forms of heart disease,” she said. “It’s not just an old man’s disease anymore — it’s affecting women.”
Blatt said there’s more to a heart attack then pressure pain in the left arm, and it’s not “just an anxiety attack.”
“Pay attention, seek medical attention, seek medical care, get answers to your signs and symptoms, and if you’re not happy with what they’re telling you, get a second opinion,” she said. “When women go to the ER, if they think they’re having a heart attack, use the words ‘I think I’m having a heart attack.’ That will get you in, otherwise you’re going to be waiting. When you’re having a heart attack, the quicker you get in and get treated, the less damage you can have.”
Friday, Feb. 5, is National Wear Red Day. Everyone is encouraged to wear red and raise support for American heart health.
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