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Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine. File photo

By Toni-Elena Gallo

On Monday, Sept. 23, County Executive Ed Romaine (R) held a virtual press conference, which explained the key points of his 2025 Suffolk County Recommended Operating Budget.

One of the first things Romaine mentioned is that he has ensured that this budget complies with tax caps “and all other requirements for both the county and the state.”

He added that the proposal allows for $4 billion dollars, which is an increase from last year’s budget of $3.9 billion.

Speaking more specifically on what he wishes to increase spending on, Romaine expressed a strong desire to further secure our communities’ safety.

The budget “will add 200 [police officers, also] deputy sheriffs, corrections officers and detectives,” Romaine said.

“We feel that the police department needs to be adequately staffed, to address any safety issues in all, including the discouragement of illegal activities, such as gangs, drugs, etc., and to prevent any increase in crime,” he added.

Romaine has increased law enforcement staffing, particularly in the District Attorney’s Office to aid in the Gilgo Beach investigation.

Another issue the County Executive intends to tackle is the diminished sales tax revenue, from this year to last, which has contributed to Suffolk slightly raising the property tax for 2025. Homeowners in Brookhaven, Smithtown and Huntington will see an increase of about $49 per year.

“Sales tax came in at about $50 million less this year than what was projected, pension costs went up by about $43 million and health care costs went up by $66 million, which accounts for the increase in the county budget,” Romaine explained.

“So while there is a small increase, it, nevertheless, is a solid budget, which will allow the county to deliver services and provide what is needed.”

As to why we have seen such a significant decrease in sales tax, Romaine chalks it up to residents’ reduced spending, as prices for items, such as gasoline, increased.

“People are tightening their wallets. This is a difficult time, an inflationary time. For example, gasoline sales, for the first six months of 2024, went down by 9.6 percent, to give you an estimate, and we do include sales tax on gasoline,” Romaine said. 

“That is an indication that the economy is debating its future. But we’ll see what happens. A lot will depend on the national election.”

Romaine’s budget proposal refers to his intention to improve Suffolk’s infrastructure, improve emergency service efficiency, by making changes including the reduction of 311 wait time to under five minutes and to continue support for veterans, as well as to increase staffing in underfunded departments like Child Protective Services and the Department of Social Services.

It also points to the allocation of funds for a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and virtual CISO, following the 2022 cyber-attack. It will modernize the county’s IT infrastructure, to enhance security.

Additionally, Romaine wrapped up the press conference with a future initiative he hopes to see come to fruition.

“Once this budget is adopted, and once we see the revenues coming in in 2025, I am hoping to propose a reduction in the sales tax on home heating fuel. That’s propane, natural gas and, obviously, home heating oil. I find this tax regressive.”

The county Legislature must adopt the budget by Nov. 6.

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File photo by Raymond Janis

An open letter to the residents of Port Jefferson Station and Terryville

Many local residents are aware that there is a planned redevelopment at the Jefferson Plaza Shopping Center. However, not all our neighbors necessarily know the specific details which will shape the face of our community along the major thoroughfare of Route 112. This large-scale proposal may allow for up to 280 apartments and 49,000-plus square feet of commercial space on that 10-acre parcel. This intensive use has presented us all with an opportunity to see growth and revitalization of our area, but also the challenge to address potential negative impacts to the existing neighborhood.

Members of the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Civic Association have worked diligently for the past two years to impress upon the Town of Brookhaven that we welcome this opportunity but that changes could help improve the project. In particular, we expressed a need for a comprehensive traffic study of the area which takes into account surrounding developments. 

Others pointed out concerns about the unprecedented height of four-story buildings, voiced a desire for architectural design which could provide a sense of place, or questioned the need for full environmental review for a project which will nearly triple the density of any other multifamily developments in the town to date.

This entire proposal has its roots in a 2020 revision to the Town Code in the form of a Commercial Redevelopment District crafted and approved during the COVID-19 pandemic. This code, as written, seems vague and without any true metric on which to base a determination of the related density bonuses offered within the district. It is this CRD code which Staller Associates — owner of the Jefferson Shopping Center — is now pursuing for a precedent-setting change of zone on that property. It is my understanding that Brookhaven is prepared to vote on this motion and likely to approve it at its next Town Board meeting on Sept. 26 at Town Hall.

Last November, over 65 residents appeared at a public hearing to provide their input on what they wished to see for our community. Some of those comments have been incorporated by the developer into a few changes by the developer, at the urging and help of our Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook). However, much still appears unresolved in the areas of public benefits, clarity on the commitment to a comprehensive traffic study, developing consensus on architectural design and a decision on the ultimate level of density upon buildout. Some believe we should trust this all gets dealt with during the site plan review process. I am hopeful and have advocated that these issues should be addressed before the zoning change is approved in order to achieve the best, transparent outcome possible for all parties.

I solicit my neighbors, regardless of your viewpoint, to go to Town Hall this Thursday evening so that your voice is heard. More “eyes and ears” on this pivotal project will helpfully inform our local decision-makers what the public feels about how best to proceed to take pride in the place we call home. In any event, stay engaged and get involved.

Ira Costell, President

   Port Jefferson Station/ Terryville Civic Association

Port Jefferson electrification stuck in the slow lane

There is no funding allocated in the MTA’s proposed $68 billion 2025-2029 Five Year Capital Plan, just released, for advancement of the proposed $3.1 billion LIRR Port Jefferson Branch electrification project. Critical initial funding was not provided to pay for planning, preliminary design, engineering and the National Environmental Policy Act review to start advancement of this project. The next opportunity for funding will be under the 2030-2034 Five Year Capital Plan. Following the federal NEPA process is necessary to preserve future Federal Transit Administration funding eligibility.

There is only a vague reference in the plan to “improvements” on the Port Jefferson Branch. Contrast this with a specific reference to “looking at the feasibility to extend electrification of the Ronkonkoma Branch east from Ronkonkoma to Yaphank.” 

Riders east of Babylon to Patchogue and Speonk can also only count on a vague reference to “improvements” which doesn’t include electrification. No specific dollar figures, detailed scope of work or implementation schedule are attached to either Port Jefferson or Speonk Branch improvements.

MTA Chairman Janno Lieber would have to request permission from the FTA to enter this project into the agency’s Capital Investment Grants (New Starts/Core Capacity) national discretionary competitive grant program. 

Funding for final design and engineering, property easements, land acquisition and utility relocation could be allocated under the 2035-2039 Five Year Capital Plan. This would be followed by $1.6 billion — probably far more due to inflation — in local MTA funding included in the MTA 2040-2044 Five Year Capital Plan. These dollars are necessary to leverage FTA funding. 

Based upon my past experiences on other FTA-MTA-LIRR projects, even if all goes well as I’ve outlined, Port Jefferson Branch electrification may not be completed until 2050. With inflation over time, the final project cost could easily grow to $4 billion and more.

 The LIRR 1960s motto “Line of the Dashing Dan” should be changed to “Line of the Slow Moving Sloth” when it comes to completing LIRR Port Jefferson Branch electrification. The concept of electrification was first proposed back in the 1950s!

Larry Penner

   Great Neck

WRITE TO US … AND KEEP IT LOCAL 

We welcome your letters, especially those responding to our local coverage, replying to other letter writers’ comments and speaking mainly to local themes. Letters should be no longer than 400 words and may be edited for length, libel, style, good taste and uncivil language. They will also be published on our website. We do not publish anonymous letters. Please include an address and phone number for confirmation. Email letters to: [email protected] or mail them to TBR News Media, P.O. Box 707, Setauket, NY 11733

 

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SBU campus. File photo

By Daniel Dunaief

In the last 18 months, Stony Brook University has generated positive headlines for a host of wins, from receiving a record donation from the Simons Foundation to climbing academic rankings to winning the bidding for a climate solutions center on Governors Island.

This year, those gains not only helped attract a larger applicant pool, but also led to a record high enrollment for first-year students in the university’s 67 year history. The total number of undergraduates is also at a record high of 18,263, exceeding the previous high of 18,010 in the fall of 2010.

The downstate flagship university received about 55,000 applications for first year students, with an acceptance rate of about 49%.

“Stony Brook has now become a premier destination for so many students” in the state, country and world, said Richard Beatty, Senior Associate Provost for Enrollment Management. The increasing applicants and the largest ever class size of 4,024 students reflects the “fruit of all the work the campus has been doing.”

Stony Brook ranked 58th in the 2025 US News and World Report rankings this week, up from 93 in 2022. Stony Brook was also ranked the top public university in New York.

Just over half of the first-year students, or 50.5%, are women, while 49.5% are men. These statistics don’t include people who chose not to disclose their gender.

The university didn’t change its admissions standards to accept this larger class.

“We had the same academic quality as in previous years,” said Beatty, as each student has had high quality experience inside and outside the classroom.

Additionally, for the class entering its second year this fall, Stony Brook had a 90% retention rate, which is also an all-time high. The university typically loses 11 or 12% of students from the first to the second year.

“We want the student [who matriculate at Stony Brook] to graduate with us and we want them to graduate in a timely manner,” said Beatty.

New hires

Recognizing the increased interest in attending Stony Brook from in and out of state, the university started hiring additional staff to provide students with the same level of education and university services.

The ratio of faculty to students “didn’t change that much” because of the university’s staffing efforts, Beatty said. “We are keeping the educational quality the same even though we have a larger [freshman] class.”

The enrollment of students who identify as Black and LatinX also increased, even as universities such as Harvard College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have experienced a decline in such enrollments.

The first-year class at Stony Brook includes 433 people who identify as black, which is an increase of 19% over the total from the previous year and represents about 10.7% of the incoming class.

LatinX, meanwhile, rose 28% to 633 this year from 496 in the previous year.

SBU Interim President Richard McCormick. File photo

“Stony Brook today exemplifies dramatically all the most important developments in modern American higher education – a growing and highly diverse student body, an expanding research enterprise, and research achievements that are contributing mightily to the economy and society,” Interim President Richard L. McCormick said in a statement.

While the number of foreign students increased over last year, the total number has still not recovered to its 2019 level, prior to the pandemic.

Stony Brook leads the SUNY system in the highest number of Educational Opportunity Program applications. The state-funded program provides financial support to New York students who have financial and academic barriers, helping them attend and graduate from a SUNY college.

Storm challenges

At the same time that the university welcomed its largest ever first year class, the campus and the area endured a sudden and violent storm that not only damaged the historic Stony Brook Grist Mill, but also made some dormitories uninhabitable.

“It was an unbelievable concerted effort throughout campus” to find places for students amid the clean up, said Beatty. “The housing team came up with solutions” that included housing some students in hotels.

Two of the residence halls, Ammann and Gray, are still undergoing repairs, although the university has found places for its students.

The university has 52 sophomores who are living at an off-campus hotel, where they are expected to remain through the semester. They should be able to return to campus in the spring.

Expanded food services

The Starbucks in SBU’s Melville Library. Courtesy facebook.com/SBUDining

Amid higher enrollment, Stony Brook expanded the hours for dining facilities this year, compared with last year.

Starbucks opened at the Melville Library with expanded hours. The foods trucks have a consistent schedule Monday through Friday and Stony Brook added a Nathan’s Famous truck to the food truck fleet.

The university launched new franchises and dining concepts this fall, such as Popeyes, Carvel and Iron Waffles.

Academically, Stony Brook has had a wide range of potential interests from its incoming students. Beyond the typical strengths in physics and math, the university also experienced a growth in the numbers of students applying for journalism, political science and economics.

“We ended up not being over enrolled in any of our programs,” Beatty said.

McCormick suggested the increased interest in the school reflects recent higher visibility.

“This historic enrollment of first-year students is a testament to Stony Brook University’s steadfast commitment to providing an exceptional educational experience and its rise in reputation as one of the nation’s most prominent public flagship research universities,” McCormick said in a statement.

The State University of New York schools have seen an increase overall in the number of applicants.

Stony Brook’s admissions process, which remains test optional for standardized tests like the SAT and the ACT, has become considerably more holistic.

The admissions committee looks beyond the grade point average or whatever test scores candidates submit, while weighing the student achievement in the context of the options available at their high schools.

The larger class size amid a greater interest in the school also has positive implications for the local economy and for the community.

More students shop at stores and restaurants and also contribute to extracurricular activities such as theatrical performances and to community service projects.

These students, who come from all over the world, add to the diversity of the area, start new clubs and present the findings of their own research while attending college, Beatty added.

As for future applications and class sizes, school officials anticipate greater numbers of interested students in the coming years.

“We expect applications to continue to rise,” said Beatty.

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Pixabay photo

By Daniel Dunaief

Daniel Dunaief

I’m getting messages every day and, often, several times a day. I must be really important.

As with snail mail, those messages could be delivering something extraordinary.

“We are writing to inform you that you’ve won a Pulitzer Prize, despite the fact that you haven’t entered anything and we haven’t yet created an extraordinarily average category.”

Or, perhaps, “we wanted to let you know that your cells are healthier than they’ve ever been and that you should keep up the good work. We’d like to study you to learn how your body is performing better than we’d expect for someone half your age.”

Then, of course, there are the realistic possibilities.

“Hey, want to go to dinner with us this weekend?”

That’s a nice message to receive from a friend or family member.

My son believes brevity is the soul of wit when it comes to messages so he’ll just write “Judge!!!!” or “Soto!!!!” or some combination of Yankee players who have performed well that day.

The most frequent messages I’m receiving are the ones from would-be political leaders, their pals, and other prominent supporters who not only want my vote, but also want me to contribute money.

I’d like to think these messages, with my name at the top, were written personally by these important people, who took the time out of their day to reach out to me.

“You know who I haven’t written to recently? Daniel Dunaief. I’ll just give him a holler to gauge his thoughts on one of the more important races.”

But, no, I know they’re not personal missives, just as I know Siri isn’t graciously saying “You’re welcome” even though she’s programmed to show appreciation in her chipper voice when I thank her.

Still, these messages have morphed from a nuisance into something else. In the frenzy and excitement of consequential races, these communiques are filled with fear and hope, often in that order. In a few short sentences, they tell me what’s at stake, what role I can play, and how these leaders will spend my money wisely.

Wouldn’t that be nice? If we donated to a campaign, wouldn’t it be great to see how our money, specifically, helped someone, as in, “this yard sign made possible by your moderately generous donation.”

If you’ve ever watched the show “Seinfeld,” George Costanza, played by Jason Alexander, suggests that he grows on people, the way ad jingles do. He is like an advertisement for Mennen deodorant. At first, you can’t stand the “byyyy Mennen” sound, but you find yourself singing it in the shower or humming it in the car.

Maybe, in some way, this unprecedented barrage of seemingly personal text messages has become like those jingles.

To be honest, I don’t read them carefully. I do, however, appreciate the earnestness with which someone sends them and I recognize that something consequential is about to happen.

Maybe it’s a bit like the December holidays. The anticipation of November 5th is exciting, even if the event itself might be lacking.

The reality of the election feels more like a gift certificate to a restaurant that serves a combination of my least favorite foods, all deep fried in a type of grease that triggers an allergic response. The election itself, as I see it, will likely have echoes from 2020, with lawyers and politicians exerting themselves, insisting that their candidate won for days or weeks after Nov. 5th.

An early riser, I grin when the message arrives an hour or so after I’ve gotten up and the person with the morning message apologizes for writing so early.

Really? Because you’re not actually sending the message and the machine that blasts them could pick any time in the day to release this particular text.

With all the money flowing into these campaigns, I wonder if the country invested all the cash both sides collected and put it in a certificate of deposit or a Treasury Bill and created scholarships, what kind of opportunities could we offer future students who one day might want to run for office.

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Photo from Pixabay

By Leah S. Dunaief

Leah Dunaief,
Publisher

As we enter October, we come upon the one year anniversary of our podcasting. We have had a gratifying response to our weekly offering, but for those who might not be aware of the particulars, let me explain.

A podcast, in general, can be about any subject, involve any number of people and have an unlimited reach. Our podcast, which we call The Pressroom Afterhour, and record Thursday evenings, consists of a quick summary of the past week’s local news, followed by conversation among our editorial board members about key stories that appear in that day’s issue of the newspaper. It is more than a summary, rather it’s like overhearing our chatter in the newsroom. There is more information, some laughter, a personal touch from our staff and an extra dimensionality to hearing the voices. 

Our podcast lasts about 40 minutes and is available after noon on Friday for the ensuing week. It is then archived and still available for anyone seeking a look-back at the news. To access the podcast easily, we have provided a QR code on the top right hand corner of our front page. Just mouse over it or take a picture of it with your cellphone. Another way is to go to our website, tbrnewsmedia.com, and click on the button at the top of the home page. The podcast is also available on Spotify.

We sometimes have a guest on with us, someone who features prominently in that week’s news. We think it is fun for you to hear from them in addition to reading about their actions. Some of our guests have been Historian Bev Tyler, Estate Planner Honorable Gail Prudenti, Geriatrician Dr. Suzanne Fields, Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich, Suffolk County Water Authority President Charlie Lefkowitz, and Elder Lawyer Nancy Burner, among others. We will have many more who have asked to be invited and who will round out the news.

Encouraged by the success of our news roundup, we have now started a second podcast, about one hour each time, that is a one-on-one interview with a prominent person. We call it, “Celebrity Interview,” and we began with the engaging actress Laura Benanti. It, too, can be found in the same way on the website or with Spotify.

We thank the sponsors of the podcasts for supporting this local news vehicle. They are included in a weekly full page ad in which we explain what topics will be covered in the session. These have featured the Port Jefferson Coffee House Toast, the Bridgeport-Port Jefferson Ferry, D.J.’s Clam Shack in Stony Brook, the Smithtown caterer Elegant Eating,  the Suffolk County Water Authority and Stony Brook University. These sponsors are deeply rooted in our communities and now in our weekly chronicles of local history.

For those of you who might want to offer feedback to a particular podcast, please do so by writing us a letter to the editor, emailing us at [email protected], or calling us at 631-751-7744. We would welcome your comments and any suggestions you might have for guests, including yourselves. 

We view these podcasts as possible forums for the local news.

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Olivia Ross’ bracelets, which read Stony Brook Strong or Save the Mill Pond. 100% of the proceeds are donated to reconstruction efforts. Photo courtesy Olivia Ross
Why we must show appreciation for our fellow man, every day

A month after the disastrous storm that rocked our North Shore communities, we are left wondering what is next.

State and federal politicians have given us big promises, pledging to offer considerable aid for rebuilding efforts, and that is largely for us to wait and see.

However, some of our local community members are taking matters into their own hands, and showing the world that they will not sit back idly and wait for others to take action — they will do now.

One example of a do-gooder that comes to mind is Port Jefferson resident Olivia Ross.

She has started an initiative whose sole aim is to save the Stony Brook Mill Pond, which she has cherished since her childhood years.

Her customized bracelets don the words “Save the Mill Pond” on one side and “Stony Brook Strong” on the other. To date, Ross has sold 100 bracelets, and received almost $1,000 dollars in donations.

It is people like Olivia that define patriotism. In a world of political unrest and uncertainty, people who aim to provide even a modicum of comfort to those in need are truly the models of what a citizen ought to be.

We must band together as one, and use tragedies like last month’s storm, and even last week’s reminder of the horror that was 9/11’s 23rd anniversary, as reminders that sadness brings out the best traits of the human spirit.

But, let us not wait for moments of heartache to help our fellow neighbor. Let’s follow the examples of the selfless, and do good today — and every day.

We can all surely use it!

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Sean Casey stars as the Wildcats cruise past the Baymen
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The Wildcats of Shoreham-Wading River take the Thomas Cutinella Memorial Field Saturday afternoon to open their 2024 football season. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River wide receiver Sean Casey looks upfield. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wadint River football vs. Hampton Bays 09/14/24. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wadint River football vs. Hampton Bays 09/14/24. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wadint River football vs. Hampton Bays 09/14/24. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wadint River football vs. Hampton Bays 09/14/24. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wadint River football vs. Hampton Bays 09/14/24. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wadint River football vs. Hampton Bays 09/14/24. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wadint River football vs. Hampton Bays 09/14/24. Photo by Bill Landon
Wildcats Senior Michael Casey in traffic in home opener against Hampton Bays. Photo by Bill Landon
Senior wide receiver Michael Iberger with the touchdown catch. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wadint River football vs. Hampton Bays 09/14/24. Photo by Bill Landon

By Bill Landon

Shoreham-Wading River football team kicked off their 2024 season, with a convincing victory, defeating Hampton Bays 40-12 at the Thomas Cutinella Memorial Field, on Saturday afternoon. 

It was the Sean Casey show for Shoreham-Wading River, as the senior wide receiver ran back the opening kickoff covering 88 yards to put the Wildcats on the board. Casey found the end zone at the 1:08 mark in the first quarter with a 32-yard run, and had another kickoff return in the opening minutes of the second half, covering 74 yards. 

Freshman quarterback Noah Gregorek threw a seven-yard touchdown precision strike to Michael Iberger in the right corner of the end zone, and completed eight of nine passes for 102 yards in the Division IV matchup. 

— Photos by Bill Landon 

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Shoreham-Wading River field hockey vs. West Islip on 9/17/24. Photo by Bill Landon
Marisa Cacciola maneuvers midfield for the Wildcats. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River field hockey vs. West Islip on 9/17/24. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River field hockey vs. West Islip on 9/17/24. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River field hockey vs. West Islip on 9/17/24. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River midfielder Ellie Arena pushes upfield for the Wildcats. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River field hockey vs. West Islip on 9/17/24. Photo by Bill Landon
Haylie Abrams shoots for the Wildcats. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River field hockey vs. West Islip on 9/17/24. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River field hockey vs. West Islip on 9/17/24. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River field hockey vs. West Islip on 9/17/24. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River field hockey vs. West Islip on 9/17/24. Photo by Bill Landon

By Bill Landon

Through five games, the Wildcats of Shoreham-Wading River stand atop the Division II leaderboard. The team is not only undefeated, but has not allowed a single goal against them.

Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 17, at the Thomas Cutinella Memorial Field, the Wildcats were back at it when they blanked West Islip 6-0.

Madison Herr scored her second goal of the game in the opening minutes of the second quarter to put her team out front 3-0. Forward Ella Frazzetto rocked the box in the opening minutes of the third quarter and Herr found the box again for her hat trick to begin the final 15 minutes of play. Alessia Olivio rounded out the score when her shot found its mark to seal the deal for the Wildcats.

— Photos by Bill Landon

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Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook). Photo courtesy Town of Brookhaven livestream

By Peter Sloniewsky

The Town of Brookhaven Town Board met on Sept. 12 to discuss a variety of issues. 

After a number of routine matters, the board addressed its Resolution Agenda. First, it designated the month of October as National Bullying Prevention Month, declared the week of Oct. 23-31 as Red Ribbon Week for drug education and awareness, and designated Sept. 29 as National Veterans of Foreign Wars Day. 

The board then moved to authorize a grant from the Critical Infrastructure Grant Program it had received from the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services to fund a generator at its vehicle control facility. The board also voted to lease additional property at the town-owned Rolling Oaks Golf Course in Rocky Point, and to award bids to contractors for highway repair work, heavy-machinery repair work and at the Mill Pond Golf Course in Medford for cart path repair. 

The board then voted to extend the Home Investment Partnerships Program with the Long Island Housing Partnership, which assists new homebuyers in financial need, through Dec. 16. 

Lastly on to its Resolution Agenda, the board accepted donations of both money and land, authorized its attorney to settle claims against the town and authorized the qualification of the 2nd annual Long Island Law Enforcement Charity Car Show event to receive coverage under the Town of Brookhaven Programs for Public Good Insurance. 

Beyond its Resolution Agenda, the Town Board set a date for a public hearing to amend the Uniform Traffic Code on Oct. 17. It also held public hearings for the town’s Planning Board and accepted comments from the general public. 

The Town Board will meet again on Sept. 23 for a work session and publicly for a formal meeting on Sept. 26.

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From left, Oscar Rivera-Cruz from the University of Puerto Rico, BNL materials scientist Anibal Boscoboinik, Alexander Bailey from West Virginia State University, and Jeremy Lopez from the University of Puerto Rico. Photo courtesy of BNL

By Daniel Dunaief

It’s been a banner year for ideas and potential products that trap noble gases at Brookhaven National Laboratory. So-named for their full complement of electrons, noble gases tend to be less reactive than other atoms that can add electrons to their outer shells.

While their name sounds grandiose, these gases are anything but, particularly when people inhale the radioactive and prevalent gas radon, which can cause lung cancer or when the decay of uranium into xenon makes a nuclear reactor less efficient.

When he was studying how hydrocarbons react at the active site of zeolite models, Brookhaven National Laboratory’s material scientist Anibal Boscoboinik made an accidental discovery about a decade ago that some nanomaterials, which are incredibly small, trap these gases.

Among several other projects he’s working on, Boscoboinik has since studied these nanocages, learning about the trapping mechanism and making variations of these materials and trapping methods that can be useful for a wide range of applications. 

The Battelle Memorial Institute, which partners with Stony Brook University to form Brookhaven Science Associates and manages nine national labs across the country, named Boscoboinik an “inventor of the year” for his work developing these materials.

Battelle awards an inventor of the year to a researcher from each institution under its management, recognizing efforts that contribute to science or engineering and that can have a positive impact on society.

“It feels really good to be recognized for the work,” said Boscoboinik, who is proud of the many people who made this progress possible directly and indirectly. “It would be amazing if we get to see something that stemmed from an accidental discovery doing very basic fundamental research becoming a real-life application that can benefit society.”

At the same time, three students from minority serving institutions were selected to receive seed grants as a part of MSI (for Minority Serving Institutions) Connect at BNL, in which they seek to commercialize a way to remove radon from the air.

They may work in a business to business model to supply other companies that can incorporate their materials into products.

The students, Jeremy Lopez Flores and Oscar Rivera-Cruz from the University of Puerto Rico and Alexander Bailey from West Virginia State University, will enter phase 2 in the process. The next phase of funding comes from other sources, such as FedTech. Boscoboinik will advise the students as they develop the company and any potential products.

These undergraduate students are looking to remove radon from the air at a concentration of four picocuries per liter, which is equivalent to smoking eight cigarettes a day.

“I am certainly pleased that the value of our collective output was recognized,” said Bailey, who is from St. Albans, West Virginia, in an email. Bailey, a sophomore double majoring in chemistry and math, plans to attend graduate school after completing his undergraduate studies.

Rivera-Cruz, who is a senior majoring in Cellular and Molecular Biology, appreciated the guidance from Boscoboinik, whom he described in an email as an “incredible resource for the team” and suggested that the team was “extremely grateful and lucky” to have Boscoboinik’s support.

In other research

As a staff member at the Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Boscoboinik spends half his time working with scientists from around the world who come to the CFN to conduct experiments and half his time working on his own research.

The process of granting time to use the facilities at BNL is extremely competitive, which means the projects he works on with other scientists are compelling. “While I help them with their research, I get to learn from them,” he said.

Boscoboinik regularly works with the group of Professor Guangwen Zhou from Binghamton University. In recent work, they explored the dynamics of peroxide formation on a copper surface in different environments.

In his own work, Boscoboinik is also interested in trying to help the nuclear energy community.

During the breakdown of radioactive uranium, the process heats up water in a tank, moving a turbine that produces energy.

The breakdown of uranium, however, produces the noble gas xenon, which is a neutron absorber, making reactors less efficient.

Boscoboinik anticipates that any new product that could help the field of nuclear energy by removing xenon could be a decade or more away. “This is a highly regulated industry and changes in design take a very long time,” he explained.

Boscoboinik is also collaborating with researchers from Johns Hopkins University on metal organic frameworks. Some molecules pass through these frameworks more rapidly than others, which could enable researchers to use these frameworks to separate out a heterogeneous collection of molecules.

Additionally, he is developing processes to understand dynamic conditions that affect different types of reactions. At this point, he has been looking at the oxidation of carbon monoxide, which he called the “drosophila” of surface science for its widespread use and versatility, to develop the methodology. In oxidation, carbon monoxide mixes with oxygen to make carbon dioxide.

In his work, Boscoboinik has collaborated with Qin Wu, who deploys artificial intelligence to interpret the data he generates in his experiments.

The long-term plan is to develop complex-enough algorithms that suggest experiments based on the analysis and interpretation of data.

Outside the lab

Boscoboinik is a part of a collaborative effort to combine science and music. “We use music as a way to enable conversations between scientists and the general public” to help make the sometimes complex and jargon-laden world of science more accessible, he said.

In Argentina, research groups have taken famous musicians to the lab to perform concerts while encouraging conversations about science. During the course of their visits, the musicians speak with scientists for the benefit of the public. In prior seasons, the musicians used popular songs to relate to the research the scientists they interview do. Part of the plan is to make new songs related to the research.

Boscoboinik is part of a collaboration between Music for Science, the network of Argentinian scientists abroad, and the Argentinian diplomatic missions, including the embassies and the consulates. At some point in the future he may create a show that relates noble gases and music.

As with his some of his scientific work, the connection between music and research is a developing proof of concept that he hopes has broader appeal over time.

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