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Editorial: Long Island’s wish list for Gov. Hochul — Port Jeff Branch electrification

by TBR Staff - December 17, 2023

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LIRR-portjefferson-071514-KARP1w_tmp173250743w — File photo by Erika Karp

In keeping with the spirit of the season, the governor came to town Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 12, bringing gifts from Albany.

At the Suffolk County Water Authority in Hauppauge, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) delivered a significant announcement on clean water, awarding our county tens of millions of dollars to address the deteriorating septic systems beneath our feet that pollute our drinking supply.

At a time of intense polarization over the future of our wastewater infrastructure, we regard Hochul’s action as a positive first step. Hochul’s arrival in Suffolk was a visible reminder that our state government is listening to our concerns, in tune with the pressing issues of our times and taking action to rectify them. We hope to see the governor again soon, especially given the growing list of local matters demanding her attention.

As SCWA chair Charlie Lefkowitz indicated during his remarks, the electrification of the Port Jefferson Branch of the Long Island Rail Road represents a generational investment in our transportation infrastructure. That kind of investment by New York State would help unlock the full potential of Stony Brook University, an institution Hochul just last year named the southern flagship of our state university system.

Electrifying the Port Jeff line would facilitate greater interconnectivity between communities along the North Shore, with economic development rewards for the commercial hubs around those train stations. Electrification would breathe new life into the North Shore.

This year, the Port Jeff Branch reached a milestone when the Metropolitan Transportation Authority opted to include the electrification project within its 2025-2044 20-Year Needs Assessment. It is now time for the MTA to advance the project, laying down the necessary seed funds to kickstart the planning studies and environmental reviews. Let’s move this project out of the station.

Past generations of New Yorkers constructed the Erie Canal, the New York City subway system and the state parkway network. Our generation can electrify the Port Jeff Branch, though we need gubernatorial initiative.

Hochul made her presence felt Tuesday afternoon. We ask for her continued presence and advocacy for the project that our community needs most. We thank the governor for the state dollars toward clean water. Now, we ask for her commitment to electrify our rail line.

Ward Melville varsity football team donates activity sets for hospitalized children

by Mallie Jane Kim - December 16, 2023

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_DSC7378 — Ward Melville’s varsity football team, along with coaches Chris Boltreck and John Sorbera, deliver coloring books and crayons to Stony Brook Children’s Hospital. Photo courtesy Sharon Philbrick

By Mallie Jane Kim

Patients at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital this holiday season can enjoy a football-themed activity book, thanks to Ward Melville High School’s rising varsity football team, which is training in the offseason for 2024.

The team worked together to wrap crayon sets to go along with the activity books, entitled “Ward Melville Football Coloring Book,” before delivering them to the hospital together on Sunday, Dec. 10.

“It’s always nice to see our players give back to their community, but it’s especially great to see them work together for a cause,” said head coach Chris Boltrek.

Ward Melville’s varsity football team, along with coaches Chris Boltreck and John Sorbera, deliver coloring books and crayons to Stony Brook Children’s Hospital. Photo courtesy Sharon Philbrick

He noted that most team members participate in community service through various clubs, but quarterback Hudson Philbrick, currently a ninth grader at Gelinas Junior High School, had the idea to serve together as a varsity team. The head coach said he and assistant coach John Sorbera were happy to help facilitate after Philbrick approached them.

Philbrick said he wanted to help hospitalized children because he knows firsthand how hard it can be to stay in a hospital — he had to spend part of summer vacation that way when he was 6, due to an allergic reaction.

“It was horrible,” he said, adding, “It is not very fun to be in the hospital for the holidays.”

Philbrick said he initially wanted to arrange a visit to hospitalized children, but when that wasn’t possible, he said, he thought of the activity book and called Stony Brook to see if the hospital would accept the donation. He said he used design software Canva to create the book, which includes coloring pages, as well as activities like a football-themed word search, a design-a-helmet activity and a maze guiding a player to score a touchdown. He then had 100 copies printed through a self-publishing website.

Joan Alpers, director of child life services at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, said in an email that the coloring books will “help hospitalized kids remain calm and relaxed during their hospitalization. Having quiet activities to do fills wait times and provides enjoyment to kids of all ages.”

She added that hospital staff is especially grateful to see young people help other young people through hard times.

For his part, Philbrick initially wasn’t sure if his teammates would buy in. “When they all showed up, it was amazing,” he said. “It was a lot of fun, and I’m pretty sure it makes everybody feel good about themselves knowing they get to help out some kids during the holidays.”

Philbrick said he added a section for children to write their goals at the back of the activity books. “Goals give you something to look forward to and work toward like, ‘Hey I’m going to do this someday.’ So it gives them hope.”

As for Philbrick, he said his personal goal is to grow his efforts to help children by making a bigger contribution to the community each year during the holiday season.

Three Village school board to vote on district reconfiguration in January

by Mallie Jane Kim - December 16, 2023

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Superintendent also addresses Regents score worries with end of Do No Harm

Reconfiguring Three Village Central School District and changing start times could cost nearly $3 million, according to Superintendent of Schools Kevin Scanlon, who urged the Board of Education to decide by January whether to adopt the plan.

The superintendent advised that decisions are necessary soon to provide the district time to enact all the proposed changes by the target 2025-26 school year.

“We should try to do it all at once, as opposed to doing one piece here and then having another transition for families in another piece,” Scanlon said during a Dec. 13 presentation to the BOE.

The proposal entails moving sixth grade up to the junior high schools, bumping ninth grade up to the high school and making secondary school start times later. The plan aims to improve financial stability, realign the district in light of declining enrollment, bring the district into line with state norms and address health concerns surrounding early start times for adolescents.

Scanlon estimated costs to reconfigure buildings to accommodate the grade changes could be about $2 million for projects like converting faculty rooms back into classrooms and configuring spaces for science labs, art and music.

According to Scanlon, the start time change would require adding buses to the district’s rotation at a cost of $963,000 if implemented at the same time as the grade changes, and more if implemented in 2024-2025, before sixth and ninth move up.

Scanlon left on the table the possibility of repurposing an elementary school or the North Country administration building, though he warned the funds from such moves would not “solve all the world’s problems in this regard,” and any such discussions would need to wait for recommendations from this year’s recently convened Budget Advisory Committee.

A couple of the trustees, including Karen Roughley, wondered if it was possible to do more to improve district finances, especially since BACs in former years have already suggested the board consider repurposing a school.

“I’m not sure why we are pushing it off again when we’ve been talking about it for two years now,” she said, adding that the board could also discuss the possibility of repurposing both an elementary school and the North Country building, rather than either/or. “We need to look at this district’s financial stability going forward.”

During the public comment section, Gelinas Junior High School guidance counselor and district resident Anthony Dattero gave a grave warning against moving too fast on reconfiguration. “There’s something in the chemistry of the district that is unique and different,” he said, pointing to the many accomplishments for athletics and scholarship frequently honored at board meetings. “The benefits [of reconfiguring] have to be also looked at with what we’re trading off.”

He said he believes keeping sixth and ninth graders in the younger schools gives them a chance to mature and therefore be better prepared for their next stage of education.

Board president Susan Rosenzweig indicated the board will consider allowing public comment at the start of their Jan. 10 meeting to allow residents to express concerns before the board’s vote, rather than after the fact.

Residents can watch Scanlon’s presentation and the resulting discussion in its entirety on the district’s YouTube page under the “Live” tab, starting at 1:37:00.

Regents scores

Scanlon also sought to ease parental concerns over the board’s Nov. 29 vote to end the so-called Do No Harm policy, under which Regents scores were only factored into a course grade if they helped the grade [See story, “Split 4-2 vote keeps Regents scores in final grades for Three Village students,” Dec. 1, TBR News Media].

According to Scanlon, teachers can adjust grades up to 5 points on their own, or up to 10 points with administration approval. under a policy enacted in 2016.

“Before there was a Do No Harm policy, we had something in place,” he said, adding that Three Village teachers want to see students succeed. “One test shouldn’t define a child.”

Board member Vincent Vizzo chimed in to say he saw this policy in action when he was principal of Murphy Junior High School. “Plenty of teachers have come forward to ask me, ‘Vin, I really want to adjust a grade for a student,’” he said. “The teachers are aware.”

Letters to the Editor: Dec. 14, 2023

by TBR Staff - December 16, 2023

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letters_page-scaled-1-700x467-1-1-2-2 — File photo by Raymond Janis

Café a special addition to Emma Clark Library

If you haven’t already, set aside some time to visit the new café at our beautiful Emma S. Clark Memorial Library [Level Up Kitchen Library Café]. I took some time out this morning to have a delicious breakfast with a dear friend. There are tables and chairs set up in the sunny hallway leading to the magazine room to enjoy the delicious food. This is a wonderful addition to an already spectacular library, especially now at holiday time. A perfect spot to take a break from our hectic schedules. I can’t wait to be able to sit outside on the terrace when spring rolls around.

Madeline Morris

Setauket

Clarifying lawsuits against PJSD

An article in the Dec. 7 Port Times Record (“Suffolk school districts pay millions to settle child abuse lawsuits”) misstated that the Port Jefferson School District has settled seven lawsuits from former students. These cases, filed in Suffolk County Supreme Court in 2020 and 2021, are presently pending and have not been settled.

While the accusations made by these former students are certainly very disturbing, the behavior of the present Board of Education and the superintendent of schools needs to be closely examined by the taxpayers of this district since both were fully aware, since 2020, of these lawsuits and their possible financial implications.

Nonetheless, residents were asked on two occasions (in 2022 and 2023) to support multimillion dollar bonds as well as other questionable expenses (costly new bleachers and a ”security booth” at the high school, etc.), thereby depleting capital reserves, while a large legal cloud loomed overhead and was unknown to taxpayers.

The board and superintendent, understandably, could not disclose the specific details of the seven lawsuits. However, in the interest of both transparency as well as the responsibility to be diligent guardians of district funds, some indication of the possible financial implication of this situation should have been made known to taxpayers prior to costly undertakings since, ultimately, these taxpayers would have to pick up the tab. Instead, the superintendent and the board majority continued their ”heads in the sand” approach, with excessive spending despite declining student enrollment, dwindling LIPA revenue and seven pending lawsuits.

In their expose of child abuse lawsuits and settlements on Long Island, Newsday interviewed Ron Masera, of the Suffolk County School Superintendents Association, who stated (in a video interview posted on Newsday’s website), “This is the age of transparency. We’re in a place where this is not something you can or should hide from your community.”

By this standard of transparency, the Port Jefferson superintendent and the Board of Education deserve an “F.”

Charles G. Backfish

Port Jefferson

Thank you, voters

To the residents of the 12th Legislative District, both former and new.

Thank you for returning me to my fifth full term as your Suffolk County legislator. I am truly humbled and honored by the overwhelming measure of support you have provided. Having been reelected, the challenge now becomes how to govern wisely, fairly and equitably with our newly elected county executive [Ed Romaine (R)].

I look forward to continuing my efforts to preserve our suburban way of life, to keep an eye on affordability and to deliver services to our veterans and seniors and families as their needs continue to increase.

As many of you became aware, the lines of the 12th Legislative District shifted east from the Commack area, my hometown, all the way to the Centereach/Selden/Holbrook borders. I will miss my past constituents but look forward to the new opportunities and community issues to address in the upcoming legislative term.

Please feel free to contact me at my office at 631-854-3735, or at [email protected] with any questions or concerns.

I wish a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, a joyous Kwanzaa and Happy Holidays to all. Remember those in need, and check on a neighbor.

With thanks and great regard,

Leslie Kennedy (R-Nesconset)

Suffolk County Legislator

12th District

Community vision for Jefferson Plaza

I was extremely proud of how the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville community turned out to voice their opinions at the Brookhaven Town Board meeting on Thursday, Nov. 30. It was an honor to represent the hamlet in a worthwhile discussion regarding the amount of multifamily rental units, building heights, architectural design and traffic issues along Route 112 and Terryville Road.

We are fortunate to have Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich [D] and Supervisor-elect Dan Panico [R] guiding us through the Staller redevelopment process of the Jefferson Shopping Plaza. Political leaders often do not get credit for the time and devotion they give to the constituents they represent. The Port Jefferson Station/Terryville community should be encouraged by the steady hand displayed on that long Thursday night by our elected officials who will make sure the project will be something exciting and something of which the residents will be proud.

By working with Staller Associates, our local civic association and the chamber of commerce, I have the utmost confidence the supervisor-elect and our councilmember will put in the hard work to bring quality revitalization all along the Route 112 corridor.

Carolyn Sagliocca, Vice President

Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Civic Association

Concerning incident at Village Hall

At a recent Village board meeting, I found myself at the center of a concerning situation that raises questions about the responsible use of village resources, particularly regarding the village attorney, whose fees are paid by taxpayers.

As an engaged resident deeply invested in our community’s well-being, I’ve long upheld the principles of transparency, open communication and fairness. However, a recent incident at Village Hall has given rise to deep concerns about the potential misuse of village assets for personal and retaliatory purposes.

During a routine public board meeting, legal papers were hastily served to me as I exited, raising unsettling questions. I am concerned and disheartened, as it seems there’s an attempt to force me into surrendering control of a Facebook page, a demand that holds no merit, as I am not the page’s owner. The vindictive nature of this attempt to seize control of a Facebook page, raises significant doubts about the real motivations behind such actions and whether they align with the values we, as a community, hold dear.

The involvement of the village attorney in this matter is particularly distressing. The village attorney’s role is to serve the community’s best interests, not to be manipulated for personal vendettas. Using taxpayer-funded legal resources for what appears to be a personal matter is both ethically questionable and an inappropriate use of public funds. When I directly questioned the attorney if he was acting in his capacity as the village attorney, he stated that he was “acting at the direction of the mayor.”

How can we believe the mayor’s recent proposals for a new ethics code and professing transparency while this incident clearly lacks both. It’s disheartening when actions contradict the very principles being advocated.

Moreover, it’s crucial to note that this action was taken at the mayor’s direction without the knowledge of the trustees, further clouding the transparency and accountability of village affairs.

As a concerned resident, I question the motives behind this action and the appropriateness of utilizing village resources for such questionable purposes. I hope this incident sparks a much-needed dialogue within our community about the responsible use of public funds and the imperative of fostering an environment where disputes can be resolved through open communication rather than by weaponizing the village attorney.

Let’s collaborate to ensure our village resources are used judiciously and that our community stands as a shining example of fairness, true transparency and cooperation for all residents.

Kathianne Snaden

Port Jefferson

Editor’s note: The writer served as Port Jeff Village trustee from 2019-23.

The perils of bail reform

I would like to respond to Timothy Glynn’s letter of Nov. 23 regarding bail reform [“Why cashless bail is right”]. I take exception to his statement that “New York’s vision of bail reform was limited to misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies’” and we should “take the dangerous criminal argument off the table.” He probably did not hear about the Quogue woman accused of trying to burn multiple houses in Hampton Bays as reported by News 12 on Nov. 14.

She was arrested and released without bail and less than two hours later tried to rob a Dollar store armed with a knife. I would hope Mr. Glynn would reconsider his position about what he considers a dangerous criminal. This incident was not a person arrested for shoplifting a loaf of bread. This was a person accused of three felony arson charges. I hope reasonable people can agree that is most certainly a dangerous criminal act. The “bail reform” law has been “tweaked” by lawmakers a couple of times already and still there are serious problems with it. It could be because the law was passed by one party with no stakeholder input from law enforcement or district attorneys. Passing a law with such serious implications to the safety and security of the entire state based on ideology alone is not proving to be a wise or successful endeavor. I have never seen data suggesting that a liberal state like New York had large numbers of petty criminals languishing in our jails. The one anecdote used by the more extreme proponents of bail reform cites a case about a person they say went to jail for merely stealing a backpack. Researching that case reveals misinformation. The person involved was charged with robbery, not larceny, and was held due to being on probation at the time of his arrest.

I think the solution is having a “dangerousness standard” like the other 49 states have, so a judge can ensure that dangerous criminals are held. I think reasonable people can agree to release petty criminals, but can we also agree that a shoplifter with 50 or 80 arrests is showing they don’t care about following the law. If not, we could end up like Washington, D.C., where you have to ring a bell in the store to buy a roll of toilet paper since it’s locked up to prevent theft.

Common sense should prevail.

Charles Tramontana

Setauket

Governor unveils new clean water program in Suffolk County, targets septics

by Raymond Janis - December 16, 2023

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GOVERNOR HOCHUL ANNOUNCES TRANSFORMATIVE $479 MILLION INVESTMENT FOR 156 LOCAL WATER INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS IN EVERY REGION OF NEW YORK — Gov. Kathy Hochul announces $479 million in grants for water infrastructure projects. Photo courtesy the Office of Governor Kathy Hochul

As on any other weekday, traffic buzzed along Vanderbilt Motor Parkway in Hauppauge on Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 12. Yet unknown to those in their vehicles, it was no ordinary weekday.

At the Suffolk County Water Authority’s Education Center and Laboratory, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) joined public officials, environmentalists and SCWA staff to launch $479 million in grants statewide to invest in clean water.

The program earmarks $30 million for the state’s clean water septic system replacements, directing $20 million of that sum into Suffolk County. Another $17 million will support protecting drinking water from emerging contaminants, Hochul added.

The governor projected the initiative would spur 24,000 new jobs statewide and save ratepayers $1.3 billion annually.

“This is a great day for the people of this county and the people of this state,” she said. “It’s an investment in our environment. It’s an investment in justice. And it’s an investment in our future for all of our children.”

From left, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone; Gov. Kathy Hochul; Adrienne Esposito, executive director of the Citizens Campaign for the Environment; and Suffolk County Water Authority board chair Charlie Lefkowitz. Photo courtesy the Office of Governor Kathy Hochul

Outgoing Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (D) reported that 360,000 homes and businesses within the county operate on aging septic systems and cesspools, contaminating the sole-source aquifer on Long Island. He said this stimulus, coupled with a $10 million investment by the county Legislature, would enable the county government to fund septic replacements in 2024 and 2025.

“This is an exciting moment because we can see the path to solving the crisis,” Bellone said, adding the funds would bolster the clean water septic industry in Suffolk while advancing the administration’s two primary objectives of establishing a countywide wastewater management district and the Clean Water Restoration Fund — blocked by the county Legislature earlier this year.

SCWA board chair Charlie Lefkowitz said the funds would assist the public utility in its mission of eliminating emerging contaminants from the drinking supply.

“This announcement today is historic,” he said. “It’s historic that the sewer projects, the septics that contaminate and get into our bays and streams and harbors — we can finally address it.”

He added, “We look at some of these large infrastructure projects that we’re working on — sewer projects, the electrification of the Long Island Rail Road’s Port Jeff Branch — these are projects that when you look back 100, 150 years and none of us are here, they’ll say, ‘That group of people really did it the right way.’”

Ward Melville Patriots boys hoops triumphs in convincing victory over Sachem North

by Bill Landon - December 15, 2023

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WJL_2924 — Devin Lynch shoots for the Patriots in a road game against Sachem North. Photo by Bill Landon

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By Bill Landon

The Ward Melville Patriots offense has always been known to spread the scoring wealth as head coach Alex Piccirillo uses all of his bench in any given game. Thursday’s road game was no different. Five roster members scored double digits in a convincing victory against Sachem North, winning the nonleague matchup 80-62 Dec. 7.

The senior trio of Luke Chitkara topped the scoring chart with 18 points, Jackson Weber netted 17 and Devin Lynch banked 16; Lorenzo Beaton the senior and junior Neelesh Raghurama scored 12 points apiece.

The win lifts the Patriots to 2-0 and the team will look to build on this momentum when it begins league play Dec. 12 with a road game against William Floyd. Game time is 5 p.m.

— Photos by Bill Landon

Governor Kathy Hochul Comes To Town — The Pressroom Afterhour

by TBR Staff - December 15, 2023

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Link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2sbdtzM4DGXutANVleYdS7?si=ai8VPxiXQ3G7e9E2YgLevQ

Join us as Governor Kathy Hochul brings big bucks for clean water initiatives, tackling outdated septic systems in Suffolk County. Port Jefferson celebrates 60 years as an incorporated village, and we explore the grand opening of a regional veterans museum in Rocky Point. Turn the page with us for a quick dive into the week’s top stories on The Pressroom Afterhour: Keeping it Local with TBR.

Visit tbrnewsmedia.com to read these stories and more. Follow us on:

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SBU News: Stony Brook scientist named new chair of ACS’s Environmental Division

by Press Release - December 15, 2023

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Alexander Orlov, PhD, Professor of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering at Stony Brook University, has been elected chair of the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) Environmental Division. With a four-year term starting January 1, 2024, Orlov will lead the Division’s extensive community of scientists toward the goal of applying concepts in chemistry to address the world’s leading environmental and sustainability issues.

Orlov, a Middle Island resident and professor at Stony Brook since 2008, has contributed significantly to environmental protection and sustainability efforts throughout his career. His work as an educator earned him the 2017 ACS Award for Incorporating Sustainability into Chemistry Education and the 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Sustainable Engineering Forum Education Award. He is a member of the US-EU working group on Risk Assessment of Nanomaterials supported by the U.S. White House and European Commission cooperative program on nanotechnology research. In 2022, he was a chair of the Environmental Division at the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

For years Orlov has contributed to the United Nations Environmental Program and has helped lead several reports coming out of the program. From 2007 to 2014, he was appointed by two UK Secretary of States to advise the government on environmental issues such as hazardous substances and environmental impact of nanotechnology.

Orlov’s interdisciplinary research seeks to develop new materials for clean energy generation, structural applications, and environmental protection. He currently co-directs two Centers at Stony Brook — the Center for Laser Assisted Advanced Manufacturing and the Center for Development and Validation of Scalable Methods for Sustainable Plastic Synthesis and Processing.

At more than 150,000 members, the ACS is one of the largest scientific societies in the U. S. Approximately 3,000 scientists nationally and internationally are in the Environmental Division. The Division is dedicated to addressing all 17 Sustainable Development Goals outlined by the United Nations with an emphasis on issues surrounding climate change.

‘All Aboard Home — For The Holidays’ art installation opens at the Stony Brook Train Station

by Press Release - December 14, 2023

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The Three Village Community Trust, the Three Village Civic Association, the North Suffolk Garden Club, the Three Village Chamber of Commerce and students and faculty at the Stony Brook School, and the Three Village Historical Society are partners in a Beautification Project at the Stony Brook Train Station. Over the past year, significant progress has been made removing debris, weeds, and invasive plants from the landscaped beds. And a wide variety of Long Island native plants have been added to the landscaped beds.

As part of their ongoing efforts, the Stony Brook Train Station Beautification Committee invited local artist Michael Rosengard to create a unique art installation at the Station titled ‘All Aboard – Home For The Holiday.’ This outdoor work of art, located outside the front entrance of the historic Stony Brook Station House, creates a sense of wonder and whimsy to those walking or driving past the Station, highlights the history and importance of the Long Island Rail Road, celebrates the accomplishments of the Beautification Project, and helps kicks of the Holiday Season.

The community celebrated the opening of the exhibit on Monday, December 4^th!

SBU team, led by Ping Liu, wins $500k NOAA grant to study heat waves

by Daniel Dunaief - December 14, 2023

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By Daniel Dunaief

Predicting extreme heat events is at least as important as tracking the strength and duration of approaching hurricanes.

Extreme heat waves, which have become increasingly common and prevalent in the western continental United States and in Europe, can have devastating impacts through wildfires, crop failures and human casualties.

Indeed, in 2003, extreme heat in Europe caused over 70,000 deaths, which was the largest number of deaths from heat in recent years.

Recently, a trio of scientists at Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) received $500,000 from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration to study heat events by using and analyzing NOAA’s Seamless System for Prediction and EArth System Research, or SPEAR, to understand heat waves and predict future such events.

The first objective is to evaluate simulations in the SPEAR model, by looking at how effectively this program predicts the frequency and duration of heat events from previous decades, said Ping Liu, who is the Principal Investigator on the project and is an Associate Professor at SoMAS.

Liu was particularly pleased to receive this funding because of the “urgent need” for this research, he explained in an email.

The team will explore the impact of three scenarios for increases in overall average temperature from pre-Industrial Revolution levels, including increases of 1.5 degrees Celsius, 2 degrees Celsius and four degrees Celsius, which are the increases the IPCC Assessment Reports has adopted.

Answering questions related to predicting future heat waves requires high-resolution modeling products, preferably in a large ensemble of simulations from multiple models, for robustness and the estimation of uncertainties, the researchers explained in their proposal.

“Our evaluations and research will provide recommendations for improving the SPEAR to simulate the Earth system, supporting NOAA’s mission of ‘Science, Service and Stewardship,’” they explained.

Kevin Reed, Professor, and Levi Silvers, research scientist, are joining Liu in this effort.

Liu and Reed recently published a paper in the Journal of Climate and have conducted unfunded research on two other projects. Liu brought Silvers into the group after Reed recommended Silvers for his background in climate modeling and dynamics.

Reed, who is Interim Director of Academic, Research and Commercialization Programs for The New York Climate Exchange, suggested that the research the heat wave team does will help understand the limitations of the SPEAR system “so that we can better interpret how the modeling system will project [how] blocking events and heat will be impacted by climate change.”

An expert in hurricanes, Reed added that blocking events, which can cause high pressure systems to stall and lead to prolonged heat waves, can also lead to unique hurricane tracks, such as Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

“A longer term goal of many of my colleagues at Stony Brook University is to better understand these connections,” said Reed, who is Associate Provost for Climate and Sustainability Programming and was also recently appointed to the National Academies’ Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate.

Liu will use some of the NOAA funds to recruit and train a graduate student, who will work in his lab and will collaborate with Reed and Silvers.In the bigger picture, the Stony Brook researchers secured the NOAA backing in the same year that the university won the bidding to develop a climate solutions center on Governors Island.

Reed suggested that the “results of the work can be shared with our partners and can help to inform future societally relevant climate research projects.”

Focus on two regions

The systems that have caused an increase in heat waves in the United States and Europe are part of a trend that will continue amid an uneven distribution of extreme weather, Liu added.

Heat waves are becoming more frequent and severe, though the magnitude and impact area vary by year, Liu explained.

The high pressure systems look like ridges on weather maps, which travel from west to east.

Any slowing of the system, which can also occur over Long Island, can cause sustained and uncomfortable conditions.

Over the past several years, Liu developed computer algorithms to detect high pressure systems when they become stationary. He published those algorithms in two journal papers, which he will use in this project.

Personal history

Born and raised in Sichuan, China, Liu moved to Stony Brook from Hawaii, where he was a scientific computer programmer, in November of 2009.

He and his wife Suqiong Li live in East Setauket with their 16-year old daughter Mia, who is a student at Ward Melville High School and a pianist who has received classical training at the Manhattan School of Music. Mia has been trained by award-winning teacher Miyoko Lotto.

Outside of the lab, Liu, who is five-feet, seven-inches tall, enjoys playing basketball on Thursday nights with a senior basketball team.

Growing up in China, Liu was always interested in weather phenomenon. When he was earning his PhD in China at the Institute for Atmospheric Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, he had limited computer resources, working in groups with IBM and, at times, Dell computer. He built several servers out of PC parts.

With air trapped inside the basin surrounded by tall mountains, Sichuan is particularly hot in the summer, which motivated him to pursue the study of heat waves.

Liu appreciated how Stony Brook and Brookhaven National Laboratory had created BlueGene, which he used when he arrived.

As for the future of his work, Liu believes predicting extreme heat waves is increasingly important “to help planners from local to federal levels cope with a climate that is changing rapidly and fostering more frequent and more severe heat events,” he explained.

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