Caption: Stony Brook University’s Red Hot Clothing Recycling Bin. Photo by John Griffin
Stony Brook University’s Facilities and Services recently rolled out revamped donation bins for its clothing recycling program. 11 “Red Hot” clothing bins were outfitted with enhanced signage and messaging to encourage students, faculty, and staff to think and act green.
The clothing recycling program has been in existence on campus for more than 20 years, but now, there is a scannable QR code on each bin that links you to the Stony Brook University recycling website. It also explains where your donated goods are going.
Wearable Collections, a New York City-based waste management company, owns the campus clothing recycling bins and collects the donations approximately every two weeks. According to the Wearable Collections website, the donations are diverted away from the landfill and instead go to someone in need, are turned into cleaning rags, or transformed into fibers that are used for mattress stuffing or high-grade paper. The university collects around 10 tons, or about 22,046 pounds of material annually.
“We are excited to share that our new clothing donation bins have been installed across our campus,” said William Herrmann, vice president for facilities & services. “These bins make it more convenient for everyone to contribute, while also highlighting our commitment to reducing landfill waste and fostering a greener future. We look forward to seeing the positive impact these bins will bring not only to our campus but the wider community as well.”
The Stony Brook University recycling website also offers an interactive map that highlights where the clothing donation bins can be found around campus, including Chapin Apartments, Roosevelt Quad, and Roth Quad. Items accepted include clean clothing– even with rips or tears– footwear, belts, handbags, hats, linens, towels, and curtains.
Minghao Qiu presenting at the American Geophysical Union Conference in San Francisco last year.
Photo courtesy of M. Qiu
By Daniel Dunaief
When Minghao Qiu woke up in Beijing on Jan. 12, 2013during his freshman year in college, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing or, more appropriately, not seeing. The worst air pollution day in the history of the city mostly blocked out the sun, making it appear to be closer to 8 p.m. than a typical morning.
Minghao Qiu
While Qiu’s life path includes numerous contributing factors, that unusual day altered by air pollution had a significant influence on his career.
An Assistant Professor at Stony Brook University, Qiu straddles two departments that encapsulate his scientific and public policy interests. A recent hire who started this fall, Qiu will divide his time equally between the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences and the Renaissance School of Medicine’s Program in Public Health.
Qiu studies fundamental questions in atmospheric sciences as they influence human health.
He is part of several new hires who could contribute to the climate solutions center that Stony Brook is building on Governors Island and who could provide research that informs future policy decisions.
Noelle Eckley Selin, who was Qiu’s PhD advisor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is Professor in the Institute for Data, Systems and Society and the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, suggested Qiu is a valuable scientific, policy and educational asset.
“Stony Brook is doing a lot to address climate in a serious way with great research,” Selin said. Qiu joining the institution “could really help out the university’s broader climate efforts and make them more impactful.”
Selin appreciated how Qiu was eager to dive deeper into questions, wanting to ensure that conclusions were valid and asking how to use data to test various ideas.
As a mentor, Qiu has proven inspirational.
“A lot of my current students will go and talk to him and come back to me and say, ‘[Qiu] had five excellent ideas on my project,’” Selin said. “That’s characteristic of how he works. He’s really generous with his time and is always thinking about how to look at problems.”
Policy focus
Using causal inference, machine learning, atmospheric chemistry modeling, and remote sensing, Qiu focuses on environmental and energy policies with a global focus on issues involving air pollution, climate change and energy transitions.
Qiu would like to address how climate change is influencing the air people breathe. Increasing heat waves and droughts cause people to use more energy, often through air conditioning. The energy for the electricity to power temperature controls comes from natural gas, coal, or fossil fuels, which creates a feedback loop that further increases pollution and greenhouse gases.
“Our work tries to quantify this,” Qiu said.
He also analyzes the impact of climate change on wildfires, which affects air quality.
In a research paper published last year, Qiu joined several other scientists to analyze the impact of wildfires on air quality.
The study, published in the journal Nature, found that since at least 2016, wildfire smoke eroded about a quarter of previous decades-long efforts to reduce the concentration of particulates above 2.5 microgram in several states.
Wildfire-driven increases in ambient particulates are unregulated under air pollution laws.
The authors showed that the contribution of wildfires to regional and national air quality trends is likely to grow amid a warming climate.
In his research, Qiu seeks to understand how to use energy and climate policy to address air pollution and greenhouse gases.
“Renewable energy and climate policy in general provides potential benefits,” Qiu said.
He uses publicly available data in his models.
New York pivot
While wildfires have been, and likely will continue to be, an area of focus for his work, Qiu plans to shift his focus to the kind of pollution that is typically more prevalent in New York.
In large urban cities, pollution often comes from a concentration of traffic, as people commute to and from work and drive to the city for entertainment and cultural events.
“We are going to pivot a little bit, especially to factors that are more relevant” to the Empire State, he said.
While climate change is a broad category that affects patterns across the world, air pollution and its impacts are more regional.
“The biggest impact of air pollution happens locally” particularly in terms of health effects, Qiu said.
From Beijing to MIT
Born and raised in Beijing, Qiu began connecting how climate or energy policy influences air pollution at MIT.
“When I started my PhD, there was not much real world data analysis” that linked how much renewable energy helps air quality, Qiu said. “We have historical data to do that, but it’s a lot more complex.”
After he graduated from MIT, Qiu moved to Stanford, where he shifted his focus to climate change.
“There, I got to collaborate more directly with people in the public health domain,” he said, as he focused on wildfires.
Personal choices
Despite studying air pollution and climate change, Qiu does not have HEPA filters in every room and, by his own admission, does not live a particularly green life. He does not have an electric car, although he plans to get one when he needs a new vehicle. He urges people not to sacrifice the living standards to which they are accustomed, which can include eating their preferred foods and traveling to distant points in the world.
Qiu believes there are choices individuals can make to help, but that the kind of decisions necessary to improve the outlook for climate change come from centralized government policy or large enterprises.
“I have great respect for people who change their personal behavior” but he recognizes that “this is not for everyone.”
A resident of Hicksville, Qiu lives with his wife Mingyu Song, who is a software engineer. The couple met when they were in high school.
When he’s not working on climate models, he enjoys playing basketball and, at just under six feet tall, typically plays shooting guard.
As for his research, Qiu does “rigorous scientific research” that draws from historical data.
“I feel a sense of urgency that we would like to get the answers to many of the scientific evidence as quickly as possible to communicate to policy makers,” he said.
He wants his research to be impactful and to help policy makers take “appropriate measures.”
Stony Brook University has announced the hiring of Christopher Martin as the new associate vice president for Campus Planning, Design & Construction. He will report to William Herrmann, vice president for facilities & services. In this role, Martin will lead the operation and management of all campus construction activities including planning, capital budgeting, architecture, design, engineering, and construction management.
Martin joins Stony Brook with over 35 years of professional experience, most recently serving in a dual capacity as vice president for integrated real estate & facilities and assistant vice president for facilities infrastructure, projects & compliance at MedStar Health System in Maryland, an organization he’s been a part of for eight years.
Prior to this role, the Nesconset resident held design and construction related roles at Northwell Health, the North Shore LIJ Health System, Gazetten Contracting, and Beth Israel Medical Center. He is a registered architect, and a member of the American Institute of Architects as well as the American Society for Health Care Engineering.
“Christopher brings with him a wealth of experience and a proven track record of success in his previous roles,” said William Herrmann. “In addition to his professional skills, Christopher possesses a range of personal strengths that make him an ideal fit for this role. He has successfully led high-performing teams towards achieving organizational goals, strategically planned to align resources with objectives and fostered collaborative environments where individuals are empowered to excel.”
“I am excited about the opportunity to join Stony Brook University and am eager to help bring innovative ideas and drive positive change within the university, including the Health Sciences Center and the Southampton Campus,” said Martin. “I look forward to joining the team to collaborate on our planning, design and construction.”
Owners Frank Zheng and his wife Jackie Chen. Photo by Jenna Zaza
By Jenna Zaza
Frank Zheng and his wife Jackie Chen finally fulfilled their long-awaited dream of opening a family-owned Asian market when they strung the Grand Opening banner across the quaint storefront windows nearly two months ago.
Stony Asian Mart has reopened its doors as Zheng’s Asian Market to a bright, healthy future under new ownership. “We previously owned a Chinese restaurant for 14 years but we got tired of it, too much work,” Zheng said. “We were always thinking of opening a market and then we found this place and it was the perfect chance so — boom — we got it.”
Located across the street from the Long Island Rail Road Stony Brook station at 1087 North Country Road, the market is an ideal spot for Stony Brook University students and faculty as well as hospital staff, according to Zheng. The small store carries a diverse range of products from medicinal and cosmetics to beverages and frozen foods.
“There is no Asian market that is easy for students. We got food that is easy to cook, ones that you can microwave for 15 minutes. We are serving Stony Brook,” Chen said.
Their goal to service the Stony Brook demographic is clear in their pricing. Dry snacks prices such as the popular Korean choco pie typically stay under $10, and Chinese fruit cakes only around $4 and bags of PopCorners are $1. Frozen buns, shumai and dumplings are around $5.75 and a 5-pack of instant noodles, a college staple, averages $7. But quality is not compromised for quality, Chen assures.
“I order from the number one big [importer] for Asian food, the quality is good, and bigger companies have guaranteed return policies if there are any issues,” Chen said. “It’s good for me and good for my customers. I don’t ever worry.”
Zheng’s Asian Market currently offers a 10% discount for Stony Brook University students and faculty. It also offers delivery for orders within a 3-mile radius of the university’s campus exceeding $35 with no extra fee.
“There is all the stuff here you would find in Flushing and it’s cheaper,” said Sophia Shi, freshman political science major at Stony Brook University. “It’s also a hundred times cleaner than the stores in Flushing. I can see why a lot of people are liking the mart.”
After purchasing the building, the owners fixed up the mini-mart by repainting it. However, the rebuilding process doesn’t stop there. Zheng’s Asian Market is proving to be a refreshing and much-needed change, according to students.
“The old one was dark, like the lights weren’t on. I thought it was closed at first,” said John Choi, a junior majoring in biology. “I think [the new owners] made a lot of new improvements. The selection is pretty good too and I like the student discount.”
It’s not only the power couple who are behind this business but also their children who are helping promote the new improved market by posting on the Stony Brook Reddit and hanging flyers on campus, according to Chen.
“Stony Brook [University] is like a small city because there are a lot of people working there, and living there, hopefully more people know about us,” Zheng said. “We will check it out and see how it goes.”
In winter months, they plan to stock frozen meats and fish in hopes to appeal to hot-pot fanatics, Zheng said. They are also thinking of possibly extending their figurines and plushie stock depending on customer interest.
“When I come in here, I feel like I am back in my hometown,” said Susan Sun, a freshman psychology major. “The staff are so friendly and they should try to do more promotions. As long as people come to see it for the first time, they’ll keep coming back.”
For the new owners, service is one of their most important business pillars aside from price and quality. Zheng’s Asian Market aims to serve the Stony Brook residents’ food and high-quality service, welcoming them like family.
“We are not big money seekers, not a million-dollar business,” Zheng said. “We just want to pay the [bills] and have fun with the people. We’ll take care of the community.”
Jenna Zaza is a reporter with The SBU Media Group, part of Stony Brook University’s School of Communication and Journalism’s Working Newsroom.
World Trade Center worker. Photo courtesy Steven Spak
By Daniel Dunaief
Sean Clouston takes some time to reflect each year around this time.
Sean Clouston
A professor in the Department of Family, Population and Preventive Medicine in the Program in Public Health at Stony Brook University, Clouston studies the long term implications of the exposure and experiences of first responders after the attacks on the World Trade Center.
Clouston, who published research this summer that chronicled the higher rates of dementia among first responders in the years after the attack, spoke exclusively with the Times Beacon Record Newspapers about the work he does and the interactions he’s had with people who were in harm’s way in the days and weeks after the terrorist attacks.
Each September 11th is a “quiet day,” Clouston said, as he takes time to remember those lostand reflect on those who are continuing to deal with the health consequences of being there.
Clouston recalls thinking about how the attacks shaped the way he thought about what he should be doing with his life.
In the work he’s done in monitoring the role of long-duration exposures at the World Trade Center on neurological health of responders to the events following the Sept. 11 attacks, Clouston has interacted with survivors, spouses, and families, receiving regular updates.
“It’s a pretty big part of my everyday social network,” Clouston said.
He’s heard numerous stories from a day in which the comfortable, clear air provided an incongruous backdrop for the mass murders. He has heard about people who were blown out of the buiding amid a combustible blast and about how difficult it is to put out a cesium fire.
“There were definitelly so many different stories that speak to me,” Clouston said.
As someone who studies the outcomes of severe or early life challenges, Clouston is aware of how the traumatic events of that day reoccur for so many people, as they reexperience the moments that sometimes haunt their dreams and that can continue to affect them physically and cognitively.
People generally consider post traumatic stress as a “fairly short condition” where someone has it “immediately after an event and it kind of goes away,” Clouston said.
For first responders, however, “that’s not true. They are dealing with it for years or decades after the traumatic event.”
Indeed, first responders not only feel the effects of the physical and emotional trauma, but the experience affects their body chemistry and “changes how their immune system reacts.”
Researchers can see how it “wears away at the body over the years and over the decades,’ Clouston added.
The study of post traumatic stress allows him to focus on and understand the link between the mind and the body.
How can people help?
Clouston suggested that people who want to help first responders need to start by recognizing the specific challenges each person may be facing.
“What you do depends a lot on who the person is and what they remember and what they’re struggling with,” said Clouston.
Sept. 11th each year can be a hard time, as people confront painful memories.
People can help others by “being available to listen,” he suggested. Try to understand “why it affects them and how.”
Therapists can help, as can doctor-prescribed medications.
First responders may feel angry, which people don’t always anticipate feeling.
In his research, Clouston focuses less on day-to-day changes and more on how their exposure and experience affects them in the longer term.
First responders can become physically weaker and slower, as they are less able to lift weights.
Cognitively, the effect of the experience has also been significant.
Earlier this year, Clouston published a paper in which he found an “enormous difference” between people with minimal exposure to dust and other particulates at the World Trade Center site compared to those who were more heavily exposed, he said.
“The incidence of dementia is building on prior work showing that the longer you were on site, the more likely responders were to have slowed down cognitive function in general,” he added.
Future questions
Clouston and his colleagues are hoping to understand what disease is affecting first responders. They are unsure whether it’s a form of dementia related to other conditions or whether it’s unique to this group and this exposure.
They are hoping to explore whether people who were on site have anything in their blood that is a measure of exposure, such as chemicals or metals.
First responders don’t all need care now, but one of the goals of the research is to make sure scientists and doctors are “on top of what is really happening” as they prepare to provide any necessary help in future years.
People develop diseases when three things occur: a noxious or toxic element or viral particle exists, they are exposed to it, and people are vulnerable to its effects.
Researchers are working to understand the level of exposure and different levels of vulnerability.
Clouston also highlighted the connection between the immune system and tau proteins, which can trigger dementia in Alzheimer’s and which can spread throughout the brain.
Researchers have been exploring how some immune systems might spread these proteins, while other immune systems trigger a slower spread and, potentially, fewer and less severe symptoms.
In theory, scientists could learn from the immune system that causes a slower spread, although “we’re years away from doing anything like that,” he said.
Alternatiely, researchers and pharmaceutical companies are working on ways to remove these proteins.
“You can fight fires in two ways,” he said.
Stony Brook has been considering “those ideas. To get there, we have to first understand excatly where are we and what is the problem,” he said. “That’s where we really are for the next couple of years.”
As for his interaction with first responders, Clouston has been inspired by the way the first responder community has rallied around people who are struggling with physical and cognitive challenges.
He recalled a firefighter who was struggling with age-related conditions.
“His fellow firefighters came together and built in some lifts and ramps to help him and his spouse get around the house and use the bathroom,” he said. “Moments like that are really touching.”
The Stony Brook University women’s soccer team scored five goals en route to a shutout victory over Le Moyne on Sept. 9 at LaValle Stadium. Four different Seawolves tallied a goal, with Reilly Rich scoring twice to help Stony Brook improve to 3-0 this season at home.
Stony Brook opened the scoring when Rich scored her first goal of the season in the seventh minute, assisted by Sammy Hannwacker on a set-piece from the far corner. The Seawolves added another score on a goal from Luciana Setteducatein the 18th minute, assisted by Linn Beck and Mercy Sabuni Soderling. Stony Brook carried a 2-0 lead into the halftime break.
Stony Brook padded the lead to three goals on Beck’s 58th-minute goal, her first of the season. Setteducate and Rich assisted the goal. The Seawolves added another tally on a 65th-minute goal from Rich, her second of the contest. Hannah Maracina got in on the action, adding a goal in the 76th minute with an assist from Leah Rifas. The goal was Stony Brook’s fifth of the afternoon and the score would hold as the clock hit zeros at LaValle Stadium.
“The performance from the team today was very good, as I expected,” head coach Tobias Bischof noted postgame. “Today was a game where we could show what we can do offensively, and we did that. I was happy with the overall performance, both offensively and defensively.”
The team is back in action on Sept. 12 when they visit UMass Lowell. The game will streamlive at 5 p.m. on ESPN+.
Teammates celebrate their victory on Saturday. Photos courtesy of Stony Brook Athletics
Coach Billy Cosh earns first career victory
The Stony Brook football team earned its first victory in nearly 700 days, defeating Stonehill 37-10 on Sept. 7 at LaValle Stadium.
The Seawolves were led by redshirt senior Roland Dempster, who helped the Seawolves score their most points since 2019. Dempster tallied a career-high three touchdowns and matched a career best with 160 yards on 19 carries. Dempster ignited the Stony Brook offense by tallying two of his three touchdowns in the first five minutes of the game on touchdown runs of 15 and 17 yards. He tallied his third score in the third quarter; his three-yard run put the Seawolves ahead 30-3.
Freshman Malachi Marshall made his first start for the Seawolves under center and shined, throwing for 161 yards (9-for-16 passing) with a touchdown. Marshall added 10 yards on six carries. The freshman from Rock Hill, South Carolina connected with redshirt senior Cole Bunicci on a 63-yard touchdown late in the second quarter. The score represented the first of Marshall and Bunicci’s collegiate careers.
Stony Brook saw six different players record a reception, while eight different players tallied a carry in the victory. Bunicci paced the Seawolves’ receivers with a team-high 63 yards. Graduate student RJ Lamarre finished with 30 yards and classmate Cal Redman secured a team-best three catches totaling 24 yards.
Dempster led the way in the backfield with his 160 yards. Redshirt sophomore Johnny Martin and sophomore Brandon Boria combined for 72 yards on 19 carries, while redshirt junior Shakhi Carson had 34 all-purpose yards (20 receiving and 14 rushing).
Stony Brook’s defense was tenacious, forcing two interceptions, a fumble, eight punts and posting six points in the victory. Leading the way for the Stony Brook defense was seniors Rudy Silvera, AJ Roberts, Shamoun Duncan-Niusulu, redshirt junior Rodney Faulk as well as freshmen Jaxson Witherspoon and Sebastian Regis.
Silvera tallied his first interception as a Seawolf and added two pass breakups. Roberts and Duncan-Niusulu paced the team with nine and six tackles, respectively. Faulk wreaked havoc, recording six tackles and a quarterback hit. Witherspoon ended the game with his first career interception as time expired. Regis, the East Islip product, scooped up a fumble and rumbled 69 yards down the field and into the endzone for Stony Brook’s first defensive touchdown under defensive coordinator Scott Lewis.
Stony Brook’s special teams unit continued to shine, seeing Enda Kirby knock through a career-best 40-yard field goal in the first quarter. Junior Clayton Taylor punted six times for 287 yards, downing two inside the 20-yard line and booming three that were 50 or more yards.
“Obviously proud of our players. They did a great job preparing. If you prepare right, you’re going to play well. I’m excited for the team. They deserve all the credit,” said head coach Billy Cosh after the game.
“The last two years have been hard. We were working but we weren’t seeing results. We’re just happy to have Coach Cosh here and we have a whole new energy,” said Roland Dempster.
“The main focus going into this game was discipline. I think we executed that very well,” added Rudy Silvera.
The team returns to the road on Sept. 14, heading to the Bronx to take on Fordham at 1 p.m. The game will stream live on ESPN+.
Stony Brook University MAT Program serves a key role in graduating future physics teachers
For the seventh time in nine years, Stony Brook University (SBU) has been recognized by the American Physical Society (APS) and the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) as a member of the Physics Teacher Education Coalition (PhysTEC) 5+ Club for its outstanding work in graduating nine physics teachers in the 2022-2023 academic year.
From left, Muxi Liu (Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Department of Physics), Dr. Gillian Winters (Lecturer, MAT Program in Physics), and Daniel Treu (MAT Graduate). Photo by David Genik
This significant feat was achieved through the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program, which is part of the College of Arts and Sciences Department of Physics and Astronomy and administered by the Institute for STEM Education and the School of Professional Development.
“In this science and technology driven modern society, early physics education is increasingly important. In recent years, the Department of Physics and Astronomy has been a national leader in producing well qualified high school teachers through its MAT program, now directed by Professor Angela Kelly,” said Chang Kee Jung, distinguished professor and chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy. “We have received the 5+ Club recognition seven out of the past nine years, and in Academic Year 2022-23, we graduated nine new physics teachers, which is an historic record for our MAT program. As the chair of the Department I challenge the program to become a member of the 10+ Club, which is yet to be established. We are very close to the Chair’s challenge goal and I am very proud of our MAT program.”
“The SBU Department of Physics has a long history of excellence in physics teacher preparation, which grew under the stewardship of Dr. Robert McCarthy for many years,” said Angela Kelly, professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and Institute for STEM Education and director of the MAT Program. “We plan on redoubling our recruitment efforts to reach the Chair’s goal of 10 physics teachers per year to serve secondary students on Long Island and beyond.”
According to the APS and AAPT, graduating more than five physics teachers in an academic year puts SBU in the 99th percentile of all US colleges and universities. With a shortage of qualified physics teachers in the United States, SBU’s MAT program serves as a driver in remediating this shortage. Further, the MAT program was previously identified as a thriving physics teacher education program in the 2018 PhysTEC study of eight exemplary programs in the United States.
As the air begins to chill, Stony Brook University’s Staller Center for the Arts is ready to warm up audiences with a variety of exciting performances with its Fall 2024 season.
Alan Inkles, Staller Center director, said planning a season is similar to putting together a puzzle when deciding who to include and working with the artists’ schedules. He added he and his team like to create a season that is a mixture of newcomers and well-known names, which he feels both challenges and entertains audiences.
Record breaking artist Jackie Evancho heads to Stony Brook University on November 23. Photo courtesy of Staller Center
“What I’ve begun the last couple years is to mix the stars in with what I call discovery shows,” he said. “We’ve got to keep going back to bringing in shows with great, talented people that maybe you might remember them from America’s Got Talent or you may have seen them somewhere. That’s the joy of going to an arts center.”
Among those who have appeared on America’s Got Talent scheduled to perform at the Staller Center are Malevo on Oct. 26 and Jackie Evancho on Nov. 23.
Inkles described Malevo’s show as “high energy.” The dance group from Argentina was a semi-finalist on AGT in 2016. The dancers will perform zapateo, similar to tap dancing, using a type of weapon called boleadora.
Evancho is known for competing as an opera singer and coming in second on AGT in 2010 at the age of 10. Inkles said the artist, now known for singing pop, has created a show that will include opera, pop and Broadway tunes.
“That will be a fun night,” Inkles said. “That’s something different that I like to bring in.”
Among those appearing at the Staller Center this season will be comedian Wanda Sykes (sold out), Tony Award winner Renée Elise Goldsberry, musician John Pizzarelli and Cirque Kalabanté: Afrique en Cirque.
The season will kick off on Sept. 15 with the Emerson Legacy Concert Presents the Han-Setzer-Finckel Trio performing the music of Haydn, Beethoven and Dvorak. The trio continues the tradition of the Emerson String Quartet with former members Phil Setzer on violin and David Finckel playing cello, with the addition of pianist Wu Han.
Entertainers perform on the main stage or recital hall depending on the performance. Inkles said on Nov. 13, “It’s going to be a really cool night at the recital hall.” The night will feature viral star Stella Cole, Postmodern Jukebox’s Benny Benack III and tap dancer Jabu Graybeal for Some Enchanted Evening with Stella Cole. The trio will perform Jazz-inspired selections of Broadway hits spanning the decades.
The Peridance Contemporary Dance Company will take on the Staller Main Stage on Nov. 16. “If you like modern dance … if you want to see amazing movement, if you’re taking dance class, there is ballet, there is tap dancing in it,” Inkles said.
Last year, the Staller Center debuted a new concept showing a children’s movie. At the same time, a live orchestra performed along to the songs with Disney’s Coco. This year, the arts center will show Disney’s Encanto on Oct. 14, with a Latin band playing the musical score. After the viewing, attendees can meet the band members.
“It gives the kids the opportunity to see a live band as well as a movie,” he said.
Changes through the years
For this year’s fall season, like most performance periods, Inkles and his team began planning two years ago when he started traveling around the country to attend shows featuring various artists to see who would be a good fit for the arts center.
After the COVID-19 shutdowns and venues began to open again, Inkles said a decision was made to have a fall and spring season instead of one long performance period due to people tending to go out less after the pandemic. “People aren’t buying in advance as much or as many shows,” he said.
Regarding post-pandemic, Inkles said that out of the other State University of New York campuses with arts centers, the Staller Center is doing better than others audience-wise, and things are returning to normal. “We’re thriving in a time when a lot of our centers have either closed their doors or are doing much, much less,” he said.
Inkles said it’s vital to have such an arts center on campus grounds. For every show, the center makes at least 100 free tickets available to SBU students who wish to attend a performance. “We want to give these students culture and entertainment that they’ve not seen before,” he said. “It’s growth of the future. If we don’t do this, in 20 years there won’t be art centers. People will just be watching on their phones.”
Inkles added he and his team aim to create shows that are good not just for Long Island but also in general.
“When you come to see a show at the Staller Center, in my mind, it is as good, if not better, because the acoustics are great in the recital hall, or our sound system is better than most theaters on Broadway,” he said. “You need to walk out thinking it’s as good, if not better than something you could see in New York City, and that’s sort of my rule of thumb. I’m not looking for something that is pretty good, I’m looking for something that’s really great.”
Calendar of Event
9/15 — Emerson Legacy Concert at 5 p.m. (RH)
9/21 — Renée Elise Goldsberry at 8 p.m. (MS)
9/28 — John Pizzarelli: Stage & Screen at 8 p.m. (RH)
10/14 — Disney’s ‘Encanto’ Sing-Along at 4 p.m. (MS)
10/18 — Wanda Sykes at 8 p.m. (MS) *Sold out
10/26 — Malevo at 8 p.m. (MS)
10/9 — Cirque Kalabané: Afrique en Cirque at 7 p.m. (MS)
11/13 — Some Enchanted Evening with Stella Cole at 7 p.m. (RH)
11/16 — Peridance Contemporary Dance Company at 8 p.m. (MS)
11/21 — Starry Nights at 7 p.m. (RH)
11/23 — An Evening with Jackie Evancho at 8 p.m. (RH)
11/24 — ‘Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus’ at 3 p.m. (MS)
12/6 — Anthony Nunziata: A Broadway Italian Christmas at 8 p.m. (RH)
12/14 — Caroline Campbell with guest Chloe Flower at 8 p.m. (RH)
RH: Recital Hall
MS: Main Stage
Stony Brook University’s Staller Center for the Arts is located at 100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook. To order tickets, call the box office at 631-632-2787 or visit stallercenter.com.
Reenactors on the grounds of the Three Village Historical Society during Culper Spy Day on Sept. 10. Photo by Joseph Cali
By Heidi Sutton
Mark your calendars! On Saturday, Sept. 7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Three Village Historical Society and Tri-Spy Tours will host a Revolutionary event — Culper Spy Day. Made possible by title sponsor Heritage Spy Ring Golf Club, it’s the event that every history buff looks forward to.
Now in its 10th year, the annual event is the brainchild of Margo Arceri, who first heard about Washington’s Setauket spies (including her favorite spy Anna Smith Strong) from her Strong’s Neck neighbor and local historian, Kate W. Strong, in the early 1970s.
Meet Big Bill the Tory at the Sherwood-Jayne Farm on Sept. 7 from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Photo courtesy of Preservation Long Island
“My love of history grew from there,” said Arceri who today runs Tri-Spy Tours offering walking, bike and kayak tours of the Setauket area. “Everywhere you turn in the Three Villages you are looking at an artifact, and as the historical society believes, the community is our museum and I would really love to put that on the forefront of people’s minds. History is constantly evolving and new information is being discovered everyday. We don’t know what is waiting to be unearthed next and that fills me with excitement.”
The day of spy-related tours and activities was named for the Culper Spy Ring founded by Benjamin Tallmadge of Setauket, which provided General George Washington the information he needed to turn the tide of the American Revolution.
On Culper Spy Day, you will have the chance to visit the places where history was made and visit with area groups to learn about the patriots who risked their lives.
Visitors can enjoy docent-led tours of historic homes, churches and cemeteries; Colonial cooking demonstrations; Anna Smith Strong’s famed clothesline; and a Revolutionary War encampment and musket firing drills by several militia groups.
There are plenty of children’s activities too including a children’s story hour, a potato sack race, an epic scavenger hunt, invisible ink demonstrations decoding spy names, sending wax sealed letters, making colonial crafts, and building a scale model timber frame house alongside Abraham Woodhull.
In addition, Revolutionary War artifacts, including George Washington’s original letters to members of his spy ring will be on display in the Stony Brook University Library Special Collections. View a rare surviving letter dated November 8, 1779, between Benjamin Tallmadge and Robert Townsend at the Long Island Museum and explore theirworld-famous carriage collection, with ties to Long Island’s Revolutionary War history
Visitors will have a chance to meet Abraham Woodhull, Big Bill the Tory and Anna Smith Strong as well.
See history come to life with this self-guided interactive tour spanning the Three Villages and beyond! Start your adventure at the Three Village Historical Society, 93 North Country Road, Setauket and then visit participating locations including the Sherwood-Jayne Farm, Drowned Meadow Cottage Museum, The Long Island Museum, Emma S. Clark Memorial Library, Caroline Episcopal Church, Setauket Presbyterian Church, Setauket Neighborhood House, Patriots Rock, and Stony Brook University. The Setauket Elementary School’s auditorium will also be open for a special viewing of the Vance Locke murals depicting the founding of the Town of Brookhaven.
All events are free with the exception of the Sherwood-Jayne Farm house tour ($5 adults, free for ages 17 and under) and the award-winning Spies! exhibit at the Three Village Historical Society. Build your own Revolutionary War story and see history come to life at this fun-filled event. For more information, call 631-751-3730 or visit www.tvhs.org for a full schedule of events.
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*New this year will be a Culper5K Race/Walk on Sunday, Sept. 8 at 9 a.m. Presented by Strong Island Running Club and sponsored by the Three Village Dads Foundation, the event will support the Dominick-Crawford Barn History & Education Center. Racers can trace the footsteps of the spies starting at the TVHS Headquarters, through the Old Setauket Historic District, up through battle fields and farmlands, around the churches, past pre-Revolutionary homes, and back to the Museum. Tickets are $30 adults, $10 kids fun run. Sign up at tvhs.org/5k.
He’s heard numerous stories from a day in which the comfortable, clear air provided an incongruous backdrop for the mass murders. He has heard about people who were blown out of the buiding amid a combustible blast and about how difficult it is to put out a cesium fire.
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