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Stony Brook University

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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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Caption: Pictured (left to right): Amol Pophali, Jinwon Choi, Michal Luchowski, Taejin Kim, Mohammed Sifat, Krishnakumari Pamula, Leah Landron and Hyeonji Park. Photo from Dr. Taejin Kim

The United States Chapter of the Korean Institute of Chemical Engineers (KIChE) has selected Stony Brook University Professor Taejin Kim of the Department of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering at the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences as the recipient of the 2024 James M. Lee Memorial Award.

The James M. Lee Memorial Award honors the founding and first president of the KIChE U.S. Chapter by recognizing Korean and Korean-American scientists and engineers who have demonstrated exceptional leadership at the frontiers of scientific knowledge in the field of chemical engineering.

“We are immensely proud of Professor Taejin Kim for being selected as the recipient of the 2024 James M. Lee Memorial Award by the United States Chapter of the Korean Institute of Chemical Engineers (KIChE),” said Dilip Gersappe, Chair of the Materials Science and Chemical Engineering Department. “This award is a testament to Professor Kim’s exceptional leadership and groundbreaking contributions in the field of chemical engineering. His work on heterogeneous catalysis in environmental and energy fields not only advances scientific knowledge but also has significant real-world applications.”

Kim, who also serves as the graduate program director for the department of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, studies the fundamentals and applications of heterogeneous catalysis in environmental and energy fields. His research group has explored the structure-activity relationship of catalysts through catalyst synthesis, characterization and catalytic performance evaluation.

The KIChE-US Chapter was founded in 2002 to promote constructive and mutually beneficial interactions among Korean Chemical Engineers in the U.S. and to facilitate international collaboration between engineers in the U.S. and Korea. The KlChE is a scientific, engineering, and professional organization dedicated to the advancement of the theory and application of chemical engineering technology.

Kim joined Stony Brook University in 2013, has been an active member of the KIChE U.S. Chapter and received the KIChE Service Recognition Award in 2023.

He will receive the award and present his research during the 2024 AIChE Annual Meeting in October.

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Caption: Christopher Berger, AVP for Procurement. Photo by John Griffin/SBU

Stony Brook University recently announced that Christopher Berger, MBA, has been appointed as Associate Vice President for Procurement. He reports to Vice President for Finance Lyle Gomes.

Christopher Berger brings over 25 years of procurement leadership experience serving local and national organizations, most recently as Chief Procurement Officer for Suffolk County. There, he established a centralized, comprehensive procurement framework for the county. He has also held roles as Chief Procurement Officer at Hearst Media, Global Head of Procurement, Travel, Expense, Vendor Risk and Contracts at Bloomberg, LLP and as Chief Procurement Officer at CA Technologies.

“After completing an extensive search, Chris emerged from a highly competitive pool of candidates as a seasoned, innovative and collaborative procurement leader.” said Lyle Gomes, Vice President for Finance. “Chris has a demonstrated track record of excellence in numerous procurement practices including centralizing procurement functions, implementing cutting-edge technologies and optimizing processes to deliver exceptional service. He has also served as an advocate and champion for cultivating collaborative supplier relationships and using digital infrastructures to enhance operational efficiencies.”

As Associate Vice President for Procurement, Berger will be responsible for the management of all procurement activities, including strategic sourcing, procure-to-pay processes, and utilization of technology systems. In his role, he will craft and implement procurement operations to enhance efficiency and accuracy. Additionally, he will oversee the operations of purchasing, receiving, paying, mail, and property control, with a focus on delivering exceptional customer service to the campus community.

Berger earned his BA in Math & Science and a Master in Business Administration from Dowling College.

 

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Bradley Dirks. Photo by Sarah Skolnick
Yichul Choi. Photo by Jan Albert and Alba Moreno

Bradley Dirks, James H. Simons Instructor in the Department of Mathematics, and Yichul Choi, PhD student in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, were awarded fellowships at the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS). Dirks will complete his fellowship in the School of Mathematics for the 2024-2025 academic year and Choi will complete his in the School of Natural Sciences between 2024-2027.

This prestigious membership allows for focused research and the free and open exchange of ideas among an international community of scholars at one of the foremost centers for intellectual inquiry.

Bradley Dirks

During his stay, Bradley will work on the study of singularities in geometry. Though his research lies in the field of pure mathematics, singularities arise in many adjacent fields, like statistics and theoretical physics. An important point of his project is to attempt to quantify “how singular” a geometric space is. The hope is that spaces that are “not too singular” from this point of view should share many nice properties with smooth spaces.

“It is an amazing honor to spend a year at the Institute for Advanced Study,” said Bradley. “A large proportion of the mathematics that I study was developed by past and permanent members of the Institute. I am especially excited because I will have the opportunity to meet many scholars from various universities and fields of study.”

“Brad Dirks has been doing great work as part of our algebraic geometry group, and the math department has been very fortunate to have him among us for the past year,” said Scott Sutherland, professor and chair in the College of Arts and Sciences Department of Mathematics. “This fellowship at the Institute for Advanced Study is a well-deserved opportunity,  and the Department looks forward to him rejoining us to continue his Simons instructorship afterwards.”

Yichul Choi

In his time with the IAS, Yichul will study topological and global aspects of quantum field theory. In particular, his research focuses on symmetries, anomalies, and their generalizations. He is interested in applying new generalized symmetry principles to particle physics phenomenology and condensed matter physics.

“The Institute provides an ideal environment for scholars to explore ideas, focus on their research, and collaborate with world-experts coming from all over the globe,” said Yichul. “I am excited to use this opportunity to deeply investigate the physical rules behind our Nature, and to seek new understandings. I am also looking forward to sharing thoughts with leading scientists in the field.”

“I am delighted to learn that Yichul was awarded this prestigious fellowship,” said Chang Kee Jung, distinguished professor and chair of the College of Arts and Sciences Department of Physics and Astronomy. “Last spring, Yichul, working with Stony Brook’s outstanding theoretical physicists, Shu-Heng Shao and Zohar Komargodski at C.N. Yang ITP, was one of the winners of the Stony Brook President’s Award to Distinguished Doctoral Students for his work on Generalized Symmetries in Quantum Field Theory and Particle Physics.  So, this news did not come as a big surprise.  As the chair of the Department, I am proud of Yichul’s accomplishment and the world-class faculty at C.N. Yang ITP that consistently educates and produces top-notch physicists.”

IAS

Each year, IAS welcomes more than 250 of the most promising post-doctoral researchers and distinguished scholars from around the world to advance fundamental discovery as part of an interdisciplinary and collaborative environment. Visiting scholars are selected through a highly competitive process for their bold ideas, innovative methods, and deep research questions by the permanent Faculty—each of whom are preeminent leaders in their fields. Past IAS Faculty include, Albert Einstein, Erwin Panofsky, John von Neumann, Hetty Goldman, George Kennan, and J. Robert Oppenheimer.

Located in Princeton, NJ, the Institute for Advanced Study was established in 1930. Today, research at IAS is conducted across four Schools — Historical Studies,Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Social Science — to push the boundaries of human knowledge.

Among past and present scholars, there have been 35 Nobel Laureates, 44 of the 62 Fields Medalists, and 23 of the 27 Abel Prize Laureates, as well as MacArthur and Guggenheim fellows, winners of the Turing Award and the Wolf, Holberg, Kluge, and Pulitzer Prizes.

 

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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.

 

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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, 2013  during 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.”

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Christopher Martin

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.”

 

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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.

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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 lost  and 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.”

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Photo courtesy of Stony Brook Athletics

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 Setteducate  in 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+.

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