CLOSE
Tags Posts tagged with "Stony Brook University"

Stony Brook University

by -
0 491
This graphic shows how per unit water saving by dry cooling increases carbon emissions by each power unit globally, a significant issue for example in areas of India. Qin et al., 2023. Nature Water

Study published in Nature Water suggests integrating planning may reduce carbon emissions in the future

Water scarcity and climate change is a threat to energy security, as carbon emission reduction from water and dry cooling of power plants remains a major challenge worldwide. An international collaboration of scientists including Gang He, PhD, of Stony Brook University, used global power plant data to demonstrate an integrated water-carbon management framework that bridges the gap to coupling diverse water carbon-mitigation technologies with other methods. Their findings are detailed in a paper published in Nature Water.

Thermal electric power generation uses substantial amounts of freshwater primarily for cooling of power plants, amounting to 40 to 50 percent of the total water withdrawal in the U.S. and 40 percent in Europe. Meanwhile, power generation accounted for approximately 36 percent of the energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions across world economies in 2019. The authors note that consequently, the power sector has a high dependence on freshwater resources and demonstrates intrinsic water-carbon interconnections that have critical implications on reliable electricity output and energy security, particularly under climate change.

In “Global assessment of the carbon-water tradeoff of dry cooling for thermal power generation,” they conclude such integrated planning is crucial to address the complex interactions between water and energy systems. The team constructed a global unit-level framework to assess the impact of dry cooling—a vital water mitigation strategy—alongside alternative water sourcing and carbon capture and storage (CCS) under different scenarios.

According to He, a co-author and Assistant Professor in the Department of Technology and Society at Stony Brook University, the research team collected unit-level power plant data, which included basic power generation unit information such as fuel and engine types, installed capacity, cooling technologies and other details. Then they estimated carbon emissions and water withdrawal based on what is known of emission factors at plants and water intensity by the cooling technologies, fuel types and local meteorology.

He says that from their global data the CO2 emission and energy penalty from dry cooling units were found to be location and climate specific, and ranged from 1 to 15 percent of power plant output. Additionally, efficiency losses were high under climate changes scenarios.

On a positive note, the team discovered potentially promising solutions to alleviate water scarcity around the power plants – such as increasing accessibility to wastewater and brine water that can provide viable alternatives to dry cooling and reduce energy and CO2 penalties.

Additionally, He and coauthors concluded that CCS emerged as a valuable tool to offset CO2  emission tradeoffs associated with dry cooling, especially when alternative water sourcing alone is insufficient in certain power plant regions.

However, He stresses that the issue is complicated globally, as CCS could demand more energy and thus more emissions, and wastewater could be useful but has its limitations and may not be available near some power plants.

The authors are concerned about the potentially increasing water-carbon tradeoffs with dry cooling.  They write: “Facing increasing water concerns, dry cooling has been and may continually be promoted as an emerging freshwater mitigation technique in some major economies in the next few decades along with renewable energy transitions.”

He says the research leading to the paper underscores the urgency of integrated power sector planning in the face of dual water-carbon challenges and “highlights the importance of considering climate-specific factors and interconnected systems to achieve sustainable energy solutions.”

The work was led by Dr. Yue Qin of Peking University. He’s research contributing to the paper findings is supported by the Global Energy Initiative at the ClimateWorks Foundation.

 

by -
0 1233
JoAnne Hewett leads her first staff meeting as the new lab director at Brookhaven National Laboratory Tuesday, Aug. 8. Photo from BNL

In her first week on the job, JoAnne Hewett has been taking walks around campus — and she likes what she sees.

The first woman to lead the 76-year old Brookhaven National Laboratory, Hewett has explored a facility primarily funded by the Department of Energy that conducts groundbreaking research in Energy & Photon Sciences, Environment, Biology, Nuclear Science & Nonproliferation, Computational Sciences, Nuclear & Particle Physics and Advanced Technology Research.

The walks Hewett has taken have been “my way of learning where all the buildings are,” said Hewett in an exclusive interview with TBR News Media. “I truly love stumbling across things I didn’t know BNL had.”

One night, Hewett walked to an enormous greenhouse, which, as a gardener who enjoys growing tomatoes, chili peppers and citrus, intrigued her.

In meeting people at these facilities, Hewett has been “impressed” at “how dedicated they are to the mission and to the science that can be done here.”

Most recently the associate lab director for fundamental physics and chief research officer at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Hewett brings extensive experience in theoretical physics to BNL and Stony Brook University, where she serves as Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and Professor at the C.N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics.

Throughout her career, Hewett has been the first woman to serve in a host of roles. That includes as the first woman faculty member at SLAC in 1994, the first woman associate lab director and the first woman chief research officer.

“The best way to serve as a role model is to just do a good job at whatever it is you’re doing,” Hewett said.

In her many roles, Hewett has received numerous emails from students eager to meet her.

“Don’t get discouraged,” she tells them. “You’re going to get more roadblocks than others, potentially [but] hopefully not. Don’t get discouraged. Just keep working. If you love science and want to do science, if it’s the passion in your belly, just do it.”

Hewett has been successful in her career in part because she describes herself as “stubborn by nature.”

Cultural priorities

In her tenure as lab director for a facility with over 2,760 staff members, Hewett plans to emphasize the importance of creating a respectful work environment.

“It should be number one for everybody, everywhere to foster a respectful workplace environment, so that each person that comes into work in the morning or whenever they start their shift can do the very best that they can,” she said.

Additionally, she will stress the importance of safety at the Upton-based lab, where seven projects have led to Nobel Prizes.

“A good safety culture also promotes a good workplace environment,” said Hewett. “If you don’t do your work safely, you can’t do your work.”

Science vs. management

While research and management require the use of different parts of the brain, Hewett suggested her professional and administrative goals have overlapping approaches.

“In both cases, you need to be very strategic about your thinking,” she said. “When you’re doing research, you need to think about the best way to spend your time.”

She had a “ton” of ideas in theoretical physics and needed to be strategic about how she spent her time. As a manager, she also needs to be strategic about the programs she supports to ensure they are advancing.

In addition to creating a respectful and safe workplace, Hewett would like to delve into the beautification of the campus.

“I want to involve the staff” in that effort, she said.

Hewett served as a mentor from 2008 to 2011 for Rouven Essig when he was a postdoctoral researcher at SLAC.

In an email, Essig, who is now Professor of Physics at the C.N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics, described her as “an exceptional leader” who is “friendly and approachable” with a “clear vision.”

Essig lauded Hewett’s vision for recognizing the value of funding small-scale experiments in particle physics, which are low-cost but can enable “major discoveries,” he added. “I think this approach is having a big impact in particle physics research in the U.S. and elsewhere.”

Essig is “excited to see how she will further strengthen BNL and the connections to Stony Brook.”

Hewett has had “numerous important contributions to our understanding of physics beyond the Standard Model and how it can be discovered with experiments,” Essig added.

In her career, Hewett found it “terrifically exciting to discover something” in which she was the “only person in the world for that instant of time that knows something,” she said.

For her, that moment occurred when she was developing work on a particular theory of extra spacetime dimensions.

Collider appeal

Hewett came to BNL in part because of the ongoing construction of the Electron Ion Collider, which will study quarks and gluons in the nucleus and the strongest forces in nature.

“I did a lot of studies of potential future colliders,” said Hewett. “I’m excited to be at a lab where a collider will be built.”

by -
0 1496
The combat boots and dog tags worn by Alan Alda in M*A*S*H will be auctioned off on on July 28. (LM Otero/AP)

Update:

The combat boots and dog tags Alan Alda wore while playing Hawkeye Pierce on the  television series “M-A-S-H” sold at auction on July 28 for $125,000.

Alda held onto the boots and dog tags for more than 40 years after the show ended but decided to sell them through Heritage Auctions in Dallas to raise money for the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University.

The buyer’s name wasn’t released.

——————————-

When Alan Alda reported to the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital in the summer of 1972, he received two items from wardrobe that became the only M*A*S*H mementos he kept when the show ended in 1983.

Costumers handed him a pair of scuffed-up combat boots, inside which someone had written in black marker the name of his character: “HAWKEYE.” He was also given a pair of dog tags which the names of strangers had been stamped: Hersie Davenport and Morriss D. Levine.

Alda was grateful the dog tags didn’t say Benjamin Franklin Pierce of Crabapple Cove, Maine. That would have made them mere props that couldn’t have carried the weight of war. Wearing those real dog tags, the genuine article, “seemed like a handshake,” Alda says. Until recently, he knew nothing about the two men whose names are on those dog tags — one, a Black soldier from the South; the other, a Jewish man from New York.

“Yet every day for 11 years, putting them on over my head and wearing them, I had a very close connection with them,” said Alda. “I always wondered what their lives were like. Were they alive, or were they dead? How had they served? They were real people to me, even though I didn’t know anything about them other than their names. But to this day, I remember the names very well, and that’s why it meant a lot to me.”

These pieces of wardrobe, the last remnants of his tour of duty, mean so much to Alda he now parts with the boots and dog tags only to help fund what has become one of his greatest passions. 

Heritage Auctions will auction off Alda’s M*A*S*H mementos in a single-lot auction on July 28. All the money raised will benefit the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University and the university’s School of Communication and Journalism. Heritage will also donate all of its proceeds to the center.

“Hawkeye’s boots and dog tags are not only entertainment memorabilia from a beloved series, but the cherished keepsakes of a national treasure,” says Heritage’s Chief Strategy Officer Joshua Benesh. “And before that, they were the personal artifacts of real soldiers. They now take on a new life as a source of fundraising for a noble cause in which a noble man has invested so much of his time and resources, and we are honored to be even a small part of such a grand gesture.”

Alda kept the boots and dog tags for years in a closet because he did not know where else to store them.

“Then I realized that they could come to life again to be used to help the Center for Communicating Science because, probably, somebody would be interested in having a memento of the show,” he says. “I can’t think of a better use for them.”

When asked if it will be difficult to say goodbye to these last keepsakes from M*A*S*H he responded, “Not at all. Because I knew they were going to a good cause. They were going to do more good than sitting in my closet. They were screaming, ‘Let me out!’ I thought, what a great chance to put these boots and dog tags to work again. For 11 years, they helped promote the idea that human connection could be a palliative for war. And now they can promote the idea that a human connection can get us to understand the things that affect our lives so deeply.”

by -
0 653
Maurizio Del Poeta. File photo from SBU

By Daniel Dunaief

Maurizio Del Poeta is taking another approach to battling fungal infections that can be deadly, particularly for people who are immunocompromised.

Maurizio Del Poeta. Photo from SBU

A Distinguished Professor at Stony Brook University in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Del Poeta has made progress in animal models of various fungal infections in working on treatments and vaccines.

After receiving an additional $3.8 million from the National Institutes of Health for five years, Del Poeta is expanding on some findings that may lead to a greater understanding of the mechanism that makes some fungal infections problematic.

The Stony Brook Distinguished Professor is studying “what makes people susceptible to fungal infections,” he said. “It’s something I’m really passionate about.”

Del Poeta explained that researchers and medical professionals often focus on the people who get sick. Understanding those people who are not developing an infection or battling against a fungus can provide insights into ways to understand what makes one population vulnerable or susceptible and another more resistant.

Expanding such an approach outside the realm of fungal infections could also provide key insights for a range of infections in the future.

Indeed, the awareness of specific signals for other infections could help protect specific populations, beyond those who had general categories like underlying medical conditions, who might be more vulnerable amid any kind of outbreak.

“It’s possible that the study we are doing now with fungi could stimulate interest” in other areas of infectious disease, Del Poeta said.

He suggested that this was “pioneering work” in terms of fungal infections. At this point, his lab has produced “strong preliminary data.”

An important drug treatment side effect as a signal

This investigation arises out of work Del Poeta had done to understand why some people with multiple sclerosis who took a specific drug, called fingolimid, developed fungal infections during their drug treatment.

Del Poeta observed that the drug inhibits a type of immunity that involves the movement of lymphocytes from organs into the bloodstream.

Fingolimid mimics a natural lipid, called a sphingolipid. Del Poeta showed that this sphingolipid is important to contain the fungus Cryptococcus neoformans in the lung. When its level decreases, the fungus can move from the lung to the brain.

Indeed, Fingolimid mimics sphingosin-1-phosphate (S1P) and binds to several S1P receptors.

Del Poeta believes that the pathway between S1P and its receptor regulates the immunity against Cryptococcus. Blocking a specific receptor is detrimental for the host and may lead to reactivation of the fungus.

Putting a team together

Nathália Fidelis Vieira de Sá. Photo by Futura Convites studio

Del Poeta has been working with Iwao Ojima, a Distinguished Professor and the Director of the Institute of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery in the Department of Chemistry at Stony Brook, to create compounds that energize, instead of block, the target of fingolimid.

Del Poeta has recruited two scientists to join his lab in this effort, each of whom has educational experience in nursing.

Nathália Fidelis Vieira de Sá, who is a registered nurse at the Federal University of Minas Gerais and a chemistry technician at Funec- Contagem City, will join the lab as a technician in the second week of September.

Fidelis Vieira de Sá, who currently lives in her native Brazil, is an “expert on collecting and analyzing organs for mice,” explained Del Poeta in an email.

For her part, Fidelis Vieira de Sá is thrilled to join Del Poeta’s lab at Stony Brook. “I’m very excited,” she said in an email. She is eager to get started because the research is “of such great relevance to public health” and is occurring at such a “renowned institution.”

Fidelis Vieira de Sá believes this is a public health issue that could have a positive impact on people with immunodeficiency conditions who need effective treatment so they live a better, longer life. When she was a peritoneal dialysis nurse, she had a few patients who had fungal infections.

“This is very serious and challenging, detection is difficult, and the life expectancy of these patients drops dramatically with each episode of infection,” she explained. 

Fidelis Vieira de Sá, who has never lived outside Brazil, is eager for new experiences, including visiting Central Park, the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, and the One World Trade Center Memorial.

As for the work, she hopes that, in the near future, Del Poeta will “be able to explain this mechanism deeply and to develop new drugs that will act on this receptor.”

Dr. Marinaldo Pacífico Cavalcanti Neto

Dr. Marinaldo Pacífico Cavalcanti Neto, who is an Assistant Professor at Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, will be arriving at Stony Brook University on August 6. Dr. Neto earned his bachelor of science in nursing and has a PhD in biochemistry from the Medical School of Ribeirão Preto at the University of São Paulo.

Del Poeta described Dr. Neto as an “expert on animal handling and genotyping,”

Dr. Neto recognizes the burden of fungal infections around the world and hoped to work with someone with Del Poeta’s credentials and experience in immunology and infection.

Understanding how cells eliminate infection, how cells might have a lower capacity to control an infection, and looking for how cells respond to treatments such as fingolimid could be a “great strategy to understand why these are so susceptible,” he said.

While Dr. Neto’s background is in immunology, he hopes to learn more about molecular biology.

Unlike Fidelis Vieira de Sá, Dr. Neto, who will live in Centereach, has worked previously in the United States. He has experience at the National Institutes of Health and at the University of California at San Diego and has been attending Del Poeta’s lab meetings from a distance for about a month.

Dr. Neto, whose interest in science increased while he watched the TV show Beakman’s World while he was growing up, is eager to work in an area where he can apply his research.

He appreciates that his work may one day “be used in the generation of protocols in a clinic.

by -
0 2066
1 of 3
The tour and demonstrations at Canon Americas headquarters provided insight into AMLOS and Kokomo software as well as education regarding the industry. Photo courtesy of Canon U.S.A.
The tour and demonstrations at Canon Americas headquarters provided insight into AMLOS and Kokomo software as well as education regarding the industry. Photo courtesy of Canon U.S.A.
The tour and demonstrations at Canon Americas headquarters provided insight into AMLOS and Kokomo software as well as education regarding the industry. Photo courtesy of Canon U.S.A.

In a continued effort to support higher education and make an impact on the local community, Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, hosted students from Stony Brook University on  July 19 at its Canon Americas headquarters in Melville.

The group of 35 international students, who are enrolled in a master of science in technology management (MSTM) program, were provided a tour of the showroom. A demonstration followed for AMLOS (Activate My Line of Sight), a software-and-camera product suite designed to provide a new level of engagement for collaboration across multiple locations using the power of Canon’s image processing technology, along with hand gesture controls. 

Students also saw the Kokomo software — Canon’s first application for a virtual reality (VR) platform1 that enables face-to-face communication in a virtual space with live-action video using easy-to-use equipment — with a presentation that closed the live event. 

Canon’s guest speakers also provided information about Canon U.S.A., Inc.’s contribution to the industry and addressed questions from students. 

“The presentation was outstanding and the students were impressed at how the Canon representatives were able to take complex situations and technology and explain it in a straight-forward and clear manner,” said Robert Ettl, a Stony Brook professor of marketing who attended the event. “It was amazing to see all the developments in the consumer and industrial markets and our students learned a lot from our trip to Canon.” 

As part of their degree requirements, students earn six of the 36 total credits required at the New York Residence Program at Stony Brook University during their three weeks visiting the Empire State from South Korea. The program is in its 22nd year. 

The collaboration between Canon and Stony Brook continues a strong connection that includes Canon’s annual sponsorship of the Japan Center Essay Competition Awards Ceremony, which honors students for work that demonstrates their awareness and understanding of the Japanese culture. 

“We were delighted to host the students from Stony Brook University and provide information about our industry and Canon’s exciting initiatives,” said Lisa Chung,  director, talent acquisition, university relations and diversity and inclusion at Canon U.S.A., Inc.

“Teaching about our proud history with a tour of our showroom – and providing live demonstrations of AMLOS and Kokomo — helped reinforce our commitment to higher education, collaborative solutions and virtual reality and hopefully provided strong insights into the industry for those interested in developing their professional skills,” she said. 

by -
0 413
Heather Banoub. Photo from SBU

Heather Banoub, Assistant Director of Communications for the Office of Government and Community Affairs at New York University (NYU), has been appointed Assistant Vice President of Community Relations for Stony Brook University and Stony Brook Medicine. 

Effective July 27, Banoub will lead Stony Brook’s efforts to engage with surrounding communities and collaborate with local organizations. She will also manage marketing and personnel for the University and Hospital Community Relations Office.

“Heather’s deep background in community relations and her solutions-focused ability to engage on and off campus partners around the issues that matter to the broader community will make her an excellent addition to our campus community,” said Judy Greiman, Chief Deputy to the President/Senior Vice President for Government and Community Relations. “Please join me in congratulating Heather and welcoming her to our campus.”

Banoub’s accomplishments during her nine years at NYU include generating an outreach framework and standards for construction that enabled renovations in more than 2,000 faculty apartments, serving as the primary spokesperson for the campus’ physical expansion plan that included construction of academic space, faculty and student housing, a new athletic facility and public open spaces, and developing the Urban Farm Lab, an experimental classroom for urban agriculture studies that was approved by the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission.

Banoub has also worked in government and nonprofit agencies, which included serving as a community liaison and caseworker for Congressman Gary L. Ackerman. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy, politics and law from Binghamton University and a Master of Public Administration in public and nonprofit management from NYU, where she spent nine months as a project associate focused on advocacy process improvements with the United Nations’ NGO Working Group on Women, Peace, and Security.

Banoub’s arrival follows the retirement of her predecessor, Joan Dickinson, who contributed more than a decade of service to Stony Brook and will continue teaching in the Honors College while leading the university’s efforts this year to bring back its popular CommUniversity Day which will be held on Saturday, Sept. 23.

by -
0 666
1 of 9
TAKE A BOW: Above, the winners of this year's Stony Brook Film Festival. Photo from Staller Center.
THE BASICS OF LOVE 2023 CLOSING NIGHT SHORT
CHIPPER 2023 JURY AWARD FOR BEST SHORT
STUCK 2023 AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST SHORT
FRIENDS FROM HOME 2023 SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENT FILMMAKING
FRIENDS FROM HOME 2023 SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENT FILMMAKING
WHERE THE ROAD LEADS 2023 SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENT FILMMAKING
YES REPEAT NO 2023 JURY AWARD FOR BEST FEATURE
Winners of this year's Stony Brook Film Festival with festival founder Alan Inkles. Photo from Staller Center

The 28th annual Stony Brook Film Festival, presented by Island Federal Credit Union, wrapped up with a Closing Night Awards Ceremony on July 29.  The evening recognized the outstanding new independent films screened at the festival, which was held at Staller Center for the Arts at Stony Brook University from July 20 to 29.

With hundreds of artists creating 36 films from 26 countries, the Stony Brook Film Festival became a hub for some of the best filmmakers working today, a meeting ground for favorite actors and rising stars, and a showcase of new masterpieces. Of those 36 films, 11 received awards. 

Yes Repeat No, a challenging and engaging meta masterpiece, won the Jury Award for Best Feature. Director Michael Moshe Dahan was in attendance for both the screening and to receive his award. “Thank you to all of the people who believe in human rights and democracy all over the world … and to all the people who want to make difficult material all over the world because finding the questions to ask is sometimes harder than getting the answers,” Dahan said in his acceptance speech. 

Two feature films won the audience’s hearts, resulting in two winners for this year’s Audience Choice Award for Best Feature: The Grandson, a charged thriller that boasts “revenge is a dish best served old,” and First Snow of Summer, a masterfully shot and magical romance in a whimsical setting, came out on top. 

The Grandson‘s director Kristóf Deák could not be at the Festival to accept his award but remarked, “I couldn’t be happier that The Grandson won the audience award at this year’s Stony Brook Film Festival. I feel a special connection to U.S. audiences since my short film Sing won the Academy Award in 2017. That film’s festival journey also began with audience awards, and for a filmmaker like me who makes his films for audiences, first and foremost, it remains the most important praise.” 

“Because it may lead to discussions about how we treat the elderly in our society, I hope [The Grandson]is a testament to how we should never ‘write them off’ as useless. I want to thank my wonderful cast, crew, co-writer, and wife for making this film with me,” said Deák

First Snow of Summer, in its North American premiere, was another beautiful and poignant film from German Sales Team, Picture Tree International. Festival Founder and Director Alan Inkles has been working with Founder/Co-Managing Director of Picture Tree, Andreas Rothbauer, for several years and this is the second consecutive year one of their films has won the Audience Choice Award, with last year’s biting dark comedy, Contra, taking home the same prize. 

“You can feel the warmth and genuineness of this new German film, and the audience in our full house screening of First Snow of Summer obviously agreed … the film has a ‘fantasy-like Amelie’ feel to it, and is ripe for a U.S. theatrical run,” said Inkles after the awards ceremony. “One of our goals with the Festival is to get these independent films in front of distributors to help reach larger audiences throughout America,” he added, and said he plans to continue working with Andreas to make that happen.

The Spirit of Independent Filmmaking is awarded to filmmakers that utilize a uniquely indie lens to bring their incredible stories to life. A first in the Festival’s history, this category was awarded to two different features: Friends From Home, a quietly hilarious cross-country odyssey by New York filmmakers, and Where the Road Leads, a Serbian film about a sleepy village brought to life with subtle humor and masterfully directed. 

“If you told us we would be watching our film on a 40-foot-screen, we wouldn’t have believed you, and this was awesome,” said Mike Koslov of Friends From Home. “We just tried to make a film as honest and close to the heart as we could,” said Joe Blank, co-writer and director of the film. Both flew in from LA for their screening and the awards ceremony. 

Director Nina Ognjanovic traveled from Serbia to be here in person for her screening of Where the Road Leads and for the awards ceremony. Ognjanovic praised the film festival at the ceremony for showing her film to over 400 attendees and for recognizing her work.

The Jury Award for Best Short went to Chipper, while the Audience Award for Best Short went to Stuck. 

Director and lead actor of Chipper, Shaun MacLean, and Jayson Warner Smith, respectively, were both in attendance at the awards ceremony, with Shaun attending earlier during the Festival for his screening and leading a lively Q&A. Shoval Chiprut and Daniel Brushin from Stuck flew in from Israel and were present for both their screening and the awards ceremony. 

Opening Night Feature Award went to Sea of Time; Closing Night Feature Award went to Divertimento; Open Night Short Award went to The Red Suitcase and The Basics of Love received an for  Closing Night Short.

In addition to Island Federal’s generous support as presenting sponsor, additional sponsors for the Stony Brook Film Festival included Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, LLP; Suffolk County; Altice Media; and WLIW/PBS.

2023 FESTIVAL WINNERS

YES REPEAT NO
2023 JURY AWARD FOR BEST FEATURE

THE GRANDSON
2023 AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST FEATURE

FIRST SNOW OF SUMMER
2023 AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST FEATURE

WHERE THE ROAD LEADS
2023 SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENT FILMMAKING

FRIENDS FROM HOME
2023 SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENT FILMMAKING

CHIPPER
2023 JURY AWARD FOR BEST SHORT

STUCK
2023 AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST SHORT

SEA OF TIME
2023 OPENING NIGHT FEATURE

DIVERTIMENTO
2023 CLOSING NIGHT FEATURE

THE RED SUITCASE
2023 OPENING NIGHT SHORT

THE BASICS OF LOVE
2023 CLOSING NIGHT SHORT

———————————————–

During the Festival, the Staller Center announced its exciting Fall 2023 Live Performing Arts season which kicks off on Sept. 5 with Corinne Bailey Rae, Pat Metheny on Sept. 23, Tara McNeill and Alexander Bernstein on Sept. 30, Disney Pixar Coco Live-to-Film concert on Oct. 9, Emerson String Quartet’s farewell concert on Oct. 14, Ballet Hispanico on Oct. 21, Jessica Vosk on Oct. 28, Evan + Zane on Nov. 3, iLuminated on Nov. 5, Tom Segura on Nov. 11, LeAnn Rimes on Nov. 18, Cat Kid Comic Club Musical on Nov. 19, Starry Nights chamber music concert on Nov. 29, Isaac Mizrahi on Dec. 1, Jane Monheit on Dec. 9, and concludes with GALA 2024 on March 9 with special guest Leslie Odom, Jr. For tickets and more information, visit www.stallercenter.com.

by -
0 1701
From left, graduate students Thomas Reilly and Hanxiao Wu with Weisen Shen. Wu and Shen are holding two of the 183 sensors they will place in the Antarctic. The team is shipping the sensors in the black container, which will travel through Port Hueneme, California and New Zealand before reaching the South Pole. Photo by Maeve McCarthy/ Angela Gruo

By Daniel Dunaief

While it’s easy to see and study materials in valleys or on the tops of bare mountains, it’s much more difficult to know what’s beneath 2.7 kilometers of ice. Turns out, that kind of question is much more than academic or hypothetical.

At the South Pole, glaciers sit on top of land that never sees the light of day, but that is relevant for the future of cities like Manhattan and Boston.

The solid land beneath glaciers has a strong effect on the movement of the ice sheet, which can impact the melting rate of the ice and sea level change.

Weisen Shen, Assistant Professor in the Department of Geosciences at Stony Brook University, recently received over $625,000 over the course of five years from the National Science Foundation to study the unexplored land beneath the East Antarctic Ice Sheet at the South Pole.

The subglacial water and hydrosystems, together with geology such as sediment or hard rocks, affect the dynamics and contribute to the movement speed of the ice sheet.

Once Shen provides a better understanding of the material beneath the ice, including glacial water, he can follow that up with other researchers to interpret the implications of ice sheet dynamics.

“We can predict better what’s the contribution of the Antarctic ice sheet to the sea level change” which will offer modelers a way to gauge the likely impact of global warming in future decades, he said.

Using seismic data

Starting this November, Shen and graduate students Siyuan Sui, Thomas Reilly and Hanxiao Wu will venture for two months to the South Pole with seismic monitors.

By placing 183 seismic nodes and installing an additional eight broad-band seismic stations, Shen and his team will quantify the seismic properties and, eventually, use them to infer the composition, density and temperature structure of the crust and the uppermost mantle.

The temperature when they place these monitors will be 10 to 30 degrees below 0 degrees Fahrenheit. They will need to do some digging as they deploy these sensors near the surface.

While the South Pole is believed to be geologically stable, signs of sub-glacial melting suggest the crust may bear a higher concentration of highly radioactive elements such as uranium, thorium and potassium.

Those natural elements “produce heat all the time,” said Shen. 

The process and analysis of seismic waves works in the same way it would for the study of a prism. Looking at the refraction of light that enters and leaves the prism from various angles can help researchers differentiate light with different frequencies, revealing clues about the structure and composition of the prism.

Earth materials, meanwhile will also cause a differentiation in the speed of surface waves according to their frequencies. The differentiation in speeds is called “dispersion,” which Shen and his team will use to quantify the seismic properties. The area has enough natural waves that Shen won’t need to generate any man-made energy waves.

“We are carefully monitoring how fast [the seismic energy] travels” to determine the temperature, density and rock type, Shen said.

The water beneath the glacier can act like a slip ’n slide, making it easier for the glacier to move.

Some large lakes in Antarctica, such as Lake Vostok, have been mapped. The depth and contours of sub glacier lakes near the South Pole, however, are still unclear.

“We have to utilize a lot of different methods to study that,” said Shen.

The Stony Brook researcher will collaborate with colleagues to combine his seismic results with other types of data, such as radar, to cross examine the sub ice structures.

The work will involve three years of gathering field data and two years of analysis.

Educational component

In addition to gathering and analyzing data, Shen has added a significant educational component to the study. For the first time, he is bringing along Brentwood High School science teacher Dr. Rebecca Grella, A PhD graduate from Stony Brook University’s Ecology and Evolutionary Biology program, Grella will provide lectures and classes remotely from the field.

In addition to bringing a high school teacher, Shen will fund graduate students at Stony Brook who can help Brentwood students prepare for the Earth Science regents exam.

Shen is working with Kamazima Lwiza, Associate Professor in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook, to bring Earth Science, including polar science, to schools in New York City and on Long Island with a bus equipped with mobile labs.

Lwiza, who is the Principal Investigator on the EarthBUS project, will work together with Shen to build a course module that includes a 45-minute lecture and exhibition.

Shen feels that the project will help him prepare to better educate students in graduate school, college, and K-12 in the community.

He feels a strong need to help K-12 students in particular with Earth Science.

As for students outside Brentwood, Shen said he has an open door policy in which the lab is receptive to high school and undergraduate students who would like to participate in his research all year long.

Once he collects the first batch of data from the upcoming trip to the South Pole, he will have to do considerable data processing, analysis and interpretation.

While Shen is looking forward to the upcoming field season, he knows he will miss time in his Stony Brook home with his wife Jiayi Xie, and his four-and-a-half year old son Luke and his 1.5 year old son Kai.

“It’s a huge burden for my wife,” Shen said, whose wife is working full time. When he returns, he “hopes to make it up to them.”

Shen believes, however, that the work he is doing is important in the bigger picture, including for his children.

Record high temperatures, which are occurring in the United States and elsewhere this summer, will “definitely have an impact on the dynamics of the ice sheet.” At the same time, the Antarctic ice sheet is at a record low.

“This is concerning and makes [it] more urgent to finish our work there,” he added.

by -
0 499
Stony Brook University: Entrance sign

Stony Brook University’s Educational Leadership program has received a $700K grant from the New York State Education Department (NYSED) for a multipronged initiative to address the shortage of diverse and well-prepared K-12 school leaders. The grant, Strengthening a Diverse Leadership Pipeline Through Leadership Preparation and Development, arose as a result of a collaboration among faculty from five downstate colleges and universities – Stony Brook, City College of New York, Fordham University, Hofstra University and St. John’s University.

The need for more diverse school leadership was detailed in New York State’s 2019 Educator Diversity Report, which published statistics showing that while most school and district leaders are white, the majority (56%) of the P-12 student population are not.

NYSED Commissioner Betty A. Rosa said, “Representation is critical to providing an equitable, high-quality education, and learning from diverse education leaders provides real, relatable examples for young learners. The Department continues to work to strengthen accessible pathways for educators whose diversity reflects the rich culture of our students and communities.”

The NYSED grant will help leadership candidates from underrepresented groups pursue graduate preparation and will fund a slate of professional development programming for current school leaders at every level – from assistant principals to superintendents.

The initiative will offer “research-based solutions that diversify the available leadership pool while simultaneously developing capacity to promote continuous school improvement for all students,” said Margaret Orr, director of the EdD in Educational Leadership, Administration and Policy program at Fordham University and one of the grant’s researchers.

Board of Regents Chancellor Lester W. Young, Jr. characterized the grant as “a unique and innovative approach to building a comprehensive leadership development model.” Key components of the initiative include:

  • Funding for qualified teachers to enroll in a graduate program that prepares them for leadership at the building and district levels.

  • Regionally-focused town hall meetings with local stakeholders to identify challenges related to recruiting and retaining diverse leaders.

  • Inquiry-based professional development programs for aspiring and current school leaders to strengthen their skills and improve their schools.

  • Research that involves school leaders and higher education faculty from programs across the state to better understand the challenges and successful strategies used in the field.

“Research and experience reveal that diverse leaders have significant benefits for schools, including defining and articulating a clear vision and mission, increasing recruitment and retention rates, curating positive school cultures and climates, elevating teachers’ voices, increasing family and community engagement, and most importantly enhancing student outcomes,” said Regent Chancellor Young.

For more information, visit https://www.stonybrook.edu/spd/edleadership/dei-grant/

by -
0 1078
Timothy Glotch. Photo from SBU

By Daniel Dunaief

It’s almost easier to figure out what makes Earth unique among the planets than it is to list the ways humans are unique among Earth’s inhabitants. Earth is, after all, the only blue planet, filled with water from which humans, and so many other creatures, evolved. It is also the only planet on which seven enormous plates deep beneath the surface move. These unique features have led scientists to expect certain features that give Earth its unique geological footprint.

Not so fast.

According to a recent paper in the high-profile journal Nature in which Timothy Glotch, Professor of Geosciences at Stony Brook University, was a co-author, the moon has a vast swath of over 50 kilometers of granite in the Compton-Belkovich Volcanic complex, which is on the its far side. 

Usually formed from plate tectonics of water bearing magma, the presence of this granite, which appears in greater quantities around the Earth, is something of a planetary mystery.

“Granites are extremely rare outside of Earth,” said Glotch. “Its formation process must be so different, which makes them interesting.”

The researchers on this paper, including lead author Matt Siegler, a scientist at the Planetary Science Institute, suggest a range of possibilities for how the granite formed. Over three billion years ago, the moon, which, like the Earth, is over 4.5 billion years old, had lava that erupted to form the Compton-Belkovich Volcanic Complex, or CBVC. Researchers think most volcanic activity on the moon ended about two billion years ago.

This illustration shows the Compton-Belkovich Volcanic Complex (CBVC) on the Moon’s far side and the boxed area indicated a large granite zone, which could not be picked up by topography. Image courtesy of Matthew Siegler/Planetary Science Institute/Nature

The magma formed as a result of a melting of a small portion of the lunar mantle. Melting could have been caused by the addition of water or the movement of hot material closer to the surface. Scientists are not completely sure about the current nature of the lunar core.

As for the granite, it might have come from fractionation, in which particles separate during a transition from different phases, in this case from a hot liquid like magma to a solid.

Additionally, the presence of granite could suggest that some parts of the moon had more water than others.

“There are other geochemical arguments you could make,” Glotch said. “What we really need are to find more samples and bring them back to Earth.”

The analysis of granite on the moon came from numerous distant sources, as well as from the study of a few samples returned during the Apollo space missions. The last time people set foot on the moon was on the Apollo 17 mission, which returned to Earth on Dec. 19, 1972.

A 10-year process

The search and study of granite on the moon involved a collaboration between Glotch and Siegler, who have known each other for about 18 years. The two met when Glotch was a postdoctoral researcher and Siegler was a graduate student.

In 2010, Glotch published a paper in the journal Science in which he identified areas that have compositions that are similar to granite, or rhyolite, which is the volcanic equivalent.

Since that paper, Glotch and others have published several research studies that have further characterized granitic or rhyolitic materials, but those are “still relatively rare,” Glotch said.

Long distance monitoring

Led by Siegler and his postdoctoral researcher Jiangqing Feng, the team gathered information from several sources, including microwave data from Chinese satellites, which are sensitive to the heat flow under the surface.

The team also used the Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment, which is a NASA instrument on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, that measures surface temperatures.

Part of the discovery of the silicic sites on the moon comes from the identification of the element thorium, which the Lunar Prospector Gamma Ray Spectrometer found. Similar to uranium or plutonium, thorium is radioactive and decays.

Another piece of data came from the Grail mission, which measures the lunar gravity field.

Glotch suggested that the study involved a “daisy chain of observations.” In his role, he tried to identify sites that might be rich in granite, while Siegler applied new data to these areas to learn more about the underground volcanic plumbing.

In addition to doing long distance monitoring, Glotch engages in long distance recreational activities. The Stony Brook professor is preparing for a November 11th run in Maryland that will cover 50 miles. He expects it will take him about 10 or 11 hours to complete. 

Looking at other planets

By analyzing granite on the moon, which could reveal its early history, geologists might also turn that same analysis back to the Earth.

“Can we use the results of this study to take a more nuanced view of granite formations on Earth or other bodies in our solar system?” Glotch asked. “We can learn a lot, not just about the moon, but about planetary evolution.”

NASA is planning a DAVINCI+ mission to Venus in the coming decade, while a European mission is also scheduled for Venus. Some researchers have suggested that Venusian terrains, which are referred to as Tesserae, might be granitic.

“If Venus has continent-like structures made of granite, that’s interesting, because Venus does not appear to have plate tectonics either,” Glotch said.

Closer to Earth, some upcoming missions may offer a better understanding of lunar granite. The first is a small orbiter called Lunar Trailblazer that will have sensitive remote instruments. The second is a part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, which will include a small lander and rover that will land on the Gruithuisen Domes.

Conference in Italy

In the shorter term, Glotch and Siegler plan to attend the 10th Hutton Symposium in Italy.

Glotch is eager to discuss the work with researchers who are not planetary scientists to “get their take on this.”

He is excited by the recent planetary decadal survey, which highlighted several priorities, which include lunar research.

In his opinion, Glotch believes the survey includes more high priority lunary science than in previous such surveys.

Countries including India, China, Israel and Japan have a renewed national interest in the moon. South Korea currently has an orbiter at the moon.

All this attention makes the moon a “really good target for U.S. science to maintain our leadership position, as well as providing a tool for geopolitical cooperation,” Glotch added.

Prev1...323334...110Next Page 33 of 110
TBR News Media is your local news and entertainment website.
We provide you with the latest breaking news and information for your community.
Contact us: [email protected]

Most Viewed

©