East End volunteers worked side-by-side with members of the Stony Brook University School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, (SoMAS) to help revitalize Shinnecock Bay. More than 40 residents, friends and neighbors were on hand at this second annual event to help improve the Bay’s condition by restoring eelgrass habitat into areas where it has disappeared.

The group handled 8,200 reproductive shoots, each containing roughly 50 seeds, for a total of approximately 410,000 seeds being dispersed this season.

“Although the problems occurring in the Bay can seem overwhelming — from algal blooms such as brown tides to vanishing shellfish populations — the Shinnecock Bay Restoration Program (ShiRP) is working toward solutions. It is something that the community can get involved with and make a positive impact,” said Christine Santora, Program Coordinator for ShiRP.

The restoration location and method was chosen based on research done by Bradley Peterson, Associate Professor at SoMAS, who has a long history of studying the eelgrass ecology. Shellfish and other marine life depend on this habitat for growth and survival.

 www.shinnecockbay.org

Stony Brook Medicine’s faculty and staff  provide free screenings for many health concerns such as blood pressure, cholesterol, dental, oral cancer, prostate cancer, skin cancer, and vascular disease.

In 2014, 474 people were provided blood pressure and cholesterol screenings at fairs throughout Suffolk County.

Blood pressure screenings are provided eight times a year at Smith Haven Mall. On average, 450 blood pressure screenings  are provided at the mall.  Our prostate cancer team provides screening to an average of 1,000 men each year.  

Community members are offered free screenings every May. To date, 1086 people have received melanoma/skin cancer screenings and in 2014, 21% of those screened were referred for a biopsy.  

Since 2002, Stony Brook’s School of Dental Medicine has provided free dental screenings, cleanings, fluoride treatments, during “Give Kids A Smile Day.” Each February hundreds of children come to the Dental School to receive free treatment plus oral health education.

The Dental School also provides free dental and oral cancer screenings to an additional 200 people during the year. Vascular screenings have been provided since 2011, screening an average of 700 people each year.

The Living Book Project brings together high school teachers and more than 250 students from five districts across Suffolk County to Stony Brook University.

The annual event revolves around themes from a non-fiction book that explores the human condition and comes to “life” through a day of music, movement, art, discussion, theatrical performances and interactive workshops.

Ward Melville High School students perform a play written by Lauren Kaushansky adapted from themes from The Complete Persepolis.

Lauren Kaushansky, a lecturer in Stony Brook’s Professional Education Program and Department of History in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Elizabeth Kelso, an English teacher at Ward Melville High School are co-founders of The Living Book Project. “University faculty, community members and public school teachers provide interdisciplinary experiences, transforming story into advocacy, conversation, art, movement and interactive workshops,” said Kelso.

 For the 2014 event, Kaushansky and Kelso chose Marjane Satrapi’s autobiographical graphic novel The Complete Persepolis, which recounts the author’s life in Iran during the Islamic Revolution.