AVID Strategies is a college readiness program designed to help students develop the skills they need to be successful in college, and Derek, the 6th grade student, expressed in his letter his desire to one day attend Stony Brook, how he couldn’t wait to be a Seawolf, and requested a Stony Brook T-shirt for their group picture.

Dr. Gatteau visited East Irondequoit Middle School in Rochester to meet with Ms.Keita Davis’ class and with Derek, the student who wrote him a letter expressing his desire to one day attend Stony Brook.

Serendipitously, Dr. Gatteau was going to be in Rochester attending a conference that was located in a nearby area.

“When I looked at the letter I realized it was from Rochester, NY, and while I had never been to Rochester before, I was traveling there for work this week! So I reached out to the teacher to see if I could visit the school and surprise Derek and the class with our famous ‘What’s a Seawolf?’ T-shirts.”

After coordinating with the school district, Dr. Gatteau met Ms. Davis, the school principal, the AVID class and Derek. He had the opportunity to talk with the class and answer their questions about college and his role in the University, besides delivering Seawolf swag to the whole class.

Derek and the class were thrilled to hear about college — and especially about Stony Brook — straight from the horse’s mouth.

When asked about his experience, Dr. Gatteau said, “My parents were both elementary school teachers, so education has been an important part of our family. Meeting Derek and the class brought back a lot of wonderful school memories and reminded me how much great teachers impact our lives. A day I will never forget!”

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Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine students and faculty kicked off National Children’s Dental Health month by attending Give Kids A Smile events organized by local dental organizations, Nassau County Dental Society and Suffolk County Dental Society. Children that attended from Long Island communities were provided with free dental screenings, cleanings and fluoride treatments.

Students from the Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine at the Long Island Aquarium in Riverhead for the Give Kids A Smile event organized bu Suffolk County Dental Society.

The Give Kids A Smile program, launched nationally by the American Dental Association in 2003, has helped to bring more than 5.5 million underserved children free oral health services.

Each year, Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine supports the two February events held locally in addition to leading its own back-to-school event in August in its Dental Care Center.

“I consider myself unbelievably lucky to have the opportunity to participate in three Give Kids A Smile events annually,” said student Erin Down. “Though each event is just one day, the lasting impact of helping a child find a dental home is the true success of these missions.”

Erin, who attended the Nassau County Dental Society’s event at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Nassau County, served alongside more than 300 volunteers to provide care to over 900 children.

Dr. Dimitrios Kilimitzoglou, Clinical Associate Professor at the Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine, described the event as the pinnacle of philanthropy, education and community outreach. “It’s a win-win for everyone involved: our dental students, the patients that we treat, and all of the volunteers who donate their skills and time.”

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The Stony Brook University Student Chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) strives to help students develop professionally and to familiarize students with the engineering industry by providing exposure to real-world applications.  The Go Baby Go project involves modifying off-the-shelf toy cars to allow access and mobility for special needs children between the ages of 2 and 7.

Mechanical engineering students with modified toy car.

The organization’s faculty advisor, Professor Anurag Purwar, introduced the students to Keep Moving Forward (KMF), a state-of-the-art, intensive physical therapy outpatient center in Garden City, Long Island. Amanda Kannengeiser, a physical therapist at KMF, has led the Go Baby Go movement for this chapter.

ASME’s collaboration with KMF has been centered around “Go Baby Go,” a project that falls directly in line with the goals of the organization.

“Go Baby Go provided an outlet to utilize my studies for the betterment of the community,” said Brian Clark, Stony Brook ASME’s Public Relations Chair.

The impact and potential of this program is incredible and far reaching. It provides an excellent outlet for engineering students to use their knowledge and expertise to make a great impact. “For kids with mobility issues, these cars are priceless. It gives them the chance not only to explore the world around them but relate to their peers,” Amanda said.

ASME and KMF will continue to collaborate in the future to explore new designs and ideas that could further the impact of this great program.

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