Jason Lee grew up gardening in Brooklyn. Without a backyard, he planted wherever he could find open plots of soil.

Now the Environmental Studies major is seeing his hard work and passion for gardening pay off, as the Sustainability Studies Program works alongside the Faculty Student Association (FSA) to create permaculture gardens across campus.

Permaculture gardening on campus combines hard work with fun.

Lee, like many of the other seniors in the Sustainability Studies program, worked with FSA to research campus gardens around the country and analyze proposed garden sites on campus.

They learned the opportunities and challenges to designing, building and operating a successful campus garden. Then they converted underused grass lawns on the campus into edible, low-maintenance, and easily replicable gardens.

“The goals of the project were to create a garden that would enhance the visual beauty of the campus, provide healthy ingredients for campus dining, facilitate educational and research opportunities and provide opportunities for social interaction,” said Angela Agnello, FSA’s Director of Marketing and Communications.

Permaculture gardening is based on identifying and growing plants that thrive best in the prevailing climate and local environment.

One benefit of Stony Brook’s permaculture garden for students is fresh herbs and vegetables, such as flat-leaf parsley, escarole, bibb lettuce, spinach and peas, which will be used at dining locations on campus.

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On Thursday, Nov. 21, the WSE 381 course at Stony Brook University gave three presentations that were focused on service learning projects. The class of 33 students spent the past fall semester working together in small groups to create a product or activity that also involved a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) component.

Students assist residents at the Long Island State Veterans Home use VR goggles.

In their service learning projects, students applied STEM-related skills including design optimization, systems and subsystem interconnectedness, constraints, trade-offs and side effects, and ethical considerations.

Students enrolled in the class are also a part of the women in science and engineering program (WISE). The WISE program seeks to increase the number of women in science, math and engineering fields through outreach, recruitment and retention efforts.

During the first set of presentations, employers and agencies involved were also  present.  The Career Center has developed strong relationships with non-profit organizations and agencies for many years. The Career Center connects students with these organizations through experiential learning opportunities including service learning, internships, volunteer work and more.

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Students Helping Honduras at Stony Brook University held its first ever Benefit Concert on April 29 in the Student Activities Center, Sidney Gelber Auditorium. The night was full of limitless entertainment, all for a very important cause that the event title made clear: “One Night Para Los Ninos,” or “One Night for the Children.”

Students from all points of campus shared their musical talents for the benefit concert.

Created in 2006, Students Helping Honduras is a non-profit organization that works to alleviate extreme poverty and gang violence in the Central-American country through education and youth empowerment. The organization is currently closing in on $10,000 to build a school, and the concert was the last big fundraiser to help push them over the edge.

“I think this event is smart because it attracts people to donate money to the important cause,” said Ricardo Gonzalez-Argeti, a senior majoring in biology.

The national organization’s goal is to act as a sidekick to those doing work in their own community. According to Students Helping Honduras, they “are a network of students across the country who empower vulnerable children in Honduras to escape the cycle of poverty.”

Hosted by Dallan Ashdown, the official line up included Stony Brook Rock Band The Reptiles, Peter Duffy and his band, Tyler Aigotti, Sal Fratto (Elephant Jake), a solo performance by Tamrym Rosner, Stony Brook Pocket Theater and the High C’s.

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