2015 has been a year of changes in the Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology.  One big change was the departure of Bob Haltiwanger, chairman of the department since 2007, who was recruited away to the University of Georgia.  The Department thrived under Bob’s leadership, including the hiring of seven new faculty members.  He is greatly missed, but we wish him well in his new surroundings. Bob’s departure necessitated another change, I have stepped in as Department chair.  I hope to see the Department continue to grow as it has under Bob.

In addition to Bob’s move, there were multiple retirements this year. Harvard Lyman, David Bynum, and Ken Marcu take with them over 100 years of experience educating and working with the students of Stony Brook.  Though all these departures are keenly felt, there have been many positive developments in the department this year as well.  The Department continued its healthy growth both in our educational mission and our research mission.  The number of students in our undergraduate courses continues to climb and this summer we will roll out our first online Biochemistry course.  Our Master’s program, begun in 2011, accepted its largest entering class ever.  On the research side, funding from research grants continues to grow and there were several exciting advances and faculty awards.

These developments are highlighted in our new and improved Newsletter.  The Newsletter is accessible through the Departmental website.  It will be updated frequently and contains a page for Alumni news.  We hope the Newsletter will not only help alumni keep in touch with the Department, but also with each other.  Please let us know what you are up to.