Press
SoMAS News from Stony Brook University and other sources
Acidification Of Oceans May Contribute To Global Declines Of Shellfish, Study By Stony Brook Scientists Concludes
Rising CO2 levels in atmosphere contribute to lower ocean pH levels, which interfere with development of shellfish larvae
STONY BROOK, N.Y., September 27, 2010 – The acidification of the Earth’s oceans due to rising levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) may be contributing to a global decline of clams, scallops and other shellfish by interfering with the development of shellfish larvae, according to two Stony Brook University scientists, whose findings are published online and in the current issue of PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America) entitled, “Effects of past, present, and future ocean carbon dioxide concentrations on the growth and survival of larval shellfish.”
Images of 36-d-old M. mercenaria grown under different levels of CO2, ∼250, 390, 750, and 1,500 ppm.
Professor Christopher J. Gobler, Ph.D., and Ph.D. candidate Stephanie C. Talmage of the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook conducted experiments to evaluate the impacts of past, present and future ocean acidification on the larvae of two commercially valuable shellfish: the Northern quahog, or hard clam, and the Atlantic bay scallop. The ability of both to produce shells partly depends on ocean water pH. Previous studies have shown that increases in atmospheric CO2 levels can lower the ocean’s pH level, causing it to become more acidic.
“In general, the study of ocean acidification on marine animals is a relatively new field. Ocean acidification has been going on since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution but it has been investigated as a process for less than a decade,” Dr. Gobler said. “People have known about rising levels of CO2 and have been talking about that for decades but had originally assumed the oceans would be able to maintain their pH while they were absorbing this CO2.” The largest contributor to CO2 in the atmosphere and oceans is the burning of fossil fuels, Dr. Gobler said.
While previous studies have demonstrated that shellfish are sensitive to the increases in CO2 projected for the future, “the extent to which the rise in CO2that has occurred since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution has impacted these populations is poorly understood,” the researchers wrote.
While studying the impact of rising global temperatures on shellfish the researchers shifted their focus to another worldwide threat. “Temperatures have risen about 8 percent since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution but carbon dioxide is up 40 percent, increasing over 100 parts per million,” Dr. Gobler said.
The researchers reported that larvae grown at approximately pre-industrial CO2 concentrations of 250 ppm had higher survival rates, grew faster and had thicker and more robust shells than those grown at the modern concentration of about 390 ppm. In addition, larvae that were grown at CO2 concentrations projected to occur later this century developed malformed and eroded shells. The findings may provide insight into future evolutionary pressures of ocean acidification on marine species that form calcium carbonate shells, the authors wrote.
“CO3-2 entering the ocean decreases the availability of carbonate ions (CO3_2) and reduces ocean pH, a process known as ocean acidification,” the authors wrote. “These changes in ocean chemistry may have dire consequences for ocean animals that produce hard parts made from calcium carbonate (CaCO3).”
Other calcifying organisms impacted by ocean acidification include coccolithophores, coral reefs, crustose coralline algae, echinoderms, foraminifera, and pteropods, the authors wrote.
In their experiments with the Northern quahog, Mercenaria mercenaria, and the Atlantic bay scallop, Argopecten irradians, the scientists introduced different levels of CO2 gas to filtered seawater taken from Shinnecock Bay, NY, USA. Shellfish larvae grown under near preindustrial levels of CO2 (250 ppm) displayed the highest rates of metamorphosis, growth, and survival, they found. Those grown under higher levels developed thinner shells. The high CO2 “severely altered the development of the hinge structure of early stage bivalves. As CO2 levels increased from approximately 250 to 1,500 ppm, there were dramatic declines in the size, integrity, and connectedness of the hinge.” That can impact the ability of the shellfish to feed, they wrote. This research was conducted on the Southampton campus of Stony Brook.
“Our findings regarding the effects of future CO2 levels on larval shellfish are consistent with recent investigations of ocean acidification demonstrating that calcifying organisms will experience declines in survival and growth, as well as malformed CaCO3 shells and hard parts,” they wrote. “However, our examination of the development of larval shellfish at levels of CO2 present before the industrialization of the planet provides important insight regarding the potential effects ocean acidification has had on calcifying organisms during the past two hundred years.”
Together with rising global temperatures, pollution and algae blooms, ocean acidification can have a devastating impact on shellfish populations, Dr. Gobler said. “There a lot of efforts right now to bring back our shellfish in New York and around the world, but this study demonstrates this could be more difficult than anticipated,” he said. While some threats such as overharvesting can be dealt with through limits on licenses and off-limits areas, “when you’re dealing with a global phenomenon it’s harder to counteract.”
About the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University
The School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) is the State University of New York’s center for marine and atmospheric research, education, and public service. With more than 85 faculty and staff and more than 500 students engaged in interdisciplinary research and education, SoMAS is at the forefront of advancing knowledge and discovering and resolving environmental challenges affecting the oceans and atmosphere on both regional and global scales.
Stony Brook University Establishes Advisory Committee to Develop Business Plan For Usage of Southampton Facilities
STONY BROOK, NY, July 23, 2010 – Stony Brook University has established an Advisory Committee to help guide best practice academic and functional utilization opportunities for the 82-acre property and facilities at Stony Brook Southampton. The Committee consists of Stony Brook University leadership; business, planning and local delegates from Southampton and Long Island at-large; and representatives from State University of New York (SUNY) System Administration and other SUNY campuses on Long Island including Farmingdale State College and Suffolk County Community College.
The goal of the committee is to develop plans that are consistent with the academic mission of Stony Brook University, help the educational needs of the East End of Long Island and be fiscally responsible.
“Stony Brook is committed to finding new opportunities at Southampton that fulfill our mission of teaching and research and that are revenue neutral, and I believe the Advisory Committee members are committed to this,” said Stony Brook University Provost and Sr. Vice President for Academic Affairs, Eric Kaler, co-chair of the Committee with Diana Weir, Executive Vice President of Long Island Housing Partnership, Inc., and a member of the Stony Brook Council. “To that end, we will look toward developing a business plan during the fall of this year that enables the best possible uses for this tremendous asset.”
Some of the concepts that are under consideration include developing the campus as a center of excellence for the creative arts; maintaining and growing programs in the Marine Sciences; providing sought-after graduate programs via direct, distance learning, or blended courses; and exploring its use by other SUNY campuses.
While the Masters in Fine Arts program in Writing and Literature and Marine Sciences lab remain vital assets at Southampton, the residential and undergraduate programs at Southampton were relocated to the Stony Brook main campus beginning in the Fall 2010 due to the high cost of running an undergraduate satellite facility. This decision followed more than two years of multi-million-dollar State funding cuts to Stony Brook University. State imposed cuts amount to nearly $60 million since 2008, and were accompanied by two years of State-initiated tuition increases in which more than 80 percent of tuition revenue was used to reconcile the State budget deficit. With no relief in sight, and facing an enormous deficit under a budget that remains in flux, Stony Brook is streamlining operations, including those at Southampton where the cost of educating a student was 2.5 times greater than on Stony Brook University Main Campus.
Seventy percent of undergraduate students enrolled at Southampton were School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences majors who will continue their studies on the main campus and will continue to utilize the Marine Science Lab at Southampton for research purposes. The majority of the 61 students enrolled in one of the five sustainability majors at Southampton will continue their studies in the Sustainability Studies Program under the direction of Professor Martin Schoonen on the Stony Brook main campus. In total, there were 373 full and part time undergraduate students taking classes at Southampton who considered it their home campus. Students at the graduate level and west campus undergraduates taking classes at Southampton or using the Marine lab facilities brought the total number of students studying at Southampton to 477.
“We are looking at programs that might be more attractive to local residents and non residential students and we are considering several programs that may match the demographics of the community better,” said Committee Co-chair Diana Weir. “Stony Brook is not closing the campus or selling the property. There is a very strong commitment to maintaining the location as a vital and vibrant place for teaching and research.”
STONY BROOK SOUTHAMPTON
ADVISORY COUNCIL MEMBERS
Co-Chairs
Diana Weir
Stony Brook Council
Executive Vice President
Long Island Housing Partnership, Inc.
Eric W. Kaler
Provost and Sr. Vice President for Academic Affairs
Vice President for Brookhaven Affairs
Stony Brook University
Members
Richard D. Britton
College Associate Dean
for General Education
Suffolk County Community College
Lucia Cepriano
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Farmingdale State College (SUNY)
Barbara Chernow
Vice President, Facilities and Services
Stony Brook University
Steve Kenny
Community Resident
Remsenburg, NY
David LaVallee
SUNY Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
SUNY System Administration
Craig Lehmann
Dean, School of Health Technology and Management
Stony Brook University
Bob Martin
Former Chair of the Dean’s Council
Stony Brook Southampton
Laura Baudo Sillerman
Community Resident
Southampton, NY
Richard E. Warren, AICP, President
Chair, Southampton Business Alliance
Inter-Science Research Associates, Inc.
Environmental Planning & Development Consultants
Southampton, NY
Michael White
Executive Director
Long Island Regional Planning Council
Syosset, New York
Kenneth Wright
Wright & Company Construction
Southampton, New York
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Stony Brook University Announces New Funding To Study Mercury In Seafood
After personal experience with mercury poisoning, Richard Gelfond (’76) establishes new fund.
STONY BROOK, NY, May 7, 2010 – Stony Brook University has received a $1 million gift to improve understanding of environmental cycling and public health effects of mercury.
The Gelfond fund for Mercury Related Research and Outreach, established by Richard Gelfond, CEO and Director of IMAX Corporation and Chairman of the Stony Brook Foundation, will advance scientific understanding of methylmercury accumulation in human diets and its effects on human health.
Almost 25% of all NYC adults and nearly 50% of Asian New Yorkers are estimated to have blood mercury levels at or over the NY State reportable level, according to a 2007 study by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Humans are primarily exposed to mercury through consumption of seafood which contains methylmercury. While all fish have some contamination, the bigger, longer-lived fish such as shark, swordfish, and species of larger tuna have the highest levels.
“It is my hope that this program will highlight the dangers of methylmercury toxicity in the environment and lead to a greater understanding of the sources of toxicity and how that can be reduced,” said Mr. Gelfond, who personally experienced mercury poisoning related to frequent consumption of mercury-rich fish. “I also hope that the research will help physicians in diagnosing and treating this debilitating condition. SBU’s Consortium for Interdisciplinary Environmental Research (CIDER) is the perfect place to administer the gift because of its expertise in the relationship between health and the environment.”
“Mr. Gelfond’s generous donation will help to advance the science concerning mercury in the environment and its impact on marine life and on people who consume that marine life,” said Samuel L. Stanley, Jr., MD, president of Stony Brook University. “It is our hope that this research will better inform both the medical community and the general public about the symptoms and dangers of mercury poisoning and lead to the development of better treatments for poisoning.”
“We want to assure that physicians are aware of the risks associated with consuming certain kinds of seafood and are delighted to have the participation of a group of medical experts focused on informing the medical community. In addition, this fund will support research into better understanding mercury cycling and accumulation in marine fish,” said Dr. Nicholas Fisher, Distinguished Professor in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) and Director of the Consortium for Interdisciplinary Environmental Research (CIDER.)
A more detailed description of the “Areas of Focus” for the Gelfond Fund for Mercury Related Research and Outreach are listed below.
Information about safe seafood consumption can be found at
http://www.epa.gov/fishadvisories/advice/
Information about the NYCHANES study can be found at
http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/pr2007/pr059-07.shtml
More information about CIDER at: http://www.stonybrook.edu/cider/
THE GELFOND FUND FOR MERCURY RELATED RESEARCH & OUTREACH
CENTER FOR INTERDISCIPLINARY ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY
I. Informing the medical community about the risks of mercury exposure associated with the consumption of seafood. A physician education working group is currently developing materials to inform physicians on how to recognize the signs and symptoms of overexposure, and to describe the treatment options available. An on-line continuing medical education course will also be developed through Stony Brook University Medical Center.
II. Informing the public on how to enjoy the health benefits of seafood while avoiding the most heavily contaminated species of seafood. Many people are still unaware of the health effects of consuming seafood. The project aims to provide information to help the public become informed consumers.
III. Developing a better understanding of which fish, including those in New York coastal waters, have the most elevated levels of mercury. While it is known that some large fish such as tuna and swordfish have high levels of mercury, there remain many unknowns on other fish that are commonly consumed. Research is underway to examine fish mercury levels from Long Island waters.
IV. Promoting research on the mechanisms of toxicity of methylmercury to adult humans. While many toxicological studies have focused on the risks of mercury consumption by pregnant women to fetuses and newborns there has been comparatively little study on adult populations. The project aims to examine how prevalent elevated mercury levels are in adults in the New York area, to examine the health effects of these elevated mercury levels, and to investigate what can be done about it. \
SBU Dean of the School of Marine Sciences Appointed NSF Director, Division of Ocean Sciences
SoMAS Dean Dr. David O. Conover will retain faculty appointment at Stony Brook University
STONY BROOK, NY, April 28, 2010 – Dr. David O. Conover, Dean of the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) at Stony Brook University, has accepted a position as the Director of the Division of Ocean Sciences with the National Science Foundation (NSF), effective July 19, 2010. Dr. Conover has served with distinction as Dean of SoMAS for the past seven years, and will remain a faculty member with SoMAS during his service to the NSF.
Conover joined the faculty of Stony Brook University in 1981 and became Dean in 2003. Under his leadership, SoMAS has greatly expanded its faculty, added two undergraduate majors, increased its enrollment more than five-fold, acquired new waterfront research and education facilities, attracted state funding to build a new $7 million marine lab, and greatly amplified its endowments. Conover founded and serves as the Executive Director of the New York Marine Sciences Consortium, representing 27 academic institutions with marine science expertise in the state. He has served on boards of the New York Sea Grant Institute, the Consortium for Ocean Leadership, and the National Association of Marine Laboratories. Dr. Conover also serves as the SUNY Chancellor’s designee on the New York Ocean and Great Lakes Ecosystem Conservation Council, which is charged with designing ecosystem-based approaches for managing New York’s aquatic resources.
“My entire professional career has been based at Stony Brook and it has been a wonderful experience, including the great honor and privilege to serve as Dean. My enthusiasm for SoMAS and SBU remains exceedingly high, but the NSF position provides an unparalleled opportunity for me to work on ocean science and policy issues in D.C. on a national and international scale and to give something back to a premier organization (NSF) that has been instrumental to my career and the careers of so many other students and faculty. I look forward to the challenge”.
As one of the world’s leading experts on the ecology of marine fishes and fisheries science, Conover has authored over 100 papers including many in leading journals such as Nature and Science. His most recent research, funded by the NSF and the Institute for Ocean Conservation Science, involves determination of the long-term evolutionary (Darwinian) impacts of size-selective harvest regimes on the productivity of marine fish stocks. In 1997-98, Conover was named as the first recipient of the Mote Eminent Scholar Chair in fisheries ecology, a prestigious international award honoring those who have made major advances in the understanding of harvested marine resources. He also received the Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellowship in 2005.
Conover received his B.S., 1975 (with honors), Biology, Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, FL and his M.S. (1979) and Ph.D. (1982) in Fisheries Biology from University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
“I am proud David has accepted this Directorship with the NSF,” said Eric W. Kaler, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. “This appointment is the lead position in Ocean Sciences, which is the largest division at NSF, and it is great recognition of David’s work at Stony Brook. Personally, I will very much miss his leadership and his sound advice.”
In this position Conover will oversee a budget in excess of $300 million, including several major international programs such as the International Ocean Drilling Program (IODP), the Ocean Observatory Initiative (OOI), and the core programs in Ocean Sciences. Conover will also represent NSF on many of the inter-agency committees that involve ocean science and policy issues on a national and international scale in Washington D.C.
For local editors: Conover resides in Stony Brook, NY with his wife Margaret. They have two children, Adam and Emily.
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Part of the State University of New York system, Stony Brook University encompasses 200 buildings on 1,600 acres. In the 50+ years since its founding, the University has grown tremendously, now with nearly 24,000 students and 2,100 faculty, and is recognized as one of the nation’s important centers of learning and scholarship. It is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities, and ranks among the top 100 national universities in America and among the top 50 public national universities in the country according to the 2008 U.S. News & World Report survey. Considered one of the “flagship” campuses in the SUNY system, Stony Brook University co-manages Brookhaven National Laboratory , joining an elite group of universities, including Berkeley, University of Chicago, Cornell, MIT, and Princeton, that run federal research and development laboratories. SBU is a driving force of the Long Island economy, with an annual economic impact of $4.65 billion, generating nearly 60,000 jobs, and accounts for nearly 4% of all economic activity in Nassau and Suffolk counties, and roughly 7.5 percent of total jobs in Suffolk County.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering. In fiscal year (FY) 2010, its budget is about $6.9 billion. NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives over 45,000 competitive requests for funding, and makes over 11,500 new funding awards. NSF also awards over $400 million in professional and service contracts yearly.
Stony Brook Poll Documents Strong Support Among University Faculty for the PHEEIA Legislation as a Solution to the University’s Budget Woes
Faculty support all provisions of the PHEEIA legislation
Strong support for increased tuition at university centers; widespread pessimism if PHEEIA is not passed
STONY BROOK, N.Y., April 13, 2010 – The Center for Survey Research at Stony Brook University polled university faculty and non-teaching professionals on their opinions concerning the Public Higher Education Empowerment and Innovation Act (PHEEIA). Roughly 330 faculty and 116 non-teaching professional staff were surveyed for the study. [A complete review of the results can be found on the Stony Brook University Senate website.]
Faculty supported the PHEEIA provisions across the board, and expressed strong support for the legislation. A majority of faculty and a majority or plurality of staff supported giving greater control of tuition to the SUNY Board of Trustees, letting tuition increase up to $400 per year for the next ten years, and allowing the four SUNY university centers (including Stony Brook) to charge higher tuition than other SUNY campuses. A majority also supported relaxing state control of public-private partnerships on campus.
According to Professor Leonie Huddy, Director of the Center for Survey Research, “Stony Brook University faculty are pessimistic about the future and see the PHEEIA legislation as the only solution to the university’s current budget woes. Faculty see some flaws in the legislation but believe that tuition will have to increase and come under direct SUNY control to maintain educational excellence at Stony Brook and prevent further declines in university faculty and staff.”
Faculty and staff reported widespread pessimism if the PHEEIA legislation is not passed. Without it, most foresee a decline in university faculty over the next five years. If the legislation passes, however, a majority are optimistic that the university can grow. As one faculty respondent said about PHEEIA, “It is a rare opportunity to change the way the university is funded in New York state; it is an opportunity that we will have to make work. It comes with pitfalls and dangers like all opportunities, but it should not be allowed to slip away.”
Key Survey Findings:
- Broad support for PHEEIA. 75% of faculty and professional staff support PHEEIA; 52% support it strongly. Broad support for the legislation exists across the campus, covering the health sciences, engineering, arts and sciences, marine sciences and journalism, and existed at all faculty academic ranks. Professional staff were somewhat less supportive than faculty of the legislation.
- Want Control of tuition shifted to SUNY. Almost four-fifths (79%) of Stony Brook faculty and professional staff supported transferring the power to set tuition from the legislature to the SUNY Board of Trustees. Almost 9 out of 10 faculty (88%) supported this aspect of the legislation.
- Support Tuition Increase: Roughly 80% of faculty and staff support an increase in tuition up to 2.5 times the Higher Education Price Index, resulting in possible tuition increases of roughly $400 per year for up to 10 years. Almost 9 in 10 faculty supported this provision of the legislation.
- Favor differential (higher) tuition at the University centers: 83% of faculty and non-teaching professionals (and almost 90% of faculty) support higher tuition at the SUNY University centers– Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, and Stony Brook.
- Positive, but more qualified support for private-public partnerships: The PHEEIA legislation loosens state control of public-private partnerships, and faculty and professional staff favored this but with some misgivings. Two-thirds (66%) of faculty and professional staff support expanded public-private partnerships on campus, but a majority also expressed concern about environmental protections in this aspect of the legislation. And a majority or near majority were concerned that this would weaken union protections for campus workers and increase the number of non-union workers.
- Pessimism if PHEEIA is not passed. Over 7 in 10 faculty and professional staff believe that the number of faculty and staff at the university will decrease over the next 5 years without PHEEIA. In contrast, 73% think there will be an increase in faculty and staff if the legislation is passed.
Methodology
The Stony Brook University Center for Survey Research conducted this survey on the web between March 25 and March 31, 2010. All full-time faculty and non-teaching professionals who are represented by the University Senate (all full time employees who pay dues to United University Professionals — UUP –and are employed in the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, East and West campus libraries, Health Science Center, Southampton and Journalism) were invited to participate. A total of 333 faculty and 116 professional staff participated in the survey, for an overall response rate of 30%. The survey respondents are broadly representative of the faculty and staff invited to take the survey. Fully 47% of the faculty respondents held the rank of professor.
About the Stony Brook University Center for Survey Research
The SBU Center for Survey Research is a high quality survey research facility that conducts telephone, web, and mail surveys on Long Island, New York state, and the nation. The Center received initial funding in 2000 from the National Science Foundation and has conducted numerous polls and surveys funded by Newsday, Suffolk county, the Long Island Sound Study group, New York state, the National Science Foundation, the Environmental Protection Agency, various other government agencies, and local non-profit groups. The Center has conducted all polls for the Long Island Index since 2005. Professor Leonie Huddy, Director of the Center for Survey Research, frequently appears on national CBS radio as an exit poll analyst. Polls conducted by the center have received extensive media coverage in Newsday, the New York Times, and other news sources around the country. A more complete description of the projects conducted by the Center for Survey Research can be found at http://www.sunysb.edu/~surveys/.
For more information contact:
Leonie Huddy, Director
Center for Survey Research
(516) 680-3574 (through 4/14/10)
(508) 866-0910 (after 4/14/10)
Severe State Funding Reductions Force Stony Brook University to Make Strategic Cuts
(Stony Brook, NY, April 7, 2010) — Faced with a 20% reduction, amounting to nearly $55 million, in New York State financial support over the past two years, Stony Brook University announced today that it has been forced to make strategic cuts and streamline operations at its various locations.
“With no apparent relief from Albany, we must be fiscally responsible and live within our means,” said SBU President Dr. Samuel L. Stanley, Jr. “With so many millions of dollars slashed from our budget, we have to be extremely diligent and prudent, and not stray from the core elements of our missions of research and teaching. Practically, this means we have to target programmatic reductions, eliminate those that are relatively expensive and impact a small number of students, and can be made in the framework of tenure and unionization constraints.”
Stony Brook has already reduced its budget by some $20 million in an effort to offset the severe loss in state funding. The remaining budget cuts total about $34 million, the deficit the university is facing in the coming fiscal year. West campus will absorb $27 million, through a variety of measures, including reductions in administrative support and academic programs. In addition, SBU will reduce operations at its external locations and facilities, including closing one of its Manhattan spaces and suspending the residential program and new undergraduate admissions at Stony Brook Southampton. There will also be some still-to-be-determined job losses.
“To continue to be among the top public research universities in the country in these challenging economic times, we need to be as efficient as possible,” Stanley said. “This strategic realignment helps us achieve this goal.”
Stanley stressed that, despite closing the residence halls at the Southampton location, “we remain steadfast in our commitment to research and teaching at the site,” most notably in the Marine Station of the pioneering School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (SoMAS), the world-acclaimed Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing degree program, and the renowned Southampton Writers Workshop.
Stanley explained that $6 million annually will be saved by making Southampton a non-residential location, and another $1 million in savings will be realized by closing one of its Manhattan spaces.
“We’ve worked hard to find cost savings that will least affect the academic experience and not interfere with our students’ ability to graduate on time,” he said.
In fact, he pointed out that the university is enacting a number of immediate measures to ensure that students experience minimal impact as they work towards their degrees and on-time graduation. For example, it is expanding its summer academic programs at West campus and enhancing its student advisement services to assist students at Southampton so that they can continue their studies on West campus without losing credits.
Moreover, academic programs that will no longer be offered at the Southampton location will be offered at West campus. Prospective students who have been offered positions at Southampton will also be able to matriculate at West campus or receive a full refund of their application fee should they choose to go elsewhere.
SoMAS students will continue to take some of their fieldwork and laboratory classes at Southampton, with the remainder of their coursework at West campus. Bus service between the two campuses, which has been in operation since the Southampton location opened in 2006, will continue in order to accommodate these students. Students currently residing in the Southampton dorms will be given priority housing opportunities at West campus.
The move to a non-residential site takes effect this summer. A majority of operations will be consolidated into Chancellor’s Hall. The dormitories will remain open for use until the end of August. All buildings will be maintained so that they could be re-opened to meet future needs.
Frequently asked questions are now available on the Stony Brook Southampton Web site.
Mount Sinai High School Wins 9th Annual Bay Scallop Bowl At SBU; Will Represent NY State In National Competition For Second Year in a Row
Winning team members awarded $1,000 each and a trip to St. Petersburg, Florida
STONY BROOK, NY, March 9, 2010–Mount Sinai High School defeated Bronx High School of Science to win the 9th Annual Bay Scallop Bowl held at Stony Brook University on March 6, 2010.
Winners of the 9th Annual Bay Scallop Bowl: Mount Sinai High School. From L-R: Coach David Chase, Coach Andrew Matthews, Russell Leibowitz, Nick O’Mara, Thomas Bundy, David Eberhard, and Kenneth Gunasekera.
The Bay Scallop Bowl is one of 25 regional competitions that take place nationwide as part of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl, an annual competition that tests high school students on their knowledge of oceanography and related disciplines.
Before the competition began, students, parents, coaches, and volunteers were welcomed by SoMAS Dean David Conover, Stony Brook University Provost Eric Kaler, New York State Senator John J. Flanagan, New York Sea Grant Director Jim Ammerman, and Bay Scallop Bowl Co-Coordinator Bill Wise.They all congratulated the students on their participation and encouraged their continued interest in the oceans and our environment.
After many rounds of competition between the 16 participating teams from across New York, Longwood High School, Locust Valley High School, and Bronx High School of Science had each lost only a single round, and last year’s Bay Scallop Bowl winner, Mount Sinai High School School, was undefeated.
Second place winners of the 9th Annual Bay Scallop Bowl: Bronx High School of Science. Back row: Coach Jerry Eng, a Bronx HS supporter, Diptesh Tailor. Front row: ZiXiang Zhang, Kezi Cheng, Ho Chit Siu, and Matias Tong.
Locust Valley High School then defeated Longwood High School to earn a spot in the semi-final match against Bronx High School of Science. Bronx High School won that match and a chance to take on Mount Sinai in the finals.The final face-off was a competitive match between two well-prepared teams. In the end, Mount Sinai earned their second consecutive Bay Scallop Bowl victory and defeated Bronx High School of Science with a score of 67 to 54.
Members of the 1st place Mount Sinai High School team will each receive a cash prize of $1000 and will represent New York in the National Ocean Sciences Bowl finals in St. Petersburg, Florida this April. Each member of the 2nd place team, Bronx High School of Science, will receive a cash prize of $750. Each member of the 3rd place team, Locust Valley High School, will receive $500.
The team from Farmingdale High School was selected for the 2010 Bay Scallop Bowl Sportsmanship Award and won several oceanography books for their team library. The Farmingdale High School team attended Saturday’s event planning only to observe the competition in order to prepare themselves to participate next year. But when another school dropped out, the Farmingdale team was willing to step in at the last minute and compete.
The Bay Scallop Bowl is supported in part by financial contributions from the Consortium for Ocean Leadership, the Alfred and Jane Ross Foundation, the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Battelle Memorial Institute, New York Sea Grant, the Blue Ocean Institute, the Institute for Ocean Conservation Science, and the New York State Marine Education Association. Janet Werner of Deer Park High School donated the oceanographic books for the winners of the Sportsmanship Award.
Participants and volunteers at the 2010 Bay Scallop Bowl held at Stony Brook University.
At the concluding ceremony, Bill Wise thanked his event co-coordinator, Kim Knoll, and volunteer coordinator, Anne Cooper Ellefson, as well as the more than 80 volunteers required to make the event a success. He told the students: “The Bay Scallop Bowl is an opportunity to learn as much as you can about our oceans then pit yourself against other people who know the material quite well and see how you stack up. It has been wonderful to see the enthusiasm and good sportsmanship that you brought to the competition this year.”
Sustainable Energy – A Team Effort
From Campus Talk at SUNY Stony Brook Sustainable Energy: A Team Effort by Mike D’Alto
With environmental concerns, such as global wanning, oil drilling, air/water/land pollution and deforestation plaguing our world today, the time is now to help repair the damage we’ve caused and hopefully prevent more widespread problems for the next generation. So, how can we all do our part?
I recently visited SUNY Stony Brook, which has developed a Sustainability Studies Program for undergraduates. As Program Director Martin Schoonen describes it, ”It is a multi-faceted, nontraditional program that combines many different disciplines, including economics, social sciences and politics. It’s a wholesale approach to teach students how to find energy solutions based on the economic impact, as well as societal behavior towards them.”
According to Schoonen, the United States is way behind other countries in terms of sustainable energy. “Other countries have key patents in tenus of solar panels, wind turbines and nuclear energy. Our resources will eventually run out; solar and wind technology need momentum and we need to learn how to conserve our resources.”
Jason Rubin, a senior from Lindenhurst, and Melissa Czerniawski, a junior from Blue Point, stressed how important this program is in bringing our country closer to alternative energy solutions.
”This program covers all the basics of development, infrastructure, government policies – everything in terms of implementing new energy,” Jason said. “I used to think, ‘Why aren’t great ideas immediately
put into place?’ but thanks to this program I understand that it’s not so simple – it’s a long process.”
Melissa, who is president of the Environmental Club on campus, agreed. “We learn leadership training, conflict managing, advocacy and other topics,” she said. “It’s hands on for your mind.”
What about those of us who aren’t under such an encompassing college program; what can we do to help the cause?
“Raising awareness is the first step,” said Program Coordinator Ginny Clancy. “Also, people should stop drinking bottled water.” Schoonen offered, “Turn off the lights when you’re not in the room. Also, if we all ate less red meat, the energy savings would be like taking thousands of cars off the road.”
For those in charge of policy decisions, Rubin recommended, “We need more micromanagement to ensure these new sources are used properly.” Czerniawski, meanwhile, suggested, ”’This country needs to step out of its comfort zone and get off our addiction to oil.” She also said we could all do our part by following one simple rule: “Watch your own energy use everyday, and think about how it affects the natural world around you.”
2010 Press
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Jul 23, 2010 – Stony Brook University has established an Advisory Committee to help guide best practice academic and functional utilization opportunities for the 82-acre property and facilities at Stony Brook Southampton. The Committee consists of Stony Brook University leadership; business, planning and local delegates from Southampton and Long Island at-large; and representatives from State University of New York (SUNY) System Administration and other SUNY campuses on Long Island including Farmingdale State College and Suffolk County Community College.
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- Stony Brook University Honors Outstanding Faculty Achievements at Annual Event (SBU)
More than 50 Stony Brook University faculty members were honored at the annual Faculty Achievement dinner at Watermill Caterers on November 3. Established in 1992, the event recognizes those who received prestigious national and international fellowships, honors, and awards during the previous academic year.
Dec 3, 2010 – 9:42:15 AM - Team of Researchers Find Evidence of Fire in Antarctic Ice (SBU)
A team of scientists studying Antarctic ice cores have found surprising evidence of a fluctuating pattern of carbon monoxide concentrations in the Earth’s atmosphere caused by biomass burning in the Southern Hemisphere over the past 650 years.
Dec 2, 2010 – 12:19:01 PM - Vitamins Identified As Key Nutrient Which May Promote Harmful Algal Blooms in Coastal Waters (SBU)
Harmful algal blooms, which negatively affect coastal ecosystems, public health, economies and fisheries around the world, may be promoted by vitamins B-1 and B-12 according to Stony Brook University scientists, whose findings were published online and in the current issue of PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) in an article entitled, “Most harmful algal bloom species are vitamin B-1 and B-12 auxotrophs.”
Dec 1, 2010 – 12:27:07 PM - Institute For Ocean Conservation Science Helps Launch Stony Brook University’s Master Of Arts Program In Marine Conservation And Policy (SBU)
Scientists from the Institute for Ocean Conservation Science at Stony Brook University (SBU), who also are members of the university’s faculty, are teaching the first course offered through the new graduate program, M.A. in Marine Conservation and Policy. SBU’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) launched the new program at the start of the 2010 fall semester. It is the first program of its kind in New York State and one of only a few such programs in the country.
Nov 22, 2010 – 10:36:24 AM - Acidification Of Oceans May Contribute To Global Declines Of Shellfish, Study By Stony Brook Scientists Concludes (SBU)
The acidification of the Earth’s oceans due to rising levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) may be contributing to a global decline of clams, scallops and other shellfish by interfering with the development of shellfish larvae, according to two Stony Brook University scientists.
Sep 27, 2010 – 11:45:48 AM - First Multi-Year Nearshore Survey Of Antarctic Krill Reveals High Density, Stable Population In Shallow, Coastal Waters (SBU)
Using smaller vessels that allow access to shallow, nearshore waters, researchers from Stony Brook University and the Southwest Fisheries Science Center conducted the first multi-year survey of the population of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) in coastal waters near Livingston Island and discovered that nearshore waters had significantly higher krill biomass density than offshore waters. They also found that the nearshore waters had less interannual variation than offshore waters.
Aug 4, 2010 – 12:59:06 PM - Stony Brook University Establishes Advisory Committee to Develop Business Plan For Usage of Southampton Facilities (SBU)
Stony Brook University has established an Advisory Committee to help guide best practice academic and functional utilization opportunities for the 82-acre property and facilities at Stony Brook Southampton.
Jul 23, 2010 – 6:27:30 PM - Stony Brook University To Offer New Master Of Arts Program In Marine Conservation And Policy Beginning In Fall 2010 (SBU)
A new master’s program in Marine Conservation and Policy will be offered by Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) beginning with the fall 2010 semester.
Jun 25, 2010 – 10:50:46 AM - Stony Brook University Announces New Funding To Study Mercury In Seafood (SBU)
The Gelfond fund for Mercury Related Research and Outreach, established by Richard Gelfond, CEO and Director of IMAX Corporation and Chairman of the Stony Brook Foundation, will advance scientific understanding of methylmercury accumulation in human diets and its effects on human health.
May 7, 2010 – 10:54:22 AM - SBU Dean of the School of Marine Sciences Appointed NSF Director, Division of Ocean Sciences (SBU)
Dr. David O. Conover, Dean of the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) at Stony Brook University, has accepted a position as the Director of the Division of Ocean Sciences with the National Science Foundation (NSF), effective July 19, 2010. Dr. Conover has served with distinction as Dean of SoMAS for the past seven years, and will remain a faculty member with SoMAS during his service to the NSF.
Apr 28, 2010 – 10:25:29 AM - Stony Brook Poll Documents Strong Support Among University Faculty for the PHEEIA Legislation as a Solution to the University’s Budget Woes (SBU)
At the request of the Stony Brook University Senate, the Center for Survey Research at Stony Brook University polled university faculty and non-teaching professionals on their opinions concerning the Public Higher Education Empowerment and Innovation Act (PHEEIA). Roughly 330 faculty and 116 non-teaching professional staff were surveyed for the study.
Apr 13, 2010 – 10:22:14 AM - Severe State Funding Reductions Force Stony Brook University to Make Strategic Cuts (SBU)
Faced with a 20% reduction, amounting to nearly $55 million, in New York State financial support over the past two years, Stony Brook University announced today that it has been forced to make strategic cuts and streamline operations at its various locations.
Apr 7, 2010 – 10:22:58 AM - Proposed Wind Power Grid To Make Offshore Wind Power More Reliable (SBU)
The energy needs of the entire human population could potentially be met by converting wind energy to electricity by means of wind turbines. While offshore wind power resources are abundant, wind turbines are currently unable to provide steady power due to natural fluctuations in wind direction and strength.
Apr 2, 2010 – 12:30:06 PM - Sturgeon’s plight stokes conservation row AFP, March 19, 2010
A catastrophic fall in wild sturgeon numbers even as more and more of its lucrative caviar is farmed has stoked a bitter row over the best means of conservation — managed catch or outright ban. - No lifeline for species on brink AP, March 19, 2010
Forum rejects request to ban export of bluefin tuna and international sale of polar bear skin, parts - Conservationists say demand for caviar pushing beluga, other sturgeon to brink of extinction Canadian Business, March 18, 2010
Relentless consumer appetite for caviar is pushing sturgeon such as the highly prized beluga to the brink of extinction,a leading conservation group said Thursday. - Caviar hunters push sturgeon to ’extinction’s edge’ Reuters, March 18, 2010
After more than 200 million years, sturgeon are losing a battle for survival to poachers who have hunted the queens of caviar to the verge of extinction, a leading environmental group said on Thursday. - Catch less sturgeon to keep caviar coming Futurity, March 18, 2010
Reducing adult mortality of beluga sturgeon would be more effective than hatchery supplementation in easing a worldwide shortage of caviar. - Mount Sinai High School team wins Bay Scallop Bowl Newsday, March 16, 2009
The team will compete next month against 24 teams nationwide at the 2010 National Ocean Science Bowl Finals in St. Petersburg, Fla. - Pushing for Sea Changes Living on Earth, March 12, 2010
Sharks are routinely hunted for their fins, which are used as a delicacy in shark fin soup. Stony Brook University professor Demian Chapman does DNA research to identify shark species and geographic origin. He tells host Jeff Young why it’s important to regulate international trade of sharks. - BIODIVERSITY: Lucrative Shark Trade Under Scrutiny IPS, March 12, 2009
As climate change transforms the acidity and oxygen levels of the world’s waters with devastating effects for some marine species, others are facing an even more immediate threat from human consumption. - Arguments Against Dolphin Slaughter Dot Earth, March 11, 2010
Louis Psihoyos, the former National Geographic photographer who won an Oscar on Sunday for “The Cove,” his first documentary film, sat down for a conversation with me at the Asia Society on Tuesday on various aspects of the ongoing slaughter of dolphins in Japan and his team’s work exposing the serving of Sei whale meat at The Hump, a sushi restaurant in Santa Monica, Calif. I asked Carl Safina, the marine biologist, ocean campaigner and author, whether he thought utilitarian or ethical arguments dominated the film. - Sushi wars: Battle looms over bluefin tuna The Independent, March 11, 2010
The fate of Atlantic bluefin tuna, eaten to the edge of viability, will be decided in the next two weeks when the world’s nations vote on whether to ban cross-border trade in the dwindling species. - Tuna, elephants up for trade ban Capital News, March 11, 2010
Gathering over 13 days in Doha, Qatar, the 175-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) faces tense debate on how to protect dwindling biodiversity harvested for its alluring cash value. - Mount Sinai High School Wins 9th Annual Bay Scallop Bowl At SBU; Will Represent NY State In National Competition For Second Year in a Row (SBU)
Mount Sinai High School defeated Bronx High School of Science to win the 9th Annual Bay Scallop Bowl held at Stony Brook University on March 6, 2010.
Mar 9, 2010 – 9:37:02 AM - So Long Sushi, US Sides With Bluefin Tuna Voice of America, March 5, 2010
In the 1970s, Carl Safina fished off the U.S. Atlantic coast for bluefin tuna, a majestic warm-blooded predator that travels at highway speeds and can weigh as much as 650 kilograms. - After Two Decades of Delay, A Chance to Save Bluefin Tuna Environment360, March 4, 2010
The obscenely profitable market for bluefin tuna in Japan has led to years of overfishing and left the world’s bluefin population badly depleted. A ban on the bluefin trade, if adopted at international talks this month, would go a long way toward giving this magnificent fish a chance to recover. - Can We Save the Tastiest Fish in the Sea? Discovery News, March 4, 2010
Bluefin tuna are delicious. Whether raw or seared, their deep red, yet light-tasting meat is magic on the tongue. - Conservationists say strict fishing rules work Newsday, February 23, 2010
As thousands of fishermen planned to converge Wednesday on Washington, D.C., to protest a federal law they say is strangling an industry and taking the fun out of recreation, some marine experts contend the rules have been effective in rebuilding stocks – to fishermen’s ultimate benefit. - Clams’ Thin Shells Spell Trouble East Hampton Star, February 18, 2010
Questions raised about town’s mariculture program and global warming. - Four Long Island Finalists In Intel Science Talent Search Mentored By Stony Brook University Faculty (SBU)
Four of the Long Island finalists in the Intel Science Talent Search, the prestigious nationwide research competition, worked with scientists at Stony Brook University and in Stony Brook laboratories. The four high school seniors were among nine finalists from Long Island and represent 10 percent of all the national finalists.
Feb 1, 2010 – 4:37:31 PM - Shark pups born to virgin mothers can survive long-term One India, January 26, 2010
New research has revealed that shark pups born to virgin mothers can survive over the long-term. - Study: Survival rates high for sharks born to virgin moms USA Today, January 26, 2010
Being born of a virgin doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a long life – at least if you’re a shark. - Fatherless shark pups can survive over long term Washington Post, January 25, 2010
Shark offspring born to virgin mothers can survive over the long term, according to a new study published Monday. - Sharks Have No Baby Daddy NBC Chicago, January 25, 2010
Virgin female shark gave birth to two babies - Virgin Shark Birth Pups Living Long, Healthy Lives Discovery News, January 25, 2010
A new study, published in the Journal of Heredity, concludes that sharks born to virgin mothers can survive over the long-term. Two daughters of a white-spotted bamboo shark virgin, for example, are now over five years old. - Study of shark virgin birth shows offspring can survive long term Science Blog, January 25, 2010
Shark pups born to virgin mothers can survive over the long-term, according to new research published Jan. 25, 2010 in the Journal of Heredity. The study shows for the first time that some virgin births can result in viable offspring. - Save the salmon — and us Los Angeles Times, January 24, 2010
The Obama administration’s plan for the Columbia Basin doesn’t go nearly far enough. - Stony Brook Faculty Mentor 34 Of 300 Semifinalists In Nationwide Intel Science Research Competition (SBU)
Thirty-four high school students who worked with Stony Brook University faculty and in Stony Brook laboratories were selected as semifinalists in the Intel Science Talent Search, the prestigious nationwide research competition.
Jan 19, 2010 – 3:10:06 PM - Health of our oceans calls for a unified national policy
Newsday, January 13, 2010
I grew up a Brooklyn boy, drawn to my coastline from the very start. Out with my dad on the boats of Sheepshead Bay. - 10 Things Gourmet Grocers Won’t Tell You
SmartMoney, January 11, 2010
Caviar is typically associated with high-end food, but during the past decade it’s been at the center of certain types of frauds. - Students earn credit while helping marine mission at Riverhead Foundation
27East, January 4, 2010
James Sullivan scuttled from tank to tank one recent Wednesday morning in the Riverhead Foundation’s sea animal and marine mammal hospital, checking to make sure that all the pumps and filters were working.
Four Long Island Finalists In Intel Science Talent Search Mentored By Stony Brook University Faculty
Yuval Calev, Ruoyi Jiang, Paul Masih Das and Joshua Pfeffer Among 40 National Finalists
STONY BROOK, N.Y., February 1, 2010 – Four of the Long Island finalists in the Intel Science Talent Search, the prestigious nationwide research competition, worked with scientists at Stony Brook University and in Stony Brook laboratories. The four high school seniors were among nine finalists from Long Island and represent 10 percent of all the national finalists.
The students are:
Ruoyi Jiang, Ward Melville High School, East Setauket, “Targeting Loop Dynamics in BetaI/BetaIII Isotype Turbulin: The Application of In Silico Techniques in Combating Chemotherapy Drug Resistance,” mentored by Chemistry Professor Dr. Carlos Simmerling;
Yuval Calev, Ward Melville High School, East Setauket, “Language Perception, Production and Memory: A Comparison of Older and Younger Adults”, mentored by Psychology Professor Dr. Arthur Samuel;
Paul Masih Das, Lawrence High School, Cedarhurst, “A Novel Chemical Synthesis for >1 Mu2 Graphene Sheets”, mentored by Materials Science and Engineering Professor Dr. Miriam Rafailovich;
Joshua Pfeffer, North Shore Hebrew Academy, Great Neck, “Super Kahler-Ricci Flow”, mentored by Physics Professor Dr. Martin Rocek.
The students were among 40 high school seniors nationwide named as finalists yesterday. They will make their presentations in Washington, D.C. March 11-16, 2010 and will compete for more than $630,000 in prizes. The top winner will receive $100,000 from the Intel Foundation.
Mr. Jiang was also named the individual Grand Prize winner in the prestigious nationwide 2009 Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology. He conducted his research at Stony Brook University and Brookhaven National Laboratory. “I’m excited for him,” Dr, Simmerling said of Mr. Jiang. “For a high school student he has an amazing knowledge.”
Dr. Samuel said of Mr. Calev, “He’s bright, he has a great attitude. I think that the thing I found most intriguing about him is he seemed really interested in learning. He worked extremely hard. This was a very time intensive project and he put in a huge amount of effort and was always upbeat.” “It’s exciting that my project was recognized as one of the best. That means a lot,” said Mr. Calev, who will attend Cornell University in the fall. “I get to go to Washington in March to present the research, which is also really exciting.”
Dr. Rocek said Mr. Pfeffer’s work grew out of the same ideas used in the solution to what is known as the Poincare Conjecture by Grigori Perelman, who had spent time as a visiting mathematician at Stony Brook. It deals with a conjecture in topology about the shape of mathematical spaces known as manifolds. “I was thrilled to hear that I was chosen as an Intel finalist; it’s really encouraging to hear that a judging panel of scientists and mathematicians is impressed by the research I’ve worked so hard on for the past year and thinks I possess scientific ‘talent,’” said Mr. Pfeffer. “But the award is not nearly as important to me as the experience of researching the ‘Super Kahler-Ricci Flow’, a geometric flow on supermanifolds that I invented this past summer, under the guidance of my mentor, Martin Rocek, a professor at Stony Brook University’s C.N. Yang Institute of Theoretical Physics. Professor Rocek was always willing to spare time from his very busy schedule to discuss my findings and offer his suggestions; his approval and encouragement inspired me to work ever harder to develop my ideas. I am also grateful to the Simons Foundation for sponsoring my research through the Simons Summer Research Program at Stony Brook.”
Dr. Rafailovich said Mr. Masih Das worked in collaboration with his high school science coordinator Rebecca Isseroff and other scientists and institutions to help him with his project. “He performed as a mature scientist, putting together the appropriate group to help him solve this particular problem,” she said. She noted that while the recognition high school students receive through the Intel contest is wonderful, “At the end of the day, Stony Brook has more than 100 students doing first-rate research with great scientists all across campus. The people who do the Intel contest are representative of this larger group of kids who had the honor and unique experience of working with scientists at Stony Brook.”
Of the 300 Intel STS semifinalists announced on January 13, 2010, 34 did their research under the mentorship of Stony Brook faculty from the departments of Anesthesiology, Biochemistry & Cell Biology, Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry, Computer Science, the Dental School-Oral Biology, Ecology & Evolution, Geosciences, Materials Science & Engineering, Medicine, Neurobiology & Behavior, Pharmacological Sciences, Physics & Astronomy, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Psychology, the School of Marine & Atmospheric Sciences, and/or the C.N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics.
Stony Brook Faculty Mentor 34 Of 300 Semifinalists In Nationwide Intel Science Research Competition
Stony Brook University Leading Incubator of High School Talent In New York, As Well As Nation
STONY BROOK, N.Y., January 19, 2010 Thirty-four high school students who worked with Stony Brook University faculty and in Stony Brook laboratories were selected as semifinalists in the Intel Science Talent Search, the prestigious nationwide research competition. The 34 students represent 11 percent of the 300 Intel semifinalists nationwide, making Stony Brook perhaps the largest incubator of Intel talent in the country. On Long Island, this number translates into an unprecedented 56 per cent of the 61 Intel semifinalists.
The compelling numbers reinforced Stony Brook’s reputation in developing the research talents of exceptional high school students. Indeed, over the past ten years Stony Brook University has served as the host research university for approximately 271 Intel semifinalists/finalists.
The students were mentored by Stony Brook faculty from departments throughout the campus, including Anesthesiology, Biochemistry & Cell Biology, Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry, Computer Science, the Dental School-Oral Biology, Ecology & Evolution, Geosciences, Materials Science & Engineering, Medicine, Neurobiology & Behavior, Pharmacological Sciences, Physics & Astronomy, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Psychology, the School of Marine & Atmospheric Sciences, and the C.N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics. Ten semifinalist projects were mentored by faculty in the Department of Chemistry, including the recently announced 2009 Grand Prize winner of the Siemens Competition, Ruoyi Jiang of Ward Melville HS in E. Setauket.
The Stony Brook University advisors who mentored the students include: Dr. Josephine Aller, Dr. Stephen Baines, Dr. Bruce Brownawell, Dr. Benjamin Chu, Dr. James Dilger, Dr. Marivi Fernandez-Serra, Dr. Rita Goldstein, Dr. Nancy Hollingsworth, Dr. Benjamin Hsiao, Dr. Roy Lacey, Dr. James Lattimer, Dr. Joel Levine, Dr. Wei Lin, Dr. Donald Lindsley, Dr. Hanna Nekvasil, Dr. Iwao Ojima, Dr. Dr. Srinivas Pentyala, Dr. Yixian Qin, Dr. W. Quitschke, Dr. Miriam Rafailovich, Dr. Martin Rocek, Dr. Lorna Role, Dr. Dimitris Samaras, Dr. Arthur Samuel, Dr. Valentina Schmidt, Dr. Carlos Simmerling, Dr. Marcia Simon, Dr. Helio Takai, Dr. David Talmage and Dr. Peter Tonge,
Seven of the Intel semifinalists from Ward Melville High School were mentored at Stony Brook including: Yuval Calev (mentored by Dr. Arthur Samuel of Psychology); Conor Diviney (mentored by Dr. Peter Tonge of Chemistry); Ruoji Jiang (mentored by Dr. Carlos Simmerling of Chemistry); Andrew Li (mentored by Dr. Roy Lacey of Chemistry); Pooja Mysore (mentored by Dr. Srinivas Pentyala of Anesthesiology, Physiology & Biophysics, Urology); Rashmi Rao (mentored by Dr. Dimitris Samaras of Computer Science and Dr. Rita Goldstein of BNL) and Nimali Weerasooriva (mentored by Dr. Peter Tonge of Chemistry). A number of the Intel STS semifinalists participated in summer research programs at Stony Brook, including the Garcia Center: Polymers at Engineered Interfaces – Research Scholar Program (5), and the Simons Summer Research Program (12).
The names of the Intel semifinalist students are posted at: http://www.stonybrook.edu/simons/intel.htm.
The 40 Intel finalists will be announced on January 27th.
Scientists Trace Shark Fins Back to their Geographic Origin for the First Time using DNA Detective Work
These breakthrough findings provide strong evidence for enacting international trade protection for hammerhead sharks at the March 2010 CITES meeting in Qatar
December 01, 2009
STONY BROOK, NY, Dec. 1– Millions of shark fins are sold at market each year to satisfy the demand for shark fin soup, a Chinese delicacy, but it has been impossible to pinpoint which sharks from which regions are most threatened by this trade. Now, groundbreaking new DNA research has, for the first time, traced scalloped hammerhead shark fins from the burgeoning Hong Kong market all the way back to the sharks’ geographic origin. In some cases the fins were found to come from endangered populations thousands of miles away. Published online today in the journal Endangered Species Research, the findings highlight the need to better protect these sharks from international trade, a move which will be considered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) at its March 2010 meeting in Qatar. The work was led by the Guy Harvey Research Institute and the Save Our Seas Shark Center at Nova Southeastern University and the Institute for Ocean Conservation Science at Stony Brook University.
The U.S. has proposed that CITES list the scalloped hammerhead and five other shark species under the organization’s Appendix II, which would require permits for, and monitoring of, all trade in these species across international boundaries. Knowing the species and geographic origin of fins being traded would allow management and enforcement efforts to be allocated more effectively.
“Although we’ve known that a few million hammerhead shark fins are sold in global markets, we now have the DNA forensic tools to identify which specific hammerhead species the fins originate from, and in the case of scalloped hammerheads, also what parts of the world these fins are coming from,” said Dr. Mahmood Shivji, senior author on the paper and Director of the Guy Harvey Research Institute (GHRI) and Save Our Seas Shark Center, both at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) in Florida. “This trade has operated for years and years under the cover of darkness,” added lead author, Dr. Demian Chapman, now with the Institute for Ocean Conservation Science at Stony Brook University (SBU) in New York. “Our work shows that the scalloped hammerhead fin trade is sourced from all over the globe and so must be globally tracked and managed.”
The new research paper, “Tracking the fin trade: genetic stock identification in Western Atlantic scalloped hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini),” is published in a special theme issue of Endangered Species Research entitled, “Forensic Methods in Conservation Research.” Using CSI-like methods known as “genetic stock identification” or GSI, Drs. Chapman and Shivji along with Danillo Pinhal of the GHRI and Universidade Estadual Paulista, Brazil, analyzed fingernail-sized DNA samples from 62 scalloped hammerhead shark fins that had been obtained in the Hong Kong fin market. By examining each fin’s mitochondrial DNA sequencea section of the genetic code passed down by the mother and traceable to a sharks’ regional birthplacethe researchers were able to exactly match 57 of the 62 fins to an Atlantic or Indo-Pacific ocean origin. The team also analyzed mitochondrial sequences taken from 177 live scalloped hammerheads in the Western Atlantic and determined that the species is further divided into three distinct stocks in this region: northern (U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico), central (Belize and Panama), and southern (Brazil). The scientists traced 21 percent of the Hong Kong fins back to these Western Atlantic stocks. Scalloped hammerheads in the region have been categorized as endangered by the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) since 2006. This coastal species appears to have collapsed in the western North Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico.
“The premium prices commanded by fins have fueled a global shark hunt of epic proportion,” said Dr. Ellen Pikitch, Executive Director of the Institute for Ocean Conservation Science at SBU, which funded a portion of the research. “Earlier work found that up to 73 million sharks are killed annually to supply the fin markets, and approximately 1-3 million are hammerheads,” said Dr. Pikitch, who is also a Professor of Marine Science at Stony Brook University. “Inadequate protection, combined with inexorable pursuit, has placed many shark species at grave risk.” Just 1 kg (2.2 lbs) of scalloped hammerhead fin can sell for about $US120 at Hong Kong markets due to the large size and high “fin needle” content of this species’ fins. Needles are the sought-after portion of the fins, used as thickener in the soup.
“The fact that scalloped hammerhead shark DNA shows strong population DNA signatures means that we can trace the geographic origin of most of their fins sold at markets,” Dr. Shivji said. “From a broader perspective, this type of DNA forensic testing of fins will be an incredibly useful tool to prioritize areas for conservation and ensure sharks aren’t wiped out in particular regions by excessive fishing.”
This study builds upon a DNA test developed in 2005 at the Guy Harvey Research Institute by Dr. Shivji and Debra Abercrombie, a research scientist now with the Institute for Ocean Conservation Science at SBU. The test enabled scientists to rapidly and definitively distinguish between three similar hammerhead species: great, scalloped, and smooth, from fin or meat tissues alone. The new GSI technique takes that DNA test to the next level. GSI has been used to trace some fish, sea turtle and marine mammal catches back to their geographic origin. This study marks its first use with sharks. Dr. Chapman is now working on DNA tools to identify a shark’s geographic origins even more precisely, while both he and Dr. Shivji are working on developing GSI for more shark species, including other large hammerheads.
“The international shark fin trade must not continue to operate in secrecy,” Dr. Chapman said. “We must use all tools availablefrom CITES permitting to DNA teststo shed light on this trade and make sure that it does not drive these sharks to extinction.” Drs. Pikitch and Chapman plan to attend the CITES meeting in Qatar in March to urge that these sharks be listed under Appendix II to receive better protection from trade.
This research was funded by the Institute for Ocean Conservation Science at SBU, the Guy Harvey Research Institute at NSU and the Save Our Seas Foundation. The Institute for Ocean Conservation Science at Stony Brook University is dedicated to advancing ocean conservation through science. The Institute transforms real-world policy while pursuing serious science, both of which are essential for ocean health. Visit http://oceanconservationscience.org. The Guy Harvey Research Institute at Nova Southeastern University conducts solution-oriented, basic and applied scientific research needed for effective conservation, biodiversity maintenance and understanding of the world’s wild fishes. Visit http://www.nova.edu/ocean/ghri. The Save Our Seas Foundation fosters Conservation, Awareness, Research and Education (CARE) for the protection and sustainable use of sharks worldwide. Visit http://www.saveourseas.com/.
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View images of sharks, fins and scientists at work
Read the full study in Endangered Species Research
View the news story on Reuters Television.
View the American Museum of Natural History’s “ScienceBulletin” slideshow
Marine Science Lecture Looks at the Secret Lives of Worms
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y., November 19, 2009 –The School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) and Stony Brook Southampton will present a lecture titled “The Secret Lives of Worms: Nutrient Cycling in the Seabed” as part of its monthly series, with Dr. Robert C. Aller, SoMAS Distinguished Professor.
The event will take place on Friday, December 4, at 7:30 p.m. in Duke Lecture Hall. A reception will follow. For further information, call 631-632-5046. It is free and open to the public.
Despite it’s rather ordinary appearance, the muddy sea floor plays a central role in the degradation of organic debris and the cycling of elements in the ocean. The activities of seabed inhabitants, such as worms and molluscs, create highly dynamic and geometrically complex chemical reaction patterns, and promote exchange of nutrients and metals between bottom muds and overlying water. At Stony Brook University, researchers have developed a suite of new optical sensors to explore the world of worms.
In this presentation, Aller will discuss how animals that live in muds affect nutrient cycles and ecosystem functioning, and show examples of how new sensor technology provides insights into chemical dynamics of sedimentary deposits – and what it means to be a worm.
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Ocean Acidification May Contribute To Global Shellfish Decline
Stony Brook University researchers find elevated carbon dioxide concentrations impede growth and survival of bivalve larvae
STONY BROOK, N.Y., October 26, 2009 — Relatively minor increases in ocean acidity brought about by high levels of carbon dioxide have significant detrimental effects on the growth, development, and survival of hard clams, bay scallops, and Eastern oysters, according to researchers at Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. In one of the first studies looking at the effect of ocean acidification on shellfish, Stephanie Talmage, PhD candidate, and Professor Chris Gobler showed that the larval stages of these shellfish species are extremely sensitive to enhanced levels of carbon dioxide in seawater. Their work will be published in the November issue of the journal Limnology and Oceanography and is now online at http://www.aslo.org/lo/toc/vol_54/issue_6/index.html.
“In recent decades, we have seen our oceans threatened by overfishing, harmful algal blooms, and warming. Our findings suggest ocean acidification poses an equally serious risk to our ocean resources,” said Gobler.
During the past century the oceans absorbed nearly half of atmospheric carbon dioxide derived from human activities such as burning fossil fuels. As the ocean absorbs carbon dioxide it becomes more acidic and has a lower concentration of carbonate, which shell-making organisms use to produce their calcium carbonate structures, such as the shells of shellfish.
In lab experiments, Talmage and Gobler examined the growth and survivorship of larvae from three species of commercially and ecologically valuable shellfish. They raised the larvae in containers bubbled with different levels of carbon dioxide in the range of concentrations that are projected to occur in the oceans during the 21st century and beyond.
Under carbon dioxide concentrations estimated to occur later this century, clam and scallop larvae showed a more than 50% decline in survival. These larvae were also smaller and took longer to develop into the juvenile stage. Oysters also grew more slowly at this level of carbon dioxide, but their survival was only diminished at carbon dioxide levels expected next century.
“The longer time spent in the larval stage is frightening on several levels,” said Talmage. “Shellfish larvae are free swimming. The more time they spend in the water column, the greater their risk of being eaten by a predator. A small change in the timing of the larval development could have a large effect on the number of larvae that survive to the juvenile stage and could dramatically alter the composition of the entire population.”
Although levels of carbon dioxide in marine environments will continue to rise during this century, organisms in some coastal zones are already exposed to high levels of carbon dioxide due to high levels of productivity and carbon input from sources on land.
“This could be an additional reason we see declines in local stocks of shellfish throughout history,” said Talmage. “We’ve blamed shellfish declines on brown tide, overfishing, and local low-oxygen events. However it’s likely that ocean acidification also contributes to shellfish declines.”
Talmage and Gobler hope their work might help improve the success rate of shellfish restoration projects.
“On Long Island there are many aquaculturists who restock local waters by growing shellfish indoors at the youngest stages and then release them in local estuaries,” said Talmage. “We might be able to advise them on ideal carbon dioxide conditions for growth while larvae are in their facilities, and offer suggestions on release times so that conditions in the local marine environment provide the young shellfish the best shot at survival.”
About the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University
The School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) is the State University of New York’s center for marine and atmospheric research, education, and public service. With more than 85 faculty and staff and more than 500 students engaged in interdisciplinary research and education, SoMAS is at the forefront of advancing knowledge and discovering and resolving environmental challenges affecting the oceans and atmosphere on both regional and global scales.
For more information contact: Leslie Taylor, SoMAS Communications Manager at 631-632-8621
Marine Science Lecture Looks at Toxic Metals in Marine Organisms
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y., October 26, 2009 –The School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) and Stony Brook Southampton will present a lecture on the accumulation of metals and its diverse effects in our ocean.
“Bioaccumulation of Toxic Metals in Marine Organisms and Associated Risks” with Dr. Nicholas Fisher, Distinguished Professor and Director of a Consortium for Inter-disciplinary Environmental Research, will take place on Friday, November 6, at 7:30 p.m. in Duke Lecture Hall. A reception will follow. For further information, call 631-632-5046. The event is free and open to the public.
Metals can serve as nutrients for marine organisms (e.g. iron), they can be toxic (e.g. mercury), or they can be both (e.g. copper). The extent to which a metal can cause an effect on an organism depends on the extent to which it is taken up and retained by the organism, either through its diet or from the surrounding water. Dr. Fisher will discuss patterns of metal uptake and toxicity which different classes of metals display in marine ecosystems and will also consider which organisms’ influence the fate of metals that enter the ocean. The bioaccumulation of diverse metals, including radioactive metals, which enter the ocean through man’s activities and their transfer from one trophic level to another (including humans as consumers of seafood) will be presented.
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