Stony Brook University SUNY Korea

On Friday, December 3, musicians from the Stony Brook Department of Music caroled throughout the Children’s Hospital, spreading holiday cheer and joy to the children, families and staff. The Staller Center’s Instrument Petting Zoo is a program that helps the Staller Center for the Arts reach out to the community and share live interactive musical experiences. This program helps inspire an appreciation of music and instruments for young people.      “To be able to spend time at the Children’s Hospital and see the smiles on the kids faces and the tears of joy in the parents eyes as the musicians performed holiday music was emotional, but we’re so happy we were able to come together and collaborate in this way,” said Staller Center’s Outreach Director Paul Newland. “We are grateful to Island Federal who helped provide the support for this initiative, and we’re already planning more musical visits.”   

Stony Brook alumna Emily Carll ’20, who majored in Political Science and Asian and Asian-American Studies, has been selected for the nationally competitive Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Program Fellowship. Carll will become SBU’s first-ever Pickering Fellow, and receive $84,000 to pursue a Master’s degree in the field of international affairs.     Carll is a previous recipient of the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) in Hindi, and is currently serving as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Serbia. She is also guaranteed placement as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State upon completion of her degree.     “I am so proud of Emily and excited to see where she goes from here,” said Jen Green, director for Fellowships Advising and Professional Development at the Stony Brook University Graduate School. “She is already one of our most decorated alumni in terms of success in external fellowships competitions. Emily was also selected for a highly competitive State Department internship, during which she had the opportunity to serve in Washington, D.C. and at the U.S. embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. I am thrilled, but not entirely surprised, that she was selected as Stony Brook’s first Pickering Fellow.”     “Emily is our first fellow from Stony Brook, and I am confident that the education and skills she gained there helped her compete in this rigorous selection process,” said Lily Lopez-McGee, director for the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Program. “Her experiences and skills are sure to help her success in graduate school and eventually the Foreign Service. We are looking forward to seeing all that she will accomplish. I hope that more Stony Brook students and alumni will follow Emily’s lead into this rewarding career of international service.”     Carll recognized the community of mentors who supported her throughout her undergraduate career at Stony Brook, particularly Harsh Bhasin (Political Science), Anna Geisherik (European Languages), and Gregory Ruf (Asian and Asian-American Studies).     In order to be selected as a Pickering Fellow, candidates must successfully navigate a high-stakes interview at the national level, and a committee of Stony Brook faculty and staff helped Carll prepare, including Jennifer Carlino (Undergraduate Academic Affairs), Rosalia Davi (Graduate School), Miguel Garcia-Diaz (Pharmacology and the Graduate School), Lisa Ospitale (Graduate School), and Tara Rider (SoMAS).

Interested in becoming the next History Maker at SUNY Korea? Need help with your SUNY Korea applications? Stuck on your personal statement?     SUNY Korea invites you to the Application Support Center! 1:1 consultations are offered at free of charge. Choose the date you wish to come and register here https://apply.sunykorea.ac.kr/portal/admissions_events     *Please bring all your application documents and we will guide you through the process     Date and Time: December 16th -19th | 9AM – 6PM KST Place: Conference Room #315, COEX, Seoul, South Korea     Inquiry: admission@sunykorea.ac.kr | +82-32-626-1030     *Walk-ins are also available without registration *All attendees will receive a small gift         한국뉴욕주립대학교 지원 중인 학생 분들을 위해 원서지원센터를 운영합니다. 입학팀과 1:1 상담을 통하여 온라인 지원서 작성, 자기소개서 작성, 입학서류 업로드 방법을 안내해드립니다.     *지참서류: 고등학교 성적표, 자기소개서, 공인영어성적 및 기타서류     사전신청 링크: https://apply.sunykorea.ac.kr/portal/admissions_events     일시: 12월 16-19일 | 오전9시 부터 오후 6시     장소: 코엑스 컨퍼런스룸(남) 315호     문의: admission@sunykorea.ac.kr | 032-626-1030     *별도 예약 없이 현장방문 상담도 가능합니다 *현장에 방문하시는 모든 분께 소정의 기념품이 제공됩니다

On a cold winter day in New York, there’s nothing like strolling past the holiday windows of upper Fifth Avenue. Luxe retailer Bergdorf Goodman mounts the ne plus ultra of window extravaganzas, and this year Fashion Illustration faculty member and alum Carlos Aponte, Illustration MFA ’21, is a creative force behind one of them.     The project began in June when David Hoey, who directs the Bergdorf windows, reached out to Aponte. Hoey envisioned a building exterior with a view inside the apartments, and cats sitting on the fire escapes. Someone proposed including an artwork that portrayed a cat, and then the ideas started flowing, Aponte says. “Once I began sketching it was obvious that all the rooms needed to be about cats. … Suddenly the concept turned into a massive cat dollhouse.”        “I had to design 15 apartments, and I decided to make each one different to show the diversity of the city of New York—classical, retro, Latin-inspired, etc. I sketched all the ideas. Once they were approved, I did a color version.” The apartments would be rendered in 3D, with exaggerated perspectives, and foam-core models were created. Once those were approved, they were printed in color and assembled. “I’ve never done paperwork in 3D, so this was an opportunity to be creative outside the flat image,” Aponte says.     Look carefully at the finished product for witty details, like a painting of a cat made to look like an Andy Warhol Marilyn Monroe portrait. There’s also a Roman emperor feline bust and a Picasso-inspired Cubist kitty. “I was very proud of creating a pattern to make a disco ball out of paper that really looks like a disco ball,” Aponte says. “It took me a while to figure that one out.”     The window was certainly a team effort, with contributions from Bergdorf artists Carl Tallent and Sebastian Montoya. Artist Samantha Smith created the furry cats that clamber across the composition. And Aponte learned something as well. “I had no idea how to do this project,” he says. “Having no idea of how to do something opens the possibility of play, and play leads to other creative realms.” 

USC SUNY Korea hosted 2021 Club Festival this week.     Third one was a "Mate Performance".     On Wednesday, December 1st, Mate, Acting club at SUNY Korea had a performance at Multi-Complex Building.

She almost didn’t escape.     In August, the United States began withdrawing forces from Afghanistan, ending the longest war in U.S. history. New York Times journalist Fatima Faizi was living in Kabul, the capital. As the Taliban started to reclaim the country, Faizi gathered her family together and prepared to evacuate. “Don’t worry about bringing clothes or shoes,” a friend advised. “You can replace those. Just bring things that remind you of home.” In the end, she carried only a knapsack and a tiny painting from Bamyan, a city she loved.     On November 11, Faizi spoke virtually about her experiences as an Afghan journalist and women’s rights advocate for FIT’s Department of Social Sciences’ World Affairs Lecture. The annual talk, which is open to the public, offers students a firsthand account of global events that might seem removed from daily life in the U.S.. Souzeina Mushtaq, a faculty member of the University of Wisconsin, River Falls, interviewed her.      When Faizi arrived at the Kabul airport, the scene was chaotic, with the sounds of gunfire and crowds of people desperate to escape the shooting. Faizi and her family raced from one corner of the building to another. Eventually, a member of the Taliban told them they had to return home. “There are no planes,” he told Faizi. She and her family hid out in a journalist colleague’s house for several stressful days. Ironically, when air transport finally became available, members of the Taliban escorted Faizi to the plane, and to safety.     Growing up, Faizi wanted to be a journalist, but her family was opposed to the idea; so she studied photography. She got her break at a protest in 2015. A friend at the news channel Al Jazeera knew of her work and asked for photographs; she had also done a few interviews, so she sent both, and the outlet published them. Two years later, a friend who was leaving the Afghanistan Times bureau told her to apply for the job and explained how to get in touch with the bureau chief. Faizi got the gig. As a woman journalist in Afghanistan, she had better access to women’s stories than most men. But in conservative or rural areas, she stood out; once, a male subject told her that her trendy sneakers signaled that she was an outsider.     Mushtaq pointed out grim realities of reporting in Afghanistan, and asked how Faizi dealt with trauma. “I go for walks, and I cry a lot,” she replied. “Sometimes, I don’t sleep for two weeks.”     One student wanted to know what strategy, as a journalist, Faizi used to keep readers from feeling desensitized by the tragedies in Afghanistan. “When it’s just numbers, no one pays attention,” Faiza said. “‘500 people were killed somewhere’? It is just a number. But when we tell stories about personal experiences, personal lives? Then they become human beings, and people pay attention.”     This lecture was organized by Praveen Chaudhry, professor of Social Sciences, and presented in partnership with the Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Presidential Scholars Program, and the Office of International Programs.

Robert Crease, professor and chair of the Department of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences, has been awarded the 2021 Institute of Physics (IOP) William Thomson, Lord Kelvin Medal and Prize. Crease has received this award for his 21 years writing Physics World’s outstanding “Critical Point” column, devoted to describing key humanities concepts for scientists, and explaining the significance of key scientific ideas for humanists.     Crease has written, co-written, translated, and edited nearly 20 books on the history and philosophy of science, several of which sprang from material in “Critical Point.” These books have been reviewed in places as diverse as The Economist, the London Review of Books, and the Wall Street Journal, and translated into a total of 10 languages. One book in particular, The Quantum Moment: How Planck, Bohr, Einstein, and Heisenberg Taught Us to Love Uncertainty, is about the real and fanciful impact that quantum mechanics has had on philosophy, culture, and life. The book stemmed from an innovative class that Crease and physicist Alfred Goldhaber co-taught at Stony Brook University.     “My sincere congratulations to Bob on his receipt of the William Thomson, Lord Kelvin Medal and Prize,” said Nicole Sampson, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and distinguished professor of chemistry. “His decades-long contribution to the sciences from a humanist’s perspective, through his “Critical Point” column and numerous publications as well as inventive course offerings that blend the arts and sciences, is testament to the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration as we navigate our ever-changing world. I applaud Bob for his commitment to communicating ideas and knowledge from his own area of expertise for the benefit of other disciplines.”     Crease is also co-editor-in-chief of Physics in Perspective, whose mission is to “bridge the gulf between physicists and non-physicists through historical and philosophical studies that typically display the unpredictable as well as the cross-disciplinary interplay of observation, experiment, and theory that has occurred over extended periods of time in academic, governmental, and industrial settings and in allied disciplines such as astrophysics, chemical physics, and geophysics.”     “I’m thrilled to get this award,” said Crease. “The IOP, a century-old scientific organization, gave it to me for more than 20 years of writing the column, “Critical Point” for Physics World. It’s a good sign for the humanities, for the column explores the numerous intersections between humanities and the sciences. In a science-dominated world, I think, the vitality of the humanities is threatened, not by interacting too much with the sciences, but too little. By the way, Kelvin, the scientist for whom the award is named, occupied what at the time was called a ‘Chair of Natural Philosophy.’ ”     Other books include Philosophy of Physics, an IOP ebook, and the final portion of J. Robert Oppenheimer: A Life, which was begun by physicist Abraham Pais and left incomplete with his death. Crease also edited Science Policy Up Close by physicist and U.S. Presidential Science Advisor John H. Marburger III. For these and other contributions to history and philosophy of science, Crease was elected a fellow of the APS and IOP.     Crease received BA from Amherst College and PhD from Columbia University. He has written more than 75 reviews, editorials, and other short pieces on philosophy, history, and science for academic journals and The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Nature, Newsday, and more. Crease has also appeared on a range of radio programs, from the BBC to the offbeat “Talk Nerdy.”     “On behalf of the Institute of Physics, I warmly congratulate all of this year’s Award winners,” said Professor Sheila Rowan, president of the Institute of Physics. “Each and every one of them has made a significant and positive impact in their profession, whether as a researcher, teacher, industrialist, technician or apprentice. Recent events have underlined the absolute necessity to encourage and reward our scientists and those who teach and encourage future generations. We rely on their dedication and innovation to improve many aspects of the lives of individuals and of our wider society.”     The Institute of Physics is the professional body and learned society for physics, and the leading body for practising physicists, in the UK and Ireland. The IOP awards celebrate physicists at every stage of their career; from those just starting out through to physicists at the peak of their careers, and those with a distinguished career behind them. They also recognize and celebrate companies which are successful in the application of physics and innovation, as well as employers who demonstrate their commitment and contribution to scientific and engineering apprenticeship schemes.

USC SUNY Korea hosted 2021 Club Festival this week.     Second one was a "Da Capo Concert".     On Tuesday, November 30th, Da Capo, Orchestra & Chorus club at SUNY Korea had a concert at IGC Auditorium.     The title of the concert was "The First Concert". Hopefully lots of people had a chance to enjoy beautiful concert!

Ephraim Bryski ’22 — the URECA researcher of the month for December 2021 — is a senior civil engineering major who joined the Coastal and Hydraulic Engineering Research Lab of Ali Farhadzadeh, assistant professor in the Department of Civil Engineering, as a freshman. Bryski works on designs to increase the effectiveness of oyster reefs for wave attenuation and shore protection. His previous work in Farhadzadeh’s group on the motion of flood-borne debris led to a URECA presentation in 2019 as well as a recently co-authored publication in the Journal of Hydraulic Engineering.      In his sophomore year, Bryski also joined the Materials and Mechanics Lab of Kedar Kirane, assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, where he has learned to use molecular dynamics to study quasi-brittle strength distribution in silica, has analyzed the size effect of creep in brittle rock, and developed models of rock beams and run simulations in Abaqus.      In Summer 2019, Bryski participated in the NHERI REU (National Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure – Research Experiences for Undergraduates) program at O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory, Oregon State University.      On campus, Bryski has been involved as a peer tutor in the Academic Success and Tutoring Center since September 2019, and as a member of the Concrete Canoe Team since 2019. He also served as secretary of the Stony Brook Student Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (August 2019-August 2021). Bryski plans to continue at Stony Brook in the accelerated master’s program in Civil Engineering following his graduation in May.    

While it may not be the season for beach going and barbecues, people continue to work and gather outside in many settings. Is that cause for concern in these latest stages of the pandemic, and new variants? Not necessarily, but a new study indicates that low wind speeds and stale air are associated with a higher incidence of contracting COVID-19 when people socialize outside — perhaps as much as 45 percent more compared to when winds are stronger. Led by Sean Clouston, associate professor in the Program in Public Health, and the Department of Family, Population, and Preventive Medicine at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, the study is published in BMC Infectious Diseases.     The findings are based on COVID-19 incidence in Suffolk County, NY, from March 16, 2020, to December 31, 2020, from public health data of more than 96,000 cases. The researchers used these data in combination with daily reports by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on the region’s average wind speed and maximal daily temperatures.     “The issue is really about an increased danger of infection spread in the presence of stale air as opposed to indoor versus outdoor settings,” explains Clouston. “The findings imply we are all safer when air flow is more significant.”     Clouston and colleagues developed a statistical modeling program which determined from the public health data and weather reports that warmer days with little wind when people socialized outside resulted in significantly more COVID-19 transmission. Their overall analysis revealed that days with temperatures ranging from 16 to 28 degrees C (approximately 61 to 82 degrees F) where wind speed was less than 8.85 kilometers per hour (approximately 5 mph) had significantly increased COVID-19 incidence compared to similar days with an average wind speed of greater than 8.85 kilometers per hour.

USC SUNY Korea hosted 2021 Club Festival this week.     First one was a "Town Hall Meeting".     On Monday, November 29th, Club Executives had "Town Hall Meeting" at IGC Multi-Complex building.     They had meaningful time to look back on the year.

SUNY Korea’s Online Information Session was successfully held on November 26th through November 28th. 2 sessions in Korean and 2 sessions in English were conducted, reaching out to students worldwide. Along with the information about SUNY Korea and the admissions process, student ambassadors also gave a talk on why they chose to attend SUNY Korea and their experiences. Participants also had the opportunity to ask questions, making each session even more informative. Thank you for all those who were able to attend! If you missed the information session, check out the following events: [Open House] General information session and ask questions directly to Admission Counselors [Voice of History Makers] Talk to a SUNY Korea Student Ambassador to learn about their experiences at SBU or FIT [Application Support Center] 1:1 in-person counseling session with an Admissions Counselor for advice and support on your application. Register here: Click Here

Project Sunshine has partnered with the Faculty Student Association (FSA) to organize and host a fun and interactive event to help children at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital. On Wednesday, December 1, head over to East Side Dining from 1 pm to 2:30 pm to join others to make holiday cards for pediatric patients. As you get into the holiday spirit, listen to performances by the Stony Brook Vocalists while sipping complimentary hot cocoa provided by FSA.     Project sunshine holiday hero article photoProject Sunshine is a nonprofit organization with chapters on college campuses across the country. Their mission is to provide free social, educational, and recreational programming for children and their families as they face medical challenges. Stony Brook University’s chapter is dedicated to volunteering weekly at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, as well as leading initiatives on campus in support of the children and families there. They seek to restore a sense of normalcy to the pediatric healthcare environment and spread cheer to the children undergoing treatment.      Anthony (Tony) Gentile, facilities manager for FSA, donated dozens of plants that he nurtured in his own home for Project Sunshine to use for their fundraiser. “It warms my heart when we are able to collaborate with student groups to help them achieve their goals and bring the campus community together,” stated Gentile.     Juliana Welk ‘22, Biology, Project Sunshine chapter leader, explains, “Through our plant sale, this event will raise funds for Project Sunshine, which goes toward providing much needed resources to pediatric patients.” These resources include Sending Sunshine kits, which are craft and activity kits that are sent to children’s hospitals across the country and other programs as per the discretion of Project Sunshine Nationals. Meanwhile, the cards made at the event will be sent to children at local hospitals to read.      Project Sunshine holds many other fundraising events throughout the year. These include their annual Masquerade ball in February, the recent Tie-Dye fundraiser, plant sales, and benefit shows, among others. Sending Sunshines are hosted monthly so that craft kits can be put together and sent out to pediatric patients nationwide.

Have you ever thought of taking your idea to the SUNY level? Well, these students did!     The first annual SUNY Long Island Pitch competition between Stony Brook University, SUNY Farmingdale, and SUNY Old Westbury was held on November 16, 2021. The entrepreneurial development event gave students from each of the schools a chance to compete for more than $1,000 in prizes.     The competition took place virtually, with a combination of a live Q&A session, which gave students an opportunity to interact with successful business people, and asynchronous videos between presenters. The distinguished panel of judges deliberated on 10 incredible ideas from the students.     The first-place winner of the competition from Stony Brook was Soulo, a toe-nail clipper for older adults. Joshua Zhu, a second-year medical student in the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, is the creator of Soulo. The second-place winner from Old Westbury was SunChok, healthy chips that curb your appetite; and the third-place winner from Farmingdale was Spider Shield, which makes bulletproof clothing.     The judges for the event — Derek Peterson, Gwen Cheni, Phil Rugile, Lionel Chitty and Edward Verlander — all have extensive entrepreneurial experience.     This multi-campus competition among several institutions was a unique learning experience for the students, and the judges provided excellent recommendations to everyone who took part in this event. These young professionals are now on their way to setting the stage for new ideas to emerge throughout the Long Island community.     — Arlene Alvarez

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade turns 95 this year, and properly observing this landmark event requires a lot of clowns. “Half-baked holiday sweets” clowns, as Macy’s calls them, will be costumed as pies, cookies, and cakes. “Silly seaside” clowns appear as starfish and seahorses. “Spacey” clowns are astronauts, and—a new category this year—“first-responder” clowns, outfitted as firefighters and hospital workers. These and many more were dressed by a crew assembled and overseen by the parade’s costume crew chief, FIT adjunct faculty member Barbara Berman. This is her 20th parade.     Some things never change. As always, Berman and her team arrived at the New Yorker Hotel on West 34th Street at 4:45 am. There, they helped the 600 clowns, 300 float escorts, 159 teens, 75 stilt walkers and special characters, 2000 balloon handlers, 450 officials, 100 banner carriers and more, into their costumes. After performers complete the 2.5-mile procession from Central Park to Macy’s at Herald Square on West 34th and Broadway, Berman’s team will help them back into their street clothes. “The transformation is amazing,” Berman says. “Performers might arrive sleepy or a little grouchy, but after they walk that parade and see all the happy people? They come back euphoric.”     For the Green Giant parade float, Berman’s team dressed the float escorts as ears of corn and sunflowers. Universal Studios is presenting the Holiday Express float, with escorts outfitted as train engineers; and the South Dakota Office of Tourism will present a float that resembles—you guessed it—Mount Rushmore. (Escorts dress as park rangers.) Costume hems require special attention; if they get stepped on, the outfit can unravel, so Berman’s crew members are quick to provide hand-sewn solutions or, in a pinch, safety pins. “The styling certificate program in FIT’s Center for Continuing and Professional Studies has classes in hand-sewing, pinning, and taping,” Berman points out. She recruited part of her team from her class in PR and Special Events in the Fashion Events Planning and Publicity Program, where she serves as the lead teacher.      Because of COVID-19, parade proceedings will be slightly different this year. “It’s not back to normal because normal isn’t normal any more,” Berman says. Macy’s is taking every precaution to keep marchers and attendees safe. Berman’s team has been reduced from 100 to 85. Some participants were mailed their outfits to reduce density at the New Yorker, but that creates an additional challenge: “COVID put 20 pounds on a lot of people,” Berman says, “so we have to have emergency sizes available in a huge trunk near the start.” Tall, vertically oriented balloons require the handlers to stand close together, so they were omitted last year in favor of the horizontal balloons. In 2020, much of the event was curtailed, and certain segments were pre-recorded at Macy’s satellite spot at the New Jersey Meadowlands. The good news is, this year, the whole parade will be live.      Berman’s team helps keep the parade’s holiday spirit alive, and in 2008, Macy’s thanked her with a Rollie—a special award for working on the event. “Will I be working on the 100th?” she wonders. She thinks for a moment, then smiles. “Probably.”