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January 2024 - April 2024

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Bed-Stuy Resident Named Dean Of SUNY Old Westbury Business School

The School of Business serves over 700 students, offering both undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

BK Reader Staff Jan 4, 2024 12:04 PM

Dr. Shalei Simms, a resident of BedfordStuyvesant in Brooklyn, was named dean of the School of Business at the State University of New York Old Westbury.

Having served as the acting dean since the summer of 2021, Simms officially takes the reigns of the school, which offers accounting, business administration and other majors to over 700 students.

"Most notably, she and her colleagues in the School of Business prepared for and executed the application and site visit that resulted last summer in our campus having earned accreditation from AACSB International, the world’s most prestigious accrediting body for schools of business."

Prior to her new appointment, Simms previously held key roles, including director of graduate programs for the School of Business, vice-chair of the campus' faculty senate, and interim assistant vice president of academic affairs.

Simms whose academic credentials include a Ph.D. from Rutgers University and a B.A. from Wesleyan University was recently honored by Long Island Business News with its "Diversity in Business Award" for "actively supporting the growth of diversity and equality in the Long Island community," according to SUNY Old Westbury.

Simms said she is excited to help mold young minds in the field of business.

"The business faculty at SUNY Old Westbury has been preparing students for careers in business for more than 45 years," said Simms. "I am proud to work with my colleagues as we pursue our mission to empower students with the knowledge, skills, and values to think critically, communicate effectively, and act responsibly in the constantly changing landscape of business today."

Dr. Shalei Simms has been named dean of SUNY Old Westbury's School of BusinessPhoto courtesy of SUNY Old Westbury

BY CHRIS BOYLE

SUNY Old Westbury Names Dr. Shalei Simms as Dean of Business School

PUBLISHED: JANUARY 08 2024

"Over the past more than two years, Dr. Simms has provided tremendous leadership and vision for the School of Business," said Dr. Dorothy Escribano.

The State University of New York at Old Westbury has announced that Dr. Shalei Simms has been named dean of its School of Business. Simms had served as the acting dean since summer 2021.

"Over the past more than two years, Dr. Simms has provided tremendous leadership and vision for the School of Business," said Dr. Dorothy Escribano, interim provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at the University. "Most notably, she and her colleagues in the School of Business prepared for and executed the application and site visit that resulted last summer in our campus having earned accreditation from AACSB International, the world’s most prestigious accrediting body for schools of business."

As dean, Simms leads a School of Business that serves more than 700 students studying in undergraduate degree programs centered in Accounting, Business Administration, Finance and Marketing, five-year programs in Accounting and Accounting/Taxation, and graduate programs in Accounting, Forensic Accounting, and Taxation.

Prior to her work as dean, Dr. Simms had served the University in a variety of roles, including as director of graduate programs for the School of Business, as a tenured faculty member within the Management, Marketing and Finance Department, as vice-chair of the campus' Faculty Senate and as interim assistant vice president of academic affairs. While serving in Academic Affairs the breadth of her service included oversight responsibilities for educational pipeline initiatives, extramurally funded academic programming and administrative supports for applied learning.

Last year, she was recognized by Long Island Business News with its "Diversity in Business Award" for "actively supporting the growth of diversity and equality in the Long Island community." She currently sits on the board of directors for the Teachers Federal Credit Union, one of the largest credit unions in the country, and is a former member of the Board of Managers of the Bedford-Stuyvesant YMCA. She presents her “From Idea to Action” and “Level-up” workshop series to potential small business entrepreneurs and provides individual consulting to small business owners.

Simms holds a Ph.D. from Rutgers University and a B.A. from Wesleyan University. She is a member of the Academy of Management, Management Faculty of Color Association and Delta Sigma Theta, Sorority, Inc.

About the SUNY Old Westbury School of Business

The SUNY Old Westbury School of Business is accredited by AACSB International, the largest and longest-serving global accrediting body for business schools worldwide. With degree programs centered in Accounting, Business Administration, Finance and Marketing, the School of Business pursues its mission of empowering students with the knowledge, skills, and values to think critically, communicate effectively, and act responsibly in the constantly changing landscape of business today. Serving more than 700 students in its undergraduate and graduate programs, the School of Business offers rigorous academic training in a small class atmosphere.

Dr. Shalei Simms.

BY TIFFANY HARRISON

Passive Politics: Have Memes Desensitized Us In Terms Of The Election Process?

POSTED ON JANUARY 8, 2024

As a nation, we’ve become passive about politics, desensitized from the audacious things that many politicians have said and done recently during election season thanks to memes. How we interact with and consume social media content correlates with our desensitization and passiveness to many things, not just politics. Memes have also always existed, but how they’ve become more sophisticated over the last decade has molded and emboldened the sense of humor of many people. As Americans, we thoroughly enjoy ‘making fun’ of things. With our new generation of young adults raised on social media as well, do we really take much of anything seriously anymore?

No politician has been more controversial than the one who promised to ‘Make America Great Again’ with red baseball caps that have become infamous iconographic symbols of his campaigns in the past eight years. Donald Trump is the quintessential example of a political cartoon with his satirical antics yet without a script or concept, it seems. The former president and reality television star has transformed the presidential podium into a comedic stage with what appears to be impromptu skits captivating and entertaining some while disturbing others. Yet keeping all of America engaged nonetheless with idiosyncrasies, mannerisms, emphatic expressions and one-liners. Undoubtedly, he’s the most meme’d president of all time.

Reflecting on the concept of life primarily imitating art it’s now the opposite. With art imitating life more than ever editorial cartoonists are now overwhelmed with inspiration to utilize for visual storytelling. The jokes are literally writing themselves these days, and caricatures depicted in political cartoons are becoming closer to the real thing.

“Political memes teach us basic political lessons in everyday language. They make politics accessible to working people. They do have the side effect of lowering the stakes so a reader may not get the full risk at play.” says Dr. Nicholas Powers, Gen X’er and literature professor at SUNY Old Westbury “Past elections seemed at the time an existential threat but in hindsight I was naive. The 2024 election is a referendum on democracy.”

As a self-proclaimed meme historian, I unlocked the political digital dossier, wishing to commemorate a meme that turns 20 years old this month and actually has aged well. Despite the criticism it faced during the time, Howard Dean, a Democratic candidate from the 2004 election, gave a speech while exuberantly reciting approximately 12 states in a row, short of breath with a very evident crack in his voice. He concludes this enthusiastic segment of his speech with a boisterous shriek, shouting, ‘Yeahhhh!’ accompanied by a jolting arm swing. This event is one that many have rightfully dubbed as the ‘I Have A Scream Speech.’ The original YouTube video of this meme-worthy moment has accumulated nearly 5 million views since it was uploaded in July 2013.

Why exactly did this playful, wholesome scream ruin this man’s whole career? Well, it was unusual behavior for the era. You could say Dean was ahead of his time in the charisma category. Though, it wasn’t the only factor that disqualified him from the presidential primaries

According to History, Dean was already underperforming in previous states before the primaries, so it’s impossible to conclude that he lost the primaries solely because of his enthusiastic outburst, however it did contribute to damaging his image. His popularity in the beginning of the race began to dwindle and lose its momentum, and in February 2004, two weeks post-scream, Dean dropped out of the race. He was replaced by Democratic candidate John Kerry, who would win the primaries but lose the general election to George W. Bush who began serving his second term in January 2005.

“Political memes teach us basic political lessons in everyday language. They make politics accessible to working people. They do have the side effect of lowering the stakes so a reader may not get the full risk at play.” says Dr. Nicholas Powers, Gen X’er and literature professor at SUNY Old Westbury. “Past elections seemed at the time an existential threat but in hindsight I was naive. The 2024 election is a referendum on democracy.”

Fast forward 11 years, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are in the running for the 2016 election. One video complication on YouTube showcases some of the wildest things Trump says during that campaign. Boasting over seven million views, in this video he declares, “It’s like I can stand in front of 5th Ave and shoot someone and people would still vote for me, incredible!” Not only would people still vote for him, but he may even gain exponentially more support from this. Yet Howard Dean gets highly criticized for an innocent scream? We definitely owe that man an apology.

“The access we have to political leaders has completely shifted since the 2004 election. We are no longer just watching and learning about them from syndicated news. We are seeing them freely speak their minds through apps like Twitter (or X) and TikTok in real time. In an era of overconsumption of social media content, realness and genuineness matter a lot,” says Ayanna Boyd, Gen Z’er and social media manager at Apartment Therapy. “Apps like Twitter and TikTok have allowed political leaders to freely express their political views and their authentic personalities, which is something that the 2004 elections could have never produced.”

As we know, Trump also makes history as the first president to be impeached twice, the 2nd time after being accused of inciting the infamous riot at the Capitol building on January 6th. 2021. He’s also the first president to be banned from X yet posting on the app after a hiatus with a frowning mugshot, accompanied by text stating ‘Election Interference’ and ‘Never Surrender’ – this post following numerous indictments and felony charges he was hit within 2023.

“Trump has pleaded not guilty in his criminal cases: plotting to overturn the 2020 election in Washington, retaining national defense information and obstructing justice in Florida, conspiring to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia, and paying hush money to an adult film star in New York,” According to The Guardian. There are also many delays and his court appearances in 2024 are reportedly being pushed back by months, which may actually grant him more facetime during the campaign.

According to BBC, Trump has also been criminally indicted four times and may not be eligible to run in the state of Colorado during the primaries this upcoming March and potentially the presidential election depending upon the outcome of a future preceding. “The Colorado Supreme Court declared Mr. Trump ineligible for the presidency under the US Constitution’s insurrection clause – Section 3 of the 14th Amendment – which disqualifies anyone who engages in insurrection from holding office,” BBC states.

With the litigation logistics of his four criminal cases and 91 felony charges still being finalized, there’s no telling whether Trump will be legally fit and eligible to run in all 50 states. However, if he is, will he win the coveted presidential title back from Biden? Or will he become a convicted felon, trade in his sartorial suit for an orange onesie, and give the editorial cartoonists even more content inspo? We’ll see.

Read the article at https://girlsunited.essence.com/article/passive-politics-memes-election-season/

Inheritance, Remembrance, Resilience: at the Amelie A. Wallace Gallery, SUNY Old Westbury

By JONATHAN GOODMAN, January

10, 2023

“Inheritance, Remembrance, Resilience,” a show of three women artists investigating the contact between private and public memory, is a probing photographic show offering highly personal black-and-white and color images addressing the lives of regularly displaced and marginal people. Presented at the Amelie A. Wallace Gallery, SUNY Old Westbury, the show is deeply personal, not so much with the scars of contemporary life, but with the residue of historical events informing the lives of the artists and their friends. Photography is very good at this: its specificity aids historical record and presents a reality that travels from the past to the present. The three artists in this show come from different backgrounds, but their purpose is close to exactly similar: the emotional effects, the damage especially, of history, sometimes from long ago, on the way we think and act now.

Eileen Claveloux, now residing in Massachusetts after growing up in New Jersey, uses family portraits, often shadow figures who are descendants of the Armenian genocide survivors. Her methods are a way of re-presenting the aura of the terrible damage done–a truth still denied by the Turkish government. In the very strong, four-part, black-and-white portrait Titled Portrait No. 6: Yvette (2014), a woman in early middle age, with tousled dark hair and wearing a dark shirt, looks at her audience with a hint of a smile. But the smile, like her penetrating gaze, is not soft but hard. Is this a handover from the memory of mass murder occurring earlier? It’s hard to say, although the aura of her composure reflects more than personal discomfort.

Our second photographer, Sandra Matthews presents ten composite photos taken from the series “Present Moments.” In one (Amira and Nancy in 1989 / Amira and Samari in 2008), two women sit at a short distance from each other. The woman on the left is light-skinned, and the woman on the right is of a darker complexion. Both hold babies; the infant on the left is large, with a big head, while the child on the right is smaller, more suggestive of a recently born infant. The caption makes it clear that the baby on the left is now the young mother on the right (the photographs were taken 19 years apart). They pose before a backdrop made out of collaged newspaper, which documents the time when the two pictures were shot. The poignancy of the traditional image, women holding babies, along with the rather rough surroundings they are found in, result in a tableau that looks like a hard scrabble environment, but one softened by the mothers’ care. This portrait, representing family members, is a testament to the continuity and ongoing promise of being human. The nearly twenty-year gap between the two pictures, coupled with the similar poses of the mothers, portrays time’s passage, which of course brings change but also reiterates basic themes.

Delilah Montoya, who created the photo image, Casta #2 for Contemporary Casta Portraiture: Nuestra Calidad (2018), a color picture with a woman whose hair is long and brown, occupied with playing billiards. Behind her a younger boy, about ten, is staring from some distance at a television, in front of which there is a full set of blue drums. In the back on the right a young man stands behind a counter; behind him there is a large window. The back wall is a dark red. This work owes a lot to casta painting, a Spanish tradition evident in eighteenth-century paintings that expressed the colonial view favoring lighter-skinned people in a hierarchy of skin tones reflecting racial lineage.

This work owes a lot to the casta painting, a Spanish tradition, evident in 18th-century colonial painting, in which racial lineage and bloodlines favored lighter-skinned people. Montoya, who is Chicano, is updating the world of the casta, at this point an established historical genre of Spanish art. In a country as complex as America is along ethnic and racial lines, Montoya transforms a racially biased visual tradition into a new way of seeing, one that does justice to difference. Montoya has taken photos of families in Texas and New Mexico, whose ethno-racial ancestries are varied. The images were aligned with the portraits she asked them to make; given the need for a truthful genetic background, Montoya even asked her subjects to take a DNA test. The results of this test helped determine the background of the sitters–their often-intricate mix of ethnicities, even shedding light on their migration routes as they made their way (likely north). Thus, a photo of a Mexican family, seemingly mundane, actually serves as to introduce a very serious discussion of our tendency to evaluate someone according to the color of their skin.

In a show like this, you begin to understand just how complicated American culture has become. Each artist has her own memory, as well as the recall of her culture and its preceding years. Photography is a vehicle for the capture and transmission of memory, from which these artworks spring. It is a mistake to assume that fine art can redeem the time, present or past, but it can play a valuable role in determining the boundaries within which we draw insight and even hope.

The materialism in Montoya’s may be overdone, but indicates accurately American taste. And the women linked to Armenian survival in Claveloux’s art is a warning–from the past, into the future. Only in shows such as this do we see how the photo retrieves recall in the face of a constantly fading past, which takes place no matter how hard we work to keep it alive. WM

Delilah Montoya, Casta #2 for Contemporary Casta Portraiture: Nuestra Calidad, Notes, 35.5” x 5.5”, foam core, inkjet on wood, 24” x 36”, 2018.

Jan 17, 2024

The Lawrence Sisters Purse Dream of Becoming Nurses Together

Blog, News, Nurse of the Week

Lawrence sisters defied the odds, pursuing their goal of becoming nurses together after a decade of homelessness.

All six Lawrence siblings, Alecsandria, Danielle, Dominique, Gabriella, Lauren, and Nathalia, believe that what they experienced inspired their passion for helping others.

Their family’s ordeal began eleven years ago, in 2013 when their parents lost their Rosedale, New York home.

Despite facing challenging circumstances, they didn’t didn’t let go of their dreams. Instead, the Lawrence siblings found a passion for helping others, and they say it’s because of what they’ve lived through.

The Lawrence sisters are nothing short of inspiring. They put themselves through college and are working hard to achieve their dreams of becoming nurses. And now, Daily Nurse is proud to honor the Lawrence sisters as the Nurses of the Week.

Throughout their ordeal, which forced them to move every few months, the sisters say their father told them that he didn’t want their situation to interfere with their education.

The Lawrence sisters earned their GEDs in 2019 and then attended Nassau Community College on Long Island. After graduating two years later, they enrolled in SUNY Old Westbury and received degrees in public health this past May.

Each sibling, now 19 to 25 years old, admits they are just getting started and are currently working on their Master’s Degrees in Public Health at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University and intend to head to nursing school.

The Lawrence sisters say their unbreakable bond has sustained them through immense challenges. Now, they aim to complete nursing degrees and find work serving others in their community.

The

By The Island 360

Forensic degree program ranked 3rd in nation by Accounting.com

The graduate degree in Forensic Accounting offered by the School of Business of the State University of New York at Old Westbury has been ranked 3rd in the nation among the “Best Master’s Degrees in Forensic Accounting” as ranked by Accounting.com.

SUNY Old Westbury placed behind West Virginia University and Florida International University in the rankings, which were compiled based on key factors related to academics, affordability, reputation, and program availability.

“This recognition only confirms what we already knew – that the quality of our Forensic Accounting program is high and that it should be the program-of-choice for accountants throughout our region,” said Dr. Shalei Simms, dean of the SUNY Old Westbury School of Business.

The M.S. in Forensic Accounting at SUNY Old Westbury is the only graduate degree in this specific field to be offered on Long Island. The 30-credit program is for students seeking a career in this fast-growing arena as a forensic accountant or fraud examiner.

Offered over a three-semester arc in one calendar year, the program enables students to meet the 150-credit hour requirement to qualify for CPA licensure in New York State while providing a foundation for the Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) exam.

Students in the M.S. program also have the opportunity to gain real-world experience through the campus’ Justice for Fraud Victims Project, which works to assist victims of suspected financial fraud in cases where forensic investigative services are limited or too costly.

January 16, 2024

(Photo illustration courtesy of SUNY Old Westbury Communications)

Three African Americans Who Have Been Appointed Deans

January 22, 2024

Daryl D. Green is the new dean of the School of Business at Langston University in Oklahoma. Prior to joining the Langston community, Dr. Green worked at Oklahoma Baptist University for several years, holding the Dickinson Chair of Business in the Paul Dickinson School of Business. Earlier, Dr. Green worked at the U.S. Department of Energy for more than 27 years in the Environmental Management Program.

Dr. Green holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He holds a master’s degree in organizational management from Tusculum College in Greenville, Tennessee, and a doctoral degree in strategic leadership from Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Shalei Simms has been named dean of the School of Business at the State University of New York at Old Westbury. She had served as the acting dean since the summer of 2021. Prior to her work as dean, Dr. Simms served the university in a variety of roles, including as director of graduate programs for the School of Business, as a tenured faculty member within the management, marketing and finance department, as vice-chair of the campus’ Faculty Senate and as interim assistant vice president of academic affairs.

Dr. Simms is a graduate of Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. She earned a Ph.D. at Rutgers University in New Jersey.

Jelani Jefferson Exum has been appointed the next dean of St. Johns University School of Law in Queens, New York, effective June 1. She will be the second woman and the first African Americans to lead the law school. Currently, she is dean and the Philip J. McElroy Professor of Law at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. Before joining the faculty at Detroit Mercy, Dean Exum was a professor at the University of Toledo College of Law and the University of Kansas School of Law.

Professor Exum is a graduate of Harvard University and Harvard Law School.

Transitions: Michigan State University Names Next

President

Appointments, resignations, retirements, deaths

By Julia Piper JANUARY 22, 2024

CHIEF EXECUTIVES

Appointments

R. Lorraine (Laurie) Bernotsky, executive vice president and provost at West Chester University of Pennsylvania and interim president of Pennsylvania Western University, has been named president of West Chester University.

DEANS

Appointments

Teresa Abi-Nader Dahlberg, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at Texas Christian University, has been named president of the University of Tampa.

chancellor of York University, in Nebraska, has been named interim president of Bethany College, in Kansas. He replaces Elizabeth Mauch, who left to become chancellor of the Vermont State Colleges system.

interim chancellor of Houston Community College since September 2023, has been named the sole finalist for chancellor.

Steve Freeman, former chair of the Board of Trustees at Briar Cliff University, has been named interim president of the Iowa university following Patrick J. Schulte’s departure.

Shalei Simms has been named dean of the School of Business at the State University of New York at Old Westbury, after serving as acting dean since the summer of 2021.

Kevin Guskiewicz, chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has been named president of Michigan State University. Lee H. Roberts, member of the UNC System Board of Governors, has been named interim chancellor of the university.

Becky Johnson, former interim president of Oregon State University, has been named interim president of Linfield University.

By The Island 360

‘Virtual Aquapolis’ earns Second NEH Grant

Associate Professors Laura Chipley and Samara Smith of the American Studies/Media & Communications Department at SUNY Old Westbury have received a National Endowment for the Humanities grant to create a prototype of their immersive virtual reality project, “Virtual Aquapolis.”

The $100,000 grant, one of 10 awarded nationwide, is part of the Digital Projects for the Public program that supports projects that significantly contribute to the public’s engagement with humanities ideas.

The 2024 NEH Digital Project for the Public grant is the second received by Chipley and Smith for “Virtual Aquapolis.” The first, awarded in 2021, created the design plan for the project. The second phase will include building out the virtual reality scenes.

“Virtual Aquapolis” will be an immersive virtual reality and interactive web experience that invites visitors to explore the past, present, and future of the New York Harbor from beneath the surface of the water.

The VR project will allow visitors to experience 500 years of human-driven transformation in five scenes, each depicting a key era in the Harbor’s underwater environmental history.

“What makes this project unique, and worthy of this recognition from the National Endowment for the Humanities, is how it explores not only a physical underwater ecosystem, but its relation to the human beliefs, knowledge and values in the city above it.

It’s a ‘virtual’ realization of how human culture can impact the elements,” said Dr. Cheryl Wilson, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences. “We’re excited to see the evolution of ‘Virtual Aquapolis’ and the continued innovations and dedication of its faculty collaborators.”

January 16, 2024

A scene from under New York Harbor via a sample screenshot of the virtual reality project "Virtual Aquapolis." (Courtesy Samara Smith/Laura Chipley)

Lt. governor taps SUNY Old Westbury students for input on new Oﬃce of Service and Civic Engagement

By The Island 360

The attendees at the meeting included (back row, left to right) President TImothy Sams, Jaiden Sam, Lt. Governor Antonio Delgado, Markwan Angulo, Crystal “Amira” Richardson and Kevin Hertell, (front row left to right) Assistant Provost Cris Notaro, Cindy Guzman, Nevethalie Saintune, Isabel Torres and Melissa Gordillo-Gomez. (Photo courtesy of SUNY Old Westbury Office of Communications)

Eight students of SUNY Old Westbury recently took part in a meeting with New York State Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado to provide information and insight to inform the state’s work in creating a new Office of Service and Engagement.

The creation of the Office of Service and Civic Engagement within the Office of the lieutenant governor was recently announced by Gov. Kathy Hochul in her “2024 State of the State” as a means of uplifting communities statewide through accessible public service opportunities.

February 12, 2024

“Elevating the important work of service will bring New Yorkers together around the greater good and anchor us in our shared capacity to love and have compassion for one another,” said Delgado. “I am honored to lead this effort, and I’m inspired by what I know New Yorkers can and will do in the name of service to each other.”

Delgado visited Old Westbury to learn more about service engagements both on campus and off-campus that students are already engaged, to hear about their experiences and motivations, and to uncover potential challenges that would serve as obstacles to engaging students in service.

“Our students did a wonderful job of describing for the lieutenant governor key ideas that I’m sure he will use to inform his decisions,” said SUNY Old Westbury President Timothy E. Sams. “From the busy academic and work schedules of today’s students to the likely need for incentives to the linkage to existing opportunities on campuses across the state, their input provided a valuable lens from which new solutions can come.”

The Old Westbury students participating in the meeting were Markwan Angulo (Accounting), Melissa Gordillo-Gomez (Mental Health Counseling), Cindy Guzman (Criminology), Kevin Hertell (Professional Studies), Crystal “Amira” Richardson (Philosophy/Politics, Economics and Law), Nevethalie Saintune (Politics, Economics and Law), Jaiden Sam (Politics, Economics and Law/English) and Isabel Torres (Psychology).

To launch the lieutenant governor’s service initiative, New York will recruit an inaugural class of the Empire State Service Corps Program in partnership with the State University of New York.

Modeled after the California College Corps, the Empire State Service Program will provide paid work opportunities to college students as a way of serving their community.

Participating college students will commit to performing necessary community service work for 300 hours a year, such as tutoring in high-need K-12 schools, distributing meals to those facing food insecurity, and taking climate action.

With a historic mission that includes weaving the values of integrity, community engagement, and global citizenship into the fabric of its academic programs and campus life, SUNY Old Westbury is a campus committed to offering in-class and real-world engagements that stimulate a passion for learning in students and a commitment to building a more just and sustainable world.

The article can be view online at https://theisland360.com/community-news/lt-governor-taps-sunyold-westbury-students-for-input-on-new-office-of-service-and-civic-engagement/

News, loose thoughts and opinion from inside the new economy

No. 857: In which we boost the grid, praise patents and overcome bad technology (ya gotta love it)

FEBRUARY 14, 2024

Aaaaand, we’re back: From the Where’s My Innovation Toolbox? File comes … Innovate Long Island, back on the air as of Tuesday afternoon a feather in the cap of our West Coast tech team (thank you, Krista and Dean), a great relief for us and good news for the amazing innovators we cover (and the many readers inspired an advocacy-

As mentioned in Monday’s ( ) Calendar Newsletter, we are eternally grateful to the fans and followers who wrote and ca your support could not help us resolve those nasty repeating A files and bad plug ins any faster, but it was a heartwarming, mission

Sincerest apologies for our absence. And now, enough with all the tech and mushy stuff –we’re back, baby, and there’s innovation to discuss. On with the show!

Book it: Instead, we’ll focus on Feb. 14’s other indigenous days CreamFilled Chocolates both have an inescapable Valentinian air.

So we’ll champion , which expresses love for the page and printed word

Leave it to egon on this date in 1859, when the Beaver State became the

Grand opening: … and in Arizona on this date in 1912, when the Grand Canyon State became the 48th U.S. State.

Available online at: https://www.innovateli.com/no-857-in-which-we-boost-the-grid-praisepatents-and-overcome-bad-technology-ya-gotta-love-it/

Local Events Center for Excellence in Veteran Student Success

Spring 2024 Job Fair

• Mar 21 at 10:30AM - 1:00PM

• SUNY Old Westbury Campus Center Building 223 Store Hill Rd Old Westbury11568

SUNY Old Westbury ‘Completion Corps’ helping students, families complete the FAFSA

By The Island 360 February 20, 2024

The new Free Application for Federal Student Aid is now available and SUNY Old Westbury is offering help to the local community navigate the new system.

Old Westbury has built a team of students to help prospective students and their families navigate the FAFSA form, which helps determine a student’s eligibility for financial aid.

A recent visit to Westbury High School is one of multiple off-site popup venues that the team will conduct in the coming months. While at Westbury, the students offered oneon-one guidance with students and parents in preparing for and completing the FAFSA.

“The changes made to the FAFSA have simplified in many ways the process of applying for aid,” said Bryan Terry, vice president for enrollment management and marketing at SUNY Old Westbury. “For many families, though, and especially those who are sending their first to college, there remain nuances and needs that can be hard to understand. Through these student leaders, our goal is to ease the process and helps students get all the aid available to them.”

Along with visits like the Westbury event, the team at SUNY Old Westbury is planning office hours, campus events, and both in-person and virtual visits to other regional high schools.

The SUNY Old Westbury FAFSA Completion Corps team is led by Jaclyn Congello, the university’s director of orientation, and is comprised of 10 students.

The article can be view online at https://theisland360.com/community-news/suny-old-westburycompletion-corps-helping-students-families-complete-the-fafsa/

SUNY Old Westbury student Fida Siddiqui provides guidance and advice to a family from Westbury about the new FAFSA. (Photo courtesy of SUNY Old Westbury Office of Communications)

Local Events Entrepreneurship, Social Justice & Film: An Evening with Attika J.

Torrence

• Feb 21 at 6:30PM - 8:00PM

• SUNY Old Westbury Campus Center Building 223 Store Hill Rd Old Westbury11568

Tenenbaum Family Lecture to examine identities of Latinx Jews in the U.S.

Feb. 23, 2024

Laura Limonic will deliver Emory’s Tenenbaum Lecture on Wednesday, March 6. She will explore “Latinx Jews in Their Adopted Homeland: Constructing New Realities and Claiming New

“How do Latinx Jews in the U.S. identify? Can they choose their identity or is it assigned to them? Are their ethnic choices ever strategic or instrumental?”

These questions — and others — will be posed by sociologist Laura Limonic when she delivers the 2024 Tenenbaum Family Lecture in Judaic Studies on Wednesday, March 6, at 7 p.m. She will address “Latinx Jews in Their Adopted Homeland: Constructing New Realities and Claiming New Identities.”

Drawing on the experiences of Latinx Jewish immigrants in the United States, the historical roots of Jewish migration streams to Latin America and a sociological comparative perspective, Limonic will discuss how group construction is never static, and, in particular, how race, religion and class are increasingly important mediating factors in defining ethnicity and ethnic identity.

Limonic is an associate professor and chair of the Sociology Department at SUNY-Old Westbury in Long Island, New York. Her book, “Kugel and Frijoles: Latino Jews in the United States” (Wayne State University Press, 2019) explores issues of ethnicity, race, class and religious community building among Latino Jewish immigrants in Boston, New York, Miami and Southern California.

The lecture, sponsored by the Tam Institute for Jewish Studies, will be held in Convocation Hall on Emory’s Atlanta campus. The event is free and open to the public, but advance registration is requested

This year marks the 27th Tenenbaum Family Lecture in Judaic Studies, which salutes the family of the late Meyer W. Tenenbaum of Savannah, Georgia. Tenenbaum, a native of Poland, knew no English when he arrived in the United States at the age of 13; he graduated from the Emory School of Law 11 years later. He went on to head Chatham Steel Corporation, now a major steel service center with headquarters in Savannah.

The lectureship was established in 1997 by Meyer’s son, Samuel Tenenbaum, and honors the entire Tenenbaum family and its ethos of citizenship and public service, which is expressed through its support of religious, educational, social service and arts institutions across the United States.

For more information, visit the Tam Institute for Jewish Studies website.

The lecture is co-sponsored by Emory University’s Center for Ethics; the departments of Religion, Sociology, and Spanish and Portuguese; Fox Center for Humanistic Inquiry; Hightower Fund; Institute for Liberal Arts; Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program; Latinx Studies Initiative; Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; and Office of Spiritual and Religious Life.

The article can be viewed here https://news.emory.edu/stories/2024/02/er_tenenbaum_lecture_23-02-2024/story.html

News, loose thoughts and opinion from inside the new economy

No. 860: On rationalizations, radioactive elements and Japanese royalty, with a little help on student aid

FEBRUARY 23, 2024

Tap the brakes: Welcome to Friday, intrepid innovators, already the last Friday of February 2024, with just six leap-year days to go before we’re into March – and 1/6th of the New Year is over!

ON THE MOVE

Yes, things are moving fast. What we need is a nice, relaxing weekend to slow things down a bit – but first, one more workday to wrap up this busy week. Here’s an engaging innovation newsletter to start it off right … take your time and enjoy!

+ John Fabbricante has been hired as director of facilities operations at SUNY Old Westbury in Old Westbury. He was director of engineering at The Carnegie Hall Corp. in Manhattan.

Rational thought: We kick off our Feb. 23 edition with National Rationalization Day, which you might think is about spewing all-new bull$#!+ (like killing a critically important bipartisan border-security deal because it’s “much better for the opposing side”), but is actually about reconciling past mistakes.

+ Michael Pastine has been hired as assistant vice president and chief information officer at SUNY Old Westbury in Old Westbury. He was team leader and senior network security analyst at Fordham University in the Bronx.

What a treat: Back here in reality, we dig into National Dog Biscuit Day, spotlighting the crunchy cookies that are essential for training your best friend and maintaining doggie dental health.

Humans, meanwhile, have a much softer time of it – today is also National Banana Bread Day, baked moist and fresh and delicious every Feb. 23.

Beans to that: Well known for baking beans is the City of Boston, which was incorporated as a city – Massachusetts’ first – on this date in 1822.

Start your engine: Also cooking up a little Feb. 23 innovation was German engineer Rudolf Diesel, who earned a German patent in 1893 for his eponymous Diesel Engine, an internalcombustion breakthr ough.

Available online at: https://www.innovateli.com/no-860-on-rationalizations-radioactive-elements-andjapanese-royalty-with-a-little-help-on-student-aid/

No. 860: On rationalizations, radioactive elements and Japanese royalty, with a little help on student aid

FEBRUARY 23, 2024

Tap the brakes: Welcome to Friday, intrepid innovators, already the last Friday of February 2024, with just six leap-year days to go before we’re into March – and 1/6th of the New Year is over!

BUT FIRST, THIS

FAFSA friends: Deciphering the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form –which asks numerous questions to help determine high schoolers’ eligibility for federal aid with college expenses – ain’t easy.

To that end, SUNY Old Westbury has assembled a 10-student team to help prospective collegians and their families navigate the FAFSA form, with virtual meetings, on-campus office hours and “pop-up” visits at off- campus locations –including a recent visit to Westbury High School – in the offing. The State University of New York FAFSA Completion Corps is a SUNY-wide effort, but Old Westbury is the only Long Island campus taking part this semester.

What a treat: Back here in reality, we dig into National Dog Biscuit Day, spotlighting the crunchy cookies that are essential for training your best friend and maintaining doggie dental health.

Humans, meanwhile, have a much softer time of it – today is also National Banana Bread Day, baked moist and fresh and delicious every Feb. 23.

Beans to that: Well known for baking beans is the City of Boston, which was incorporated as a city – Massachusetts’ first – on this date in 1822.

While an updated FAFSA application process has “simplified in many ways the process of applying for aid,” personal guidance for future collegians and their families is still critically important, according to SUNY Old Westbury Vice President for Enrollment Management and Marketing Bryan Terry. “For many families … there remain nuances and needs that can be hard to understand,” Terry noted. “Through these student leaders, our goal is to ease the process and help students get all the aid available to them.”

Start your engine: Also cooking up a little Feb. 23 innovation was German engineer Rudolf Diesel, who earned a German patent in 1893 for his eponymo us Diesel Engine, an internalcombustion breakthrough.

Available online at: https://www.innovateli.com/no-860-on-rationalizations-radioactive-elements-andjapanese-royalty-with-a-little-help-on-student-aid/

News,

loose thoughts and opinion from inside the new economy

SUNY Old Westbury prof, president to participate in Black Leadership Institute

By The Island 360 March 7,

2024

SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. announced on March 5, the launch of the SUNY Black Leadership Institute, and two SUNY Old Westbury representatives will play prominent roles. Along with SUNY’s Hispanic Leadership Institute, BLI is designed to ensure that “emerging leaders across our system benefit from rigorous support and training to expand their career at SUNY,” King said. “Programs like BLI and HLI are critical to our work to ensure excellent leaders across SUNY’s campuses.”

BLI’s inaugural class of seven fellows includes Danielle Lee, associate dean of academic institutes and programs for the campus’ School of Arts and Sciences and assistant professor of English.

Lee also directs the University’s Social and Environmental Justice Institute.

Additionally, President Timothy E. Sams has been appointed as an advisor to the 10-person BLI steering committee. Tamara Frazier, the deputy chief operating officer for SUNY, serves as the BLI’s executive director, with guidance from the steering committee.

“As one of the largest educational systems in the world, SUNY is uniquely positioned to be the leader in developing and retaining diverse, world-class talent that impacts future leaders, New York State, and the entirety of our nation,” said Sams. “Equally important, with culture wars and more threatening the progress of our nation, SUNY’s leadership in this work ensures our systems’ future as place that guarantees access, is inclusive, provides outstanding educational value and meets today’s national and global challenges.”

The BLI is designed for faculty and administrative professionals on a leadership trajectory at their respective institutions serving in mid- to senior-level roles. Fellows are guided through leadership assessments, interactive online and in-person workshops, and professional mentoring sessions designed to advance leadership skills.

Lee is a 2010 graduate of SUNY Old Westbury where she earned her B.A. in English, with a specialization in multicultural literature.

She received her doctorate in English from St. John’s University in Queens. Aside from her dean and director duties, Lee also teaches Early Modern British Literature, Shakespeare, and Topics in African American literature.

Lee’s research is rooted in Premodern Critical Race Studies, examining precolonial African agency in the construction of the Atlantic Trade System.

The article can be view online at https://theisland360.com/community-news/suny-old-westburycompletion-corps-helping-students-families-complete-the-fafsa/

The article can be found at https://theisland360.com/community-news/suny-old-westbury-profpresident-to-participate-in-black-leadership-institute/

SUNY, other colleges postpone enrollment decision day because of FAFSA delays

By Joie Tyrrell Updated March 7, 2024

Several colleges and universities including the State University of New York system have postponed the May 1 enrollment decision day because of delays in the federal financial aid process.

Several delays in the newly redesigned Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as FAFSA, have meant that students still do not know how much financial aid they will get for college. Federal officials have promised the information by mid-March.

“This shortened timeline is a challenge,” said SUNY Chancellor John King, who hosted a virtual roundtable with several college students from across the state Thursday. The event was held to highlight the benefits of federal and state financial aid especially for economically burdened students who otherwise may not be able to pursue a degree.

“This really is an all-hands-on-deck moment for the state and the country to make sure we make up ground and get every student possible to complete the FAFSA,” he said.

In response to the FAFSA delay, SUNY officials have pushed back decision day until at least May 15. Other colleges nationwide have as well.

Officials with New York Institute of Technology and Adelphi University said they are giving students flexibility beyond May 1 and have been providing sample aid packages to families in the meantime.

Farmingdale State College and SUNY Old Westbury have moved their enrollment deadlines to June 1. Hofstra University officials said they are keeping the May 1 deadline and that the “university's student financial services counselors are working directly with admitted students to help them make informed decisions.”

St. Joseph’s University in Patchogue will maintain its May 1 deadline, but officials there said they will work with students on offering extensions on a case-by-case basis. Molloy University in Rockville Centre also has not pushed its deadline back.

The FAFSA application period typically opens in early October, but was delayed for three months and in late January, the U.S. Department of Education announced the information will be given to colleges in mid-March. Schools used to receive this data in January or even in December in some cases.

Schools use that data to calculate a student’s financial aid package. Students use that package to decide where to commit and what they can afford.

A streamlined form was introduced this year that was supposed to make the process easier.

At SUNY Old Westbury, a team of students known as the FAFSA Completion Corps have been visiting local high schools including a recent visit to Westbury High to help families complete the forms.

King said those kind of efforts could expand statewide next year. Gov. Kathy Hochul has proposed making completion of the application universal for high school students next school year.

New Yorkers leave $200 million per year in federal financial aid on the table by not completing the FAFSA, and state after state has shown that making the FAFSA universal expands college access and helps families receive financial aid, SUNY officials have said.

“FAFSA completion unlocks the door to opportunity by ensuring access to higher education regardless of a family's income or wealth,” King said.

LONG ISLANDEDUCATION

No. 864: SUNY cites civics, octopi stretch their legs and women literally fly, with Holmes on the bench

MARCH 8, 2024

Hail the conquering hero: Well done, intrepid innovators … another workweek conquered, another weekend queued up, with only one more workday standing between you and a well-earned two-day respite.

BUT FIRST, THIS

You are, as usual, our heroes. Here’s a resolute innovation review to reward your bravery and boldness – and to you help wrap up your weekly crusade in fearless fashion.

Leading the way: Long Island-based educational leaders factor heavily in two new State University of New York efforts to improve statewide civic discourse and race relations.

All men are created equal – women, not so much: Today is March 8, and we begin with an homage to heroines everywhere, and especially in the United States, where women still earn just 84 cents to men’s $1 and repressed backward-thinkers continue to assault women’s reproductive rights – International Women’s Day, celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women around the world, particularly in countries a lot more free than ours.

Make no mistake: Today is also National Proofreading Day, which the producers of your favorite thrice-weekly newsletter take very seriously.

And chew on this: It’s National Peanut Cluster Day, celebrating the heavenly combination of sweet chocolate and salty peanuts every March 8.

On Tuesday, SUNY Chancellor John King Jr. announced the formation of the SUNY Black Leadership Institute, which – along with the State University’s existing Hispanic Leadership Institute – is “critical to our work to ensure excellent leaders across SUNY’s campuses,” according to King. Fellows of the new Black Leadership Institute include SUNY Old Westbury Associate Dean Danielle Lee, director of the school’s Social and Environmental Justice Institute, and Nassau Community College Assistant Dean of Students Adeoba David Oyero, while SUNY Old Westbury President Timothy Sams and Stony Brook University Chief Diversity Officer Judith Brown Clarke serve on the new institute’s Steering Committee.

Lock, stock…: Also coming together on this date was the New York State Exchange, under a constitution adopted in 1817 that formalized the circa-1792 Buttonwood Agreement and created the New York Stock & Exchange Board, forerunner to today’s NYSE.

King also announced the inaugural class for SUNY’s Civic Education and Engagement and Civil Discourse Fellowship, with 10 fellows selected to promote civic discourse among students and faculty and otherwise advance SUNY’s commitment to civic engagement – an essential cause, the chancellor noted, with “civil discourse under attack, as misinformation and strife threaten to divide us.”

…and barrel roll: Throwing aviation for a loop-de-loop was Frenchwoman Elise Deroche, a.k.a. Baroness Raymonde de Laroche, who became the first woman in the world to earn an airplane pilot’s license on March 8, 1910.

Among the first fellows is Ashley Mercado-Liegi, assistant director of SBU’s Center for Civic Justice.

Bell rung: Other aeronautical achievements associated with this date include the Bell 47, the first helicopter approved for commercial use, as decreed by the Civil Aeronautics Administration (predecessor of the present-day Federal Aviation Administration) 78 years

Available online at: https://www.innovateli.com/no-864-suny -cites-civics-octopi-stretchtheir-legs-and-women-literally-fly-with-holmes-on- the-bench/

News,

loose thoughts and opinion from inside the new economy

Bayport's Lee Named Fellow of SUNY Black Leadership Institute

Local resident one of seven in new statewide leadership, professional development initiative

SUNY Old Westbury, Posted Thu, Mar 14, 2024 at 3:20 pm ET

SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. announced on March 5, 2024 the launch of the SUNY Black Leadership Institute (BLI), and a resident of Bayport, New York, will play a prominent role.

BLI’s inaugural class of seven fellows includes Bayport's Danielle Lee, Ph.D., associate dean of academic institutes and programs for the SUNY Old Westbury School of Arts and Sciences and assistant professor of English. Dr. Lee also directs the University’s Social and Environmental Justice Institute.

Along with SUNY’s Hispanic Leadership Institute (HLI), BLI is designed to ensure that “emerging leaders across our system benefit from rigorous support and training to expand their career at SUNY,” King said. “Programs like BLI and HLI are critical to our work to ensure excellent leaders across SUNY’s campuses.”

Dr. Lee is a 2010 graduate of SUNY Old Westbury, having attended through its Educational Opportunity Program. She earned a B.A. in English, with a specialization in Multicultural Literature. She received her Doctorate in English from St. John’s University in Queens, New York. Aside from her dean and director duties, Lee also teaches Early Modern British Literature, Shakespeare, and Topics in African American literature. Dr. Lee’s research is rooted in Premodern Critical Race Studies, examining precolonial African agency in the construction of the Atlantic Trade System.

In addition to Dr. Lee, SUNY Old Westbury President Timothy E. Sams has been appointed as an advisor to the 10-person BLI steering committee.

“As one of the largest educational systems in the world, SUNY is uniquely positioned to be the leader in developing and retaining diverse, world-class talent that impacts future leaders, New York State, and the entirety of our nation,” said President Sams. “Equally important, with culture wars and more threatening the progress of our nation, SUNY's leadership in this work ensures our systems' future as place that guarantees access, is inclusive, provides outstanding educational value and meets today’s national and global challenges.”

About SUNY Old Westbury

SUNY Old Westbury is a university where students with a passion for learning are empowered through excellence to thrive in, and help build, a more just, sustainable world. As Long Island’s only public liberal arts institution, SUNY Old Westbury challenges its students to own their futures through an environment that demands academic excellence and fosters intercultural understanding. As members of the most diverse student body in the SUNY system, the University' more than 4,400 students study in nearly 50 undergraduate degree opportunities in Old Westbury’s liberal arts and professional programs and 16 graduate programs in business, data science, education, liberal studies and mental health counseling. For more information on SUNY Old Westbury, visit www.oldwestbury.edu.

Sayville-Bayport, NY

Danielle Lee, Ph.D. ((SUNY Old Westbury Office of Communications | P. Mauro))

Spring 2024 Job Fair

• Mar 21 at 10:30AM - 1:00PM

• SUNY Old Westbury Campus Center Building 223 Store Hill Rd Old Westbury11568

Mpdbm!Fwfout

Center for Excellence in Veteran Student Success

The full article may be viewed at https://www.newsday.com/long-island/li-life/feminist-press-suny-old-westburyjz1o5mjk

“You’re the generation that is going to fix the things that my generation and the generations before mine destroyed,” Danielle Lee told the room full of students. Lee is an associate dean, assistant professor of English, and the director of social and environmental justice institute at Old Westbury.

Lee stressed not just the importance of events such as last week’s summit for the young students who attended, but also stressed the importance of having these students see role models and people who look like them as leaders within the summit itself.

“If it is about us, but doesn’t include us, then it is not really about us,” Lee said, “and that goes for everything.”

Lee also told students that even though they come from many different places, to “listen to each other,” because they all might be going through similar things.

Physics students to LEAP-UP through new Old Westbury-Brookhaven National Lab partnership to help

By The Island 360 March 26, 2024

Increasing participation among underrepresented students in high-energy physics while promoting research engagement between faculty at SUNY Old Westbury and scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory are the goals of a new grant earned jointly by the University and the national lab.

“The Long Island High Energy and Astrophysics Undergraduate Pathway (LEAPUP)” earned an award of $1.15 million over three years via DOE’s “Reaching a New Energy Sciences Workforce for High Energy Physics” program.

The program annually will enable five SUNY Old Westbury students pursuing the campus’ Physics degree to prepare for and take part in some of the most notable current research projects in the world involving leading scientists in BNL’s high-energy physics program.

Along with the student-centric focus of LEAP-UP, the joint effort will create an active bridge between the theory expertise of the Old Westbury faculty in areas like string theory, highenergy theoretical physics, astrophysics, and radio astronomy with the experimental expertise of BNL’s researchers.

“For our students, this is a life-changing opportunity to be involved with world-leading scientists engaged in research of some of the most interesting, and potentially impactful science of our times,” said John Estes, assistant professor of physics at SUNY Old Westbury and principal investigator on the grant. “As a campus committed to serving students from widely diverse backgrounds, we are proud that the academic, research and financial support these students receive will remove a variety of obstacles that might otherwise force them to choose another path in life.”

Through the grant, the Old Westbury students during their junior and senior years will take regular trips to BNL to visit and learn about the high energy physics research program and hear from the BNL personnel involved, will prepare through group projects and other extracurricular activities including building a muon detector for the roles they will play in the research, and, during the summer between their junior and senior year, participate in a 10-week summer research program at BNL.

LEAP-UP students Eishan Singh (rear) and Gabriella Anzalone (front) work alongside fellow student Amy Lopez Calderon at the campus' four-sided dipole radio antenna, a radio astronomy device located at SUNY Old Westbury and used by the campus' faculty and student researchers. (Credit: Gabriella Anzalone)

“We are excited to welcome students from Old Westbury to Brookhaven Lab, where they will use our world-class scientific facilities and expertise of our scientific staff to learn how to detect and study elementary particles and uncover new laws of Nature that govern the world at the smallest and largest observable distances,” said Dmitri Denisov, Brookhaven’s deputy associate laboratory director for high energy physics. “Our goal is to work with Old Westbury to incorporate BNL- and DOE-related work into the college’s curriculum to encourage a sustained stream of students interested in particle physics and potential future employment at Brookhaven or another national lab.”

Having started their preparation through LEAP-UP this January, the founding cohort of students will also participate this summer in the Eighth African School of Fundamental and Applied Physics, planned for July 7-21, 2024, at Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakesh, Morocco.

The initial students are Gabriella Anzalone, New Hyde Park; Asad Imam, Deer Park; Brandon Imhof, Old Bethpage; Eishan Singh, Hicksville; and Adrian Taveras, Copiague. Working with Dr. Estes on the project at Old Westbury are Dr. Michael Kavic, associate provost and Dr. Matthew Lippert, assistant professor of physics.

The BNL projects in which the students will engage are among some of the most notable in the world:

• ATLAS/Large Hadron Collider: Working alongside BNL mentor Dr. Kétévi Assamagan, students will participate in building components for the ATLAS Detector at the Large Hadron Collider, which is the world’s highest energy accelerator, located at CERN in Switzerland.

• Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE): Led by BNL’s Dr. Mary Bishai, cospokesperson for the international experiment, and Dr. Mateus Fernandes Carneiro da Silva, students will build and test neutrino detectors used deep in a mine in South Dakota to seek out new subatomic phenomena and potentially transform our understanding of neutrinos and their role in the universe.

• Lunar Surface Electromagnetics Experiment-Night (LuSEE-Night): With Dr. Anže Slosar as their BNL mentor, students will build components for a radio telescope to be located on the far side of the moon, to observe the conditions that relate to the early existence of universe.

The LEAP-UP funding provides the students with full-tuition scholarships, stipends to support their studies during the academic year, a summer stipend to support them during their research engagement at BNL, and also covers travel and registration costs to scientific conferences.

The article can be found at https://theisland360.com/community-news/physics-students-to-leap-up-throughnew-old-westbury-brookhaven-national-lab-partnership-to-help/

MARCH 28, 2024

DOE grant sends SUNY students to BNL, and the Moon

By GREGORY ZELLER //

A three-year, seven-digit federal grant will place SUNY Old Westbury students on the cutting edge of highenergy physics experiments.

Through its physics-focused RENEW program (for “Reaching a New Energy Sciences Workforce”), the U.S. Department of Energy has awarded $1.15 million to SUNY Old Westbury’s LEAP-UP effort (for “The Long Island High Energy and Astrophysics Undergraduate Pathway”).

Tortured acronyms aside, the ambitious partnership aims to introduce SUNY Old Westbury learners –“underrepresented students,” according to the university – to Brookhaven National Laboratory scientists knee-deep in world-class high-energy physics programs, not only at the Long Island lab but in other exotic locales: deep inside a South Dakota mine, at the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Switzerland, even on the Moon.

Moon shot: The Lunar Surface Electromagnetic Experiment radio telescope is heading soon to the far side of the Moon, thanks in part to Brookhaven National Laboratory Cosmology & Astrophysics group leader Anže Slosar and some new friends from SUNY Old Westbury.

John Estes, a SUNY Old Westbury assistant professor of physics and the grant’s principal investigator, applauded a “life-changing opportunity” for selected students, who will “be involved with world-leading scientists engaged in … some of the most interesting and potentially impactful science of our times.”

“As a campus committed to serving students from widely diverse backgrounds, we are proud that the academic, research and financial support these students receive will remove a variety of obstacles that might otherwise force them to choose another path in life,” Estes added.

The DOE reward targets SUNY Old Westbury students in their junior and senior years, who will regularly visit Upton-based BNL to work side-by-side with professional mentors.

Among the participating scientists are Kétévi Assamagan, who’s building new parts for the ATLAS Detector at the CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, the world’s highest-energy accelerator; Mary Bishai and Mateus Fernandes Carneiro, who are assembling neutrino detectors to track subterranean subatomic phenomena in South Dakota; and Anže Slosar, who’s constructing components for a new radio telescope destined for the dark side of the Moon.

Between their junior and senior years, the first cohort of students – all hailing from Long Island – will complete a 10-week summer research program at BNL. They’re also slated to participate this July in the eighth-biennial African School of Fundamental and Applied Physics, scheduled to run for two weeks at Cadi Ayyad University in Morocco.

The DOE funding covers the entirety of their international adventures, including full-tuition scholarships, academic-year and summer-month support stipends and all travel costs.

Dmitri Denisov, BNL’s deputy associate laboratory director for high-energy physics, trumpeted benefits not only for the students, but for BNL, the university and science itself.

“Our goal is to work with Old Westbury to incorporate BNL- and DOErelated work into the college’s curriculum to encourage a sustained stream of students interested in particle physics and potential future employment at Brookhaven or another national lab,” Denisov said in a statement.

“We are excited to welcome students from Old Westbury to Brookhaven Lab,” the physicist added. “They will use our world-class scientific facilities and (the) expertise of our scientific staff to learn how to detect and study elementary particles and uncover new laws of nature that govern the world at the smallest and largest observable distances.”

TOPICS:African School Of Fundamental And Applied PhysicsAnže SlosarATLAS DetectorBrookhaven National LaboratoryCadi Ayyad UniversityCERNDmitri DenisovJohn EstesKétévi AssamaganLarge Hadron ColliderLEAP-UPMary BishaiMateus Fernandes CarneiroNewsPhysicsSUNY Old WestburyU.S. Department Of EnergyU.S. DOE RENEW Program

The Article may be view online at: https://www.innovateli.com/doe-grant-sends-suny-students -to-bnl -and-the-moon/

John Estes: Opportunities abound

Malverne students discuss how to 'ERASE' racism

The leadership summit focused on equity in schools

Posted March 29, 2024

In one of the most segregated counties in the entire country, high school students from Malverne, Uniondale and across Nassau came together to discuss the everyday disparities they feel, and ways their generation will work to overcome them. The Long Island Leaders of Tomorrow Summit last Friday, organized by ERASE Racism a nonprofit organization committed to eliminating racism and promoting equity invited over a hundred students from various districts to SUNY Old Westbury for an in-depth conversation about racism, class, and the solutions they want to see.

"What today does is allow students to identify areas that they can work with their teachers and school leaders to shift some of those biases," said Erase Racism’s director, Laura Harding.

The day started with breakfast and a conversation surrounding structural racism in their schools and communities.

“If it is about us, but doesn’t include us, then it is not really about us,” Lee said, “and that goes for everything.”

Lee also told students that though they come from many different places, to “listen to each other,” because they all might be going through similar things.

And she was right. Students from districts Malverne and Uniondale compared their experiences of being Black and Brown in the two communities, comparing experiences, expectations, the demographics of people they see everyday, and the resources available to them.

By Brandon Cruz

Assembly member Taylor Darling stopped by to speak to students. She stressed noted that events like this, which allow young and passionate students the proper platforms to speak their mind, are imperative to ensure the next generation is equipped with the confidence and knowledge to continue the fight against racism in America.

“Having to go through metal detectors everyday to get into school would make me feel like a criminal,” said Jayden, a student from Malverne high school who attended the summit, after learning of the security measures in place at Uniondale’s high school.

Although there were stark differences in some experiences between the two communities, all of the students felt they had the shared experience of dealing with structural racism in their everyday lives. Despite Malverne being 70 percent white, the district’s minority enrollment makes up about 80 percent of the student body, with almost half of all students identifying as “economically disadvantaged,” according to New York state data.

Most students from Malverne village, according to multiple sources, attend private schools over the public school in the community. According to private school review, at least 25 percent of residents in Malverne village send their children to private schools.“We’re from Malverne, so we know the consequences of getting rid of DEI,” said one student who asked not to be identified. That student believes that without initiatives like diversity, equity and inclusion, students such as themselves and others who look like them, may be overlooked throughout their community, which they believe is already a common thread.

On top of important, eye-opening conversations, students also learned about the five R’s of “real integration,” which was created by students in New York City. These R’s include resources, relationships, restorative justice, representation, and an end to the racial and socioeconomic segregation within the school districts.

Students also attended an educational workshop, giving them the choice between financial education, economic work development, tips and tricks with the college application process, a workshop on outreach and advocacy as well as explaining how to run for office, and even a workshop for the chaperones, discussing adult advocacy.

Also making an appearance at the summit was Assembly member Taylor Darling, who spoke to students and tried to ignite further inspiration for them to continue to be “catalysts for change.”

“Long Island is very segregated,” Darling said. “We’re dealing with a disproportionate distribution of funds and resources. “We shouldn't be able to dictate or know who lives in what community based on what we see on the outside, and that is happening very comfortably on Long Island.”

"Racism is very present today in American society," said Emily, a Uniondale High School student. But she believes, along with the rest of the students in attendance, they will be the generation to end these disparities.

Complete Article online at : https://www.newsday.com/long-island/total-eclipse-april-8-moon-blocks-sun-wk2mc8s7

Local Events

Nearly 80 student participants will present their research on scientific, social, psychological, historic, and other topics during this annual event.

From the history and impact of the natural hair movement among African American women to the possibilities of reversing neuropathological changes due to lead poisoning, preparing students for the AI era to dissecting toxic and discriminatory behavior among “League of Legends” players, research and discovery from the student perspective will be the focus of the day when the State University of New York at Old Westbury holds its “2024 Student Research Day.” The 2024 theme for the event, “Gaining Momentum,” has attracted nearly 80 student participants who will present their work through oral presentations, poster exhibits, and artistic displays. While much of the day’s activity surrounds the work of student-researchers enrolled in courses in the University’s schools of Arts and Sciences, Business, Education and Professional Studies, a highlight of the program will be the 12:30 p.m. keynote panel featuring Old Westbury faculty members: Dr. Svetlana Jović, assistant professor of Psychology Dr. Nicole Sieben, associate professor of Secondary English Education Dr. Sara Williamson, assistant professor of Management, Marketing and Finance. SUNY Old Westbury’s Student Research Day takes place in the Multipurpose Rooms of the University’s Student Union from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Research & InnovationOld Westbury

2 Old Westbury students earn SUNY Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence

By The Island 360 April 18, 2024

SUNY Old Westbury seniors Agustin Beas Romero and Colette Vaughan with their SUNY Chancellor’s Awards for Student Excellence. (From SUNY)

SUNY Old Westbury seniors Agustin Beas Romero and Colette Vaughan with their SUNY Chancellor’s Awards for Student Excellence. (From SUNY)SUNY Old Westbury seniors Agustin Beas Romero and Colette Vaughan have been selected as 2024 State University of New York Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence recipients, the highest honor bestowed upon students in the SUNY system. The students received the honor at the award ceremony on April 11 in Albany.

The Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence acknowledges students who have demonstrated the integration of academic excellence with other facets of their lives, including leadership, community service, campus involvement, and career, athletic, or creative achievement.

“There is a place at SUNY for every New Yorker, and each year we come together to herald and celebrate the achievements of a diverse group of some of SUNY’s most accomplished students,” said SUNY Chancellor King. “This year’s winners include first-generation students, researchers, a single mother and grandmother, a cancer survivor, international students hailing from over 16 nations, athletes, and a student who worked with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center among so many more with inspiring stories of excellence in the classroom and beyond. It is my honor to celebrate the achievements of the nearly 200 CASE awardees as they inspire others and illustrate what is possible with a SUNY education.”

Agustin Beas Romero, from Brentwood with a bachelor of arts in biological sciences in May. He has been on the Dean’s List with a current GPA of 3.98 and is a member of the Tau Sigma, a national honor society recognizing academic excellence in transfer students.

Beas Romero, a member of the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program, has been praised for his academic skills and work as an undergraduate researcher for Dr. Zulema Cabail.

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Due to his research efforts, Beas Romero earned a travel award to attend the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Students and presented at various conferences including the Old Westbury Institute for Cancer Research and Education, and the annual Metropolitan Association of College and University Biologists. He also serves as a volunteer at the Smithtown Gospel Tabernacle, where he is a member of their Medical Emergency Response Team.

Colette Vaughan, a psychology major from Franklin Square, will graduate with a bachelor of arts in May with a 4.0 GPA. She is a member of the Omicron Delta Kappa National Honor Society and the Tau Sigma Transfer Honor Society, and has earned an inaugural Old Westbury Social Justice Writing Award during her time at Old Westbury. Vaughan, a DACA recipient, was the keynote speaker at The Dream.US scholarship award ceremony on-campus.

In addition to her published work in Discordia, the Old Westbury English Department’s scholarly journal, Vaughan has been an undergraduate researcher with Erik Benau and Marty Cooper conducting studies on implicit biases, and suicide risk. She is a peer teaching assistant and volunteer with Pride for Youth.

The article can be found at https://theisland360.com/community-news/2-old-westbury-students-earn-sunychancellors-awards-for-excellence/

New memorandum of understanding between Brookhaven National Laboratory, SUNY Old Westbury launched

By The Island 360 April

18, 2024

A group of 40 officials from Brookhaven National Lab took part in BNL Day at SUNY Old Westbury, the first activity undertaken under the new agreement. (Photo: SUNY Old Westbury Communications/P. Mauro)

A delegation from Brookhaven National Laboratory visited SUNY Old Westbury recently to kick start work evolving from a new memorandum of understanding between the institutions that seeks to create collaborative and mutually beneficial programs and activities for each institution.

In all, more than 40 leaders from BNL took part in discussions about shared research interests involved in the natural sciences, physics, data science and information science and the organizations’ common goal of building a pipeline for future generations of scientists and technicians who hail from communities with widely diverse backgrounds.

“SUNY Old Westbury and Brookhaven National Laboratory’s partnership is necessarily significant, powerful, ethical, and authentic, said SUNY Old Westbury President Timothy E. Sams. “Our partnership is significant in that it connects two known and proven institutions. It is powerful in that it amplifies each institution’s transformational work. It is ethical in that it is dedicated to improving the human condition. And it is authentic in that it is genuinely committed to access, inclusion, equity, and justice.”

A key element of the memorandum of understanding calls for the establishment of a project steering committee between the institutions to foster the continued growth and development of the relationship.

Among its responsibilities, the steering committee will drive programs that support undergraduate STEM-related research opportunities, that foster collaborations between BNL research and technical staff and Old Westbury faculty researchers, and the sharing of opportunities and ideas concerning BNL’s planned Discovery Park.

Serving as “champions” of what is expected to be a growing relationship between the organizations are Susan McKeon, Brookhaven National Laboratory’s associate laboratory director for business services and chief financial officer, and Duncan Quarless, the university’s special assistant to the president for strategic advancement and a professor of chemistry and physics.

During “BNL Day at SUNY Old Westbury,” the BNL attendees met with faculty and staff of the School of Arts and Sciences and its Biological Sciences, Chemistry and Physics and Mathematics and Computer Information Sciences departments. Information was also shared about Old Westbury’s OW-STEAM and LEAP-UP programs, which collectively have earned $3 million in federal funding to create pathways for students from underserved communities into careers in science, technology and engineering.

BNL’s team also heard from professional staff who manage the campus’ Educational Opportunity Program, Collegiate Science and Technology Entry and its TRIO Student Success initiative. The program also featured research presentations by undergraduate students involved in research along with “lightning” talks by research faculty of both the University and BNL.

Among those visiting from the laboratory were Ann Emrick, deputy director for operations; Noel Blackburn, chief diversity officer; Maggie Sullivan, chief human resources officer; David Manning, director of the Stakeholder Relations Office; Ken White, manager of the Office of Educational Programs; Aleida Perez, manager of University Relations and DOE Programs; and Doon Gibbs, former lab director; along with BNL staff representing both science and operations organizations.

Primarily supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science, Brookhaven National Laboratory is home to seven Nobel Prize-winning discoveries and more than 70 years of transformative science and technology solutions addressing energy, environmental, and nuclear challenges.

The article can be found at https://theisland360.com/uncategorized/new-memorandum-of-understanding-between-brookhaven-national-laboratorysuny-old-westbury-launched/

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SUNY Old Westbury Own Your Future Gala

Thursday, April 25, 2024

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The Inn at New Hyde Park 214 Jericho Turnpike New Hyde Park, NY

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The Old Westbury College Foundation's 2024 Own Your Future Gala is the first gala under President Timothy Sams' tenure, and the first since SUNY Old Westbury's elevation to university status. The Gala celebrates the accomplishments of the institution, its students, faculty and staff, while bringing together business and industry leaders from across Long Island and New York City to celebrate our dedicated honorees. Proceeds from the event will support the ongoing work of the premier institution that is SUNY Old Westbury.

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No. 878: Trees rise, Richter scales, the LIRR ages well and The Crushies crush it, once again

APRIL 26, 2024

Brake time: Welcome to Friday, dear readers, and not just any Friday but the last Friday of April (already!), as wild, wacky 2024 continues full speed ahead.

BUT FIRST, THIS

We’re tapping the brakes just long enough to share this quick innovation review – and hopefully get you in the weekend mood. Pour yourself a steaming cup of joe and enjoy!

If memorandum serves: The student-centric relationship uniting SUNY Old Westbury and Brookhaven National Laboratory continues to deepen.

Get a shovel: Today is April 26, and being the last Friday in April we dig into the traditional celebration of National Arbor Day, an annual bouquet to branches and leaves and a critical cornerstone of American conservation efforts.

A delegation of 40-plus BNL leaders visited the Old Westbury college this week to kickstart a new Memorandum of Understanding between the two institutions, designed to create “collaborative and mutually beneficial programs and activities” for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Upton-based laboratory and SUNY’s rising liberal-arts school. The big picture involves “shared research interests” in physics, data science and the natural sciences and highlights “the organizations’ common goal of building a pipeline for future generations of scientists and technicians who hail from communities with widely diverse backgrounds,” according to SUNY Old Westbury.

Holidays tied to this actual date – whatever day of the week it falls on – include one of our favorites: World Intellectual Property Day, spotlighting IP and its unparalleled ability to amplify innovation.

Ripley, believe it or not: Today is also “Alien” Day, a 4/26 observation that has nothing to do with real-life galactic neighbors and everything to do with the fictitious xenomorphs haunting Ridley Scott’s classic 1979 sci-fi horrorfest and its James Cameron-helmed 1986 sequel – both set on planet LV-426. (Get it?)

If you think that’s twisted, you’re going to love National Pretzel Day, an annual celebration of the baked, knotted bread treats that hail from Germany’s Bavarian region (or do they?).

The collaboration will also expand the institutions’ mutual involvement in the college’s OWSTEM (shorthand for the Old Westbury STEM Center for Engagement, Entrepreneurship & Inclusion) and LEAP-UP (for The Long Island High Energy and Astrophysics Undergraduate Pathway) programs, including LEAP-UP physics experiments leveraging a $1.15 million Department of Energy grant. SUNY Old Westbury President Timothy Sams called the burgeoning partnership “necessarily significant, powerful, ethical and authentic” and predicted “transformational work … dedicated to improving the human condition.”

Online: Speaking of twisted facts, email became a thing on this date in 1884 – kinda – when The New York Times reported on very-early-stage Post Office Committee of the House plans to establish an electronic postal telegraph service.

Available online at: https://www.innovateli.com/no-878-trees-rise-richter-scales-the-lirr-ages-well-and-thecrushies-crush-it-once-again/

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