October 2015

U N I V ER SI TY S C HO L AR S P RO G RA M

M o n day, O c t o b e r

19, 2015

S tony Br o o k Fa c u l t y S h a r e T h e i r In s i g h t s p ag e 4

w w w. s to ny b r o o k . e d u / u s c h o l a r s

T H E TORC H NEWSL ETTER

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Professor Jason Rose

Feature article on Professor Jason Rose where he discusses teaching, International Politics, and Sailing.

Stony Brook Faculty Share Their Insights Find out how Stony Brook’s finest got to where they are today

Scholars Reach Beyond the Classroom Learn how Scholars have excelled outside of their studies

Scholars Committees Need Your Help Find out how you can get involved and make your mark on Scholars

Scholars In Action

See how Sophomore Alessandra Riccio has grown into an active campus leader

Senior Alisa Rybkin Rises to the Top

Read about how Senior Alisa Rybkin does it all, from Ballroom Dancing to Biochemistry

Advising, Academic Deadlines, and Upcoming Events

Learn about contacting your Scholars Advisors, important academic deadlies, and upcoming Scholars events

Interested in Contributing?

Contact our Editors: Brian Mazeski: brian.mazeski@stonybrook.edu

Alexander Tsurikov: alexander.tsurikov@stonybrook.edu

Bryan Szeglin: bryan.szeglin@stonybrook.edu

U N I V ER SI TY S C HO L AR S

Greetings Scholars!!

A very special welcome to our new Freshman Scholars!! It is great to see another class of outstanding students join our community, and we look forward to seeing you prosper here at Stony Brook and contribute to the Scholars program. Another exciting academic year has started, and already the Scholars program is off to a great start. We have had many successful events, such as the Ice Cream Social and Faculty Panel in September, and the Beyond the Classroom panel, Selfie Challenge, and Campus Cleanup so far this month (October). The number of events continues to grow, so please check out the University Scholars web page to learn more.

What makes the Scholars community so special is that many students step up and help plan and execute many of our events. We thank the committees (Academic, Social, and Outreach) for their hard work on planning upcoming events, and it is great to see so many new freshmen participating in these groups as well as other Scholars initiatives (e.g., Book Drive, Torch Newsletter, and Council). Bryan Szeglin continues to do an awesome job leading the book drive initiative, which continues to grow, and this newsletter would not be possible without the co-editors (Brian Mazeski, Bryan Szeglin, and Alex Tsurikov) and all of the contributors. We also welcome to the Council the newly elected representatives from each of the SCH 101 sections. The new Fellows are doing a fantastic job in the SCH 101 classes and helping with events, and we thank you for your efforts.

We wish you a very productive and successful semester, and hope to see you at future Scholars events. As always, if you need help in any way, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Brian Colle, Jeremy Marchese, David Maynard

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T H E TORC H NEWSL ETTER

Stony Brook Faculty Share Their Insights Photography: Samar Syeda

On Monday, September 14th, instructor of the notorious BIO 203 Scholars filed into the LDS Center Physiology course here at Stony in H-Quad, excited to hear from Brook. After failing out of college some of their favorite Stony Brook twice, losing nearly everything in University faculty—Dr. William a dorm fire, and enduring many of Collins of Neurobiology and the growing pains we do now, Dr. Behavior, Dr. Marvin O’Neal of Collins returned to school one last Undergraduate Biology Labs, and time. He then pursued a graduate Dr. Catherine Marrone of Sociology. degree in pharmacology, a degree The annual with which he Faculty Panel, “Life has a way of now studies moderated the ion basis of by Scholars throwing curve balls action potential P r o g r a m at you, find a way to in jellyfish, Faculty Director get through it. There claiming that Dr. Brian Colle, science allows began with are ways.” him to be both ~ Dr. William Collins an introductions inventor from the and a scientist. panelists, who had some surprisingly Therefore, he urges Scholars to humbling stories for the attendees. blow the dust off of our dreams and follow them! “Life has a way Dr. Collins, for example, described of throwing curve balls at you; find his childhood interests in becoming a way to get through it. There are an explorer or inventor. “I wanted ways,” he concluded. to be like Alexander Graham Bell,” he chuckled. As an undergraduate, As another prospective engineer, he pursued electrical engineering Dr. O’Neal (conversing with but transferred over to biology students at far-right above) chimed after encountering some hardships. in the conversation, telling the “I couldn’t do it; there were audience about his childhood weekly exams,” said the current attempt at entirely disassembling

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and reassembling a microwave oven. He, too, was not fond of examinations, and transferred over to pre-med after coming home with a 1.4 GPA, having elected to not take any finals. As a premed student, Dr. O’Neal became motivated to work in a research lab, where he had once spotted a beautiful woman. Although he did not get the position immediately, he showed up to the lab regularly, and was granted a spot at the bench when another student dropped out.

His advice to Scholars, therefore, is to always remain persistent.

“You have to push,” he explained, “and when you don’t want to push, call your mom. Moms are good at pushing.” He added that being surrounded by incredible people is a key experience, and the reason why he loves being a teacher; “As soon as I learn something, I want to share it,” he described.

Dr. Marrone eagerly agreed with Dr. O’Neal, claiming that she has the best job in the world. Unlike the previous speakers, she knew early on that she wanted to be a sociologist, although her “cute

U N I V ER SI TY S C HO L AR S social studies teacher” helped with that decision. She earned her undergraduate degree at Stony Brook, during which time she was a commuter student, and loved the campus. Her hope is that the commuters among us love and experience Stony Brook as much as she was able to. She urges Scholars to advocate for themselves: “be good to yourselves—take breaks, relax, don’t compare yourselves to others; you are unique.” Dr. Marrone loves being on college campuses, and was thrilled when she was offered to teach an adjunct class at Stony Brook. “September is my January,” she explained, “it’s like New Years, the beginning of classes.”

After this discussion, Scholars were invited to ask the panelists questions, which resulted in some resounding advice. In a conversation about getting involved, Dr. Collins said that being passive is one’s worst enemy. “Don’t let Stony Brook wash over you,” he said. Class is only a small part of what college is about, he pointed out, and we must discover that other 95% ourselves.

Most importantly, all three panelists welcomed proactive students with open arms. “Be excellent at what you do, create connections, get noticed,” Dr. O’Neal added. “We are here because we love students, we don’t get enough of you,” agreed Dr. Collins. While many of us are feeling the pressure of choosing a major, Dr. Marrone hopes that we do the things we never thought about doing. “You don’t have to be your major, there’s nothing you can’t do,” she said in response to a student anxious about selecting

a path. Both Dr. O’Neal and Dr. Collins, after all, “kissed many frogs before they found the prince.”

They advise us to look to the people who surround us closely, because they will know who we are, and give us direction.

scientific questions with no known answers. Dr. Collins, on the other hand, seeks to produce an educated electorate. He hopes to give Stony Brook students an educated voice to make good decisions in the public sphere. These closing remarks were followed by thankful applause from the audience, which was swelling with inspiration from this year’s

As a kind of final statement, the panelists were asked to describe their vision for Stony Brook. Dr. “Be good to yourselves—take breaks, O’Neal and Dr. relax, don’t compare yourselves to Marrone both hope to create others; you are unique.” an authentic ~ Dr. Catherine Marrone experience for students, but in highly contrasting Faculty Panel. ways. Both hope that students can We thank Dr. William Collins, Dr. ask real questions in the biology Catherine Marrone, and Dr. Marvin lab and the sociology classroom, O’Neal for their words of humor respectively. Dr. Marrone, for and wisdom to the Scholars, and for instance, is working on a sociology their contributions to the university course where women from a women’s as a whole. prison can communicate remotely ~Alisa Rybkin with Stony Brook students, and Dr. O’Neal is developing a biology lab where students can ask novel

Dr. Catherine Marrone talks with a Scholar following the event

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T H E TORC H NEWSL ETTER

Scholars Reach Beyond the Classroom Autumn can be a stressful time for college freshmen, as the journey to find a niche on campus takes over.

On October 8th, an impressive group of laudable University Scholars students enthralled the SAC Auditorium as they embarked on a panel discussion that brought ease to the minds of worried freshmen. The panelists included: Michelle Olakkengil, Kelly Saberi, Taylor Brant, Janki Patel, Isabella Perez Pecchio, Matthew Henninger, Brian Mazeski, Gabrielle Khalife, Jakub Micko, Bryan Szeglin and James Vassallo.

The event began with an opening from Dr. Maynard, followed by speeches from the University Scholars panelists. Michelle began the panel by sharing her experience as a senator in the Undergraduate Student Government.

She mentioned that she had originally lost when she ran for Freshmen Representative, but eventually found victory the following semester when she ran for a party.

She wasn’t discouraged by her loss and encouraged the audience to take the same approach in their careers.

Senior Bryan Szeglin recalled his experiences as part of the Stony Brook Marching Band, as well as what drove him to start the Scholars Book Drive. Bryan has been a section leader in the band for three years, and says one of the best parts is the opportunity to “meet someone who is completely different than you.” Bryan conceptualized the Scholars Book Drive in an effort to “spread the love of reading,” and developed fine leadership skills along the way.

Brian Mazeski, a senior English major in the English Honors Program, was not initially a University Scholar when he entered Stony Brook University.

However, his academic record, and level of co-curricular involvement on campus, proves that taking advantage of certain opportunities is a matter of determination and actively seeking them out. Brian is one of the co-editors of the Torch and says we should all borrow from John F. Kennedy by, “asking not what the Scholars Program can do for you, but what you can do for the Scholars Program.”

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James Vassallo is a junior who serves as a Commuter Assistant and has been an Orientation Leader for the last two years. He spoke highly of both experiences as they afforded him the opportunity to connect with students and help facilitate a smoother transition into the university setting.

Jakub Micko spoke about his experience as a Resident Assistant in West Apartments. He described some of what the job entails; which can include late night office duty, the rotating shift of being the RA on duty, weekly meetings with the rest of the RA staff, and monthly meetings with his supervising Residence Hall Director. When recounting what he had learned most from his experience as an RA, Jakub spoke about how his job has helped him learn how to gauge how people feel, which he explained is a valuable life skill. A tip Jakub shared, for those considering becoming an RA, is that 60-80% of RAs got started by attending their Hall Council meetings regularly; which is a great way for freshmen to start getting involved on campus.

U N I V ER SI TY S C HO L AR S Gabby Khalife spoke about her experience with Red Watch Band, a bystander intervention and toxic drinking prevention program.

There is training offered on-campus every semester to help educate the Stony Brook Community about the dangers of toxic drinking. Her commitment to RWB led her to become a part of the Care Team, which is comprised of about 50 student leaders. She stressed how much these experiences have developed her leadership and team work skills.

Isabella Perez Pecchio is a sophomore Biology major who has already studied abroad in Tanzania.

She was initially hesitant to study abroad because she thought she wouldn’t have the time to commit to the program, but she says she’s very glad she ended up following through with it because it was such an eye-opening experience and showed her that she might want to pursue a position with Doctors Without Borders in the future.

Matthew Henninger is a Psychology major and AIDS Peer Educator. The AIDS Peer Education program is experiential and showed him how severe the global HIV problem is.

His work as a peer educator has helped him hone his public speaking skills and to feel more comfortable when talking to people about sensitive issues. The experience has even encouraged him to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology.

Janki Patel is a junior who started doing research the spring semester of her freshman year through iGEM (International Genetically

Engineered Machine). iGEM is a foundation aimed at advancing synthetic biology through education as well as competitions.

Through her work with iGEM, she has strengthened both her critical thinking and time management skills while learning about creating projects that will benefit society. She encouraged all interested freshmen to start the search for research spots by emailing their professors.

Kelly Saberi is a Scholars Fellow and an assistant news editor at The Statesman. She strives to embody what a Fellow is by helping other students when she can. Kelly started as a contributing writer at The Statesman, but officially became a staff writer after writing 20 articles and demonstrating her expertise as a reporter. Her experience with campus media has improved her communication and writing skills, and she encourages any students looking to develop these same skills to consider getting involved in the various on-campus publications and media outlets.

Taylor Brant, a junior, is a Student Ambassador and an intern for the Scholars Program. When asked what she enjoyed most about her internship experience, Taylor stated that it was the fact that she “could really customize the internship” to whatever she wanted to work on developing. For example, as a Psychology major she wanted to gain experience with advising, so she was able to schedule her intern hours around one of the Scholars Advisors’ advising hours so that she could learn more about the process and interact with a wide variety of

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students. As a Student Ambassador, she has proudly represented the university at a variety of high profile events. She described how having these leadership positions has greatly improved her confidence.

The panel ended with questions from the audience and final recommendations from the panelists—the importance of sleep, for instance, as well as Stony Brook Handshake, which helps students find jobs, internships, and professional opportunities.

All the panelists stressed that demonstrating leadership skills and being passionate about the activities you participate in makes a huge difference. Dr. Maynard summed up the panel in two words: “aspirational roadmap.” Hearing other students’ stories was motivating and accented all the wonderful possibilities here at Stony Brook. ~Guneet Singh

For more information about getting involved, visit the following links!

USG Senator Marching Band Scholars Book Drive The Torch Newsletter Commuter Assistant Program Orientation Leader Resident Assistant Red Watch Band Study Abroad AIDS Peer Education iGEM Scholars Fellows The Statesman Student Ambassadors Handshake

T H E TORC H NEWSL ETTER

Scholars Committees Need Your Help Academic

When the word “academics” is thrown into a conversation, one usually hears a chorus of groans and moans coming from tired students.

They do not want to hear any more about school than they already have to.

of Long Island Natural Sciences.

However, the larger purpose of the event was to inform students of what each of the different locations had to offer them, such as the tutoring center and the University’s various SINC sites. But, there was a catch.

Lucky for them, the Academic Committee is here to change that.

Co-chairs Brandon Cuadrado and Abigail Cobb are working on events that are both fun and educational and that allow students to become more familiar with the campus and everything it has to offer. Organizing such large events, however, requires the combined effort of the committee and faculty and can often be exhausting, so first—let me take a selfie.

Not only did the students have to traverse the campus looking for all the locations; they also had to take a selfie to prove that they had visited them all. This combined the educational aspect of the Academic Committee with the everyday fun that college students have with selfies.

The Academic Committee hosted the Scholars Selfie Challenge on October 6, 2015. The goal of this event was to encourage new students to get to know places around campus that they might not have seen yet, such as the Museum

The winning team was awarded a prize, selfie sticks, and the entire event was a success.

The Academic Committee will continue to work hard throughout the school year to create more fun and educational activities in order to further advance the knowledge of the student body. ~Samantha Nebylitsa

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Outreach

The Outreach Committee has been working hard to set up some wonderful events! First off, we have an off-campus service event for one of the best holidays of the year, Halloween! Students may volunteer to help out at Camp Pa Qua Tuck for their annual Spooky Walk, so be sure to sign up to help out with food, security, or, if you’re scary enough, scaring!

We have the Toys for Tots Charity Ball, set for Wednesday, December 2nd, which has officially been registered with the Marines! Three marines will be attending the Ball to help collect toys. Be sure to help out with designing flyers and picking themes for this year’s event.

Finally, we have two new events; the Senior Senior Prom, and the Mental Health Event. Co-chair Mike Cheung has been hard at work to set up the Senior Senior Prom, so stop by and pitch some ideas for possible themes and to help with planning.

The Mental Health Event—which

U N I V ER SI TY S C HO L AR S will focus on positivity and mental health resources—will be on campus near the end of November (before finals, and we need to stay positive for those!).

Please come to the Outreach Committee meetings to present possible craft ideas for the event to help us erase the stigma attached to mental health issues. For more information, and to sign-up for any of these events, be sure to contact committee co-chairs Kathryn Eckartt and Mike Cheung! Happy Halloween! ~Sricharan Gumudavelli

Social

Each semester, the Social Committee succeeds in organizing events that bring the whole Scholars community closer together, and this semester is no exception.

The committee, co-chaired by Shao Peng Chen and David Ng, started off the semester with its first forcredit event: The Ice Cream Social.

Historically, this event is simply for new and continuing Scholars to bond and chat about the upcoming semester. However, this semester the committee invited several members of the Stony Brook faculty

2014 Toys for Tots Charity Ball to the event. New and continuing Scholars had the unique opportunity of networking with distinguished professors and faculty members.

The committee has planned three other major events for this semester: SBU Bingo, Halloween Movie Night, and a Build-YourOwn Gingerbread House event.

SBU Bingo is designed to make all Scholars, particularly freshmen, more familiar with the locations of buildings and landmarks on campus. This event will take place on October 19th in SAC Ballroom B. The highly anticipated

Halloween Movie Night will take place on October 27th in the SAC Auditorium, and is sure to get everyone excited for Halloween.

A date and location for the BuildYour-Own Gingerbread House event have not yet been confirmed.

However, this event is sure to be successful in getting the entire Scholars community to feel warm and fuzzy for the holidays.

The committee currently meets every other Thursday in SAC 306 at 7:00 pm. All are welcome! ~Samara Khan

Contact our committee chairs to see how you can make your mark on Scholars Academic Committee

Outreach Committee

Social Committee

Brandon Cuadrado brandon.cuadrado@stonybrook.edu

Kathryn Eckartt kathryn.eckartt@stonybrook.edu

Shao Peng Chen shaopeng.chen@stonybrook.edu

Abigail Cobb abigail.cobb@stonybrook.edu

Michael Cheung michael.b.cheung@stonybrook.edu

David Ng david.ng.2@stonybrook.edu

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T H E TORC H NEWSL ETTER

Scholars In Action As I sat across from sophomore Alessandra Riccio at the Union Starbucks on a chilly autumn Wednesday afternoon, I was sure of two things. The first – her character is marked by steadfast determination, motivation, and tenacity. The second – her nature is kindhearted, witty, and compassionate. This balance of a persistent and genuine demeanor lends to the fact that she is emerging as one of Stony Brook’s premier student leaders, from her involvement as a University Scholar, to her experiences as an Orientation Leader, Research Assistant, and an enthusiastic member of many organizations.

Yet what has propelled Riccio in her journey of achievements was loss. Her cousin, trained to be a nutritionist and aspiring to be a nurse, passed away while Riccio was in high school. Seeing her hard work inspired Riccio to work in healthcare and carry on her cousin’s legacy. Her passion for medicine,

Alessandra Riccio [second from right] with members of Volunteers Around the World in Guatemala

neuroscience, psychology, and research steered her to continue her education at Stony Brook University as a Biochemistry major after graduating as Salutatorian from Hicksville High School.

first year at Stony Brook. Her SCH 275 class felt “like a family,” and as a current SCH 101 Teaching Assistant, she enjoys being a role model and resource for new Scholars.

As a first-semester student at Stony Brook, Riccio was initially timid, but she grew quickly “My SCH into many leadership roles. became like In hindsight, she regrets not asking for advice from upperclassmen in the Scholars program sooner, since she believes this eventually helped foster her success. Riccio got involved with the Scholars Outreach Committee and became an active member of the Scholars Book Drive Committee, which collected over 10,000 books last academic year. She also was inspired by her Fellow, Brandon Cuadrado, to apply to be a Fellow herself. Her role as a Fellow, Riccio says, was her favorite part of her

Riccio’s SCH 101 students have plenty to look up to. Last Spring, she took part 275 class in Volunteers Around the a family...” World, where she volunteered to set up clinics and pharmacy stations in Guatemala (pictured above). The trip exposed Riccio to the inaccessibility of healthcare in some countries. She explained how sometimes the nearest specialists were hours away, and that the locals could not afford medications; things that many of us take for granted. This past summer, she was an Orientation Leader, helping to welcome over 4,000 new students and their families to campus. Through Orientation, Riccio inspired new

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U N I V ER SI TY S C HO L AR S

Alessandra [fourth from left] with the Scholars Book Drive donating 2,235 books to the Wyandach School District in May 2015

students and witnessed connections bloom between them. Riccio also garners this appreciation of seeing students connect through the Red Watch Band (RWB) CARE team, where she reaches out to students to get them RWB trained.

Riccio continually seeks out ways to accomplish her goals. She kindles her passions for medicine and neurology through the PreMed Society and the Neuroscience Axis. With her admiration for

psychology, she carries out research in the “Mother-Infant Cognitive Attachment” Lab on campus, helping to analyze relationships between mothers and infants, as well as how parenting styles influence development. Riccio is also inclined towards anything outdoors, as well as traveling and scuba diving. She hopes to study abroad in Australia as well as take courses to explore her interest in marine biology.

With Alessandra Riccio’s persistence and compassion, coupled with her being a scuba diver and traveler, it seems flawlessly fitting that the words she lives by are “just keep swimming,” from Finding Nemo. She trusts perseverance and hard work can trump any setback, a beautiful lesson from an inspirational University Scholar. ~Taylor Brant

Click on the links below to learn more about the programs that Alessandra is a part of Orientation Leaders Book Drive Fellows Red Watch Band Pre-Med Society Neuroscience Axis

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T H E TORC H NEWSL ETTER

Professor Jason Rose After a half hour conversation with Professor Jason Rose, anyone would be reminded of what it means to be well-rounded. He is humble and grateful to be in a place of higher learning; he seems to be at home in a place where everyone around him is curious and seeking to expand their mind.

There are two things Professor Jason Rose feels completely fulfilled doing. He pauses and says “I don’t want to be doing anything else when I’m sailing or teaching.”

At Stony Brook, he gets a balance of both. Sitting in his office as he scrolls through photos of the sailing club, it becomes perfectly evident how much love he has for the team and its members. But the team is, of course, the result of something bigger. “Teaching undergrads is extremely rewarding,” he says. But despite his success as a popular professor in the political science department – the rave reviews on Rate My Professor as well as

his winning the Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award two years in a row can attest to this - the self-described high energy, “maniacal” lecturer didn’t always know he wanted to teach.

Stony Brook faculty for five years now. “I didn’t know how much I’d love teaching until I did it,” he confesses.

Professor Rose is extremely involved on campus, teaching five different After completing his undergraduate lectures in the political science studies at Stony Brook himself, department; as the faculty advisor he returned as a guest lecturer for and copy editor for Libertas: The Charles Taber’s POL313 class. At Undergraduate Journal of Political Science at the time, he Stony Brook was a graduate “I didn’t know how University; student at much I’d love teaching as the faculty NYU, where he was the first to until I did it.” advisor for c a m p u s graduate with a 4.0 in the International Relations Republicans and Democrats; and MA program under the Quantitative as one of the founders of the Stony Analysis track. After the lecture, Brook Sailing Club. The idea Taber told Rose that teaching may of balance between academics just be the profession for him. and outside interests is perfectly Directly after graduate school, he embodied by Professor Rose, contacted Stony Brook and was and something that Stony Brook hired to teach the 101 course in students can learn from. While political science. At the time, he speaking with him you can sense the believed it would last for maybe collection of different experiences six months. He’s been part of the he has had over the years that make

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U N I V ER SI TY S C HO L AR S If his current involvement across campus isn’t proof enough of his ability to make connections through He began to share his experiences different elements of life, he will with research abroad; and with also be teaching a class in sailing complete sincerity he states that next semester alongside the coach of it’s “hard to comment” about his the sailing team called Leadership work in Iran. Although only there Through Sailing. He hopes to for a few weeks, convey sailing as a metaphor it is clear that “You can’t control the for life. the trip played winds...the winds are “Knowledge a large role in of basic his academic given to you.” seamanship has and personal growth.

The vast differences universal applications,” he says. between our system of government The leadership that comes with and that of Iran left a great space learning how to sail is an important for him to question and develop life skill, as well as the ability his own ideas about government. to face difficulties as they come.

He says that Iran has a “fascistic “You can’t control the winds. The mix of theocracy with elements of winds are given to you.” The meaningful democracy.” Clearly he metaphor, he elaborates, applies knows what it means to gain insight to politics as well, as it relates by analyzing the places between to taking responsibility for, and understanding the consequences of, what we know and what is new. your actions. him such a dynamic teacher and leader.

His least favorite part of politics is bias. He believes that there is a difference between politics and policy, and that those who study policy tend to have less bias. The generalizations that people on different sides of the spectrum make of each other end up perpetuating the idea that “arrogance and malevolence are… explanations of policy failure.”

Overall, Professor Rose is a passionate man, both in and out of the classroom. His dedication to the continued development of his students comes through in the way in which he lights up at the idea that the sailing club has created confident leaders out of shy, unsure freshmen. His reason for getting out of bed in the morning? Simply “to blow students’ minds.”

Want to know more?

~Holly Jones

Click on the links below to learn more about the programs that Professor Rose is involved in Department of Political Science Stony Brook Sailing Team

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T H E TORC H NEWSL ETTER

Senior Alisa Rybkin Rises to the Top Arthur Eisenberg Photography

When Alisa Rybkin started as a freshman at Stony Brook, she wanted to “pursue things.” Now, three years later with multiple leadership positions within the university and various experiences that have allowed her to explore her interests in the medical field under her belt, she is well on her way.

Currently a Biochemistry major, Alisa started with Chemistry but soon realized it wasn’t for her.

“Chemistry is really important, but I need to do something that I have a predisposition for,” Alisa says; so she added Biology into the mix. On impulse, she also added an English minor to remind herself that she is ultimately working for a human cause. “I have to remember that we are human and we are not just molecules, pathways, and reactions,” she says.

Alisa’s involvement in the medical field certainly reflects her desire

to maintain a humane aspect of health work. The summer after her freshman year, she began working at Weill Cornell Medical Center where she pursued her interests in cancer research and patient care.

Specifically, she researched a new medication to mitigate the harmful side effects of cancer treatment.

“Cancer is so toxic. The treatment for cancer kind of kills the person as much as cancer itself can,” Alisa says. “It’s so important to give that aspect of life less toxicity.”

The next summer Alisa challenged herself to work in a lab at Columbia University. She was eager to learn how to work there, but “as therapeutic as it is to watch E. coli grow and react to different mutations,” she jokes, “it feels, again, very dehumanized and you have to remind yourself what relevance it has.” Next summer, as a result, she returned to cancer research. Since then she has begun

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to do research in Manhattan during summers and winters, and dedicates her time to holding leadership positions at Stony Brook during the fall and spring. Currently she works at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center every Monday and Friday and continues to pursue her interests in patient care. “If I were to end up there sometime in the future, I would be so elated,” she says.

Having recently finished applying to medical school, Alisa knows she wants to be a specialist in a hospital and work with the World Health Organization. She also plans to step outside hospital boundaries and do public health work to make health care knowledge, including women’s health, more accessible.

In addition to her extensive work in the medical field, Alisa is markedly involved in the Stony Brook community. She was previously the Undergraduate Student Government

U N I V ER SI TY S C HO L AR S (USG) assistant treasurer, which involved managing the budgets for new clubs, and has served as a Scholars committee co-chair for the Outreach Committee. Alisa is also an experienced ballroom dancer, having earned the National Finalist title for ballroom dancing at the professional level, and now cocoaches the ballroom dance team.

Out of all she has experienced, Alisa sees the value in conquering the little things, like bad days and difficult exam schedules. “Just being where I am right now, having

Alisa at the 2015 Homecoming Creative Explosion

gone through three years of college her to be passionate about her own . . . being able to be strong and work in the medical field. independent enough to go through all of that and be sane . . . is an accomplishment on its “In general, competition own,” she says. is kind of ironic because

we’re all trying to improve

Mentors from various parts human condition of her life have helped the her along the way, one of somehow.” whom is Scholars Advisor Jeremy Marchese. “Jeremy has From her experiences at Stony made my life so much easier and Brook, Alisa can say that the value made us see the value of having of teamwork has most strongly guidance and actually admitting to resonated with her. She realizes the fact that you that, although people often isolate need guidance,” themselves because they want to Alisa says. “It’s be recognized for their individual incredible; we achievements, it’s more important value him so much to surround yourself with people because besides who make you happy. “In general, the Scholars, no competition is kind of ironic because one else has that.” we’re all trying to . . . improve the She also mentions human condition somehow,” she the profound says. “It’s silly to compete when impact of Professor we can all accelerate each other’s Garrett, an English progress in some way.” professor, whom she has taken Now, the girl who wanted to “pursue three courses with. things” has come a long way and Describing her as still has much further to go. As a “very intellectual word of advice, “Take advantage of and very passionate what’s here,” Alisa says. “Enjoy it about what she and do everything you can.” does,” Alisa says that Professor ~Kailey Walters Garrett has inspired

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T H E TORC H NEWSL ETTER Advising All University Scholars are encouraged to take advantage of their exceptional Advisors. From academic planning to research to general advice, the University Scholars Advisors are an invaluable resource to students.

Brian Colle brian.colle@stonybrook.edu Wed: 2:00pm-4:00pm Thu: 11:00am-1:00pm available by appointment

David Maynard david.maynard@stonybrook.edu available by apointment

Jeremy Marchese jeremy.marchese@stonybrook.edu Mon: 11:00am-12:00pm Tue: 11:00am-1:00pm Wed: 11:00am-12:00pm Thu: 1:30pm-3:30pm available by appointment

Academic Deadlines Oct. 23 Last day to change a class to or from Grade/Pass/No Credit (G/P/NC) option, 12:00pm deadline

Last day to process a Section Change or Credit Change for an existing enrolled course.

Last day to withdraw from a course (“W” will be recorded). Must remain full time (12 credits).

Oct. 26 Students can begin to submit major/minor changes effective Spring/Summer 2016 semesters.

Nov. 1 Last day for removal of incomplete grades from the Spring and Summer 2015 terms.

Deadline to resolve NR grades for the Spring and Summer 2015 terms.

Nov. 2 Advanced registration tentatively set to begin for Winter/Spring 2016 semesters.

Nov. 25-29 Thanksgiving Break.

Dec. 4 Last day to withdraw or take a leave of absence from the University.

Last day of Mon-Fri Classes.

Dec. 5 Last day of Saturday Classes.

Dec. 8-16 Final exams.

Dec. 17 Commencement.

Scholars Events Scholars’ Movie Night, The Nightmare Before Christmas

Oct. 27 8:00pm-10:30pm SAC Auditorium Workshop on Fellowship Opportunities, for credit

Oct. 28 1:00pm-2:00pm Wang Center, Room 101 Scholars Council Meeting

Nov. 11 1:00pm-2:15pm SAC 305 More than Visibility: Trans Women of Color Activism, Past and Futures, for credit

Nov. 16 7:00pm-9:00pm SAC Auditorium Toys for Tots Charity Ball, for credit

Dec. 2 6:00pm-8:00pm SAC Ballroom A For the most up-to-date information regarding events and to RSVP, please visit the Scholars Website at

www.stonybrook.edu/uscholars/events

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