30 Days of Giving 2016, Day 7 – Honoring a Historic Legacy With A Day of Service at Old Westbury By SUNY Old Westbury

More than 30 students from SUNY Old Westbury prepared activity kits and care packages for the patients at Cohen Children’s Medical Center as part of Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, a call to service initiative by the Corporation for National and Community Service. This is the third year that Old Westbury has participated in Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, with previous projects including the creation of disaster preparedness kits and care packages for the needy.

Event sponsor Omicron Delta Kappa Leadership Honor Society’s president, student Josiah Pierre said, “when you help others, regardless the size of the contribution, you are showing you are of importance by having something to offer the community. In the end I feel we can really infl uence positive change in other people’s lives. What I will remember the most about this service day is that we did something incredible for children by showing some SUNY Old Westbury love! Ev-eryone has a story and everyone has something that they might be going through, but it really feels good that we can all come together and help others.”

The goal of the service project was to illustrate through hands-on experience the importance of conducting civic engage-ment activities and the positive power of what service can mean to the people and communities in which the students reside. The activity kits are aimed at providing comfort and care for the pediatric patients at Cohen so that they may more enjoyably pass the time spent either waiting for, or recovering from treatments.

11/04/2016 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/04/2016 11:43

SUNY Old Westbury, and its various partner institutions, have received a $4 million fi ve-year National Science Foun-dation (NSF) grant designed to increase undergraduate and graduate degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in underrepresented minority (UREP) student populations. The grant supports the SUNY Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (SUNY LSAMP) program, a synergistic collaboration and alliance of 14 SUNY schools including the lead institution Stony Brook University, University at Albany, Binghamton University, University at Buffalo, and several new community college across the state. Of the $4 million grant to be used from 2016 through 2021, Old Westbury will receive $179,440.

‘Over the next fi ve years, the three leading goals of the project will be to: meet the continuing challenge of preparing UREP students for a successful transition into STEM majors; provide experimental activities that lead to socialization into science; and promote systemic change by broadening participation in research,’ said Dr. Henry Teoh, the LSAMP program director.

Since 1996, SUNY LSAMP has been an instrumental program to shape STEM education and forge new opportuni-ties for UREP students to pursue and succeed in STEM programs and degrees in New York State. Over the past 20 years, SUNY LSAMP has achieved an 11-fold increase in STEM enrollment for minority students in comparison to the previous 20 years in the state. The program has also helped increase STEM bachelor’s degrees by almost 300 per-cent. During the past 5 years, the program has been a catalyst to helping to nearly double community college students transferring to four-year STEM undergraduate programs.

‘Our alliance will scale up programs that build our momentum to increase student recruitment and retention,’ said David Ferguson, SUNY LSAMP Project Director at Stony Brook University, ‘We will also focus on improving STEM pathways from community colleges to four-year schools and creating a pipeline to produce global researchers and scholars.’

To date, SUNY LSAMP has taken leadership in STEM curricular reform on the SUNY campuses and has supported UREP STEM student needs. The effort has led to engagement among faculty, staff, administrators and heads of aca-demic departments to create new infrastructures on campuses to enhance UREP students’ participation and pursuit of STEM higher education.

SUNY Old Westbury Receives National Science Foun-dation Grant As Partner Institution To Increase STEM Degrees For Underrepresented Minority Students

‘Over the next fi ve years, the three leading goals of the project will be to: meet the continuing challenge of preparing UREP students for a successful transition into STEM majors; provide experimental activities that lead to socializationinto science; and promote systemic change by broadening participation in research,’ said Dr. Henry Teoh, the LSAMPprogram director.

, and several new community college Old Westbury will receive $179,440.

SUNY Old Westbury( S )

19 SUNY Campuses Recognized in President’s Community Service Honor RollBy Nathaly Mucha

As a student it can be diffi cult to have much productive free time between studying for exams, extracurricular activities and a social life. But many students do, and they spend that time engaging in their local communities. College students are the biggest crowd of volunteers in America, with 3.1 million stu-dents engaging in community service with 118 million hours served each year. These efforts are ones that indeed should be recognized and valued.

Each year, the President of the United States recognizes the institutions of higher education that refl ect values of community service and partnerships. This year, 19 SUNY schools were named to the President’s Higher Education Commmunity Service Honor Roll. This designation is the highest federal rec-ognition that a campus can receive for its efforts in community and civic engagement. With the value of student communi-ty service being estimated at around $2.5 billion, this shows us that each school provides measurable outcomes provided by these schools in their communities.

For the 2016 Honor Roll, SUNY Oswego, SUNY Cortland, SUNY Geneseo and SUNY Fredonia were named to the Honor Roll with distinction, while the following campuses were also recognized:

University at AlbanyAlfred StateBinghamton University Buffalo StateSUNY CobleskillSUNY DelhiDownstate Medical CenterFashion Institute of TechnologyMonroe Community CollegeSUNY MorrisvilleSUNY Old WestburyOnondaga Community CollegeSUNY OneontaSUNY PlattsburghStony Brook UniversityApplied Learning at SUNYCommunity service is one of the many ways students can gain valuable experiences outside of the classroom. Applied learning is growing all across higher education as students and universities are seeing the benefi ts of being prepared for graduation with real world experience. In fact, right now every SUNY student has the opportunity to do at least one applied learning experience before they graduate. Community Service is a valuable form of applied learning and a great way to keep students involved and developing leadership skills.

Each year, we run a 30 Days of Giving Campaign in which we highlight the valuable community service taking place at our schools, building their community partnerships and applied learning opportunities in efforts to enhance the quality of life for all New Yorkers. Be sure to come back next week to begin the journey with us.

SUNY Old Westbury

New York has launched a “groundbreaking” $650 million initiative to support life-science industries across the state.

The initiative, announced Monday, will offer investment capital, operating sup-port and tax incentives to companies dabbling in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and life-systems tech, as well as “organizations and institutions that devote the majority of their efforts to the various stages of research, development, technol-ogy transfer and commercialization,” according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s offi ce.

Included in the initiative: $250 million in tax incentives for new and existing life-sciences companies, $200 million in NYS capital grants specifi cally to support “investment in wet-lab and innovation space,” $100 million in investment capital for early-stage life-sciences companies and “an additional match of at least $100 million for operating support from private-sector partnerships,” the governor’s offi ce said.

The program will also dish out 3.2 million square feet of “innovation space” and 1,100 acres of developable land, tax-free, at 45 statewide college and university campuses.

On Long Island, that includes more than 100,000 square feet of existing space and 18.5 developable acres at Farmingdale State College – in-cluding open space inside Farmingdale State’s Broad Hollow Bioscience Park – and more than 157,000 square feet of existing space, plus 240 developable acres, at Stony Brook University.

There are also smaller chunks of available space at Hofstra University and SUNY-Old Westbury, as well as more than 81 acres of developable land around Suffolk County Community College. A complete list of tax-free space and open acreage has been posted by the governor’s offi ce.

The initiative – which includes Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits for existing life-sciences businesses, as well as tax incentives for life-scienc-es startups and angel investors who get in early – is meant to be a booster rocket for a “world-class life-science cluster in New York,” Cuomo said Monday.

“New York is uniquely positioned to become a global powerhouse in the life-science sector,” the governor said. “This groundbreaking initiative is making the investments and establishing the programs necessary for capitalizing on our tremendous potential.”

The state is aiming to signifi cantly increase its share of industry-funded research and development, while supporting the commercialization of existing academic research and ushering in the next generation of advanced technologies. The ultimate hope of the $650 million stake is to position New York as “a magnet for emerging manufacturing-based enterprises, bolstering regional economies and creating thousands of jobs,” according to the governor’s offi ce.

The initiative also heralds the launch of a new life-sciences funding competition modeled on the state’s 43North innovation competition. In the new contest, New York will host a 13-week regional “life-science launch competition” in which startup fi rms engaged in “groundbreak-ing research” or developing “emerging technologies” will compete for $25,000 in grant funding – and a shot at one of fi ve $100,000 top prizes at a statewide Life Sciences Summit, which will gather researchers, venture capitalists and other potential stakeholders. Details are pending, Cuomo’s offi ce said.

With an eye on attracting and developing new life-sciences talent, the initiative is also slated to include new internship programs, recruitment programs and “entrepreneurial advisory panels” in conjunction with statewide academic programs and a host of state offi ces, including the New York State Department of Health.

Noting New York is already home to “many leading research institutions and life-science clusters,” Howard Zemsky – president and CEO of Empire State Development, Albany’s main economic-development engine – predicted the initiative “will spur an unprecedented investment in the life-science sector.”

“The life- and bioscience sector is a key contributor to our state’s economy,” seconded Heather Briccetti, president and CEO of the Business Council of New York State Inc. “The life-sciences sector accounts for a quarter of a million jobs and billions in wages in New York … and generates signifi cant federal funds.

“We applaud the governor for announcing this initiative and ensuring New York keeps pace with, and surpasses, the bioscience investment of our fellow states.”

The initiative also earned accolades from SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher, CUNY Chancellor James Milliken and a host of life-sciences corporations and business-development organizations – as well as other insiders with expert knowledge of how far life-sciences investments can go.

“An investment by the state in the life sciences is of great benefi t,” James Simons, chairman and namesake of the Simons Foundation, said in a statement. “This type of funding will have a positive impact both on our economy and our ability to drive scientifi c innovation.”

Science fact: New York State is throwing $650 million into a statewide life-sciences initiative.

With $650M Bet, Cuomo All-In On Life SciencesDECEMBER 12, 2016 By GREGORY ZELLER

SUNY-Old Westbury, ad

y

By Rossana Weitekamp Posted December 7, 2016

Shocking story! Read this now!With fake news proliferating on social media, experts weigh in

Although fake news is a big issue for today’s media, particularly in the aftermath of the presidential cam-paign, it has been a problem in the journalism world for more than 100 years. “There are records of fake news going back as far as Lincoln that were used to [try to] derail his election,” said Dr. Cliff Jernigan, an associate professor and chairman of Hofstra University’s Department of Journalism, Media Studies and Public Relations.

What is new, as Jernigan and others in higher education have pointed out, is mobile communication and the proliferation, importance and power of social media in the daily lives of millions of people, offer-ing anyone the ability to publish information, true or not, anywhere at any time — and giving fake news plenty of inexpensive growing space.

An extreme example of the potential harm of widely circulated, but completely made-up, “news” reports was last Sunday’s arrest of 28-year old Edgar Maddison, who entered a North Carolina restaurant with an assault rifl e because, he said, he was investigating “Pizza Gate” — a fi ctitious online story that accused the restaurant’s owner of being involved in a child sex operation.

Fake news is something that journalism professors at Nassau County universities have been discussing with their students, and teaching them to identify and address. John Friedman, an associate professor of journalism at SUNY Old Westbury, said that everyone — not just journalism students — needs to think critically before they mistakenly share false information online. “If it’s questionable — like a blog no one has ever heard of — don’t pass it on,” Friedman said. “If it comes from a questionable source, then label it as such on your social media network.” Other identifi ers he cited are excessive use of exclamation

points, unneeded capitalization and an angry tone. “There’s a certain conspiratorial term to some of them, too,” he added.

Sometimes, fake news isn’t so easy to identify. Last month, The Washington Post published information from two independent research teams at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, which reported that a sophisticated Russian propaganda campaign created and spread misleading ar-ticles online to promote a victory by Donald Trump. The Post article also highlighted the research of ProporNot.com, an independent group that identifi ed more than 200 websites that report fake news. The validity of ProporNot.com’s research, and the Post’s article, have since been called into question by several media organizations, which have claimed that the website’s research was unscientifi c and that the Post never should have published information from it.

Jernigan said that all professors in Hofstra’s journalism and communications department are vigilant about teaching sound story and fact verifi -cation practices, using a variety of tools — from traditional approaches to fact-check answers to the questions who, what, when, where and why, to more modern resources like the Verifi cation Handbook, which offers advice on using and verifying information in the online world as news breaks.

Photojournalism isn’t exempt from harm from false reporting, and can be aided by web applications that do “reverse image searches,” like Google Images and TinEye. “Because we use image recognition, we can detect changes that have been made to an image,” explained Leila Boujnane, CEO and co-founder of TinEye.com, adding that she has seen “tons” of examples of doctored images. “If someone on social media or [a] website puts out a piece of news — like [a] bomb dropped on Afghanistan, and you see a series of images coming out of that story, you can verify the images by uploading [them] to our website and see if we’ve seen [them] in the past.”

Boujnane cites other websites — such as Yandex and Bing — that offer similar services, but she encouraged researchers to use them all. “No one in the world should be verifying data from a single source,” she said.

John Friedman, an associate profes-sor at SUNY Old Westbury, said people need to think before they mistakenly share false information online.

SUNY Old Westbury, s

Batman, to now Wonder Woman. If only she had x-ray vision or telepathic ability like some of the subjects she analyz-es in her new book ‘Superwomen: Gender, Power, and Representation,’ released this fall by Bloomsbury Publishing. The Associate Professor of Politics, Economics and Law at SUNY Old Westbury’s recent study examines representa-tion of females in the superhero industry - an interest she’s had since childhood.

‘As I got older, I realized that female characters were much less numerous than male counterparts, and usually have weaker powers and less interesting stories,’ said Cocca. ‘So in my current work, applying my political science and gender studies training to this issue, I found that what I felt growing up is true not only about superheroes but also about the way women are portrayed across fi ction--they are portrayed much less often, with much less nuance, and with much less power.’

As Wonder Woman has been named an honorary United Nations ambassador for the empowerment of women and girls, and her likeness will adorn USPS stamps to commemorate her 75th anniversary, Cocca’s analysis and learnings become ever more important to society. Although there has been change over time in the gender portrayals of female superheroes and strong fi gures, it’s been gradual.

Cocca states ‘what’s special about Wonder Woman and her fi ght for justice, is that she does it through a female body- she’s not a lesser offshoot of a male character like so many other female superheroes. She demonstrates that hero-ism, intelligence, strength, and leadership are not male traits; rather, they are human traits that can be performed by anyone. She approaches all situations not with judgment or violence, but with an open heart and an open hand, with integrity and equity, and she works with others to challenge privileges and inequalities.’

The SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching recipient brings these lessons into her classroom at Old Westbury in her various undergraduate courses. Among related coursework, some of her favorites include ‘People, Power, and Politics;’ ‘Constitutional Law;’ ‘Civil Liberties;’ ‘Civil Rights;’ and ‘Politics of Gender and Sexuality.’ These courses are geared toward showing Cocca’s students their power in making political and social change, and encour-aging them to re-examine stereotypes and assumptions.

What is it that motivates Dr. Cocca to study superheroes in the fi rst place? ‘I understand that they are fi ctional, but superheroes are aspirational fi gures: they use their abilities selfl essly, on a mission to fi ght for justice and to protect regular people. This is something that aligns with the mission here at Old Westbury.’

Getting To Know: Dr. Carolyn Cocca, Superhero Enthusiast And Expert11/14/2016 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/17/2016 09:45

Carolyn Cocca’s favorite superhero has shape-shifted with superhuman speed throughout her life from Superman to

What is it that motivates Dr. Cocca to study superheroes in the fi rst place? ‘I understand that they are fi ctional, butsuperheroes are aspirational fi gures: they use their abilities selfl essly, on a mission to fi ght for justice and to protectregular people. This is something that aligns with the mission here at Old Westbury.’

The SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching recipient brings these lessons into her classroom at Old Westbury in her various undergraduate courses. Among related coursework, some of her favorites include ‘People, Power, and Politics;’ ‘Constitutional Law;’ ‘Civil Liberties;’ ‘Civil Rights;’ and ‘Politics of Gender and Sexuality.’ Thesecourses are geared toward showing Cocca’s students their power in making political and social change, and encour-aging them to re-examine stereotypes and assumptions.

The Associate Professor of Politics, Economics and Law at SUNY Old Westbury’s

N.Y. / REGION

Brothers Holding Up Each Other, in the Wake of a Crushing LossThe Neediest Cases By N. R. KLEINFIELD DEC. 23, 2016

Andre Steinberg, left, and Jamal Perry in their Bronx apartment last month.Credit Amir Levy for The New York Times

The brothers enjoy their endless little debates. They could be over something of importance, but then again, maybe not. Just the other week, they got at it over how many Batman movies there had been. Why, obviously there had been four, according to Andre Steinberg. What is wrong with you, there were seven, Jamal Perry insisted.

They checked the internet. Seven (ignoring the recent joint appearance with Superman).

Then Mr. Perry mentioned that George Clooney had once been Batman. Mr. Steinberg said, “No way.”

The internet confi rmed victory for Mr. Perry.

The brothers were together in their Bronx apartment, perched on their couch. It was dusk, shadows retiring outside. As always, they were so at ease with each other.

They are a unit, joined by blood and tragedy. Tracy Young, their single mother, died in 2008 from colon cancer at 37. It happened two days before Thanksgiv-ing, and with their hearts ripped out it was hard for them to understand what they had to be thankful for. Mr. Perry was then 16, and Mr. Steinberg was 19.

Not long afterward, they moved together into the apartment they still share. For a while, Mr. Perry spent time with his father on Roosevelt Island, but for the most part they shaped their lives together, propping each other up with mega-doses of affection. Each of them is the best person the other knows.

Grappling with an unmoored future, they built upon the guidance that their mother had imparted to them. Such as: “Always strive, don’t be complacent.” And: “Stand for something or fall for anything.” And: “Do what you have to do, so you can do what you want to do.”

They did just that. In 2014, Mr. Steinberg graduated from the New York City College of Technology. Mr. Perry graduated in May from the State University of New York at Old Westbury.

It has been rocky getting their careers going, but they are moving forward lurchingly. Mr. Steinberg is a graphic designer. He had a contract with Bank of America doing graphic design, but that ended in June. He has been freelancing while looking to line up a full-time position.

Mr. Perry is working part time at a LensCrafters store. He thinks he wants to get into artist management at a record company, or something along those lines.

Meanwhile, they began a clothing line. They originally called it Eyewear Fash-ion, since both of them wear glasses, as did their mother, who donated her eyes to the American Cancer Society. They are now calling it Invader Nation cloth-ing. They have been selling their wares at a fl ea market on Roosevelt Island.

Intermingled memories of their mother are always with them. “It’s still surreal,” Mr. Perry said. “A feeling like it will never go away. Since my mother’s passing, my brother and I have had this attitude: We got to get going. We got to keep rolling.”

“There are times the lack of her presence weighs on me,” Mr. Steinberg said. “So we try to push forward.”

They have been helped extensively by Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New York, one of the eight organizations supported by The New York Times’s Needi-est Cases Fund. Another organization, the Children’s Aid Society, assisted Ms. Young before she died.

The brothers received money so they could buy some furniture. Catholic Chari-ties enlisted Mr. Perry in a number of programs to help with the vicissitudes governing his young life. Mr. Steinberg got a job as a junior designer in the organization’s communications department.

So much of their lives has been defi ned by being together. Analyzing their future, they are prepared for separation.

Mr. Perry said: “We are me now. We can’t stay together forever. Even if our mother would have wanted that. ”

Mr. Steinberg said: “It’s getting to that point where we have to fl y, but alone. Another gem from our mother on self-suffi ciency: If you wait on someone to help you, you’ll wait forever. It’s time for us to invest in ourselves and look to our futures.”

“He’s my brother,” Mr. Steinberg went on. “But understand, he’s annoying. I don’t mind him being here. But time apart is well spent.”

Mr. Perry: “Yeah, he’s older than me. I look at him — he’s old! That’s why he’s annoying. I look at the food he likes. It’s weird.”

Mr. Steinberg: “He’s loud. He likes to clap his hands and snap for no reason.”

Mr. Perry: “I play my music loud.”

Mr. Steinberg: “Me, I can go hours with silence.”

Mr. Perry has been mulling graduate school, as well as maybe moving perma-nently down South, where he has relatives and might fi nd work. “I don’t think I know myself yet,” Mr. Perry said. “I’m trying to fi nd that out.”

Both are very close to their mother’s twin sister, Tina Young, who lives in Taneytown, Md. One of her daughters, Jasmine Williams, who is 24, has a rare immune disorder. Her health recently took a bad turn and Mr. Perry has de-cided to go in a few weeks to act as her home health aide for at least six months.

But the brothers’ bond will never disappear. Mr. Perry said, “I’ll always pick my brother over anyone else in the world.”

“Yeah,” Mr. Steinberg said. “He summed it up perfect.”

Donations to the Neediest Cases may also be made with a check or over the phone.

A version of this article appears in print on December 24, 2016, on Page A15 of the New York edition with the headline: Brothers, Joined by Blood and Trag-edy, Give Each Other Strength. Order Reprints| Today’s Paper|Subscribe

Mr. Perry graduated in May from the State University of New York at Old Westbury.

Gail M. Rodney ‘96 returned to campus today to discuss with students the path she has cre-ated from the degree in English she earned at SUNY Old Westbury to her current role as a publisher with among the most respected providers of information for science, health, and technology professionals around the world.

Currently the Journal Publisher, Multimedia, with Elsevier, Rodney shared with students stories from her career in editing and publishing and discussed the steps to take, and pitfalls of which to be wary, while starting out in a career. From her current role, she was also able to discuss with the students the changing nature of the publishing industry and the opportuni-ties available to young professionals in the fi eld.

In her current role, Rodney currently develops and manages 19 different journals serving the computer science discipline. Rodney’s 19 publications are among the more than 2,000 jour-nals published annually by Elsevier as it seeks to provide information solutions that enhance the performance of science, health, and technology professionals worldwide.

Previously, she had served with Elsevier as a publishing editor and content development manager. Prior to joining Elsevier, Rodney worked as a production editor for publisher John Wiley & Sons and as a copy editor/production editor for the American Institute of Physics.

Words to Life: Gail Rodney ’96 Returns to Discuss Her Path in Publishing11/30/2016 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/30/2016 17:39

SUNY Old Westbury t

Police Community RelationsNovember 14, 2016 @ 2:00 pm

Nassau County Acting Police Commissioner Thomas C. Krumpter November 14

Nassau Community College will present the cul-tural program Police-Community Relations on Monday, Nov. 14, at 2 p.m. in Room 252-253 of the College Center Building. During the program, Nassau County’s Acting Police Commissioner Thomas C. Krumpter will discuss Nassau County Police Department’s initiatives to improve this relationship.

Thomas C. Krumpter has been Acting Commis-sioner of the Nassau County Police Department (NCPD) since February of 2014. Since that time, he has led the department through a critical time of transition and fi nancial constraints. As a mem-ber of the NCPD for 23 years, Krumpter has served as both Deputy Chief in the Offi ce of the Commissioner of Police and as the Department’s Legislative Liaison. He was named First Deputy Commissioner in December of 2011.

As a patrol offi cer and supervisor, Krumpter spent time in the fi fth and sixth precincts. He also worked in signifi cant leadership positions including Deputy Commanding Offi cer of the Legal Bu-reau, and later, Commanding Offi cer of the Personnel and Accounting Bureau.

Acting Commissioner Krumpter is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, a professional course of study for U.S. and international law enforcement leaders, as well as the Police Executive Research Forum’s Senior Management Institute for Police. He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from SUNY Old Westbury and an MS degree in criminal justice from the University of Cincinnati. Prior to joining the NCPD, Acting Commissioner Krumpter served as a police offi cer with the New York City Housing Authority Police Department. He was also in the United States Marine Corps Reserve.

For more information about Police-Community Relations, which is free, open to the public and acces-sible to the disabled, call 516-572-7148

Nassau County Acting Police Commissioner Thomas C. Krumpter

SUNY Old Westbury

OCaldwell, N.J. Nov. 1, 2016 –Five students and an alumna from the Department of Natural and Physical Sciences participated in the 49th Annual Metropolitan Association of College and University Biologists Conference Oct. 29 at State University of New York at Old West-bury, N.Y. The theme of the conference was “The Dance of the Genes: From Cancer to Conversation.”

Two students from a current research class—Won Moses Choi and Daniel Otuo-Acheam-pong—and one interested freshman-Anika Sanjana participated to learn and observe the conference atmosphere.

Students Pamela Marte and Juan Garcia and recent graduate Christina Blonski-Cupo pre-sented the work they completed as interns at the JH Bloomberg School of Public Health Diversity Summer Internship Program.

“They all have done a wonderful job of explaining their fi ndings to their peers,”

said Dr. Agnes Berki. associate professor of biology. “The conference featured exceptional speakers including Dr. Jill Bargonetti (professor of biological sciences at Hunter College and cancer researcher) who made the audience dance a correct p53 “DNA dance” and a mutated p53 “DNA dance”. We had much fun participating.”

Marte received a second prize award in the category of Microbiology/Immunology for her poster titled: Evaluation of Cytokines in Autoimmune Retinopathy that she completed work-ing with Dr. Barbara Detrick, a professor of pathology at the JH University School of Medi-cine.

Science Students present at Biologists Conference NOVEMBER 1, 2016

p gState University of New York at Old West-

f G Cand Ubury,

Long Beach Middle School Students Are Math WhizzesBy Alex Costello (Patch Staff) - November 10, 2016 4:52 pm ET

Two Long Beach Middle School eighth-graders were named Long Island Young Scholars of Mathematics.

Maya Arengo and Uma Arengo are among only 86 students selected for this honor out of all students on Long Island. They have earned acceptance to the Institute of Creative Problem Solving for Gifted and Talented Students at SUNY College at Old Westbury.

Up against approximately 600 of the top math stu-dents on Long Island, Maya and Uma were distin-

guished based on their school transcripts, teacher recommendations, brief self-written state-ments and results on a rigorous entrance exam. Their acceptance to the institute indicates that they are within the top one-tenth of one percent in math of all students on Long Island in their grade.

Maya and Uma will attend Saturday morning classes that will cover advanced topics in mathe-matics. In addition to this involvement, both students are members of the middle school’s Math Club and have competed in Math Olympiad and Math Counts events in previous years.

Institute of Creative Problem Solving for Gifted and Talented Students at SUNY College at Old Westbury.

Photo: Long Beach School District

Babylon High Sports Stars Sign Letters of IntentBy Ryan Bonner (Patch National Staff) - November 30, 2016 10:38 pm ET

As a result of their unwavering commitment both in the classroom and on the athletic fi eld, four Baby-lon Junior-Senior High School seniors were recently selected to continue their athletic journeys at some of the nation’s premier schools this fall. In recogni-tion of this honor, the seniors were joined by proud family members, district administrators and staff members as they put pen to paper and signed letters of intent this November, whereby committing them-selves to play college-level sports.

“These young men and women are wonderful exam-ples of today’s students who can effectively balance their academic studies while pursuing their athletic talents at a collegiate level,” said Superintendent of Schools Linda Rozzi. “We are very proud of these fi ne young people representing Babylon High School.”

Amongst those students who recently made their college commitments were Montana Craft (LIU Post/lacrosse), Gwendolyn Donaldson (SUNY Oneonta/softball), Kenneth Gordon (Fla-gler College/baseball) and Shaun Kaminski (SUNY Old Westbury/baseball).Shaun Kaminski (SUNY Old Westbury/baseball).

Photo courtesy of Babylon School District: From left, Shaun Kaminski, Montana Craft, Gwendolyn Donaldson and Kenneth Gordon.

Committed To PlayBy Island Trees School District - December 18, 2016

The Island Trees Athletics Department proudly hosted a “Celebra-tory Signing” ceremony for senior Kristin Grieshaber, as she sig-naled her intent to play Women’s Volleyball at SUNY Old Westbury next year. On hand to witness this special event were Grieshaber’s family—Mom, dad and sisters Lauren and Taylor, as well as princi-pal Nick Grande, athletic director Sean Burns, and guidance coun-selor Debbie Sullivan.

Congratulations to Grieshaber on a great high school career and best of luck as she continues to represent Bulldog pride at Old Westbury.