November 6, 2017: University Senate Report   

Office of the Provost

Faculty Participation in the December 2017 Commencement Ceremony and Regalia Rental Information

Faculty participation during commencement creates a meaningful atmosphere for our graduates and their families. All faculty are invited to participate in the academic ceremony on Thursday, December 21. Any faculty interested in walking in the academic procession or serving as a marshal must wear academic attire. The Office of the Provost will pay for the rental of academic attire for all faculty in departments that report to the provostial area. Orders can be placed at http://www.herffjones.com/faculty. Faculty from reporting departments should use the following numbers:

Customer Number: 31003853000
Order Number: 3997112

All online orders must be placed by Monday, November 20. Any order placed after this date are subject to shipping charges and an expedited handling fee. Regalia that has been ordered online by November 20 will be available for pick up between 8:15 AM and 5:00 PM at Shop Red West starting December 15.

Requests for faculty orders after November 20 must be submitted by returning the Faculty Order Form to Shop Red West (Melville Library) by November 30. Completed order forms may be dropped off or emailed to shopredwest@stonybrook.edu. The form is available at stonybrook.edu/commencement. Orders placed after November 30 will be filled using generic black caps and gowns and a generic hood. For more information about commencement, please visit stonybrook.edu/commencement.

November Provost’s Lecture Series

Democracy Populism and Fake News in the Age of Trump

Wednesday, November 1, 4:00 PM, Wang Center Theater

Todd Gitlin is Professor of Journalism and Sociology and Chair of the PhD program in Communications at Columbia University. He is the author of sixteen books, including The Sixties: Years of Hope, Days of Rage; The Whole World Is Watching: Mass Media in the Making and Unmaking of the New Left; and his latest, Occupy Nation: The Roots, the Spirit, and the Promise of Occupy Wall Street. Widely published, his work has appeared in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Dissent, The New Republic, and The Nation, among other publications. He holds degrees from Harvard University, the University of Michigan, and the University of California, Berkeley. He was the third president of Students for a Democratic Society in 1963-64 and helped organize the first national demonstration against the Vietnam War and the first American demonstrations against corporate aid to the apartheid regime in South Africa.

Abstract: The response to any threats to our democratic principles will require not only a reassertion of political responsibility, but a reassertion of the highest values of the republic by three of the institutions charged with its protection: the press, the courts, and a representative Congress. This talk will examine whether these institutions are up to the challenge and propose a few ideas in an era of “fake news” and Twitter populism.

This event was co-sponsored by the School of Journalism

Life’s Engines: How Microbes Made Earth Habitable

Thursday, November 2, 4:00 PM, Simons Center Auditorium, Room 103

Paul G. Falkowski is the Bennett L. Smith Chair and director of the Environmental Biophysics and Molecular Ecology Program at Rutgers University. His scientific interests include evolution of the Earth systems, paleoecology, photosynthesis, biophysics, biogeochemical cycles, and symbiosis. His research interests are focused on three areas: origins of life, how electron transfer reactions are mediated, and how organisms transformed the geochemistry of Earth. In the evolution of Earth, microbes became a major force in transforming this planet to make it habitable for animals, including humans. Falkowski seeks to understand the basic chemical reactions that enabled microbes to transform Earth's geochemistry. He works at the molecular level of proteins and fundamental chemical reactions of minerals, and the global scale of how this planet came to have oxygen as the second most abundant gas. He is most interested in understanding how these kinds of processes have transformed our planet and may evolve on
planetary bodies in our solar system and on extra-solar planets. Falkowski addresses two fundamental questions: Where did we come from? Are we alone? He is a member of US National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Abstract: This lecture will look “under the hood” of cells to examine the evolution of protein structures that are responsible for life on Earth. These structures are literal nanomachines that physically move electrons and generate energy for life. All of the core structures evolved over 2.5 billion years ago in microbes and were subsequently inherited by plants and animals. Ultimately they came to form a global electronic circuit that is powered by the Sun. Over geological time, the global electronic circuit completely altered the gas composition of Earth. This phenomenon guides us in our search for life on planets outside of our solar system.

This event was co-sponsored by the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences and the Consortium for Interdisciplinary Environmental Research

Stereotype Threat and Identity Threat: The Science of a Diverse Community

Thursday, November 9, 11:00 AM, Wang Center Theater

Claude M. Steele is an American social psychologist and a Professor of Psychology at UC Berkeley. He is best known for his work on stereotype threat and its application to minority student academic performance. His earlier work dealt with research on the self (e.g., self-image, self-affirmation), as well as the role of self-regulation in addictive behaviors. In 2010, he released his book, Whistling Vivaldi and Other Clues to How Stereotypes Affect Us, summarizing years of research on stereotype threat and the underperformance of minority students in higher education. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, the National Science Board, the National Academy of Education, and the American Philosophical Society. He has served in several major academic leadership positions as the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost at UC Berkeley, the I. James Quillen Dean for the School of Education at Stanford University, and as the 21st Provost of Columbia University. Past roles also include serving as the President of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, President of the Western Psychological Association, a member of the Board of Directors American Psychological Society.

Abstract: Drawing on stereotype threat and social identity threat research, this talk will address the why, what, and how of diverse learning communities: why they are important, a working hypothesis about what is critical to their success, and what research reveals about how to achieve that success. The talk’s practical aim is to identify features of diverse learning communities—schools, universities, and academic disciplines—that while good for all students, are especially helpful for minority students generally, and for women in STEM fields. The talk will also explore the psychological significance of community and its role in learning.

This event is co-sponsored by the Division of Undergraduate Education

The Entrepreneurs Edge

Tuesday, November 14, 7:00 PM, Wang Center Theater

Eugene Alletto, Quarterback/Founder and CEO of Bedgear®, is the visionary behind the performance bedding category. With more than 20 years’ experience in retail and manufacturing for the home furnishing industry and his ability to successfully analyze market trends, Alletto created Bedgear and led the company’s rapid growth. The QB title represents his philosophy on strategy and team success as part of the Bedgear culture. Bedgear’s success is attributed to its sleep system sales process that fits the pillow based on sleep profile and body type providing consumers with personalized sleep solutions. His national reputation as both an innovator and creative visionary in the growing market of performance bedding has propelled him in ranking on the Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing companies in 2012 and Crain’s New York Fast 50 Companies in 2013 and 2014. He was also the winner of the 2015 EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award in New York. A dynamic speaker, Alletto presents regularly at many leadership conferences around the world. In 2012, he founded the Sleep Fuel Foundation, a non-profit organization that offers free interactive sleep deprivation programs to youth of all school ages. The Foundation educates children, parents and educators about sleep deprivation and how it affects their success levels.

Abstract: The Entrepreneurs Edge is an interview-format speaker event with highly successful entrepreneurs from Long Island, New York City, and around the country. Joe Campolo, Advisory Board Chairman, Protegrity Advisors, is the moderator/interviewer and asks tough but respectful questions about real-life business experiences, including successes, challenges, and inevitable failures along the way. The event provides a unique behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to build a successful business.

This event is co-sponsored by the College of Business

Stony Brook Faculty Mentors for the 2017 Siemens Competition

The Siemens Competition — the nation’s premier competition in math, science and technology for high school students — has announced its semifinalists for this year. Out of 491 national semifinalists, 55 students were mentored by Stony Brook faculty; 12 of those were named regional finalists and will continue on to compete in November.

Each year, students submit innovative individual and team research projects to regional and national levels of competition as they vie for college scholarships ranging from $1,000 up to $100,000. This year for the first time, a new prize structure guarantees that national finalists will receive a minimum of $25,000. The Siemens Competition honors the best and brightest students for their accomplishments in math and science.

This select group of students and their notable projects are judged to determine who advances on to six regional competitions, which will be held in November. Individual and team winners of the regional contests earn the opportunity to compete in the National Finals held at George Washington University in in December, where $500,000 in scholarships will be awarded, including two top prizes of $100,000.

The full list Stony Brook faculty mentors and mentees can be found at ttp://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/simons/Siemens.php#2017.

Migration Conference Hosted by the Center for Italian Studies

The Center for Italian Studies will host the US component of a two-series international conference, “The Challenge of Migration in Europe and the United States: Comparing Policies and Models of Reception,” November 2 through November 4 at various locations on campus.

The program includes presentations by judges, prosecutors, journalists, religious and labor representatives, and scholars. Discussions will continue on the causes, behavior and effects of both voluntary and forced migration across Europe and North American that were analyzed in the European counterpart of this conference, held in Agrigento, Sicily, in June 2017.

Keynote speaker Alan Bersin, former Assistant Secretary for International Affairs and Chief Diplomatic Officer for the US Department of Homeland Security, will address the issues of “Migrant Flows and Border Lines.”

All are welcome to attend this free event. Please visit http://www.stonybrook.edu/italianstudies/ or call the Center for Italian Studies at (631) 632-7444 for a detailed program with locations, times, and information about the presenters.