September 9, 2019: University Senate Report
Office of the Provost
Provost’s Initiatives and Updates
Eric Wertheimer Appointed Vice Provost for Graduate and Professional Education and Deanof Graduate School
Eric Wertheimer was appointed Stony Brook’s new Vice Provost for Graduate and Professional Education and Dean of the Graduate School, effective July 2019. Dr. Wertheimer held a variety of administrative positions at his previous institution, Arizona State University (ASU). He served as inaugural Director of the ASU New College Division of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies, founding Director for the ASU Center for Critical Inquiry and Cultural Studies, and Associate Vice Provost and Associate Dean of the ASU Graduate College. During his tenure at ASU, Dr. Wertheimer led efforts to expand and deepen initiatives across a broad spectrum of graduate and postdoctoral needs, managing over $3 million in sponsored grants.
Dr. Wertheimer is a specialist on American cultural and literary history, and he is
an accomplished creative writer. His major scholarly publications include Imagined
Empires: Incas, Aztecs, and the New World of American Literature, 1771-1876 (Cambridge
University
Press, 1998) and Underwriting: The Poetics of Insurance in America, 1722-1872 (Stanford
University Press, 2006). Dr. Wertheimer’s first collection of poetry, Mylar, was released
in 2012 and his most recent collection, Regulus, was issued in 2018.
Surita Bhatia Appointed Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs
Surita Bhatia was appointed Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, effective July 2019.
Dr. Bhatia has worked in public higher education for two decades, starting with her
initial appointment at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst where she was a
Professor of Chemical Engineering, Adjunct Professor of Polymer Science and Engineering,
and Associate Director of the Institute for Cellular Engineering. She then held a
joint position as a Staff Scientist with the Center for Functional Nanomaterials at
the Brookhaven National Laboratory and as an Associate Professor of Chemistry at Stony
Brook before becoming a Full Professor in 2015. At
Stony Brook, Dr. Bhatia has served as Vice Chair for Research and Facilities in the
Department of Chemistry and as a member of the Department's Executive Committee. She
has also served as a member of the University Senate Committee for Academic Planning
and Resource Allocation (CAPRA), and as a Task Force Lead in the Facilitating Research
Success initiative led by the Office of the Vice President for Research.
Dr. Bhatia’s research program focuses on the structure, mechanical properties, and
flow characteristics of nanoparticle dispersions and coatings, polymeric gels, and
soft biomaterials. Dr. Bhatia has co-authored 78 publications and has been a Principal
Investigator (PI) or Co-PI on research grants totaling $12.7 million from the NSF,
the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of Energy, philanthropic foundations,
and private industry. She is the recipient of an NSF CAREER Award, a Dupont Young
Professor Award, a 3M Corporation NonTenured Faculty Award, and a 2018 American Institute
of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Women’s Initiatives Committee (WIC) Award for Outstanding
Contributions to Chemical Engineering. Dr. Bhatia most recently received a $3 million
NSF Research Traineeship Award as Principal Investigator with co-PIs Karen Chen-Wiegart,
Carlos Colosqui, and John Parise.
Yi-Xian Qin Appointed Acting Vice President/Vice Provost for Global Affairs and Dean of International Academic Programs and Services
Dr. Yi-Xian (Phil) Qin has been appointed Acting Vice President/Vice Provost for Global
Affairs and Dean of International Academic Programs and Services (IAPS) for the 2019-2020
academic year. Dr. Qin currently serves as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and
International Programs for the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (CEAS),
a position he continues to hold during his Acting Vice President/Vice Provost tenure.
He is a founding faculty member of the Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME).
Dr. Qin is a double alumnus of Stony Brook University, receiving his MS and PhD in
Mechanical Engineering.
Dr. Qin has published 115 peer-reviewed papers and more than 20 books and book chapters;
he holds 8 patents and intellectual property disclosures. His work has generated a
total of $15 million in support over the past 20 years. He is the recipient of the
New York State Science, Technology, and Innovation (NYSTAR) Distinguished Professor
- Faculty Development Award, the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Promising Inventor and
Technology, and the Iwao Yasuda Award of the Biomedical Engineering Society in Cellular
and Molecular Engineering. Dr. Qin is a Fellow of the American Institute of Medicine
and Biological Engineering
(AIMBE), the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR), and of the International
Astronautics Academy (IAA).
Stefan Hyman Appointed Interim Associate Provost for Enrollment Management
Stefan Hyman has been appointed Interim Associate Provost for Enrollment Management, effective September 2019. Mr. Hyman has been a key member of the Enrollment Management team for more than a decade. During his tenure, he has developed a variety of enrollment, digital recruitment, and communications strategies to maximize Stony Brook’s visibility in both domestic and international spaces. As the head of Enrollment Communications, Mr. Hyman has overseen the development of websites, social media channels, and technology infrastructures to bolster enrollment outreach efforts. In addition to his role in Enrollment Management, Mr. Hyman has served as an Instructor in the Honors College.
Rebecca Shuford Appointed Director of New York Sea Grant
Rebecca Shuford was appointed Director of New York Sea Grant (NYSG), effective June 2019. Dr. Shuford previously worked for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Silver Spring, MD, where she managed a portfolio of programs focused on the science, management, conservation, and sustainable use of trust coastal and marine resources. Her interest in fisheries oceanography was sparked while working for the National Audubon Society. Dr. Shuford also interned at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, where she worked on coastal conservation and restoration efforts, further informing her interests.
NYSG is a cooperative program of Cornell University and SUNY, and one of 33 universitybased programs under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Sea Grant College Program.
Institute for Advanced Computational Science Receives Over $11 Million in Gift and Grant Support
The Institute for Advanced Computational Science (IACS) received a $6.3 million anonymous donation and a $5 million NSF grant to advance computational and data-driven research. The donation will expand research excellence, sustain IACS with the hiring of additional staff, extend the Institute’s STRIDE program to all students, and serve as seed money for engagement initiatives. The grant will support the Ookami system, serving as a testbed for advanced computer technologies.
Multi-disciplinary Team Receives $3.2 Million NIH Award
A multi-disciplinary team has received $3.2 million under the NIH Research Project Grant Program (RO1) to investigate machine-learning methods for classification of intrapartum signals (FHR and uterine activity) that has the potential to significantly outperform the accuracy of contemporary methods. PIs Petar M. Djurić and Gerald Quirk and co-PIs IV Ramakrishnan and Christian Luhmann lead this project, entitled “Rethinking Electronic Fetal Monitoring to Improve Perinatal Outcomes and Reduce Frequency of Operative Vaginal and Cesarean Deliveries.”
Engineered Microstructures and Radiation Effects Laboratory Receives $2.35 Million ARPAE Award
The Engineered Microstructures and Radiation Effects Laboratory (EMRELL) has received
$2.5 million Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) award from the United
States Department of Energy. ARPA-E funds the research and development of advanced
energy technologies. EMRELL’s project, Technology Enabling Zero-EPZ Micro Modular
Reactors, will develop advanced moderator (Ad-Mod) technologies to increase the output
of modular high temperature gas cooled reactors (HTGR) while also reducing the reactor
footprint and overall costs of nuclear energy. PI Jason Trelewicz and co-PIs Lance
Snead and David Sprouster lead this project.
Call for Nominations for Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Adjunct Teaching
2019-2020 nominations for the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Adjunct Teaching are now being accepted. Nomination forms must be submitted electronically no later than Thursday, September 12, 2019. The nomination form and complete guidelines for preparing the nomination Silver Spring, MD, where she managed a portfolio of programs focused on the science, management, conservation, and sustainable use of trust coastal and marine resources. Her interest in fisheries oceanography was sparked while working for the National Audubon Society. Dr. Shuford also interned at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, where she worked on coastal conservation and restoration efforts, further informing her interests. NYSG is a cooperative program of Cornell University and SUNY, and one of 33 universitybased programs under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Sea Grant College Program. files can be found at https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/provost/resources/nomination_forms.php
Chuskit Wins Grand Jury Prize at the 24th Annual Stony Brook Film Festival
Chuskit, directed by Priya Ramasubban, won the Grand Prize at the 24th annual Stony Brook Film Festival. The Grand Prize is awarded when the jury and the audience rank the same film the highest. This is the second year in a row and the ninth time in the Festival’s 24-year-run that a film has received a Grand Prize. In God I Trust received the Jury Award for Best Feature, and The Silent Revolution received the Audience Choice for Best Feature. The prestigious Stony Brook Film Festival is produced by the Staller Center for the Arts and presented by Island Federal.