After four semesters of research, students from the Sustainability Studies Earthworm Ecotoxicology Lab under the mentorship of Sharon Pochron were ready to discuss their findings with the public.

The students had investigated the effect of crumb rubber athletic fields on earthworm and soil microbial health. They’d asked if plants could translocate enough glyphosate into soil to harm earthworms. They’d quantified the effects of Roundup on earthworms and pinpointed environmental factors that influence earthworm sensitivity to Roundup. They’d made posters explaining their work and conclusions and spent a lot of time honing their oral presentations.

After presenting their work at the SAC during the reception for Roadshow of Resistance, at Earthstock, and at URECA among all the other student researchers, they felt prepared for a tougher audience. When the Science Club from Miller Place High School invited them to describe their research, students from the Worm Lab jumped at the chance.

MPHS students asked SBU students how dangerous Roundup is to people, what alternates exist to the popular herbicide, and what its like to be a student at SBU. The teachers asked about the different kinds of environmental majors available to students. Many of the SBU students are preparing for a new year of research!

The School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) of Stony Brook University seeks applicants for a Postdoctoral Associate position under Prof. Gordon T. Taylor’s supervision. The Postdoctoral Associate will assist the Principal Investigator in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. The selected candidate will conduct research and ensure that all experiments are appropriately conducted following the policies and procedures of Stony Brook University. Successful incumbent will have demonstrable creativity and aptitude to initiate technical research activities. S/He will have excellent writing skills and a record of high productivity.

• Conduct stable isotope probing (SIP) experiments tracing flow of carbon from microalgal and bacterial hosts to viral pathogens and dissolved pools
• Develop novel techniques to trace free virions back to their host using SIP, Raman microspectrometry and atomic force microscopy
• Develop novel techniques to isolate targeted free virions for subsequent single virus genomic analysis using microfluidics, Raman microspectrometry and optical trapping (laser tweezers).
• Receive training and participate in experiments with host-virus cultures at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences for several weeks.
• Contribute to development of novel Raman microspectrometric and atomic force microscopic techniques to explore microspatial seascape ecology in the plankton, i.e., effects of heterogeneous distributions of organic matter and microbial communities on material and energy exchange processes.
• Participate in the supervision of the daily operations of the lab and contribute to the training of students and interns.
• Develop research proposals for external funding and participate in manuscript writing for publication in scientific journals. Write activity and progress reports to funding agencies.
• Other duties as assigned, which may include attending scientific meetings

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Ph.D or equivalent degree in hand by August 31, 2017. Trained in one of the following: microbiology, virology, microbial ecology, biological oceanography, molecular techniques, or biological applications of Raman spectroscopy.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Experience in one or more of the following areas: microbial oceanographic research experience, Marine virology, Single-cell analyses (e.g., single-cell genomics), Marine biogeochemistry, FISH, qPCR, protistan, bacterial and viral cultivation, Isotopic tracer methods, Microfluidics, and Raman microspectrometry technologies. Experience supervising students. This will be an initial two-year position funded by a Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation grant, with the possibility of extension contingent upon performance and funding. The salary is $44K to $46K, commensurate with qualifications.

Applications due Jul 2, 2017 by 11:59:00 PM. Application forms, detailed procedures, and further information about this position can be found on the Stony Brook Jobs website, Ref. #1701584.

Stony Brook University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action educator and employer.

From the RFSUNY Annual Report 2016

Dr. Edmund Chang, professor of atmospheric sciences at the Institute of Terrestrial and Planetary Atmospheres at the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University and coleader of a NOAA task force,  investigates storms the way Sherlock Holmes investigates his quarry: he observes their every move, he predicts where and how they will next strike, he perfects his surveillance tools. But above and beyond the similarity in approach lies a similarity in goal: Like Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Chang aims to protect people from harm by using the scientific method to serve the public good.

Dr. Chang studies storm tracks, a general term used by the atmospheric science community to describe storms that develop in the mid-latitudes, as opposed to tropical storms or hurricanes. In winter, storm tracks bring abundant snow and cold; in summer, fresh, cool weather; in coastal areas they can give rise to storm surge—an abnormal and devastating rush of seawater that destroys communities wholesale. They also constitute an important element of global circulation as they carry large amounts of heat, momentum and moisture poleward.

Part of Dr. Chang’s research is exploring how storm tracks will undergo variations and change under global warming; because these storms bring in most of our weather, it’s important to model how they may change so that we can defend ourselves against future extreme weather events.

Chang’s expertise is observed variations and changes in storm tracks. He contributed to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s 2007 report, which won the IPCC the Nobel Peace Prize, along with Al Gore, in honor of “their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change.”

Ten years later, Dr. Chang is continuing the same work with storm tracks “because we have some idea of the global change of storms, but the details of how the storms change in each individual region is very important for climate,” he explains. In his research, he employs a wide range of research tools, including gridded atmospheric analyses to learn about the basic characteristics of the phenomena, observations to validate the gridded data, and dynamical studies to better understand the observed phenomena.

He’s also using a similar process to develop better tools for predicting mid-latitude storms. Until recently, weather predictions have focused on either short-range forecasts out to a week or so, or climate projections out to decades; projecting how storm activity will change over an in-between time scale of weeks to months has been sorely ignored.

Supported by a NOAA grant through the Office of Atmospheric Research’s Modeling, Analysis, Predictions and Projections (MAPP) Program, Chang is co-leading a task force that uses a new technique called multi-model ensemble to develop tools to help forecasters predict storm activity from a few weeks to a few months out. The MAPP Program couples, integrates, and applies various types of models—oceanic, atmospheric, Earth system, general circulation—across NOAA, partnering agencies, and the scientific research community as a whole to create better predictive tools.

This is where the scientific method benefits the public good. Being able to predict weather several weeks or months in advance will allow disaster relief workers to stockpile emergency supplies; it will inform farmers whether they should be buying drought- or flood-resistant seeds; it will help water resource managers predict future water consumption. In a world where change may bring unwelcome results, accurate predictions like Dr. Chang’s will help protect the people and places we cherish.

Pictured above: Congressman Paul Tonko (fourth from right) tours Dr. Laura Wehermann’s lab in SoMAS along with Center for Clean Water Technology staff. 

From the Stony Brook University Capitols and Communities Newsletter, June 28, 2017.

On June 6, Congressman Paul Tonko (NY-20) met with Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) researchers and the Center for Clean Water Technology staff to learn about the latest innovation and development in clean water technology.

Rich Reeder, Vice President for Research, and Dr. Christopher Gobler, Co-Director of the Center for Clean Water Technology, welcomed the Congressman and provided an overview of Stony Brook’s research. The Congressman then toured three labs in SoMAS and one lab in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences to observe firsthand Stony Brook’s state-of-the-art facilities and groundbreaking research being performed.  Following his visit to Stony Brook, the Congressman toured Brookhaven National Laboratories.

Congressman Tonko serves on the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee and the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Pictured above, from Left to Right: Governor Cuomo, Prof. Gobler, Assemblyman Fred Thiele, County Executive Steve Bellone and  Assemblyman Steve Englebright.

From the Stony Brook University Capitols and Communities Newsletter, June 28, 2017.

Governor Andrew Cuomo has taken a keen interest in supporting efforts to improve water quality in New York State.  He recently came to the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) at the Stony Brook Southampton campus to talk about this issue.

Following a discussion with Professor Chris Gobler about Professor Gobler’s research on Brown Tides, Governor Cuomo took a boat tour of the area where SoMAS is deploying clams to help filter the water and restore water quality and ecology. The site visit included SoMAS students, state and local elected officials and media.

At the conclusion of the visit, Governor Cuomo announced a  $2 million grant for the shellfish restoration project, which utilizes shellfish to fight brown tide. An estimated 30-50 million clams are needed to fight brown tide in the bay.

Photo above: The sloop Clearwater sails on the Hudson River.

From SoMAS Professors Share Expertise and Advocacy on Hudson Fisheries on Stony Brook Matters, July 18th 2017

Three Stony Brook science professors delivered a powerful message to Capitol Hill at a public forum on water quality last month. Professors Jeffrey Levinton, Joseph Warren and Michael Frisk journeyed to Washington, DC in conjunction with the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, a Beacon, New York-based grassroots organization founded by Pete Seeger.

Left to right, Professors Joseph Warren, Michael Frisk and Jeffrey Levinton advocate for the environment in Washington, DC.

These advocates for environmental action conveyed a “cargo of concern” consisting of municipal resolutions, petitions and personal messages from residents and communities between the Hudson Valley and Washington DC to decision makers in support of fair and equal environmental policies and projections based on science.

The action was symbolic of a historic event in 1970, when Seeger and the Clearwater sailed to DC in conjunction with the inaugural Earth Day, highlighting the need for strong federal clean water protections. This time the Clearwater attempted to sail on June 19 but was forced to turn back due to bad weather. Members of the organization used alternative transportation modes to reach their destination.

The group also sought to empower the next generation of environmental stewards and scientists by providing students firsthand experience of water quality monitoring, marine debris collection, fish and plankton ecology and watershed dynamics. The Clearwater event also launched an initiative to highlight the responsibility of scientists to communicate directly with the public and policymakers.

At the forum, which took place on June 29, Levinton, a distinguished professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolution, in the College of Arts and Sciences, explained how public action over heavy metal pollution in the Hudson River resulted in the EPA taking action by declaring the river a Superfund Site and how the ensuing cleanup was extremely successful and reduced cadmium export into the Hudson River by 95 percent, which further diminished contamination of the blue crab, a major sports fishery.  He detailed how the Hudson enjoys a long history of industry beginning with a massive foundry established across from West Point, where our first New York Steam engine was cast in 1820 and where much of the ammunition and guns were cast for the North’s participation in the Civil War.

But the Nike missile system required a new innovative battery system, said Levinton, which resulted in a battery factory on the Hudson that produced the most cadmium-polluted water body in the world. The Superfund Law of 1980, supervised by the EPA and the urging of local activists and scientists who demonstrated the dangers of pumping cadmium into the Hudson at the rate of a metric ton a year, led to 75 percent reduction of cadmium in the Hudson fisheries.

“Without good laws and a powerful EPA this success would have never happened and our waterways will deteriorate rapidly,” said Levinton.

Professor Frisk, director of the Living Marine Resources Institute, in the School of Atmospheric and Marine Sciences (SoMAS), focused on sturgeon and how science is needed to understand its complexities as a species to help our regulations become more nuanced.

“Fisheries have been closed because these fish are on the endangered species list,” said Frisk. “But there are only certain times of the year and certain locations when this is really necessary. If science was understood by our policy-makers the economic losses from closed fisheries could be reduced.”

Warren, who heads up SoMAS’ Acoustic Laboratory for Ecological Studies, stressed the importance of forage fish such as Atlantic menhaden, to the Hudson River coastal ecosystem serving as prey for striped bass, ospreys and humpback whales. “There is anecdotal evidence of humpback whales increasing their usage of waters adjacent to New York City and Long Island and this may be due to an increase in menhaden in these waters,” he said.

Warren added that no organization or government entity is conducting stock assessments of the forage fish in New York waters and this would be extremely useful in assessing the health of the ecosystem.

According to Levinton, one “major victory” of the event was Congressman Sean Moloney’s announcement that oil barges are no longer able to anchor in the Hudson River.

From Read the Draft of the Climate Change Report by the New York Times, August 7, 2017

A final draft report by scientists from 13 federal agencies concludes that Americans are feeling the effects of climate change right now. The report was completed this year and is part of the National Climate Assessment, which is congressionally mandated every four years.

One of the lead authors on the report is former MSRC faculty Dr. Duane Waliser, currently at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.  The content of the report references papers by Dr. Gordon Taylor, Dr. Mary Scranton, Dr. Sultan Hameed, Dr. Chris Gobler, Dr. Brian Colle, Dr. Edmund Chang, Dr. Ping Liu, Dr. Minghua Zhang, Dr. Marvin Geller, Dr. Kevin Reed, alumnae Dr. Owen Doherty, Dr. Hannes Baumann, Dr. Kelly Lombardo, Dr. Zhenhai Zhang, and Elizabeth DePasquale.

The PDF file is available to view and download.

From New SENCER Models Engage Students in Fieldwork and Research at the National Center for Science and Civic Engagement on August 8, 2017

The 2017 additions to the SENCER Model Series actively involve students in designing and carrying out projects as they master course concepts. Ecotoxicology, or the “Worm Lab” by Dr. Sharon Pochron of Stony Brook University, includes two courses, EHI 350: Design and Implement a Research Project in Ecotoxicology (fall) and EHI 351: Conduct and Communicate a Research Project in Ecotoxicology (spring). All projects have human angle: how dangerous is (fill in the blank with an environmental toxin) to soil and the creatures that live in soil? Students study existing literature, set up and run an experiment, and analyze results for publication and dissemination.

Field & Natural Science, a course for pre-service middle school teachers, models effective pedagogical methods that the students can later use in their own practice. Students participate in fieldwork surrounding environmental issues, collect and analyze data, and share results. Dr. Sarah Haines of Towson University focuses improving pre-service teacher education in environmental issues, and has been a leader in the SENCER community in this work. She is a SENCER Leadership Fellow and is currently part of a grant project through NCSCE and the Institute of Museum and Library Services to develop partnerships between colleges, universities, and informal education venues.

Ecotoxicology (“Worm Lab”), Dr. Sharon Pochron, Stony Brook University

By its nature, ecotoxicology pulls in policy and culture. For instance, it was the WHO that reclassified Roundup’s main ingredient as a probable toxin, and it is school districts across Long Island, the US and Europe who are pulling out grass fields and replacing them with fields made of recycled tires.

The first semester begins by articulating the environmental toxins that currently concern the students. Students then perform an extensive review of published literature regarding their toxin using Web of Science, Google Scholar and/or PubMed. After reading the literature, students walk through what we know and don’t know about the risks associated with the toxin, and devise a way to test the risk using earthworms and soil microbes. At this point, sample size issues, costs, and how to interpret various outcomes are discussed. If the students want to use techniques that Dr. Pochron doesn’t personally have in her toolkit, Dr. Pochron and the students discuss ways to get access to them. This has led to teaming with chemistry professors, ecotox labs, and Brookhaven National Laboratories. Over the course of two semesters, at least one research project is conducted, sometimes two or more, the paper is written, and the Spring students present their research at SBU’s science fair. After they get the project underway, the Fall students draft high-quality Introduction and Methods sections for their research. The Spring students complete the research and writing. In the Spring semester, effective ways and venues for communicating findings are discussed, thereby engaging local citizens in science in general and this research in particular. Access the full model here.

Photograph of Sharon Pochron and students in the Worm Lab courtesy of Sharon Pochron