Stony Brook University
Hallmarks and Quirks
Things I'm Good At:
- Science, science, and more science. Ever heard of a little prize called the Nobel? Hey, me too. Stony Brook's faculty has hauled in Nobels in physics, chemistry, and medicine. Of course, they've also won the Nobel Peace Prize.
- A capella singers. I have three different groups for your singing and listening pleasures. The Pipettes are ladies-only, The High-C's are just the guys, and The Stony Brook Vocalists are co-ed.
- News literacy. My School of Journalism started the nation's first news literacy course, helping make every student become a better news consumer by understanding the difference between news and spin. I know, you watch Jon Stewart, but there's a lot more out there. Colbert, for instance.
- Teaching scientists how to talk to regular people. Now, I know you've probably seen The Big Bang Theory. Let's all hold hands and say, "It doesn't have to be that way." That's why I've recruited actor/author Alan Alda to teach science people how to speak in layman's terms.
- SBU Cat Network. I'm brainy, but I have a heart. A group of students and employees devote some of their time to caring for a colony of feral cats on campus. They bring the little guys food, set up shelters, and catch up with them when they're not feeling tip-top. Awww.
My Top 5 Must-Haves:
- A Long Island railroad train schedule. There's a station right on campus, and you can get from your dorm to Manhattan in ninety minutes or less. If you don't know when the next train is leaving (or returning), you could be spending a chilly hour on the platform, or a long overnight in Penn Station.
- Waterproof boots. It rains and snows here, and you're going to be walking a lot. It's crazy how fast cold feet can turn the rest of you into a Popsicle.
- A bike or skateboard. I'm a big campus, and after a while, walking everywhere will get old, old, old. Driving to class is a good option…if you can fit your car in your backpack, that is. Parking is at a premium and there's an army of campus security waiting to ticket you. Leave your car in your assigned spot.
- A NERF gun. Five letters: SBHVZ (Stony Brook Humans Versus Zombies). Do you want to play? Yes, yes you do. Every fall and spring, students pick sides and it is on—in every public area on campus. You'll need a bandanna, a NERF blaster, and a survival instinct to get through those weeks.
- Your laptop. From taking notes to watching HBO Go (free for resident-students), you'll find a reason to use your computer almost every hour of every day. Most classes have free wi-fi, and you'll want to check out the Facebook pages for all those organizations (about 300) you're thinking of joining.
Why You Might Have Heard of Me:
- A Stony Brook chemistry professor, Paul Lauterbur, invented MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging). We're making life-saving technology here, folks. Magnetic fields are used to create images of the inside of the body, without using dangerous radiation. MRI technology can see things that x-rays and ultrasounds can't.
- Jorge Benach, a professor in the molecular genetics and microbiology department, figured out how ticks give people Lyme disease. It was a huge deal, and made it suddenly way easier to help people recover from Lyme instead of just getting sicker and sicker.
- Roth Pond Regatta. A film clip from this annual festivity ends up on at least one big network news show every year, because nothing's funnier than watching a bunch of college kids on a sinking boat made entirely of duct tape, cardboard, and paint.
On a regular Saturday night, you can find me...
I'm probably anywhere but my room. There's a campus-wide student exodus on Friday nights. Drive through campus around 4:00PM and you'll see a parade of students trooping toward the train platform, heading for Manhattan. People bail for the night or for the weekend, and why wouldn't they? Train tickets are cheap and NYC never sleeps.
Those who do stay tend hang out in common areas in their own quads or hit up parties at the West Apartments. Weekends bring a lot of locals on campus for first-run movies at the Staller, live theater, and music from symphonies to a cappella to death metal and everything in between. Student tickets are often free, and anything at the Staller draws a crowd.
Favorite Hangouts:
- Just down the road, Port Jefferson is jam-packed with restaurants, shops, bars, a micro-brewery, and a ferry to Connecticut. There are always lots of SBU students on the streets of Port Jeff either window shopping, sipping Starbucks, or getting the very freshest, most affordable seafood at spots like The Steamroom.
- Staller Steps. On a nice day, students gather like pigeons in a park. First one or two, then a few, then a crowd, soaking up the rays, socializing, communing with their phones. Keep an eye out for a flash mob or an impromptu a cappella moment.
- Kenneth P. Lavalle Stadium. During football season, just about everybody is flying their SBU spirit and packing the stands. When the season ends, wrangle the spirit inside for basketball. Same spirit, different ball.
- The SAC (Student Activity Center). Whether they're getting a bite at the SAC food court, getting some enrichment in a conference room, playing pool, or chatting up friends in one of the lounges, just about every student spends some time at the SAC during the day.
- When the weather's nice, people head up to West Meadow Beach, about two miles north of campus. West Meadow is on the Long Island Sound (not the ocean), so there's no surf action and the shore is mostly pebbles, not sand. On a warm afternoon, you'll likely spot a gaggle of students playing Frisbee, wading in the water, or plotting a bonfire.
- John Harvard's (near the mall) is a favorite hangout. There's a bar for all you twenty-one-and-uppers, too. You can get there by bus, so don't sweat not having a car. Students and professors love the vibe, the beer, and the munchies. Another favorite with of-age students is the Velvet Lounge, which includes DJs, hip-hop, and your typical lounge attendees.
Quirks:
- The Stony Brook Curriculum. It includes some of what you'd expect: college comp, some math, a foreign language, but there's also an "experiential learning" requirement. Students have to get out there and learn from doing something, whether that's working in a lab, studying abroad, interning, or student teaching.
- Stony Brook is a state university. Sure, you know that, but you might not know what that means. I'm a huge state institution that has a lot of state employees. Above all else, respect the folks that make me tick. They're the people who can help you through the bureaucratic maze.
If a procedure or policy is getting in the way of what you want or need, get to the bottom of the rule that makes it so, and find the person who's in charge of that rule. Getting things done, from changing your dorm room to getting a waiver for a course, is going to require some legwork.
- More Cowbell. That Blue Oyster Cult staple, (Don't Fear) The Reaper, and the mad-funny SNL skit it inspired wouldn't exist if not for SBU. Although Christopher Walken took the name of another famous producer in the skit, he was actually impersonating Sandy Pearlman—an SBU alumnus who's worked with tons of famous musicians over the years.
Famous Alumni:
- Joy Behar, comedian and talk show host.
- Sandy Pearlman. The man who made the band Blue Oyster Cult happen.
- Jon Oringer, founder of Shutterstock.
- Jef Raskin, starter of the Macintosh project at Apple Computers.
- Colin Quinn, comedian, actor, TV producer.
- Dr. Laura Schlessinger, self-help guru.