August 31, 2020: University Senate Report

Office of the Provost

Updates

Classroom Mask Policy

To promote the well-being of those in classroom settings, face masks or coverings are expected to be worn properly for the full duration of class periods. Instructors have the authority to enforce the mask policy in their classrooms. Students who choose to not comply are subject to repercussions as determined by the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards. If a student does not wear a face mask, instructors should follow these steps:

STEP 1: Remind the student that a face mask is required while in the classroom. If the student complies, no further action is necessary.
STEP 2: If the student does not comply, ask them to leave the classroom.
STEP 3: If the student does not comply or leave the classroom, end the class and report the name and SB ID number of the non-compliant student to the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards at communitystandards@stonybrook.edu. A member of that team will follow up with you and the student and take appropriate action.

If a student is unable to wear a mask for health reasons, the student should contact SASC at sasc@stonybrook.edu.

$2.5 Million NIH Grant Will Support AI Approach to Study and Predict Excessive Drinking

Andrew Schwartz, Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science, and his team have received a $2.5M award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Their research will develop an innovative approach utilizing data from texting and social media, as well as mobile phone apps, to better understand how unhealthy drinking manifests in daily life. The crossdisciplinary team will build AI models that predict future drinking, as well as future effects of drinking on an individual’s mood among service industry workers. The award will be distributed over four years in collaboration with Richard Rosenthal, MD, Director of Addiction Psychiatry at Stony Brook Medicine, and Christine DeLorenzo, Associate Professor in the Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Psychiatry, and a team at the University of Pennsylvania.

NEH Funds Seminar for K-12 Teachers

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) recently announced $30 million in grants for 238 humanities projects across the country, including a proposal submitted by Professor Andrew Newman from the Department of English at Stony Brook University, and Jonna Perrillo from the University of Texas, El Paso. Their project, funded by a nearly $100,000 grant from the NEH Summer Seminars and Institutes for K-12 Educators program, will be a 2021 summer seminar on “Making the Good Reader and Citizen: The History of Literature Instruction in American Schools.” Through the two-week seminar, tentatively scheduled to be held at Stony Brook on June 28 – July 9, 2021, Newman and Perillo will guide 16 high school teachers through an exploration of the history of high school literature instruction in the 20th century.

Research into Advanced Cryptography Wins Professor Omkant Pandey a $1 Million DARPA Award

Professor Omkant Pandey of the Department of Computer Science, along with Sanjam Garg of the University of California, Berkeley, have been awarded a $1 million grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop safe and secure verification methods for sensitive processes. Pandey and Garg’s research looks at how to prove that a verification was done correctly by a computer without sharing sensitive details, such as the actual data. This team will use a technique called Zero-Knowledge Proofs from cryptography, which proves that a mathematical statement is true but reveals nothing except the validity of the statement.

Call for Nominations for the 2020-2021 SUNY Chancellor's Awards for Excellence in Adjunct Teaching, Faculty Service, Librarianship, Professional Service, Scholarship & Creative Activities, and Teaching

The 2020-2021 nominations for the Chancellor's Excellence Awards are now being accepted.The nomination form and complete guidelines for preparing the nomination files are located at https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/provost/resources/nomination_forms.php.

Adjunct Teaching:

The nomination form only must be submitted electronically no later than Thursday, September 10, 2020. The completed nomination file must be received in the Provost's Office no later than Thursday, October 1, 2020. Send by email to maureen.wozniak@stonybrook.edu

Nomination files received by the Provost's Office after the October 1, 2020 deadline will not be accepted.

Faculty Service, Librarianship, Professional Service, Scholarship & Creative Activities, and Teaching:

The nomination form only must be submitted electronically no later than Thursday, October 8, 2020. The completed nomination file must be received in the Provost's Office no later than Thursday, November 12, 2020. Send by email to maureen.wozniak@stonybrook.edu. Nomination files received by the Provost's Office after the November 12, 2020 deadline will
not be accepted.

Note to Students: If you submit a nomination form, you must coordinate with the nominee's department to prepare the nomination file.