Fall 2008: updates since Spring 2007 are in red An Introduction to Stony Brook Fall 2008: updates since Spring 2007 are in redAN INTRODUCTION TO STONY BROOK Stony Brook Soars: resources of the University and the sur- Sports Complex, and other service build- An Overview rounding community provide a superb ings. The Museum of Long Island environment for intellectual and per- Natural Sciences, located in the Earth Stony Brook is situated on a campus of sonal growth. and Space Sciences Building, displays 1,100 acres, where world-renowned fac- dioramas of Long Island’s natural land- ulty have created a stimulating, highly Our Surroundings scape and special temporary exhibits. interactive environment for undergradu- The Student Activities Center (SAC) fea- ate studies. With exceptional strength in Close to the historic village of Stony tures several multipurpose spaces, as well the sciences, mathematics, humanities, Brook at the geographic midpoint of as areas for study and assembly. The cen- fine arts, social sciences, engineering, Long Island, the University campus lies ter provides a focal point for the extracur- and health professions, Stony Brook about 60 miles east of Manhattan and 60 ricular activities that are an important offers an array of challenging, career- miles west of Montauk Point, convenient part of life on campus. The SAC also building programs. both to New York City’s urban vitality includes a student lounge with gaming and cultural attractions and the tranquil Established in 1957 as part of the State tables, two large multi-purpose rooms, a countryside and beautiful seashore of University of New York system, Stony Wellness Center, and an art gallery. eastern Suffolk County. It is only a short Brook has grown at a prodigious rate drive to some of New York State’s rich- Stony Brook’s Staller Center for the and is now recognized as one of the est farmland and fishing grounds, the Arts provides superb performing arts nation’s finest public universities. There spectacular Atlantic beaches at Fire facilities, where artists of international are more than 1,900 faculty and approxi- Island, the elegant resorts of the stature appear. The Staller Center also mately 22,527 students. Hamptons, the craggy bluffs and natural houses the Departments of Theatre Stony Brook has been classified as a harbors along Long Island Sound, and Arts, Music, and Art. A broad plaza con- Type 1 research university, which is the the picturesque village greens and gra- nects the Melville Library, Stony Brook highest distinction granted to fewer than cious old homes of the North Shore Union, and the Staller Center. two percent of all colleges and universi- towns. The internationally recognized The Charles B. Wang Center, celebrating ties nationwide. This reflects Stony research facilities of Brookhaven Nat– Asian and American cultures, is dedicat- Brook’s high volume of federally spon- ional Laboratory and Cold Spring ed to presenting the public with a multi- sored research and its emphasis on schol- Harbor Laboratory are nearby. And a faceted, intellectually sound, and humane arship. Funding for research programs two-hour train ride will bring you to the understanding of Asian and Asian has grown faster than at almost any heart of one of the most exciting cities in American cultures, and their relationship other university, making it the major the world. to other cultures. The Wang Center hous- research campus in SUNY, the largest es the upscale Asian eatery, Jasmine, and public university system in the country. The Campus serves as a conference facility and pre- In 2001, the University was invited to senting venue for events of cultural, pro- Ongoing campus beautification has cre- join the Association of American Uni– fessional, and intellectual caliber. ated an atmosphere that encourages versities, the nation’s most prestigious students and faculty to interact. The Encircling the academic buildings are six higher education association. This places fountain in the center of the six-acre residential quadrangles, each with living Stony Brook in the company of much Academic Mall is a focal point for social space for about 1,000 students. The quads older, established institutions such as activity. Surrounding the fountain are are made up of three to five coeducational Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, and lawns, shrubs, gardens, trees, and a “colleges,” or residence halls, each hous- Johns Hopkins. brook that cascades down steps leading ing 200 to 400 students. A majority of the Fifty years after its founding, Stony to the campus’s main entrance. A nature student body, and about 80 percent of the Brook has earned a place among the top preserve, bicycle paths, park benches, an freshman class lives on campus. The two percent of all the world’s universities, apple orchard, and a duck pond are inter- quads are the basic social units for this on- according to the London Times Higher spersed among the spacious plazas, mod- campus population, providing residence Education Supplement. Stony Brook has ern laboratories and classroom buildings, halls, study and social space, and dining also been ranked in the top 100 National and a performing arts center. facilities. The West Apartments, accomo- Universities by U.S. News & World dating upper division undergraduates in At the center of West Campus stands the Report and included on their list of four-, five-, and six-bedroom apartments, Frank Melville Jr. Memorial Library, notable programs for undergraduate are available for continuing residents who which holds more than two million bound research/creative projects. earn at least a 3.0 grade point average. volumes and some three million in micro- The Chapin Apartments, comprised of In addition to its leading position as a format. Around the library are the major one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom research center, Stony Brook offers academic buildings for the Colleges of apartments, provide accommodations to excellent instructional programs in a Arts and Sciences and Engineering and graduate students, families, and domestic broad spectrum of academic subjects. Applied Sciences, the Van De Graaff partnerships. Chapin is located near the Internationally recognized faculty mem– nuclear accelerator, the Administration Stony Brook University Medical Center. bers teach courses from the undergrad- Building, Jacob K. Javits Lecture Center, The Schomburg Apartments offer one- uate to the doctoral level in more than Computer Science Building, Educational and four-bedroom apartments and are 250 undergraduate and graduate degree Communications Center, Computing available only to graduate students and programs. The academic and cultural Center, the Stony Brook Union, Indoor domestic partnerships. www.stonybrook.edu/ugbulletin 7 AN INTRODUCTION TO STONY BROOKFall 2008: updates since Spring 2007 are in red Located in single-story buildings on South Sciences, the College of Engineering and Distinguished Professors John Fleagle Campus are SUNY’s Marine Sciences Applied Sciences, the Health Sciences in Anatomical Sciences; James Glimm in Research Center, which functions much Center, the School of Marine and Applied Mathematics and Statistics; like a small community embedded within Atmospheric Sciences, the School of William Lennarz and Rolf Sternglanz in the University; the School of Dental Med- Journalism, and the College of Business. Biochemistry and Cell Biology; Clint icine; and the Psychiatry and Behavioral Rubin in Biomedical Engineering; Sciences Department. The University’s enrollment for 2006 was Benjamin Chu and Iwao Ojima in Chem- 22,527, with 14,851 undergraduate stu- istry; Peter van Nieuwenhuizen in the (See the map at the end of this Bulletin.) dents. Many students are enrolled part- C.N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Phy- time in late afternoon and evening cours- sics; Arie Kaufman in Computer Science; es offered by several departments and by Stony Brook Manhattan Lorne M. Golub in Dental Medicine; the School of Professional Development. Stony Brook Manhattan, an extension Douglas Futuyma, Jeffrey Levinton, and center located at 401 Park Avenue Twelve percent of the freshman class James Rohlf in Ecology and Evolution; South, is designed to accommodate spe- come from out of state. All freshmen are Armen Zemanian in Electrical Engine- cial undergraduate, graduate, and non- affiliated with undergraduate colleges ering; Serge Luryi in Electrical and credit courses, plus seminars, intern- organized under six different themes (see Computer Engineering; E. Ann Kaplan ships, and events. It has eight class- page 17 for more information about the in English; Donald Weidner in Geo- rooms, two conference rooms, faculty colleges). Overall, students from more sciences; Robert Aller, Nicholas Fisher, office space, and an open area for lec- than 100 countries attend Stony Brook. and Cindy Lee in the School of Marine tures, receptions, and conferences. It Many students study abroad in approved and Atmospheric Sciences; H. Blaine houses the Center for Wine, Food, and exchange programs spread around the Lawson Jr., Dusa McDuff, John Milnor, Culture, which hosts seminars and lec- globe, in countries such as France, India, and Dennis Sullivan in Mathematics; Fu- tures for students, faculty, and the gen- Italy, Japan, Madagascar, Tanzania, Pen Chiang in Mechanical Engineering; eral public. It is the first center of its Spain, Germany, England, and Korea. Eckard A.F. Wimmer in Molecular Genetics and Microbiology; Gilbert kind in New York State. For more infor- The University aims for the highest Kalish in Music; Lorne Mendell in mation about Stony Brook Manhattan, standards in all of its programs. Its Neurobiology and Behavior; Israel visit http://ws.cc.stonybrook.edu/sb/nyc/ record of placing graduates in the Kleinberg in Oral Biology and or call (646) 472-2000. nation’s best graduate and professional Pathology; Arthur Grollman in schools shows that these standards are Pharmacological Sciences; Edward S. being maintained, and that an education- Stony Brook Southampton Casey, Richard Howard, and Don Ihde in al experience of high quality is available In 2006, Stony Brook University com- to the broad and diverse student body at Philosophy; Gerald E.