Stony Brook University hosted its first Congressional Staff Visit Day on August 21, welcoming staff from the offices of Senator Chuck Schumer, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Representative Nick LaLota, and Representative Laura Gillen. The event aimed to demonstrate how federal research funding supports innovation and economic growth on Long Island and beyond.
University President Andrea Goldsmith met with the delegation to discuss Stony Brook’s vision for research leadership and its role in addressing national priorities. Goldsmith is recognized for her expertise in wireless communications and her commitment to advancing the university’s mission through research and community engagement.
Since 2020, federal appropriations have provided over $175 million in research funding to Stony Brook investigators. These funds have supported projects across a range of disciplines, including biopolymer research, energy security initiatives, quantum networking infrastructure on Long Island, a new inpatient research unit at the medical center, and alternative fuel energy studies.
“We are deeply grateful for the support of Stony Brook by our Congressional leaders,” said President Goldsmith. “It was a privilege to welcome Congressional staff members to our campus for direct conversations about Stony Brook’s pivotal role in driving innovation, economic growth, and workforce development across Long Island, our great state of New York, the nation and the world. These collaborative partnerships are vital to our mission and reinforce the position of both the university and Stony Brook Medicine as flagship institutions for New York. We look forward to continuing this important work together to accelerate Stony Brook’s excellence and impact in education, research, healthcare, innovation, and service.”
Federal investments have enabled advancements such as pioneering work in semiconductor crystal growth by Michael Dudley—linked with agencies like NSF, DOE, NASA—and connected with a new $20 million semiconductor R&D facility. Other faculty-led projects highlighted include antifreeze hydrogels for infrastructure (Dilip Gersappe), cybersecurity (Nick Nikiforakis), low-power AI chip design (Emre Salman), and soft robotics (William Stewart).
Vice President for Research and Innovation Kevin Gardner emphasized these partnerships: “Our research enterprise thrives because of the strong partnership between federal investments and the groundbreaking work of our faculty,” said Vice President for Research and Innovation Kevin Gardner. “This visit gave us the opportunity to highlight how that support translates into advancements that matter today, while also laying the foundation for discoveries that will shape the future of health, security, and economic growth. We look forward to continuing this tradition and providing our elected representatives with a front-row view of the talent and expertise that make Stony Brook a leader in research and innovation.”
The day included tours at various university sites such as engineering labs focused on power electronics; computational science centers using high-performance computing; quantum technology facilities featuring an entanglement distribution network; hospital-based labs supporting infectious disease study; imaging centers; cancer center laboratories; as well as meetings with faculty collaborating with Brookhaven National Laboratory.
Throughout these visits congressional staff saw firsthand how federally funded projects contribute not only to scientific discovery but also practical applications ranging from patient care improvements at Stony Brook Medicine to advances in secure communications technology.
The program underscored that continued collaboration between federal partners—facilitated by Stony Brook’s Office of Research & Innovation along with its Office of Federal Relations—is essential for sustaining progress toward solutions addressing national challenges.
