SBU's Liblit Award Recognizes Four Winners, First International Honoree
Four Stony Brook University students, including the first international nomination, have won the Evan R. Liblit Memorial Fund scholarship. The 27th annual award ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 13 in East Islip was a celebration dedicated to honoring the legacy of Evan R. Liblit, a pioneer in the fields of recycling and solid waste management.
The event also featured a speech by Michael E. White, an attorney with long experience in solid waste management, municipal law, land use, natural resources, and freight rail transportation, who now serves as principal investigator for a state grant to Stony Brook University, charged with studying how Long Island should handle its solid waste.
“This gathering, which provides awareness on recycling and solid waste management issues and awards science scholars, is more important than ever given our solid waste crisis on Long Island,” said White, lecturer in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences and now interim director of The Waste Reduction and Management Institute (WRMI) at Stony Brook. “Our communities see solid waste go away, but we need to provide an understanding of where and what is ‘away.’”
This year, the award recognized two undergraduate students and two graduate students, for their contributions in sustainability and waste management. This is the first year that international students were eligible for the award; Last spring, the Liblit Steering Committee voted unanimously to amend the scholarship to include international students.
The event brought together scholars, faculty, representatives of the solid waste industry, and community leaders to celebrate these students and engage in important discussions about Long Island’s waste management challenges.
Since 1998, the memorial fund has awarded scholarships to nearly 60 undergraduate and graduate students who explore innovative approaches to waste management, pollution mitigation, and sustainable resource management.
“Our students are engaged with issues that matter globally, but perhaps the most important work is done looking at what can be done locally to address impacts to our communities and environment. I wish to congratulate some of our top students,” said Paul Shepson, dean of the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences.
Michael Cahill, attorney and chair of the fund, said the award has been a way to recognize excellence in environmental science and recycling, not only acknowledging academic achievements, but also a larger commitment to sustainable practices that will shape the future of climate control efforts.
“Long Island continues to face a daunting variety of challenges in the management of solid waste,” Cahill said in a letter to awardees. “The Liblit Committee has taken the lead over the last five years in sponsoring in-person symposia and online webinars to address these issues.”
This year’s awards highlighted a diverse group of students with work in a range of fields. Each of them have demonstrated a commitment to addressing real world environmental issues through hands-on research and outreach.
Through their efforts, these students are helping to address some of the most important challenges, from environmental degradation to waste management solutions. The event served as both a celebration and a call to action for those dedicated to improving the future of the planet.
As these four students move forward in their fields, they reflect the next generation of waste management and lead toward a more sustainable future.
Award Winners:
- Naomi Burson
Senior undergraduate student in the Ecosystems and Human Impact program, Naomi is a group leader and research assistant in the Sustainability Studies Earthworm Ecotoxicology Lab, focusing on the use of earthworms for soil recovery and glyphosate remediation. She is also heavily involved in environmental outreach efforts on campus. - Jonathan Gordon
Senior undergraduate student in Environmental Studies, Jonathan is researching the ecological impact of glyphosate, focusing on its effects on soil respiration and plant germination. He has continued to be involved in the Sustainability Studies Earthworm Ecotoxicology lab and is a teaching assistant this semester, helping to guide other students in sustainability studies. - Sagarika Srivastava
Fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in Technology, Policy, and Innovation, Sagarika’s research explores socio-economic factors influencing paper waste generation in the U.S., and she has a strong background in waste management policy from her previous work in India. - Tegan Castelluccio
First-year master’s student in Marine Conservation and Policy, Tegan is passionate about marine conservation and sustainability. Her past work includes shark tagging research and environmental education, with aspirations to drive community engagement in marine protection efforts. Tegan is interested in pursuing a career in sustainability through community education and environmental advocacy.
— Alexander Noll
J.D. Allen contributed to this story.