Distinguished Alumni Awards Announced By Stony Brook University Alumni Association

STONY BROOK, NY — The Stony Brook Alumni Association was proud to announce five graduates of Stony Brook University to receive Distinguished Alumni awards. As part of the University’s 50th Anniversary celebration, the recipients will be honored at the Annual Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner in November.

Every year, the Association selects SBU alumni who have demonstrated extraordinary commitment to the University, have exceptional achievements and careers that reflect “the highest values embraced and promoted by both the State University of New York at Stony Brook and the Stony Brook Alumni Association.” This year’s honorees are Michael R. Anastasio, (M.A., ’73, Ph.D. 76); Willard S. Moore (Ph.D., ’69); Hava Tirosh-Samuelson (B.A ’74), Frank Otto (B.A. ’72, M.A. ’74); and Wai Lam (B.A. ’82).

Dr. Anastasio is the ninth Director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, one of the largest research laboratories in the United States. It contributes to Department of Energy’s programs to maintain the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile and reduce the international dangers posed by weapons of mass destruction. He earned M.A. and Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics at Stony Brook.

Dr. Moore is Stony Brook’s very first recipient of a Ph.D. in Earth and Space Sciences (now Geosciences). He is a Research Professor and Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of South Carolina and renowned in the field of Chemical Oceanography and Marine Geochemistry. Dr. Tirosh-Samuelson is a Professor of History at Arizona State University, where she specializes in Jewish Intellectual History. She received her B.A. in Religious Studies and subsequently received her Ph.D. from Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Mr. Otto is Senior Vice-President of Strategic Development with the Edo Corporation of New York, which designs and manufactures a diverse range of products for defense, intelligence, and commercial markets. He earned his a M.A. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering. Meanwhile, Mr. Lam is Chief Technology Officer and Vice President of Engineering for FalconStor Software Corporation, one of Long Island’s top 75 companies. He received a B.A. in Engineering at Stony Brook.

The five honorees will receive their awards at the Annual Distinguished Alumni Awards Gala on Thursday, November 15 at Flowerfield in St. James, NY.