Stony Brook University recently featured two SUNY Distinguished Professors in its Provost’s Lecture Series, highlighting faculty achievements in physics and biomedical engineering. The event, held on November 20 at the Charles B. Wang Center Theatre, focused on the work of Chang Kee Jung from the Department of Physics and Astronomy and Clinton Rubin from the Department of Biomedical Engineering.
Provost Carl Lejuez opened the lecture by noting the importance of recognizing the university's own faculty. “We had fewer opportunities for our great people inside the university to present and for us to learn from them,” he said. “This series ensures our distinguished scholars receive the same benefit and visibility we offer to guests from other universities. Sometimes we’re not even aware of what our colleagues are doing. This series is an opportunity to change that.”
Nobel laureate Barry Barish introduced Chang Kee Jung, chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, praising his contributions to neutrino physics. “Chang Kee works at the very frontier of particle physics,” Barish said. “He tackles complicated problems with remarkable clarity. He does this by being a great collaborator with others.”
Jung’s talk, titled “Universe According to Neutrinos, Nobel Prizes, Breakthroughs and Future,” discussed how neutrinos help scientists understand both matter's origins and limitations within particle physics models. He explained that neutrinos are extremely abundant yet difficult to detect: “If you put your hand out, there are ten trillion neutrinos going through it every second.” Jung highlighted that research led by Stony Brook researchers contributed to discovering that neutrinos have mass—a finding only observed beyond standard models in laboratory settings. He also addressed how imbalances involving heavy neutrinos may explain why matter exists in the universe: “Without that imbalance, the universe would be empty,” Jung said.
Clinton Rubin’s lecture was titled “Good Vibes: Developing an Exercise Surrogate as a Non-Invasive Means of Extending Healthspan.” Rubin, director of Stony Brook’s Center for Biotechnology, has researched noninvasive methods such as low-intensity vibration (LIV) for preserving muscle and bone health in people unable to exercise conventionally.
Yi-Xian Qin, chair of Biomedical Engineering at Stony Brook, introduced Rubin by noting his foundational role in building one of the leading programs nationwide. “He served as a founding chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering and helped build one of the strongest programs in the country,” Qin said. “His work has influenced generations of scientists and engineers.”
Rubin explained how decades studying mechanical signals led him to develop LIV technology that mimics some biological effects of exercise without physical exertion. “Our bodies are constantly adapting to the mechanical environment around us,” Rubin said. He described LIV as beneficial especially for older adults or those with limited mobility but emphasized it is not intended as a replacement for traditional exercise.
Rubin also noted ongoing clinical trials and NASA collaborations using vibration therapy to counteract bone and muscle loss among astronauts.
Lejuez closed by highlighting both presenters’ willingness to explore new areas within their fields: “One tie between our two presenters today is that they are intellectually fearless... Whether it’s Clint helping us understand how we keep our mass, or Chang Kee helping us find out that neutrinos had mass all along, this is a truly great example of what makes Stony Brook an amazing place, because we have the best scholars here. It’s really exciting to be around them.”