High school sophomores across Long Island and beyond learned their scores in January for the PSAT test they took in the fall. And almost immediately, letters from colleges began to flood their mailboxes. "What schools are trying to do at this point is make an introduction," said Rodney Morrison, associate provost for enrollment and retention at Stony Brook University. "We don’t assume kids know the school at all. This is a meet-and-greet, to try to make a good first impression and to let them know we want to get to know them better.

Professor Carl Safina writes, "The standoff of armed ranchers occupying Malheur National Wildlife Refuge is now over. They represent the deepest rift in humanity’s relationship with land. They argue that all lands "belong" in private ownership. On the other hand, the land is currently held in public trust; the public being all Americans including the native Paiute for whom that ground is ancient homeland, and the non-human beings under the heading "wildlife" who come for the concept ‘refuge’."

"Your first experience of something is going to be well remembered, more than later experiences," explains Art Aron, a psychology professor at State University of New York at Stony Brook who specializes in close relationships. "Presumably there’d be more arousal and excitement, especially if it’s somewhat scary. And falling in love is somewhat scary — you’re afraid you’ll be rejected, you’re afraid you won’t live up to their expectations, afraid they won’t live up to yours. Anxiety is a big part of falling in love, especially the first time."

Yanna Krupnikov, assistant professor of political science, writes "The ConversationLast week, the diehards had their say in Iowa. On Tuesday night in New Hampshire, the independents took their turn."

Stony Brook University recently announced plans to create an endowed chair in the Department of History following a major gift from the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation.

Asked about the guidance to pregnant women, Dr. Susan Donelan, medical director of the epidemiology department at Stony Brook University Hospital, said: "I can understand the Brazilian Health Ministry being concerned about not leaving out any potential mechanism for transmission, even if it’s theoretical".

"I am personally convinced by this study that Zika is vertically transmitted [from mother to fetus] and infects the brains of infants, who then are born with microencephaly," said Saul Hymes, MD, an assistant professor of clinical pediatrics in the Division of Pediatric Infectious Disease at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital in New York. "That seems like a solid link to me."

The Flint water crisis has attracted attention and outrage from all over the globe, but unfortunately, the city of Flint isn’t the first to have its population affected by lead.

Joanne Davila writes "the dates, and popularity, of the original Emily Dickinson quote and the recent Selena Gomez song title suggest one thing: the idea that the heart wants what it wants is timeless and reflects a deep emotional experience that people can relate to. But is it a healthy one?"

As a physician and researcher specializing in the management and treatment of HF, Javed Butler, MD, MPH, MBA, FACC, FAHA, FESC, has studied the entire spectrum of HF from prevention to treatment, with a special emphasis on management of patients with advanced HF.