Village People: Local Professor, School Board Trustee Lauded

Dr. Donald Porter of Setauket has been recognized by the National Science Foundation for his contributions as an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science at Stony Brook. Porter received the foundation's Faculty Early Career Development Program award for "exemplify[ing] the role of teacher-scholar through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of both education and research," according to a statement from Hendrix College. Porter graduated from Hendrix before completing Master's and Doctoral degrees at the University of Texas. The award, which amounts to about $400,000 over five years, will fund Porter's project, "Beyond Virtual Hardware: VMM/OS Co-Design for Lightweight, Flexible Virtualization."

Irene Gische, a school board trustee for the Three Village Central School District, has been recognized by the New York State School Boards Association with the organization's Level 1: Board Achievement Award. That organization's School Board U Recognition Program is "designed to recognize extensive time and effort for school board members who strive to continually expand their governance knowledge and skills," a school district administrator said Wednesday.

Barbara Chernow of Syosset has been named Stony Brook University's Senior Vice President for Administration, the University announced Wednesday. Stony Brook president Samuel L. Stanley Jr. called her a "proven leader. "Since joining Stony Brook in 1998, her management skills have resulted in improved services and reduced costs and it will be beneficial, both in terms of internal and external interactions, for her to serve as the single point of contact between Finance, Human Resources and Facilities," Stanley said. Chernow is a graduate of Brown University and has also been lauded by the National Association of Professional Women in Construction as an Executive Leadership Award winner.