Sea to Soil Symposium
On Friday, May 1, 2026, the Sea to Soil Symposium returned to the East End for another remarkable day of ideas, connection, and community. The event brought together voices from across science, agriculture, and food systems to explore a powerful idea: that the health of our oceans and our soils are deeply connected, and that understanding this relationship is key to building a more resilient food future.
The afternoon symposium featured an extraordinary lineup of speakers, including ecologist Carl Safina; Indigenous ecologist Robin Wall Kimmerer (virtual); internationally recognized regenerative small-scale farmer J.M. Fortier; Stony Brook's Distinguished Associate Director for Bivalve Restoration Mike Doall; and local icons Katie Baldwin and Amanda Merrow of Amber Waves Farm, among others.
Alongside the symposium, a vibrant Marketplace brought together leading local and regional organizations — including Cornell Cooperative Extension and Taste of New York — offering the public a chance to engage, learn, and connect.
The day was a celebration of big ideas and practical solutions, ancestral wisdom and contemporary practice — hopeful and actionable in equal measure. Thank you to everyone who joined us for a day of learning, nourishment, and shared stewardship of land and sea.
For questions or inquiries, please reach out to judiann.carmack-fayyaz@stonybrook.edu or sarah.reilly.2@stonybrook.edu.