Motivated by the Matches: Alumni Family Gives Back to Stony Brook Students, Cancer Center

Choosing to attend Stony Brook University seemed like a no-brainer for both Frank Fischer ’97 and his wife, Michele Fischer ’99. Frank’s brothers, William Fischer ’92 and Patrick Fischer ’94, both graduated from the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (CEAS) with mechanical engineering degrees, while Michele wanted to study meteorology — and Stony Brook was one of only two SUNY schools that offered an atmospheric sciences degree at the time. Now, together with their family, Frank and Michele are giving back to Stony Brook students, as well as the Stony Brook Cancer Center, through endowed funds.

Frank, who grew up in Poughkeepsie, said he chose Stony Brook University over other state schools not only because his brothers attended but also because of its engineering programs. “I come from a family of engineers,” explained Frank. “And when I got to Stony Brook, I immersed myself in the engineering world.” And while he majored in mechanical engineering, Frank said he enjoyed the business side of engineering. He credits SUNY Distinguished Professor Fu-Pen Chiang with piquing that interest. “He spoke to us like a businessperson — teaching us how to get grants, how to draft a resume and the importance of internships,” said Frank. “Professor Chiang was instrumental in helping me think about my life and career after Stony Brook. He was a great mentor.”

Michele grew up just outside of Buffalo and was always fascinated by the weather — including the lake-effect snow that she’d often see. “I’m one of those people who always knew what I wanted to do — and that was study meteorology,” she said. She instantly fell in love with Stony Brook when she took a tour of the campus. “I loved how big it was,” she said. “And I loved being able to take not just atmospheric science classes but also marine science.” Michele graduated from the Marine Sciences Research Center, which was the predecessor of the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS), with a degree in atmospheric sciences. Michele recalled working under Duane Waliser. “He got me involved in a project on the Madden-Julian Oscillation, which is a disturbance of clouds or rain that moves eastward across the tropics,” she said. “This was very beneficial to me later in my career in researching hurricanes and other storm systems.”

Frank met Michele at the beginning of his junior year and her freshman year. “That’s the best part about my time at Stony Brook!” he said. They were both staying in the same dorm and met in a common room. “By Christmas break that semester, we started to date exclusively,” she said. They both recalled being on campus during weekends, when a lot of their friends would go home. “Many of our friends lived on Long Island, so Frank and I would spend our weekends together getting to know each other, since our families lived upstate.” They also remembered walking through the tunnel to study at the Health Sciences tower. “Michele and I liked it over there because it was quieter — and they had a much better cafeteria and library.”

After college, Frank started working for an insurance company that worked with power plants. “They hired engineers to go into power plants to tell them how to operate efficiently,” Frank explained. “The impetus was, if we helped them operate better, the insurance company would lower their claims.” Michele earned her master’s degree at Penn State and stayed on the research side of meteorology. Later, she and Frank worked at the same company in Boston that created software for estimating risk from natural disasters. “I worked in their meteorology department after graduate school,” Michele said. “Frank and I were there for about four or five years together.”

(Pictured above: Michele and Frank with their children Jack, Sydney and Shannon.)

About 18 years ago, the couple moved to Bermuda when Frank got the opportunity to work for a startup investment firm, Aeolus Capital Management. “We were only supposed to be in Bermuda for two years,” said Frank. “But 18 years later, we’re still here.” Frank is now a managing partner and chief analytics officer at the firm, and Michele splits her time between New York and Bermuda with their three children. However, she said she didn’t leave meteorology behind completely. “I started posting hurricane updates on my Facebook page,” she said. “And people in our community started following me and looking to me for the forecasts when storms are coming.”

Since graduating from Stony Brook, Frank and Michele have contributed every few years to help with different scholarships and funds directed toward atmospheric sciences and engineering programs. Recently, they heard about the New York State endowment match program and the Simons Infinity Investment Match Challenge and were inspired to create a bigger impact for students. Frank and Michele established the Frank and Michele Fischer Endowed Scholarship to benefit students within CEAS and SoMAS. “We remember how hard it was having a job on campus while in school,” said Frank. “And we’re hoping that this scholarship will help take a little bit of pressure off of students as they navigate their studies.” 

As Frank and Michele discussed the impact of their newly established endowed scholarship, they were inspired to do more. This time, Frank wanted to do something to honor his mother, who passed away a few years ago from cancer. So, together with his brothers, Frank and Michele have also contributed to the Cancer Research Endowed Fund. “My brothers and I were impressed by the research that the Cancer Center was doing,” said Frank. “It seemed like a natural extension to take advantage of the match opportunities and stay connected to Stony Brook in a different way.” Frank’s brother Patrick agreed. “Stony Brook is a fantastic institution both in terms of an education and medical center,” he said. “My hope is that our contribution will help fund research that will hopefully improve life in the future.”

Funding for the Frank and Michele Fischer Endowed Scholarship as well as the Cancer Research Endowed Fund is eligible for both the New York State endowment match program and the Simons Infinity Investment Match Challenge, which will triple the impact this endowment gift will have on Stony Brook. For more information, visit stonybrook.edu/endowments. If you have interest in or questions about endowments or the match opportunities, contact Scott Barrett, interim vice president of Advancement, at (631) 632-9128 or scott.barrett@stonybrook.edu. 

-Christine McGrath