Rock step: Welcome to Friday, dear readers, as we wrap up this very-late-summer workweek and look forward to another well-earned weekend.
It’s Sept. 17 out there – International Country Music Day, if you’re so inclined – and we’re here to help you line dance your way straight to a big finish. Saddle up, innovators!
Hamming it up: It’s a sometimes food for sure … but today’s the time to indulge in a delicious Monte Cristo.
The full Monte: Between pivot turns and knee hitches, make sure you grab some lunch – today is National Monte Cristo Day, celebrating the indulgent combination of fried ham and cheese (inspired by the French croque-monsieur, for those keeping score).
Fruit loops: For dessert, things only get better – Sept. 17 is also National Apple Dumpling Day, a gala of pastry-wrapped baked apples.
And wash it all down with a glass of red – it’s also International Grenache Day, honoring the Spanish berry that become one of the world’s most widely planted wine grapes.
Life, liberty and all that good stuff: Twisted as it is by contemporary political extremists, the original U.S. Constitution – signed 234 years ago today on the final day of the United States Constitutional Convention – is still a shining beacon of freedom.
Alpha flight: Cal Rogers and the Vin Fiz depart Sheepshead Bay on their historic 1911 journey.
The long flight: Daredevil pilot Calbraith “Cal” Rogers took off from Sheepshead Bay on this date in 1911, embarking on the first airplane flight across the continental United States.
Forty-nine days, 30 stops and 19 crashes later, his 35-horsepower Wright EX biplane – the Vin Fiz – touched down in Long Beach, Calif.
The long play: The RCA Victor Co. demonstrated 33 1/3 revolutions-per-minute LP records for the first time on Sept. 17, 1931.
Chase scene: The speedy Road Runner (“Acceleratii incredibus”) and exasperated tracker Wile E. Coyote (“Carnivorous vulgaris”) debuted on this date in 1949 in the cartoon short “Fast and Furry-ous.”
Fun fact: When designing the innovative (if frustrated) Wile E., legendary animator Chuck Jones originally named him “Don Coyote.”
Must-see TV: And speaking of entertaining debuts, the TV series “Car 54, Where Are You?” (1961), “The Fugitive” (1963), “Bewitched” (1964), “Hogan’s Heroes” (1965), “Mission: Impossible” (1966) and “M*A*S*H” (1972) – winners of 34 combined Emmy Awards – all premiered on Sept. 17.
Over the top: American electronics engineer Oswald Villard Jr. (1916-2004) – who amplified radio communications and blocked enemy radar devices in the 1940s, then bounced beams off the ionosphere to spearhead over-the-horizon radar – would be 105 years old today.
The host with the most: Campy Cassandra Peterson, in character.
Also born on Sept. 17 were Scottish-American inventor David Dunbar Buick (1854-1929), a pioneering automobile manufacturer who died in impoverished obscurity; Russian space theorist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky (1857-1935), remembered as the “father of human spaceflight”; American immunologist Merrill Chase (1905-2004), who made groundbreaking discoveries in cellular immunology; country music legend Hank Williams (1923-1953), a true American tragedy; and Bronx-born actress, director and singer Anne Bancroft (born Anna Maria Louisa Italiano, 1931-2005), who collected Oscars, Emmys, Golden Globes and Tony Awards by the armful.
Dark star: And take a bow, Cassandra Peterson! The American actress, writer and singer – known best as enhanced-cleavage horror hostess Elvira, Mistress of the Dark – turns 70 today.
Give the goth queen your best at editor@innovateli.com, where we’re horrified when we don’t receive your news tips and calendar events.
About our sponsor: Northwell Health is New York’s largest healthcare provider and private employer, with 23 hospitals, 750-plus outpatient facilities and more than 70,000 employees. We’re making research breakthroughs at the Feinstein Institutes and training the next generation of medical professionals at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra/Northwell School of Graduate Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. Visit Northwell.edu.
BUT FIRST, THIS
Living Liberty: Liberty Station is ready to service at-risk residents.
Give them Liberty: The ribbon has been cut on a state-funded affordable- and supportive-housing development in Port Jefferson Station.
Liberty Station – six 2-story residential buildings containing 75 one-bedroom and two 2-bedroom apartments, featuring rents affordable to households with incomes around 50 percent of the Area Median Income – targets homeless veterans and others in need of support services. Funded in part by $18 million in equity from Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and more than $6.3 million in subsidy from the New York State Homes and Community Renewal program, the project also benefited from a $900,000 Suffolk County stipend and a $300,000 grant from the Home Depot Foundation, among other donations.
Offering a community center with computer room, an exercise room, two gardens and a walking path lined with fitness stations, the development will provide assistive services via the New York State Office of Mental Health and Concern for Independent Living, a Medford-based nonprofit supporting more than 1,100 residents at 240-plus Greater New York locations. “Liberty Station is the result of tremendous collaboration between state, local and private funders, along with a talented, committed development team,” noted Concern Executive Director Ralph Fasano. “We have created housing that matches the pride that we have for Long Island’s Veterans.”
Give them hope: Nassau Community College has been recruited to join a select team of national institutions focused on solving real-world problems faced by less-fortunate college students.
The Philadelphia-based Hope Center for College, Community and Justice announced Wednesday its first RealCollege Institutional Capacity-Building Cohort, composed of 27 higher education institutions across the country – including NCC – exploring new methods for assisting students facing food and housing needs and “the hidden challenges of degree completion during the pandemic,” according to The Hope Center founder and President Sara Goldrick-Rab. The cohort will use data gathered through the center’s evidence-based research studies to assist colleges and universities in retaining students by developing actionable solutions to those real-world problems.
The first cohort – expected to collaborate through May 2022 – will “move our research into action” by creating a national ecosystem that works together on innovative solutions to complex problems, Goldrick-Rab said. “We are honored that the Hope Center chose SUNY Nassau Community College as one of 27 institutions to be a part of the first [cohort],” noted NCC President Jermaine Williams. “We are committed to providing our students with equitable opportunities and look forward to working with the ICBC to enhance our student-support systems.”
TOP OF THE SITE
Control group: A Hauppauge-based high-voltage pioneer has teamed with Stony Brook University to supercharge the science of electricity control and conversion.
All systems green: Northwell Health, New York’s biggest healthcare system, and national pharmacy kingpin Walgreens have announced a new regional collaboration.
The season that started it all: Before we raise the curtain on Season 2, catch up with Season 1 of Spark: The Innovate Long Island Podcast, featuring in-depth one-on-ones with the leaders of the regional innovation economy. Now playing.
ICYMI
The recovery never ends for the survivors of 9/11; the contributions never end along the Long Island supply chain.
BEST OF THE WEST (AND SOMETIMES NORTH/SOUTH)
Innovate LI’s inbox overrunneth with inspirational innovations from all North American corners. This week’s brightest out-of-towners:
From North Carolina: Wilmington-based disease-screening trailblazer CastleBranch helps employers address federal vaccination rules with a comprehensive employee toolkit.
From Texas: Austin-based data cruncher Topmarq turns everyone into professional car-sellers with a real-time search engine that calculates top dealership offers for private vehicles.
From Calfornia: Gardena-based ramen-noodle manufacturer Nissin Foods marks its 50th anniversary with a “Use Your Noodle” culinary contest for innovative foodies.
ON THE MOVE
Felicia Hill-Briggs
+ Felicia Hill-Briggs has been appointed a professor at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research’s Institute of Health System Science. Hill-Briggs, who will also serve as vice president for prevention at New Hyde Park-based Northwell Health, was previously a professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
+ The Long Island Association has appointed four new members to its Board of Directors:
- Susan Poser, president of Hofstra University
- Lucy Guilherme, chief financial officer for Melville-based Leviton Manufacturing Co.
- Dawn Harmon, Long Island area asset manager for Westbury-based Covanta
- Donald Boomgaarden, president of St. Joseph’s College
+ Dennis D’Andrea has joined Melville-based Zuma Payroll and Processing as director of business development and strategic partner alliances. He was previously a senior human capital management consultant for Melville-based Ace Payroll Services.
+ Melanie Balsdon has been named logistics manager for the Plainview-based GreaterLong Island Running Club. She previously worked as a field technician for New York based U.S. Information Systems.
+ East Meadow-based Certilman Balin Adler & Hyman has hired three new associates: Jake Butera is now a member of the Corporate and Securities Practice Group, Farrah Faraci is now a member of the Banking and Commercial Lending Practice Group and John Stellakis is now a member of the Land Use and Zoning Practice Group.
BELOW THE FOLD (A Road, Not A Destination Edition)
Motley crew: The passengers of the Inspiration4, with nary an astronaut in sight.
Take your pick: Apple-picking season has arrived on Long Island.
Endless summer: Fight off fall at these warm-weather vacation spots.
Tourists in spaaaaace: SpaceX has launched an all-amateur crew into orbit.
Getting there: Please continue supporting the amazing organizations that support Innovate Long Island, including Northwell Health, where the road to better health is very well-traveled. Check them out.
