Creative writing: Welcome to Wednesday, dear readers, as we recover completely from the Super Bowl, Valentine’s Day and surprise snowstorms and charge headfirst toward our fantastic socioeconomic destiny.
It’s Feb. 16 out there, another of our absolute favorites: National Innovation Day, when children of all ages are encouraged to take something old and make it new – to improve upon an existing item, and in the process, perhaps improve themselves.
Seed fund: Not a nut.
Nut? Nope: Actually, it’s a seed – a fun fact for you to crunch on this National Almond Day, when the versatile, healthful seeds of the genus Prunus (in the same subgenus as the peach!) take a bow.
Not amused? We’ll let it slide – the least we can do on National Do a Grouch a Favor Day, also observed every Feb. 16.
Call the gesundheit police: You know who was kind of grouchy? Pope Gregory the Great, who on this date in 600 A.D. issued the “God Bless You” decree, requiring – through force of law – that all Christians use the expression in the presence of sneezers.
The dual-purpose, less-than-science-based papal order was designed to stop the spread of the deadly bubonic plague – ravaging Europe at the time – and to protect Christians, momentarily weakened by the sneeze, from invading demons.
Tut-tut: Think Pope Gregory was old school? Imagine what English archeologist Howard Carter was thinking when he opened the sealed burial chamber of circa-1400 B.C. Egyptian ruler King Tutankhamen on Feb. 16, 1923.
Fruity and judicious: The first U.S. patent covering a fruit tree was issued 90 years ago today to Missouri cross-breeder James Markham, who created an “extraordinarily vigorous” hybrid peach tree.
Out for a spin: Sikorsky’s prototype passenger helicopter soars over Connecticut.
Get to the chopper! The first passenger helicopter intended for commercial use – a prototype of the Sikorsky S-51 – made its maiden flight on Feb. 16, 1946.
Call the regular police: And America’s first 9-1-1 call was placed on this date in 1968, in the town of Haleyville, Ala.
For those keeping score, the Federal Communications Commission voted to create a national emergency-call system in 1967 – nearly 20 years after the United Kingdom implemented the world’s first dial-a-responder system.
Runs in the family: Charles Darwin’s cousin Sir Francis Galton (1822-1911) – a Victorian Era polymath who excelled at statistics, sociology, psychology, geography, anthropology and much more, and is remembered as the founder of modern eugenics – would be 200 years old today.
LeVar’s La Forge: Burton has enjoyed a long career as an actor and educator.
Also born on Feb. 16 were French physicist Pierre Bouguer (1698-1758), who founded photometry and was a master ship designer, among other things; American socialite Mary Ewing Outerbridge (1852-1886), remembered as “the mother of American tennis”; billionaire American financier Carl Icahn (born 1936), founder and controlling shareholder of Icahn Enterprises; American former tennis professional John McEnroe (born 1959), still mouthing off; and American actor, director and children’s television host Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr. (born 1957), who’s come a long way since Kunta Kinte.
That voodoo that she do: And take a bow, Elizabeth Chase Olsen! The Emmy-nominated American actress – younger sister of child stars Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, known best as Marvel Cinematic Universe powerhouse Wanda Maximoff (a.k.a. the Scarlet Witch) – turns 33 today.
Wish the on-again/off-again Avenger well at editor@innovateli.com, where your news tips and calendar events are our not-so-secret superpower.
About our sponsor: Farrell Fritz, a full-service law firm with 15 practice groups, advises startups on entity formation, founder and shareholder agreements, funding, executive compensation and benefits, licensing and technology transfer, mergers and acquisitions and other strategic transactions. The firm’s blog, New York Venture Hub, discusses legal and business issues facing entrepreneurs and investors.
BUT FIRST, THIS
Charles Riordan: Distinguished academic partner.
A pro’s provost: Hofstra University has a new provost – or will this summer, when veteran academic executive and internationally renowned chemist Charles Riordan officially takes the job.
The Hempstead-based university announced this week that Riordan, currently vice president for research, scholarship and innovation at the University of Delaware, will become Hofstra’s new provost and senior vice president for academic affairs on July 1. Riordan, who earned a PhD in chemistry from Texas A&M University and did postdoctoral research at the University of Chicago, has also served as a chemistry professor at UD and an assistant professor at Kansas State University.
Now, the elected fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and the American Association for the Advancement of Science – a frequent recipient of National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health financial support – will be “a partner in building Hofstra’s future,” according to Hofstra University President Susan Poser. “During a distinguished career at the University of Delaware, Charlie Riordan has been a teacher-scholar, an academic leader, a visionary and a builder,” Poser said in a statement. “He has a record of creating partnerships between [academia], business and government.”
Commissioners, commissioners everywhere: And lots of healthy water to drink, thanks in large part to the commissioners of the Nassau Suffolk Water Commissioners’ Association, which recently announced a new slate of three-year representatives.
Each of Long Island’s 21 Water Commissioner Districts has three publicly elected commissioners serving three-year terms, with one seat up for grabs annually in each district. The 21 commissioners announced this year by the NSWCA include 17 returning representatives and four newly elected commissioners: Alan Cooper (Garden City Park Water District), Rod Ford (Glenwood Water District), Charles Savinetti Jr. (Locus Valley Water District) and Ed Scott (Albertson Water District).
Collectively, the 63 commissioners are responsible for water quality, supply and distribution to more than 620,000 regional consumers. Noting the importance of the “hyperlocal” water districts, NSWCA President Amanda Fields – commissioner of the Plainview Water District – saluted the 2022 roster, noting she is “extremely pleased to welcome our newly elected commissioners as well as see our re-elected commissioners.”
POD PEOPLE
Episode 21: Kevin Law, Islander.
The Long Island innovation economy has many leaders, but few as driven or accomplished as Kevin Law, the former Long Island Association president, longtime Regional Economic Development Council co-chairman and (likely) next leader of Empire State Development.
Sponsored by clean-energy pioneer ThermoLift, Season 2 of Spark: The Innovate Long Island Podcast goes one-on-one with a true champion of regional socioeconomics.
TOP OF THE SITE
By land, by sea: Shoreside construction has officially (at least ceremoniously) begun on South Fork Wind, which could be powering 70,000 Long Island homes by 2023.
Battle of the “ids”: And the winner is Pepcid, which can defeat COVID symptoms, according to a surprising new study by Long Island scientists.
The easy way: Thank you in advance for forwarding this brilliant newsletter to your entire innovation team – remember, their own individual subscriptions are always easy, easy free.
VOICES
The United States marks the second anniversary of the COVID pandemic with lots of big questions remaining to be answered – and what appears to be plenty of time to answer them, according to healthcare anchor Terry Lynam, who predicts the end of the pandemic but not the end of COVID.
STUFF WE’RE READING
The little things: Big corporations can learn plenty from innovative small businesses. Forbes instructs.
Rush to market: On-demand enterprises speeding groceries to your door may have already enjoyed their 15 minutes. Commercial Observer delivers.
Tarnished medals: There are several reasons why Americans aren’t that into the Winter Olympics. FiveThirtyEight takes the podium.
RECENT FUNDINGS
+ Odys Aviation, a California-based aviation startup making hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft, raised $12.4 million in seed funding backed by Giant Ventures, Soma Capital, 11.2 Capital, Cruise Automation founder Kyle Vogt, Y Combinator and others.
+ Balanced, the New York City-based provider of a digital fitness platform for older adults, raised $6.5 million in seed funding co-led by Founders Fund and Primary Venture Partners, with participation from Lux Capital and Stellation Capital.
+ Boston Technology Research, a Massachusetts-based regulatory-tech firm, raised $15 million in Series A funding led by Insight Partners, LRV Health and NewStack Ventures.
+ Expressable, a Texas-based virtual speech-therapy solution, completed a $15 million Series A financing led by F-Prime Capital, with participation from Lerer Hippeau, NextView Ventures and Amplifyher Ventures.
+ Cooks Venture, an Arkansas-based poultry-genetics company, secured $50 million in funding from insured technology financing company PIUS.
+ DeepSurface, an Oregon-based automated risk-analysis and prioritization company, raised $4.5 million in seed funding led by Differential Ventures, Osage Venture Partners, Ginossar Ventures and Peninsula Ventures.
Like this newsletter? Innovate Long Island newsletter, website and podcast sponsorships are a prime opportunity to reach the inventors, investors, entrepreneurs and executives you need to know (just ask Farrell Fritz). Marlene McDonnell can tell you more.
BELOW THE FOLD (Keep Your Wits Edition)
The masked swinger: Hochul has lifted New York’s mandate, but the CDC is not so sure.
Don’t know what to think: Mixed messages are once again creating COVID confusion.
To be determined: Experiencing “decision fatigue?” You’re not alone.
Truth be told: How to handle that vexing interview question.
Thinking straight: And speaking straight – two hallmarks of economic-development master Farrell Fritz, one of the amazing firms that support Innovate Long Island. Check them out.
