New … and improved! Welcome to Wednesday, dear readers, as we mark the midpoint of this latest busy workweek with another educational and entertaining innovation-economy roundup.
Before we hurdle that hump, please extend a warm Innovate Long Island welcome to our newest sponsor – FourLeaf Federal Credit Union, which has changed its name (from Bethpage Federal Credit Union) but not its commitment to Long Island’s residents, businesses and communities. We are genuinely grateful for their support, extremely excited to reinforce their worthy mission and profoundly proud to welcome FourLeaf to our sponsor portfolio … more on them below!
Calming waters: Ease your stress by killing some fish today.
Don’t panic! Today is June 18 and it’s a busy one, all right, starting with International Panic Day, which calls attention to stress, anxiety and other mental-health issues by encouraging us to slow down, relax and otherwise take our fingers off the panic button.
These should help: Today is National Splurge Day, denoting the mental-health (and material-wealth) benefits of occasional self-pampering, and you can’t be anything but chill on National Go Fishing Day (not these guys, of course … we’re talking about throwing a line into your local pond).
Basket case: If you do squeeze in some angling today, pack a lunch – par for the course on International Picnic Day.
Not sure how that squares with International Sushi Day, but National Cherry Tart Day – celebrating the topless pastry every June 18 – should slot right in.
Hot streak: Whether you’re fishing, picnicking or enjoying any other outdoor activity, watch the weather – just like St. Louis-based shutterbug T.M. Easterly did on this date in 1847, when he captured what’s generally regarded as the oldest-known photograph of a lightning streak.
About face: Also catching lightning in a bottle was Baltimore-based inventor William Richardson, who updated baby carriages on June 18, 1889, when he patented a reversible bassinet on wheels (allowing the baby to face the operator or face away) – a major step toward the modern baby stroller.
This enormous piggy: The Enterprise had no engines, but it did have passengers when it piggybacked on its Boeing 747 mothership on this date in 1978.
Getting their back up: Also transporting humans was the Space Shuttle Enterprise – the only NASA space shuttle never to fly in space, though it did carry passengers for the first time 47 years ago today when it piggybacked a specially designed Boeing 747 on its first captive crewed flight.
Historic Ride: It was this date in 1983 when the Space Shuttle Challenger carried Sally Ride, the first American woman to fly in space, on her historic mission. (For those keeping score, Ride – a physicist by trade – was actually the third woman to fly in space, after cosmonauts Valentina Tereshkova in 1963 and Svetlana Savitskaya in 1982).
Made Sense: And it was June 18, 2003, when the makers of the Google search engine introduced Google AdSense, a self-service program enabling website publishers to present advertisements specifically aligned with their content.
The advent of the “pay-per-click” method was hailed as a win-win: Users would benefit from fewer pop-ups and more relevant ads, while publishers could maximize their revenue potential.
Sylvia says: American economist, journalist and author Sylvia Field Porter (1913-1991) – a favorite daughter of Patchogue and massive influencer who was the first and last word on personal finance for millions of U.S. investors – would be 112 years old today.
When he was fab: McCartney turns 83 today.
Also born on June 18 were Italian Jesuit priest and astronomer Pietro Angelo Secchi (1818-1878), who surveyed thousands of stars and was the first to suggest they be classified by spectral type; French physician and pathologist Alphonse Laveran (1845-1922), awarded a Nobel Prize for discovering the parasite that causes human malaria; American professional baseball standout Lou Brock (1939-2020), a 1985 inductee to the National Baseball Hall of Fame; American film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author Roger Ebert (1942-2013), the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize; and English singer, songwriter and musician Sir James Paul McCartney (born 1942), who had a few hits you might know.
“Conclave,” sure, but … Adam Sandler movies? And a “Jurassic Park” cartoon?!? And take a bow, Isabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini! The Italian American actress, model, writer, philanthropist and entrepreneur – Bellport’s favorite adopted daughter – turns 73 today.
Give your best to the ecologically minded Brookhaven bed-and-breakfast owner and tireless actress (a dozen movies and TV shows just in 2023 and 2024!) at editor@innovateli.com, where your news tips and calendar events always keep us busy.
About our sponsor: FourLeaf Federal Credit Union (formerly Bethpage Federal Credit Union) has been serving its members and their communities for more than 80 years. Just like when it first opened its doors in 1941, the credit union is keeping its promise to continuously meet the changing needs of members, employees and the communities they serve by being a trusted financial partner dedicated to enriching lives. Let’s Money Together.
BUT FIRST, THIS
Mastering AI: Myriad Adelphi University locations and resources will combine in a new AI-focused graduate program.
With global governments and international industries hungry for professionals who can drive innovation through the power of AI, Adelphi’s Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning will provide students with the skills, knowledge and experience needed to shape the future through the cutting-edge technology. The new program, slated to welcome its first cohort this Fall, will combine online studies and in-person courses at the university’s Garden City campus, with in-person options planned for Adelphi’s under-construction Manhattan Center beginning in the Fall 2026 semester.
The graduate program follows the launch of Adelphi’s forward-thinking AI bachelor’s degree program, which kicked off last year. “Because AI lies at the intersection of multiple in-demand fields, our graduates will be ideally positioned to land any job in the tech sector,” noted Kees Leune, the university’s information security officer and chairman of Adelphi’s Department of Mathematics and Computer Science. “Students enrolled in Adelphi’s MS in AI and Machine Learning program will learn to unite the power of human creativity and scientific efficiency, creating technology that ushers in a better world.”
Karen Boorshtein: League of her own.
At your service: The spearhead of one of Long Island’s most progressive human-services organizations has announced her retirement.
After more than three decades as an active member of the Huntington-based Family Service League and 15 years as its president and CEO, Karen Boorshtein will step down on March 31 next year. The longtime leader – who managed the 501(c)3 nonprofit organization through the 9/11 terrorist attacks, 2012’s Superstorm Sandy, the COVID pandemic and other crises – is credited with visionary oversight that’s fostered exponential growth of the FSL, which has now provided housing assistance, hospital referrals, trauma counseling and other essential services to more than 60,000 vulnerable Long Island residents.
Boorshtein, who said she’s been “incredibly honored to serve as CEO of Family Service League” and applauded the nonprofit’s “talented and committed team,” will assist in the search for her successor – who will have big shoes to fill, according to FSL Board Chairwoman Laura Granelli Gerde. “Karen has passionately served the most vulnerable on Long Island,” Gerde noted. “Her tireless efforts have transformed countless lives and strengthened our communities … Family Service League is so grateful to have been the recipient of her gifted leadership.”
POLL POSITION
Keep ’em coming, Innovate Long Island Newsletter subscribers! Your response to our first-ever Reader Survey has been fantastic, but there are still thousands of you who haven’t weighed in (yet) on our innovation-economy toolbox/advocacy-journalism experiment – things you like, features you wish we’d add, all that good stuff.
And did we mention the random drawing for three $50 Visa Gift Cards, open to all survey respondents? Not bad for 90 seconds of your time. Here’s your chance to influence Innovate Long Island’s future, and your own … take the survey now!
TOP OF THE SITE
Pulling an ACE: SUNY Old Westbury will become the fourth Long Island college included in the State University of New York’s successful student-retention and degree-completion program.
Brains on demand: A new episode of Spark: The Innovate Long Island Podcast drops next week … but if you just can’t wait, find one you missed among the 52 great conversations in our impressive Podcast Library. (Or re-listen to some of your favorites – the lessons never get old!) Pick an innovation-economy influencer and get smarter fast!
VOICES
The heavily red-taped “regulatory state” definitely needs new checks and balances, according to Sahn Ward Braff Coschignano Managing Member and Voices Law Anchor Michael Sahn, but as the Trump Administration abruptly consolidates national authority, New York and other states are fighting for their right to self-govern – with public policy hanging in the balance.
Something to say? Welcome to The Entrepreneur’s Edge, Innovate Long Island’s new promoted-content news feature platform – a direct link from you to our innovation-focused audience. Progressive product to promote? Singular service to sell? Sociopolitical position to push? Shine a bright light on the big picture, the little details and everything in between with The Entrepreneur’s Edge. Living on the edge.
STUFF WE’RE READING
Domestic dough: What a single person must earn to live comfortably in each state. CNBC adds it up.
Foreign currency: What you must earn to live comfortably in five expat-friendly countries. Nasdaq exchanges rates.
Fond farewell: As current events prompt an American exodus, these are the most desirable destinations. USA Today packs bags.
RECENT FUNDINGS
+ SpyGlass Pharma, a California-based biotech focused on ophthalmic innovation, raised $75 million in Series D funding led by Sands Capital.
+ Prepared, a New York City-based assistive-artificial intelligence emergency-response platform, raised $80 million in Series C funding led by General Catalyst.
+ Diakonos Oncology, a Texas-based clinical-stage biotech leveraging anti-viral immune responses against cancer, closed a $20 million private placement of Simple Agreements for Future Equity, led by new investors Baylor College of Medicine, the Brain Tumor Investment Fund and the Buttonwood Titan QC Fund.
+ Uplinq, an Arizona-based, AI-driven bookkeeping and tax-solutions provider, raised $10 million in Series A funding led by Next Coast Ventures.
+ Rime, a California-based speech-tools innovator, raised $5.5 million in Seed funding led by Unusual Ventures.
+ Outcomes4Me, a Massachusetts-based software maker focused on direct-to-patient technologies, raised $21 million in funding led by Salica Investments.
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 FourLeaf FCU). Gregory Zeller can tell you more.
BELOW THE FOLD (We Know The Game And We’re Gonna Play It Edition)
Never gonna say goodbye: Rick Astley’s megahit has achieved rarified airtime.
Never gonna give you up: The 1987 hit that just joined Spotify’s billion-streams club.
Never gonna let you down: How to not take it personally when others drop the ball.
Never gonna run around and desert you: Nobody deserted – they deployed, they marched – but their hearts didn’t seem in it at the big birthday parade.
We’re no strangers to love: And we are absolutely smitten with the latest sponsor to boost our socioeconomic mission – FourLeaf Federal Credit Union, a true champion of Long Island communities and another major-league Innovate Long Island supporter worthy of your support. Check them out.
