Speed racers: Welcome, intrepid innovators, to the back turn of this latest busy workweek.
It’s April 20 out there, and we’re downshifting just long enough for a Wednesday innovation review, before speeding into the home stretch. Keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the prize!
Grass roots: Circa-1970s legalization champions Tommy Chong (left) and Cheech Marin.
High there: Marijuana, pot, cannabis, weed, grass, dope, herb, hashish, ganja, reefer, Mary Jane, Maui wowie, bhang … whatever you call it, whether or not you indulge, the devil’s lettuce is now legal in New York State – and so, our very professional newsletter feels relatively secure wishing you a merry 4/20, the annual marijuana holiday.
Low bar: Butter bean, sieva bean, double bean, chad bean, wax bean, Madagascar bean, Phaseolus limensis … whatever you call it, whether or not you indulge, the edible legume known best as the lima bean gets a little love today, on National Lima Bean Appreciation Day.
If you’re craving something sweeter (for whatever reason), consider instead National Banana Day – or perhaps National Cheddar Fries Day, also smothering arteries each April 20. For Jenny Craig’s sake, please celebrate responsibly.
Struts and frets his hour upon the stage: Doubt they served cheddar fries at the concession stand, but London’s Globe Theatre presented the first-ever performance of Shakespeare’s “MacBeth” on this date in 1611, according to the story.
Constitution class: Also earning rave reviews was the first New York State Constitution, officially adopted 245 years ago today.
The constitution – which extensively quotes the Declaration of Independence – nullified all previous land grants made by King George, banned religious ministers from military or civil service and required the annual appointment of county coroners, among dozens of other provisions.
Salts of the earth: French laboratory lovers Marie and Pierre Curie successfully isolated radioactive radium salts for the first time on April 20, 1902.
Old school: We get the screen, but what is she holding?
Zoom in: Videoconferencing is common now, but Bell’s Picturephone visualized the future on this date in 1964, with a demonstration linking callers at Disneyland and the New York World’s Fair.
BBC you tomorrow: And it was that same day – April 20, 1964 – when BBC Two, a new national television network promising higher-definition transmissions to all of England, failed to launch as planned.
A critical power-station fire and a West London blackout created a spectacular mess, requiring the much-anticipated network to delay its premier until the next morning.
Hawkins laboratory: British-born American astronomer Gerald Stanley Hawkins (1928-2003) – who decoded Stonehenge and otherwise transformed celestial interpretations – would be 94 years old today.
Fresh from the coven: Lange, bewitching.
Also born on April 20 were Scottish horticulturist Peter Barr (1826-1909), the famed Daffodil King of Tooting; American mathematical physicist George Stibitz (1904-1995), globally revered as a father of modern digital computing; Swiss physicist Karl Müller (born 1927), who shared a Nobel Prize for advancing superconductivity; American actor and activist George Takei (born 1937), original helmsman of the USS Enterprise; and American singer, songwriter and record producer Luther Vandross Jr., (1951-2005), a sweet and soulful superstar.
“Horror” queen: And take a bow, Jessica Phyllis Lange! The accomplished American actress – only the 13th to achieve the Acting Triple Crown (two Oscars, three Emmys and a Tony, along with five Golden Globes) and a versatile favorite on the FX thriller series “American Horror Story” – turns 73 today.
Wish the screen legend well at editor@innovateli.com, where we’re horrified when you don’t include news tips or calendar events (not really, but we love it when you do).
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BUT FIRST, THIS
Jonathan Buscaglia: Officer material.
Chief among them: A State University of New York-trained MD will take over as Stony Brook University Hospital’s new chief medical officer.
Jonathan Buscaglia, who completed his MD at the SUNY University at Buffalo’s Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, will oversee all SBUH clinical operations – with special attention paid to quality of care, patient safety, care coordination and the development of new clinical information systems – effective April 28. The internal-medicine specialist, who completed fellowships in both gastroenterology and interventional endoscopy, joined Stony Brook Medicine in 2008 as medical director of endoscopy; he was appointed chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology in 2016 and was elected president of the Stony Brook Medicine Medical Board in 2021.
Buscaglia’s 20-plus years of experience, including more than a decade with Stony Brook Medicine, make him the ideal choice for chief medical officer, according to SBUH Chief Executive Officer Carol Gomes. “His proven dedication to the growth of our healthcare system and multidisciplinary approach to deliver the highest level of care [are] pivotal as we continue to meet the healthcare needs of our community,” Gomes added.
Exposure disclosure: Computational biology, data analysis and “the cloud” all factor into an innovative SUNY Old Westbury seminar series funded by the National Science Foundation.
Leveraging a $299,498 grant issued in 2021 by the NSF’s Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering, the school has already hosted two “StEM” (in this case, for “Stimulate, Engage and Motivate”) Student Research seminars. The first, held in March, involved SUNY Purchase Biology Professor Stephen Harris discussing the advantages of computational biology, and Amazon Web Services technicians highlighting the fundamentals of the cloud; in a second seminar this month, SUNY Old Westbury instructors spotlighted campus-based research projects in data science and other cutting-edge fields.
The seminars aim to motivate students by exposing them to hands-on research and training opportunities with skilled instructors and industry professionals. “Exposing undergraduate students in (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields to research is one of the best predictors of … success in postgraduate education,” noted Renu Balyan, an assistant professor in SUNY Old Westbury’s Math/Computer Information Sciences Department and principal investigator of the NSF grant. “We were excited to … begin to build knowledge and awareness for our students and motivate them to get involved in research.”
POD PEOPLE
Episode 24: John Wallace, still rising.
Many people know National Basketball Association veteran John Wallace for his heroic exploits at Syracuse University and his professional career with the New York Knicks (and other NBA franchises) – but few know the altruistic gentleman who lends his ace communication skills and NBA-sized heart to multiple youth-empowerment and community-enrichment programs.
Sponsored by clean-energy pioneer ThermoLift, the Season 2 finale of “Spark: The Innovate Long Island Podcast” goes one-on-one with a slam-dunk human being, whose connections to Long Island and beyond soar above the hardwoods. Game on!
TOP OF THE SITE
Plan A: Creativity is off the charts in the latest installment of Adelphi University’s annual student Business Plan Competition.
Smoother operator: With complaints mounting, Gov. Hochul supersizes the state’s regional road-paving efforts.
Inbox informant: So much innovation, so easy to keep up – Innovate Long Island newsletter subscriptions are always easy, always free. Tell your friends.
VOICES
New York State has terrific electric-vehicle ambitions, but the infrastructure to make it happen? Not so much, warns Voices legal eagle Michael Sahn, managing member of Uniondale law firm Sahn Ward Braff Koblenz PLLC, who maps out a long and difficult road to the EV promised land.
STUFF WE’RE READING
Same as it ever was: Worker pay and leverage are receding to pre-pandemic levels. Vox circles back.
Free free free free free: Lawmakers are targeting Intuit’s anything-but-free TurboTax service. CNET files electronically.
And the home of whatever you want: Had enough of American politics, Russian aggression and all the rest? Create your own micronation. The BBC shows how.
RECENT FUNDINGS
+ Be Biopharma, a Massachusetts-based biotech developing B-cell medicines, closed a $130 million financing led by ARCH Venture Partners, with participation from Bristol Myers Squibb, Atlas Venture, RA Capital Management, Alta Partners, Longwood Fund and Takeda Ventures.
+ Compost Crew, a Maryland-based food-scrap recycler, raised $5.5 million in Series A funding led by Lattice Impact Capital, Tower Companies and K Street Capital, among others.
+ Vertical Harvest, a Wyoming-based hydroponic-farming company, raised $8.35 million in Series A funding led by Nicoya AB and Raiven Capital, with participation from Björn Öste.
+ Welcome Tech, a California-based digital platform for recent U.S. immigrants, raised $30 million in funding led by TTV Capital, Owl Ventures, SoftBank Group Corp.’s SB Opportunity Fund, Mubadala Capital and Next Play Capital.
+ RentRedi, a New York City-based property-management software-maker, raised $12 million in Series A funding led by K1 Investment Management, TIA Ventures, Tribeca Early Stage Partners and RiverPark Ventures.
+ Natural Fiber Welding, an Illinois-based materials innovator, raised $85 million in Series B funding led by Evolution VC Partners, Tattarang, Lewis & Clark AgriFood, Engine No.1 and Raga Partners, among others.
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 SUNY Old Westbury). Marlene McDonnell can tell you more.
BELOW THE FOLD (Spice It Up Edition)
Red flag: Painful truths for coppertops.
Garlic: Why it’s the perfect food.
Salt: A recurring salt spat opens old wounds in Canada.
Ginger: Science considers new anesthesia guidelines for redheads.
Refined tastes: Please continue supporting the amazing institutions that support Innovate Long Island, including SUNY Old Westbury, a well-seasoned center of academic excellence. Check them out.
