Independence hall: Welcome to Friday, dear readers, and not just any Friday but the first Friday of July 2022, and the precipice of a glorious three-day weekend.
The republic for which it stands: America has lost its way — but old glories never die, and new ones await.
With that, a quick-and-gentle reminder that your beloved Calendar Newsletter is taking a holiday on Monday – back next week with fresh website content and your regularly scheduled July 6 newsletter.
Please celebrate responsibly this weekend. And with so much going wrong in our city on a hill, please try hard to celebrate everything that’s right about America, everything that once was right, and everything that can be right again.
Animal instincts: As for today, it’s July 1 out there, a fairly rough one throughout the animal kingdom – it’s both American Zoo Day (which is meant as a celebration, but…) and International Chicken Wing Day (fowl play indeed).
Meanwhile, having nothing to do with animals but sounding like it might is the otherwise self-explanatory National Early Bird Day.
Missed it by that much: And speaking of early arrivals, July 1 is also celebrated as Second Half of the Year Day, although July 2 – the 183rd day of each non-leap year, meaning there are 182 days behind and 182 to come – is technically the midpoint and July 3 mathematically starts the second half.
Survival mode: Much better at math (and also interested in animals) were Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace, who summarized natural selection for the Linnean Society of London on July 1, 1858.
Predating the 1859 publication of Darwin’s seminal “The Origin of Species,” the 1858 summary is remembered as the birth of evolutionism and modern biology.
What’s my lino: Typesetting, back in the day.
Meet the press: Likely spitting out a few copies of “Origin” was the first linotype machine put into commercial use – installed 136 years ago today in the New York Tribune’s composing room, where it produced daily newspapers and mass-marketed books.
New zoo review: You’ve likely been wondering for several paragraphs why today, of all days, is American Zoo Day – well, it was this date in 1874 when the nation’s first zoo opened in Philadelphia.
Tour guide: After zoos but long before performance-enhancing drugs, there was the Tour de France – the world’s most famous bicycle race first rolled into the history books on July 1, 1903.
2, 4 … who do we appreciate? And it was this date in 1941 when FCC-authorized commercial television broadcasting officially began in the United States.
Among the stations going live that day were New York City-based WCBW (now WCBS-TV Channel 2) and NYC-based WNBT (now WNBC-TV Channel 4).
Wingwoman: Amy Johnson was a fearless pioneer of British aviation.
Sky queen: Pioneering English aviator Amy Johnson (1903-1941) – the first woman to fly solo from London to Australia and owner of several circa-1930s flight-distance records – would be 119 years old today.
Also born on July 1 were German physician Karl von Vierordt (1818-1884), who advanced the science of blood pressure; American educator and grammarian William Strunk Jr. (1869-1946), who said it with style; iconic American entrepreneur Estée Lauder (1908-2004), the substance behind the style; British-born Hollywood icon Olivia de Havilland (1916-2020), who shared “The Adventures of Robin Hood” and was “Gone With the Wind”; and modern English tragedy Diana, princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer, 1961-1997).
The flash: And take a bow, Frederick Carlton “Carl” Lewis! The nine-time Olympic gold medalist and eight-time World Athletics Championships gold medalist – among the most decorated athletes in track-and-field history – turns 61 today.
Wish Sports Illustrated’s 20th Century “Olympian of the Century” well at editor@innovateli.com, where your news tips race to the front and your calendar events always reach the podium.
About our sponsor: Farmingdale State College delivers exceptional academic and applied-learning outcomes through scholarship, research and student engagement for Long Island and beyond. Farmingdale State’s commitment to student-centered learning and inclusiveness prepares graduates to be exemplary citizens, equipped to excel in a competitive, diverse and technically dynamic society. The college solves the regional “brain drain” with 96 percent of FSC graduates working in New York State and 75 percent working on Long Island. Farmingdale State students rise to the challenge and are the emerging leaders of tomorrow. Learn more here.
BUT FIRST, THIS
Cell (un)block: Science is closer than ever to understanding what really makes human cells tick.
Behold, the “cyclic microchip assay,” a breakthrough biomedical research tool with the potential to significantly advance molecular diagnostics, drug discovery and plenty of other disciplines. Designed to complement genomics, transcriptomics and other genome-sequencing technologies, the microchip assay – known professionally as CycMIST, for “cyclic multiplex in situ tagging” – facilitates “functional protein analysis” inside a single human cell, scanning hundreds of hard-at-work proteins, triggering large-scale experimentation and otherwise pulling back the curtain on “cell machinery.”
Detailed in June in the peer-reviewed science journal Nature Communications, the CycMIST microchip assay shows real promise for identifying – and pharmaceutically attacking – cellular-level targets, according to lead author Liwei Yang, a Stony Brook University associate professor of biomedical engineering and head of the university’s Multiplex Biotechnology Laboratory. “The assay enables comprehensive evaluation of cellular functions and physiological status by examining 100 times more protein types than conventional immunofluorescence staining,” Yang noted. “[This] is a distinctive feature not achievable by any other similar technology.”
Summer heat: With school out, Island Harvest Food Bank is doubling down on Long Island’s food-insecure children.
Season’s eatings: There’s no summer vacation at Island Harvest Food Bank, which figures to serve 159,490 meals this season to thousands of children in need.
That’s the estimate from the Melville-based hunger-relief leader, now knee-deep in its Summer Food Service Program, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service and scheduled to run through Sept. 3. Spread across 35 Long Island sites, the regional effort will help feed more than 2,500 school-aged children (18 and under) who rely on free breakfast and lunch programs during the nine-odd months school is in session.
With the USDA calculating that roughly 15 percent of national households with children suffer from food insecurity, Island Harvest Food Bank President and CEO Randi Shubin Dresner called the summer program a “critical relief” to hundreds of struggling Long Island families. “Summer should be a time for good fun for kids and their families, not a time to worry about getting enough to eat,” Dresner noted. “The SFSP helps get them through the summer months with less worry.”
TOP OF THE SITE
Chief concerns: Optimism about the national economy is in total freefall inside mid-market C-suites, according to the latest Marcum-Hofstra CEO Survey.
Social mobility: Adelphi University and Suffolk County Community College have joined forces, again, to offer Adelphi’s leading social work program directly to eastern Islanders.
Show, and Catell: Regional energy-industry icon Bob Catell electrifies the Season 3 opener of “Spark: The Innovate Long Island Podcast” … now streaming!
ICYMI
Farwell to a friend at the Rauch Foundation; hello to cleaner water in two LI towns.
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 Pennsylvania: Newton Square-based real estate dynamo GMH Communities introduces “innovative living” for life-science professionals and graduate students.
From California: Los Angeles-based home-appliance ace Cyetus brews up four-in-one coffeemaker with “cactus-inspired design.”
From Illinois: Chicago-based frozen foods frontrunner Conagra Brands spreads Birds Eye’s wings with safety-first, ultra-efficient vegetable-processing plant.
ON THE MOVE
Matt Cohen
+ Long Island Association President and CEO Matt Cohen has been elected chairman of the Commack-based Child Care Council of Suffolk’s Board of Directors and elected to the Plainview-based Urban League of Long Island’s Board of Directors.
+ Elizabeth Ostrove has been promoted to chief financial officer of the Hauppauge-based King Kullen Grocery Co. She most recently served as vice president and controller of finance.
+ Christopher Kelly has been hired as grants and development manager at Garden City-based EAC Network. He was previously assistant director of development at the Westbury-based Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence.
+ Rebecca Surujnarain has been hired as an associate in the Real Estate Practice Group at Hauppauge-based Certilman Balin Adler & Hyman. She was an associate at Queens-based Layliev Law.
+ Cassandra Thrasbule has been hired as public relations and marketing coordinator at Garden City-based EAC Network. She is an author, public speaker, creative media professional and award-winning documentary film producer and director.
+ Kathleen Reilly has been hired as assistant principal at the Locust Valley Intermediate School. She was previously dean of the Locust Valley Middle School.
+ The Melville-based EGC Group has announced two new hires: Christopher Canadeo, formerly manager of audience acceleration at New York City-based Initiative, has been hired as director of analytics, and Rachel Lubertine, formerly partner and COO at NYC-based Munn Rabôt, has been hired as traffic manager.
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 Farmingdale State). Marlene McDonnell can tell you more.
BELOW THE FOLD
Word-slinger: Poets and dramatists have conquered the comics universe
Small bursts: Pressed for time? “Exercise snacking” might be the speedy workout hack for you.
Medium move: How comic books went from illustrator platforms to writer platforms.
Large threat: Online scams loom everywhere – here’s how to steer clear.
All sizes: Please continue supporting the incredible institutions that support Innovate Long Island, including Farmingdale State College, where academic programs of all shapes and sizes set students on personalized paths to success. Check them out.
