That happened fast: Welcome to Friday, dear readers, as we wrap up the first workweek of July – abbreviated though it may be – and prepare for a garden-variety two-day weekend.
Before we throttle down, we gear up for one more workday – and a review of a week’s worth of exciting innovation. Think fast!
Reigning king: “Call of Duty: Warzone” is the most popular videogame of 2022 — and yes, you do recognize that extra-special guest ape.
Call of duty: To start, you can forget all that fresh-air, physical exercise, playing-outside crap – and you can pretty much set aside your home- and work-related responsibilities, too. Today is National Video Game Day, pressing “start” every July 8.
(And not to be confused with National Video Games Day, which is celebrated Sept. 12 and very different, somehow).
Call of mocha chip with hot fudge and walnuts and rainbow sprinkles: Continue your childlike regression – gleefully – with National Ice Cream Sundae Day, also topping things off each July 8.
(And not to be confused with National Sundae Day, which is celebrated Nov. 11 and also very different, somehow).
Taking a pass: Before you get to the bottom of that banana boat, raise a spoon to the very first United States passport, issued on this date in 1796 by the fledgling United States Department of State.
The printed document entitled U.S. citizen Francis Maria Barrere to pass into foreign countries “wheresoever his lawful pursuits may call him, freely and without let or molestation in going, staying or returning.” (For the record, Barrere traveled first to Spain.)
Making a mark: American trademarks, copyrights and patents became things 152 years ago today, with the passage of the Patent Act of 1870, an early first swing at intellectual-property laws.
Dear diary: Laws both foreign and domestic are covered regularly by the Wall Street Journal, the self-billed “diary of the American dream” that first hit newsstands on this date in 1889.
That’s MYSTO Erector Set, thank you: The original construction innovation.
Working title: Speaking of all-American innovations, the original Erector Set – counted among history’s most instructive, durable and popular toys – was patented on July 8, 1913, by Connecticut inventor Alfred Gilbert, who would soon bring the “Mysto Erector Structural Steel Builder” to market.
Crash course: And it was this date in 1947 when the Daily Record newspaper in Roswell, NM, famously reported that military officials had recovered a crashed flying saucer on a local ranch.
Government officials quickly debunked statements released by the nearby Roswell Army Air Field detailing the recovery of a strange “flying disk” – just a weather balloon, they said – but the incident officially triggered America’s UFO obsession.
A good, Stith drink: American pharmacist John Stith Pemberton (1831-1888) – a former Confederate Army soldier remembered best as the inventor of Coca-Cola, which he created to help overcome a morphine addiction – would be 191 years old today.
Hawke eyes: And now you can’t stop seeing Uma and Ethan.
Also born on July 8 were German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin (1838-1917), who pioneered dirigible airships; American industrialist John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937), the founder of Standard Oil, late-life philanthropist and ruthless “robber baron”; former New York Governor and U.S. Vice President Nelson “Rocky” Rockefeller (1908-1979), one of John D.’s 10 grandchildren; Swiss-American psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross (1926-2004), a foremost authority on near-death experiences; and American actor Kevin Bacon (born 1958), a Golden Globe-winner who’s worked with just about everybody, or close to it.
Lady Hawke: And take a bow, Maya Hawke! The daughter of Hollywood A-listers Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke – fresh off another spooky turn as wisecracking interdimensional adventurer Robin Buckley on the Netflix hit “Stranger Things” – turns 24 today.
Wish the Tinseltown princess well at editor@innovateli.com, where the real horror is not receiving your news tips and a lack of calendar events turns everything upside down.
About our sponsor: Whether it’s helping with site selection, cutting through red tape or finding innovative ways to meet specific needs, businesses that settle in the Town of Islip soon learn that we take a proactive approach to seeing them succeed. If your business wants to locate or expand in a stable community with great quality of life, then it’s time you took a closer look at Islip.
BUT FIRST, THIS
All business: Several Long Island institutions performed well in Georgetown University’s recent ranking of national collegiate business programs – but only New York Tech’s MBA program is Long Island’s best.
So says “The Most Popular Degree Pays Off: Ranking the Economic Value of 5,500 Business Programs at More Than 1,700 Colleges,” compiled by Georgetown’s Center on Education and the Workforce. According to the comprehensive study – which compares return-on-investment metrics including post-graduate earnings and debt payments – New York Tech’s MBA program is the fifth-best in all of New York State, beating rival MBA programs at Hofstra University (15th best in NYS, according to the formula) and Adelphi University (16th best).
The New York Tech program is also the 45th best MBA program in the nation, by Georgetown’s math, out of 2,523 measured. “We know our graduates get jobs – very good jobs,” noted New York Institute of Technology School of Management Interim Dean Deborah Cohn. “Plus, our generous financial assistance and competitive tuition costs minimize their debt load, making our career-focused, [Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business]-accredited degree a high-value, high-reward program in comparison to many others.”
Love song: Molloy University aims to learn how music really affects people on the Autism spectrum.
Note worthy: Art meets science in a new Molloy University autism study funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Researchers at the Rockville Centre school will leverage a $90,000 NEA grant to determine whether an “improvisational music therapy program” can improve neurological outcomes for children on the autism spectrum. In conjunction with the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and the Rebecca Center for Music Therapy at Molloy University, students and professionals representing Molloy’s Music Therapy Department and Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Department will test whether participation in a 12-week music-therapy program improves neurological function or affects participants’ mirror neuron system, which is key to language and social cognition.
Music Therapy Professor John Carpente, founding director of the Rebecca Center for Music Therapy, cited “anecdotal evidence” that music therapy can help reach autistic minds. “As a classical guitarist and composer myself, I know the stirring power of music and rhythm and the penetrating effect it can have on all of us,” added Molloy University President James Lentini. “We’re incredibly excited that the NEA has chosen to recognize Molloy’s Music Therapy Program and the Rebecca Center.”
TOP OF THE SITE
Lieu bet: A busy biotech will dramatically expand its Plainview footprint, thanks in part to a 10-year PILOT deal from the Nassau County Industrial Development Agency.
Off and running: Another new episode drops next week – before then, catch up with Season 3 headliner Bob Catell and all the amazing guests who’ve made Spark: The Innovate Long Island Podcast an entertaining and engaging resource!
ICYMI
Stony Brook scientists soar with standout single-cell system; businesses bounce back with Albany’s compelling COVID-credit competition.
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 Massachusetts: Boston-based connected-rowing brand Hydrow powers past home-rowing barriers with smaller, more affordable Hydrow Wave machine.
From Pennsylvania: Exton-based digital-workplace facilitator Ricoh USA rewards college-bound Maryland high-schooler for his innovative clean-water solution.
From California: San Diego-based semiconductor pioneer InnoPhase partners with Chinese microprocessor ace to expand video and AI tech in IoT devices.
ON THE MOVE
Dan Lloyd
+ Dan Lloyd has joined Melville-based Accelerate Long Island as program director. Lloyd is the founder and president of Amityville-based Minority Millennials and an advisor to the Town of Babylon Industrial Development Agency’s Economic Inclusion Initiative.
+ Patricia Craig has been hired as an associate in the Special Needs Group of Melville- based Cona Elder Law. She was of counsel at Mineola-based Raiser & Kennif.
+ Joseph Ciullo has been hired as an associate in the Real Estate Law Group at Lake Success-based Abrams Fensterman. He was an associate at East Meadows-based Certilman Balin Adler & Hyman.
+ Judith Hynes has been promoted to associate director of the Department of Regional Schools and Instructional Programs at Nassau BOCES in Garden City. She previously served as assistant director.
+ Daria Zeman has been hired as an associate water-quality engineer at the Oakdale-based Suffolk County Water Authority. She was a staff water engineer at Melville-based H2M architects + engineers.
+ Riverhead-based Twomey, Latham, Shea, Kelley, Dubin & Quartararo has added two attorneys to its Corporate Law Group: Kevin Handwerker, formerly executive vice president and general counsel of New York-based GAMCO Investors, and Allison Singh, most recently senior counsel at Ronkonkoma-based Quality King Distributors.
+ Donna-Marie Korth has been appointed to the Mattone Family Institute Advisory Board at St. John’s University School of Law in Queens. She is a partner at East Meadow-based Certilman Balin Adler & Hyman.
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 the Islip IDA). Marlene McDonnell can tell you more.
BELOW THE FOLD (May Cause The Following Conditions Edition)
Sip responsibly: Looks innocent enough…
Burn notice: Gen Z is not paying attention to sun safety.
Digital amnesia: Smartphones are mangling our memories.
Caffeine sensitivity: Coffee can have profound, unexpected side effects.
Scientifically approved: Please continue supporting the amazing organizations that support Innovate Long Island, including the Town of Islip Office of Economic Development, which has a proven formula for small-business success. Check them out.
