Light at the end of the week: Welcome to Friday, dear readers, and not just any Friday but the first Friday of June – the month of months for grads, dads and Sol worshippers.
It’s June 2 out there (the second day of meteorological summer, for those keeping score) and we’re kicking off the sunny season by wrapping up another brilliant workweek – and basking in innovation’s warm glow.
First in our hearts: We begin with a round of applause for National First Ladies Day, cheering the strong women behind our Chief Executives – whether they promoted social justice, battled drug addiction, championed childhood literacy or really didn’t care.
Problem solved: Of course … a rocky road donut!
Long road ahead: It’s also National Rocky Road Day, and it’s cool if your thoughts pivot straight to ice cream – but “rocky road” was originally a no-bake candy bar (accidentally invented in Australia) and is actually any combination of chocolate, marshmallows and nuts. (Ice cream is its most popular form, of course.)
Feeling more cake-ish? Try National Donut Day, a yes-bake celebration (created by the Salvation Army?!?) also glazing over every June 2. (Your favorite national chain, of course, is all-in).
Thank the academy: If you happen to be in Sweden today, try the ärtsoppa (that’s a pea soup) or the pickled herring – and definitely take a moment to salute the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, founded on this date in 1739.
Short wave: Oh, you’re in Italy? Maybe a pesto alla Genovese and something sweet (rocky road gelato?) – and a hand for master innovator Guglielmo Marconi, who patented the radio on June 2, 1896. (Tesla fans disagree.)
Say “cheese”: But you’ll never actually BE cheese, Velveeta.
It lives: Here in the States, you can try some good old “pasteurized prepared cheese product” – Velveeta escaped a Kraft Foods laboratory and slithered onto retail shelves on this date in 1928.
Royal buffet: Also plating at the lower regions of the culinary scale is England (though spotted dick gets a bad rap), where then-27-year-old Elizabeth II – who’d become Britain’s longest-serving monarch – was crowned queen of the United Kingdom 70 years ago today.
Two great tastes…: And it was June 2, 1985, when R.J. Reynolds Industries announced it was merging with Nabisco Brands, a $4.9 billion deal creating the nation’s largest consumer-products company.
While the conglomerate went kaput in 1999, both RJR (now the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.) and Nabisco (part of Mondelēz International) carry on.
Marquis name: French nobleman, revolutionary politician, philosopher and writer Donatien Alphonse François (1740-1814) – the infamous Marquis de Sade, known best for his lurid works and tastes – would be 283 years old today.
Earful: Quinto (left) has done admirable work as the legacy character, with some pointers from the original model.
Also born on June 2 were British physician and biographer Sir Samuel Wilks (1824-1911), a clinical-science pioneer remembered as the “grand old man of British medicine”; American physicist Robert Morris Page (1903-1992), the “father of U.S. radar”; American inventor and industrialist Edwin Shoemaker (1907-1998), who designed the recliner and co-founded the La-Z-Boy company; American astronaut Charles “Pete” Conrad Jr. (1930-1999), class clown of NASA’s Apollo program; and American soccer legend Mary Abigail Wambach (born 1980), an Olympic champion, bestselling author, tireless activist and National Soccer Hall of Fame member with an all-world resumé.
Live long and prosper: And take a bow, Zachary John Quinto! The American actor and film producer – “Star Trek’s” Mr. Spock in J.J. Abrams’ much-maligned Kelvin Timeline – turns 46 today.
Give the Beta Vulcan your best at editor@innovateli.com, where we’re not picky about your universe of origin, as long as your news tips obey our prime directive (innovation) and your calendar events are within transporter range (Long Island, mostly, but really anywhere on Earth, depending).
About our sponsor: Farmingdale State College delivers exceptional academic and applied-learning outcomes through scholarship, research and student engagement. Our commitment to student-centered learning and inclusiveness prepares exemplary citizens equipped to excel in a competitive, diverse and technically dynamic society. Long Island’s first public institution of higher education, Farmingdale State is a regional economic cornerstone, with 96 percent of graduates working in New York State and 75 percent working on Long Island. We prepare emerging leaders in the growing technology, engineering, business and healthcare fields. Learn more here.
BUT FIRST, THIS
Transportation donation: An annual Long Island track-and-field competition for the physically challenged is once again enjoying a NICE perk.
Nassau Inter-County Express, the county’s official public transportation agency, is providing athletes and their families free shuttle services throughout the 37th annual Nassau County Games for the Physically Challenged, which began Thursday, continue today and are scheduled to conclude Saturday at Nassau Community College’s Mitchel Field Athletic Complex in Uniondale. The games were projected to attract more than 1,000 athletes from across New York State (ages 5 to 21) and their entourages, with NICE Bus rolling out gratis rides for the 12th time.
The transportation agency – which provides fixed-route services to 80,000 weekly riders and paratransit services through its Able-Ride program – is always happy to participate in the annual competition “as both a financial sponsor and a provider of transportation for all the athletes and caregivers,” according to NICE Bus CEO Jack Khzouz. “This is an event that our employees look forward to being part of every year.”
Push the button, Bond!: Northwell Direct staffers (not pictured) will provide emergency telehealth assistance to U.S. State Department agents around the world.
Mission possible: From the Department of International Intrigue comes Northwell Direct, selected by Uncle Sam for a globetrotting life-and-death mission.
Northwell Health’s innovative integrated-healthcare management system – designed to help employers promote employee (and customer) wellbeing, and cut costs doing it – has been subcontracted by the U.S. Department of State to provide telehealth consultations to State Department medicos serving government employees and their families abroad. Leveraging Northwell Health’s extensive specialist network, Northwell Direct will be on-call 24/7/365, ready to guide doctors from anywhere in the world to the right specialist for an emergency consultation or clinical review.
With experts in 100-plus medical, surgical, psychiatric and pediatric specialties standing by, Northwell Direct is an excellent choice to buttress the diverse healthcare provided to State Department employees and their families, according to Northwell Direct CEO Nick Stefanizzi. “The broad range of services we have deployed to meet the unique needs of the DOS are representative of the wholistic approach Northwell Direct takes to support all of its employer clients, both domestically and internationally,” the CEO added.
TOP OF THE SITE
And counting: The Simons Foundation’s $500 million gift to Stony Brook University has already generated $200 million in additional investments, with more to come.
Net-zero, huge gain: With future workforces in sight, Suffolk County Community College has cut the ribbon on its state-of-the-art Renewable Energy STEM Center.
On your Marc: Season 4 of Spark: The Innovate Long Island Podcast is off to the races with Marc Alessi, the attorney/entrepreneur/executive/rainmaker behind Long Island’s most ambitious (and humanistic) innovation efforts.
ICYMI
Big bucks for Long Island’s future offshore-wind workforce, big projects for them to work on.
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 Utah: Salt Lake City-based therapy and resource initiative The Children’s Collaborative for Healing and Support helps kids cope after losing a caregiver.
From Georgia: Atlanta-based medical-device mainstay CMI Health redefines asthma management with app-based AsthmaGo platform.
From New Jersey: Teaneck-based imaging innovator Leica refocuses modern photography with the elegant, technologically advanced Leica Q3 camera.
ON THE MOVE
Karen Contino
+ Karen Contino has been appointed communications and external relations manager at Farmingdale State University. She was previously special assistant to Suffolk County Chief Deputy County Executive Lisa Black.
+ Heather Barry has been promoted to provost and vice president of academic affairs at St. Joseph’s University, serving the Patchogue and Brooklyn campuses. She served previously as interim provost.
+ Annmarie Giblin has been hired as a partner and co-chairwoman of Cybersecurity, Data Management and Privacy at Garden City-based Tarter Krinsky & Drogin. She was a partner at Hinshaw & Culbertson in Manhattan.
+ Hannah Moore has been hired as a project coordinator at the Levittown Community Action Coalition. She was a medical scribe at CityMD in Lynbrook.
+ Brian DeFeo has been hired as vice president and associate executive director of finance at Mather Hospital in Port Jefferson. He was senior director of financial operations at Northwell Health’s Sports Therapy & Rehabilitation Services in Melville.
+ Michael Presti has been hired as director of customer experience and utility marketing at PSEG Long Island in Uniondale. He was a section manager/corporate affairs at Con Edison in Manhattan.
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 (Go Big Edition)
Party on: New Orleans is always open to festive tourists.
Big deal: Why the debt ceiling bill is historically important.
Big blow: What we know – and don’t – about Hurricane Season 2023.
Big Easy: The party never ends in New Orleans, and it seems it never will.
Big advantage: Please continue supporting the amazing institutions that support Innovate Long Island, including Farmingdale State College, where exceptional academics give tomorrow’s leaders a running start. Check them out.
