Spring fling: Welcome to Wednesday and welcome to Spring, dear readers, as we hurtle the midweek hump and greet the new season, which officially began in our glorious Northern Hemisphere at 11:06 p.m. last night.
You wouldn’t know it from the weather – low temperatures here on Long Island are dipping into the 20s (!) this week – but there’s plenty of warmth on the way, starting with this hot-to-trot innovation newsletter.
The book thief: Blumberg claimed he was heisting books to protect them, but ultimately paid the price.
Book him: We kick off our March 20 review with a nod to Bibliomania Day, both an homage to booklovers and a rebuke of Stephen Blumberg, who was arrested on this date in 1990 and charged with stealing more than 23,600 books – valued at $5.3 million-plus – from hundreds of libraries, universities and museums. (The defense pled insanity, the judge didn’t buy it and Blumberg spent five years in prison, with a hefty fine to boot.)
More “Fire in the Sky” than “Starman”: In Friday’s newsletter, we noted World Contact Day, all about making peaceful connections with extraterrestrial life – but things take a darker turn on March 20, a.k.a. Alien Abduction Day, filled with involuntary beam-ups, anal probes and all that scary stuff.
Where’s the beef? There’s none to be found today, when we observe the Great American MeatOut, an annual “celebration” of the health and environmental benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle.
So … what to eat, then? Well fortunately, it’s also National Ravioli Day, boiling up the Italian cheese-stuffed pasta shells (with plenty of meat-free varieties) every March 20.
Volt from the blue: Also originating in Italy was physicist Allesandro Volta, who 224 years ago today announced his invention of the voltaic pile – alternating zinc and silver discs separated by brine-soaked cloth, heart of the electric battery – in a letter to the Royal Society.
Powerful message: Also sending shockwaves was “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” Harriet Beecher Stowe’s influential anti-slavery novel, first published on March 20, 1852.
Wireless wonder: Also leveraging power (and sending messages) was Nikola Tesla’s “system for transmission of electrical energy,” a wireless-transmission breakthrough of almost incalculable proportions patented on this date in 1900.
Space/time cop: Einstein defined physical laws for the known universe with his theory of special relativity.
Relatively speaking: Other scientists you know marking important anniversaries today include Albert Einstein, who proved (to some) that space and time exist in a single continuum when his famous theory of general relativity was originally published on March 20, 1916.
Bucket list: And it would be another two decades before the first “Kentucky Fried Chicken” franchise opened in Utah, but master innovator Harland Sanders first sold his finger-licking-good chicken on this date in 1930.
Sanders opened his first restaurant – serving chicken, steaks and more – inside an underperforming gas station he operated in Corbin, Ky.
A beautiful day in the neighborhood: American television host, author, producer and Presbyterian minister Fred McFeely Rogers (1928-2003) – creator, showrunner and host of seminal preschool television series “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” which changed children’s television forever – would be 96 years old today.
Business suit: Ireland is the prototype model-turned-mogul, overseeing several successful business ventures and philanthropical efforts.
Also born on March 20 were Scottish anatomist John Goodsir (1814-1867), a pioneer in the study of cellular physiology and the formulation of cell theory; American archeologist Lucy Myers Wright Mitchell (1845-1888), the daughter of American missionaries who became a self-taught, world-renowned expert in ancient Greek and Roman sculpture; Russian composer, virtuoso pianist and conductor Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943), one of the last great Russian Romanticists; American actor, comedian, director, screenwriter and author Carl Reiner (1922-2020), a Bronx-born, award-winning comedic genius; and American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor and author Shelton Jackson “Spike” Lee (born 1957), known best for his unblinking portrayals of American race relations.
Suit up: And take a bow, Kathleen Marie Ireland! The American actress, author, entrepreneur, fashion designer, philanthropist and former supermodel – who leveraged 13 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition appearances (including three covers) into a creative and generous career – turns 61 today.
Give the well-known human rights activist your best at editor@innovateli.com, where we cover your news tips and your calendar events keep us in the swim.
About our sponsor: Presberg Law P.C. is Long Island’s premier “IDA” and business law firm for businesses locating, relocating and expanding on Long Island. Founded in 1984, this multigenerational practice focuses on the purchase, sale, leasing and financing of commercial and industrial real estate, SBA and other loan transactions, construction projects and business sales and acquisitions.
BUT FIRST, THIS
Rising radionuclide tide: A licensing deal with a national med-tech innovator will push a Stony Brook University-developed radionuclide therapy to the cancer war’s front lines.
An SBU research team has developed a two-step method leveraging image-guided radionuclide therapy, which uses radioactive molecules to kill cancer cells while sparing non-cancerous tissues. The novel weapon reflects the growing use of nuclear imaging and radionuclides – unstable chemical elements that release radiation as they break down – for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, infections and other pathologies, and has now resulted in an exclusive licensing agreement with Washington State-based Perspective Therapies.
The technology – developed by Renaissance School of Medicine Assistant Professor Jacob Houghton and former SBU radiation researcher Vilma Jallinoja – was licensed through the Research Foundation for the State University of New York, with a nod to SBU’s Intellectual Property Partners office. “The combination of Perspective’s propriety radionuclide chelators and our pre-targeting platform has the potential to significantly improve clinical outcomes in a variety of cancer indications,” notes IPP director Sean Boykevisch. “This partnership is a great example of how IPP … helps [inventors] bridge their innovations with societal benefit in collaboration with industry partners.”
Dean’s list: Alston has been busy as the head of Hofstra’s School of Health Professions and Human Services, introducing new degree programs and an ambitious rebrand.
Brand, new: Hofstra University is preparing to rebrand its School of Health Professions and Human Services.
Welcome to the Hofstra School of Heath Sciences, the new name as of July 1, heralding a comprehensive effort to “create a distinctive, progressive and memorable brand” for the multifaceted institution, according to the Hempstead-based university. The school’s Allied Health and Kinesiology, Population Health, Counseling and Mental Health Professions, and Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences departments will remain intact, along with its various advanced certificate, undergraduate-degree and graduate-degree programs.
The rechristening is the latest upgrade initiated by Dean Reginald Alston, who took the school’s reins last August and quickly introduced a new Doctor of Physical Therapy program, which is slated to welcome its first students this summer. “I am enthusiastic about the future of Hofstra’s School of Health Sciences and confident that the faculty and I will expand on our current excellence by continuing to develop innovative academic programs, research initiatives and engagement activities,” Alston said in a statement. “We will continue to provide a rich educational experience for Hofstra’s students that is deeply rooted in the natural, cognitive, social and behavioral sciences.”
TOP OF THE SITE
Looking up: Political uncertainty casts a dark cloud, but regional business executives sound largely optimistic – especially regarding employment – in the latest Marcum-Hofstra CEO Survey.
Guest list: The downtown guru, the energy-industry legend, the Knicks power forward-turned-community activist, the father of biotechnology, the mother of all cops … welcome to Spark: The Innovate Long Island Podcast. Who will you learn from today?
VOICES
Suffolk County Community College has grown from humble beginnings into the largest community college in the entire SUNY system – and it’s always kept Long Island socioeconomics front and center, according to Voices historian and Long Island Bio Executive Director Tom Mariner, who lectures on SCCC History 101.
STUFF WE’RE READING
Unsolved mysteries: Science is smart – but not smart enough to crack these 17 baffling conundrums. Vox scratches it head.
True detective: A practical “3D scanner” could completely change how crime-scene investigations work. The Hindu examines the evidence.
In search of: Where the hell is Kate Middleton? Newsweek pieces together clues.
RECENT FUNDINGS
+ Fluent Metal, a Massachusetts-based developer of production-grade liquid-metal printing technology, raised $3.2 million in funding led by E15 and Pillar VC.
+ Sealed, a New York-based startup focused on residential energy efficiency, raised $30 million in funding led by Keyframe Capital, Cyrus Capital, CityRock and Fifth Wall.
+ X-Therma, a California-based biotech developing a regenerative-medicine and organ-preservation platform, raised $22.4 million in Series B funding led by Starling Locke Capital and Lorea.
+ Pure Lithium, a Massachusetts-based manufacturer of lithium-metal battery technologies, raised $15 million in Series A funding led by Oxy Low Carbon Ventures.
+ Interlune, a Washington State-based mining company with a patent-pending technology for extracting materials from lunar soil, raised $18 million in seed funding led by Seven Seven Six, Aurelia Foundry Fund, Gaingels, Liquid 2 Ventures and Shasta Ventures.
+ Murphy’s Naturals, a North Carolina-based outdoor-lifestyle innovator, raised $8 million in Series B funding led by Point King Capital, Emil Capital Partners and John Replogle.
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 Presberg Law). Marlene McDonnell can tell you more.
BELOW THE FOLD (Cereal Killer Edition)
Bitter Pilnick: The CEO’s suggestion that poor families eat cereal for dinner has frosted Kellogg’s sales.
Froot Snoops: The “diabolical” plot to sink America’s first Black-owned cereal company.
Flake out: How the Kellogg’s CEO poured himself a big bowl of boycott.
Cocoa crunch: Why your favorite candy bars cost more than ever.
Breakfast of champions: Please continue supporting the amazing firms that support Innovate Long Island, including Presberg Law, a healthy start to any day that involves LI land-use law. Check them out.
