Any more bright ideas? Grab the sunblock, intrepid innovator! Thursday’s storms have given way to a sundrenched weekend forecast – exactly what you’d expect from an early-summer Long Island weekend, and nothing less than you deserve.
First, though, we navigate the shadows of one more busy workday. Keep that disposition sunny – here’s a brilliant innovation review to luminate the last lap!
Better safe than sorry: Global efforts to protect food supplies get special recognition today.
Chain gang: Today is Friday, June 7, and we link first to International Supply Chain Professionals Day, a relatively new observation of the critical importance of global supply chains and the people who keep them moving through pandemics, natural disasters, wars and more.
Speaking of critical supplies, let’s also salute World Food Safety Day, the World Health Organization’s annual homage to quality-control, accident-prevention, fraud-detection and other important measures mitigating “food safety incidents” around the globe.
Flavor enhancers: Certified-fresh treats awaiting you today include America’s favorite ice-cream flavor (though it’s very, very close) – your main dessert course on National Chocolate Ice Cream Day.
And let’s not forget National Donut Day, a glazed, jelly-filled and old-fashioned first-Friday-in-June celebration not to be confused with November’s National Donut Day event, which has its own novel backstory.
Day at the museum: Also known for novels is the Enlightenment, an unprecedented era for human creativity and intelligence highlighted by the launch of the British Museum, which was established by an Act of Parliament on June 7, 1753.
Lightbulb moment: Edison locked up his “incandescent electric lamp” in 1892.
Museum-quality: Also fairly enlightening was master innovator Thomas Edison, who patented his “Printing Telegraph Instruments” on June 7, 1870, then tacked on five more patents on this date in 1892, covering an “Electric-Lighting System,” his “Incandescent Electric Lamp” and more.
Lion king: Now boasting more than 48,000 chapters (and 1.4 million members) across 200 countries, Lions Club International – the world’s largest nonprofit service organization – officially launched in Chicago 107 years ago today.
Max effort: Slightly less successful was Sony’s Betamax machine, which became the world’s first home-videocassette system, released on this date in 1975 – only to be vanquished within a year by JVC’s superior VHS system.
Patent prodigies: And it was June 7, 1988, when 11-year-old Richard Woodbridge of New Jersey – inspired by windshield-wiper bristles – earned a U.S. patent for his “Chain Saw Brush For Cleaning Saw Cuts.”
For those keeping score, young Richard was not the youngest U.S. patent-winner – that honor belongs to then-6-year-old Robert Patch of Maryland, who patented a unique toy truck design in 1963.
Run up the score: American physician, anesthesiologist and medical researcher Virginia Apgar (1909-1974) – who developed the heart-rate, respiratory-effort, muscle-tone, reflex-response and skin-color scoring system still used today to assess newborn babies’ health – would be 115 years old today.
Keeping up with Jones: Welsh favorite Tom Jones, who survived “Mars Attacks!” in 1996, was born 84 years ago today.
Also born on June 7 were English fashion icon George Bryan “Beau” Brummell (1778-1840), dandy kingpin of 19th Century style; Scottish obstetrician Sir James Young Simpson (1811-1870), the “Father of Modern Anesthetics”; American educator Susan Elizabeth Blow (1843-1916), the “Mother of Kindergarten”; French painter, sculptor, printmaker and writer Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (1848-1903), an undisputed master of the Post-Impressionist and Symbolist movements; and American electrical engineer Frederick Terman (1900-1982), a Stanford University professor/dean/provost credited as the “Father of Silicon Valley.”
It’s not unusual: And take a bow, Sir Thomas Jones Woodward! The beloved Welsh singer – known best as Tom Jones, a robust baritone still touring across Europe and the States – turns 84 today.
Give the Sexbomb your best at editor@innovateli.com, where we don’t know What’s New (Pussycat) without your news tips and we love the Green Green Grass of Home (but we also love a good networking event, so keep sending those calendar events!).
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BUT FIRST, THIS
Whale wisdom: Vessel strikes are likely to blame for the dramatic increase in whale strandings along the East Coast, according to new research spearheaded by Stony Brook University.
The jury is still out, officially, on what’s causing the uptick, which saw more than 200 strandings of humpback whales on East Coast beaches between 2016 and 2022 – the lion’s share of roughly 500 strandings dating back to 1995. But an analysis of long-term data factoring the location, date and timing of the strandings, led by Associate Dean of Research Leslie Thorne of Stony Brook’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, suggests that increases in vessel traffic in juvenile humpback whale foraging areas is a “major driver,” according to the university.
Thorne’s breakdown of data collected by the U.S. Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program is detailed in a paper published last month by the peer-reviewed scientific journal Conservation Biology. While offshore-wind development is not yet considered a major contributor, Thorne and co-author David Wiley say it bears watching – and that “more work is needed to determine how habitat use and foraging behavior … might affect risk of vessel strike.”
In color: Hofstra University’s [re] fractal sculpture now graces the Queens Botanical Garden.
Originally built in Fall 2022 by the DeMatteis School students, volunteers from New York City-based Grimshaw Architects and German structural-engineering consultant schlaich bergermann partner, the 24-foot-wide “[re] fractal” piece – a kaleidoscope structure made primarily of colorful acrylic panels, stone and plywood – previously stood behind Bernon Hall on Hofstra’s South Campus. Now, it has been “revived” for what the university calls a “second installation” at the Flushing-based Queens Botanical Garden, a 39-acre site featuring various gardens, an arboretum, an art gallery and other well-manicured attractions.
Scheduled to remain in Flushing for up to a year, the rainbow-like, diversity-reinforcing [re] fractal is a worthy addition to the beautiful botanical garden, according to Associate Professor of Engineering Edward Segal, who coordinated the original project and led the Queens installation. “[re] fractal provided students and practitioners a chance to participate in a hands-on, design-build project,” Segal noted. “We’re excited that the structure is now accessible to a wider community.”
TOP OF THE SITE
Take the train to sustain: Long Island Metro Business Action Chairman Ernie Fazio is a big fan of the proposed Winters Rail Terminal – the best way, he says, to address the Island’s solid-waste crisis and preserve the region’s fragile ecosystems.
One-click solution: You can read our engaging and entertaining Wednesday and Friday newsletters on our website – but not our subscriber-only Monday Calendar Newsletters, which aren’t archived. Fortunately, that’s an easy fix.
ICYMI
A Stony Brook University paleobiologist has used a shovel, super-advanced computer technologies and her big brains to co-discover and help identify a previously unknown dinosaur species.
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 New York City: Tech-enabled self-storage innovator Stuf expands its Big Apple operations into underutilized Brooklyn spaces.
From Hawaii: Kapaau-based animal behaviorist Tom Mitchell shares “1-minute dog trainer” expertise with kids in “Super Dog Training Academy” Amazon bestseller.
From Canada, eh: Montreal-based delivery-management mastermind Cigo Tracker revolutionizes furniture delivery with real-time, high-tech monitoring platform.
ON THE MOVE
Gerard Joseph
+ Gerard Joseph has been appointed to the board of directors of East Meadow-based EPIC LI. He is the chief financial officer at Advance Care Alliance of NY and LifePlan CCO NY.
+ Michael Kinch has been appointed Stony Brook University’s chief innovation officer. He was Long Island University’s executive dean of sciences and vice president for innovation.
+ Tanya Randolph has been hired as the administrator of Maria Regina Rehabilitation & Nursing in Brentwood. She was a regulatory and compliance nurse at Paragon Management in Baldwin.
+ Alissa Merkle has been promoted to controller at East Setauket-based TRITEC Real Estate Co. She was an assistant controller.
+ Ida Zambrano has been appointed to the board of directors of the Freeport-based South Shore Guidance Center. She is the administrator and public relations executive at Zambrano Architects in Freeport.
+ Deepak Dave’ has joined Woodbury-based SterlingRisk Insurance as vice president of sales. He is a longtime commercial-insurance professional and partner in multiple industry-related firms.
+ Jason Myers has been hired as a partner at Kaufman Dolowich in Woodbury. He was a partner at London Fischer in Manhattan.
+ Matthew Migliore has been promoted to associate at Woodbury-based Salenger, Sack, Kimmel & Bavaro. He was a law clerk at the firm.
+ Kira Kowalchik has been promoted to assistant controller at East Setauket-based TRITEC Real Estate Co. She was a senior accountant.
+ Jack Kogan has been hired as a staff surveyor at Melville-based H2M architects + engineers. He was an assistant property manager at Touchstone Property Management in Bellport.
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BELOW THE FOLD (Welcome To The Real World Edition)
Reality check: Gen Z has a lot to learn about functioning in the modern workplace.
Where the grads are: The top U.S. cities for job-seeking graduates.
Bad reputation: Corporate America isn’t racing to hire “unmanageable” Gen Z.
On-the-job learning: Five critical real-world skills they didn’t teach you in college.
As real as it gets: Please continue supporting the irreplaceable influencers that support Innovate Long Island, including the Long Island Business Development Council, which has brought real-world, real-time intelligence to regional socioeconomics for nearly six decades. Check them out.
