Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain: Welcome to Wednesday, dear readers, as Long Island endures another windy deluge (at least it’s not snow!) and we continue, undaunted, on the quest for socioeconomic greatness.
Yes, the weather outside is frightful, but the innovation economy is so delightful (look no further than this snappy midweek review). So, grab some corn for popping – and all the way home you’ll be warm.
Mountain time: Today is Dec. 11 and we open with the sky-high International Mountain Day, the United Nations’ annual reminder that peaks, slopes, ridges and other high-altitude terrains play an important role in the global ecosystem.
Mobile feast: Make sure you set aside some screen time (ha!) on National App Day.
Some of the world’s most picturesque mountainous terrains sprawl across the western regions of the great country of Canada – and with that, a hearty hello to our neighbors to the north, who are celebrating inviolable Canadian independence during today’s observation of the Anniversary of the Statute of Westminster.
Healthy app-etite: Back here in the 50 States, today is National App Day, programming a little love for all those handheld mobile applications we take for granted in the on-the-go Digital Age.
Better carb up before you go-go-go … not to be confused with National Bagel Day (Feb. 9), National Bagel and Schmear Day (Jan. 15) or the half-dozen other holidays celebrating everyone’s favorite breakfast bread, today is National Have a Bagel Day, a more direct call to action baked fresh every Dec. 11.
Hello, Hoosiers: Speaking of U.S. States, they were partying in Indiana on this date in 1816, when the Hoosier State was admitted to the Union as the 19th State.
Hiya, sweet air: Smiling ear-to-ear on Dec. 11, 1844, was Horace Wells, the first patient given nitrous oxide – known best as “laughing gas” – as a dental anesthetic.
Hola, smarter trade: Noting a “desire to strengthen the bonds of friendship between the two countries, and to facilitate their commercial intercourse by improving the conditions of trade between them,” the presidents of the United States and the Republic of Cuba signed a treaty on this date in 1902 reducing tariffs on international trade by 20 percent.
Make energy, not war: The international nonprofit is focused more on peaceful purposes than weapons of mass destruction.
Hi, society: Noting a desire to pursue the peaceful side of atom-splitting, the American Nuclear Society was founded 70 years ago today in Washington.
Whattup, worm: And it was Dec. 11, 1998, when the first complete mapping of a multicellular organism’s entire genome – the genetic blueprint of the tiny earthworm Caenorhabditis elegens – was revealed by British biologist John Sulston and American biologist Bob Waterson.
Hailed as the biological equivalent of the Moon landing, the genomic sequence included 97 million genetic letters, spelling out roughly 20,000 unique genes.
Which Kraft? Canadian American entrepreneur and inventor James Lewis Kraft (1874-1953) – the first to patent a cheese-pasteurization process (allowing long-distance shipping) and the founder of the mighty Kraft Foods empire – would be 150 years old today.
Much Moreno: Rita was already a big star by the time 1961’s “West Side Story” set the stage.
Also born on Dec. 11 were American patriot and statesman George Mason IV (1725-1792), the Constitutional Convention delegate who objected to the original U.S. Constitution and became the “Father of the Bill of Rights”; Canadian businessman and brewer John Labatt (1838-1915), who turned his father’s small brewery into the largest in Canada; German physician and microbiologist Heinrich Hermann Robert Koch (1843-1910), who earned a Nobel Prize for rooting out the causes of tuberculosis, cholera and other deadly diseases; American astronomer Annie Jump Cannon (1863-1941), the “Census Taker of the Sky” who catalogued tens of thousands of stars; and American rapper, singer, actor and activist Dante Terrell Smith (born 1972), known best as Yasiin Bey – and, before that, as Mos Def.
A girl like that: And take a bow, Rita Moreno! The Puerto Rican American actress, dancer and singer – a rare EGOT repeatedly honored for spectacular stage and screen work over her unparalleled 80-year career – turns 93 today.
Give the Emmy-, Grammy-, Oscar- and Tony-winner your best at editor@innovateli.com, where your news tips and calendar events earn the big awards.
About our sponsor: Sahn Ward Braff Coschignano PLLC is one of the region’s most highly regarded and recognized law firms. Our attorneys are thought leaders, dedicated to achieving success through excellence. With our broad experience in land use, development, litigation, real estate and corporate and environmental law, we have the vision and knowledge to serve our clients and our communities. Please visit sahnward.com.
BUT FIRST, THIS
In stereo: From the Department of Irony comes a new survey in which Generation Z employees complain about the workplace perception that they complain too much.
Shared by our friends at Seattle-based young-professional platform Intelligent.com, the November survey of 1,000 full-time Gen Z workers finds that 80 percent of respondents believe negative generational stereotypes have hindered their work experience, with nearly half (49 percent) citing delays in pay raises and promotions. Roughly 46 percent lament that they must constantly showcase their leadership potential, with 33 percent noting the need to consistently prove their technical skills and 20 percent saying generational pigeonholes cause friction with older colleagues. (Chief among those stereotypes: Gen Z is lazy, feels entitled, has a poor work ethic and can be difficult to work with.)
Irony aside, workplace stereotypes can be “incredibly demotivating” and “create barriers to … career progression,” according to Intelligent.com Chief Education and Career Development Advisor Huy Nguyen. “Gen Z grew up in a digital-first world that shaped their approach to work, emphasizing flexibility and mental wellbeing,” Nguyen added. “While these values sometimes clash with traditional workplace norms, they should not diminish perceptions of their capabilities or commitment.”
Beaming up: Non-invasive histotripsy ultrasound beams are bad news for liver-cancer tumors — and great news for Northwell Health patients.
High beam: Long Island’s first histotripsy center – featuring a cutting-edge ultrasound-beam technology that targets cancer cells from outside the body – is coming to the Northwell Health Cancer Institute.
The innovative non-ionizing radiation technology uses targeted beams to create “microbubbles” within tumors, effectively destroying diseased cells without the need for incisions. Northwell has invested $1.2 million in a plan to test the non-invasive histotripsy procedure on certain types of liver cancers, starting in early 2025 at the New Hyde Park-based Cancer Institute.
Histotripsy is currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat liver tumors only, but Northwell is eager to expand the scope of the next-generation tech with a multi-site clinical trial focused on certain kidney tumors – uniting the Cancer Institute and the Long Island Jewish Medical Center – also slated for 2025. “We are very motivated to play a part in studying this pioneering non-invasive technology for patients with kidney cancer,” noted Arun Rai, director of surgical innovation at the health system’s Smith Institute for Urology. “We are committed to increasing access to clinical trials for the diverse patients we serve on Long Island and in surrounding communities.”
POD PEOPLE
Episode 46: Your old buddy Zeller, switching roles.
“Spark: The Innovate Long Island Podcast” returns with an extra-special switcheroo episode, as Spark Host Gregory Zeller moves to the guest’s chair for an appearance on “The Brandtelling Podcast” and an in-depth discussion on smart and successful branding hosted by brand-masters Arthur Germain and Asaf Bachman.
Your humble newsletter scribe is back in the “Spark” host chair next week, kicking off an all-new season of enlightening conversations with extra-special guests from across the Long Island innovation economy – but first, enjoy this tables-turning, podcast-colliding special edition!
TOP OF THE SITE
Concrete answers: With millions driven from their homes, Stony Brook University is leading an international effort to create sturdy, sustainable 3D-printed shelters for Ukrainian war refugees.
Quick thinking: Thank you in advance for sharing this educational and entertaining newsletter with your entire innovation team – now share a brilliant lesson in efficiency. Their own individual newsletter subscriptions are always easy, always free.
VOICES
Diabetes is a bona fine American health crisis and minorities suffer the most – and with the incoming presidential administration frowning on effective weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, things could go from bad to worse, according to Family and Children’s Service President/CEO and Voices Nonprofits Anchor Jeffrey Reynolds.
STUFF WE’RE READING
Paradise lost: New resorts create jobs and prosperity – but are destroying the Bahamas’ pristine nature. The Guardian weighs the costs.
Paradise found: How (and where) to buy your own private island, according to someone who knows. Quartz goes island-hopping.
Cheeseburger in paradise: One of New York City’s best burgers is hiding inside a high-end department store. Eater warms your buns.
RECENT FUNDINGS
+ Cala Health, a California-based biotech focused on non-invasive medicines, raised $50 million in funding led by Vertex Growth Fund and Nexux NeuroTech Ventures.
+ Rowan, a Massachusetts-based molecular design and simulation tool for scientists, raised $2.1 million in pre-Seed funding backed by Pillar VC and AI Grant.
+ Ethyca, a New York City-based engineering company focused on data privacy, raised $10 million in funding led by Aspenwood Ventures and AVP.
+ Nature’s Toolbox, a New Mexico-based life-science pioneer focused on biomanufacturing, raised $15 million in venture debt from J.P. Morgan.
+ Rosy Soil, a NYC-based agri-tech focused on manufacturing Earth-positive soils from carbon-negative substances, raised $3.6 million in Seed funding backed by Draper Associates, Superorganism, Climate Capital and Boost VC.
+ Cleerly, a Colorado-based med-tech focused on advanced cardiovascular imaging, raised $106 million in funding led by Insight Partners and Battery Ventures.
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 Sahn Ward). Marlene McDonnell can tell you more.
BELOW THE FOLD (Christmas At The Movies Edition)
Yippee-ki‐yay, Father Christmas: “Die Hard” set the tone for Xmas action.
Some kind of “Wonderful”: It’s Christmas candy now, but Capra’s classic was actually a box-office bomb.
A very “Die Hard” Christmas: Why action flicks make for great Christmas movies.
Not all the same: Ranking the best Hallmark Christmas movies.
Miracle on Earle Ovington Boulevard: Please continue supporting the fantastic firms that support Innovate Long Island, including Sahn Ward Braff Coschignano PLLC, the Uniondale-based law firm that brings knowledge and experience (and a little magic) to every corporate case. Check them out.
