Newsday Quotes Experts on Financial Aid Amid Pandemic Economy

Feb 21, 2021

Karen Vahey, Ed.D., dean of admissions and financial aid, and Marcelle Hicks, M.A., senior director of undergraduate admissions, are quoted in a Newsday story on how the pandemic economy has impacted college students. 

“For fall 2020, we saw a 15 percent increase in requests for additional aid and assistance, and much of this increase can be attributed to the pandemic,” said Vahey. “We have already begun to process requests for additional aid. This is earlier in the cycle than is typical and before many of our financial aid packages have been mailed.”

Hicks noted that students who appealed for more aid due to personal loss of work indicated working in movie theaters, grocery stores, pharmacies, babysitting, and restaurants. 

 

Finn Explains Cybersickness in RealSimple.com Article

Feb 17, 2021

As seen in a Real Simple online story, Christina Finn, Ed.D., OTR/L discusses why some people may feel sick after spending time in front of a digital screen, a growing phenomenon due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Finn explains that “cybersickness” is due to a condition called vestibular conflict, when the brain receives messages that a person is moving, when in fact, the person is still. Often experienced as nausea, dizziness, or other neurological symptoms, it is the same condition that causes some people to feel sick while reading in a moving vehicle.  

“Your eyes may detect movement on the screen while your body remains stationary, setting up a conflict that can cause similar feelings of motion sickness,” Finn says, adding that this might occur after only one or two hours of screen use, and symptoms can last anywhere from a few minutes to several hours. She also notes that blue light may exacerbate the issue. “When people look at screens, some may experience it as nausea and dizziness associated with eye strain, which may be associated with blue light exposure.”

 

INSIDER Features Haar's Nutrition Expertise

Feb 16, 2021

Nutrition expert Mindy Haar, Ph.D., clinical associate professor and chair of interdisciplinary health sciences, was quoted in an INSIDER story on plant-based diets. As noted in the article, a plant-based diet consists of mostly plant-based food sources like fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and oils. However, some plant-based diets still include small amounts of animal products, as Haar notes. 

“A key point for those contemplating a plant-based diet is that it does not have to be an all-or-nothing proposition. Each change one is able to make – whether it's eliminating some type of animal-based food or just reducing its frequency – can have a significant health impact when done the right way,” she says.  

The article also appeared in MSN and Yahoo.

 

Newsday Quotes Harper on COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution

Feb 12, 2021

Brian Harper, M.D., vice president for equity and inclusion and chief medical officer, is quoted in Newsday regarding COVID-19 vaccine distribution on Long Island. In discussing the various distribution challenges, he notes the ways in which vaccine rollout to underserved populations, those hit hardest by the pandemic, could have been improved. He states that federally qualified health centers, which serve many low-income people and other underserved populations, should have been used more extensively for vaccine rollout due to their rapport with these communities.

 

Company Created by Architecture Faculty, Alumnus Featured in InnovateLI

Feb 11, 2021

Nullary() Group, a company created by School of Architecture and Design Associate Professors Jason Van Nest and Michael Nolan, along with alumnus Michael Ferraro (B.S.A.T. ’16), established to work with architects on Building Information Modeling (BIM) and with owners and contractors to provide virtual design and construction (VDC), is a featured startup in InnovateLI.

The article notes that the firm “is quickly making a name among regional architects – and is helping a new generation of New York Institute of Technology students grasp the next level of computer design.” The practicing architects are applying their professional work experiences to the classroom, especially as the industry transitions to BIM workflows and away from Computer-Aided Design (CAD). “We have to start training the next generation of architects on these technologies today, so that adapting to technologically rich design workflows comes as second nature,” Van Nest said. “As an educator, my biggest success would be watching the Nullary() Group slowly go out of business.”

 

Geisler Lends Expertise to Whale Conservation Story

Feb 04, 2021

Evolutionary biologist Jonathan Geisler, Ph.D., chair and associate professor of anatomy at NYITCOM, was interviewed about a rare, newly discovered whale species from the Gulf of Mexico. As seen in conservationist outlet Mongabay, after years of investigation, scientists at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced the designation of the new species, which they named Rice’s whale (Balaenoptera ricei). With its new name, the whale will gain additional protections under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, an important step to conserving the species, which is believed to have only 33 to 100 members in existence. Geisler, who studies whale evolution but was not involved in the study, commented on the researchers’ scientific approach.

“You have these two things pulling scientists in two directions. One, if there is a new species, they want to name it, make sure we do the right things to protect it and maintain its numbers. On the other hand, they don’t want to jump the gun and be wrong. This paper really chose a conservative, but I think, the right way of being cautious and approaching this slowly and really building the case and the data,” he said.

 

Students' Academic Achievements Featured in Local Media

Feb 02, 2021

New York Tech students named to the fall 2020 Presidential Honor List and Dean's List were featured in their hometown media outlets, including Hamlet Hub, Patch, and many others. To qualify for the Presidential Honor List, a student must achieve a minimum semester GPA of 3.7 or higher and complete at least 12 credit hours without any incomplete grades. A student must earn a GPA of at least 3.5 and complete 12 or more credit hours without any incomplete grades to qualify for the Dean's List. 

 

Rothstein Quoted in AskMen.com

Feb 01, 2021

Alex Rothstein, M.S., instructor and coordinator for the Exercise Science, B.S. program, was quoted in three articles on workout frequency by AskMen.com. Rothstein comments on overall workout frequency, as well as how often to exercise the legs and arms.

 

Newsday Notes NYITCOM in Medical School Applications Story

Jan 31, 2021

Newsday cited NYITCOM Dean Nicole Wadsworth, D.O. in an article on the rising number of applications at Long Island medical schools. As noted in the article, NYITCOM applications are up 27.4 percent in January 2021 compared to a year ago. With a March deadline, almost 10,000 applications are already in for 295 spots at NYITCOM's Long Island location along with 115 at its location in Arkansas.

 

Pediatrician Publishes Vaccine Op-ed

Jan 30, 2021

Missouri newspaper West Plains Daily Quill (subscription required) published commentary from Christine Hartford, M.D., assistant professor of clinical medicine at NYITCOM-Arkansas. In the op-ed, Hartford, who is a pediatrician, calls for vaccine acceptance. She writes, “Whether it is to protect ourselves from becoming ill or so that our society, most especially our children, can begin to socialize and return to a more normal existence with in-person school and playdates with friends, it is important for us all to be vaccinated against COVID-19. It is the only way to get to the other side of this pandemic. It is the only way this is going to work.”