Media Coverage

Feb 23, 2023

Employment and labor law expert Joshua Bienstock, L.L.M., J.D., associate professor in the School of Management, was featured in a national news segment for Scripps News, which discussed proposed legislation in Maryland that would incentivize employers to adopt a four-day workweek. The story notes that the new trend could become a way to keep people in their jobs longer and work fewer hours without losing pay.

“The four-day workweek, to me, is essential to us to accommodate this evolving employee of 2023. The idea of giving employees the option of a four-day workweek instead of a five-day workweek may appeal to a lot of employees in the sense that it will reduce the number of days they have to commute. It will help them balance their ever-colliding home-work lives,” said Bienstock.

 

CBS New York Interviews Nizich

Feb 17, 2023

Cybersecurity expert Michael Nizich, Ph.D., was featured in a CBS New York (WCBS-TV) news segment about the Suffolk County ransomware attack. In his interview, Nizich advises organizations that have been victimized not to pay the ransom because even if hackers ultimately provide keys to unlock the data, they can still sell what they have stolen after the ransom is paid. 

“Something on the dark web [is the] kind of sale that’s like a chop shop. [Hackers] take the data and they make it more valuable to different parties. An attack like this is so damaging and so deep that I think it's all about recovery now,” says Nizich.

 

Nadler Lends Expertise to Newsday PFAS Coverage

Feb 17, 2023

Newsday interviewed environmental health expert David Nadler, Ph.D., research assistant professor, following the discovery of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, at Long Island MacArthur Airport. Nadler, who has conducted research on ways to safely break down PFAS, explains that the chemicals have been in use as far back as the 1950s and can be found in common products, including water-resistant fabrics and stain-resistant carpeting.

“It's been there a long time. We just happen to realize it now,” he says. “Has it affected anyone? Well, that's where we're lacking in long-term studies.”

 

Geisler Shares Insight with Newsweek

Feb 17, 2023

Jonathan Geisler, Ph.D., associate professor and chairperson for the Department of Anatomy, is quoted in Newsweek regarding an ancient great white shark tooth discovered on the North Carolina shore. Geisler explains that the tooth, which belonged to a shark that was more than 20 feet long, has turned black due to the addition of minerals during fossilization, which can take at least 10,000 years. The specimen is potentially millions of years old, although its exact age is not clear.

“The dark color indicates that fossilization likely occurred in sediment with low oxygen values," Geisler said. “The color does not indicate age, but the modern great white emerged about six to five million years ago.”

Similar coverage also appeared in more than 30 other outlets, including MSN.com, The Charlotte Observer, and Myrtle Beach Online.

 

Media Highlight Otazu’s Biomedical Research

Feb 14, 2023

As seen in InnovateLI, MedicalXpress, Neuroscience News, The Island360, Spectrum, and multiple other news sites, research by NYITCOM Assistant Professor Gonzalo Otazu, Ph.D., could help to explain how the sense of smell is impacted in individuals with autism. The study, which leverages cutting-edge techniques like intrinsic optical imaging and machine learning, analyzes a mouse model of autism and reports differences in the neurological processes responsible for smell.

“These findings illustrate why more studies related to the sensory aspect of autism are so important,” Otazu said in InnovateLI. “By documenting the neural processes in the mouse model of autism, our findings may help to explain the brain circuitry of humans with autism and one day lead to advancements that improve these individuals’ quality of life.”

 

Newsday Features Alzheimer’s Researcher

Feb 12, 2023

A Newsday story featuring research projects underway at several Long Island colleges highlights the College of Arts and Sciences’ Jole Fiorito, Ph.D., and her work to discover new ways to treat Alzheimer’s disease.

The article reports that Fiorito, using organic chemistry, is designing and synthesizing a new organic molecule to target two enzymes that affect brain neuron function; if she can get results using that one molecule, she may be able to develop a treatment with a single drug. She has already designed molecules to test in research with her students.  “Once they are ready we test them on cells, enzymes, even animals, to see if the molecules are able to affect the cell,” she said. “Of course, this is a very preliminary study … the molecule is a starting point for developing a drug.”

 

Kinfemichael Quoted in Lifewire

Feb 10, 2023

Bisrat Kinfemichael, Ph.D., assistant professor of accounting and finance, was quoted in the Lifewire story “Old Gadgets Can Be Worth Big Money—Here's Why You Should Hang on to Yours.” Kinfemichael explains how the tried and true laws of supply and demand are driving up the price of older technology, including first-generation iPhones, which have recently sold for as much as $50,000.

“According to the laws of supply and demand, the fact that obsolete gadgets are so difficult to find suggests that the supply is extremely limited. Even if only two bidders are interested in purchasing the gadget, a bidding war may ensue, causing the price to increase dramatically. The availability of online marketplaces, such as eBay, has made it easier to find such buyers," he says.

 

Feb 10, 2023

Assistant Professor of Behavioral Sciences Melissa Huey, Ph.D., was featured on The Academic Minute, a daily segment on Northeast Public Radio featuring research that contributes to serving the public good. The segment, which was also promoted to readers of Inside Higher Ed, highlights her research on the psychological impact of smartphones in the college classroom. Huey and a colleague from California State University conducted a six-week experiment to see how students’ mindfulness, anxiety, and course comprehension were affected when smartphones were removed vs. when they were physically present in the classroom. At the end of the six weeks, students self-reported scores on course comprehension, mindfulness, and anxiety levels.

“Students who handed in their smartphones reported much higher comprehension and mindfulness scores. In addition, they reported lower levels of anxiety,” says Huey. “However, the opposite was true for those who kept their phones. These students reported lower comprehension and mindfulness scores and higher anxiety levels. Our findings show that educators need to make informed decisions about technology in the classroom.”

 

Media Report Balentine’s Appointment to Provost

Feb 10, 2023

Long Island Business News, Newsday, InnovateLI, and The Island 360 have all covered the news that Jerry Balentine, D.O., has been appointed provost, in addition to his role as executive vice president. “Since he assumed the role of interim provost nearly a year ago, Dr. Balentine has proven to be an effective, resourceful, and collaborative academic leader, dedicated to students, faculty, and staff, as well as to New York Tech’s strategic vision,” President Foley said in The Island 360 article.

Long Island Press and Inside Higher Ed also covered the news of Balentine’s appointment.

 

Media Outlets Publicize NIH-Funded Research

Feb 05, 2023

Newsday, InnovateLI, and The Island 360 have published the news of a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant secured by NYITCOM’s Jerry Zhao, Ph.D., assistant professor of biomedical sciences. His research will analyze how the sugar molecule heparan sulfate impacts brain function, with findings potentially leading to new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and autism spectrum disorder, all of which have been linked to heparan sulfate abnormalities.