Financial Times Editor Discusses Kirk’s Marketing Research

Apr 11, 2019

An editor of the Financial Times wrote an essay about research conducted by Assistant Professor Colleen P. Kirk, D.P.S., of NYIT School of Management, calling it “a startling piece of research into American pets.”

Summarizing Kirk’s investigation into why people are willing to spend more money on dogs than on cats, U.S. Managing Editor Gillian Tett quotes a recent Kirk article that appeared in Marketwatch: ‘“Dogs are famously more compliant than cats,’ she says. ‘When owners feel in control of their pets, strong feelings of psychological ownership and emotional attachment develop.’”

Ultimately, Tett finds meaning in the fact that people are willing to spend a lot of money on their pets (dogs or cats), as verified in Kirk’s experiments. “Even if Kirk’s argument about ‘mastery’ is only partly correct,” she concludes, “Americans’ embrace of dogs . . . provides a cheering counter-intuitive trend. . . . [A]ll those pooches in the park . . . are the ultimate reminder that there is more to life than a smartphone.”

 

Harvey Discusses Video Wall Strategy with University Business

Apr 11, 2019

With the sub-head promising “ideas for using impressive video display wall technology across campus,” an article in the April/May issue of University Business features four universities’ approaches to video walls, including NYIT. “Prospective students can touch a video wall in the admissions office at New York Institute of Technology to learn about any academic major and watch clips of student interviews,” the article reads.

“You put it up to inspire people,” says Laurie Harvey, acting chief information technology officer at NYIT. 

Based on an interview with Harvey, the article reports that the main purpose of the 14-by-8-foot video wall in the admissions office at NYIT’s campus in Manhattan is to engage prospective students touring the school as well as pedestrians walking by the window of the building on 61st Street. Because the display is in such a visible location, administrators set up the video wall to run content continuously.

 

Haar Makes Food Diary Recommendation in Myfitnesspal

Apr 05, 2019

Nutrition expert Mindy Haar, Ph.D., of the School of Health Professions has been included in a Myfitnesspal blog story regarding the benefits of food journaling. As she notes, the best food diary is one that users can stick to because it suits their routine and lifestyle. Diaries can be in the form of a traditional paper journal, an app, or a combination of both.

Myfitnesspal is a widely used smartphone app and website that tracks diet and exercise to determine optimal caloric intake and help users meet their goals.

 

Geisler Quoted in Newsweek on Whale Evolution

Apr 04, 2019

Comments from Jonathan Geisler, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of Anatomy, NYITCOM, have been featured in Newsweek and Live Science. In Newsweek, he discusses the impact of research from the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, which poses that a four-legged ancient whale found off the coast of Peru walked on land.

“The leg and foot anatomy is similar to that seen in older whales from Pakistan, so this discovery raises important questions about the routes early whales took to disperse around the globe, as well as how effective they were moving through the water,” Geisler said.

 

Kirk Explains Pet Attachment in The Conversation

Apr 04, 2019

Colleen P. Kirk, D.P.S., assistant professor of marketing in NYIT School of Management, published an article in The Conversation explaining why dog owners are willing to pay more on pet expenses than cat owners. The article grew from research she published last month in the Journal of Business Research.

Kirk studies psychological ownership, and her experiments confirmed her hypothesis that psychological ownership resulting from being able to control the animal is a major factor in people’s valuations of their pets.

 

CBS News Highlights NYIT Center for eSports Medicine

Apr 03, 2019

As seen on a national CBS News segment, a growing number of colleges and universities are offering competitive eSports teams. Now some doctors are calling for gamers to be treated like other college athletes — because just like with other sports, they also suffer injuries. As explained by Hallie Zwibel, D.O., director, NYIT Center for Sports Medicine, who also oversees the NYIT Center for eSports Medicine, these injuries can impact performance.

“Poor posture can produce exponential forces on your neck, back, shoulder," says Zwibel. “Eye fatigue is the most commonly reported complaint from these pixelated images that you see when you are playing on a computer. They're making 500 action moves per minute. So there's a lot of high-speed thinking, and I think that fatigues the eyes even further.”

 

Ilyas Cited in Bioengineering Magazine

Apr 02, 2019

Azhar Ilyas’s work is mentioned in an article in Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News. The story describes NYIT’s new bioengineering lab, with specialized equipment for working with micro- and nano-scale biosensors and biomaterials. Funded by a grant from New York State’s Empire State Development, the equipment “will help us to have a more in-depth characterization of materials, and help us to develop new biomaterials and new biosensors using more ready tools and on-site availability of different resources,” says Ilyas. The lab is located in Theobald Science Center.

 

Fizzinoglia Relates History of Computer Graphics

Mar 29, 2019

Associate Professor and Chair of Communication Arts Don Fizzinoglia is cited in The San Diego Union-Tribune telling about an unfinished film created in the 1980s by the NYIT-linked Computer Graphics Laboratory (CGL). Remembering the abandoned project, a Beatles-themed animated film called “Strawberry Fields,” Fizzinoglia explains, “It had become too expensive for the CGL to compete with Disney and George Lucas’s group.” He also says, ““I actually saw a few feet of ‘Strawberry Fields,’ but I have no idea if any of the footage still exists.”

 

Meyland in Newsday: Limiting Nitrogen in Fertilizers Would Protect Water Supply

Mar 29, 2019

In a Newsday commentary (subscription required), Associate Professor of Environmental Technology and Sustainability Sarah Meyland advocates that manufacturers take responsibility to ensure that the amount of nitrogen by weight in lawn fertilizers not exceed 12 percent. This would help to keep Long Island’s groundwater as clean and safe as possible. However, Meyland writes, “Major fertilizer manufacturers resist the idea because it requires them to produce a different blend of the main ingredients.”  

Newly proposed legislation would put the onus on manufacturers to change the instructions on fertilizers that currently puts the burden on customers to figure out new application rates. “By mandating that fertilizer sold on Long Island be mainly slow-dissolving and with reduced nitrogen content, we could eliminate one source of drinking-water pollution,” she says.

 

Dong Op-ed: Cities Should Use Tech to Prepare for Flooding

Mar 28, 2019

Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Ziqian (Cecilia) Dong has published an op-ed in Scientific American explaining how data visualization tools can help coastal cities prepare to deal with flooding.

In her article, Dong describes how flooding has become more common due to rising sea levels, the loss of natural wetlands, and increasingly violent storms. To boost urban infrastructure while there’s still time, she says, “[p]olicymakers … should rely on the latest computer modeling and other technologies to identify and implement the most efficient adaptation strategies.”

“With the right infrastructure upgrades,” Dong concludes, “communities can minimize future damages and save lives.”