NYIT Dean Swims with Sharks

Apr 29, 2013

NYIT Vocational Independence Program Associate dean and Executive Director Ernst VanBergeijk, Ph.D., MSW, swam with the sharks at the Long Island Aquarium in Riverhead after losing a bet with his students. VanBergeijk had challenged his students to exercise -- and when they walked 62 million steps -- the equivalent of walking around the circumference of the earth -- he agreed to reward them with a shark dive. "Sharks are misunderstand and endangered, just like people with disabilities are misunderstood," says VanBergeijk, whose VIP program teaches students with autism and other types of learning disabilities how to work and how to live independently.

 

Ross-Lee in Newsday: Health Disparities Affect Cancer Treatment

Apr 24, 2013

Researchers who analyzed more than 8,000 cases of young poor, black, and Hispanic women in California diagnosed with breast cancer found that they have longer delays before they receive treatment and a resulting poorer survival rate. NYIT Vice President for Health Sciences and Medical Affairs Barbara Ross-Lee, DO, tells Newsday that the findings apply to poor and minority women on Long Island as well.

"We've been very slow in documenting these kinds of problems and even slower in crafting solutions," says Ross-Lee. Problems with access are compounded when fewer doctors choose to accept Medicaid patients. "In this country, it is against the law to discriminate against people based on race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation," Ross-Lee adds. "But there is a very open form of discrimination based on economic status, and Medicaid is perceived as a clear marker for socioeconomic status."

 

NYIT Demonstrates Dangers of Texting While Driving

Apr 23, 2013

NYIT Senior Director of Counseling and Wellness Alice Heron-Burke told WCBS-TV that students need to understand the true risks of driving while texting. “I had a student come in, and she was very upset because her sister had gotten into an accident while texting, and sustained head injuries, and was hospitalized for several weeks,” says Burke in the segment, explaining why NYIT sponsored a texting while driving simulation event. Heron-Burke watched as several NYIT students climbed into a text  message simulator designed to demonstrate how driving and texting is a deadly combination.

 

Bloom on Public Housing in New York Magazine

Apr 21, 2013

New York Magazine relied on historical facts by NYIT Chair of Disciplinary Studies Nicholas Bloom, Ph.D., for its analysis of the New York City Housing Authority's plan to lease open space surrounding its developments. In "Gentrifying the Air," Bloom, an expert on the NYCHA and author of Public Housing That Worked, says that despite NYCHA's strong maintenance, public housing is facing massive budget issues -- one of the factors that has led to the new proposal.

 

NYIT Students Rebuild Broken Robots to Compete at VEX Robotics World Championship

Apr 20, 2013

NYIT School of Engineering and Computing Sciences students in the Vex Robotics World Championship found themselves in a challenging situation when they landed in California:  their robots were broken upon arrival. "Our robots were in pieces," tech adviser Saverio Marsicano told the Orange County Register.  "Since Tuesday, we have been working around the clock in our hotel room using our Dremel tool on the balcony, just so we can compete. It's been a very busy week." The Bears - who joined 15,000 participants at the competition -- rebuilt their robots and took 35th place out of 52 teams.

 

NYIT Hosts High School Science Competition

Apr 12, 2013

NYIT School of Engineering and Computing Sciences faculty members and students served as judges for the university's high school science and technology competition, presenting local students with awards for their robotics, engineering and STEM projects. The team from Commack High School won first place for designing a glove that measures distance for people with visual impairments. As noted in Patch.com, NYIT judged the high school teams, each of which was required to include at least one female student, on their understanding of science and technology, originality, practicality, and the significance of the underlying problem the project addressed.

 

In NYT Letter, Hadjiargyrou Discusses Animal Abuse in Factory Food Production

Apr 10, 2013

College of Arts and Sciences Life Sciences Chair Michael Hadjiargyrou, Ph.D., advocates vegetariansim in a letter responding to a Times editorial. "If people have their eyes closed, it is because they want to, not because the information is not available about animal cruelty and the abominable conditions under which animals destined for food consumption live. We have repeatedly seen videos of animal abuse as well as cruel aspects of factory farming (small cages, overcrowding and restriction of movement, snipping of tails and beaks, overuse of antiobiotics, nocious air and so on). Given the plethora of such information, eating is no longer a simple biological necessity. It has become a philosophical, political, economic, societal and ethical act."

 

Bernard Letter to the Times on Computerized Essay Grading

Apr 07, 2013

"On Sunday nights I would rather be anywhere but at my desk facing a stack of student essays," writes College of Arts and Sciences Associate Professor Cathy Bernard in response to a New York Times article on computerized grading of essay tests.  "Still, I question the arguments offered in support of automated essay scoring...Writing is not a game in which you click away until you hit on the right answer. Writing is thinking, and revision is a slow process, unpredictable and exploratory. A piece of writing, like a cake taken from the oven, needs some time to cool before the revision process can even begin."

 

NYIT Helps "Take Back the Night"

Apr 02, 2013

"Females who are sexually assaulted on college campuses often drop out of school and do not continue their education and this is a major problem," College of Arts and Sciences Assistant Professor Beth Adubato tells Fios1 News in a segment about NYIT's "Take Back the Night" event. In the aftermath of the Steubenville, Ohio rape case verdict and other accounts of sexual assault and violence, Adubato led students in organizing the event, part of a global movement featuring guest speakers, a candlelight vigil and a call to "shatter the silence and stop the violence." NYIT students gathered on the quad to share stories, and several were featured in the report.

 

DiFranciso-Donoghue Offers Walking Tips on Livestrong.com

Mar 22, 2013

"Walking works large muscle groups -- quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteal muscles -- as well as other muscles in the lower legs and feet," says Joanne DiFrancisco-Donoghue, a registered clinical exercise physiologist with NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine, on Livestrong.com. DiFrancisco-Donoghue recommends several tips in the article, including advising that people start a walking routine by counting their steps with a stopwatch and pedometer. "Start with 10 to 15 minutes of walking each day. Do not walk 30 minutes right away because this will lead to overuse injuries and can also be discouraging if you are not able to complete the session."