Media Coverage
Anatomy Research on Evolution of Filter Feeding in Whales Featured in Daily Mail and The Economist
Jun 29, 2017
How baleen whales, some of the largest vertebrates to ever live, became filter feeders is a widely debated topic among paleontologists, but new findings from NYITCOM faculty members may finally solve this mystery. As seen in multiple publications, including The Economist and Daily Mail, NYITCOM Anatomy department chair Jonathan Geisler and associate professor Brian Beatty explain how the remains of an ancient whale discovered in a South Carolina river could provide vital clues in understanding the origins of filter feeding.
“We know from the fossil record that the ancestors of baleen whales had teeth,” says Geisler in Daily Mail. “However, the transition from teeth to baleen is controversial. Our study indicates that early toothed whales used spaces between their large complex teeth for filtering and that baleen gradually replaced teeth over millions of years.”
Similar articles also appeared in:
- The Post and Courier
- Science
- Seeker.com
- New Scientist
- New Atlas
- Inside Science
- South Carolina Radio Network
Dean Gabrielle St. Léger on “Belonging” for College Success
Jun 28, 2017
Gabrielle St. Léger, dean of students at NYIT-Long Island, discusses a sense of belonging as a factor in academic success in a recent post on GoodCall.
“Belonging is defined as a feeling of mattering to others, of being important to a greater whole,” says St. Léger. “Students need to know that they matter to their institution and to particular communities within an institution – however we specifically define ‘community’.”
NYIT School of Architecture and Design Discusses IPAL Program with Architectural Record
Jun 26, 2017
NYIT School of Architecture and Design’s decision to offer the Integrated Path to Architectural Licensing (IPAL) initiative was recently featured in Architectural Record. The program will enable students to obtain Architectural Experience Program (AXP) credits while still in school, and allow them to take all divisions of the Architectural Record Exam (ARE) prior to graduation. In the article, Robert Cody, department chair and associate professor, NYIT School of Architecture and Design, credits the input of architecture students as a driving force in the decision to offer the IPAL program:
“Of course, the impetus to join IPAL came from our students wanting to get their licenses as soon as possible,” he states.
Cody also mentions that IPAL has benefits for the university, and will help draw students with four-year degrees to the School of Architecture and Design’s upcoming Master of Architecture program, a three-and-a half-year program projected to begin in 2019. Under the initiative, students will work part-time during the school year and full-time during the summer to fulfill the AXP requirements.
Hsu Explains How to Teach Difficult Concepts
Jun 07, 2017
In an exploration of why Americans don’t pursue STEM professions at a rate to meet market demand, GoodCall.com cites Hui-Yin Hsu, chair of the Teacher Education Program in the School of Interdisciplinary Studies & Education, on the topic of teaching to various learning styles.
For some students, it’s easier to memorize solutions to specific problems than to learn the concepts the solutions are based on. To see the connection, Hsu says, “students need time to digest the concept itself and to practice the concept in various contexts.” Teachers can help by approaching the concept via a wide range of examples. Eventually, she says, “The students will be able to make connections or association to the concept even outside familiar contexts.”
Reader's Digest Features Dietary Advice from School of Health Professions Faculty Member Mindy Haar
Jun 06, 2017
In the online article, “13 Small Diet Changes to Look (and Feel!) Great in Your 40s”, Reader’s Digest includes expert nutrition advice from Mindy Haar, Ph.D., director of Academic Management for NYIT’s Department of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences, for women in their 40s to minimize the effects of premenopausal symptoms through their diet. In addition to adjusting caloric intake, Haar discusses the critical need for women to be mindful of their daily calcium requirements, which can help to prevent painful osteoporosis. As featured in the article:
“Women in their 40s should be sure they are getting the recommended 1200 milligrams of calcium each day," says Dr. Haar. "One cup servings of low-fat milk and yogurt or non-dairy substitutes usually have 300-400 mg per serving."
Martinez Op-Ed Discusses the Imminent Health Dangers Associated with Proposed Federal Budget Cuts
Jun 02, 2017
In his Newsday Op-Ed, “A cut in research would wound U.S.”, Luis R. Martinez, Ph.D., associate professor of Biomedical Sciences, NYITCOM, discusses how proposed budget cuts by the White House administration could threaten our nation’s ability to research and develop treatments for disease, maintain technological leadership, ensure a more prosperous energy future, and train the next generation of scientists and innovators. In addition to explaining the economic benefit that research and development provides through job creation, Martinez argues that the proposed cuts would impede advancements to studying microbial diseases, preventing the necessary development of effective diagnostics, drugs, and vaccines, stating:
“Despite our advancement in the control of microorganisms, the eradication of infectious diseases remains a challenge. Microbe-related diseases kill thousands of Americans each year, while incapacitating thousands more. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention classifies Acinetobacter baumannii infections as a serious threat and estimates that 12,000 infections occur in the United States each year. Nearly 7,000 of these infections are multidrug-resistant, resulting in about 500 deaths.”