VIP Program Featured in Education Life Section of The New York Times
Aug 03, 2017
“One spring morning on the North Shore of Long Island, dozens of eager parents, some from as far away as Illinois, meandered around the tree-lined campus of New York Institute of Technology, which houses the Vocational Independence Program, a three-year residential program with about 45 students,” writes a reporter in attendance at VIP’s open house in The New York Times.
The article continues to describe the event, including how Paul Cavanagh, the senior director, “told parents about the 3:1 student-to-staff ratio, the extensive job training (traditional college classes, internships at nearby hotels and restaurants) and life skills classes (banking, budgeting, cooking, apartment living).”
The full article describes additional programs and quotes various education professionals across the country, in addition to students and teachers participating in these programs, among others.
Martinez Tells Psychology Today Why STEAM Education is Critical to Developmental Learning
Aug 03, 2017
A newly published book authored by Jim Martinez, Ph.D., assistant professor of Instructional Technology in the NYIT School of Interdisciplinary Studies and Education, was recently featured in Psychology Today. The book, titled The Search for Method in STEAM Education, offers important directions for educators to be successful and offer benefit to students and society, beginning with adding the arts (an “A”) to STEM, making it STEAM education. As noted in the article, Martinez, an expert in experiential learning and in creating technology-rich learning environments, suggests educators not add the arts as a subject, but instead transform the way teaching and learning are done, looking beyond the products of learning (information and skills) alone, and focusing on the environments people need in order to learn and the process of creating them.
“At a time when educators, educational researchers, and policymakers are trying to figure out how to use traditional knowledge acquisition methods of education to create STEAM education, I am concerned with transforming learning environments into ones that are developmental and interdisciplinary,” says Martinez. “In writing this book, my approach has been more creative than academic, and the data I offer is in the dialogues and stories. The voices of educational innovators who are creating and collaborating beyond the disciplinary boundaries of the institutions they work for will be prominent. I find that conversations and stories are a great way to learn developmentally.”
Zwibel Discusses Brain Injury Study of Deceased NFL Players on Wisconsin Public Radio
Jul 31, 2017
Hallie Zwibel, D.O., director, Center for Sports Medicine and assistant professor at NYITCOM, was recently interviewed on Wisconsin Public Radio’s afternoon program Central Time regarding the recent reports of neurodegenerative disease in the brains of deceased NFL players. Following the research, which showed that the brains of the late football players displayed evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative disease found in individuals with repeated head trauma, Zwibel provided an overview of CTE and the dangers that head injuries can present to young athletes.
“CTE is like a conveyer belt. Between the nerves in the brain there’s pieces of information, or chemicals, passing through,” says Zwibel. “When there’s a blow to the head, that conveyer belt, the pieces of information, can get disrupted and they accumulate. Over time, we believe this causes the neurodegenerative damage.”
Speights Discusses Dangers of Obesity on Arkansas Public Radio
Jul 27, 2017
Shane Speights, D.O., site dean for NYITCOM at A-State, was featured in an interview with Arkansas Public Radio, discussing the state’s obesity epidemic. As featured in the segment, Speights discusses the dangers faced by overweight patients, stating:
“They have more co-morbidities, which means they have other disease processes that basically can shorten their lifespans, such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.”
He also adds that since the human body is not meant to carry hundreds of extra pounds, morbidly obese humans may suffer severe hip, joint, knee or ankle pain. “It actually remolds the bones over time because of that heavy weight sitting on the bones,” he says. For this reason, Speights warns that any falls or fractures by obese individuals can leave the patient in an even worse position if they have no mobility left with which to attempt exercise.
Innovate LI: NASA Taps NYIT for Critical Rocket-Propulsion Sensors
Jul 26, 2017
An NYIT engineering professor is contributing to the creation of specialized sensors that could help test the next generation of space propulsion systems, according to an article in Innovate LI.
Fang Li, Ph.D., assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering, is partnering with X-wave Innovations, Inc. (XII), to develop an embedded sensor system for NASA that is capable of measuring temperature, pressure, and strain on various rocket propulsion engine components.
This technology is being developed as part of a project funded by a $125,000 NASA Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I grant jointly awarded to Li and XII, based in Maryland. In this 12-month Phase I project, Li and XII will prototype an embedded sensor system and demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed technique for passive, wireless, multi-parameter high temperature measurements.
The primary goal is an embedded sensor system with a “highly flexible instrumentation solution” that can “monitor remote or inaccessible measurement locations for NASA’s rocket propulsion test facilities,” according to NYIT.
NYITCOM at A-State Seen as a Leader in Telemedicine in Arkansas Hospitals Association Magazine
Jul 17, 2017
NYITCOM at Arkansas State University (A-State) in Jonesboro, Arkansas has been featured as a leader in telemedicine in two articles appearing in the summer 2017 issue of Arkansas Hospitals Association Magazine.
In the article, “Embracing Telemedicine” Darren Sommer, D.O., assistant professor and CEO of Innovator Health (a company dedicated to the creation of telemedicine devices), discusses how this emerging technology is helping a local community hospital improve its patient interaction. The second article “Medical School...is Telehealth Trailblazer” lauds the college for its success in telemedicine education. Featuring quotes from Shane Speights, D.O., site dean for NYITCOM at A-State, the article reinforces the importance of telemedicine in rural areas and the need to prepare future physicians to comfortably work with the latest patient contact technologies.
Palmer Warns Against Dangers of Heat Stroke
Jul 12, 2017
NYITCOM assistant professor of Clinical Medicine, Sam Palmer, M.D., provided medical advice on the dangers of heat exhaustion to KAIT-TV Region 8 News, an ABC and NBC affiliate in Jonesboro, Arkansas. During the television interview, Palmer advised viewers of the symptoms of heat exhaustion, including feeling very tired, cramping in the stomach or muscles, and nausea. If left untreated, Palmer warns that heat illnesses with symptoms such as high fever, confusion, or fainting could result in damage to the internal organs, including the heart. The story followed a firefighter’s heat stroke after responding to a fire in July, an incident that resulted in heart damage. Medical cases such as this have many physicians urging firefighters, as well as other outdoor workers, to know their limits during the summer months.
“The main thing to remember is just to take it easy when you go out in the heat,” states Palmer. “Don’t overdo it. Try to remember to drink and stay cool.”
Marion Addresses Academic Research Skills Gap in GoodCall
Jul 12, 2017
Sebastien Marion, virtual services librarian at the NYIT Manhattan campus, explains to GoodCall why only one-third of students enter college with the necessary skills to perform academic research. As Marion explains, this is largely due to the convenience of search engines:
“Students are Google-centric, they research using shallow strategies, snacking on search engines…They arrive unprepared for the complexities and rigor required when accessing and evaluating scholarly information,” Marion explains. “As a result, their problem-solving skills and ability to develop conceptual knowledge suffer.”
Although he mentions the skills gap is expected to grow, Marion also offers solutions, suggesting students go out of their way to interact with librarians who are both allies and sources of mentorship, among other useful tips.
Jonesboro Faculty Member Lends Pediatric Expertise to Public Radio Discussion
Jul 11, 2017
Arkansas Public Media quoted Andrea Read, D.O., pediatrician and assistant dean of Academic Affairs at the NYITCOM Jonesboro campus, in an article discussing the dangers of childhood heart disease. Among the top five causes of death for children and teenagers in Arkansas, heart disease can develop in children with hardening of the arteries at an early age, presenting no symptoms or problems in childhood or adolescence, until the patient experiences a heart attack in early adulthood.
“These days we are seeing it as early as 30’s,” states Read.
Research from NYITCOM Anatomy Department Shared on The Academic Minute
Jul 10, 2017
Brian Beatty, Ph.D., discussed the findings of NYITCOM heart disease research on a segment of The Academic Minute, a radio show broadcasted by WAMC Public Radio and shared with Inside Higher Ed audiences. In the segment, Beatty explains how his team of researchers, which included an NYITCOM student, may have discovered a solution to assess the development of atherosclerosis, the hardening of arteries which can cause deadly coronary heart disease and carotid artery disease, and pose a serious risk potentially leading to heart attack and stroke.
“Our team of researchers set out using histopathology, the study of changes in tissue caused by disease,” said Beatty. “After examining the arterial tissues of 48 cadavers, probing vessels from three groups: carotid arteries, central arteries, and peripheral arteries, we found a number of correlations in peripheral arteries to many of the arteries associated with diseases resulting in restricted blood flow, including the carotid arteries. One in particular, the radial artery in the wrist, proved to be an accessible location. Based on this finding, we strongly recommend further investigation into the radial artery as a measurement tool for assessing heart disease.”