New York Institute of Technology

Christina Yialias and Carolyn Trivigno, two students in New York Institute of Technology's Exercise Science program, have launched the university's new Exercise Science Club. The club now offers exercise science students the opportunity to advance their understanding of the human body and the skills necessary to help others improve their health, fitness, and performance. In addition, the group will spread fitness knowledge that people can apply to their everyday lives and give New York Tech students from other fields of study an opportunity to foster an interest in exercise. Yialias and Trivigno serve as the club's president and vice president, respectively.

The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi is proud to announce the recipients of a 2021 Love of Learning Award. The awards help fund post-baccalaureate studies and career development for active Society members.

Thirty students completed New York Institute of Technology's rigorous Internship Certificate Program during summer 2021, earning valuable hands-on experience, developing resilience in a real-life work environment, and honing other skills related to their chosen professions.

In August, hundreds of first-year New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM) students received their first white coats and began medical school training as members of NYITCOM's Class of 2025. Learn more about the White Coat ceremonies for the medical school's two locations: NYITCOM-Long Island (Old Westbury, N.Y.) and NYITCOM-Arkansas (Jonesboro, Ark.).

New York Institute of Technology welcomes its newest students for the fall 2021 semester.

Five medical students from New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM) conducted esports medicine research on the benefits of walking breaks. The new study, led by experts at the university's Center for eSports Medicine, was published in BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine and evaluates whether walking and rest breaks can benefit gamers' processing speed and executive function (planning and non-verbal problem-solving abilities). Competitive gamers spend hours in front of their screens, with some playing for as long as 12 straight hours. During this time, they can perform up to 500 actions per minute on their mouse or keyboard while also focusing at a level of attention that results in significant cognitive stress and physical limitations. While the effects of prolonged sitting have been well documented--even shown to disrupt cerebral blood flow and possibly oxygen flow to the brain--its impact on competitive gaming has not been widely evaluated. Given this, the researchers virtually assessed 21 competitive gamers from seven different countries (12 men and nine women). Gamers were recruited using social media and online platforms, such as Discord, Facebook, Twitter, and Twitch, the largest streaming platform for gamers. Using first-person shooter games such as Overwatch, Valorant, and Fortnite, participants played for two-hour sessions over three separate days. Each day featuring a different intervention selected at random. Interventions included continuous gameplay for 120-135 minutes with no break, a six-minute walking break with 60-75 minutes of gameplay before and after, and a six-minute resting break with 60-75 minutes of gameplay before and after. For the walking break, participants were asked to find a place near their gaming station where they could walk for six minutes on a flat surface, back-and-forth while holding their smartphone to hear the investigators' cues. The same procedure was used for the rest intervention except, instead of walking, the participants laid on their backs for six minutes with their eyes open, to avoid any eye rest that was not given during the walking break. Following the three conditions (walking, resting, and continuous play), players were assessed for factors such as reaction time and executive function. The researchers found that walking produced significantly faster reaction and planning times vs. resting, while continuous play produced results that were slightly better than the resting condition. While there was no impact on game performance, meaning that the percentage of games won was not significantly different following any of these conditions, more than 70 percent of the study's participants felt that the walking break did improve their gaming abilities. "[The] walking break definitely has the best impact on gaming performance," said one study participant. "It helps you clear your mind while doing something physical. Even if you are walking slowly, it helps you calm down and forget the high pressure from the gaming environment. Your brain isn't going overboard anymore." The research was conducted virtually from July through December 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions. This study follows a 2019 study published in the BMJ, in which Center for eSports Medicine researchers found that eye fatigue is the most common ailment among competitive gamers.

More than 1,100 students received degrees from New York Institute of Technology as spring graduates of the Class of 2021.

New York Institute of Technology congratulates more than 1,100 students who were named to the Spring 2021 Presidential Honor List.

New York Tech congratulates the 480 students named to the Spring 2021 Dean's List.

New York Institute of Technology's School of Management presented academic and achievement awards to more than 80 students who demonstrated outstanding performance during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Three New York Tech digital art and design students were recognized as winners of a CITYarts design contest.

New York Institute of Technology presented Student Leadership and Service Awards to students who demonstrated leadership, served the university, and enhanced fellow students' experience throughout the 2020-2021 academic year.

Over the summer, New York Institute of Technology's student orientation leaders virtually welcomed new students ahead of fall semester. Orientation leaders facilitate discussions with new students on campus resources, academic success, and life as a New York Tech student. While orientation is being held virtually, several in-person "welcome" events in which these leaders will participate will be held on campus closer to the start of the fall semester.

One hundred sixty students have been awarded the Theodore K. Steele Memorial Scholarship at New York Institute of Technology. The scholarship is awarded to first-year students with a high school average of 96 or higher.

More than 100 students from New York Tech's School of Health Professions were inducted into the Alpha Eta Society, the national scholastic honor society for allied health students, for the 2020-2021 academic year. With the motto "Together We Serve," Alpha Eta promotes and recognizes significant scholarship, leadership, and contributions to the allied health professions.

Eighteen students have been awarded the President's Scholarship at New York Institute of Technology. This is the highest scholarship awarded to incoming first-year students.

In spring 2021, the inaugural New York Institute of Technology School of Architecture and Design Tommaso and Franca Chieco Dean's Atelier Studio hosted world-renowned architect Alberto Campo Baeza as distinguished guest professor. Campo Baeza collaborated with Adjunct Assistant Professor Brad Engelsman in the school's third-year architectural design studio, where 10 students were engaged in the development of two projects: a "dream house" and a skyscraper in Manhattan where Mies Van der Rohe's Seagram Building is located. "I called this studio the 'Dean's Atelier Studio' to promote a special opportunity among our most talented, high-achieving students as an 'award' for their academic success, offering them the exposure to a distinguished professional architect," said Maria Perbelleni, M.Arch., dean of the School of Architecture and Design.

New York Institute of Technology welcomes its newest students for the fall 2021 semester.

New York Tech's Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program has welcomed 14 members, including four New York Tech Tech students, to its summer 2021 cohort. The prestigious 10-week virtual program, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), provides opportunities for talented undergraduate students from around the country to collaborate with New York Tech faculty and graduate students on the research and development of methods of securing mobile devices and wireless networks using software and hardware approaches.

For the 2020-21 academic year, 117 students were inducted into New York Institute of Technology's chapter of the National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS), an organization that provides a life-changing leadership program that helps students achieve personal growth, career success and empowers them to have a positive impact in their communities.

Seven students from New York Institute of Technology's College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM) helped to conduct research that could bring scientists closer to developing more effective, less toxic treatments for some of the world's deadliest cancers. Their report, published May 14 in the journal Cancers, provides a wide-ranging scientific review of 215 studies on the biological processes that enable certain cancers to spread. Each strand of DNA has "tails" called telomeres, which serve as protective buffers. As cells age and DNA strands shorten, telomeres take the brunt of this shortening, preventing strands from losing the critical proteins that code for cell growth. When telomeres get too short, healthy cells signal to stop growing or to simply die. Cancer cells, on the other hand, bypass this necessary process by elongating their telomeres and preventing this signal. Many cancer cells lengthen their telomeres by reactivating the enzyme telomerase, but some cancer cells can lengthen their telomeres without this enzyme through a process called alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT). ALT cancers account for an estimated 10 to 15 percent of cancer cases and include some of the deadliest kinds, including glioblastoma, osteosarcoma, and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. The only available treatment option for these cancers is chemotherapy, which is known to injure healthy cells and cause unpleasant side effects. Therefore, researching the mechanisms behind ALT is critical to ensuring that safer, more effective treatments are brought to light. While many clinically relevant ALT cancer studies exist, this latest report is now the first comprehensive ALT cancer study. Working alongside NYITCOM Associate Professors Maria Plummer, M.D., and Dong Zhang, Ph.D., the medical students summarized all existing clinical ALT cancer literature. Their report discusses how to best detect and prevent ALT, highlights how ALT can impact cancer prognosis and analyzes all published attempts to develop therapies targeting ALT cancers. Learn more about this research project in The Box blog.

For the 2020-21 academic year, 126 students were inducted into New York Institute of Technology's chapter of Phi Eta Sigma, the nation's oldest and largest honor society for first-year college and university students.

Sixty students completed New York Institute of Technology's rigorous Internship Certificate Program during spring 2021, earning valuable hands-on experience, developing resilience in a real-life work environment, and honing other skills related to their chosen professions.

Students in New York Tech's School of Health Professions gathered on Zoom for two afternoons on May 11 and 12 to share their research findings at the school's annual Aletheia Research Symposium. Aletheia (Greek for "truth") showcases scholarly research that student teams have carried out under faculty supervision. A total of 132 School of Health Professions students pursuing master's degrees in Physician Assistant Studies (PA) and Occupational Therapy (OT) and a doctorate in Physical Therapy (PT), as well as an undergraduate student and medical students from the College of Osteopathic Medicine, uncovered "truth" for this spring's symposium.

On May 20, New York Institute of Technology's Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program recognized members of the Class of 2021 with a hooding ceremony. Hooding ceremonies are a rite of passage celebrating the completion of students' training as they graduate and pursue careers as physical therapists. New York Tech's physical therapy program began as a bachelor's degree program in 1998, with the institution graduating its first class of Doctors of Physical Therapy in 2003. In addition to exceptional board exam pass rates, the program also now boasts an impressive 100 percent three-year employment rate. Graduates have been employed by Montefiore Medical Center, Northwell Health, NYU Winthrop Hospital, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, among other noteworthy employers.

On May 19, New York Tech's Physician Assistant (PA) Studies program celebrated graduating members of the Class of 2021 during its annual white coat ceremony. White coat ceremonies are a rite of passage celebrating the completion of students' training as they graduate and pursue careers as PAs. In marking the transition into professional life, the event centers around the symbolic awarding of a new long white coat, which replaces the short student white coat worn daily to class and clerkships. PAs are healthcare professionals who diagnose illness, develop and manage treatment plans, prescribe medications, and often serve as a patient's principal healthcare provider. New York Tech's career-focused Physician Assistant Studies, M.S. program provides students with a strong foundation in science, medicine, research, and transcultural patient care as they build their professional network and prepare for the Physician Assistant National Certification Examination.

On May 19, 58 nursing students from New York Institute of Technology's Class of 2021 were welcomed into the profession with a virtual pinning ceremony. Nursing school pinning ceremonies are a rite of passage celebrating the completion of students' training as they graduate and go on to pursue careers as RNs. Despite its virtual nature, the event followed traditional pinning ceremony practices, with the soon-to-be nurses reciting the Nightingale Pledge. Named after Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, the pledge is a statement of the ethics and principles of the nursing profession. The Class of 2021 also took part in the traditional candlelight ceremony to commemorate Nightingale and her efforts to aid wounded soldiers by candlelight during the Crimean War.

Twenty-eight undergraduate students at New York Institute of Technology's College of Engineering and Computing Sciences had the unique opportunity to participate in the college's Undergraduate Research and Entrepreneurship Program (UREP). Since the spring of 2018, 245 undergrads have participated in the highly selective program, which allows students to work on research or entrepreneurship projects in a group setting, under the guidance of faculty mentors. The collaborative projects run for a single semester or extend to multiple semesters, should the team decide to pursue further development. Each research team is provided with $500 to cover the cost of supplies. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, this popular research program has persisted, and on May 12, this semester's cohort of eight teams presented their research to faculty, peers, and others via a virtual event. Each multidisciplinary team member offered information about their research, cited relevant scientific work, and provided next steps. At the end of the program, faculty attendees offered guidance and suggestions, and the teams were able to ask questions of each other and provide feedback.

Three New York Tech students have been recognized by the New York City Mayor's office for completing over 100 hours of volunteer service during the last year. Now in its second year, the Mayoral Service Recognition Awards program seeks to highlight exceptional volunteer projects in New York City.

New York Institute of Technology students are helping local residents get vaccinated through a volunteer effort known as The New York Tech Medical Outreach Program: COVID-19 Vaccine Assistance Group. While vaccination is key to stopping the spread of COVID-19, the process of registering for a vaccine can be confusing, especially for non-English speakers and those without access to technology. That's where the group's volunteers come in. Students assist New York residents, as well as some New York City workers who live out-of-state, with registering for vaccine appointments. The volunteers are responsible for interviewing patients and are trained to answer questions regarding the advantages and side effects of all available COVID-19 vaccines. They also assist people in choosing the best vaccine for their circumstances based on existing health issues, work and school time constraints, and other common challenges. "We help people who do not have access to computers, non-English speakers, hearing and visually impaired, and people who are not tech-savvy," says Laura Friedland, senior specialist at New York Tech's Department of Nursing, who launched the volunteer program. "For people with language barriers, we've helped with translations, and for those who cannot afford printers, we've printed numerous tickets. We've also raised money to provide transportation for families who cannot afford transportation to the site." During the last weekend in April, some volunteers assisted underserved communities in Port Washington, N.Y., not far from the Long Island campus. In collaboration with the office of New York State Assembly Member Gina Sillitti, students went door-to-door, registering residents for an upcoming pop-up neighborhood vaccination event. To date, the New York Tech Medical Outreach Program: COVID-19 Vaccine Assistance Group has registered more than 6,200 people across all five boroughs of New York City, Nassau County, Suffolk County, and Westchester County. The group has also assisted New Jersey residents who work in New York City.