New state law to protect consumers from gift-card fraud goes into effect

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ALBANY, N.Y. — A new state law to protect consumers from potential gift-card scams went into effect on June 20. All businesses selling gift cards are now required to display a notice at or near where any gift card or gift certificate is displayed or sold to caution consumers about gift-card fraud. Requesting gift cards […]

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Berkshire Bank’s parent company pays dividend for third quarter

Banks & Credit Unions, Insurance & Financial Services, Law, Accounting & Taxes, Regional News, Subscriber Only

Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc. (NYSE: BHLB) — parent company of Berkshire Bank, which has a significant presence in the Mohawk Valley area — recently announced that its board of directors has approved and paid a quarterly cash dividend of 18 cents a common share. The dividend was payable on Aug. 31, to shareholders of record

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Nearly $250K grant supports supernova research at SUNY Poly

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Shing Chi Leung, of SUNY Poly, will use the NSF Launching Early-Career Academic Pathways in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (LEAPS-MPS) grant to also help enhance student participation from historically excluded and currently underrepresented groups in mathematical and physical-sciences research. He will collaborate with the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP) for developing research

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“The partnership funded by this grant not only allows for dynamic and innovative research to take place, but also provides research opportunities to CSTEP students and ultimately will help inspire more students to become involved in science-centered activities,” Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Carlie Phipps said in a news release. “This collaboration is truly a win-win for everyone, especially as it facilitates critical interest in STEM-based careers.”

The study of supernovae is central to astrophysics because it’s connected to a number of fundamental questions including where all the chemical elements in the universe come from, according to Leung. “On top of that, supernova explosions often involve very extreme environments and fundamental physics, which are difficult to reproduce in terrestrial laboratories,” he said. “Therefore, studying supernovae provides a glimpse of these unknown landscapes.”

Studying the chemical-abundance pattern in stars and the surrounding gas may reveal how their predecessor stars exploded. While there are some high-resolution measurements of the Perseus Cluster and very early galaxies and the chemical composition of the cluster can reflect how supernovae explode in general, results show discrepancies with classical models of supernova explosions.

Using new measurements as constraints, Leung and participating students will guild a new generation of supernova models and build a pipeline to simulate how a star evolves from beginning to supernova.

Leung will work with CSTEP Coordinator Andrew Cotronea to promote research opportunities for CSTEP students and support their participation in the Summer Undergraduate Research Program and ongoing supernovae research. Funded by the New York State Department of Education, CSTEP provides structured services to foster the academic and professional success of STEM students.

The goal for the research experiences supported by the grant is to inspire more students to participate in science activities and research. The project will also support the delivery of public-science talks.

EMPEQ secures $150K investment in HUSTLE Defense Accelerator

Manufacturing & Engineering, Regional News, Small Business, Subscriber Only, Technology

ROME, N.Y. — EMPEQ of Ithaca will use a $150,000 investment after it won the grand prize in the HUSTLE Defense Accelerator at the Griffiss Institute in Rome. EMPEQ, which is short for Empower Equity, Inc., was among the participants in HUSTLE’s Demo Day. HUSTLE stands for Helping Upstate Science and Technology Leaders and Entrepreneurs.

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ROME, N.Y. — EMPEQ of Ithaca will use a $150,000 investment after it won the grand prize in the HUSTLE Defense Accelerator at the Griffiss Institute in Rome.

EMPEQ, which is short for Empower Equity, Inc., was among the participants in HUSTLE’s Demo Day. HUSTLE stands for Helping Upstate Science and Technology Leaders and Entrepreneurs.

Per its website, “EMPEQ’S Fast Site Survey makes detailed, accurate on-site building data capture as easy as a click of your smartphone’s camera.”

Fast Site Survey’s “underlying artificial intelligence (AI) technology, known as Instant Equipment Insights, was recognized for its potential to help the U.S. Department of Defense ensure security within its hardware supply chain,” per a blog post on the EMPEQ website.

Having begun his career in the U.S. Marine Corps as a National Security Agency (NSA)-tasked cryptanalyst, the award has “special meaning” for EMPEQ co-founder and CEO Herbert Dwyer.

“This is an incredibly important moment for America’s military, and I was thrilled that the Department of Defense was able to attract such high value solutions to this accelerator,” Dwyer said. “For our company to be chosen as the most promising technology out of such a competitive field is truly a humbling reality.”

Besides EMPEQ, Paterson Aerospace Systems and BosonQ Psi were both awarded $100,000, and Accessible Automation and Drone City each secured $50,000 investments, according to a Griffiss Institute news release.

Accessible Automation is located in Verona. Drone City has a lab in Haverstraw in Rockland County and a mailing address in New York City, per its website.

Paterson Aerospace Systems is located in Wilmington, Delaware, per its LinkedIn page. BosonQ Psi is headquartered in Buffalo.

They were among eight tech companies that completed the HUSTLE Defense Accelerator. The Demo Day was held Aug. 17.

Griffiss Institute’s HUSTLE Defense Accelerator is a 12-week training academy for seed-stage tech startups focused on artificial intelligence, machine learning, cybersecurity, quantum science, and unmanned aircraft system products. Eight startups were chosen to pitch for HUSTLE Demo Day because of their “validated potential to elevate U.S. national security and economic competitiveness,” the release stated.

The program has the support of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), New York State’s Empire State Development (ESD), and National Grid.

“I am thrilled to congratulate the eight diverse and extraordinary teams who have built dynamic tech companies developing national security solutions, and who worked hard to complete the HUSTLE program with us this summer,” Heather Hage, president and CEO of Griffiss Institute, said. “We look forward to continuing to support their journeys to grow strong and healthy companies in the Mohawk Valley and believe they will all go on to accomplish great things.”

AIS partners with New Horizons Syracuse for professional-development training

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Health Care, New York News, Regional News, Technology

ROME, N.Y. — Assured Information Security (AIS) and Logical Operations, owner and operator of New Horizons Syracuse, announced a strategic partnership to enhance professional-development opportunities

SUNY appoints new provost, president of research foundation

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Health Care, New York News, Nonprofits, People on the Move, Technology

ALBANY, N.Y. — The SUNY board of trustees has appointed Melur (Ram) Ramasubramanian as executive vice chancellor for academic affairs and provost. Ramasubramanian’s appointment is

Visions FCU, SU launch new program for student veterans

Banks & Credit Unions, Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Health Care, Insurance & Financial Services, Nonprofits, Regional News, Small Business

SYRACUSE. N.Y. — Visions Federal Credit Union (FCU) is working with Syracuse University (SU) on a success program targeting student veterans. Visions FCU and SU’s

Community Bank System boosts dividend for Q3

Banks & Credit Unions, Insurance & Financial Services, Law, Accounting & Taxes, Subscriber Only

DeWITT, N.Y. — Community Bank System, Inc. (NYSE: CBU) — parent company of Community Bank, N.A. — announced that it has declared a cash dividend of 45 cents per share on its common stock for the third quarter. The dividend will be payable on Oct. 10, to shareholders of record as of Sept. 15. The

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DEC appoints former OCRRA leader to new department role

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Law, Accounting & Taxes, New York News, Nonprofits, Subscriber Only

The DEC has announced the appointment of Dereth Glance to the role of regional director in the department’s region 7. It covers Broome, Cayuga, Chenango, Cortland, Madison, Onondaga, Oswego, Tioga, and Tompkins counties. The appointment was among four that DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos announced on Aug. 10. Glance most recently served as DEC’s deputy commissioner

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The appointment was among four that DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos announced on Aug. 10.

Glance most recently served as DEC’s deputy commissioner for environmental remediation and materials management. In that role, she oversaw DEC’s divisions of environmental remediation, materials management, and mineral resources.

Prior to joining DEC, Glance served as OCRRA executive director and was appointed by U.S. President Barack Obama as U.S. Commissioner at the International Joint Commission.

Glance’s experience also includes work with Citizens Campaign for the Environment; New York State’s Great Lakes Basin Advisory Council; Clean Water Network; and Onondaga Lake Partnership Outreach Committee, among other roles.

Besides Glance’s new role, Seggos also announced Suzanna Randall as the DEC’s first chief resiliency officer, Peter Reuben as the first-ever director of DEC’s Office of Indian Nation Affairs, and Cecilia Walsh as the DEC’s director of media relations.

Seggos contends these DEC leadership additions and changes are “critical to sustaining the success of New York’s environmental protection policies and programs.”

“Suzanna Randall and Peter Reuben are bringing extensive experience and skills to two new and critically important agency roles that focus on enhancing resiliency and strengthening relationships with Indigenous Nations,” Seggos said in the DEC news release. “Dereth Glance will continue bringing her energy and passion to a different role leading DEC’s presence in Central New York and the Southern Tier, and Cecilia Walsh will help guide our extensive engagement with the media to inform the public. DEC is strengthening our team to bolster our efforts to meet the unique challenges and opportunities before New York State.”

NYSDOT to close I-81 south ramp to I-481 north on Sept. 11 for project work

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Law, Accounting & Taxes, Manufacturing & Engineering, New York News, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism

The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) plans to close the exit ramp along Interstate 81 (I-81) south to Interstate 481 north at around

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