Tough New Anti-Smoking Ads to Air in Connecticut, Nationwide

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is launching its 2015 “Tips From Former Smokers” campaign with a series of powerful new ads featuring former smokers who suffer from smoking-related illnesses, including vision loss and colorectal cancer. Ads also highlight the benefits of quitting for smokers’ loved ones, and the importance of quitting cigarettes completely, not just cutting down. Cigarette smoking kills more than 480,000 Americans each year and remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States. For every American who dies from a smoking-related disease, about 30 more suffer at least one serious illness from smoking.

Beginning March 30, the ads will run for 20 weeks on television, radio, billboards, online, and in theaters, magazines, and newspapers. Connecticut is included in the national ad buy, which includes cable TV, magazine, and digital media, according to CDC officials. 

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that in 2013, 15.5 percent of Connecticut adults were smokers.  This was lower than the national average of 18.1 percent, and lower than the other New England states, which ranged from 16.2 percent (New Hampshire) to 20.2 percent (Maine).

CDC’s successful Tips national tobacco education campaign has helped prompt millions of smokers to try to quit since it began in 2012, officials said. It has also proven to be a “best buy” in public health by costing just $393 to save a year of life.

“These former smokers are helping save tens of thousands of lives by sharing their powerful stories of how smoking has affected them,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H.  “These new real-life ads will help smokers quit, adding years to their lives and life to their years.”

In 2014, Tips ads had an immediate and strong impact. When the ads were on the air, about 80 percent more people called the national quitline, CDC officials noted, for free help. Since 2012, Tips ads have generated more than 500,000 additional calls to the toll-free quitline number, 1-800-QUIT-NOW.

Nationally, about 3 in 4 adult e-cigarette users also smoke cigarettes. If you only cut down the number of cigarettes you smoke by adding another tobacco product, like e-cigarettes, you still face serious health risks, according to CDC offcials. Smokers must quit smoking completely to fully protect their health -- even a few cigarettes a day are dangerous, they emphasize.

The agency website, www.cdc.gov/tips, includes personal stories from the campaign.  The website also includes detailed assistance developed by the National Cancer Institute to support smokers trying to quit.

Besides the human cost, smoking takes a devastating toll on the nation’s economy, CDC officials point out. Those costs exceed $300 billion a year—nearly $170 billion in direct medical care for adults and more than $156 billion in lost productivity.

The Tips campaign serves as an important counter to the more than $8.3 billion spent annually by the tobacco industry to make cigarettes more attractive and more affordable, particularly to young people, officials said.

https://youtu.be/GEWky9PEroU

Too Much Sharing on Social Media - by Parents, Survey Finds

Earlier this month, the Lymes’ Youth Services Bureau offered a program for parents on social media and internet safety.  The focus, as is usually true of similar sessions in communities across the state, was on protecting children, and understanding how they are using social media. What is often overlooked in such community meetings is how parents – especially parents of young children - are using social media. Recent statistics from a national poll by the University of Michigan indicate that the parents of today’s youngsters are increasingly online using social media, often for reassurance, advice and guidance.  And they are concerned about how other parents are using - or overusing - social media.

Most parents of young children (84% of mothers, 70% of fathers) report using social media like Facebook, online forums, or blogs, according to the national poll. Over half of mothers (56%), compared with only 34% of fathers, discuss child health and parenting topics on social media.  When sharing parenting advice on social media, common topics include getting kids to sleep (28%), nutrition/eating tips (26%), discipline (19%), daycare/preschool (17%), and behavior problems (13%).

Parents rate social media as useful for making them feel like they are not alone (72%), learning what not to do (70%), getting advice from more experienced parents (67%), and helping them worry less (62%).  In contrast, about two-thirds of parents are concerned about someone finding out private information about their child (68%) or sharing photos of their child (67%), while 52% are concerned that when older, their child might be embarrassed about what they have shared on social media.

The majority of parents who use social media (74%) know of another parent who has shared too much information about a child on social media, including parents who gave embarrassing information about a child (56%), offered personal information that could identify a child’s location (51%), or shared inappropriate photos of a child (27%).

Parents in this national poll cite many benefits of using social media to seek and share parenting advice, most notably around feeling that they are not alone with parenting concerns. In the poll analysis, it is pointed out that connecting with another parent who is awake in the middle of the night can help to counteract feelings of isolation. Asking for other parents’ recommendations can facilitate the choice of a new childcare provider. And hearing about strategies used by other parents can offer practical tips to deal with a toddler’s behavior problem.

Parents also recognize that there can be downsides to sharing too much information about children on social media. Although there are no hard and fast rules about what is appropriate to share, this poll found that three-fourths of parents think another parent has shared too much information about their child online.

Other concerns about social media use pertain to fears that postings could be used to identify a child’s home, childcare or play locations. In certain situations, such as child custody disputes or domestic violence cases, disclosure of identifying information could pose a significant risk.  Many parents employ privacy settings on social media to control who can see their personal information; however, privacy settings are not well understood by all users, the poll indicates.

The University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital has coined the new term “sharenting,” the social media violation parents continue to commit with a simple keystroke and click.“By the time children are old enough to use social media themselves many already have a digital identity created for them by their parents,” research scientist in the U-M Department of Pediatrics Sarah J. Clark, associate director of the poll. “Parents are responsible for their child’s privacy and need to be thoughtful about how much they share on social media, so they can enjoy the benefits of camaraderie but also protect their children’s privacy today and in the future,” Clark said.

The survey, for the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health, was administered in November/December 2014 to a randomly selected, stratified group of adults age 18 and older. Responses from parents with a child 0-4 were used for this report.

https://youtu.be/o_xn6xwl0BI

Two CT Students Show Inventions at White House Science Fair

Two Connecticut students were among the featured participants Monday as President Barack Obama hosted the 5th annual White House Science Fair, celebrating the student winners of a broad range of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competitions across America. The high school students, whose ingenuity has been encouraged by their participation in the Connecticut Invention Convention (CIC), were Mallory Kievman of Manchester and Lilianna Zyszkowski of Southfield, MA, who attends the Indian Mountain School in Lakeville.  Zyszkowsi invented a series of products, including most recently the PillMinder, a pill cap that reminds users when to take their medication. Kievman invented Hiccupops, the world’s first-ever lollipop to help suppress the hiccups.

In addition to meeting with students and reviewing their innovations, President Obama announced new steps as part of his Educate to Innovate campaign to get more girls and boys, especially those from traditionally underrepresented groups, inspired and prepared to excel in the critical STEM fields.

This year is Lilianna Zyszkowski's fourth year with the CIC and her second year as part of the organization’s Next Step Inventor’s Program. Driven to invent things that help people, the 9th grader  has developed a series of CIC award winning inventions that use networked sensors to "mind" things for people.  Her first invention, created with a grandparent in mind, used capacitive touch sensors, LED's and a networked microcontroller to remind people to take their medications on schedule. The PillMinder alerts caregivers via Twitter and SMS whether the proper pills had been taken on time. As a CIC Next Step Inventor, Lilianna is working with a Silicon Valley firm, SaferLockRX.com, to bring the PillMinder technology to market as a pill cap that addresses pill safety and pill taking compliance.

The Connecticut Invention Convention (CIC) is an award winning, internationally recognized, 501(c)(3) educational organization, open to K-8 students statewide, designed to develop, encourage, and enhance critical thinking skills through invention, innovation and entrepreneurship.  The CIC curriculum is standards-based and enables students to research, analyze and effectively focus on and solve their real-life problems.

This year marks the first time that two CIC students were selected to participate in the White House Science Fair.  The Connecticut Invention Convention is the oldest kid invention curriculum and competition in the United States. Annually the CIC serves more than 15,700 students from more than 215 participating schools.  Each year, the top 1,000 student inventors participate in the annual state convention held at the University of Connecticut.  

After enduring recurring bouts of hiccups over an extended period in the 7th grade, Kievman researched the physiology of hiccups and the associated folk remedies that have persisted over time. Hiccups are a nuisance for most, but also a little-known side effect of chemotherapy, kidney dialysis, anesthesia, and other medical treatments—affecting quality of life for already-suffering patients.

Kievman, now in 11^th grade at Loomis Chaffee School, identified three approaches that worked to soothe her own hiccups: consuming apple cider vinegar, consuming sugar, and sucking on a lollipop. She combined all three approaches and coined her invention the “Hiccupop” – and is now a patented inventor (US Patent #8,563,030).

Her creation appears to work by over-stimulating a set of nerves in the throat and mouth that may be responsible for the hiccup reflex arc. She has contracted with a specialized facility in Texas to produce her product in volume, and the production line is already moving Hiccupops into the market.

Kievman and Zyszkowski were among 100 students from 30 states who were selected to present their inventions at the White House Science Fair.  As part of the Fair, President Obama announced over $240 million in new private-sector commitments to inspire and prepare more girls and boys – especially those from underrepresented groups – to excel in the STEM fields. With those commitments, the President’s “Educate to Innovate” campaign has resulted in over $1 billion in financial and in-kind support for STEM programs.  The initiatives announced Monday include a “Let Everyone Dream” campaign to expand STEM opportunities to under-represented youth and a Department of Education competition to create science and literacy themed media that inspires students to explore.

"It’s not enough for us to just lift up young people and say, great job, way to go," President Obama said.  "You also have to have labs to go to, and you’ve got to be able to support yourself while you’re doing this amazing research.  And that involves us as a society making the kind of investments that are going to be necessary for us to continue to innovate for many, many years to come."

In addition, the President announced that 120 universities and colleges have committing to train 20,000 engineers to tackle the “Grand Challenges” of 21st century  and a coalition of prominent CEOs, Change the Equation, has committed to expand effective STEM programs to an additional 1.5 million students this year. The White House also recently launched “Untold Stories of Women in Science and Technology” on the White House website.

The White House Science Fair, including remarks to the students by President Obama, was live streamed from the White House.  The White House website includes brief profiles of the students, including Kievman and Zyszkowski, and their innovations were featured in White House announcements during the day.

Last year, Kievman delivered a keynote speech at the CT Invention Convention, and issued a challenge to the inventors: to develop and commercialize their products and to give back to the community.  She has committed a percentage of the profits from Hiccupops to support programs like the CIC that encourage youth entrepreneurship and innovation.

Attendees joining President Obama and the students at the White House Science included Susan Desmond-Hellmann, CEO of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; Mariette DiChristina, Editor in Chief of Scientific American; Jim Gates, Member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST); Dean Kamen, Entrepreneur, Founder of FIRST; Dan Mote, President of the National Academy of Engineering and Bill Nye, the Science Guy.

https://youtu.be/OvPEhk5v7nc

Boston Children’s Hospital Delights with Interactive Wall Developed at UConn

It lives in Boston, but was built at UConn.  Boston Children’s Hospital’s recently installed Interactive Media Wall is an immense, high-tech, engagingly interactive product of the University of Connecticut’s Digital Media and Design program – a collaboration of students and faculty that is bringing smiles to children and families who encounter the massive 30-foot wall in the facility’s reconstructed lobby. For a team of animators accustomed to designing for screens a few inches across, the task of designing a scene three stories high was daunting – but a challenge they took on energetically.  The electronic wall consists of a large high-definition video screen, and a series of cameras and sensors that observe the presence and movement of people in the space below it, allowing people entering the space to control what appears on the screen.  It can be a powerful experience, for children and adults, as their movement defines the action on screen.

Rather than just showing a pretty picture, the wall hopes to offer some therapeutic benefit to the children who interact with it, in support of the mission of the hospital, which is widely considered one of the best pediatric hospitals in the world.

“The idea was to empower emotionally and physically challenged children to take control of something in their life, at a time when things were spinning out of control,” Tim Hunter, Department Head of Digital Media & Design and Director of the Digital Media Center told UConn Today.

How did a major healthcare facility in Boston connect with Connecticut’s flagship university for the project?

Prior to joining UConn’s faculty in 2007, Hunter spent 25 years developing and producing national and international design projects through his New York City based company. His areas of expertise are in digital animation design & production, digital media design & production, lighting design, scenic design and video projection design.

Through that firm, he had worked for many years with Boston-based Elkus/Manfredi Architects, which in turn worked with Boston Children’s Hospital on various projects.  When the project to renovate the facility’s lobby came along, the architects suggested that hospital leadership contact Hunter to see what he would envision as a centerpiece, interactive experience. 

It was a good match.  Initial work began on the project at UConn in the fall of 2011, accelerating during the spring 2012 semester.  Plans called for the UConn Digital Media Center faculty and students to develop a unique imaging and sensing system that would be controlled by guests of the hospital as they traveled through the lobby.  The work was completed in mid-November 2014, and has been well-received by patients, visitors and staff, earning a not-to-be-missed following.

The UConn team drew on the expertise of faculty members from a broad range of disciplines. Experts in child psychology, in human behavior, and in several disciplines of computer science and engineering contributed to the development of the installation.

That kind of collaboration was critical to the success of the wall, says Hunter, even though such projects are not usually developed at an academic institution. “A university is not the first place you would look for something like this,” said the industry veteran-turned-educator.

Among the students participating in the project were William Pritchard, interaction design and project management; Somaiyeh Ghaffarnia, animation and character development; Sean Dexter, 3D animation; Kevin Richetelli, 2D animation; Samantha Menza, game design; Tom Lee, game design and music composition; and Tiffany Hoang, game design. Prtichard and Ghaffarnia began working on the project as undergrads and continued while pursuing their graduate degrees.  The other students were undergrads.

UConn faculty involved in the project, along with Hunter, were Samantha Olschan, animation and character development; Mike Vertefeuille, technology and installation; and Zsolt Palatinus, data mathematician.  Also participating were staff member Michael Toomey, interaction design and project management, and CHIP members Tim Gifford and Christian Wanamaker, engineering and coding.

There may be more to come.  UConn’s Digital Design department – with students in Storrs and Stamford - and Boston Children’s Hospital now have an ongoing relationship, with plans for UConn to develop new interactive experiences for the next five years.

https://youtu.be/DD7gk2kHP3g

As Competency-Based Education Gains Interest, Charter Oak State College Among Leaders

“Competency-based education has the potential to streamline the path to a college degree for a significant number of students, both working adults who can apply their skills and experiences to earn credit for what they already know and other students who prefer self-paced learning over the traditional time-based model of earning credits.” That is the conclusion of a new report analyzing the current status – and future potential – of competency-based education (CBE) in the United States, researched by the American Enterprise Institute’s Center on Higher Education Reform.

The study, “The Landscape of Competency-Based Education,” found that there are currently 34 colleges nationwide that have CBE programs, with at least 18 more colleges working on developing programs.  One of those 34 colleges is Connecticut’s Charter Oak State College, the state’s on-line degree-granting institution.  It is the only Connecticut college highlighted in the report. 

For Charter Oak, the approach is wholly consistent with its mission, not a new concept, and growing in interest and popularity among potential students.

The report indicates that a growing number of colleges and universities are offering, or soon will offer, college credits in exchange for direct demonstrations of learning, NPR recently reported. “That's a big shift from credit hours — the currency of higher education for more than a century — which require students to spend an allotted amount of time with instructors.  A ‘competency’ might be a score on a standardized exam or a portfolio of work. The major argument in favor of competency-based programs is that they will offer nontraditional students a more direct, more affordable path to a degree,” the NPR story indicated.

Charter Oak State College has been very involved in the competency based education national movement for some time. The institution’s President and Provost are part of the steering committee of C-BEN, the Competency Based Education Network which is comprised of colleges who are interested in “pushing the traditional college delivery envelope.”  The initiative is funded by the Lumina Foundation, one of the nation’s most respected education foundations.

Charter Oak State College President Ed Klonoski participated in a panel of leading higher education innovators in Washington, D.C. to discuss new and emerging models of academic learning and assessment. The panel was moderated by Jamie Merisotis, Lumina Foundation President & CEO (and a Connecticut native), and took place in The Dirksen Senate Office Building nearly two years ago.

Klonoski pointed out that "at Charter Oak we have been offering competency based approaches to higher education since our founding in 1973,” adding that “these approaches are now being highlighted as ways to lower the cost of higher education and accelerate degree attainment."

Panelists addressed the growing importance of identifying and assessing learning outcomes and their impact on shortening the time toward degree completion, and shared insights about innovative and effective models in linking learning and degree attainment.

Also in 2014, the federal Department of Education sought proposals from institutions seeking status as experimental sites focused on competency-based education. Charter Oak submitted an individual college response and a joint response with C-BEN members.  By late last month, the federal agency designated Charter Oak as one of 11 CBEN institutions to participate.

Charter Oak’s proposal would create an Experimental Site in financial aid that would offer aid to students for prior learning (established via portfolios and tests), with the aim of making a college degree more affordable and accessible.

The American Enterprise Institute report calls for more data to be gathered in rigorously examining the range of CBE programs being offered and developed, to better identify strengths and weaknesses of the various types of programs, and the students who would benefit most from particular programs.  The report was researched by Robert Kelchen, assistant professor of higher education at Seton Hall University, who noted of the evolving field, “there is still no consensus definition of CBE, even among the institutions that provide it.”  Programs fall into two main areas, according to the report:

• Well-established prior learning assessments (PLA), which grant credits for content that a student has previously mastered; and
• Newer competency-based coursework, where students progress toward a degree as they demonstrate mastery of new academic content.

The American Institute plans additional reports on additional aspects of CBE, as the field continues to “catch the attention of federal and state policymakers, foundations, and colleges.”

Western Connecticut Earns Acclaim for Performing Arts Center, Theater Program

It turns out that the phrase “build it and (they) will come” applies to more than a fictional baseball story.  At Western Connecticut State University, the new Visual and Performing Arts Center, opened last fall, is already drawing accolades, and with it a brighter spotlight on the school’s academic theater program. The latest one-two punch of notoriety comes from OnStage, a Connecticut-based blog dedicated to “promoting theatre from Broadway to your hometown,” with the announcement that Western’s Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts program is one of the 10 best in the country in 2015.  In addition, the facility itself has been ranked at #9 among the Top-25 "Most Amazing" Campus Arts Centers by the website CollegeDegreesResearch.net.

The website commended the facility’s “three wings separated by a lobby featuring a bridge which appears to float above stunning maple floors. The studio theater has a flexible stage that can be set as an oval, or round shape, or as a square, while the main stage theater has more of a traditional setup, and both have the latest in audio/visual technology. This 130,000 square foot beauty was finished just a few months ago and quickly earned LEED silver certification.”

Joining WCSU in the top 10 were performing arts centers at: California Polytechnic State University, Emerson College, Sonoma State University, University of North Texas, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Emory University, Lynn University (FL), Soka University (CA), and University of Northern Iowa.  The institutions were praised for facilities that “possess great functional beauty and inspirational qualities.”

In naming WCSU’s theatre program to its Top-10 list, Chris Peterson, OnStage editor-in-chief, wrote:

“It’s very rare to find a state university commit as much to the theatre arts as WCSU has in the past couple years. This past fall they opened their brand new $97 million Visual and Performing Arts Center. This stunning new facility is home to a 350-seat theatre, a 125-seat studio theatre, a 350-seat concert hall, an art gallery, a recording studio and state-of-the-art rehearsal, classroom and studio art facilities.”

At number 10, WCSU rounds off a list that includes James Madison University, the University of Alabama, the Catholic University of America, Muhlenberg College, Drew University, Wesleyan University, Bennington College, Pepperdine University and Willamette University.

The comments aren’t limited to the facility, quickly moving on to the program offered by the state university, which maximizes its geographic proximity to New York City.

“The program at WCSU is also very strong. Students can receive their B.A. in Theatre Arts with concentrations in Performance, Design/Technology, Theatre Arts Management, Drama Studies or receive their B.A. in Musical Theatre. While learning from professional resident faculty, students will have the chance to participate in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and an annual New York City Showcase, ‘WCSU Off-Broadway.’ They also do a ton of community outreach by performing children’s productions throughout the year… The tuition is quite reasonable for a state institution and given the quality of the program and the facilities you can work in, I’d say this is a steal.”

The university points out that "graduates of the school’s programs in art, music and theatre have become successful within the creative sector of our economy as performers, educators, designers, artists, and entrepreneurs."

The criteria used to determine the top ten, according to the website, included tuition/value, faculty, facilities, productions and resources beyond campus. Colleges with “both B.A. and B.F.A. degrees have incredible facilities and faculty because they have both programs; this list only contains schools that have B.A.’s alone.”  WCSU is part of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universitys (CSCU) system, which includes four state universities, 12 community colleges and the on-line Charter Oak State College.

https://youtu.be/irCxZNZk9Rg

Questionable Patent Claims Push Small Businesses to Pay Rather Than Fight; Congress to Again Consider Reforms

The odyssey began with a letter.  The owner of an Old Lyme small business, providing employment services for people with disabilities, was told that by scanning documents into emails, she was violating a patent.  In fact, every scan meant a $1,000 fine.  Pay $75,000, she was told, or face legal action. She ignored the first letter, hoping it was junk mail.  When a second, “scarier, and more threatening” arrived, she contacted an attorney, who put her in touch with a patent attorney.

What was happening was a phenomenon described as patent trolling.  The New York Times has described patent trolls as “people who sue companies for infringement, often using patents of dubious value or questionable relevance, and then hold on like a terrier until they get license fees. In recent years, patent trolls — they prefer “patent assertion entities,” or P.A.E.’s — have gone from low-profile corporate migraine to mainstream scourge.”

Roberta Hurley, the small business owner in Connecticut, describes them as “creepy people,” intentionally frightening business owners with a “big scam.”  They depend on the unknowing to pay the outrageous demands, afraid of being taken to court.

The company making the demand could not be reached by phone, and the letter had nothing more than a Post Office box for an address.  But the tone was nonetheless daunting.

“If you’re scared, you don’t understand patent infringement, don’t have the funds to hire an attorney, which is true of many mom and pop businesses, it’s easier to write a check to stop them,” Hurley observed.

She couldn’t afford the $75,000 being demanded – “I would have had to close my doors” – and decided she would fight, and did.  “I wasn’t doing it,” she recalled.

It took time, effort and energy, and a bill from her attorney, but ultimately the demands stopped.  The entire process went on for nearly a year and a half, ending in 2013.  Along the way, she testified in Washington, went public to the news media, and told everyone she could what was happening.

Patent trolls may not have succeeded in this instance, but often do.  As The Atlantic pointed out in an article on the subject, “Given the cost, many defendants are willing to pay the troll to avoid a lawsuit even if the suit is not justified.”

In 2013, American courts saw six times as many patent lawsuits as in the 1980s, a Boston Globe op-ed by the authors of “Patent Failure” reported last fall.  “Over the past decade, there has been a 900 percent increase in the number of businesses facing patent litigation.”  They added that “recent research estimated that defendants spent at least $29 billion per year in out-of-pocket costs to defend or settle claims brought forth by patent trolls in 2011. Patent lawsuits by these entities drain an estimated $60 billion every year from the economy.”

Last month, a bipartisan group of 20 members of Congress reintroduced legislation aimed at reining in "patent trolls." A similar bill last year was approved by the House, but stalled in the Senate.  The legislation would express a sense of Congress that sending purposely evasive demand letters should be considered a fraudulent and deceptive practice, according to a published report in The Hill, a website that reports on Congress and the nation’s Capitol.

The Credit Union League of Connecticut is among the local and national consumer organizations urging approval of safeguards against patent trolls.  "Patent trolls often allege that the use of necessary everyday technology violates the patent holders' rights, state vague or hypothetical theories of infringement, often overstate or grossly reinterpret the patent in question, and make allegations of infringement of expired or previously licensed patents," the organization said in urging Congressional action.

The Connecticut Retail Merchant Association has also called for federal action, noting that “patent trolls are entities that threaten main street businesses with frivolous lawsuits over vaguely crafted or poorly worded patents. Usually, the patent troll wins a settlement because small businesses do not have the resources to fight it out in court. In fact, most trolls wouldn’t stand a chance to win and so they rely on scare tactics to extract a settlement, said Executive Director Tim Phelan in an op-ed published last year.  The National Retail Federation has pointed out that patent trolls "lose more than 90 percent of the cases that make it to trial. But the cost of defending companies against the claims is so high — the average case costs $2 million and can take 18 months — that many victims settle out of court. The cases cost legitimate businesses close to $30 billion a year in direct costs and $80 billion indirectly, amounting to $943 a year for the average household when passed on to consumers."

Authors Michael J. Meurer and James Bessen indicate, based on their research, that "there is no question that patent trolls cause immense harm. A recent survey of software startups found that nearly half reported “significant operational impacts” from patent troll lawsuits. These included a wholesale change of strategy or a shutdown of certain lines of business. Another survey found that roughly three of every four venture capitalists were adversely impacted by patent litigation."

Hurley, who has grown her Eastern Connecticut business (Southeastern Employment Services) from less than a handful of employees to 80 employees in just over a dozen years, says her advice to other small business owners is simple:  “don’t give them a penny.”  And she hopes that this will be the year that Congress approves patent reforms that will protect unsuspecting small business owners from “paying because they’re scared.”

Connecticut Medal of Science Nomination Deadline Approaches

The Connecticut Medal of Science is Connecticut’s highest honor for scientific achievement in fields crucial to Connecticut's economic competitiveness and social-well-being. Nominations for the 2015 awards, to be announced in May, are due by Friday, March 13. The Medal recognizes an individual who has made extraordinary contributions to the advancement of science in Connecticut. For this competition, science spans the physical and biological disciplines as well as mathematics, engineering and the social and behavioral sciences.

Modeled after the National Medal of Science, the award is bestowed in alternate years with the Connecticut Medal of Technology.  (Science in odd-numbered years; Technology in even-numbered years.) The most recent Medal of Science recipient, in 2013, was Thomas A. Steitz, Sterling Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Professor of Chemistry, at Yale University and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator.

Unlike their federal counterparts, the state medals are designed to recognize individuals, not teams or entire corporations. The work the awards honor must also have a "clear association with Connecticut," meaning it must have been performed in the state, at least in its final stages, or in a company or institution closely affiliated with the state. Profiles of all Medal recipients are featured permanently in the Hall of Fame, located at the Connecticut Science Center in Hartford.

Selection of the Medalist is conducted by the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering, using the following criteria:

1. Total impact of the candidate’s work on the current state of physical, biological, mathematical, engineering, or social and behavioral sciences. (primary criterion)
2. Achievements of an unusually significant nature and their potential effects on the development of scientific thought.
3. Distinguished service in the general advancement of science and engineering accompanied by substantial contributions to the content of science.
4. Recognition by peers within the scientific community.
5. Contributions to innovation and industry.
6. Influence on education through publications, students, etc.
7. A significant portion of the candidate’s work must have been performed in, or be associated with, an institution/organization/business located in Connecticut at least in its more mature and developed stage and during which time the candidate was a citizen of the U.S. or permanent resident who had applied for citizenship.

Nominations include a narrative statement by the individual making the nomination and three statements of support “from persons familiar with the technological aspects of the candidate's work.”

To date, Connecticut Medalists are:

Medal of Science

• Frederick M. Richards, Yale University
• Ronald R. Coifman, Yale University
• William C. Stwalley, University of Connecticut
• Michael P. Snyder, Yale University
• Robert R. Birge, University of Connecticut
• Steven L. Suib, University of Connecticut
• Thomas A. Steitz, Yale University

Medal of Technology

• Joseph Gerber, Gerber Scientific
• Charles H. Kaman, Kaman Corporation
• Anthony J. DeMaria, DEOS, LLC
• Gene Banucci, ATMI, Inc.
• Tso-Ping Ma, Yale University
• Jonathan M. Rothberg, Ion Forrent
• Yaakov Bar-Shalom, University of Connecticut
• Frederick J. Leonberger, EOvation Advisors

The 2015 Medal of Science will be presented at the May 19, 2015 Annual Dinner of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering. Additional information is available from Richard Strauss, Executive Director of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering, at 860-571-7135.

3 Cities, 3 Towns from CT Take Up National Challenge on Pedestrian, Bicyclist Safety to Launch Thursday

Six Connecticut towns and cities are among the first 150 in the nation to respond to a challenge issued by U.S. Secretary of Transportation (USDOT) Anthony Foxx aimed at promoting bicyclist and pedestrian safety.  The year-long nationwide initiative will officially kick-off this Thursday. The chief elected officials of the cities of Hartford, Stamford, and Bridgeport, and the towns of Glastonbury, Simsbury, and South Windsor have signed on to the Mayor’s Challenge, announced earlier this year at the annual meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.  The Mayors’ Challenge for Safer People and Safer Streets is a call to action by Secretary Foxx for mayors and local elected officials  to take significant action to improve safety for bicycle riders and pedestrians of all ages and abilities over the next year.

The challenge is based on the 2010 USDOT Policy Statement on Bicycle and Pedestrian Accommodation to incorporate safe and convenient walking and bicycling facilities into transportation projects. In the policy statements, USDOT recognizes the many benefits walking and bicycling provide — including health, safety, environmental, transportation, and quality of life.

The challenge calls on Mayors, First Selectmen and other chief elected officials to:

• Issue a public statement about the importance of bicycle and pedestrian safety
• Form a local action team to advance safety and accessibility goals
• Take local action through seven Challenge activities (listed below)

In Connecticut, the advocacy organization Bike Walk Connecticut is urging Connecticut's chief elected officials to participate in the challenge and engage their residents in carrying out the initiative’s objectives. They applauded Foxx, a former Mayor of Charlotte, N.C., for making “bicycle and pedestrian safety is his signature issue as the head of USDOT.”

The challenge activities, as outlined by USDOT, include:

• Take a Complete Streets approach
• Identify and address barriers to make streets safe and convenient for all road users, including people of all ages and abilities and those using assistive mobility devices
• Gather and track biking and walking data
• Use designs that are appropriate to the context of the street and its uses
• Take advantage of opportunities to create and complete ped-bike networks through maintenance
• Improve walking and biking safety laws and regulations
• Educate and enforce proper road use behavior by all

A total of 154 cities nationwide have signed on as of March 6, with the official kick-off later this week in Washington, D.C.  Additional municipalities in Connecticut and across the country are expected to add their names to the list of participating cities.  USDOT has invited Mayors' Challenge participants to attend the Mayors' Challenge Summit kick-off event at USDOT’s Headquarters’ office in the nation's capital on Thursday, March 12. The Summit will bring together participating cities to network and learn more about the Challenge activities, and USDOT staff members will share the resources and tools available to help cities with Challenge activities.

Federal officials note that the lack of systematic data collection related to walking and bicycling transportation, such as count data, travel survey data, and injury data, creates challenges for improving non-motorized transportation networks and safety. Communities that routinely collect walking and biking data, they point out, are better positioned to track trends and prioritize investments.

In advocating a “complete streets” approach, USDOT emphasizes that complete streets “make it safe and convenient for people of all ages and abilities to reach their destination whether by car, train, bike, or foot” and they call for “a policy commitment to prioritize and integrate all road users into every transportation project.”

Bike Walk Connecticut has reported that there were 49 bicycle or pedestrian fatalities in Connecticut in 2012, the most recent data available.  There were an additional 1,226 injuries to bicyclists or pedestrians.  In total, from 2006 to 2012, there were more than 10,000 injuries and nearly 300 fatalities from crashes involving pedestrians or bicyclists, according to the organization, based on federal and state data.

New “Digital Cookie” Program Brings On-Line Sales to Girl Scouts of Connecticut

Another time-honored tradition has transitioned to the digital age.  Girl Scouts are now selling their celebrated line of cookies on-line.  Connecticut is one of the Girl Scout Councils across the country to be participating in the inaugural year of the Digital Cookie program – and the response has been better than expected. The new Digital Cookie program strengthens, expands, and enhances the well-known and highly regarded Girl Scout Cookie Program by “combining the values and lessons of door-to-door and booth sales with crucial 21st century business and entrepreneurial skills,” official say, “continuing Girl Scouts’ long tradition of preparing today’s girls to be the female leaders of tomorrow.”

Here’s how it works:  Prospective cookie customers are able to purchase cookies on-line, after having been contacted by a Girl Scout. (Or you can tell a Girl Scout you know that you're interested in becoming a Digital Cookie customer.) Each scout has their own personal page thru which the cookies are ordered, so the scout will receive credit for the sale, just as when the transaction is completed in-person.  Officials say that some girls will market their online cookie business by inviting customers to visit their personalized cookie websites through a link sent via email.  Others will take in-person orders using a unique mobile app designed specifically for Girl Scouts.

“We were excited here in Connecticut to give our Girl Scouts the opportunity to participate in a pilot of Digital Cookie, a first-of-its-kind web platform that lets girls sell cookies from their own protected, personalized websites,” said Tiffany Ventura Thiele, Communications & PR Manager for Girl Scouts of Connecticut.

“Digital Cookie represents the next evolution of the iconic Girl Scout Cookie Program, adding a digital layer that broadens and strengthens the Five Skills girl learn, while introducing modern elements like website customization and e-commerce,” Thiele explained.

Those skills haven’t changed:  goal-setting, decision-making, money management, people skills and business ethics.  With the new on-line system, customers will be able to pay by credit card and have cookies either delivered by the Girl Scout or shipped.

Sales are running strong thus far.  To date, in Connecticut, nearly 38,000 packages have been sold on-line, with more than 2,500 girls participating.  In fact, orders placed in Connecticut have been shipped to 49 states and the District of Columbia, as well as to military personnel.  (If you’re wondering, nearly two million boxes of cookies were delivered this past weekend, based on initial orders taken by Girl Scouts in Connecticut.)

Nationwide, a majority of the 112 local Girl Scout councils are participating in the Digital Cookie program for the inaugural 2014–2015 cookie season, which began in January.  Additional councils expected to be on board by the end of the year, using an updated version of the program, which will be tweaked based on the feedback received from participating Councils.

Officials stress that “because 100 percent of the net revenue raised through the Girl Scout Cookie Program stays with local councils, when you purchase Girl Scout Cookies you’re not only getting a delicious treat — you’re also making an important investment in your community.”

There are two new cookie options locally this year:  Rah-Rah Raisins, an oatmeal cookie, and Toffee-tastics, a gluten-free butter cookie with toffee pieces.

An informal poll on the national Girl Scouts website asks visitors to vote for their favorite Girl Scout cookie.  The top three thus far:  Samoas (30%), Thin Mints (27%), and Samoas (13%).

If you’ve yet to place an order, there’s still time if you have a sweet tooth for Samoas, Thin Mints, Tagalongs, Do-Si-Dos, Savannah Smiles, Trefolis or the two new offerings.  The Girl Scouts of Connecticut’s cookie program will continue with booth sales through the month of March, so there’s still a chance to fill the cookie jar.