Congratulations to M&T Bank on its feature in Buffalo Business First for the establishment of new tech company Nota! Nota – a digital banking solution — functions like any other fast-growing startup in the Thomas R. Beecher Jr. Innovation Center. The only difference? It was created by one of the region’s largest companies. To read more about M&T’s new tech company, CLICK HERE!
(Pictured: Paul Garibian, who leads M&T’s new tech startup, Nota.)
Author: brian
March Madness Data Metrics – Postponed
This event has been postponed, We will make an announcement when it can be rescheduled.
On March 18, 2020, 2:30-4:30 pm, TIBCO will be at the Innovation Center to show YOU how you can accurately predict the winners and losers of the largest basketball tournament of the year with TIBCO’s industry-leading data analytics software. Last year, TIBCO customers had a 98% accuracy rate, and a majority of last year’s attendees actually won their office pools! So come ready to make your predictions, compare your bracket with other attendees, and gain last-minute tips to improve your chances of winning this season!
Oh yeah, did we mention that there’s a FREE HAPPY HOUR too???
HWI to Host Meteorologist Book Signing
Jennifer Stanonis, award-winning [former] local TV meteorologist, is releasing her first ever children’s book focused on the science of weather, and the Hauptman-Woodward Institute (HWI) is proud to be a part of the launch events!
Willy and Lilly’s Adventures with Weather will make its international debut on March 19, 2020 — the same day as the Spring Equinox. To celebrate the book release, Stanonis will be at HWI on Friday, March 20th from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm for a book signing and meet and greet (light refreshments provided).
HWI looks forward to seeing everyone who can stop by, meet the author and get a book signed! Thank you for your support!
Mental Health Matters at BNMC
On Tuesday February 14th , the BNMC Healthy Workplace Initiative hosted a Mental Health First Aid training for its client companies. There were 22 people in attendance from 11 companies, including Walsh Duffield, United Way of Buffalo and Erie County, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Lawley, and Pegula Sports Entertainment.
This nationally recognized training was provided locally by Compeer Buffalo, a non-profit that takes a friendship wp-contentroach to Mental Health. Its model is nationally recognized and has been awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as well as the American Psychiatric Association.
Mental Health First Aid training aims to educate the public on how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance abuse disorders. Upon completion of the training, participants received a certificate, identifying them as Mental Health First Aiders, equipped with the skills needed to reach out, offer help, and support someone who may be experiencing a crisis. Participants also walk away with a simple 5-step action plan in hand to help a colleague, loved one, or neighbor in dealing with a crisis until professional treatment is obtained.
Mental health is the most frequently requested topic among companies in the Healthy Workplace Initiative, and it is unfortunate the depth of local data available that supports this trend. According to the Economic Impact of Poor Health on Our WNY Community, depression alone is 19% prevalent in the Buffalo-Niagara region and costs our local workforce $170 million per year in medical spending and $415.7 million productivity losses each year. These data, combined with the existing stigma surrounding mental health, demonstrate the immediate need for further action to address the well-being of our region. BNMC hosted this training to not only improve mental health literacy among the local workforce, but to also empower collective urgency in combating mental health stigma through harnessing a proactive wp-contentroach.
In addition to being highly informative and educational on a variety of mental health challenges, the training featured a series of interactive activities to further reinforce course content. One of the most impactful activities involved comparing various mental health challenges with physical health illnesses. Based on a study by the World Health Organization, the rankings demonstrated how mental health challenges can be equally or even more compromising to activities of daily life as physical health challenges, such as vision loss.
Thank you to Walsh Duffield for sponsoring the event!
For more information on Mental Health First Aid Training, please visit http://www.compeerbuffalo.org/mhfa/
Hotlines in Crisis
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK
National Crisis Text Line Text HOME to 741741
24-Hour Suicide Prevention Hotline for Erie County 716-834-3131
UB’s CTSI Community Partnership Development Seed Grant
The University at Buffalo’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) provides seed grants that support the planning of community-based participatory research projects and engagement of communities in research.
The goal of these awards is to increase the number of community-academic partnerships that are prepared to collaborate on the design and implementation of research projects, specifically those that address health disparities, aim to improve health equity, and generate preliminary data for submission of larger grants to intramural and extramural sources. Seed grants not exceeding $5,000 will be awarded to academic-community teams for:
- Development of community-engaged research partnerships
- Collaboration on the design of pilot research
- Development of community-engaged research proposals for external funding
Letters of Intent are due by March 9, 2020. Selected LOIs will be invited to submit full proposals based on criteria outlined in the RFP.
CLICK HERE for more information!
REDDY BikeShare Has Best Year Yet!
Big things are hwp-contentening on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus! As REDDY BikeShare celebrates 2019 being its fourth and most successful season – including its bike fleet hitting 200 and expanding to Niagara Falls – the Innovation Center tenant gears up for another successful season with even more in store for the 2020! (Not to mention handing out some free REDDY memberships to some lucky Buffalo bikers!) CLICK HERE to read REDDY’s full Buffalo Rising feature and learn more about what they have going on!
Drive Green: The Truth About EV Winter Worries
If you’re thinking about making the switch to an electric car, you might be nervous about winter driving. Not to worry! Here are some quick truths and tips about driving your electric vehicle (EV) through a New York winter, with tons more info here.
TRUTHS
Your range will decrease in the winter. Because batteries operate less efficiently when they’re cold, your EV will get fewer miles per kilowatt-hour in the winter. However, the range for gas powered cars also decreases by as much as 22% in the winter!
Snow and ice are not usually a problem for EVs. Because the battery often makes up the floorboard of the vehicle, EVs have a low center of gravity and evenly distributed weight, which makes them stable and easy to maneuver, and increases traction on snow or icy terrain.
TIPS
Precondition your vehicle. Warm up your car while it’s still plugged in so that you don’t deplete your battery’s reserves. Getting into a warm car also means you don’t have to crank the heat as much once it’s unplugged!
Use the special heating features for your vehicle. If your car offers heated seats and steering wheels, use them! They will use less energy and allow you to comfortably keep the cabin temperature slightly lower.
Drive efficiently. Use regenerative breaking to capture any energy that might otherwise be lost and avoid speeding as it increases drag, which decreases mileage.
Park and charge somewhere warm. If you must park outside, try to find a sunny spot to keep your battery warm.
To learn more about the ins and outs of driving your electric vehicle in the winter, please visit drivegreen.nationalgridus.com/learn/winter.
IC Success to Kickoff 2020 Cohort
Are you an entrepreneur or business professional who needs to grow their network but have trouble starting a conversation with new people? Do you like to play Uno? If you said yes to either of these, join us at our IC Success 2020 Kickoff! This event will be held March 11, 2020 at 6:00 pm in dig @ the Innovation Center (640 Ellicott St Buffalo, NY 14203). The first session of IC Success 2020 – Turning Passion in to Profit – will run March 17-April 7, 2020 with Power 93.7 WBLK’s ADRI.V the Go Getta facilitating. For more information, or to register for the networking event, please visit www.bnmc-connect.eventbrite.com.
Beakers is Back!
Hello Buffalo! Beakers & Beer is back and better than ever! Join us every 3rd Thursday of the month, February through May 2020, for BNMC’s signature networking event. Featuring food, booze and making great connections, we are sure that you’ll not only have a great time but also leave with an expanded network (which ultimately expands your net worth)! This series of Beakers & Beer will take place on February 20th, March 19th, April 16th, and May 21st. They all will take place in dig @ the Innovation Center (640 Ellicott Street, 14203) except for April’s, which will be hosted by Big Ditch Brewing Company (55 E. Huron Street, 14203). A very huge shout out goes to Beakers & Beer beverage sponsor Big Ditch Brewing Company! For more information, or to register for Beakers & Beer, please visit our Events page at www.bnmc-old.local/events. We can’t wait to see you there!
National Grid $500 Power-Driven Promo
National Grid $500 Power-Driven Promo
There are lots of reasons to switch to an electric car: they’re more fun to drive, cheaper to fuel, and way better for the environment than gas guzzlers. You already live or work near a charging station, but if you’re still waiting for a sign to make the switch to electric, this is it.
From November 1st until the end of the year, National Grid customers in upstate New York who purchase an electric car are eligible for a $500 Visa gift card as a special bonus!
This $500 is enough to cover charging for 12,000 driving miles, jump start the installation of your own at-home charging station, or go for a wintertime getaway in your brand new electric car. Learn more and wp-contently for your gift card here.
Curious about electric cars but don’t know where to start? Drive Green with National Grid is a program to help you learn everything you need to know about driving on electricity. Whether you’re planning on buying a new car soon or you’ve still got plenty of life left in your old gas guzzler, your next car should be electric!
For more information about Drive Green with National Grid, or if you have any questions about electric cars and this special end-of-the-year offer, please call us at 1-800-287-3950 x7, or email us at drivegreenuny@greenenergyconsumers.org.
IC Success Series Rewind
IC Success Series Rewind
The BNMC is proud to have launched our first IC Success series at the Innovation Center, a 6-week curriculum featuring two separate tracks on digital media marketing and financial literacy and credit building. These workshops were facilitated by all minority & women owned small businesses, and designed to inspire creativity, leadership and entrepreneurial thinking in an inclusive, welcoming environment. Stay tuned for brand new IC Success classes coming soon!
BNMC Summer Block Party
BNMC Hosts 3rd Annual Summer Block Party
The BNMC Summer Block Party is on Thursday, August 22nd from 4-7 p.m. at Kaminski Park & Gardens at Roswell Park. Employees, neighbors, and friends of the BNMC are invited to join us in celebrating a fun summer night on Campus! This free, family-friendly event is held in partnership with Roswell Park, the University at Buffalo, and Northwest Bank, and features food, live music, community organizations, kids’ activities, and more.
Event Highlights:
- Clown Around Entertainment will provide carnival games with tents, popcorn machines, face painters, and a prize booth.
- Live music from the band, A-Team.
- Plenty of food
- Community organizations with hands-on activities
- Fun activities for all ages!