Stony Brook University’s College of Business is launching a new workshop series for small business owners across Long Island to assist them in coping with pandemic-related change. Bank of America has stepped in to allow these workshops to be offered at no cost, allowing participants to leave their financial worries at the door.

Local entrepreneurs benefit from online advice.

Dubbed “Pandemic Shift,” the workshops were developed by the College of Business and the Shift Group, an educational business with roots in Suffolk County. Pandemic Shift is designed to help small businesses facing coronavirus-related disruptions learn to adapt to new challenges.

Built with a valuable peer-to-peer learning component, which proved effective in helping small businesses recover after the financial crisis in 2008, Pandemic Shift creates small solution teams for each participant during the workshop’s four 90-minute virtual sessions, all of which take place on Zoom.

Highlights of this program will include a workshop focused on partnerships and co-promotional opportunities to help businesses collaborate and assist Chambers to shift their own practices; and a workshop that will spotlight diversity in the business community. Other topics will include attention-grabbing and expansive promotional ideas and business development.

“We were impressed with the outcome of the Pandemic Shift pilot in June, which created solutions, introduced participants to our faculty, who advised in their areas of expertise, and connected participants with students in both business and engineering to help with technology and other topics,” said Dean Manuel London of the College of Business. “This is another example of how Stony Brook University collaborates with and provides assistance to the business community.”

Read the full story: https://news.stonybrook.edu/homespotlight/college-of-business-launches-free-workshops-for-local-business-owners-impacted-by-covid-19/

Harnessing creativity, technology and teamwork, Stony Brook’s iCREATE has stepped up to address a critical need in the current coronavirus crisis: the need for protective face shields.

“Anybody who’s been paying attention to the news understands that there’s a shortage of personal protective equipment for medical personnel,” said Charlie McMahon, Interim Senior Vice President of Information Technology and Enterprise CIO for Stony Brook University.

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends full face shields for medical personnel to protect both themselves and their patients. During a meeting to discuss ways to support medical personnel during the COVID-19 crisis, Judith Greiman, Chief Deputy to the President and Senior Vice President for Government and Community Relations, mentioned an upstate New York company that was printing face shields on a 3D printer.

“She knew we had the iCREATE department here, and we have 3D printing capability,” said McMahon. “She showed me the article and asked, ‘Can we do this?’”

The answer to that challenge was “yes.”

Read the full story: https://news.stonybrook.edu/featuredpost/stony-brook-ingenuity-takes-on-coronavirus/

Hand sanitizer, produced by the Stony Brook University Chemistry Department, was shared with Stony Brook University Hospital and the Long Island State Veteran’s Home to aid health care providers working on the front line of the COVID-19 patient care.

From left: Dr. Shabnam Davoodi and Dr. Xinxin Yang flank the hand sanitizer created by the Chemistry Department. The Chemistry Department used their knowledge to help keep medical professionals safe.

Manufactured in the Department’s six general chemistry labs, with water and raw health grade materials, and following World Health Organization protocols, the hand sanitizer is packaged in 4-liter plastic containers, easy to distribute and use.

SUNY Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Chemistry, Peter Tonge, is leading the initiative with the support of Dr. Xinxin Yang and Dr. Shabnam Davoodi. Dr. Yang is a research scientist in Nicole Sampson’s lab (Sampson is also a SUNY distinguished professor of Chemistry and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences), and Dr. Davoodi is a postdoctoral student in the Tonge lab. In only one day of production, the team made 17 gallons of hand sanitizer.