Magnitude and Direction — Issue #199
Fitted sheets, sentence lengths, and who needs a GUI?
Welcome to the latest installment of my bi-weekly newsletter, covering some of my favorite new developments in the fields of biotech, data science, engineering, and more. If this is your first issue, it’s great to have you! For everyone else, thanks for coming back!If you like this email, forward it to a friend (I can’t encourage this enough) and if you’re seeing it for the first time, subscribe here to get it regularly. As always, if you come across something cool you’d like to share, send me a note.
Notes
We are incredibly close to edition #200… and I still have no idea what I should do to commemorate the milestone. If anyone has ideas or suggestions, I’m all ears.
Jobs
Biomedical Engineering Opportunity
My old colleagues over at Sinai BioDesign are looking to hire a Product Development Engineer to help advance the development of the innovative medical technologies they incubate in their unique space within the Mount Sinai Hospital. This entry-level position offers the opportunity to work at the intersection of engineering, medicine, and entrepreneurship, and will contribute to device design, prototyping, and testing while also engaging directly with clinicians to identify unmet needs through the Biodesign process. This role is ideal for a motivated early-career engineer seeking hands-on experience in translational research and medical device innovation.
Learn more about the position and how to apply here.
Engineering Manager Opportunity
The MTA is seeking an Engineering and Product Development manager to lead a team of engineers responsible for developing and maintaining product lifecycles from inception/innovation through design, build, and ultimately the ongoing run stage before an eventual product retirement. This role must possess knowledge in a core IT discipline and a broad understanding of related domains.
Learn more about the position and how to apply here.
(Also learn more about the position via this reddit thread where I originally found the posting.)
Hardware, Prototyping, and Fabrication
💻 Did you know your MacBook has a sensor that knows the exact angle of the screen hinge?
🛏️ The illustrated guide to folding fitted sheets.
🧱 DIY 3D printing in the LEGO community has been a thing for quite a while, but even LEGO themselves are getting in on the action now.
Software and Programming
💻 This is one of the greatest personal websites I’ve ever seen.
🌐 They say when life gives you lemons, make lemonade, and when life gives you Microsoft Edge, download Google Chrome. It is possible, though, to pick a course when it comes to browsers that looks more like transforming lemons into lemonade.
Science, Engineering, and Biomedicine
🎶👁️ Musicality seems to improve you attention. (Although I have hundreds, if not thousands, of instances of musicians noodling during rehearsals to offer as counter-evidence 😅)
✈️ If you’ve ever seen a video of a wind turbine blade being moved by truck, you’re aware of just how massive and ungainly those things really are. Windrunner is exploring a radically different way of getting those blades where they need to be.
🔪🔊 Apparently, ultrasonic knives have been common in industrial settings for some time, but the tech is now beginning to make its way into kitchens.
Mapping, History, and Data Science
🏀 The evolution of NBA shot data over the last 20 years paints a pretty clear picture of just how much the sport has evolved.
📖 Sentences are getting shorter. (As a frequent run-on sentence abuser, though, I can’t help but feel like I’m bucking this trend.)
📴 How much (and why) do various countries shut down the internet? (I bet you didn’t think school exams would be on that list...)
Events and Opportunities
TODAY, 9/26 Genspace Biomaterials Studio Group Exhibition. Genspace Biomaterials Studio presents a group exhibition exploring the dynamic tension between creation and decay. Creation and Destruction speaks to the cyclical nature of existence—where something new is birthed only for it to begin decomposing. These works sourced from living organisms or natural processes, embody the constant flux between creation and destruction, illustrating the mirror processes of biological and artistic renewal. Join and consider the fragility of life and the potential for rebirth through the destruction of previous forms.
TODAY, 9/26 Advancing Women’s Health. Join the Weill Cornell BioVenture eLab for a special webinar highlighting both translational science and the critical need to expand access to financing to advance women’s health innovations. The webinar will open with a scientific presentation by Zhen Zhao, PhD, Professor of Clinical Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine, who will share her idea for an AI-driven clinical decision support tool to predict the risk of pre-eclampsia – a condition that remains a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Following this presentation will be conversation with the authors of Unlocking Investment for Women’s Health, Misti Ushio, PhD (Managing Partner, Digitalis Ventures) and Ipsita Smolinski (Founder & Managing Director, Capitol Street). Together, they will discuss the current funding landscape, highlighting how investors, government, industry, and advocacy groups can collaborate to accelerate the translation of women’s health discoveries into impactful solutions for patients.
Saturday, 9/27 Civic Tech’ish NYC Picnic. Connect with like-minded individuals who are passionate about improving government services for all, outdoors in some lovely weather! Whether you’re a civic tech practitioner working within or adjacent to the public sector or curious about how to leverage technology’ish skills for the public interest, this event is for you.
Thursday, 10/2 NeuroNYC X Neurotech Futures X NYBCI Happy Hour. Join for a special edition of NeuroNYC Happy Hour, co-hosted with the New York Brain-Computer Interface Symposium (NYBCI25) and Neurotech Futures. This gathering brings together pioneers, practitioners, and passionate minds driving the future of neural interfaces. NYBCI25 will be held October 3–4 at the New York Academy of Medicine. Happy Hour registrants receive an exclusive 15% discount to NYBCI25. This evening is your chance to connect with fellow neurotech enthusiasts in a relaxed, vibrant setting. Expect stimulating conversations, serendipitous collisions, and a shared excitement for what’s next in neuroscience, surgery, and neurotechnology.
Friday & Saturday, 10/3-10/4 2nd Annual NY BCI Symposium. Following up on a stellar inaugural conference last fall, BCI’s leading minds and most exciting emerging startups will once again descend on the New York Academy of Medicine for two days of panels, presentations, and networking, all with the mission of advancing and expanding the brain-computer interface space. With NYC increasingly becoming the center stage for this technology revolution, this is a can’t-miss event for anyone working in neurotech, AI/ML, medtech, and beyond. Early-bird registration is now available!
Thursday, 10/16 Nanonite Social. Join for an evening of connection, collaboration, and camaraderie at Nanonite Social, a recurring event hosted by the Nanotech NYC meetup. This monthly happy hour social offers a unique opportunity to mingle with fellow nanotechnology enthusiasts in a relaxed and informal setting.
Thursday, 10/23 ASRC CAT x Hb October Innovators Social. Are you passionate about the intersection of science, technology, and entrepreneurship? Whether you’re a scientist, student, aspiring entrepreneur, startup founder, or simply curious about the innovation ecosystem, this is your chance to connect and learn! Join Harlem Biospace and the ASRC CAT for an exciting networking event to learn more about this fellowship and hear from Harlem Biospace’s very own Matt Walker, Co-Founder and CEO of Can9 Bioengineering a local startup developing next-generation solutions at the intersection of genetics and human health.
Wednesday, 10/29 BVS and CURE Innovation Research Exhibit & Networking Event. Mark your calendars for a great opportunity to connect with industry leaders, explore innovative products, and mingle with fellow professionals in the biotech community. This event is focusing on new and emerging technologies that are being used to advance science in the life science arena and some of the top life sciences companies will be exhibiting their latest technologies and services.
Thursday, 11/13 Nanofabrication Research Showcase Day. The CUNY ASRC and NY Center for Advanced Technology are excited to announce their next annual Research Showcase Day at the City University of New York’s Advanced Science Research Center Nanofabrication Facility. This event will feature invited talks by prominent researchers from CUNY, NYU, Columbia, Cornell, and more. There will also be sessions dedicated to presentations by ASRC Nanofab users, an interactive poster session, networking activities, complimentary food and beverages, and an evening social. Users with exceptionally outstanding research will be recognized by awards, cash prizes, and exclusive ASRC Nanofab merchandise. You won’t want to miss out!
Other events coming up you think I should know about? Let me know here!
Map of the Month
🗺️ All manner of maps have been shared in this section over the years, but have any of them truly been correct?
Odds & Ends
📈📉🌏🌍🌎 Chartle is like a weird combination of the graphs.world game and Worldle.