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Good Morning, Brooklyn: Friday, February 25, 2022

February 25, 2022 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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NEW CYBERSECURITY PROGRAM The NYU Tandon School of Engineering has launched a new nine-month professional development training program for senior tech professionals seeking career advancement in cybersecurity-related positions, according to announcement posted this week. The goal is to prepare up-and-coming IT security staff for leadership in the “C-suite”: an industry term for administrative IT roles that has come to encompass titles such as chief information officer, chief technology officer, chief data officer or chief privacy officer. Citing a recent report from the World Economic Forum ranking cyber-attacks as the fourth most significant global risk today, the announcement said demand for IT security professionals has increased as workplaces grow more reliant on remote work during COVID-19.

The program also teaches participants about emerging technologies and IT security trends through insights from industry experts, and concludes with a three-day networking event on the NYU Tandon campus in Brooklyn.

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Debra Laefer, professor of civil engineering at NYU Tandon School of Engineering
NYU Tandon School of Engineering

NYU TANDON PROFESSOR AWARDED HIGH HONOR: Professor Debra Laefer, researcher at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering, has been awarded a high honor from the Geo Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Dr. Laefer, professor of Civil and Urban Engineering and Director of Citizen Science at NYU’s Center for Urban Science and Progress, is being recognized for her innovative approach to urban informatics, remote sensing, geo-spatial data management, geotechnical engineering, and disaster mitigation and response, and becomes the first woman to receive the G-I’s prestigious Harry Schnabel Jr. Award since the award’s debut in 2007.

The award, one of the top honors in the field of geotechnical engineering, honors contributions to earth retention risk management through the creative development and application of remote sensing technologies.

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TRANSPORTATION ISSUES IN CB7: Anticipated roadway and sidewalk changes on 3rd Avenue and 39th Street in Sunset Park will be a discussion topic with the Brooklyn Community Board 7’s Transportation Committee and NYC Economic Development Corp. During this meeting, taking place on Monday, March 14 at 6 p.m., via Zoom, (with links accessible on the Community Board 7 website), the Transportation Committee will also discuss concerns with residents of Seeley St. in Windsor Terrace on safety.

Drivers often use Seeley St., which runs from McDonald Ave. on the eastern boundary of the Green-Wood Cemetery to Prospect Park Southwest, as a local detour from the Prospect Expressway.

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BROOKLYN IN 1896: The Brooklyn Public Library, celebrating its 125^th anniversary, presents a series of programs showcasing the Center for Brooklyn History’s archives. The first of these virtual programs, titled “Out of the Box: Brooklyn in 1896” on Thursday, March 17, explores pre-consolidation Brooklyn, with historians Thomas Campanella (Brooklyn: The Once and Future City) and Prithi Kanakamedala, curator of In Pursuit of Freedom, join CBH librarian Michelle Montalbano for a subjective look at the City of Brooklyn. Registration necessary: (https://www.bklynlibrary.org/calendar/out-box-brooklyn-1896-virtual-20220317)

The speakers will explore an industrial harbor bustling with commerce, and the once-thriving free Black village of Weeksville gradually becoming part of Crown Heights.

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GROUND BROKEN FOR LOW-INCOME HOUSING: HELP USA, The New York City Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), New York City Housing Development Corporation and New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance broke ground yesterday on the HELP ONE Buildings A &B, which will bring 255 low-income and supportive homes to Brooklyn. HELP ONE Buildings A & B are the first phase of a planned four-building complex in East New York that will provide more than 500 affordable apartments. When complete, all apartments will share service space, a courtyard with playground, a dog park, built-in grills and myriad picnic and passive use areas.

Of the 255 affordable apartments, 154 will be reserved for individuals and families who have experienced homelessness. Some 30 years ago, HELP USA opened its first shelter on this site.

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IPS NEWS: HORRIFIED BY UKRAINE INVASION: — Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, chair of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, joined Stephen F. Lynch, chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security, to condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin’s launch of a full-scale invasion against Ukraine: “I am horrified by Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, which endangers the lives of innocent civilians, disregards international law, and could create a major humanitarian crisis in Europe,” Rep. Maloney said.

“The Oversight Committee condemns Russia’s blatant violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and stands in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and their right to self-defense,” said Maloney.

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IPS NEWS: ANTITRUST SUIT FILED AGAINST HEALTHCARE GIANT؅— New York Attorney General Letitia James has filed an antitrust lawsuit with the U.S. Department of Justice and the State of Minnesota to stop the proposed acquisition of Change Healthcare (Change) by UnitedHealth Group (United). The lawsuit alleges that the acquisition would give United, one of the nation’s largest health insurers, an unparalleled competitive advantage — allowing it to use Change’s enormous repository of claims data to raise costs for its competitors, hobble their ability to compete with United, and deny them access to innovations.

The complaint alleges that UnitedHealth Group’s acquisition of Change would reduce competition among health insurers, likely leading to increased healthcare costs and decreased quality of services for New Yorkers and that it would leave employers in New York with a difficult and unwelcome choice when choosing an insurer with lower-quality services.

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400 YEARS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY COMMISSION: Jennifer Jones Austin, CEO of the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies whose father was a prominent minister in central Brooklyn, has been appointed to the 400 Years of African-American History Commission, which serves to highlight contributions by Africans and African-Americans to the U.S. and New York State. Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the formation of this seven-member Commission, which will partner with community-based organizations, bringing people together via events, activities, and educational research.

As CEO, Jones Austin focuses on anti-poverty, policy and advocacy for an organization that is comprised of 170 member agencies and faith partners, specifically to foster greater understanding to the link between race, poverty, law, and social policy in America. Her father, the Rev. Dr. William Augustus Jones, Jr., was minister for 43 years of Bethany Baptist Church in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

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PARISH’S MULTI-FACETED BLACK HISTORY MONTH OBSERVANCE: — The parish of St. Michael-St. Malachy on Jerome St. in East New York joins with Salve Regina Catholic Academy, for a special Mass and celebration to mark the conclusion of Black History Month this Sunday, February 27, beginning at 9 a.m. Following the Mass, students from the parish will join Salve Regina Catholic Academy students in the school gym for a special presentation of dance, poetry, art, fashion and music, and cultural foods from Nigeria, Haiti, Jamaica, and other countries.

The entrance procession of the Mass will feature the image of Blessed Pierre Toussaint, which will be displayed in the front of the Church, along with the images of three saints: Sister Thea Bowman, St. Josephine Bakhita, and Charles Lwanga. Every Sunday during Black History Month, the parish highlighted a different extraordinary Black Catholic, images of whom will be later permanently installed in the Church.

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IPS NEWS: ECONOMIC RECOVERY FORR BLACK COMMUNITIES — NAACP President Dr. Hazel Dukes joined Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday for a roundtable in the Bronx that focused on how New York State can spur economic recovery in Black and brown communities with, and announced new efforts to fight structural racism embedded in the financial system. During the event, Gov. Hochul announced her plan for the State to partner with Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) to deliver more than $150 million of funding to small businesses most in need, upon federal approval of the State’s plan.

The event brought the CDFIs together with community leaders, minority depository institutions, credit unions and small business owners.