change among high school students with relation to health lifestyles. The second award, through the New York City Council and the NYC Department of Health and Mental Health, will provide Health Corps with $250,000 for the school year 2006-2007 to implement the Health Corps program in three additional high schools. This will bring the number of high schools with the Health Corps program up to 11: eight in NYC, two in New Jersey, and one in Pennsylvania. The third award, from Arizona-based Vemma Nutrition Company for $100,000, will further support the effort of Health Corps and its volunteers. Additional funding is expected to come from Body Mechanics, an Australia-based children’s program aimed at getting children active, and from GoSmile, a new York-based oral care company dedicated to promoting health and wellness through proper oral hygiene. Read more...

- compiled with assistance from Nicholas Ailello, associate professor of education and communication, School of Education & Psychology, Graduate Division.

Touro Awarded $100,000 Grant from National Science Foundation for Computerized Experimental Psychology Laboratories
Touro College has received a three-year, $100,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to establish new, state-of-the-art computer-based experimental psychology laboratories that will enhance students' abilities to experiment and think critically and analytically. The award was secured by Dr. Allan Geliebter and Dr. Barbara Rumain, faculty members of the Psychology Department.

The new laboratories will foster the integration of research and education by shifting from a content-based to an inquiry-oriented, research-based curriculum. The laboratories will be established at three campus sites at Touro: the Lander College of Arts & Sciences – Flatbush, the West 23rd Street campus in midtown Manhattan, and the new site of the Lander College for Women on West 60th Street. The instructional materials to be developed for the Touro labs will be disseminated nationally to other institutions for use by students and professors.

“Previously, students learned to do psychological research by repeating others' experiments, memorizing rules of research techniques, or by ingesting results of scientific investigations,” said Dr. Melech Press, chair of the Psychology Department, in explaining the significance of the grant. “This award will enable us to train students to think for themselves about how to approach answering scientific questions, and carry out some of the experimental work themselves and perform their own critical analyses."

School of Health Sciences Fall Food Drive Underway
Touro’s School of Health Sciences annual fall Food Drive is underway. The drive, held every year just prior to Thanksgiving, benefits the local community and also helps build cohesiveness throughout the School. Last year, students, faculty and staff raided their pantries and contributed from their hearts as much non-perishable food as possible to designated boxes in the School’s lobby. Donations were picked up by a representative from a local shelter for women, the location of which was kept secret for residents’ safety. The Food Drive is but one of several events during the year where the School’s students, so many of whom are involved in the helping professions, feel proud to be giving back to the community.

– compiled with assistance from Susan Jacobson, director of student affairs, School of Health Sciences.

Occupational Therapy Students Publish “OT Food for the Soul – A Cultural Cookbook”
Students in the Occupational Therapy Department from the classes of 2007, 2008 and 2009 have collected their favorite recipes and published a cookbook to raise money for the American Occupational Therapy Political Action Committee (AOTPAC). AOTPAC is the voluntary, non-profit lobbying arm of the 35,000-member AOTA. “The students in our program come from a variety of cultural backgrounds, and although we partake in varied activities that are linked to our traditions, food is an essential component of what we each considered to be important in our individual heritages,” explained Daniella Stadtmauer, a contributor to the cookbook and a member of the Class of 2007. “Food for the Soul,” which also explains occupational therapy and includes a description of the meaning that cooking has in everyday life, is available for $13 in the occupational therapy office of Touro College at 27-33 W. 23rd Street, 6th Floor in Manhattan or by calling the School at 212-463-0400, extension 670. Ms. Stadtmauer reports the effort thus far has raised $1,700 for AOTPAC, which was delivered to Paul Fontana, chair of the board of directors of AOTPAC, during his visit to the School on September 7. Read more…

Law Center Launches New Logo For New Era
With a move to Central Islip in the works, Touro College’s Jacob D. Fuchberg’s Law Center and Dean Lawrence Raful have introduced a new logo. The logo is part of a larger marketing plan implemented over the past two years geared towards transitioning the School from its Huntington location to its new home in Central Islip, adjacent to state and federal courts.

"With our move, we knew we had to change our logo, but also wanted to capture the excitement that is growing as we prepare to move into this wonderful building - the first law school in the United States to share a campus with a federal courthouse and a state courthouse," Dean Raful said. "We are very proud that we have a new, modern, sleek logo that says 'New York' by featuring the most recognizable monument in America, but we also are thrilled to offer a logo that personifies 'liberty' and 'justice' -- two of the most important values we hope to instill in our students.”

The logo was designed by Touro Law Center's director of communications, Darren Johnson, who worked with an outside firm on the project. Touro's Director of Information Technology Peter Stanisci and Professor Jonathan Ezor, director of Touro's innovative Institute of Business, Law and Technology, helped with technical and legal aspects of the trademark search. Touro alum Lee Grosskreuz Hechtel of Jaspan Schlesinger Hoffman LLP provided the legal trademark analysis and filing.

– compiled with assistance from Darren Johnson, director of communications, Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center.