Ossining student is a Regeneron science competition finalist BY ALEESIA FORNI aforni@westfairinc.com
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n Ossining high school senior is one of 40 students nationwide who were selected as finalists in the Regeneron Science Talent Search. In January, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Society for Science and the Public announced the finalists of the science competition, the nation's oldest science and math talent search for high school seniors. Skyler Jones, a senior at Ossining High School, was selected for her project titled “Large Polaron Formation as a Charge Carrier Protection Mechanism in MAPbBr3 and CsPbBr3 Perovskite Crystals.” Jones and other finalists will be in Washington, D.C. from March 8 to 14, where they will undergo a rigorous judging process and compete for more than $1.8 million in awards. Finalists are each awarded
at least $25,000 and the top 10 awards, which will be announced at an awards ceremony at the National Building Museum on March 13, range from $40,000 to $250,000. They will also have the opportunity to interact with leading scientists, meet with members of Congress and display their projects to the public at the National Museum of Women in the Arts on March 11. Finalists are from 31 schools in 15 states and were selected based on the originality and creativity of their scientific research, as well as their achievement and leadership both inside and outside the classroom. The competition is the result of a partnership between Tarrytown-based Regeneron and Society for Science and the Public, a nonprofit in Washington, D.C. that has produced and organized the Science Talent Search since its founding in 1942. "The Regeneron Science
TECH TALK
FEBRUARY 12, 2018
WCBJ
REGENERON DERMATITIS DRUG APPROVED FOR JAPAN MARKET
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Westchester has received approval to market and manufacture its antibody drug Dupixent in Japan for the treatment of atopic dermatitis in adults not adequately controlled with existing therapies. Dupixent is the brand name for dupilumab, a human monoclonal antibody jointly developed by Regeneron, the state’s largest biotechnology employer, and the French pharmaceutical company Sanofi under a global collaboration agreement. It will be commercialized in Japan by Sanofi, Regeneron said in its Monday announcement. A form of eczema, atopic dermatitis is a chronic inflammatory disease with symptoms often appearing as a rash on the skin. Moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis is characterized by rashes sometimes covering much of the body and can include intense, persistent itching
and skin dryness, cracking, redness, crusting and oozing. Itch is one of the most burdensome symptoms for patients and can be debilitating. Regeneron officials said Dupixent specifically targets and inhibits signaling of two key proteins believed to be important contributors of the persistent underlying inflammation in atopic dermatitis and certain other allergic or atopic diseases. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration last March approved the drug for the treatment of adults with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis whose disease is not adequately controlled with topical prescription therapies or when those therapies are not advisable. The FDA approval was followed in September by the European Commission’s marketing authorization for Dupixent for use in adults with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis who are candidates for systemic therapy. — John Golden
5 Ways Your Employees Will Invite Hackers Into Your Network
Whether they’re criminals or heroes, hackers in the movies are always portrayed as a glamorous group. When it comes down to the wire, these are the individuals who crack into the ominous megacorporation or hostile foreign government database, hitting the right key just in the nick of time. They either save the day or bring down regimes, empty the digital vault of the Federal Reserve or disable all the power plants in the country. It’s always a genius up against an impenetrable fortress of digital security, but no matter what, they always come out on top. In real life, it’s rarely that difficult. Sure, if you look at the news, you might believe hackers are close to their Hollywood counterparts, stealing data from the NSA and nabbing millions of customer records from Equifax. But the majority of hacks aren’t against the big dogs; they’re against small to mid-sized businesses. And usually, this doesn’t involve actually hacking into anything. A lot of the time – approximately 60% according to the Harvard Business Review – an unwitting employee accidentally leaves the digital front door open. The biggest threats to your company aren’t teams of roaming hackers; they’re your employees. Here’s why. 1. They’ll slip up because they don’t know any better. With the proliferation of technology has come an exponential rise in digital threats of such variety and complexity that it’d be impossible for the average person to keep track of it all. Each of your employees’ lives are a labyrinth of passwords, interconnected online accounts
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Talent Search finalists are tomorrow's scientific leaders, and their projects address some of the most urgent challenges we face as a society. Our world has no greater or more important resource than these bright young minds," said Dr. George D. Yancopoulos, president and chief scientific officer of Regeneron. "I have deep respect and appreciation for each student who conducted extensive scientific research and completed a Regeneron Science Talent Search application." The competition holds a special significance for Yancopoulos and Dr. Leonard S. Schleifer, Regeneron’s CEO who founded the company in 1988. Both are alumni of the Science Talent Search, selected when they were in high school in the 1970s. Regeneron took over the title sponsorship role of the talent search from Intel Corp., which sponsored the competition for 18 years. Prior to
that, Westinghouse Electric Corp. was lead sponsor of the Science Talent Search from its inception in 1942. Regeneron, New York state’s largest and fastest-growing biopharmaceutical employer, is backing its commitment to the competition with $100 million in funding over 10 years. "This year's Regeneron Science Talent Search finalists are some of the best and brightest young scientists and mathematicians in our country," said Maya Ajmera, president and CEO of Society for Science & the Public and publisher of Science News. To enter the talent search, students must complete an original research project and extensive application process. Finalists were selected from 300 scholars and more than 1,800 entrants. Their projects cover a variety of disciplines, including behavioral and social sciences, cellular and molecular biology, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and plant and space sciences. For more information, visit student.societyforscience.org.
and precious data. If their vigilance slacks at any point, it not only leaves them vulnerable, but it leaves your company vulnerable as well. For this reason, most cyber-attacks come down to a lack of cyber security education. 2 They’ll let you get hacked on purpose. It’s a sad fact that a huge portion of digital attacks are the result of company insiders exposing data to malicious groups. Whether it’s info vital for your competitive advantage, passwords they can sell to hacker networks to make a quick buck or sensitive data they can make public simply to spite your organization, it’s difficult to protect against a double agent. 3 They’ll trust the wrong person. For many hacks, little code is needed whatsoever.
Instead, hackers are notorious for posing as a trusted member of your own team. And if you believe that you’d be able to spot an impostor from a mile away, you may want to think again. Not only is it easier than ever to crack individual users’ e-mail passwords and login credentials, personal info is now littered throughout social media. A simple visit to Facebook can give a hacker all they need to know to “social hack” their way into the heart of your business. 4 They’ll miss red flags while surfing the web. Clickbait is more than a nuisance plaguing your social media feeds. It can be a powerful tool for hackers trolling for easy prey. If an employee doesn’t understand what exactly makes a site or link look dubious, they may open themselves – and your company – to browser exploits or other types of attacks. 5 They’re terrible at passwords. According to Entreprenuer.com, “3 out of 4 consumers use duplicate passwords, many of which have not been changed in five years or more.” Even more of those passwords are simply weak, inviting easy access for unsavory elements. Many people brush off the importance of strong passwords, but the risks posed by the password “123456” or “password” cannot be overstated. When it comes to defending your precious assets against digital threats, it can seem impossible to protect yourself at every turn. But there is one way you can make a concrete change that will tighten
up your security more than you realize: educating your people. Through a comprehensive security training program, including specific examples of methods hackers use – particularly phishing – you can drastically minimize the risk of an employee accidentally opening up a malicious e-mail or posting sensitive info. When you make a concerted effort to make the entire organization vigilant against cyberattacks, you’re much less likely to be targeted. Sign up for a brief “in-house” training for FREE In 45 minutes your staff will learn about: · Email Scams & Phishing · Website Scams and more · Social Media Threats · Unsecured Wi-Fi and more… For a complimentary no strings attached Cyber Security assessment of your business go to www. NantesSolutions.com/Assessment or give us a call at 203-504-8204 Maryne Robin is the CEO of Nantes Solutions, an IT Services Company Specialzing in Network Security, Cybersecurity staff training and more. Serving small to medium sized businesses in Fairfield and Westchester County. Maryne can be reached at Maryne@NantesSolutions.com