Briefs: Svante award, clean energy, ReUse, Communique

Svante Myrick chosen as February Hero of the Month

Earlier this month, Svante Myrick served his last day as mayor of the city of Ithaca after 10 years on the job. Myrick was first elected to the Common Council in 2007 when he was a 20-year-old Cornell University student. When he was elected mayor in 2011, Myrick became the state’s youngest mayor and was the first Black mayor of Ithaca. His decadelong tenure is also the longest in city history. “Fighting for this community is all I’ve done in my adult life. It’s my only passion and it’s what has kept me motivated,” Myrick said during his last Common Council meeting, at which he announced his intention to leave. “I believe we can do everything we set out to do.” Jennifer Tavares, president of the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce, added, “Svante has had a lasting impact on the Ithaca community. When you consider the significant growth and investment in downtown and Collegetown, addition of affordable housing units or work toward projects such as the Cayuga Waterfront Trail or Ithaca Conference Center, it is clear he has been a collaborative partner and advocate for this community.” Tompkins Trust Company President and CEO Greg Hartz thanked Myrick for his service. “Tompkins Trust Company is pleased to recognize Svante Myrick for his 15 years of service to the city, first on Common Council and then as mayor,” Hartz said. “Svante’s passion for helping the people of Ithaca has been constant, and this community is better for his leadership. We wish him luck in his new position.” During Myrick’s tenure, the city has seen its economy grow, with increased development and decreased property taxes, and the Commons was rebuilt. It was also during his time in office that the Ithaca Green New Deal was adopted, with efforts to reduce the city’s carbon footprint, and conversations began on ways to reimagine public safety. Myrick, who wrapped up his mayoral duties Feb. 6, resigned to become executive director of People for the American Way, a progressive advocacy group focused on increasing civic participation, defending rights and dismantling systemic barriers to equitable opportunity. “I love Ithaca. I’ve loved serving this city, and I believe my service has made a difference,” Myrick said during the Jan. 5 Common Council meeting. “I also love this country. The American democratic experiment is the reason that someone like me — born into homelessness and raised by a single mother — was able to attend an institution like Cornell and serve the city he loves. … I believe my service can make a difference in the struggle ahead, and I want to protect that American dream for people of all backgrounds.” To show the community’s appreciation for his work, the Tompkins Chamber will award Myrick a Community Hero of the Month plaque as well as a gift card for Downtown Ithaca from Tompkins Trust Company.

 

Cornell, startup receive $7M for novel clean energy tech

Cornell University researchers and a startup have received more than $7 million in federal grants to advance novel clean energy research that includes wirelessly charging electric vehicles, low-carbon jet fuel and construction materials made from waste. Sen. Charles Schumer announced the grants Feb. 16 from the U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). The grants prioritize funding technologies that support fresh approaches to clean energy challenges as part of the ARPA-E OPEN 2021 program. Schumer said in a statement that the cutting-edge research being conducted at Cornell and in Ithaca is integral to the fight against climate change. “I am proud to deliver this $7 million federal investment that will supercharge our efforts to deliver critical clean energy solutions and create good paying jobs right here in upstate New York,” Schumer said. “From the push to decarbonize 100% of its buildings to the groundbreaking research being done at Cornell University, many are now recognizing what I have long known: Ithaca is paving the way to a greener and gorges future.” Of that $7 million, $1.425 million went to a field-focused load-leveled dynamic wireless charging system for electric vehicles, led by Khurram Afridi, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering. Another $2.5 million went toward advancing a low-carbon built environment with inherent utilization of waste concrete and CO2 via integrated electrochemical, chemical and biological routes, led by Greeshma Gadikota, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering. The remaining $3.1 million went toward a 3D-printed ceramic thermocatalytic CO2 reactor with high carbon conversion and energy efficiencies, led by Dimensional Energy, a Cornell startup co-founded by Jason Salfi, David Erickson and Tobias Hanrath. “The number of Cornell Engineering projects funded through this competitive process demonstrates the high level of innovation we are applying to the global challenge of lowering humanity’s carbon footprint,” said Lynden Archer, dean of engineering at Cornell. In this photo: (From left to right) Doctoral students Sounak Maji and Maida Farooq and postdoctoral researcher Sreyam Sinha work to develop a wireless power transfer system in the lab of Khurram Afridi, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering.

 

ReUse again accepting clothing, household goods for donation

As of Feb. 18, Finger Lakes ReUse is once again accepting household and clothing items at donation acceptance areas. This announcement comes after a temporary pause on accepting these materials, previously established in January. This pause period allowed staff to process a backstock of materials of these types, reducing overflow storage by 50%. All other regularly accepted categories of items are still very welcome, including furniture, electronics, computers and peripherals, books and media, building materials, lighting, shoes and appliances. This change goes into effect immediately at both donation acceptance areas at the Ithaca ReUse Center (214 Elmira Rd.) and ReUse MegaCenter (2255 N. Triphammer Rd.). Donation acceptance locations remain open six days a week (closed only on Thursdays) from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Household materials generally include dishes, glassware, cookware, toys, artwork, frames, school/office supplies, luggage, bags, pet supplies, antiques, collectibles and sporting goods. Clothing items include both adult and childrens’ items and accessories. Staff also accept shoes of all sizes. Finger Lakes ReUse is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization operating two locations open daily to the public in an effort to expand the reuse of materials, provide job training opportunities, create living-wage jobs, improve the local standard of living, and teach repair and reuse skills. In the course of achieving these goals, ReUse builds community, strengthens the local economy and protects the environment by redirecting materials away from landfills and into productive reuse. For more information, visit ithacareuse.org. In this photo: A patron peruses the book section at the Triphammer ReUse MegaCenter.

 

Communiqué Design & Marketing promotes two longtime employees

Communiqué Design & Marketing, a marketing agency based in Ithaca, has promoted Melissa Sprole (left) to graphic design specialist and Gillian Lindstrom to senior marketing communications strategist. Communiqué founder and President Laurie Linn shared, “I am so thrilled Melissa and Gillian have accepted these new positions. They are such incredible assets to our team and consistently go above and beyond to exceed our clients’ expectations.” Sprole joined Communiqué in the fall of 2019 as a graphic design intern working closely with Tim Youngs, Communiqué’s creative director. Sprole studied graphic design at Tompkins Cortland Community College and new media at SUNY Cortland. Sprole is skilled at graphic design and content development and has enabled Communiqué to offer animated content to its clients. “I had the pleasure of working with Melissa several years ago when she was a student at TC3 and have thoroughly enjoyed watching her become such a talented and driven graphic designer,” Youngs said. Lindstrom has worked with Communiqué in various capacities for more than seven years and accepted a full-time position with the organization in May of 2021 as client relations manager. She is a graduate of the SUNY Geneseo, where she earned a dual bachelor’s degree in psychology and communications. Lindstrom is also a member of the Tompkins Connect Planning Committee. “Gillian has shown exceptional leadership capabilities since she joined our team full-time last year, and I couldn’t be more excited to watch her continue to grow into her new role,” Linn said. To learn more about Communiqué, visit communiquedesign.com.