PHOTO CREDIT: Mayo Clinic

News, Continued

  • Gerstner Scholar at AMNH Identifies Mechanism for Glass Frogs Unique Transparent Abilities
    December 23, 2022

    A new study from Gerstner Scholar Jesse Delia and researchers at the AMNH identified the mechanism that allows Glass frogs to maintain their unique transparency. Researchers had previously observed Glass frogs shifting into a transparent state during rest periods as a means to camouflage themselves. By using soundwaves to identify where the Glass frogs were storing their red blood cells, Delia and his colleagues observed the Glass frogs storing up to 89% of their red blood cells within the liver. This ability, and the fact that the Glass frogs did not develop any bloods clots could have potentially large benefits for blood-clotting treatment in humans.

    Read More at NYtimes.com
  • Gerstner Philanthropies Grants $950K in support of Hunger Prevention
    December 9, 2022

    Gerstner Philanthropies is excited to announce that it has awarded $950,000 to eight organizations across our core funding locations to support hunger prevention in our communities in 2023. These organizations provide food and related assistance to an increasing number of individuals and families struggling from the impacts of inflation and rising housing costs. These funds will be utilized by our grantees to continue to implement critical programs, such as mobile pantries and meal delivery for clients in food deserts, food rescue programs and one of the largest kosher and halal food pantries in the country. This announcement comes on the heels of three Thanksgiving meals grants totaling $43,200 to partners in Palm Beach, Boston, and Greater New York City, providing over 800 families with turkey dinners over the holidays.

    Read the full list of food grants on our grants page
  • Gerstner Philanthropies Visits with Gerstner Scholars at John Carroll High School
    December 5, 2022

    This week, our Chairman, Louis V. Gerstner, Jr., and our Executive Director Kara Klein had the opportunity to meet with Gerstner Scholars at John Carroll High School in Fort Pierce, Florida. The Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. Distinguished Scholars Program was established in 2005. Since that time the foundation has invested over $4.7 million dollars to support scholarships at the three high schools within the Diocese of Palm Beach. The scholarship supports outstanding students with financial need. Principal Corey Heroux expressed her gratitude by sharing “It was such a gift for our Gerstner scholars to meet Mr. Gerstner and to hear from him so many beautiful pearls of wisdom about how to pursue success and to live a meaningful life marked by service to others.”

  • Study Shows Small Emergency Grants Can Help College Students Stay in School
    November 30, 2022

    A new study commissioned by the Heckscher Foundation and conducted by Sage Education documents significant gains in college persistence as a result of a student emergency grants program and contains insights to help others implement similar programs. The State University of New York (SUNY) Student Emergency Fund program, established by the Heckscher Foundation and Gerstner Philanthropies, aimed to increase the likelihood that underserved students would succeed and persist in college by providing one-time financial aid in response to emergency, such as medical crises, natural disasters, domestic violence, theft or loss of employment. The program tracked these outcomes and demonstrated that Student Emergency Fund recipients showed substantially higher achievement rates than the general campus populations. Since 2018, of the nearly 2,000 students across the six campuses who received the grants — which by design could not be used to pay tuition — 94% were still enrolled in college, or had successfully graduated or completed their program of study, in the semester immediately following receipt of their award. Nationally, and at the SUNY campuses overall, the rate is 76%.

    Read the Full Article at the74million.orgRead the full study at heckscherfoundation.org
  • Gerstner Philanthropies’ First Look at AMNH’s Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation
    October 27, 2022

    This week, members of the Gerstner Philanthropies team had the exciting opportunity to take a first look at the new Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation at the American Museum of Natural History. The Gilder Center, which opens February 17, 2023, will feature new exhibition galleries, state-of-the-art classrooms, an immersive theater, and a redesigned library, increasing public access to more of the Museum’s scientific collections and will link 10 Museum buildings to improve visitor flow throughout the campus. Our Chairman, Louis V. Gerstner, Jr., and Executive Director Kara Klein met with Museum President Ellen Futter to receive an update on the expansion’s progress and to tour the site, getting a firsthand look at the extensive work that has been done. The new center will house the Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. Collections Core. A collection of nearly 4 million specimens ranging from insects to fossils as well as a floor to ceiling exhibition of these samples. In addition to showcasing these new collections, the Gerstner Collections Core aims to help visitors understand how scientists can use these artifacts to learn something more about the universe, life on Earth, or even ourselves. Read more about the collections core at amnh.org

    READ MORE AT: amnh.org