Patterns & Paradigms | The Pattern Podcast

What if we began thinking of our earliest childhood educators as brain architects? What if we transform the concept of "childcare" by empowering our teachers so that we can scaffold a child's learning experience to foster creativity, curiosity, and excitement about learning?  

This week's episode features Geraldine Laybourne, Founder of Nickelodeon, and Julie Riess, Director of Vassar College’s early childhood laboratory schools, who have joined forces as Co-Founders of DAY ONE Early Learning Community. DAY ONE is an organization with a mission to revitalize Poughkeepsie and Dutchess County by investing in our youngest, supporting workforce development, parent empowerment, and early childhood learning.

Perseverance and Ingenuity. Sometimes it's all about alignment. It just so happens that this planetary alignment happened in the middle of a global pandemic. Mars reached opposition in October 2020, a "mere" 38.6 million miles away from Earth. A rare opportunity to launch a rover seeking signs of ancient life to collect samples of rock and regolith (broken rock and soil) for a possible return to Earth. So, the many scientists and engineers involved in the Mars 2020 Mission persevered, finding ways to continue their innovative work and successfully launch the Perseverance Rover on July 30, 2020.

On February 18, 2021, it landed. Now, more than 144 million miles away, this amazing technology is sending back incredible images of the red planet. Next up, the Mars Helicopter, Ingenuity, will test powered flight on another world for the first time.

This week we're talking about this spectacular accomplishment, one that sparks the imagination about humankind's capacity for perseverance and ingenuity, with Rob Sullivan, Principal Research Scientist at the Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, and Co-Investigator with Mastcam-Z and MEDA on the Mars 2020 mission.

The mission is simple: Help people to live the healthiest and fullest lives possible. With 1500 employees, Access: Supports for Living supports 11,000 people in the Hudson Valley each year through a broad range of programs including behavioral and mental health services, substance abuse counseling and support, children and family services, services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, longterm residential services, respite care, affordable permanent housing, and employment services (to name a few!). This week we're talking about the challenges this incredible organization faced during the early days of the pandemic, how they pivoted, and how they're moving forward.  

This week's episode features Ron Colavito, President & CEO at Access: Supports for Living.

Long before the pandemic, there were those who were writing the death of the modern American newspaper. With the rise of the internet and social media, news commentary has gained dominance to achieve likes and ratings to attract advertising dollars, while local newspapers have consolidated into widespread regional hubs as subscriptions have dwindled. This week we're exploring the future of journalism and the media - news versus news commentary, press release journalism versus investigative reporting, finding fact in the world of "fake news" and "alternative facts," and what that all means for local news.

This week's episode features Barry Rothfeld, Retired, President and Publisher at The Poughkeepsie Journal, former editor and journalist.

This week we're exploring the importance of expansive diversity, the diversity of perspective that invites inclusivity and equity, that creates environments where those within it feel valued and engaged. We're discussing health equity and seeking our shared humanity - diverse, equitable, and inclusive. 

This week's episode features Mecca E Mitchell, Senior Vice President for Diversity, Inclusion & Community Engagement and Chief Diversity Officer at Westchester Medical Center Health Network. 

We're looking at the world through the lens of a younger generation - young professionals, problem solvers, and entrepreneurs - exploring their unique perspective on the challenges facing the Hudson Valley and the country. This week we're talking with a young mechanical engineer about prosthetics, electric vehicles, 3D Printers, and resiliency.

This week's episode features Emma Coltoff, a young mechanical engineer working with TE Connectivity, who even dedicates her free time to solving problems. 

The parks in New York's Hudson Valley saw large increases in visitation during the pandemic, highlighting the importance of parkland and open spaces for recreation. This week, we're talking about open space, land use, conservation and the balance between preservation and development.

This week's episode features Christopher "Kim" J. Elliman, President and CEO of the Open Space Institute (OSI), a land conservation organization that has conserved more than 2.3 million acres in the eastern U.S. and, in the process, has created more than 50 new parks and protected areas. OSI acquires, finances, and promotes the conservation of lands for human use and resilient natural systems.

The Hudson Valley is naturally cinematic. Seeing the opportunity to drive the local economy through expansion of the Hudson Valley’s growing film and tv production capacity, Mary Stuart Masterson has made the Hudson Valley her home, founding Stockade Works and Upriver Studios. This week we're exploring film production, job creation, and the film and tv ecosystem developing in the Hudson Valley with Mary Stuart Masterson. 

This week's episode features Mary Stuart Masterson, Founder & President of Stockade Works and Upriver Studios, LLC., and Partner at Quality Pictures. After decades in front of the camera, Mary Stuart moved to the Hudson Valley in 2006 when she directed her first feature, The Cake Eaters. After a hiatus to start her family, Mary Stuart moved to New York’s Hudson Valley and founded Stockade Works, a non-profit that trains, hires and mentors the local workforce in film production across all departments. In addition, Mary Stuart is the Founder of Upriver Studios, a state of the art soundstage complex opening in the Hudson Valley, and co-Founder of Storyhorse Documentary Theater Company.

 After hearing a woman's heartbreaking story of addiction, Kelly Lyndgaard was moved to make a difference. Inspired by the strength and commitment of women doing the hard work of recovery, Unshattered was born. This week we’re exploring social enterprise and the road to recovery through the lens of Unshattered, a Hudson Valley non-profit with the mission of helping women in recovery to build a path forward. 

This week's episode features Kelly Lyndgaard, Founder & CEO of Unshattered, a 501c3 non-profit social enterprise providing pathways toward economic independence and sustained sobriety for women winning their fight against addiction. The women of Unshattered hand craft bags and accessories out of repurposed materials as a tangible representation of the transformation happening in their own lives - something discarded and without purpose crafted into something beautiful, purposeful, and meaningful.

Have you ever thought of buildings as a cinematic experience? Have you considered how architecture is used to welcome people into a space, to promote healing, or to narrate important stories through memorial? This week we’re exploring how the design of our built environments can improve health outcomes and impact our social systems with Michael Murphy of MASS Design, the firm named 2020 Architecture Innovator by Wall Street Journal.

This week's episode features Michael Murphy, Founding Principal and Executive Director at MASS Design Group, an architecture and design firm geared towards improving social equity and health outcomes through design innovation.