NewzIntel.com

Category: Education

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Polytechnic at the international forum “Partnership Days” in Samarkand

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    The delegation of the Polytechnic University visited the forum “Partnership Days”. It was held on the day of the celebration of the foundation (September 21, 1420) of the Samarkand State University.

    SSU is one of the key partners of our university, with which research activities are carried out with the release of joint high-quartile publications in international co-authorship, exchange of postgraduate students and interns, holding summer schools. In 2023, a joint scientific, educational and technological center, as well as SPbPU and SSU signed a partnership agreement and a roadmap for 2023-2025.

    Festive events, various exhibitions and intellectual games were held in Samarkand. A parade of faculties took place, where students presented their achievements in science and education.

    A solemn ceremony dedicated to the university’s birthday was held at the Samarkand Youth Center. Head of the International Education Department Evgeniya Satalkina handed over a congratulatory note from the rector of SPbPU, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Andrey Rudskoy.

    Samarkand State University is the flagship of the education system of Uzbekistan, one of the leading scientific clusters, providing its unique potential and atmosphere for educating a new generation in the spirit of careful attitude to national traditions, but relying on advanced knowledge and the latest technologies. Our universities are good partners and good friends. Professors, staff and students of SPbPU and SSU are in close interaction and successfully carry out joint activities in many areas, – noted Evgeniya Vasilyevna.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    http://www.spbstu.ru/media/nevs/international_activize/polytech-at-the-international-forum-partner-days-in-Samarkand/

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The Academic Council of the State University of Management discussed the results of the summer session

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –

    On September 23, 2024, a meeting of the Academic Council of the State University of Management was held.

    We started with congratulations to the birthday girl of September, member of the Council, head of the project management department Irina Brikoshina.

    The consideration of the agenda items began with a summary of the results of the summer examination session of the 2023/2024 academic year, which was reported by the head of the Unified Electronic Dean’s Office of the University, Natalia Tymchuk.

    “More than 89% of bachelors successfully completed their exams, with the percentage of excellent students increasing and the number of C students decreasing,” Natalia noted.

    Further at the meeting, the chairmen of the certification committees for additional professional education programs for the 2024 calendar year were approved.

    The directors of the Institute of Marketing and the Institute of Industry Management made proposals to make changes to the composition of the Academic Council of the Institutes, which were supported.

    The Academic Council also approved the educational program for training scientific and scientific-pedagogical personnel in the postgraduate program “Economics of Innovations” and the opening of additional professional education at the Pre-University to prepare for the Unified State Exam in Geography.

    In addition, a number of working issues were considered at the meeting, including the provision of financial assistance to students.

    Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 09.23.2024

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    The Academic Council of the State University of Management discussed the results of the summer session

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Testimonial Story I Editorial: Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2024 Finals

    Source: Samsung

    Celebrating Samsung Mentors, Learners & Teachers in the 2024 Top 10 Finals
    The Samsung Solve For Tomorrow (SFT) Competition has now reached its Final stage and the electronics giant in collaboration with the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) and the Department of Basic Education (DBE) will host the Winner Announcement Ceremony at AHA Kopanong Hotel & Conferencing in Benoni on Wednesday, 02 October 2024.
     
    In an effort to recognise and celebrate the work done by the participating schools, Samsung took the time to speak to both learners and teachers from four finalist schools that entered the competition this year. The aim of the conversation was to ascertain how these participants felt about being part of the contest, how their experience has been and how their preparations were going before the prototype presentation in October. A crucial stage that would determine which school would end up walking away with the ultimate prize; and this is what they had to say:
     
    Nomfundo Manqele, a learner from Adams College in KwaZulu-Natal expressed how thrilled she was to be part of the finalist schools. However, from time to time she did experience a bit of anxiety and a roller coaster of emotions when she was reminded just how big the competition was. Nomfundo mentioned that it was both an incredible and hectic experience for both the teachers and learners as they all learnt new things, every day.
     

     
    She also admitted to the fact that they also faced many challenges along the way, but overall, it was an affirming experience. Nomfundo added by saying: “Preparations for our final prototype are currently underway and coming along quite nicely. Although, we have encountered many challenges in this journey, we somehow found a way to persevere. In spite of the challenges, I am certain that the win is coming to KZN considering the effort we put into crafting our masterpiece.”
    To date, we’ve learnt quite a lot in this competition and one of the lessons that stands out for us and one that we will forever hold onto is that: “In life, if you want to go far, go together. Nothing beats working well as a team and having a great leader that will lead you to victory through healthy competition and teamwork.”
     
    Nomfundo’s words of encouragement to schools that haven’t yet entered the contest are: “This is a really challenging contest that requires hard work and dedication, so always bear that in mind. However, in a competition arena, resilience separates winners from the rest. There are no winners or losers, only learners – nothing more, nothing less.”

    Amyoli Resha, a grade 11 learner from Khwezi Lomso Comprehensive School at Zwide township in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape said: “Entering the Samsung SFT competition and even becoming a finalist makes me feel very ecstatic.
     
    “This competition and this milestone has brought a sense of pride, considering the fact that we are the only school in the Eastern Cape to make it to the Top 20 & Top 10, we definitely embody the spirit of the Home of Legends.”
     
    He added that it has been quite a wonderful, yet very challenging experience. From the start of the programme, their team has enjoyed a great deal of support from the entire school and its faculty. And this unwavering support is what got the team through all the challenges they faced during the process leading up to where it is today.
     
    Amyoli confidently said that the preparations for the prototype were going quite smoothly. “The team is not in panic mode because we were told that the final product may take some time to materialise into perfection. However, by the look of things and the confidence we possess – the team is more than convinced that we WILL definitely Bring the Win Home,” he added.
     
    Above all, the competition has taught the whole team from Khwezi Lomso – the importance of teamwork and believing that their combined proposals and ideas can actually make a large impact. Amyoli then called upon all schools to enter this competition so that they can unleash their learners’ potential because this contest will give them the opportunity to advance and explore their imaginations.
     
    Zandile Sonandze, a teacher also from Khwezi Lomso Comprehensive School in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape said that she’s very excited because they didn’t think that they could get this far in the competition, especially as a new entry. She said that, as an educator, the entire team’s confidence has been boosted enough to enter other competitions. “When we first entered the SFT competition, we didn’t even think that we would be selected for the first round, but look at us now,” Zandile exclaimed.
     
    According to this enthusiastic teacher: “This experience has been exciting and overwhelming at the same time, because everything had to go as planned. Our learners are also excited to be in the Finals and for the opportunity to fly to Johannesburg. Our educators and the entire school are also cheering for us – they are all very proud of how far we’ve come.”
     
    Zandile also explained that the preparations are not yet 100%, and that there are still some finer details they are trying to wrap-up in an effort to help the team to win the competition. However, she said that they are trying their best to be as creative as possible – the team is now just hoping for the best. She has also taken the time to encourage other schools to enter the competition as this has been an eye opening experience for their entire school.
     
    Phume Unarine, a learner and group leader from Thengwe High school located in the Limpopo Province said that she’s very happy and looking forward to what the finals have in store for them. For Phume and her team, this has been one of the most interesting and exciting experiences that the learners, teachers and their whole school has participated in.
     

     
    “The preparations for our prototype went according to our plans,” Phume added confidently. “We’ve faced every obstacle that came our way with the full support of our mentor whose support has been crucial to us reaching this stage of the competition. I have confidence in my team and I’m convinced that we’re going to come out victorious.”
    During this competition, we learnt that people aren’t the same and their differences are what makes them unique. She added that she learnt that teamwork is not only about being part of a group and that a great leader is made by the motivated people around him or her. I’d like to advise other schools that have not yet participated in this contest to take a leap of faith and enter because this will help them discover more knowledge and open them up to new experiences that they wouldn’t be able to get anywhere else.
     
    Makhosazana Mazibuko, a learner and team leader from Mandisa Shiceka School of Specialisation in Gauteng appreciated being part of the SFT competition and found the contest to be a very exciting experience that she thoroughly enjoyed. She also saw this as an opportunity to improve her community. For Makhosazana, the competition was full of research and helped their team members to create lasting bonds. As far as preparation for the prototype presentation is concerned, she said: “It’s going very well, we are productive and are dealing with our trial and errors very well. Our idea involves one of the basic necessities in our community and is unique, so I’m very confident that we will win.”

    During this competition, Makhosazana believes that she learnt how to be patient, how to “turn down” ideas and how to be a better leader. Overall, she’s learnt to be kinder and more understanding with circumstances, peers, adults and above all herself. She also feels that her presentation skills have improved and that she’s gained more confidence, in herself and her intellect.
     
    And lastly, Nonki Bridgette Motlogelwa, an educator from Mandisa Shiceka – a Gauteng-based Maths, Science & ICT School of Specialisation, with a focus in mining and manufacturing said: “As a new entry, I feel so honoured and grateful to be part of the competition. Over the last few months, we put in so much effort into our idea and to know that it is being appreciated – has truly made us feel on top of the world. Now, we feel like we can do anything as long as we put our minds to it.” 
     
    Nonki expressed how proud and blown away she was by the learners from her school. She explained how they have shown so much courage, creativity and teamwork, a clear indication that they are heading in the right direction. During the competition process, the learners started feeling the pressure but fortunately they pulled through and decided to do hydroponics. This technique involves growing plants using water-based nutrient solution rather than soil.
     
    When it was announced that the school is in the top 10, the entire school was so happy, this has motivated other school learners to want to enter next year. Having a Samsung mentor as well, she believes, made this challenging experience much easier, because she was able to guide the team through.
    For Nonki, the overall experience was amazing and thought-provoking. She also confirmed that their preparations for the prototype presentation are going well, the learners are putting their all and their teamwork is superb. The learners were also able to alternate themselves in terms of building the prototype and preparations for the final presentation. 
     
    Nonki is encouraging learners from other schools who have not yet participated in this SFT competition to always take chances and believe in themselves, because the future is in their hands. “Because all the learners have the brains and creativity, its important to let them shine and show the world that every individual deserves an equal opportunity to succeed, regardless of their background or circumstances,” concluded Nonki.
     

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI: EquityZen Adds to Senior Executive team – Hires Justin Howell as COO and promotes Jean Brandolini Lamb to CMO

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, Sept. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — EquityZen, an online marketplace for company-approved sales of pre-IPO employee shares, today announces the appointment of Justin Howell as Chief Operating Officer. Howell’s appointment marks a significant milestone for EquityZen as it accelerates its mission of bringing “private markets to the public” for investors and shareholders on its fintech platform. 

    Howell will oversee daily operations and will report to EquityZen CEO, Atish Davda. Before joining EquityZen, Justin founded and led Rize Money, Inc., a pioneering embedded payments platform that provided payment infrastructure and risk management capabilities to fintechs and other technology companies seeking to integrate innovative financial products into their existing user experiences. Under his leadership, Rize was successfully acquired by Fifth Third Bank, where he served as Senior Vice President and oversaw the integration of Rize’s infrastructure into Newline, Fifth Third’s embedded payments division, allowing Fifth Third to win enterprise-scale clients like Stripe and Trustly. 

    “Throughout my career I have been on a mission to transform financial services through technology,” said EquityZen’s newly appointed COO, Justin Howell. “As an early investor in EquityZen and a long-time client, I am thrilled to be working with the leadership team at EquityZen to help bring greater access to alternative markets.”

    Howell’s career spans over 20 years with various roles at Bain & Company, Bain Capital, Soleil Securities and Perry Capital, where he gained experience in strategy, operations, and investment across both startups and Fortune 100 companies before founding Rize. His passion for building impactful companies extends to sectors such as personal finance, greentech, education and media & entertainment. Justin holds a Bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and an MBA from The Wharton School. He actively contributes to the entrepreneurial community as a mentor, advisor and board member.

    Jean Brandolini Lamb has spent two years as EquityZen’s head of marketing before being promoted to Chief Marketing Officer. 

    “It’s been a pleasure to be part of EquityZen’s advancement as we see interest in our category and company grow. I look forward to working even more deeply with the leadership team to focus on our customers and the opportunities ahead of our thriving business,” said Jean Brandolini Lamb, EquityZen’s new CMO. 

    Jean joined EquityZen as head of marketing in 2022. Over the last 20+ years, Jean has led marketing teams at global financial services and technology companies including J.P. Morgan, TIAA, SAP and Hewlett Packard Enterprise. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from NYU and an MA from Columbia University. 

    “Justin is an invaluable addition to our team given his experience as a seasoned entrepreneur, business strategist and his proven track record in scaling businesses. His deep understanding of our business, financial technology and how to operate nimbly in a highly regulated industry will be instrumental as we continue to innovate and transform our pre-IPO platform,” said Atish Davda, CEO of EquityZen. “Jean joined to lead marketing two years ago and expanded her purview to also lead funds, research and customer experience in her tenure. With this promotion, she brings her valued voice and insight into our customers to the senior executive team. Our goal at EquityZen is to democratize access to investing in the private markets and I look forward to both of their contributions at our company,” he added.

    About EquityZen

    Since 2013, the EquityZen marketplace has made it easy to buy and sell shares in the private companies shaping the future. EquityZen brings together investors and shareholders, providing liquidity to early shareholders and private market access to accredited investors. With low investment minimums through our funds and with more than 41,000 private placements completed across 450+ companies, EquityZen leads the way in delivering “Private Markets for the Public.” 

    Media Contact

    Deborah Kostroun, Zito Partners

    +1 (201) 403-8185

    deborah@zitopartners.com

    Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/946c4fa0-0b3d-4fb1-ad69-92656e2711ca
    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/24305c18-3024-4999-be01-12e6d1ecd213

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Sprout Social Deepens Commitment to Public Sector by Partnering With Carahsoft as a NASPO-Approved Vendor for Government Agencies

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CHICAGO, Sept. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Sprout Social (Nasdaq: SPT), an industry-leading provider of cloud-based social media management software, today announced their publishing, engagement, customer care, advocacy, and AI-powered business intelligence solutions have been added to the National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO) ValuePoint Cloud Solutions Contract held by Carahsoft Technology Corp., The Trusted Government IT Solutions Provider®. The contract enables Carahsoft and its reseller partners to provide Sprout Social’s products to participating state and local government agencies.

    NASPO ValuePoint Cloud Solutions Contract is a cooperative purchasing program facilitating public procurement solicitations and agreements using a lead-state model. The program provides the highest standard of excellence in public cooperative contracting. By leveraging the leadership and expertise of all states and the purchasing power of their public entities, NASPO ValuePoint Cloud Solutions delivers the highest valued, reliable and competitively sourced contracts, offering public entities outstanding pricing.

    “Social media has become a vital tool for government agencies to engage with the public and deliver timely, transparent communication,” said Ryan Barretto, President and incoming CEO, Sprout Social. “Our partnership with Carahsoft and NASPO ensures Sprout customers in the public sector can work more efficiently, create more time for citizen engagement and confidently demonstrate the value of social.”

    Sprout takes billions of social conversations from across the major social networks and brings them together in seconds, surfacing rich insights, building comprehensive dashboards and powering intelligent automations. With the addition of Sprout Social solutions to NASPO, government agencies may now purchase the platform alongside other approved technologies, all from one contract offered by Carahsoft.

    “Carahsoft is excited to announce that Sprout Social’s cloud-based social media management platforms are now available to NASPO members,” said Craig P. Abod, Carahsoft President. “The inclusion of Sprout Social in NASPO’s offerings expands the range of digital communication solutions available to State and Local agencies. Carahsoft is committed to helping NASPO members enhance their social media management through collaboration with our resellers. With Sprout Social now part of NASPO, customers can more effectively communicate and serve their communities.”

    Learn more about Sprout Social here.

    About Sprout Social
    Sprout Social is a global leader in social media management and analytics software. Sprout’s intuitive platform puts powerful social data into the hands of more than 30,000 brands so they can deliver smarter, faster business impact. Named the #1 Best Software Product by G2’s 2024 Best Software Award, Sprout offers comprehensive publishing and engagement functionality, customer care, influencer marketing, advocacy, and AI-powered business intelligence. Sprout’s software operates across all major social media networks and digital platforms. For more information about Sprout Social (NASDAQ: SPT), visit sproutsocial.com.

    Social Media Profiles:
    www.twitter.com/SproutSocial
    www.twitter.com/SproutSocialIR
    www.facebook.com/SproutSocialInc
    www.linkedin.com/company/sprout-social-inc-/
    www.instagram.com/sproutsocial

    Contact
    Media:
    Layla Revis
    Email: pr@sproutsocial.com
    Phone: (866) 878-3231

    Investors:
    Lexi Johnson
    Twitter: @SproutSocialIR
    Email: investors@sproutsocial.com
    Phone: (312) 528-9166

    About Carahsoft
    Carahsoft Technology Corp. is The Trusted Government IT Solutions Provider, supporting Public Sector organizations across Federal, State and Local Government agencies and Education and Healthcare markets. As the Master Government Aggregator® for our vendor partners, we deliver solutions for Customer Experience and Engagement, Cybersecurity, HR and Training Technology, MultiCloud, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, Open Source, DevSecOps and more. Working with resellers, systems integrators and consultants, our sales and marketing teams provide industry leading IT products, services and training through hundreds of contract vehicles. Visit us at www.carahsoft.com. 

    Contact
    Mary Lange
    (703) 230-7434
    PR@carahsoft.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: View politics critically but charitably and with good old common sense: cowboy commentator Will Rogers’ wisdom for 2024

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Steven Watts, Professor of History, University of Missouri-Columbia

    Will Rogers made a career out of making fun of politics and politicians − with a generous spirit. George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty Images

    For those trying to come to terms with a particularly tumultuous election year full of deep divisions, ideological invective and personal insults, guidance can come from a historical figure whose insights into American politics still prove useful.

    As I chronicle in my new book, “Citizen Cowboy: Will Rogers And The American People,” Will Rogers stood as perhaps the most influential commentator on public affairs in the United States a century ago. Born in Oklahoma, he had risen to fame as a cowboy humorist in vaudeville, the Ziegfeld Follies, Broadway shows and silent movies, and he earned public acclaim with his shrewd, folksy and witty observations on American life and values.

    By the 1920s, this led to a syndicated column Rogers wrote for over 300 newspapers, a stream of magazine articles and essays, and steady appearances on the national lecture circuit. He hosted a national radio program and had starring roles in several Hollywood “talkie” movies.

    Rogers became the most beloved figure in America until his death in 1935. As I discovered in my research, a flood of eulogies appeared in newspapers and magazines following his passing. Typical was this one appearing in the Minneapolis Journal: “We all loved Will Rogers … . Poets we have had, and philosophers, and humorists of note; but not one among them all so endeared to the heart of the whole people. None was ever mourned with such genuine grief, none will be so missed from our common life.”

    Especially fascinated by the nation’s politics, Rogers often trained his humor on its foibles and achievements alike. Three touchstones guided his commentary: a genial skepticism about politics as usual, a belief that politics must be subsumed within a broader perspective on life and, above all, an insistence that political discussants honor a code of civility.

    Will Rogers sends up politics and politicians in this radio broadcast from 1924.

    ‘I just … report the facts’

    Rogers got most of his laughs from skeptical jabs at the system. He gleefully skewered the “bunk” of American politics, his favorite word for politicians’ shameless hypocrisy, bombastic rhetoric, inflated egos and shady deal-making. Both Democrats and Republicans stood guilty of peddling bunk.

    “You know, the more you read and observe about this politics thing, you’ve got to admit that each party is worse than the other,” Rogers said. “It is getting so that a Republican promise is not much more to be depended on than a Democratic one. And that has always been considered the lowest form of collateral in the world.”

    The Oklahoman poked fun at the political system’s grandiose rituals and fumbling institutions. He wrote of a benumbing presidential convention in 1924 that took three weeks and 103 ballots to nominate a nonentity: “In number of population the convention is holding its own. The deaths from old age among the delegates is about offset by the birthrate.”

    Rogers pilloried governmental ineptness in Washington, D.C. One year, when Congress reconvened after a round of egregious bickering and inaction, he joked, “Let us all pray: Oh Lord, give us strength to bear that which is about to be inflicted upon us. Be merciful with them, Oh Lord, for they know not what they do.”

    He claimed a simple approach: “I don’t make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.”

    ‘Critical yet charitable’

    Yet Rogers insisted that political disputation should be kept in perspective. He urged his fellow citizens to avoid politicizing every public issue and instead concentrate on more meaningful endeavors – family, friends, community and work.

    Despite the dire warnings of political zealots, he said, “There is no less sickness, no less Earthquakes, no less Progress, no less inventions, no less morality, no less Christianity under one (president) than the other.”

    But for Rogers, the ultimate guarantee of stability came from the mass of workaday American citizens seeking commonsense solutions to public problems. What Rogers called the “Big Honest Majority” lived simply and worked hard, wanted a good life for their families and pursued their own version of happiness.

    The average citizen, Rogers believed, had solid judgment and “was not simple minded enough to believe that EVERYTHING is right and doesn’t appear to be cuckoo enough to believe that EVERYTHING is wrong.”

    Finally, Rogers urged an approach to politics that was critical yet charitable, principled yet magnanimous. A connoisseur of civility, he insisted that political disputants were opponents, not enemies, and that contrary viewpoints deserved respect.

    The humorist set the example: “I haven’t got it in for anybody or anything.”

    Will Rogers dining with Oklahoma Gov. Bill Murray on Feb. 3, 1931, in Oklahoma City. Murray had his usual meal of hard-boiled eggs and milk; Rogers chose fried chicken.
    Associated Press

    Surviving overwrought partisanship

    Even as he pilloried politicians’ shortcomings, he never made it personal. Despite their faults, Rogers wrote, “the Rascals, when you meet ’em face to face and know ’em, they are mighty nice fellows.” He declared famously, “I’ve joked about every prominent man in my time but I never met a man I didn’t like.”

    Determinedly nonpartisan throughout most of his career, he leaned toward the party of Franklin Roosevelt during the Great Depression while jesting, “I don’t belong to any organized political faith; I’m a Democrat.” The cowboy humorist saw politics as an endeavor for genial discussion, not a blood sport.

    Rogers’ political axioms of healthy skepticism, perspicacity and civility remain useful guides for surviving even the most sordid electioneering.

    So when you hear overwrought partisans lamenting “the end of democracy” or “we won’t have a country left anymore,” take a deep breath and consider Will Rogers’ calmer, wiser approach to presidential elections a century ago. Remember his conclusion that America won’t be ruined “no matter who is elected, so the Politicians will have to wait four more years to tell us who will ruin us then.”

    Then you can adopt his sage advice that when dealing with a political adversary, “don’t disagree with him looking at him; walk around behind him and see the way he’s looking.”

    Steven Watts does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. View politics critically but charitably and with good old common sense: cowboy commentator Will Rogers’ wisdom for 2024 – https://theconversation.com/view-politics-critically-but-charitably-and-with-good-old-common-sense-cowboy-commentator-will-rogers-wisdom-for-2024-239372

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Gun violence in Philadelphia plummeted in 2024 − researchers aren’t sure why, but here are 3 factors at play

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Carla Lewandowski, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice, Rowan University

    Philadelphia had 563 homicides in 2021 — the deadliest year on record. Alex Potemkin/E+ Collection via Getty Images

    Philadelphia experienced a surge in shootings and homicides during the COVID-19 years that disproportionately affected young Black and Latino men in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods with drug markets.

    In 2020, Philadelphia had 499 homicides – nearly 150 more than the previous year. Gun violence worsened in 2021 – with 562 homicides that year – and then dropped slightly in 2022.

    Fortunately, recent data shows a notable decline in these crimes over the past two years. As of late September 2024, homicides are down 40% for the year to date compared with 2023. And the number of shooting victims has decreased similarly – from 1,236 in the first eight months of 2023 to 758 for the same period in 2024.

    As professors of criminal justice who live in Greater Philadelphia, we know that there is no single explanation for the drop in gun violence. Rather, many factors at both the local and national levels could be playing a role.

    Police and justice system return to (sort of) normalcy

    A shortage of police – driven by pandemic-era resignations, retirements and injuries – significantly affected cities like Philadelphia.

    Additionally, the Philadelphia Police Department’s number of traffic and pedestrian stops dropped drastically. This was due to both the need to adhere to social distancing guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic and a widespread reluctance among officers to engage with citizens after massive protests in response to the murder of George Floyd. In fact, the number of documented stops plummeted by 83% from 2019 to 2020 alone.

    Philadelphia police staffing remains nearly 20% lower than before the pandemic.
    Spencer Platt/Getty Images News via Getty Images

    As the year progressed, the department struggled with officers’ abuse of the Pennsylvania Heart and Lung Act. This statewide disability program allows police and firefighters injured on the job to collect their full salaries.

    By September 2021, 14% of Philadelphia patrol officers were out of work on “no duty” disability leave, according to investigations by both The Philadelphia Inquirer and the city controller.

    Though up-to-date data is unavailable, there was a 31% drop in injury claims by December 2022, 10 months after the Inquirer investigation was published.

    More recently, the Philadelphia Police Department has attempted to increase its ranks through intensified recruitment efforts. It also lowered physical requirements and eliminated certain residency restrictions.

    Despite these efforts, staffing remains nearly 20% lower than in 2019. This places considerable strain on the existing workforce.

    Of course, the COVID-19 years considerably affected the entire criminal justice system and beyond in Philadelphia. Courts operated in a limited capacity, cases backlogged, probation and parole officers were less able to supervise individuals in the community, and the jail population was reduced. The city’s array of community- and hospital-based violence intervention programs were also disrupted.

    The post-pandemic resumption of court operations, improved violence intervention programs, police recruitment efforts and reduced disability claims may help explain the recent drop in shootings.

    New leadership and crime-fighting strategies

    Reducing gun violence was a top campaign issue during Philadelphia’s 2023 mayoral race.

    Mayor Cherelle Parker, elected on a law-and-order platform, declared a public safety emergency on her first day in office.

    She also appointed Kevin Bethel as police commissioner in charge of the more than 6,000-member force. Bethel, second in command under former Commissioner Charles Ramsey, quickly released a 100-day plan that focused on crime reduction in high-crime districts, shutting down open-air drug markets in Kensington and reinforcing federal partnerships to tackle violent crime.

    Philadelphia has also adopted new policing strategies and technologies.

    In early 2022, before Parker and Bethel’s tenure, the Philadelphia Police Department under former Commissioner Danielle Outlaw designated a new unit to investigate nonfatal shootings. In 2021, only 17% of nonfatal shootings led to arrests, a failure that can fuel retaliatory violence, legal cynicism – which refers to a drop in trust of the legal system – and communities resorting to self-policing.

    While it’s not yet clear what effect the new unit has had in Philadelphia, research shows such units that prioritize resources to solving nonfatal shootings in places such as Boston and Denver have reduced gun violence.

    More recently, the city began deploying mobile surge teams on weekends to flood high-crime areas with officers to deter potential criminal activity.

    Meanwhile, Temple University attributes the reduction in crime within its patrol areas to the implementation of safety measures, including new equipment for officers such as firearms and radios, upgraded security cameras and advanced technology such as license plate readers, which help identify stolen vehicles or those linked to criminal behavior.

    Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel has prioritized reducing gun violence in high-crime neighborhoods.
    Ryan Collerd/AFP via Getty Images

    National crime trends

    While local initiatives have likely contributed to Philadelphia’s drop in violent crime, these improvements also fit into national crime trends as cities across the U.S. experienced similar declines.

    Economics and public safety expert John Roman, for example, attributes both the rise and fall of violence to pandemic-related losses in government staffing and functionality, which he argues returned to prepandemic levels in late 2023.

    Roman shows how 1.3 million government jobs were lost nationally at the outset of COVID-19, with 75% of the losses coming at the local level. These local government employees, such as social and outreach workers, often connect people in marginalized communities that bear the brunt of gun violence to crucial services such as trauma counseling, victim advocacy and legal assistance.

    In Philadelphia, approximately 3,000 local government jobs were lost between 2019 and 2022. The reopening of social services and increase in those jobs and community-based interventions post-pandemic may have helped stabilize Philadelphia’s neighborhoods.

    Crime trends tend to ebb and flow. This current drop appears to align with a national de-escalation in violent crime. These factors, alongside the statistical phenomenon of regression to the mean – where crime rates normalize after extreme spikes – apply to both national and local crime rates.

    Some researchers, including Roman, have also considered the possibility that the recent 2020-2022 homicide peak killed a portion of the most violent offenders who drive shootings in their neighborhood. It’s based on the concept of the victim-offender overlap that those at the highest risk of violence are often offenders themselves.

    But crediting Philadelphia’s decline in homicides and violent crime to any single cause oversimplifies a much more intricate picture. While the exact causes of these shifts are complex, understanding the interplay of local and national forces is essential to sustaining this positive trajectory.

    John A. Shjarback receives funding from: the South Jersey Institute for Population Health; the NJ Gun Violence Research Center; and a few local/county governments including Cumberland County, NJ, Atlantic City, NJ, and Suffolk County, NY.

    Carla Lewandowski does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Gun violence in Philadelphia plummeted in 2024 − researchers aren’t sure why, but here are 3 factors at play – https://theconversation.com/gun-violence-in-philadelphia-plummeted-in-2024-researchers-arent-sure-why-but-here-are-3-factors-at-play-235485

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI: Canon U.S.A., Inc. Supports Cross-University Project

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    MELVILLE, N.Y., Sept. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Aligned with its commitment to supporting higher education and fostering collaboration, Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, is proud to announce its support of a collaborative project between Syracuse University and Universidad del Sagrado Corazón in San Juan, Puerto Rico through which their students created a documentary film. The project was made possible through the help of powerful technology provided by Canon1, enabling students from both universities to work together to bring their ideas to life from ideation to execution. The resulting documentary, A Tale of Two Cities, will make its debut at the upcoming Syracuse Film Festival in Syracuse, New York, showcasing the students’ unique perspectives and collaborative efforts.2

    Under the guidance of faculty members Milton Santiago at Syracuse University and Professor Harold Leonard Navarro at Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, students explored a topic of mutual regional significance. Despite the geographic distance between the two groups, they were able to seamlessly collaborate using Canon’s AMLOS (Activate My Line of Sight) solution and captured the documentary on Canon’s EOS R5C hybrid camera. Canon’s AMLOS solution facilitated real-time interaction, allowing the students to communicate in an engaging way to merge their unique perspectives and skills into a cohesive documentary project.

    “This project truly enabled our students to understand the power of collaboration,” said Santiago, an assistant professor of visual communications at Syracuse University’s renowned Newhouse School of Public Communications.

    “Despite being geographically distant, the students at Syracuse and at Sagrado were able to rally around a common goal: telling an important story while raising awareness about a timely issue,” Santiago added. “In joining forces through storytelling, the work they have created will have impact beyond our academic walls.”

    In exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, captured on Canon’s EOS R5 C camera, students reflect on how they used the AMLOS solution to collaborate seamlessly across geographic boundaries.

    A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on this link.

    Additional footage shows the students working with the EOS R5 C camera to bring their documentary vision to life, highlighting the impact of Canon’s technology on their creative process.

    A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on this link.

    The benefits of Canon’s technology extended beyond merely facilitating interaction. It empowered students to work together to merge their perspectives seamlessly to help them create a polished final product.

    “The success of this project demonstrates that technology is an extremely powerful tool for collaboration across academic disciplines,” said Professor Navarro. “This experience has opened the door for future projects, bringing together students and faculty from diverse backgrounds in innovative ways.”

    Students echoed this sentiment, emphasizing how the project made a profound impact on their learning experience.

    “The experience that everyone got from this project is something that will leave a lasting impact on us,” said Jennifer Wybieracki, master’s graduate student at Syracuse University. “The collaboration between multidisciplinary fields is super important as we’re able to see how different industries operate and how we all contribute to the end product.”

    “We thank Canon for providing us with the equipment that allowed us to present the reality of the community by enabling us to obtain high-quality content,” said Victor Jiménez, journalism undergraduate student at Universidad del Sagrado Corazón.

    Supporting this collaborative project underscores Canon’s ongoing commitment to fostering creativity and innovation across academic institutions.

    “At Canon, we believe that technology has the power to transcend boundaries, whether geographic, cultural, or academic,” said Shinya Fukuda, senior vice president, Corporate Planning and Communications, Canon U.S.A., Inc. “By supporting this cross-university collaboration, we’re proud to help equip the next generation of filmmakers and storytellers with the tools they need to not only share their unique perspectives but also to foster meaningful connections through creativity and innovation.”

    About Newhouse School at Syracuse University

    The S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University trains the next generation of communications leaders, preparing students to not only enter a rapidly changing media industry, but to shape its future. Called one of the “very best schools” in its field by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC) in a 2023 report, Newhouse has been lauded for providing an excellent educational experience due to its outstanding students, faculty, staff, leadership and facilities, as well as financial stability and a deep curriculum. Newhouse is committed to expanding academic excellence through research and creative activity, as well as community engagement and professional opportunities to help students develop their skill set outside the classroom.

    About Universidad del Sagrado Corazón

    The Universidad del Sagrado Corazón is the oldest educational project in Puerto Rico, founded in 1880. It is located in the heart of Santurce, in the capital city of San Juan. The university offers academic programs that foster innovative thinking and creativity, helping students develop into leaders across various industries. The Ferré Rangel School of Communication is the premier institution for media and communication studies in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. Its graduates hold leadership roles in media and communication organizations both domestically and internationally. Learn more about the Ferré Rangel School of Communication at https://www.sagrado.edu/en/communications/

    About Canon U.S.A. Inc.

    Canon U.S.A. Inc. is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions to the United States and to Latin America and the Caribbean markets. With approximately $29.4 billion in global revenue, its parent company, Canon Inc. as of 2023 has ranked in the top-five overall in U.S. patents granted for 38 consecutive years†. Canon U.S.A. is dedicated to its Kyosei philosophy of social and environmental responsibility. To learn more about Canon, visit us at www.usa.canon.com and connect with us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/canonusa.

    † Based on weekly patent counts issued by United States Patent and Trademark Office.

    1 Canon U.S.A., Inc. also provided limited financial support to the schools for the project.

    2 The views and opinions expressed in the documentary are the views and opinions of the makers thereof and do not reflect the views and opinions of Canon U.S.A.

    To learn more about the AMLOS solution, including requirements, technical specifications and compatibility information please contact your Canon Authorized Representative. Subscription to, purchase, and use of other Canon and third-party services and solutions required for set-up, sound, to see remote users, and other features. Subject to applicable Canon or third-party provider’s terms and conditions. Neither Canon Inc. nor Canon U.S.A., Inc. represents or warrants any third-party product, service, or feature referenced hereunder.

    Not responsible for typographical errors.

    Canon is a registered trademark of Canon Inc. in the United States and may also be a registered trademark or trademark in other countries. AMLOS, the AMLOS logo and Activate My Line of Sight are trademarks of Canon U.S.A., Inc. All referenced product names, and other marks, are trademarks of their respective owners.

    Contact info: Nicole Esan Niesan@cusa.canon.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How sheriffs define law and order for their counties depends a lot on their views − and most are white Republican men

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Mirya Holman, Associate Professor of Public Policy, University of Houston

    A sheriff gestures. Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images

    Many Americans will find on their November 2024 ballot a space to vote for an important office: local sheriff. While there are exceptions, sheriffs have a long history of using their power to maintain a particular, unequal balance of power in society, often along racial and class lines.

    A recent example of this arose on Sept. 13, 2024, when Bruce Zuchowski, sheriff of Portage County, Ohio, posted a message on a Facebook page headed by a graphic that included his official portrait and which was labeled with his official title. Zuchowski called for the public to write down the addresses of people who have campaign signs supporting Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris in their yards.

    That way, he said, when immigrants arrive and need housing, “We’ll already have the addresses of the … families … who supported their arrival.”

    The post, which Zuchowski later claimed appeared on his “personal Facebook page,” used derogatory terms for immigrants and for Harris. It also included screenshots of two Fox News stories about migrants in Aurora, Colorado, and Springfield, Ohio, which are both places that former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, and his running mate JD Vance have falsely claimed to be sites of dangerous activity by immigrants.

    The header of a page Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski claimed is a ‘personal’ Facebook page shows him in uniform and carries his full title.
    Screenshot of a Facebook page
    An Ohio sheriff posted an anti-immigrant message on Facebook.
    Screenshot of a Facebook post

    Sheriffs in the U.S. don’t often get national news attention, but Zuchowski’s request was covered in The Washington Post, NBC News and The Guardian, among others.

    There are more than 3,000 sheriffs elected at the county level in the United States, each of whom has authority and autonomy to both set and enforce law enforcement policy. For example, sheriffs in many states can decide whether their deputies will wear body cameras and what happens to the footage recorded during routine stops.

    In our book, “The Power of the Badge: Sheriffs and Inequality in the United States,” we provide a comprehensive look at this office and detail the history of sheriffs enforcing inequality both by using formal powers of their office, such as cooperating with federal immigration officers, and with informal powers, such as communicating about who belongs in their community.

    Zuchowski’s post, which vilifies immigrants and targets people who support immigrant rights, is just part of that long history of sheriffs using their power as a tool of social control, as we document in our book.

    Various sheriffs have participated in social control throughout American history. For instance, in the 18th century, an Alabama sheriff ran slave auctions and Georgia sheriffs played a central role in enforcing slave codes. In the 19th century, a Pennsylvania sheriff quashed union efforts to protect workers’ rights against exploitative businesses. In the 20th century, Southern sheriffs’ roles in voter suppression during the Civil Rights Movement are well documented. In the 21st century, racial profiling has been a problem in the enforcement of traffic laws by sheriffs in Arizona and California, among other states. Zuchowski is just one 21st-century sheriff entering the debate over immigration policy and immigrants’ rights.

    Personal views affect public service

    In the wake of Zuchowski’s post, The Portager, a news website in his community, reported residents saying the sheriff’s post constituted voter intimidation. Some residents have called for investigations of the sheriff’s office by local, state and national agencies, including the Department of Justice’s civil rights division.

    So far, the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office says the sheriff has broken no laws.

    In both our book and previous work, we document through two national surveys how variations in sheriffs’ views on race and ethnicity may shape their office’s policies and practices.

    Zuchowski’s comments about immigrants, including calling them “Illegal human ‘Locust,’” denies their humanity by comparing immigrants to animals.

    In our research, we have found that sheriffs’ negative attitudes toward immigrants are statistically correlated to their offices’ anti-immigrant policies. For instance, sheriffs with more negative attitudes are more likely to have an official policy to check the immigration status of crime victims and witnesses. That relationship held even after we controlled potential influence of other factors such as political partisanship and the share of the native-born population in a sheriff’s county.

    Similarly, as we show in our book, sheriffs with racist views were less likely to report to us their deputies have been trained to reduce racial and ethnic bias in traffic enforcement. That issue is a problem in Portage County, according to the local NAACP, which in 2023 released a report claiming the sheriff’s office unfairly targets Black drivers.

    Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski posted a defense of his earlier post.
    Screenshot of a Facebook post

    Politics plays a role

    Since his initial post, Zuchowski has defended himself on social media, writing:

    “If the citizens of Portage County want to elect an individual who has supported open borders (which I’ve personally visited Twice!) and neglected to enforce the laws of our Country … then that is their prerogative. With elections, there are consequences. That being said … I believe that those who vote for individuals with liberal policies have to accept responsibility for their actions! I am a Law Man … Not a Politician!”

    Despite Zuchowski’s claims, he is indeed a politician. Like other sheriffs in the United States, he was elected by voters. He was the Republican nominee in 2020 and is running for reelection in 2024.

    Like sheriffs across the country, Zuchowski had extensive law enforcement experience, including working in the Portage County Sheriff’s Office prior to running to head the office. We found that more than 85% of sheriffs worked for the previous sheriff before seeking election. And like most other sheriffs, Zuchowski is a white Republican man. We and others find that more than 90% of sheriffs are white and over 98% are men.

    Across the United States, sheriffs will ask voters for their support this fall to remain in office. In most counties, these elections are uncompetitive: Sheriffs usually run either unopposed or against weak candidates.

    In this way, Portage County is an exception. Zuchowski’s first election was a competitive race for an open seat, and he faces a challenger to his reelection bid in the 2024 election. His Democratic opponent, Jon Barber, is similarly a white man with a law enforcement background.

    But Barber’s campaign website highlights another common challenge for voters: how to pick a good sheriff. His site focuses on transparency, accountability and community policing, with no discussion of immigration. Voters don’t get a clear message about any substantive differences that might exist between the two candidates.

    Will Zuchowski’s comments matter for voters? Elsewhere around the country, voters have reelected sheriffs who have made anti-immigrant and racist comments.

    Mirya Holman receives funding from Arnold Ventures

    Emily Farris received funding from Arnold Ventures.

    – ref. How sheriffs define law and order for their counties depends a lot on their views − and most are white Republican men – https://theconversation.com/how-sheriffs-define-law-and-order-for-their-counties-depends-a-lot-on-their-views-and-most-are-white-republican-men-239282

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: GAO Makes Appointments to PCORI Governing Board

    Source: US Government Accountability Office

    WASHINGTON, DC (September 23, 2024) — Gene L. Dodaro, Comptroller General of the United States and head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), today announced the reappointment of seven members and one new member to the Governing Board of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI).  

    “The professional credentials and extensive knowledge of today’s appointees will bring strong leadership to the PCORI Governing Board,” Dodaro said. “Their invaluable experiences and diverse backgrounds will help drive the PCORI mission forward in maintaining clinical research that continues to be patient centered.”

    Dodaro reappointed the following members to a second term through September 2030: Kara Ayers, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati and Associate Director of the University of Cincinnati Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities; Kate Berry, Senior Vice President of Clinical Innovation with America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP); Jennifer (Jen) DeVoe (Vice Chairperson), M.D., MPhil, MCR, DPhil, FAAFP, John & Sherrie Saultz Professor and Chair of the Oregon Health & Science University Department of Family Medicine; Christopher Friese, Ph.D., RN, AOCN, FAAN, Director of the Center for Improving Patient and Population Health and Professor at the University of Michigan School of Nursing; Michael Herndon, D.O., Chief Medical Officer at Health Alliance for the Uninsured and former Chief Medical Officer for the Oklahoma Healthcare Authority (retired); James Schuster, M.D., MBA, Chief Medical Officer at the UPMC Insurance Services Division; and Christopher L. White, Esq., General Counsel and Chief Policy Officer of AdvaMed.

    The newly appointed member will fulfill the statutory requirement to appoint at least one individual representing a federal health program or agency. Hilary Marston, M.D., MPH, Chief Medical Officer of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is appointed for a six-year term through September 2030 and may be reappointed for one subsequent six-year term. A brief biography follows:

    As FDA’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Marston serves as the primary clinical advisor to the Commissioner and oversees a range of issues important to the patient community. Dr. Marston leads programs and cross-cutting initiatives that support making effective, safe, and innovative medical products available to the American people, including combination products, pediatric therapeutics and orphan products for rare diseases. Her portfolio also includes planning for and responding to public health emergencies, including medical product supply chain coordination, and cross-cutting clinical trial oversight-related issues, including evidence generation and informed consent. In close collaboration with FDA’s medical product centers, she supports patient engagement activities to foster awareness and collaboration with patients, their advocates, stakeholders, and the FDA. Dr. Marston previously served on the White House COVID-19 Response Team and the National Security Council. Prior to these roles, she was Policy Advisor for Pandemic Preparedness at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Dr. Marston trained in Internal Medicine and Global Health Equity at Brigham & Women’s Hospital. She completed her M.P.H. at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

    For more information, contact Ray Sendejas on GAO’s Health Care team at (202) 512-7113, or Sarah Kaczmarek in GAO’s Office of Public Affairs at (202) 512-4800, or visit the GAO Health Care Advisory Committees web page at www.gao.gov/about/hcac.

    #####

    The Government Accountability Office, known as the investigative arm of Congress, is an independent, nonpartisan agency that exists to support Congress in meeting its constitutional responsibilities. GAO also works to improve the performance of the federal government and ensure its accountability to the American people. The agency examines the use of public funds; evaluates federal programs and policies; and provides analyses, recommendations, and other assistance to help Congress make informed oversight, policy, and funding decisions. GAO provides Congress with timely information that is objective, fact-based, nonideological, fair, and balanced. GAO’s commitment to good government is reflected in its core values of accountability, integrity, and reliability.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NIST Awards $3 Million for Community-Based Cybersecurity Workforce Development

    Source: US Government research organizations

    GAITHERSBURG, Md. — The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has awarded cooperative agreements totaling nearly $3 million aimed at developing the workforce needed to defend the nation’s organizations and infrastructure from cybersecurity risks. The grants of roughly $200,000 each will go to 15 education and community organizations in 11 states that are working to address the nation’s shortage of skilled cybersecurity employees.

    The cooperative agreements will be overseen by NICE, a NIST-led partnership between government, academia and the private sector focused on cybersecurity education, training and development of a diverse workforce. 

    “To strengthen our national and economic security, we need a highly skilled and talented cybersecurity workforce,” said Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST Director Laurie E. Locascio. “This investment in cybersecurity education and training will help fill a critical workforce need while giving people the skills they need to succeed in good-paying, high-quality jobs.”

    The NICE-funded CyberSeek tool, which analyzes data about the cybersecurity job market, found that there were nearly 470,000 cybersecurity job openings in the U.S. between May 2023 and April 2024. Roughly 85 workers were available to fill every 100 cybersecurity job openings in the U.S. during this time.

    The organizations receiving the awards will build Regional Alliances and Multistakeholder Partnerships to Stimulate (RAMPS) cybersecurity education and workforce development. These RAMPS projects will align the workforce needs of local business and nonprofit organizations with the NICE Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity.

    “The RAMPS program provides individuals from diverse backgrounds, experiences and life circumstances access to cybersecurity careers,” said NICE Director Rodney Petersen. “It also helps communities collaborate on creating career pathways to good jobs for all Americans and contributes to economic development by addressing workforce needs at the local and regional scales.”

    Many of the RAMPS projects promote curriculum development or education and training at the high school, collegiate or professional levels. Others support work-based learning experiences in the form of internships, apprenticeships or projects. Still others support workshops, bootcamps, competitions and hackathons.

    With these latest awards, there will now be 33 RAMPS communities in 20 states. The award recipients, areas served, and amounts awarded are:

    Adventurous Minds Produce Extraordinary Dreams Inc.          
    Louisville, Kentucky   
    $199,670

    The Coding School   
    New York City & Westchester County Region
    $200,000

    Del Mar College District       
    Corpus Christi, Texas               
    $200,000

    The Escal Institute of Advanced Technologies Inc.          
    North Bethesda, Maryland   
    $199,700 

    Howard Community College            
    Columbia, Maryland 
    $200,000

    Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments       
    Washington, D.C.        
    $195,726

    Miami University
    Oxford, Ohio                   
    $199,850

    Moraine Valley Community College            
    Palos Hills, Illinois      
    $199,982                

    New York University
    New York, New York   
    $200,000

    Old Dominion University Research Foundation
    Norfolk, Virginia 
    $200,000

    Purdue University     
    West Lafayette, Indiana          
    $199,717

    Research Foundation of CUNY on behalf of Lehman College  
    Bronx, New York           
    $200,000

    The Sierra College Foundation        
    Rocklin, California 
    $198,000

    University of Florida                
    Gainesville, Florida    
    $199,999

    Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University          
    Blacksburg, Virginia  
    $194,270

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Rural Counties Emphasize the Dangers of Republican Scheme to Funnel Millions of Taxpayer Dollars to Private School Vouchers

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: ICYMI: Rural Counties Emphasize the Dangers of Republican Scheme to Funnel Millions of Taxpayer Dollars to Private School Vouchers

    ICYMI: Rural Counties Emphasize the Dangers of Republican Scheme to Funnel Millions of Taxpayer Dollars to Private School Vouchers
    mseets

    Legislative Republicans’ plan to spend $625 million this year on taxpayer funded private school vouchers instead of public schools will hurt rural communities the most. And school boards and leaders in rural North Carolina are speaking out. Voucher expansion would disproportionately impact rural North Carolina counties, where access to private education is limited and public schools serve as the backbone of communities. Recently, local papers have highlighted this attack on public education in North Carolina.

    Read how communities will be affected below:

    N&O: Private school voucher expansion is looming in NC. Why Wake schools say that’s bad

    T. Keung Hui, September 18, 2024

    Wake County school leaders charge that North Carolina’s historic expansion of private school voucher funding will leave public schools underfunded.

    State lawmakers have passed a bill that provides an additional $463 million for private school vouchers but less than half of the $200 million requested for public school enrollment growth. During Tuesday’s review of House Bill 10, most Wake school board members said the legislation should be rejected.

    Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper is expected to veto the bill. But Republicans have a large enough legislative majority to override Cooper to pass the bill into law.

    “Not only is it bad for us here in Wake County, It’s bad statewide,” said school board chair Chris Heagarty. “It’s bad because so many of our small school districts don’t even have private school options yet the public schools which are there to serve in those communities are underfunded.”

    Read the article here.

    Martin County Enterprise: Governor: Voucher program hurts MCS

    John Foley, September 18, 2024

    Martin County public schools, already suffering from tight budget restraints, could lose substantial funding if the N.C. General Assembly’s move to direct substantial tax dollars towards private school vouchers is successful.

    That’s the message from N.C. Governor Roy Cooper.

    The action would extend the program to 55,000 students.

    “If the General Assembly’s private school voucher plan moves forward, Martin County could lose more than $65,000 in public education funding in just the first year of the expanded program,” Gov. Cooper told The Enterprise last week. “Statewide, the General Assembly could spend nearly $625 million in new funding of taxpayer money for private school vouchers just this year.”

    Gov. Cooper was referring to the GOP-controlled Legislature’s vote to approve the increased voucher funding.

    “They’re coming back to take hundreds of millions of taxpayer money out of the public schools to give it to private school vouchers for the wealthiest North Carolinians,” the Governor said. “This is devastating for education across the board and we have evidence from other states to prove it.”

    Public schools are funded based on how many students are enrolled. For each enrolled student, public schools receive an average of $7,500 in state funding to cover various expenses, such as teacher salaries, instructional materials or transportation, explained Cooper.

    Under the voucher program, if a public-school student uses a voucher to attend a private school, the public schools lose that funding. If the General Assembly fully expands the taxpayer-funded private school voucher program, private schools could siphon nearly $100 million in state funding from public schools.

    The program will cost the state more than $270 million just in the first year, according to statistics provided by Gov. Cooper.

    “Despite the lack of funding, our public schools continue to shine. More than 84 percent of North Carolina’s school-aged children still attend public schools and parents are overwhelmingly satisfied with that choice,” noted Gov. Cooper. “And for good reason. Our public schools are doing amazing things.

    “Last year, public school students earned 325,000 workforce credentials, and our public schools have more nationally board certified teachers than any other state in the country,” he continued. “The success of our families and our workforce relies on strong public schools. Private school vouchers will destroy that goal.”

    Studies show private school vouchers do not improve student performance. North Carolina private schools also operate under a less regulated educational umbrella. Private schools are not required to hire licensed teachers, they are not required to report on how students are performing, nor are they required to teach a curriculum based on the state’s academic standards or provide services for students with disabilities.

    “Vouchers directly undermine strong public education. They take scarce funding from public schools, which serve 90 percent of students nationwide — and give it to private schools. These private schools have no accountability to tax payers for their service and are held to no standards for curriculum, student learning, nor ethical practice,” Martin County Schools Superintendent Dr. Michelle White said. “In addition, private schools choose what students they will accept to educate. Public tax dollars should not be used for chosen students, it should be used for all students.

    “Martin County Schools, like all public schools, proudly serve all children. In addition, public school teachers are severely underpaid and often work multiple jobs to make ends meet,” Dr. White continued. “If our legislators would have taken the $463 million dollars they put in vouchers, and invested it in teacher pay, North Carolina teachers would have seen a 2.6 percent pay increase.”

    Read the article here.

    The Yadkin Ripple: Expanded private school vouchers could hurt local school funding

    Kitsey Burns Harrison, September 18, 2024

    There are no private schools located in Yadkin County, yet an expanded private school voucher program recently passed in the state legislature could lead to lost funding for public education.

    Part of House Bill 10, passed by Republican legislators in the N.C. General Assembly last week, aimed at providing “school choice” for students includes an increase in funds for the next 15 years to the Opportunity Scholarship Grant Fund Reserve. A total of $625 million in new funding would be directed to taxpayer-funded private school vouchers in the first year of this expanded program.

    According to information from Governor Roy Cooper’s office, “Yadkin County could lose more than $106,000 in public education funding in just the first year of the expanded voucher program, despite having zero private schools participating in the Opportunity Scholarship Program.”

    Cooper spoke directly with The Yadkin Ripple to express his concern over how this program could particularly affect public education funding for rural counties such as Yadkin.

    “The Legislature wants to take money out of the public schools and give it to private school vouchers, even to the wealthiest of North Carolinians,” Cooper said. “We’re talking about a total amount of $625 million dollars this year. That will be devastating for education across the board. We have strong evidence from other states to prove it. Studies show that private school vouchers do not improve student performance, it’ll only rob public schools of badly needed funding.”

    Funding locally for public schools continues to be an issue and something that educators are concerned about. Yadkin County Schools Superintendent Anthony Davis said he was concerned about how this expanded voucher program could negatively affect Yadkin County Schools.

    “I understand that the General Assembly has a monumental responsibility to ensure that they are good stewards of taxpayer dollars and that the needs are met across several state-funded agencies and programs. However, I do not agree with utilizing public money to fund private schools,” Davis said. “There are so many needs we have in the public school system that go unrealized due to lack of funding. It has become increasingly difficult to hire quality staff with salary being a major mitigating factor. Chronic absenteeism, mental health support, and behavior concerns continue to be a post-pandemic issue that requires the attention of additional specialized staff like school social workers, school counselors, nurses, and behavior support staff.”

    “Our Exceptional Children’s program is only funded at 13% of our population when our actual service numbers well exceed that,” Davis continued. “If the General Assembly would use a fraction of the proposed $825 million they plan to use for vouchers by 2032-2033, all of these programs and staffing needs could be fully funded which would allow us to offer families and staff the support they deserve.”

    Read the article here.

    Rocky Mount Telegram: Cooper intends to veto voucher bill upon arrival

    Eugene L. Tinklepaugh, September 14, 2024

    Gov. Roy Cooper stands ready to veto legislation fully funding a Republican-backed voucher program that currently has a waitlist of about 55,000 students.

    The Opportunity Scholarships are state-funded vouchers available to families with children attending private schools.

    Cooper said Friday in a phone interview with the Telegram that the legislature’s recently approved spending plan will take about $625 million away from the state’s public schools to pay for the program.

    “I’m going to veto this legislation, and it’s important for that veto to be sustained, so that we don’t put these private school vouchers permanently in our system with the very wealthiest getting the money,” Cooper said.

    “This would be devastating to public schools.,” he said.

    The N.C. House voted 67-43 following debate Wednesday to accept the legislation worked out by Republican legislative leaders. The N.C. Senate approved the measure separately Monday during a scheduled session this week.

    In the House, three Democrats joined Republicans in approving the measure. N.C. Rep. Shelly Willingham, D-23rd District, was one of the three Democrats siding with the GOP majority on the bill. Attempts to reach Willingham on Friday were unsuccessful. Willingham represents Bertie, Martin and Edgecombe counties.

    Cooper noted that rural areas would be hurt the most by this bill, which Republicans have touted as clearing the way for a true universal school choice program.

    “Edgecombe County would lose more than $171,000 in public education funding,” Cooper said. He noted that there are no private schools in the county that accept these Opportunity Scholarships.

    Nash County stands to lose even more public education funding if the bill becomes law.

    “Nash County could lose $811,000,” Cooper said. The two-term governor is a Nash County native whose daughters attended Nash County public schools.

    Read the article here.

    The Daily Advance: School voucher expansion ‘devastating’ for public education in NC

    Chris Day, September 13, 2024

    Rural North Carolina’s public schools will suffer because of the state Legislature’s decision this week to spend more tax dollars extending private school vouchers to an additional 55,000 students, Gov. Roy Cooper said this week.

    “The Legislature wants to take hundreds of millions of dollars out of the public schools and give it to private school vouchers, even for the wealthiest North Carolinians,” Cooper said Wednesday during a phone interview with The Daily Advance. “That’s going to be devastating for education across the board.”

    Cooper was referring to the Republican-led General Assembly’s approval this week to add up to $625 million in new funding this year to support Opportunity Scholarships, otherwise known as school vouchers.

    Cooper, who is reaching out to media outlets in rural areas of the state, said he wants residents, particularly those in rural North Carolina, to understand the potential downsides of the state spending even more money for families to send their children to private schools that accept vouchers. That’s because 28 rural North Carolina counties have one or no private school participating in the voucher program.

    “We’ve got evidence from other states that have done this (expand private school vouchers) to prove that studies show that private school vouchers do not improve student performance,” Cooper said. “We also know and we’ve seen it in other states that rural counties will be hurt the most. Most of the private schools getting this taxpayer money are in the urban areas” of the state.

    Read the article here.

    The Taylorsville Times: An interview with Gov. Cooper about School Voucher Expansion legislation

    Angela Farr King, September 18, 2024

    North Carolina House Bill 10, also known as the Private School Voucher Expansion Bill, recently passed in the NC Senate on September 9 and the NC House of Representatives on September 11.

    According to The Opportunity Scholarship Impact Analysis sent to The Taylorsville Times by the Governor’s office and created by the Office of State Budget Management (OSBM), “the Opportunity Scholarship Program (also known as the Private School Voucher Program) was created by the NC General Assembly in 2013. Scholarships are awarded based on a family’s household income and can be used to pay the required tuition and fees to attend an eligible K-12 private school.”

    The OSBM also states that “The 2023 Appropriations Act SL 2023-134 expanded program eligibility and funding leading to nearly 70,000 new applications for the 2024-25 academic year, a more than 100% increase over 2023-24. 15,805 of new eligible applicants were funded, leaving 54,000 on the waitlist. Additional appropriations proposed in the Fiscal Year 2024-25 NC House and Senate budget bills would fund all remaining 2024-25 eligible applicants.”

    According to the Impact Analysis, if the proposed House 10 Bill passes, the current number of new students receiving scholarships to attend private schools of 15,805 will possibly increase by a number of 53,706 for a total of 69,511.

    Read the article here.

    Jacksonville Daily News: Gov. Cooper urging residents in ENC, to speak up against private school voucher funding

    Morgan Starling, September 18, 2024

    North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper is urging residents, specifically those in rural counties like Onslow, Craven, and Lenoir, to contact their legislators in opposition to a program that Cooper says could take around $625 million away from public schools in just the first year.

    The General Assembly returned to session last week, passing a supplemental spending bill that approves hundreds of millions more taxpayer dollars for private school vouchers through the Opportunity Scholarship Program.

    The House voted 67-43, according to reporting by the Associated Press, adopting the plan that Cooper says will see the legislature spend more than $4 billion in taxpayer funding over the next decade.

    “This is devastating for education across the board, and we have evidence from other states to prove it,” Cooper told The Daily News. “Studies show that private school vouchers do not improve student performance. Instead, they rob public schools of badly needed funding. Of course, in North Carolina, we wouldn’t know, because they have provided no accountability for these hundreds of millions of dollars that they’re sending to the private schools.”

    Expanding private school vouchers would especially impact rural North Carolina counties, where access to private education is limited, and public schools serve as the backbone of communities, according to Cooper’s office.

    In fact, 28 of North Carolina’s 100 counties have no, or just one, private school participating in the voucher program.

    Onslow County itself could lose around $1.7 million in public education funding in just the first year of the expanded voucher program, with 12 private schools eligible to participate.

    Craven County could lose around $1.5 million with only nine schools participating, Lenoir could lose more than $553,000 with just five schools participating, and Jones could lose more than $102,000 despite having zero schools participating.

    Read the article here.

    ###

    Sep 19, 2024

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Google at the 79th United Nations General Assembly

    Source: Google

    This week, global leaders are gathering in New York City for the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and the first “Summit of the Future.” Front and center is how to dramatically accelerate progress on the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

    To help, the UN took a significant step forward yesterday in adopting the Global Digital Compact, a UN initiative to design a global framework to overcome digital, data and innovation divides. It outlines principles, objectives and actions for advancing an open, free, secure and human-centered digital future that enables the realization of the SDGs.

    We believe that linking the SDGs with digital progress is a great step, as we’ve seen first-hand how digital tools and access to technology can benefit education, healthcare, entrepreneurship and economic growth. We’ve long been inspired by the alignment between Google’s mission — to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful — and the SDGs. They’re similarly audacious goals that seek to benefit humanity.

    Most excitingly, AI may now bring them all into reach.

    As our CEO Sundar Pichai said in his keynote address at the UN’s Summit of the Future this weekend, “Just as the internet and mobile devices expanded opportunities for people around the world, now AI is poised to accelerate progress at unprecedented scale.”

    He also shared some of the ways Google develops technology in an effort to improve the lives of as many people as possible. From investments in infrastructure to digital skills training to innovating new products, we’re focused on making sure the digital divide does not become an AI divide.

    Our partnerships to address the SDGs

    We know from experience that expanding access to opportunity through technology requires strong public-private partnerships — with bold investments supported by the right policy frameworks. That’s why to address the SDGs and prevent an AI divide we are working across sectors, in concert with the UN and others. Today I’m excited to share a few updates on that work, including ongoing partnerships with UN agencies and a broad array of global stakeholders.

    Supporting AI skilling and education through a Global AI Opportunity Fund

    As Sundar shared in his keynote address, we’re proudly committing $120 million to make AI education and training available throughout the world. We’re partnering with nonprofit and civil society organizations to provide training in local languages based on foundational AI courses designed by Google and others. This is in addition to $275 million in Google.org funding already committed to support the responsible use of AI in society, funding both NGOs using AI to accelerate their social impact as well as organizations helping to build an ethical, safe and robust AI ecosystem. This also covers support for the development of AI solutions to achieve the SDGs such as flood forecasting in more than 80 countries, wildfire detection, and AlphaFold which is being used by over 2 million scientists in more than 190 countries doing protein-folding research.

    Enhancing the “Data Commons” to measure SDG progress

    After a successful year since the launch of UN Data Commons for the SDGs, Google has worked with the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) Statistics Division to expand Data Commons integration into major organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labor Organization (ILO). Data Commons acts as a central hub, providing an AI interface to access insights and visualizations on SDG progress, ultimately facilitating data-driven strategies and decisions in support of the SDGs. This helps with data equity — eliminating data as a primary barrier to implementing the SDGs — and ensures more communities have the resources they need to benefit from AI advances.

    Using AI to map the world’s buildings

    With the global population growing by more than 80 million a year, mapping the ever-changing built environment is difficult. But comprehensive urban data is critical to help global decision-makers and partners like UN Habitat support effective urban planning and address SDG 11. Just last week, we launched the Open Buildings 2.5D Temporal dataset, which uses AI to extract building footprints and heights from satellite imagery that is too blurry for the human eye, and provides critical information about how the world’s cities are changing over time with unprecedented detail.

    Using AI to enhance humanitarian disaster response

    In collaboration with Google.org, UN Global Pulse’s DISHA initiative, and the United Nations Satellite Center (UNOSAT), Google Research delivered an AI-powered solution to assist UNOSAT experts in assessing building damage, significantly enhancing the United Nations’ capacity to respond to global natural disasters. The tool allows UNOSAT analysts to expand their coverage by a factor of seven, allowing them to assess much larger regions in disaster zones, and it speeds up the production of initial damage reports by a factor of six, facilitating faster support to humanitarian agencies.

    Leveraging Google Cloud

    Google Cloud collaborated with the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the UN International Computing Centre (UNICC), and the Italian and Ethiopian governments to co-host an event to address the mounting challenges associated with the upcoming EU Deforestation Regulations. Google Cloud offers modern technology solutions to empower coffee farmers with what we call “first mile data ownership,” providing control of the data to the farmers on the ground and allowing for greater transparency and supply chain efficiency. We also signed a Joint Declaration with UNIDO to leverage innovation to advance inclusive and sustainable industrial development.

    Working to enhance education for all

    As part of our commitment to learning for all, we’re working with UNICEF to support SDG4 (Quality Education), including deploying Chromebooks and using Google Classroom and Read Along to support literacy development. We are also proud to be a member of UNESCO’s Global Education Coalition, which yesterday launched the Six Pillars for Digital Transformation of Education, a common framework to shape sustainable and human-centered digital transformation of education systems. We know that by safely connecting young people to high-quality learning experiences, we can support skilling, economic development and societal contribution. Our aim is to use the power of technology, including advances in AI, and apply it to help close the equity gap and solve for the global learning crisis.

    Looking ahead

    We’re proud of our ongoing work with the UN. This year, in particular, we were deeply inspired by the first-ever “Summit of the Future,” which reflected an understanding of the urgent issues facing our world, as well as the role technology can play if we work together.

    We already know that future generations are watching, and focused on the urgent need for progress. In fact, this year a group of YouTube Creators from around the world joined UNGA and the summit to amplify these vital conversations with their more than 52 million subscribers. This, in addition to livestreaming UNGA sessions on YouTube, is one more way that people are signaling support for progress on the SDGs.

    As Sundar put it, “The opportunities are too great…the challenges too urgent…. and this technology too transformational, to do anything less.”

    So let’s do this!

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Research Networks of Excellence in Women’s Heart and Brain Health

    Source: Government of Canada News

    Backgrounder

    The Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s Institute of Gender and Health and partners, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada (Heart & Stroke) and Brain Canada, are supporting two new Research Networks of Excellence in Women’s Heart and Brain Health with a total investment of $10M divided equally between the two. These networks will enable cutting-edge, intersectional and interdisciplinary research that addresses the most urgent research questions and significant gaps in practice for women’s heart and brain health.

    Principal Investigator Project Summary
    Dr. Amy Yu
    Sunnybrook Research Institute

    Forming the first formal research network in Canada dedicated to studying stroke in women, the team has designed a research program to understand why there are more women living with the consequences of stroke than men, and why stroke affects women and men differently. Answering these questions is critical for identifying treatments and therapies to help women recover their health and function after stroke. The studies will involve five hospitals in four provinces and will focus on:

    • Determining whether women and men with suspected mild strokes receive different tests and treatments, and whether there are differences in the long-term risk of eventually having a bigger stroke.
    • Evaluating whether women and men hospitalized with stroke experience differences in recovery in all aspects of health, including quality of life, mental health, sleep, memory, and loneliness.
    • Studying whether care and outcomes in First Nations patients hospitalized with stroke differ between women and men.
    • Examining whether women and men access and use rehabilitation services differently, whether they are paying out-of-pocket for treatments, and whether there are differences in their ability to return to work.
    • Testing strategies to improve the representation of women in stroke research.
    Dr. Rohan D’Souza
    McMaster University

    Heart-related conditions are among the leading causes of death and serious illness among pregnant individuals in most countries. At least 50% of these deaths and serious illnesses are preventable. Dr. D’Souza’s team will build a large network of clinicians, researchers, social scientists, economists and persons with lived experience from across Canada to work together towards reducing heart-related deaths and serious illness during and after pregnancy. They will:

    • Review all serious pregnancy-related cardiovascular events in Canada by gathering and sharing information in a sensitive and respectful way to learn how to prevent more deaths in the future.
    • Assess pregnant people with heart conditions after their pregnancies to ensure that they recover fully, so that they have fewer complications later in life.
    • Find ways for pregnant people with heart valve disease to receive specialized care when needed, to improve outcomes for them and their babies.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Translation: Bridging the gaps: Two national networks get $10 million for women’s heart and brain health research

    MIL OSI Translation. Canadian French to English –

    Source: Government of Canada – in French 1

    Press release

    Research will help reduce and prevent deaths and serious illnesses from heart disease and stroke in women

    September 23, 2024 | Ottawa, Ontario | Canadian Institutes of Health Research

    Heart disease and stroke are associated with unique symptoms and risk factors in women that are understudied and poorly understood. This is a significant gap, which is why the government is investing new funding in women’s heart and brain health to ensure women have access to the quality care they need.

    Today, the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, announced a $10 million investment from the Government of Canada and its partners, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and Brain Canada, to establish two national research networks in women’s heart and brain health.

    One network will be led by Dr. Rohan D’Souza of McMaster University, whose team will foster collaboration across Canada to reduce death and serious illness associated with heart conditions during and between pregnancies, and the other by Dr. Amy Yu of Sunnybrook Research Institute, whose team will work to improve stroke assessment, diagnosis and outcomes for women across the country.

    Each network will receive $5 million over five years to elucidate risk factors for heart and brain disorders in women and improve the diagnosis and treatment of conditions that affect women more than men or that are understudied.

    Quotes

    “We know that women are affected differently or disproportionately by certain health conditions like heart disease and stroke, but these conditions remain understudied and poorly understood. By investing in these research networks, we can address persistent gaps in knowledge, practice and policy related to women’s cardiovascular health, ensuring that women from coast to coast to coast have access to the care they need.”

    The Honourable Mark HollandMinister of Health

    “The intersectional approach taken by these Networks of Research Excellence is a real asset, as it will help to identify how women’s heart and brain health differs based on social factors, including Indigenous identity, race and sexual orientation, and how social processes, such as racism, sexism and homophobia, impact health risks and outcomes. This type of research is essential to informing precision medicine in a way that can actually improve women’s care and save lives.”

    Dr. Angela KaidaScientific Director, CIHR Institute of Gender and Health

    “Our Foundation is proud to encourage innovation and discovery in women’s heart and brain health by contributing to the work of these national networks. It is well known that some heart and brain conditions are more common in women than men, and heart disease and stroke can manifest differently in women and men. We are excited that this new research will look at the different stages of women’s lives and consider additional factors such as gender, racial identity, disability and social economy. These new research networks will add to the evidence base in this area, which we can then use to save lives.”

    Doug RothChief Executive Officer, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada

    “Brain Canada is Canada’s only research funding organization dedicated entirely to the brain, making its commitment to advancing the science of sex and gender a significant one. We are pleased to match the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada’s $2.4 million investment in Canada’s first research network dedicated to the study of women and cardiovascular health. This research aims to determine why stroke affects women differently than men, and to identify differences in treatment, access to rehabilitation care and risk of recurrence. The results will help inform the development of new therapies and improve women’s recovery after stroke.”

    Dr. Viviane PouponPresident and CEO, Brain Canada Foundation

    Quick Facts

    This type of research is essential because some risk factors associated with brain and heart disorders in women are poorly understood, not only by women themselves, but also by health professionals and the general population. Risk factors that deserve further study include those related to the use of oral contraceptives, gestational diabetes, pregnancy-related disorders, preterm birth, premature menopause, hormone replacement therapy and polycystic ovary syndrome.

    There is a persistent lack of knowledge and understanding regarding the heart and brain health of women, transgender, non-binary, intersex, two-spirited and gender-marginalized people, as most research has traditionally focused on the heart and brain of men.

    “Women’s health” is an evolving concept that broadly considers the multidimensional aspects of sex and gender. It refers to physical, biological, reproductive, psychological, emotional, cultural, and spiritual health and well-being across the life course, in the context of the unique concerns that affect our bodies, roles, social situations, and identities. Far from being limited to the binary conception of sex and gender, it considers the experiences and needs of all people who identify as women, girls, intersex, and/or underrepresented gender identities, including but not limited to Two-Spirit, trans, non-binary, gender fluid, and agender people.

    Related products

    Related links

    Contact persons

    Matthew KronbergPress SecretaryOffice of the Honourable Mark HollandMinister of Health343-552-5654

    Media RelationsCanadian Institutes of Health Researchmediarelations-relationsaveclesmedias@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

    Alicia D’AguiarHeart and Stroke Foundation of Canadaalicia.daguiar@heartandstroke.ca647-426-8410

    Kate ShinglerBrain Foundation Canadakate.shingler@braincanada.ca514-550-8308

    THECanadian Institutes of Health Research(CIHR) know that research has the power to change lives. As the federal agency responsible for investing in health research, they work with partners and researchers to support discoveries and innovations that improve the health of Canadians and Canada’s health care system.

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL Translation OSI

  • MIL-OSI Translation: Networks of Excellence in Research on Women’s Heart and Brain Health

    MIL OSI Translation. Canadian French to English –

    Source: Government of Canada – in French 2

    Information document

    The Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s Institute of Gender and Health and its partners, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and Brain Canada, are supporting two new Networks of Research Excellence with a total investment of $10 million, split equally between the two networks. These will foster cutting-edge intersectional and interdisciplinary research that addresses the most pressing questions and gaps in practice in women’s heart and brain health.

    Principal Investigator Project Summary
    Dr. Amy YuSunnybrook Research Institute

    For this first research network in Canada officially dedicated to the study of stroke in women, the team has designed a research program aimed at understanding why women are more likely than men to live with the consequences of stroke and why they are affected differently. Answering these questions is critical to determining the most effective treatments and therapies to help women recover and regain function after stroke. Five hospitals in four provinces will participate in the studies, which will focus on the following objectives:

    To determine whether women and men with suspected mild stroke receive the same tests and treatments, and whether they have the same long-term risk of having a more severe stroke. To assess whether women and men hospitalized for stroke recover differently across all aspects of health, including quality of life, mental health, sleep quality, memory, and isolation. To examine whether care and outcomes for First Nations patients hospitalized for stroke differ between women and men. To analyze whether men and women have different access to and use of rehabilitation services, whether they are required to pay for treatment themselves, and whether they have the same ability to return to work. To test strategies to improve the representation of women in stroke research.
    Dr. Rohan D’SouzaMcMaster University

    Heart disease is a leading cause of death and serious illness among pregnant women in most countries. At least 50% of these deaths and illnesses are preventable. Dr. D’Souza’s team will build a broad network of clinicians, researchers, social scientists, economists and people with lived experience from across Canada to focus on reducing death and serious illness from heart disease during and after pregnancy. Their goals are to:

    Review all serious cardiovascular events related to pregnancy in Canada by collecting and sharing data, with care and respect, to determine how to better prevent deaths in the future. Assess women with heart problems after pregnancy to ensure they recover fully and avoid future complications as much as possible. Enable pregnant women with valvular heart disease to receive the specialized care they need to improve their health and that of their babies.

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL Translation OSI

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Closing the gap: Two national networks secure $10M in funding for women’s heart and brain health research

    Source: Government of Canada News

    News release

    Research will shed light on how to reduce and prevent death and serious illness from heart conditions and stroke in women

    September 23, 2024 | Ottawa, Ontario | Canadian Institutes of Health Research

    Women experience distinct heart disease and stroke symptoms and risk factors that remain under-researched and misunderstood. With these new investments, we’re closing the gap and moving toward a future where all women receive the high-quality heart and brain health care they need.

    Today, the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, announced that the Government of Canada and partners, Heart & Stroke and Brain Canada, are investing $10M to establish two new national research networks for women’s heart and brain health.

    The networks will be led by Dr. Rohan D’Souza at McMaster University, whose team will create a Canada-wide collaboration aimed at reducing deaths and serious illness from heart conditions during and between pregnancies, and Dr. Amy Yu at the Sunnybrook Research Institute whose team will work on improving evaluation, diagnosis, and outcomes of stroke in women across Canada.

    Each network will receive $5M in funding over five years to better understand women’s risk factors for heart and brain conditions and to improve the diagnosis and treatment of conditions more common among women or that are less well studied.

    Quotes

    “We know that women can have conditions that affect them disproportionately or differently, like heart disease and stroke, but these conditions remain under-researched and misunderstood. By investing in these research networks, we can fill persistent knowledge, practice and policy gaps in women’s heart and stroke health – so women across Canada can get the care they need.”

    The Honourable Mark Holland
    Minister of Health

    “A strength of the Research Networks of Excellence is the intersectional approach being used to examine how women’s heart and brain health differ by social factors including Indigeneity, race and sexual orientation, as well as how social processes like racism, sexism and homophobia may further shape risk and health outcomes. This type of research is necessary to inform precision medicine approaches to greatly improve women’s care and save lives.”

    Dr. Angela Kaida
    Scientific Director, CIHR Institute of Gender and Health

    “Heart & Stroke is proud to accelerate advances through these national networks to drive new knowledge and innovation in women’s heart and brain health. Certain types of heart and brain conditions are more common in women, and women can be impacted differently by heart disease and stroke. We are excited that this new research will reflect the various life stages women go through and will include additional considerations for gender and racial identity, disability and social economics. These new research networks will allow us to further develop and use research evidence in women’s heart and brain health, and ultimately help save more lives.”

    Doug Roth
    CEO, Heart & Stroke

    “As Canada’s only research funder focused exclusively on the brain, we are committed to advancing sex and gender science. Brain Canada is pleased to match the $2.4-million investment by Heart & Stroke in the first Canadian research network dedicated to the study of women and stroke. This research examines why stroke affects women differently than men, and identifies variations in treatment, access to rehabilitation, and risk of recurrent stroke. Findings will lead to new therapies and improved stroke recovery for women.”

    Dr. Viviane Poupon
    President and CEO, Brain Canada

    Quick facts

    • This type of research is crucial, as some risk factors for brain and heart conditions in women are under-recognized, not only by women themselves, but by health care professionals and the general public, including risk factors related to the use of oral contraceptives, gestational diabetes, disorders related to pregnancy, pre-term delivery, premature menopause, hormone replacement therapy and polycystic ovary syndrome, among others.

    • There is a persistent lack of awareness and understanding around the heart and brain health of women, transgender, non-binary, intersex, Two-Spirit and people marginalized on the basis of their gender, as historically most research has focused on men’s hearts and brains.

    • The use of the term “women’s health” reflects an evolving concept, broadly including the multidimensional concepts of sex and gender. It refers to physical, biological, reproductive, psychological, emotional, cultural, and spiritual health and wellness across the lifespan in the context of the unique intersecting concerns related to bodies, roles, social locations, and identities. This goes beyond sex and gender binaries and welcomes the experiences and needs of all people who identify as a woman, girl, intersex and/or under-represented gender identity, including but not limited to Two-Spirit, trans, non-binary, gender fluid and agender people.

    Related products

    Associated links

    Contacts

    Matthew Kronberg
    Press Secretary
    Office of the Honourable Mark Holland
    Minister of Health
    343-552-5654

    Media Relations
    Canadian Institutes of Health Research
    mediarelations@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

    Alicia D’Aguiar
    Heart & Stroke
    alicia.daguiar@heartandstroke.ca
    647-426-8410

    Kate Shingler
    Brain Canada
    kate.shingler@braincanada.ca
    514-550-8308

    At the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) we know that research has the power to change lives. As Canada’s health research investment agency, we collaborate with partners and researchers to support the discoveries and innovations that improve our health and strengthen our health care system.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Beyer To Honor Jennifer Wexton At Annual Women’s Conference

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Don Beyer (D-VA)

    Rep. Don Beyer today announced that Rep. Jennifer Wexton will receive the Clara Mortenson Beyer Women and Children First Award at his Eighth Annual Women’s Conference: The Time Is Now on September 26.

    Rep. Jennifer Wexton serves Virginia’s 10th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Prior to serving in the U.S. House, Wexton served the people of Northern Virginia for over two decades as a prosecutor, attorney, advocate for abused children, and state Senator. Throughout her legislative career, Wexton has been renowned for her success in working across the aisle to deliver results to better the lives of Virginians.

    In September 2023, Wexton announced that her previous Parkinson’s Disease diagnosis had been updated to Progressive Supranuclear Palsy – a kind of ‘Parkinson’s on steroids’ – and would not seek reelection. Following this diagnosis, Wexton used her platform and time in office to raise awareness for and champion passage of the Dr. Emmanuel Bilirakis and Honorable Jennifer Wexton National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act which was ultimately signed into law by President Biden. In July 2024, Wexton became the first member of the U.S. House to have a model of her voice generated by artificial intelligence speak for her on the House floor.

    “A neurodegenerative disease diagnosis is extremely difficult news for anyone to receive, but Jennifer has faced her diagnosis with extraordinary grace, strength, and courage,” said Rep. Don Beyer. “She has never wavered in her service to the American people and was instrumental in the enactment of the National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act, the most significant action Congress has taken in decades to combat Parkinson’s and related neurodegenerative diseases. I am so proud to know and serve with Jennifer and call her a friend.”

    Rep. Beyer created the Clara Mortenson Beyer Women and Children First Award while Ambassador to Switzerland in 2011.  It is named after his grandmother, who is credited with convincing the Roosevelt Administration to appoint Frances Perkins, the first female Cabinet Secretary in the United States. Clara Beyer served as Secretary Perkins’ right hand, working on child labor issues. She was the first woman appointed as US Representative to the International Labor Organization in Geneva. 

    The award is given annually to recognize exceptional work to empower women. Previous awardees include Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs Tanya J. Bradsher, Dr. Tahera Ahmadi, journalist Marie Ridder, gun violence prevention advocate Naomi Wadler, rock climber Sasha DiGiulian, diplomat Betty King, PeaceWomen founder Ruth Gaby Vermot, journalist Lisa Feldmann, Arlington community activist Portia Clark, and immigration advocate Ofelia Calderón.

    This year’s conference will be held at George Mason University’s Arlington Campus on the evening of Thursday, September 26. Registration and additional information are available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Tackling workforce challenges across the health and social care system

    Source: City of Plymouth

    Key representatives from Plymouth’s health and social care sector have met for the first time to share system-wide, collective workforce strategies across University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, Livewell Southwest and adult social care.

    The event hosted by Caring Plymouth, the city’s sector skills partnership for health and social care, brought together a range of stakeholders including adult social care providers, Plymouth City Council’s Commissioners, senior representatives from the NHS and Livewell Southwest, training providers including further and higher education, and representatives from Department for Work and Pensions.

    Councillor Mary Aspinall, Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care, said: “We now have shared understanding about the demands for this critical workforce so that we can better prioritise the coordinated actions that we need to take to deliver a sustainable, system-wide skilled workforce for the future. We know that this sector has the highest overall demand for recruitment in Plymouth, with approximately 350 unique job vacancies a month with highest demands for care workers and home carers as well as nurses, and there is also significant need for managerial and administrative roles.”

    Speaking at the event, Darryn Allcorn, Chief Nurse & Director of Integrated Professions at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, said: “It is exceptionally positive that we can work collaboratively across the city in order to understand our collective workforce demands and challenges. There is so much more to our workforce than the traditional caring roles associated with health and social care. Through working together, we can ensure our local communities not only have employment opportunities but supported to develop lifelong careers.”

    Sharing their workforce strategy priorities, Nicky Varker, Assistant Director of Workforce at Livewell Southwest, said: “We share in the ambition to deliver the highest-quality health and care services to our population and to do this, we want to make sure Plymouth is the destination of choice for roles in the sector. This means creating attractive packages that bring the best people into the city and support them to unlock their potential. We’ve worked hard to open doors in recent years with new pathways into nursing that are helping people to achieve aspirations they had started to close a door on. The challenge is to spread this into our wider workforce to create clear development pathways to help people enter and grow within Livewell.”

    The event also marked the launch of the city’s first dedicated Skills and Training Directory for the Health and Social Care sector which provides access and improved information, advice and guidance for people new to the sector as well as helping the existing workforce with career progression.

    For further information email caringplymouth@plymouth.gov.uk

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Stoke-on-Trent families supported through school uniform campaign

    Source: City of Stoke-on-Trent

    Published: Monday, 23rd September 2024

    Parents in Stoke-on-Trent have been receiving extra support with finding free or affordable school uniforms with the help of a QR code

    VAST have collated a resource of school uniform banks, exchanges, swap shops and donation points.

    They are using this information to develop a toolkit to help communities find their nearest school uniform bank or find support with the huge cost of school uniform with the help of a QR code.

    The cost of living crisis has hit many families in Stoke-on-Trent hard and finding money for school uniform can feel impossible, which is why this work by VAST has been so helpful to many across the city.

    Faye Angus, Communications and Content Manager at VAST said: “As a parent, I am all too aware of the cost of school uniforms and how long they realistically last on growing children. It’s not as simple as popping to the local supermarket for the cheaper jumpers and cardigans, not when a lot of schools are insisting on branded blazers, ties, and sometimes even PE socks!”

    “We worked closely with the sector to develop a cost-of-living comms toolkit; a range of content for voluntary sector organisations to share information on free and/or affordable food within their local communities. But we wanted that content to reach as many people as possible with the information and support they need, and what they needed support with was accessible school wear.”

    “The survey responses we gathered meant we were able to connect communities with free or affordable second-hand school uniform. Whether it was a uniform exchange to take old and outgrown items and swap them for bigger ones, or it was a free bank for specific branded items – we were able to share where to access it.”

    “We’re very grateful to the groups who responded to our survey and were able to help local parents and carers to access the uniform they need for their children, either for free, by exchanging outgrown items, or at a fraction of the retail price.”

    Councillor Sarah Jane Colclough, cabinet member for Education and Anti-Poverty, said: “This has been a brilliant campaign that VAST have put together to help families across Stoke-on-Trent with the high cost of school uniforms.

    “With the cost of living crisis affecting so many and children growing out of school uniforms that then need replacing, it is a recurring cost that many find hard to afford.

    “I am so pleased that so many families have been helped by this across the city and urge anyone still struggling with school uniform costs to check out the resources VAST have put together for extra support.”

    Local organisations that are hosting a school uniform bank are urged to complete the simple online form. For more information visit: https://vast.org.uk/school-uniform-support-in-stoke-on-trent/

    VAST will be sharing the toolkit, so for further updates follow them on Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/VASTstaffordshire or sign up to their mailing list at https://mailchi.mp/8bd9c0db2e7f/vast-subscribe

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Mullin, Lucas Secure $5.5 Million Investment to OSU to Enhance Weather Prediction

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator MarkWayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma)

    Mullin, Lucas Secure $5.5 Million Investment to OSU to Enhance Weather Prediction

    The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) awarded Oklahoma State University (OSU) $5.5 million as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024. The purpose of these funds is to increase knowledge about local weather systems in the lower atmosphere, enabling the safe integration of small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Advanced Air Mobility aircraft into the National Airspace System.

    Senator Mullin (R-OK) and Representative Lucas (OK-03) were the sponsors of the congressionally directed spending that made this funding possible. This project also received support from Stillwater Mayor Will Joyce and Payne County Commissioner Chris Reding.

    “Oklahoma State University is leading the way in the aerospace and aviation industry,” said Sen. Mullin. “These funds will allow their innovation to continue as they expand research into weather sensors in commercial Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Advanced Air Mobility aircraft. I’m thrilled to share this news, and I also want to thank President Shrum for her leadership.”

    “I’ve been proud to see my Alma Mater – Oklahoma State University – take initiatives in the aerospace industry and weather data sciences. I’ve spoken with President Shrum about the immense progress being made on campus in recent years, and it’s clear this community funded project will only further its impact,” said Congressman Lucas. “Those of us in Oklahoma know firsthand how important accurate weather predictions are to our livelihoods, and the funding made possible by this congressionally directed spending will enable OSU to take great strides in enhancing weather prediction through Unmanned Aircraft Systems. I’d like to thank President Shrum for her efforts and am excited to see what positive results this project will bring to our state.”  

    “On behalf of Oklahoma State University and its Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Research and Education (OAIRE), I would like to personally thank Senator Mullin and Representative Lucas for their support and tireless work in securing vital funding to further establish methods to standardize and trace commercial Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) atmospheric measurements,” said OSU President Kayse Shrum. “This funding will provide enormous benefit to Oklahoma and the nation through facilitating the safe and sustainable integration of small Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Advanced Air Mobility into the National Airspace System. The enhanced coverage and precision of low-altitude weather data this project will provide will offer significant benefits to the helicopter-based Emergency Medical Services community operating within the same airspace, helping to lessen their operational risks. The meteorology community will be able to leverage this data to refine weather products and extend warning times for potentially hazardous conditions contributing to critical safety measures being employed. Oklahoma State University’s OAIRE is a national leader in aerospace and aviation research and education and we are proud to be involved in this important project and owe Sen. Mullin and Rep. Lucas a debt of gratitude for making it possible.”

    BACKGROUND

    • The objective of this project is to increase knowledge about local weather systems in the lower atmosphere, enabling the safe integration of small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Advanced Air Mobility aircraft into the National Airspace System.
    • The researchers will create a method to standardize and trace commercial UAS and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) atmospheric measurements. The project will develop protocols and standards for the Unmanned Aircraft Meteorological Data Report. The project will also evaluate existing maintenance operations that may support AAM operations, particularly related to weather impacts related to severe weather and fire. The researchers will also develop curricula to help the aviation community apply the new technology.
    • This project will demonstrate a novel, cost-effective method to support the integration of weather sensors in commercial UAS and AAM aircraft. The proposed system is essential for gathering local weather data and establishing a weather information dissemination network. The project will demonstrate dynamic path planning based on local weather data.
    • This project facilitates the safe and sustainable integration of small Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Advanced Air Mobility into the National Airspace System. The technological advancements will also benefit the broader aviation community. The enhanced coverage and precision of low-altitude weather data offer significant benefits to the helicopter-based Emergency Medical Services community operating within the same airspace, helping to mitigate their operational risks. The meteorology community will be able to leverage this data to refine weather products and extend warning times for potentially hazardous conditions contributing to safety measures for various stakeholders within the airspace ecosystem.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Steel Calls on Columbia to Cancel Event with Communist Vietnam Leader

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Michelle Steel (CA-48)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – With the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam set to headline an event at Columbia University tomorrow, Congresswoman Michelle Steel (CA-45) is calling on Columbia to cancel the event and clarify whether suffocating basic human rights comports with the university’s values.

    In a letter to Columbia, Steel notes that under To Lam’s leadership Vietnam has doubled down on the repression of human rights, limiting free expression and detaining prisoners of conscience. Such abuses largely occur due to the communist regime’s crackdown on dissent from journalists and activists as well as those seeking to practice their faith.

    “To Lam is a dangerous authoritarian who has stifled free expression and taken many prisoners of conscience in Vietnam. Columbia must reverse course and refuse to grant legitimacy to someone who jails his own citizens simply for speaking their mind,” said Rep. Michelle Steel, who represents a large population of Vietnamese Americans in Orange County, CA.

    “Columbia cannot claim to foster a campus environment of free speech and expression while hosting one of the most prominent leaders of authoritarianism. Going forward with hosting To Lam would unfortunately signal more of the same from an institution that has too often identified itself with civil rights while disregarding the circumstances of those most affected,” Steel added.

    To Lam, who recently took over as Vietnam’s head of state, will be in New York for a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly followed by a trip to Cuba. Even prior to his current human rights abuses, To Lam has a documented history of stifling free speech in his prior role as Vietnam’s Minister of Public Security.

    Below is a copy of Steel’s letter:

    Dear President Armstrong,

    I write to you today to express my serious concern regarding Columbia University’s planned event on September 23 with To Lam, the General Secretary for the Communist Party of Vietnam, and Columbia University’s promotion of an individual who is chiefly responsible for the ongoing repression of the Vietnamese people. Columbia University should immediately rescind its invitation to To Lam and clarify whether suffocating basic human rights comports with its values.

    Since Lam assumed the role of General Secretary, the Communist Party of Vietnam has doubled down in adopting the Chinese Communist Party model of repression. In turn, there are currently over 170 prisoners of conscience detained in Vietnam.

    Prisoners of conscience in Vietnam face lengthy prison sentences, endure solitary confinement, face unfair trials, and are arbitrarily detained by the one-party police state. In addition, Vietnamese prisoners of conscience are unable to seek care for their health conditions, subjected to forced labor, and banned by prison authorities form religious practices, such as prayer. Some have succumbed to unspecified medical issues and have died while serving life sentences.

    Just this week, Vietnam’s Hanoi People’s Court sentenced Phan Van Bach, an independent journalist and prominent activist, for “distributing anti-state propaganda after voicing his concerns about the Communist Party of Vietnam on Facebook and YouTube. While in custody, Mr. Bach’s health has seriously deteriorated according to his wife and attorney.

    Additionally, noodle vendor Bui Tuan Lam was jailed for the same “anti-state propaganda” charges last year after posting 19 videos on Facebook and 25 on YouTube that “affected the confidence of the people in the leadership of the state,” according to the indictment. Days prior, footage surfaced of then-Vietnam Minister of Public Security To Lam eating a $2,000 steak after he had visited the grave of Karl Marx.

    Sadly, Columbia University’s welcoming of To Lam is yet another example of its lack of moral clarity. Columbia cannot claim to foster a campus environment of free speech and expression while hosting one of the most prominent leaders of authoritarianism. Condoning this level of repression will only embolden further persecution of the Vietnamese people.

    Now is the time for Columbia University to define its posture toward the Communist Party of Vietnam. Going forward with hosting To Lam would unfortunately signal more of the same from an institution that has too often identified itself with civil rights while disregarding the circumstances of those most affected.

    Sincerely,

    Michelle Steel
    Member of Congress

    Rep. Steel represents parts of Los Angeles County and Orange County, including the Little Saigon community, which has the largest population of Vietnamese anywhere outside of Vietnam.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: “For the third time, we will gather the best scientists and AI researchers in Russia at the HSE site”

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –

    Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Sciences, Faculty of Computer Science, National Research University Higher School of Economics And AI Center A conference will be held in Moscow on October 25–26 Fall into ML 2024. The main topic of the annual event will be the prospects for the development of fundamental artificial intelligence. Sber will be the title partner of the conference.

    Leading scientists in the field of artificial intelligence will meet at the Higher School of Economics to present their best works published at A* conferences in 2024, the flagship events in this field.

    The conference will feature experts discussing current issues in machine learning, including deep neural networks, reinforcement learning, and their application in industry, natural and social sciences, healthcare, climate science, and other areas. Topics related to language models, computer vision, optimization, robotics, and many others will also be covered.

    Over the course of two days, conference participants will be able to take a mini-course, listen to selected reports, participate in panel discussions, thematic workshops dedicated to AI in bioinformatics, finance and other topics.

    At the panel discussion “Personnel Matters: Nurturing Talented Artificial Intelligence Researchers,” representatives of Russian science and universities will discuss modern achievements in the field of AI, based on the work of scientists conducting research in this field in academia and industry around the world. As part of the discussion, participants will touch on issues of training scientific personnel, retaining and attracting talent.

    For the first time, Fall into ML will host a panel discussion dedicated to women in science. Female scientists will discuss the development of AI technologies and the inclusiveness of the scientific world.

    One of the key events of the conference will be the poster session – a platform where the best works of Russian scientists in the field of artificial intelligence, implemented in 2024, will be presented.

    Gleb Gusev, Senior Managing Director – Director of the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Sber

    “The AI Lab participated in the event last year. Due to the positive feedback from last year’s successful participation, a decision was made to expand the format of interaction with Fall into ML in 2024 and sponsor the event.

    The Fall into ML conference is a targeted event to promote Sber’s scientific brand, within which the AI Lab integrates its scientific section Financial AI, holds lectures and workshops where you can share your experience and talk about publications and research that are in demand at Sber, while simultaneously receiving feedback from experts and colleagues in the industry.”

    In 2023, Fall into ML brought together over 50 authors of publications at A*-level conferences. Over three days, over 300 participants attended thematic workshops, panel discussions, sections and a poster session. See how it was in 2023 on link.

    Undergraduate and graduate students, and researchers in the field of artificial intelligence can register and participate in Fall into ML 2024.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    http://vvv.hse.ru/nevs/expertise/965602534.html

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Adult Social Care report reflects on the Council’s performance

    Source: City of Coventry

    Coventry City Council will report on its performance across Adult Social Care to Cabinet next week in readiness for national inspections of the service.

    Each year the Council publishes its annual report and this year, for the first time, it will also report on its self-assessment, reflecting on the way its Adult Social Care services have been performing over the past 12 months.

    Both reports are expected to be approved at its Cabinet meeting on Tuesday 1 October.

    The new self-assessment is something Councils must now produce because the Care Quality Commission (CQC) will be measuring how well Councils perform their adult social care duties. This is similar to the way the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills measure services.

    The CQC is responsible for assessing Local Authorities’ delivery of their adult social care functions.

    The CQC will be visiting the Council at a future date to meet with officers and services users to take a closer look at local adult social care services – and will refer to the Local Authority’s self-assessment to inform its findings. A date hasn’t been confirmed yet.

    Local Authorities are required to complete a Self-Assessment for issuing to the CQC following receipt of a ‘Notification of Inspection’ – that’s when the CQC identifies a date to carry out an inspection.

    Reviewing its services and preparing its self-assessment will support Coventry’s Adult Social Care’s readiness for any future inspection.

    Cllr Linda Bigham, Cabinet Member for Adult Services, said: “We want to be completely open about adult social care services. In fact, the more that local people and stakeholders know, the better.

    “It’s really important that people understand what we and other health agencies and care services can offer.

    “We have a lot of information on our website and during the past year have been holding community events to tell people more about what residents can expect from our services.

    “Both the annual report and self-assessment offer an overview that I think is really useful for everyone to read.

    “We try to focus our own reporting on the views of people who use our services to get a good understanding about how our services make an impact on residents.

    “Both reports cover each of the four CQC themes for inspection and the quality statements associated with these themes.”

    She added: “It’s a good way for us to review where we are doing well and more importantly where we need to make improvements, and it makes sense to focus on the CQC themes.

    “We’ll be updating the self-assessment annually and presenting it with the Annual Report. We’ll also provide it to the CQC when the Council is selected for an inspection.”

    The report states: ‘The approach taken both to the Self-Assessment and Annual Report demonstrates an open approach to our successes, challenges and where we can develop further in order to improve outcomes for people with care and support needs and their unpaid carers within Coventry.

    ‘The Self-Assessment also provides the opportunity to present the context within which CQC will be inspecting Adult Social Care in Coventry. The production of the 2023/24 report has drawn on the pool of feedback and information that was gathered over the year from a range of sources including social care staff, Partnership Boards, the Adult Social Care Stakeholder Group, providers, partner organisations and people who have been in contact with Adult Social Care, along with their families and carers.’

    Around 13 per cent of the population in Coventry is over 65. This is expected to increase by 27.7 per cent by the year 2043.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Powering Africa: new model compares options for off-grid solar in 43 countries

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Hamish Beath, Research Associate in Societal Transitions, Imperial College London

    Sub-Saharan Africa, home to 80% of the global population without electricity access, is unlikely to reach the United Nations’ goal of access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030.

    The region is significantly behind the rest of the world. Globally, access to electricity increased from 79% of the population in 2000 to 90% in 2019. In sub-Saharan Africa, access to electricity rose from 26% to 47%, and most who don’t have access live in rural areas, according to World Bank data.

    The World Bank predicts that, based on current electricity connection and population growth trends, sub-Saharan Africa will have more than 400 million people unconnected to electricity by 2030.

    A lack of access to reliable electricity has a significant negative impact on living standards. For example, it can limit the provision of quality public services such as healthcare, education and water. It also creates a barrier to access to digital services, holding back participation in an increasingly digital global economy.

    Lack of access is not the only challenge for sub-Saharan African countries. Existing connections are unreliable too. About 43% of Africans had access to electricity that worked “most” or “all” of the time in 2022. Reliability issues are typically more common in rural areas.

    Just two sub-Saharan African countries have electricity grids without significant outages: Angola and Botswana. Outages reduce the benefits electricity offers to households and businesses, and create demand for expensive and typically polluting fuel-run generators.

    Studies have proposed off-grid solar generated electricity as one possible solution for economies with poor electricity access. In some locations, they are the lowest-cost option, and can enable electricity access without building electricity grid infrastructure – transmission and distribution networks.

    Some of these studies, however, may have underestimated the potential benefits of off-grid solar power. This is because they don’t consider the cost impacts of poor reliability or of carbon price schemes.

    I was part of a team of scientists using a new approach to assessing the cost of different energy access options. It combines modelling individual energy systems with spatial data covering large areas. Our approach allows us to put a cost to the reliability and the pollution of different sources of electricity. When you account for these, the relative attractiveness of technologies may change.

    Our research explores the role off-grid solar could play in different scenarios in Africa. It covered 43 countries for which data is available, and that are home to more than 99% of the continent’s population without access. Below, we will highlight two countries, Nigeria and Mozambique.

    Cost of carbon and cost of poor reliability

    Using our new approach, we analyse which parts of each country would find solar to be the cheapest technology. We do this at a fine level of detail. Our scenarios include either a carbon price, or a penalty for poor reliability. We can show what policy would make the greatest impact in a given location.

    Electricity access can be arranged into tiers that combine different levels of wattage, hours of availability, number of disruptions, affordability and so on.

    For our medium electricity demand scenario (tier 3), our modelling suggests that off-grid solar would be cheapest for 65 million more people if you applied a carbon price to the calculation. If you applied a reliability penalty, off-grid solar would be cheapest for 80 million more people.

    Carbon markets are financial markets which put a price on emitting greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. These markets influence the relative cost and shares of different electricity generation technologies. However, the use of carbon credits on the African continent remains limited as they are a relatively new initiative on the continent.

    The reliability of supply is crucial in determining the value of a connection. Poor reliability can lead to reduced security and reduced household income.

    Off-grid solar systems may offer improved reliability when compared to national grid networks.

    To demonstrate our methods and findings more clearly, let’s look at two countries in more detail: Nigeria and Mozambique.

    Nigeria

    Nigeria has an unreliable grid, with service levels worse in rural areas. Our analysis projects that Nigeria will have as many as 55 million households – around 20% of the population – without electricity access in 2030. In our research, we find that off-grid solar would be the cheapest way for connecting between 5% and 60% of these people to electricity.

    But solar’s economic viability versus the traditional grid network depends on the level of demand for electricity. At low electricity usage (tier 2 or 200Wh per day), off-grid solar beats traditional electricity grid networks. It meets the energy needs of a higher proportion of the population (60%) at lower cost.

    The reverse is true when demand for electricity is higher (tier 4 or 3,400Wh per day). Under this scenario, high electricity usage demands traditional electricity grids.

    Poor reliability of national electricity grids is an issue on the continent. When the costs of poor reliability are included in the calculation, solar becomes more competitive. It meets the needs of between 38% and 65% of the 55 million households in Nigeria.

    This finding highlights that to provide reliable access, focusing on off-grid solar may be the best solution. Nigeria is already using subsidies to encourage this.

    Read more: Nigeria’s chronic power shortages: mini grids were going to crack the problem for rural people, but they haven’t. Here’s why

    Mozambique

    In Mozambique, we estimate that more than 16 million people (40% of the population) will remain without access to electricity by 2030. As it is for Nigeria, off-grid solar power is cheaper for lower electricity usage levels. Off-grid solar would, by our estimates, be cheapest for between 28% and 88% of the 16 million people, depending on demand levels.

    When carbon pricing is factored in, this increases to 88% from 50%, with the greatest impact seen at higher demand levels. Our research also shows the carbon price levels that are effective at different demand levels, for different parts of the country.

    Due to differences in the costs of different technologies in different places, there is variation in policy effectiveness and thresholds. When considering where carbon credit schemes may be most effective, stakeholders should consider areas highlighted as seeing a shift in technology at the lower price level.

    Read more: Mozambique’s unstable and expensive power supply is devastating small businesses – study examines what’s gone wrong

    Targeted policy can boost access and reliability in Africa

    When considering energy policy across a large region, country-specific and localised factors are paramount. We do not pretend to capture all of these in our research. However, our use of spatial data, and country-level demand and supply modelling, tries to move in the right direction.

    – Powering Africa: new model compares options for off-grid solar in 43 countries
    – https://theconversation.com/powering-africa-new-model-compares-options-for-off-grid-solar-in-43-countries-232192

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Mass animal extinctions: our new tool can show why large mammals – like the topi – are in decline

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Joseph Ogutu, Senior Researcher and Statistician, University of Hohenheim

    We could be witnessing the sixth mass extinction at an alarming rate worldwide. It’s marked by the rapid loss of species due to human activities like habitat destruction, pollution and climate change. Unlike previous mass extinctions, which were caused by natural events, this one is driven by human impact – like growing populations, pollution, invasive plant species and human-wildlife conflict.

    Large mammals are especially at risk, in Africa as elsewhere. For instance, nearly 60% of wild herbivores – such as elephants and hippos – are already threatened with extinction.

    Effective conservation and recovery strategies are needed. To develop them, you need to know how the population of a certain animal is doing and, if it is in decline, what’s causing it.

    One tool that’s useful here is a model, using biology, maths, statistics and computer software.

    The problem is that there aren’t enough of these realistic, effective models for large mammals. There’s a shortage of appropriate data and the models are complex to build.

    I was part of a team that developed a model to help fill that void. It’s the first to account for how large mammal populations interact with each other and their environment while also incorporating their detailed biology. It draws on valuable existing data and can be adapted for various wildlife species.

    We tested the model on populations of east Africa’s topi (a large antelope). From the results we’re able to deduce that the drivers of the topi’s massive population decline were habitat loss, poaching and killing by predators.

    Knowing what’s driving population declines is extremely valuable. Large mammals play a critical role in ecosystems. Changes to their populations will also affect many other species and could cause the extinction of connected species.

    How the model works

    Our model combines different types of data, like total population size from aerial surveys and ground vehicle counts, with predicted data on population figures. This allows us to estimate and track population trends that can’t be captured by just one data type. It considers factors like animal age, sex, gestation length, weaning period, calves per birth per year, birth rates, survival, and environmental influences like rainfall and temperature.

    Essentially, the model starts with educated guesses, then updates these guesses as it processes more observed data.

    The model can tell what causes a decline in two ways.

    First, it finds out which factors (such as rainfall) have a strong negative impact on things like birth rates, survival or recruitment, and shows exactly how they affect each other.

    Second, it lets us use simulations to see how changing one of these factors, while keeping others unchanged, changes the population by influencing its key characteristics (such as birth rate).

    Testing the model on topi

    We tested our model on the topi population found in Kenya, Tanzania and other African countries. We chose the topi because it’s a large herbivore in decline.

    The topi is an elegant antelope weighing between 91kg and 147kg, with a long face and uniquely twisted horns. One of the largest remaining topi populations in east Africa occurs in the Greater Mara-Serengeti Ecosystem, which straddles the border between Kenya and Tanzania.

    Kenya’s Directorate of Resource Surveys and Remote Sensing has, since 1977, monitored numbers and distribution of topi, and other large wild herbivores and livestock, using aerial surveys in the country’s rangelands, covering 88% of Kenya.

    Based on this data, we can see that topi numbers have declined persistently and strikingly (by 84.5%) in Kenya’s Masai Mara ecosystem between 1977 and 2022, even those in protected conservation areas.

    This decline indicates a high risk of extinction if the trend persists. This is a serious concern, since other antelope species, such as the roan, have gone extinct in the Mara in recent decades.

    But the causes haven’t been fully established.

    We ran the aerial and ground survey data into the model in a computer on a monthly interval. This approach allows the model to capture patterns in trends and dynamics on a monthly scale. It allows us to see the distribution of births per month, the timing of births, the degree to which multiple females in a population give birth around the same time, the proportion of females in a population that give birth, the total number of individuals of each age and sex in each month, and the proportion of young that survive to adulthood.

    The model starts with initial guesses based on existing knowledge, and refines the guesses as it processes more actual data.

    It produces results that match the observed patterns of population decline, seasonality of births and how many animals survive to become juveniles or to adulthood.

    Based on these findings, we see that the decline in the topi population is driven by a combination of low adult female numbers, low newborn survival and low recruitment into the adult class because most young (over 95%) die before they become adults.

    Based on the model, we attribute these changes to impacts from environmental changes, human activities and predation. For instance, since adult animals are the least sensitive to climatic changes, this suggests other factors – such as habitat loss or deterioration, poaching or high predation rates – are likely contributing to the decline.

    The new model enhances our understanding of large herbivore population dynamics besides confirming existing knowledge.

    By combining different kinds of data from different sources, the model helps estimate and track important population details that one type of data alone can’t show. For example, for the first time data is captured that can track the total number of topi of each age and sex in each month, how many adult female topi are ready to conceive and the various stages of pregnancy. This method also estimates changes in the total topi population by age and sex in all four zones of the Mara, even in zones without direct ground age and sex data.

    Refining and enhancing the model

    The team is now extending the model to include more features (like the influence of livestock numbers), make it user friendly, apply it to more wildlife species and assess the effectiveness of ongoing and planned management actions.

    Improving our understanding of the drivers of large mammal losses will ensure that the right conservation actions are taken. It’ll also ensure resources aren’t wasted because solutions could include investing in major infrastructure, changing wildlife conservation and livestock production policies, changing law enforcement and rehabilitation of wildlife habitats – all of which are costly.

    – Mass animal extinctions: our new tool can show why large mammals – like the topi – are in decline
    – https://theconversation.com/mass-animal-extinctions-our-new-tool-can-show-why-large-mammals-like-the-topi-are-in-decline-233882

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Chief Leadership Course revamping for future fight

    Source: United States Air Force

    Headline: Chief Leadership Course revamping for future fight

    The Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education is developing a new Chief Leader Course with an increased focus on providing chiefs the education required for them to meet the challenges and excel in an era of Great Power Competition.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: China documentary screened

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    The premiere of Enchanting China, a documentary series produced by the Environment & Ecology Bureau and the Environmental Protection Department, was screened at the University of Science & Technology today.

    The series was produced in collaboration with the Ministry of Ecology & Environment’s Center for Environmental Education & Communications to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

    The first series of Enchanting China consists of five episodes totalling 75 minutes. The episodes are “Ninety-Nine Bends of the Yellow River”, “Song of the Yangtze”, “From Desert to Forest”, “Embracing Diversity” and “Clean Air Actions”.

    The first four episodes, together with “Picturesque Bays of Hong Kong” – the first episode of Beautiful Hong Kong, a documentary series produced by the bureau – were screened at the premiere.

    Through showing the country’s achievements and contributions in environmental protection, the series aims to instil a strong sense of patriotism and help people to understand the progress being made by China, and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, towards ecological development and building a beautiful China.

    Speaking at the premiere, Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki said Enchanting China allows Hong Kong to experience the extraordinary charm of the nation and witness its major achievements and contributions in environmental protection.

    “On the first National Ecology Day last year, President Xi Jinping emphasised that ‘building an ecological civilisation is of fundamental importance for the sustainable development of the Chinese nation’”, Mr Chan said.

    “Enchanting China is a meaningful way to implement the concept of ‘lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets’, and promote the construction of ecological civilisation and environmental protection education,” he added.

    The bureau’s documentary series, Beautiful Hong Kong, also consists of five episodes totalling 75 minutes. It shows the progressive environmental improvements made in Hong Kong since its return to the motherland.

    Mr Tse said “Picturesque Bays of Hong Kong” celebrates the achievements made by the Hong Kong SAR Government in environmental protection and nature conservation, adding that the city will closely collaborate with other Greater Bay Area cities to jointly set up ecological security shields to serve the bay area’s development.

    “I encourage everyone in the community to explore our picturesque bays, treasure the natural beauty of Hong Kong and work together to enhance our natural environment.”

    Enchanting China and Beautiful Hong Kong will be screened at the Space Museum and T·PARK from October. It will then be broadcast on RTHK TV 32 and uploaded online for primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong to download for broadcast.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Video: First Lady Jill Biden Hosts Back-to-School Night at the White House

    Source: United States of America – The White House (video statements)

    The First Lady, a life-long educator, hosts the first-ever Back-to-School Night at the White House to celebrate the start of the new school year with educators, school professionals, students, and families.

    The White House

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qcs6pE9IWBg

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill  Biden at a Celebration for the Opening of “The People’s House: A White  House Experience”

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    The South Lawn
    Thank you, Fig. You inspire young people to get excited about their education, especially in STEM. We’re lucky to have you guiding the future of the White House Historical Association.
    And I’m glad to see so many Association board members with us. I know you all have had a packed schedule these past few days. Your commitment to this project warms my heart. Thank you.
    Earlier, we heard from the Suitland High School Choir. We appreciate you sharing your voices with us today.
    And thank you, Emma, JD, and Jonas, for leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance!
    We’ve also had the Armed Forces Color Guard presenting the colors, and the President’s Own Marine Band playing the beautiful music we’ve heard this afternoon. Joe and I are so grateful to you and your families for your service to our nation.
    And it’s great to see so many kids on the South Lawn. The project we’re celebrating today is for you.    
    Welcome, everyone, to the White House!
    Doorway by doorway, moment by moment, every piece of the White House is cloaked in history—whether it’s in the Cabinet Room where President Kennedy deliberated over the Cuban Missile Crisis, or the East Room where President Theodore Roosevelt once held a wrestling match.
    Kids roller skated in the room where we host heads of state, and nearby, in the Red Room, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt held her own press conferences back when women were excluded from the President’s press briefings.
    Some guests at the White House have the chance to step inside these rooms—in fact, around 3,000 people come through these halls every day. But the reality is that many people never get that opportunity.
    Even fewer get to walk through the Rose Garden and the Oval Office. And almost no one gets to go behind the scenes to hear from the Chief Floral Designer or glimpse the upper floor of the residence.
    Until now.
    Starting Monday, an immersive learning center will be open to all.
    “The People’s House: A White House Experience” will bring new generations closer to the home behind me, sparking greater curiosity for civics education and our democracy.
    Teachers know the best way to learn is by involving all of the senses—and lingering in the little details that stand out to you.
    Right across the street, people will be able to interact and experience how our government works. 
    That makes this new space a powerful kind of classroom. Because when people learn more about our democracy, they will be more inspired to participate in it.
    At 1700 Pennsylvania Avenue, in an exact replica of the Oval Office, you can feel the gravity of sitting behind the President’s Resolute desk. You can join the intense deliberations of a Cabinet meeting. And you can get swept away by the 360-degree enchantment of a State Dinner.
    Along the way, you’ll meet people who have lived and worked here across centuries—from Cabinet Secretaries advising the President in times of war, to the chefs, ushers, and florists who work together to arrange the most intricate details of American diplomacy.
    Students will imagine themselves as public servants through interactive technology, and teachers will have dedicated spaces to bring their lesson plans to life.
    Stewart, you’ve put your whole heart and soul into “The People’s House”—and frankly, I’m not sure when you found the time to sleep! Month after month, you guided this project with careful precision and breathtaking speed.
    I’ve been a part of the process from when it was just an idea, to the final touches—and I can’t wait for everyone to see it.
    So, let’s get started. In just a moment, a group of students will load onto a bus to experience this incredible, immersive space. 
    I know it will encourage them to embrace the wonder of White House history, and inspire them to shape our nation’s future.
    Thank you, and please enjoy the celebration!

    MIL OSI USA News –