On 29 April, we were honoured to welcome George Papaconstantinou, former Minister of Finance in Greece, Director of the Florence School of Transnational Governance at the European University Institute, and Jean Pisani-Ferry, Professor of Economics at Sciences Po. This event was titled “New World New Rules: Global Cooperation in a World of Geopolitical Rivalries” and organised by the Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA) with the Centre for International Studies (CERI). Arancha González, Dean of PSIA, chaired the event.
The need for collective action has never been greater, it’s one of today’s most pressing global policy challenges.
In a sense, the demand for global governance rules has never been as big as it is today. On the supply side, there has never before, in the last 30, 40 years, been so little appetite for rules. States are really not willing to give up their ability to set their own rules and subject themselves to general rules that we would all abide by. And perhaps the most emblematic case of all is not China, it’s America.
George Papaconstantinou
Our guest speakers examined governance practices across several key policy areas – climate, health, trade and competition, banking and finance, taxation, migration and the digital economy. They considered what works and what doesn’t, outlined a new agenda for global governance, and discussed the role of Europe in this new environment.
> Watch the full event now:
The European University Institute is a member of our European university alliance on social sciences, CIVICA.
Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –
The competition of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, aimed at supporting student scientific associations of universities, accepted 266 applications. As a result, only 40 projects became winners, including the project “SNO – my path to science” of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University.
The Polytechnic University project received high marks from experts and scored more than 77 points. Thus, SPbPU became one of 20 universities that will be provided grants of up to one million rubles for the implementation of projects.
The project of our student scientific society is aimed not only at popularizing science among schoolchildren and university students, but also at developing network interaction. I also consider the decision of our students to increase awareness of young people about federal national projects to be very relevant. For our part, we will help them to fulfill all their plans, – commented Vice-Rector for Research at SPbPU Yuri Fomin.
The key event of the project will be an interdisciplinary forum, including a strategic session “The Future of the World with Artificial Intelligence through the Eyes of Students” and a set of popular science events on cybersecurity to promote education of schoolchildren and students in the field of information security.
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.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
News story
Appointment of 4 members to the Advisory Committee on Conscientious Objectors
The Secretary of State has announced the appointments of Dr Hannah Bows, Suzanne McCarthy, Sean Harvey and Asrar Ul-Haq as members of the Advisory Committee on Conscientious Objectors.
The Secretary of State has announced the appointments of Dr Hannah Bows, Sean Harvey, Suzanne McCarthy and Asrar Ul-Haq as members of the Advisory Committee on Conscientious Objectors for ten years from 1 July 2025.
Biographies
Dr Hannah Bows
Dr Bows is currently Professor in Criminal Law at Durham University. She is also the deputy director of the Centre for Research into Violence and Abuse, where she leads and teaches on the criminal law module and supervises undergraduate and postgraduate students.
Dr Bows has declared no political activity.
Suzanne McCarthy
Mrs McCarthy has significant public sector experience in the areas of governance, regulation, standards, fitness to practice and audit and risk management. She is currently the Chair of the Fire Standards Board, the Valuation Tribunal Service, the National Guardian Office’s Accountability and Liaison Board and the Standards Committee of the Fundraising Regulator.
Mrs McCarthy has declared no political activity.
Sean Harvey
Mr Harvey has a range of earlier career experiences, including ten years as a primary school teacher. He now sits as a lay panel member at the Health and Care Professions Council, as a member of the Conduct Committee at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and a panel chair at Social Care Wales. He is a magistrate who also sits in the Crown Court on appeals.
Mr Harvey has declared no political activity.
Asrar Ul-Haq
Mr Ul-Haq is a retired Police Officer with over 30 years of experience in a variety of policing roles on a local and national level. He is a registered Subject Matter Expert with the National Crime Agency. He is also an independent lead consultant, supporting organisations to improve service delivery, develop leadership and professionalism. Mr Ul-Haq is a member of the Greater Manchester Advisory Committee to the Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice and an Independent Member of the Parole Board.
Mr Ul-Haq had declared no political activity.
The Advisory Committee on Conscientious Objectors (ACCO) makes recommendations on conscientious objection claims from Armed Forces personnel where an application to retire or resign a commission or for discharge on the grounds of conscience have not been accepted by service authorities. ACCO is a non-statutory Non-Departmental Public Body sponsored by the Ministry of Defence.
It was established in 1970, but its history can be traced back to the tribunals set up by the National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The 1970 arrangements included an agreement that the Lord Chancellor appoints to the public appointee roles on the Committee to ensure that ACCO maintains its independence from the MOD.
It is for this reason that MOJ manages the campaign. As public appointments, the roles are subject to the provisions of the Governance Code on Public Appointments (the Code).
Owned by the Cabinet Office, the Code sets out the principles governing such recruitment and the role of Ministers. Roles covered by the Code are also subject to regulation by the independent Commissioner for Public Appointments (CPA).
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
In recent years, with the steady development of economic and trade relations between China and ASEAN, agricultural trade between China and ASEAN countries has seen favorable dynamics. ASEAN has been China’s largest trading partner in agricultural products for eight consecutive years.
While a wide range of high-quality agricultural products from ASEAN countries are becoming increasingly popular with Chinese consumers, Chinese investment and technology in agriculture have also been continuously flowing into ASEAN countries. In recent years, China and ASEAN countries have jointly carried out hundreds of agricultural cooperation and technical exchange projects, including pest prevention and control, rice yield enhancement methods and rice management. Agricultural technology demonstration bases and experimental stations for breeding promising crop varieties have been established.
For example, in Cambodia, under Chinese-Cambodian cooperation, demonstration bases for growing rubber, coconuts, peppers and other crops are being consistently created, which helps to increase the yield and efficiency of local crop production. The Chinese side holds training seminars on standardized banana production technologies, transferring experience in the industrialization of fruit cultivation. Together with Cambodia, the construction of a center for the selection of valuable tree species has been completed, which contributes to the sustainable development of forestry.
Hu Bingchuan, a research fellow at the Institute of Rural Development of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and director of the Agricultural Trade and Policy Research Department, noted that in recent years, in addition to trade, China and ASEAN countries have actively cooperated in agricultural technology and experience sharing, achieving significant results.
This cooperation helps ASEAN countries improve the yield and quality of agricultural products, expand the range and increase the volume of exports, which in turn promotes further growth of agricultural trade between China and ASEAN countries, improves the living standards of people and promotes agricultural modernization in the region.
Liu Amin, deputy director and research fellow of the Institute of International Studies, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, stressed that China and ASEAN countries have strong complementarities in agricultural technology, scientific research cooperation and environmentally sustainable development.
China has been disseminating advanced hybrid rice cultivation technology to ASEAN countries such as Thailand, which has effectively improved rice yield and quality. The exchange of experiences between China and ASEAN countries in agricultural mechanization and pest control has given new impetus to the development of agriculture in these countries.
The negative list management model under RCEP further simplifies investment in agriculture and lowers the threshold for foreign investment. The successful hosting of international exhibitions such as the China International Consumer Goods Expo has created an effective platform for China-ASEAN agricultural trade networking.
Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –
On May 5, a delegation from the Moscow City Economy Complex Management Center (MCCMC) visited the State University of Management.
Representatives of the Central University of the KGH, headed by the head of the organization, Evgeny Balashov, discussed the main areas of further cooperation with the rector of the State University of Management, Vladimir Stroyev, vice-rectors Maria Karelina and Dmitry Bryukhanov, as well as university staff.
“We have a lot in common, this is not the first time we have communicated and we have already discussed options for cooperation before. This is not only the educational sphere, but also science. GUU is involved in the implementation of several projects, including in the scientific and technical sphere, which could be interesting,” Vladimir Stroyev opened the meeting.
“Today, the Control Center turns three years old. It is incredibly pleasant to visit the State University of Management on this day, as it was with them that one of the first framework agreements was concluded. We value it. We were tasked with recruiting the best personnel for the best control center, and the State University of Management is a leader both historically and in terms of status. We are grateful that the State University of Management believed in our readiness to work with students at the time,” noted Evgeny Balashov.
Vice-Rector of the State University of Management Maria Karelina, Head of the Department of Scientific Research Coordination Maxim Pletnev and Director of the Engineering Project Management Center Vladimir Filatov told the guests about the scientific activities of the university, the scientific projects and R&D being implemented: the development of a rating assessment for the heads of Management Companies of the Moscow Region, projects for Mercator Kaluga and TMH-Engineering.
Vice-Rector Dmitry Bryukhanov suggested that the Center for Project-Based Education join as a partner and mentor in the implementation of project-based learning at the State University of Management, which will allow students to be selected starting from the first year, and also spoke about the modern system of additional professional education at the State University of Management, which is one of the best among universities.
“We could show what a platform for any resource management center should look like, so that it is not just a call center, but a single system. We have established a certain standard of digital management 2.0, which has moved from analog management to digital,” shared the head of the Central Control Center of the KGH.
At the end of the meeting, the parties exchanged contacts and agreed to continue work on individual issues in working groups.
Let us recall that last week a working meeting was held between the Vice-Rector of the State University of Management Maria Karelina and the team of the Central Management Department of the KGH.
Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 05/06/2025
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.
As we age, it’s common to notice posture changes: shoulders rounding, head leaning forward, back starting to curve. You might associate this with older adults and wonder: will this happen to me? Can I prevent it?
It’s sometimes called “hunchback” or “roundback”, but the medical term for a curved back is kyphosis.
When the curve is beyond what’s considered normal (greater than 40 degrees), we refer to this as hyperkyphosis. In more severe cases, it may lead to pain, reduced mobility and physical function, or lower quality of life.
Here’s how it happens, and how to reduce your risk.
What causes a curved back?
A healthy spine has an elongated s-shape, so a curve in the upper spine is completely normal.
But when that curve becomes exaggerated and fixed (meaning you can’t stand up straight even if you try), it can signal a problem.
One common cause of a curved back is poor posture. This type, called postural kyphosis, usually develops over time due to muscle imbalances, particularly in younger people who spend hours:
hunched over a desk
slouched in a chair, or
looking down at a phone.
Fortunately, this kind of curved back is often reversible with the right exercises, stretches and posture awareness.
When the curve in your back becomes exaggerated and fixed, it can signal a problem. Undrey/Shutterstock
Older adults often develop a curved back, known as age-related kyphosis or hyperkyphosis.
This is usually due to wear and tear in the spine, including vertebral compression fractures, which are tiny cracks in the bones of the spine (vertebrae).
These cracks are most often caused by osteoporosis, a condition that makes bones more fragile with age.
In these cases, it’s not just bad posture – it’s a structural change in the spine.
Older adults often develop a curved back, known as age-related kyphosis or hyperkyphosis. nhk_nhk/Shutterstock
How can you tell the difference?
Signs of age-related hyperkyphosis include:
your back curves even when you try to stand up straight
back pain or stiffness
a loss of height (anything greater than 3-4 centimetres compared to your peak adult height may be considered outside of “normal” ageing).
Other causes of a curved back include:
Scheuermann’s kyphosis (which often develops during adolescence when the bones in the spine grow unevenly, leading to a forward curve in the upper back)
congenital kyphosis (a rare condition present from birth, caused by improper formation of the spinal bones. It can result in a more severe, fixed curve that worsens as a child grows)
scoliosis (where the spine curves sideways into a c- or s-shape when viewed from behind), and
lordosis (an excessive inward curve in the lower back, when viewed from the side).
In addition to these structural conditions, arthritis, and in rare cases, spinal injuries or infections, can also play a role.
Should I see a doctor about my curved back?
Yes, especially if you’ve noticed a curve developing, have ongoing back pain, or have lost height over time.
These can be signs of vertebral fractures, which can occur in the absence of an obvious injury, and are often painless.
While one in five older adults have a vertebral fracture, as many as two-thirds of these fractures are not diagnosed and treated.
In Australia, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and Healthy Bones Australia recommend a spine x-ray for:
people with kyphosis
height loss equal to or more than 3 centimetres, or
unexplained back pain.
What can I do to reduce my risk?
If you’re young or middle-aged, the habits you build today matter.
The best way to prevent a curved back is to keep your bones strong, muscles active, and posture in check. That means:
doing regular resistance training, especially targeting upper back muscles
getting enough protein, calcium, and vitamin D to support bone and muscle health
avoiding smoking and limiting alcohol to reduce risk factors that worsen bone density and overall wellbeing
Pay attention to your posture while sitting and standing. Position your head over your shoulders and shoulders over your hips. This reduces strain on your spine.
What exercises help prevent and manage a curved back?
Focus on exercises that strengthen the muscles that support an upright posture, particularly the upper back and core, while improving mobility in the chest and shoulders.
In general, you want to prioritise extension-based movements. These involve straightening or lifting the spine and pulling the shoulders back.
Repeated forward-bending (or flexion) movements may make things worse, especially in people with osteoporosis or spinal fractures.
Good exercises include:
back extensions (gently lift your chest off the floor while lying face down)
resistance exercises targeting the muscles between your shoulder blades
weight-bearing activities (such as brisk walking, jogging, stair climbing, or dancing) to keep bones strong and support overall fitness
stretching your chest and hip flexors to open your posture and relieve tightness.
Flexibility and balance training (such as yoga and pilates) can be beneficial, particularly for posture awareness, balance, and mobility. But research increasingly supports muscle strengthening as the cornerstone of prevention and management.
Muscle strengthening exercises, such as weight lifting or resistance training, reduces spinal curvature while enhancing muscle and bone mass.
If you suspect you have kyphosis or already have osteoporosis or a vertebral fracture, consult a health professional before starting an exercise program. There may be some activities to avoid.
If it’s caused by poor posture and muscle weakness, then yes, it’s possible.
But if it’s caused by bone changes, especially vertebral fractures, then full reversal is unlikely. However, treatment can reduce pain, improve function, and slow further progression.
Protecting your posture isn’t just about appearance. It’s about staying strong, mobile and independent as you age.
Jakub Mesinovic has received competitive research funding from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF).
David Scott has received consulting fees from Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, Abbott Nutrition and Alexion AstraZenica. He has received research funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Australian Research Council (ARC), Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF), American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR), Alexion AstraZenica, Healthy Bones Australia and Amgen Australia. He is a member of the International Osteoporosis Foundation’s Committee of Scientific Advisors.
Viridien has announced a sale of its state-of-the art Sercel Marlin™ Offshore Logistics management solution to Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) to enhance operational efficiency and safety across its Western offshore E&P operations in India. The sale includes a five-year contract to provide ONGC with dedicated on-premises Sercel software and support services.
The Sercel Marlin Offshore Logistics solution will digitize and streamline ONGC’s complex offshore E&P logistics, increasing situational awareness through real-time vessel tracking and boosting efficiency in operational planning while also managing helicopter transit. Seamless integration with ONGC’s market-leading ERP systems will also ensure efficient data exchange and decision-making. Additionally, Marlin’s advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) algorithms will future-proof ONGC’s operations by further enhancing operational efficiency and planning. All of this will support ONGC’s vision to deliver business excellence and achieve their carbon neutrality objectives.
Jérôme Denigot, EVP, Sensing & Monitoring, Viridien, said: “We are proud to support ONGC’s digitalization strategy with our Sercel Marlin Offshore Logistics solution. Tailored for both cloud-based and on-premises deployment, it offers unparalleled flexibility to accommodate a client’s diverse infrastructure needs. This award widens our footprint in India’s offshore energy sector and opens up future growth opportunities for our Sercel software solutions in the region. This latest collaboration strengthens our position as a leading provider of operations and logistics software for the energy industry and beyond.”
About Viridien:
Viridien (www.viridiengroup.com) is an advanced technology, digital and Earth data company that pushes the boundaries of science for a more prosperous and sustainable future. With our ingenuity, drive and deep curiosity we discover new insights, innovations, and solutions that efficiently and responsibly resolve complex natural resource, digital, energy transition and infrastructure challenges. Viridien employs around 3,400 people worldwide and is listed as VIRI on the Euronext Paris SA (ISIN: FR001400PVN6).
Trifork Group AG Company announcement no. 26/2025 Schindellegi, Switzerland – 6 May 2025 Interim Financial Report for the first quarter ending 31 March 2025
Trifork Group reports revenue growth of 14.1% and EBITDA growth of 29.4% in Q1 2025
CEO Jørn Larsen comments on the first quarter: “Q1 showed good progress toward our strategic ambition of becoming a more product- and solutions-led business. To support this direction, we revampedTrifork.comin Q1 to highlight our full range of products and platforms, and I invite you to explore our current offering. AI continues to break new ground, and we now discuss AI with most of our customers in one form or another. Our platforms Corax and AI Assist are seeing strong interest as they bring significant value to our customers very fast, in a very flexible, scalable, and secure way without customers needing to employ large data science teams.
In Q1, we began to see the impact of several larger deals initiated in 2024.In Denmark, the good trend from Q4 continued in Q1, with the activities in the public sector increasing the most.The US business doubled its revenue and became the second-largest in the Group in Q1, proving that our IP-anchored strategy, executed in close collaboration with our Labs companies and global tech partners, can unlock new avenues of growth in revenue and profits.
We have now completed most of the organizational changes announced last year and have identified cost-saving measures expected to deliver annual savings of EUR 10 million based on 2024 activity levels. For the remainder of 2025, we will continue to focus on further optimization and cost-efficiency across the Group, and I am encouraged by the strong and constructive cost savings efforts of our entire organization.”
First quarter 2025
Trifork Group
In Q1 2025, Trifork Group revenue amounted to EURm 57.5, a net increase of 14.1% from Q1 2024, the combined result of an organic growth of 10.8% and an inorganic growth of 3.5%. In the quarter, Trifork had EURm 4.2 more revenue from hardware and third-party licenses compared to Q1 2024. Excluding these revenues, Group revenue growth was 5.9% in Q1 2025.
Trifork Group adjusted EBITDA amounted to EURm 6.9, corresponding to growth of 29.4% compared to Q1 2024. The margin was 11.9% (Q1 2024: 10.5%). No special items were recorded.
Trifork Group EBIT amounted to EURm 2.8, corresponding to growth of 95.5% compared to Q1 2024. The margin was 4.9% (Q1 2024: 2.8%).
Trifork Segment
In Q1 2025, adjusted EBITDA in the Trifork Segment amounted to EURm 7.4 (Q1 2024: EURm 5.8), corresponding to growth of 26.3%. The margin was 12.8% (Q1 2024: 11.6%).
Sub-segments
Inspire revenue increased by 25.0% to EURm 0.7 and realized an adjusted EBITDA of EURm -0.8 (Q1 2024: EURm -1.0).
Build revenue declined by -1.2% to EURm 38.3 and realized an adjusted EBITDA margin of 15.2% (Q1 2024: 15.7%).
Run revenue increased by 68.5% to EURm 18.5. Adjusted for hardware and third-party licenses, revenue growth was 33.9%. The adjusted EBITDA margin was 15.0% (Q1 2024: 13.1%).
Trifork Labs
In Q1 2025, fair value adjustment of Trifork Labs investments was EURm -0.1 (Q1 2024: EURm 2.0).
At 31 March 2025, the book value of active Labs investments amounted to EURm 82.7 (31 March 2024: EURm 73.4).
The financial outlook for full-year 2025 provided on 28 February is maintained:
Revenue is expected to be in the range of EURm 215-225, equal to 4.4-9.3% total growth
Organic revenue growth is expected in the range of 2.9-7.8%
Adjusted EBITDA in Trifork Segment is expected in the range of EURm 32.0-37.0
EBIT in Trifork Group is expected to be in the range of EURm 14.5-19.5.
The guidance does not include potential effects from new acquisitions or divestments.
Main events in the first quarter of 2025
Inspire Q1 is seasonally a quarter with low conference activity. With more than 2 million views in Q1, the online GOTO universe have reached 83 million video views in total. At the end of the quarter, we had 1.1 million video subscribers. We are continuously sharpening our planning of events and have optimized our cost structure. Our business development efforts are anchored in technology partnerships, where workshop and conference presentations are central to the efforts. We hosted multiple events, including our Observability day in Copenhagen, and attended NVIDIA GTC together with Lenovo, who also co-attended an industrial conference in Germany with us. We held multiple events focusing on SAP.
Build Build revenue accounted for 66.6% of Group revenue in Q1 and declined by 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. We spent the quarter focusing our Build activities closer to our own product offerings so that focus is more on implementation, integration, and customization of these and building individual extensions on top. Generally, corporates continued to take a cautious approach to IT spending in light of the global economic and geopolitical uncertainty, but our business development efforts made up for some of the private market weakness. Our public sector customer base primarily consists of Danish engagements. Danish public revenue grew 23.4% in Q1 compared to the same quarter last year and accounted for 47% of revenue in Denmark. In Q1, we announced new engagements with SBSYS (41 municipalities and two regions) and Aalborg University, and a new partnership with Cognizant focused on testing-as-a-service for implementation with KOMBIT (all Danish municipalities).
Run Run revenue accounted for 32.2% of Group revenue in Q1 and increased by 68.5% in Q1 compared to the same quarter last year (33.9% growth excluding revenues from third-party licenses and hardware, which can be volatile on a quarterly basis). In Q1, we revamped our website Trifork.com to increase focus on our products and platforms, which are central to our growth strategy and which provide more stability to our revenues as the licenses are sold on a recurring basis. Our Cloud Operations business has built a good pipeline supported by our Contain product offering, and it seems that the interest in cloud hosting in our Danish data centers increased in Q1. This was driven by both public and private customers. Our managed services security business continues to be in discussion with potential strategic partners to accelerate growth and market share, and we look forward to updating the market on the progress. Any potential deconsolidation is not included in the current financial guidance for the year. Overall, revenue within Hosting and Security operations increased by 23.2% in Q1.
Trifork Labs No new investments or exits were completed in Trifork Labs in Q1. Activities in the quarter primarily included reviewing investment proposals from new or existing investors in individual Labs companies in relation to upcoming financing rounds, including the announced EURm 11.5 financing round in Dawn Health led by existing investors Chr. Augustinus Fabrikker and the Export and Investment Fund of Denmark (EIFO). We see this as a testament to continued strong belief in the company’s potential after showing significant progress with large pharma partners such as Merck and Novartis. The investment is aimed at supporting Dawn Health’s strategy to deliver its platform and product suite through a SaaS model, while continuing to invest in further offerings within the Dawn Product Suite.
Results presentation Trifork will host a results presentation and Q&A session with CEO Jørn Larsen and CFO Kristian Wulf-Andersen today, 6 May 2025 at 11:00 CEST in a live webcast that can be accessed via the following link, or via the investor website:
Investor & Media contact Frederik Svanholm, Group Investment Director frsv@trifork.com, +41 79 357 7317
About Trifork Group Trifork is a pioneering and global technology partner, empowering enterprise and public sector customers with innovative digital solutions. With 1,215 professionals across 71 business units in 16 countries, Trifork specializes in designing, building, and operating advanced software across sectors such as public administration, healthcare, manufacturing, logistics, energy, financial services, retail, and real estate. The Group’s R&D arm, Trifork Labs, drives innovation by investing in and developing synergistic, high-potential technology companies. Trifork also owns GOTO, which inspires the global tech community through conferences and an online video channel with over 1.1 million subscribers and 83 million views. Trifork Group AG is publicly listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen. Learn more at trifork.com.
Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –
The hackathon “Church’s Thesis” was held for the first time at Novosibirsk State University. It is aimed at everyone interested in mathematical logic and its application in information technology. Both students of all courses of the Faculty of Information Technology (FIT) and the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics (MMF) of NSU, as well as schoolchildren, took part in the pilot competition. In total, more than 20 teams registered.
Welcoming remarks were given by Gulnara Erkinovna Yakhyaeva, Associate Professor of the Department of General Computer Science at the NSU Institute of Information Technologies, Lecturer of the course “Logical Foundations of Programming”, and Alexander Aleksandrovich Vlasov, Head of the Laboratory of Software Development and Systems on a Chip, Associate Professor of the Department of Computer Systems at the NSU Institute of Information Technologies. They shared modern challenges faced by specialists in the field of logic and programming.
The hackathon consisted of two stages: a theoretical one, which gave participants the opportunity to explore how logic is applied in everyday life; and a practical one, during which the guys solved applied problems: from program verification to optimizing compiler algorithms. The competition was high, and all teams demonstrated a high level of preparation.
Anton Chumak, the hackathon organizer, “Mathematical Logic Lover,” a 3rd-year student at the NSU Faculty of Information Technology, told us how the idea of holding the hackathon came about:
— When I was a first-year student, I heard my classmates complaining, “Why do we need mathematical logic?” or “Matlog is a subject that is disconnected from the rest of mathematics and any real-world problems.” In my second year, I taught additional classes on this subject and noticed that the general mood of first-year students was about the same. “An incomprehensible and useless subject,” some of them thought. And although the course in mathematical logic and the theory of algorithms is more abstract than linal or matan, it also has many practical applications, especially in IT. These areas include parsers, program verification, knowledge bases, artificial intelligence, expert systems, optimizing compilers, and much more. The problem is that first-year students do not see these applications when they need to study the proof of a model existence theorem (METH), and not many are motivated to complete the course well. Therefore, it seemed to me the right decision to introduce the students to problems that appear in leading companies and require knowledge of mathematical logic to solve. I hope this will change their attitude towards the course and the discipline in general.
As the organizers note, the main difficulty in preparing the hackathon was in compiling the tasks. Since the competition format is limited to one day, a team, even one consisting of three people, has little time to solve a complex problem. At the same time, it was important to show the versatility of applications, so it was necessary to offer the teams as many different tasks as possible. The final list included theoretical and practical tasks. Theoretical tasks were devoted to the application of mathematical logic in the daily life of a programmer. In the practical round, teams were asked to write their own Turing machine, an optimization algorithm for a compiler, specifications for verifying algorithms in distributed systems, and even their own knowledge base.
— I am pleased to note that almost all tasks were solved by at least one team! — added Anton Chumak.
The finale was a ceremonial awarding of the best teams. The winners received memorable prizes thanks to the support of partners: the organizers expressed special gratitude to the Dean’s Office of the NSU FIT, the NSU Department of Youth Policy and Educational Work, as well as the partner companies of the Faculty of Information Technology – Postgres Professional, YADRO, Ledas and the School of Data Analysis – for their contribution to the organization and holding of the hackathon.
The competition had 2 categories: for schoolchildren and first-year students, as well as a general category. There were 3 winning teams in each category.
Bulat Nazarov, captain of the winning team “Barebushki”, a fourth-year student of the Faculty of Information Technology of NSU, shared his impressions:
— Yes, we are so great — we won the hackathon! To be honest, we didn’t expect to perform so well, but we are very happy that we ended up taking 1st place. We were a little nervous at the start — we solved just enough in the theoretical part to not lose face. But then the practical part began, and everything went more fun: the first were tasks in C, then we switched to TLA (coding experience in this language: it was as if aliens were being taught human language, but in the end it worked). But the knowledge base is our pride! We beat everyone there in points. Our data search worked so clearly that even we ourselves are proud of it. It was especially nice to see how our solutions received a high rating. Many thanks to Anton for the recommendation, we are sincerely glad to have the opportunity to share our experience.
Denis Yeldov, a first-year student at the Faculty of Information Technology and a member of the winning team “Hotdog Master” in the first-year competition, spoke about how the hackathon went:
— At the first, theoretical stage, it was actually possible to solve almost all the tasks if we divided them between the team members, which is what we did. So it wasn’t that difficult. In the second round, there were practical tasks, some of which were created by FIT students, and some by leading IT companies. We again divided the tasks among the team, but when something didn’t work out, we asked each other for help. It was fun, the atmosphere was not tense. However, we were constantly encouraged to do the tasks faster, since the rating was displayed on the screen, which was updated online. The tasks were of medium difficulty, as well as complex, some of them had to be written in a completely new programming language, which was one of the main problems.
Both the organizers and the participants noted that the competitions had a friendly atmosphere. In addition to the tournament itself, there were breaks during which the teams communicated in an informal setting.
— I am extremely glad that students from the FIT and MMF, as well as schoolchildren, took part. The atmosphere at the competition was very kind and homely. I think that is how it should be when people who are close in spirit gather. I hope that next year even more participants and partners will join us, — Anton Chumak summed up.
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.
Some employers assume that a return to the old ways of working is both possible and desirable. But for many workers, their perception of the office environment has changed.
According to our new study, only 27% of surveyed office workers now spend more than 30 hours a week at their workplace — down from 69% before the pandemic. That was typical of a predominantly full-time office-based culture.
And one in four office workers spends fewer than ten hours a week at the office.
The study draws on the Building Occupants Survey System Australia (BOSSA), a large database that assesses worker satisfaction with the indoor environmental quality of their office building. It also considers the role of demographic and personal factors in shaping workplace experiences.
To understand changes in work patterns before and after COVID, we analysed 5,644 surveys pre- and post-COVID. They covered 157 Australian office buildings, mostly in Sydney (81), Melbourne (39) and Brisbane(21).
Who has cut their office hours the most?
The trend towards more flexible work reflects broader cultural changes in how Australians work. Flexibility has become essential – not just a pandemic-era necessity.
In our study, women and employees aged 30–50 reported the most substantial drop in weekly office hours, especially among those who had been working more than 30 hours a week in the office pre-COVID. This reduction likely reflects increased family responsibilities for those respondents – such as school drop-offs or being available during school holidays – alongside a broader pursuit of work-life balance.
Many in this age group hold mid-career or leadership roles, where autonomy and adaptability in work schedules become crucial. The hybrid work model offers this flexibility. It enables employees to better navigate professional demands and care-giving duties.
This is especially important for women, who continue to do the majority of housework and caring responsibilities. Employees over 50 may return to the office due to lower technological confidence or a preference for face-to-face interaction.
Office design isn’t keeping up
Yet the return to the office hasn’t meant a return to the old ways of working. This research shows significant declines in satisfaction with key office factors, including:
space functionality and aesthetic experience
daylight and external view access
personal control over office environment.
Privacy and disruption – relating to noise, interruptions and lack of visual privacy – emerged as the strongest predictor of productivity and workplace health. Employees said quiet, private spaces were vital for focused work and mental well-being.
Despite its challenges, working from home is often perceived as more conducive to work-life balance and more cost-effective for both workers and companies.
What needs to change in office design?
The contrast between the autonomy and comfort of home offices and the constraints of traditional office spaces may partially explain the decline in workplace satisfaction.
Better design: Office workers are asking for quiet areas and home-like comforts in the office. Shutterstock
Notably, the shift towards working from home has reshaped employees’ expectations. This has led to a decline in satisfaction with traditional office environments.
Despite the prevalence of remote work, a substantial portion of employees still operate from the same pre-pandemic workplaces.
As flexible work schedules become the norm, a shift in the notion of the workplace is underway. Spaces need to be designed not just for individual tasks, but to foster collaboration, innovation and social connections.
Job flexibility has become an essential feature that drives employee satisfaction and engagement. Employees surveyed say they want updated spaces that support both privacy and social interactions:
I do my best thinking in inspiring spaces. Natural light, spacious meeting rooms, modern furniture, quiet areas, sit/stand desks.
Another survey respondent explained:
It would be good to have more private spaces for online meetings, and also to escape from noise.
This change in employee expectations calls for new office builds with environments that enhance employees’ wellbeing. Workers are asking for features such as comfortable home-like spaces and health-conscious amenities.
The survey results show workers’ key post-pandemic design priorities include reduced density, physical distancing, reconfigured layouts and better ventilation.
To improve indoor environmental quality, facilities teams should adopt a holistic approach that combines improved air movement with advanced filtration systems for better air quality, workplace acoustics and greater employee control over environmental settings.
The workplace is under pressure to evolve into a dynamic, human-centered environment that supports both productivity and personal fulfilment. Many workers surveyed said they would be willing to move to a new office for a better office environment.
Richard de Dear receives funding from the Australian Research Council.
Ozgur Gocer and Thomas Parkinson do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
A leading Cook Islands environmental lobby group is hoping that the Cook Islands government will speak out against the recent executive order from US President Donald Trump aimed at fast-tracking seabed mining.
Te Ipukarea Society (TIS) says the arrogance of US president Trump to think that he could break international law by authorising deep seabed mining in international waters was “astounding”, and an action of a “bully”.
The order states: “It is the policy of the US to advance United States leadership in seabed mineral development.”
NOAA has been directed to, within 60 days, “expedite the process for reviewing and issuing seabed mineral exploration licenses and commercial recovery permits in areas beyond national jurisdiction under the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act.”
It directs the US science and environmental agency to expedite permits for companies to mine the ocean floor in the US and international waters.
In addition, a Canadian mining company — The Metals Company — has indicated that they have applied for a permit from Trump’s administration to start commercially mining in international waters.
The mining company had been unsuccessful in gaining a commercial mining licence through the International Seabed Authority (ISA).
‘Arrogance of Trump’ Te Ipukarea Society’s technical director Kelvin Passfield told Cook Islands News: “The arrogance of Donald Trump to think that he can break international law by authorising deep seabed mining in international waters is astounding.
“The United States cannot pick and choose which aspects of the United Nations Law of the Sea it will follow, and which ones it will ignore. This is the action of a bully,” he said.
“It is reckless and completely dismissive of the international rule of law. At the moment we have 169 countries, plus the European Union, all recognising international law under the International Seabed Authority.
“For one country to start making new international rules for themselves is a dangerous notion, especially if it leads to other States thinking they too can also breach international law with no consequences,” he said.
TIS president June Hosking said the fact that a part of the Pacific (CCZ) was carved up and shared between nations all over the world was yet another example of “blatantly disregarding or overriding indigenous rights”.
“I can understand why something had to be done to protect the high seas from rogues having a ‘free for all’, but it should have been Pacific indigenous and first nations groups, within and bordering the Pacific, who decided what happened to the high seas.
“That’s the first nations groups, not for example, the USA as it is today.”
South American countries worried Hosking highlighted that at the March International Seabed Authority (ISA) assembly she attended it was obvious that South American countries were worried.
“Many have called for a moratorium. Portugal rightly pointed out that we were all there, at great cost, just for a commercial activity. The delegate said, ‘We must ask ourselves how does this really benefit all of humankind?’
Looking at The Metals Company’s interests to commercially mine in international waters, Hosking said, “I couldn’t help being annoyed that all this talk assumes mining will happen.
“ISA was formed at a time when things were assumed about the deep sea e.g. it’s just a desert down there, nothing was known for sure, we didn’t speak of climate crisis, waste crisis and other crises now evident.
“The ISA mandate is ‘to ensure the effective protection of the marine environment from the harmful effects that may arise from deep seabed related activities.
“We know much more (but still not enough) to consider that effective protection of the marine environment may require it to be declared a ‘no go zone’, to be left untouched for the good of humankind,” she added.
Meanwhile, technical director Passfield also added, “The audacity of The Metals Company (TMC) to think they can flaunt international law in order to get an illegal mining licence from the United States to start seabed mining in international waters is a sad reflection of the morality of Gerard Barron and others in charge of TMC.
‘What stops other countries?’ “If the USA is allowed to authorise mining in international waters under a domestic US law, what is stopping any other country in the world from enacting legislation and doing the same?”
He said that while the Metals Company may be frustrated at the amount of time that the International Seabed Authority is taking to finalise mining rules for deep seabed mining, “we are sure they fully understand that this is for good reason. The potentially disastrous impacts of mining our deep ocean seabed need to be better understood, and this takes time.”
He said that technology and infrastructure to mine is not in place yet.
“We need to take as much time as we need to ensure that if mining proceeds, it does not cause serious damage to our ocean. Their attempts to rush the process are selfish, greedy, and driven purely by a desire to profit at any cost to the environment.
“We hope that the Cook Islands Government speaks out against this abuse of international law by the United States.” Cook Islands News has reached out to the Office of the Prime Minister and Seabed Minerals Authority (SBMA) for comment.
Republished from the Cook Islands News with permission.
Climate change is lengthening fire seasons across much of the world. This means the potential for wildfires at any time of the year, in both hemispheres, is increasing.
That poses a problem. Australia regularly shares firefighting resources with the United States and Canada. But these agreements rest on the principle that when North America needs these personnel and aircraft, Australia doesn’t, and vice versa. Climate change means this assumption no longer holds.
But to what extent do fire seasons in Australia and North America actually overlap? Our new research examined this question.
We found an alarming increase in the overlap of the fire seasons, suggesting both regions must invest far more in their own permanent firefighting capacity.
What we did
We investigated fire weather seasons – that is, the times of the year when atmospheric conditions such as temperature, humidity, rainfall and wind speed are conducive to fire.
The central question we asked was: how many days each year do fire weather seasons in Australia and North America overlap?
To determine this, we calculated the length of the fire weather seasons in the two regions in each year, and the number of days when the seasons occur at the same time. We then analysed reconstructed historical weather data to assess fire-season overlap for the past 45 years. We also analysed climate model data to assess changes out to the end of this century.
And the result? On average, fire weather occurs in both regions simultaneously for about seven weeks each year. The greatest risk of overlap occurs in the Australian spring – when Australia’s season is beginning and North America’s is ending.
The overlap has increased by an average of about one day per year since 1979. This might not sound like much. But it translates to nearly a month of extra overlap compared to the 1980s and 1990s.
The increase is driven by eastern Australia, where the fire weather season has lengthened at nearly twice the rate of western North America. More research is needed to determine why this is happening.
Longer, hotter, drier
Alarmingly, as climate change worsens and the atmosphere dries and heats, the overlap is projected to increase.
The extent of the overlap varied depending on which of the four climate models we used. Assuming an emissions scenario where global greenhouse gas emissions begin to stabilise, the models projected an increase in the overlap of between four and 29 days a year.
What’s behind these differences? We think it’s rainfall. The models project quite different rainfall trends over Australia. Those projecting a dry future also project large increases in overlapping fire weather. What happens to ours and North America’s rainfall in the future will have a large bearing on how fire seasons might change.
While climate change will dominate the trend towards longer overlapping fire seasons, El Niño and La Niña may also play a role.
These climate drivers involve fluctuations every few years in sea surface temperature and air pressure in part of the Pacific Ocean. An El Niño event is associated with a higher risk of fire in Australia. A La Niña makes longer fire weather seasons more likely in North America.
There’s another complication. When an El Niño occurs in the Central Pacific region, this increases the chance of overlap in fire seasons of North America and Australia. We think that’s because this type of El Niño is especially associated with dry conditions in Australia’s southeast, which can fuel fires.
But how El Niño and La Niña will affect fire weather in future is unclear. What’s abundantly clear is that global warming will lead to more overlap in fire seasons between Australia and North America – and changes in Australia’s climate are largely driving this trend.
Looking ahead
Firefighters and their aircraft are likely to keep crossing the Pacific during fire emergencies.
But it’s not difficult to imagine, for example, simultaneous fires occurring in multiple Australian states during spring, before any scheduled arrival of aircraft from the US or Canada. If North America is experiencing late fires that year and cannot spare resources, Australia’s capabilities may be exceeded.
Fire agencies are becoming increasingly aware of this clash. And a royal commission after the 2019–20 Black Summer fires recommended Australia develop its own fleet of firefighting aircraft.
Long, severe fire seasons such as Black Summer prompted an expansion of Australia’s permanent aerial firefighting fleet, but more is needed.
As climate change accelerates, proactive fire management, such as prescribed burning, is also important to reduce the risk of uncontrolled fire outbreaks.
Doug Richardson receives funding from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes (CE170100023) and the Germany-Australia Joint Research Cooperation Scheme, funded by the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) and Universities Australia (RG230014)
Andreia Filipa Silva Ribeiro receives funding from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) – Project number 530175554, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH) and the Germany-Australia Joint Research Cooperation Scheme, funded by the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) and Universities Australia (RG230014).
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on May 6, 2025.
Fiji media welcomes credible news services, but not ‘pop-up propagandists’, says Simpson By Anish Chand Entities and individuals that thrived under the previous government with public relations contracts now want to be part of the media or run media organisations, says Fiji Media Association (FMA) secretary Stanley Simpson. He made the comments yesterday while speaking at a World Press Freedom Day event hosted by the journalism programme
Locked up then locked out: how NZ’s bank rules make life for ex-prisoners even harder Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Victoria Stace, Senior Lecturer, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington FotoDax/Shutterstock People coming out of prison in New Zealand face multiple hurdles reintegrating into society – starting with one of the most fundamental elements of modern life: getting a bank account. Not having a bank
Can a wooden spoon really stop a pot from boiling over? Here’s the science Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jay Deagon, Senior Lecturer of Home Economics, CQUniversity Australia Alexanderstock23/Shutterstock One moment, your spaghetti is happily bubbling away in the pot. A minute later, after busying yourself with something else, you turn around to find a hot mess all over your stove. Boiling liquid can rocket up
How did sport become so popular? The ancient history of a modern obsession Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Konstantine Panegyres, Lecturer in Classics and Ancient History, The University of Western Australia Roman mosaics discovered in Sicily show women playing different sports. David Pineda Svenske/Shutterstock It’s almost impossible to go a day without seeing or hearing about sport. Walk around any city or town and you
AI systems are built on English – but not the kind most of the world speaks Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Celeste Rodriguez Louro, Associate professor, Chair of Linguistics and Director of Language Lab, The University of Western Australia Reihaneh Golpayegani / Better Images of AI, CC BY An estimated 90% of the training data for current generative AI systems stems from English. However, English is an international
Crikey, ChatGPT’s gone bush! How AI is learning the art of Aussie slang Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ross Yates, Lecturer, Project Management, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock Ever tried to explain why a sausage would be referred to as a “snag” while overseas, or why the toilet is the “dunny”? If you found this challenging, spare a thought for large language models (LLMs) such as
What are the key risk factors for developing knee osteoarthritis? We reviewed the evidence Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christina Abdel Shaheed, Associate Professor, School of Public Health, University of Sydney Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disease, affecting more than 3 million Australians and over 500 million people worldwide. The knee is the most commonly affected joint, but osteoarthritis can also affect other joints including
We’ve heard the promises. Now it’s up to Labor to deliver its housing, wages and other economic policies Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Cull, Associate Professor of Accounting and Financial Planning, Western Sydney University With a convincing win for a second term of government, the pressure is now on the new Labor government to deliver the economic policies central to its win. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is wary of
Labor has the chance to do something big in its second term. What policy reforms should it take on? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yee-Fui Ng, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, Monash University Dan Breckwoldt/Shutterstock Labor’s historic election victory means the Albanese government has a rare opportunity to pursue a big, bold reform agenda. The scale of the victory all but guarantees a third term in office after the next election
‘I got sent something of people shooting themselves’ – research shows young people can’t avoid harmful content online Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dougal Sutherland, Clinical Psychologist, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Leon Neal/Getty Images A new report from New Zealand’s Classification Office has revealed how young people are being exposed to harmful content online and what it is doing to their mental health. The Classification Office
Caitlin Johnstone: It was never about hostages. It was never about Hamas Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. – COMMENTARY: By Caitlin Johnstone Benjamin Netanyahu said last Thursday that freeing the Israeli hostages in Gaza was not his top priority, suggesting instead that defeating Hamas should take precedence over a hostage deal. “We have many objectives, many goals in this war,” Netanyahu said. “We want
Viral video shows Fiji prison chief throwing punches at Suva bar RNZ Pacific The head of Fiji’s prison service has been caught on camera involved in a fist fight that appears to have taken place at the popular O’Reilley’s Bar in the capital of Suva. Sevuloni Naucukidi, the acting Commissioner of the Fiji Corrections Service (FCS), can be seen in the viral video throwing punches at
PINA on World Press Freedom Day – facing new and complex AI challenges By Kalafi Moala in Nuku’alofa On this World Press Freedom Day, we in the Pacific stand together to defend and promote the right to freedom of expression — now facing new and complex challenges in the age of Artificial Intelligence (AI). This year’s global theme is “Reporting a Brave New World: The impact of Artificial
Late counting continues in several seats, with Goldstein and Melbourne among those too close to call Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne With 78% of enrolled voters counted, the ABC is calling 85 of the 150 House of Representatives seats for Labor, 39 for the Coalition, zero for the
Pacific ‘story sovereignty’ top of mind on World Press Freedom Day By Michelle Curran of Pasifika TV World Press Freedom Day is a poignant reminder that journalists and media workers are essential for a healthy, functioning society — including the Pacific. Held annually on May 3, World Press Freedom Day prompts governments about the need to respect press freedom, while serving as a day of reflection
View from The Hill: a budding Trump-Albanese bromance? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra It took an election win, but Anthony Albanese on Monday finally received that much-awaited phone call from US President Donald Trump. The conversation was “warm and positive,” the prime minister told a news conference, thanking the president for “reaching out”.
In its soul-searching, Australia’s rightist coalition should examine its relationship with the media ANALYSIS: By Matthew Ricketson, Deakin University and Andrew Dodd, The University of Melbourne Among the many lessons to be learnt by Australia’s defeated Liberal-National coalition parties from the election is that they should stop getting into bed with News Corporation. Why would a political party outsource its policy platform and strategy to people with plenty
Is it dangerous to kiss someone who’s eaten gluten if you have coeliac disease? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vincent Ho, Associate Professor and Clinical Academic Gastroenterologist, Western Sydney University Lordn/Shutterstock Coeliac disease is not a food allergy or intolerance. It’s an autoimmune disease that makes the body attack the small intestine if gluten (a protein found in wheat, rye and barley) reaches the gut. Even
After its landslide win, Labor should have courage and confidence on security – and our alliance with the US Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joanne Wallis, Professor of International Security, University of Adelaide The re-election of the Albanese Labor government by such a wide margin should not mean “business as usual” for Australia’s security policy. The global uncertainty instigated by US President Donald Trump means Australia’s security landscape is very different
5 huge climate opportunities await the next parliament – and it has the numbers to deliver Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Skarbek, Climateworks CEO, Monash University Australians have returned an expanded Labor Party to government alongside a suite of climate-progressive independents. Meanwhile, the Coalition – which promoted nuclear energy and a slower renewables transition – suffered a historic defeat. Labor also looks set to have increased numbers
Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –
On April 18, the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics hosted the third Kolba award ceremony for women in science and technology, as part of the annual forum of the same name. This year, 77 women scientists were recognized in 30 nominations in the following areas: natural, technological and exact, social and humanitarian, fundamental and applied sciences. Among them are two representatives of NSU: Olga Yarovaya, associate professor of the Department of Medical Chemistry of the Institute of Medicine and Medical Technologies of NSU, and Anna Lysova, senior lecturer of the Department of Physical Chemistry. Faculty of Natural Sciences of NSU.
The Kolba Prize was established by the Foundation for the Development of Professional Initiatives “Women of the Nuclear Industry” with the aim of popularizing science through the formation of role models among women and girls – future scientists, creating a modern image and enhancing media significance, uniting women into the largest scientific community for the exchange of experience and knowledge, as well as strengthening the human and intellectual capital in the country.
Olga Yarovaya is a chemist specializing in organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, and the development of antiviral compounds. Olga spoke in more detail about her area of scientific interest:
— I study terpenes and their derivatives (mono-, sesqui- and diterpenoids) to create antiviral drugs. My work covers the synthesis of compounds, analysis of their activity against influenza, Marburg and other pathogens, as well as the study of their mechanisms of action. In 2003, I defended my PhD thesis on the synthesis and antiviral activity of terpene compounds. And in 2023–2024, I published a number of articles in the journal Uspekhi Khimii, including studies of small molecules against hemorrhagic fever viruses and diterpenes.
Anna Lysova is engaged in the synthesis of organometallic compounds, which, due to their porosity, are used as adsorbents for capturing and separating gases and various organic substances. Anna shared her opinion on why science is her life’s work and why such awards are important for scientists:
— Science is what I do every day: my job, my hobby. I am lucky that I love my job and it gives me pleasure, that I do not get tired of it and it does not bore me. Science is what surrounds us: technology, smartphones, cars; what we use every day in our everyday life and what makes human life better, easier, more interesting. This award is important to me as recognition of the importance of scientific work of me and my team, as an opportunity to declare the results of my research to the whole country. I felt proud that our research was appreciated.
The winners received the distinctive “Kolba” badge.
This year, applications for the Kolba Prize are open from April 20 to December 31, 2025. by link
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.
Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell
05.05.25
Cantwell, Colleagues Demand DOJ Reverse Cancellation of Hundreds of Public Safety Grants
Trump Administration seeks to cut $55 million in grant funding for six Washington state public safety programs
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, joined nearly 30 Democratic senators in sending a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) urging Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Assistant Attorney General Maureen Henneberg to reverse the abrupt cancellation of hundreds of public safety grants that serve crime victims and improve public safety in communities across the country. The Trump Administration is attempting to cut grant funding for 365 programs nationwide, including cutting $55 million in grant funding for six Washington state public safety and victim service programs. The letter also instructs DOJ to provide information about its decision to cancel the grants.
“On April 22, the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of Justice Programs (OJP) notified hundreds of grant recipients across the country, without warning, that their funding had been terminated, effective immediately. Many of these grants are authorized by Congress and support programs that have enhanced public safety in communities rural and urban, affluent and poor, Democratic and Republican. While this Administration continues to market itself as the administration of law and order and public safety, DOJ has decided to defund programs that prosecutors, police and sheriff’s departments, judges, mental health service providers, academics, and more depend on to advance the Department’s longstanding ‘core mission of keeping Americans safe and vigorously enforcing the law,’” the Senators wrote.
“Based on public reporting, outreach from grantees, and a DOJ Justice Management Division (JMD) spreadsheet (Encl. 1), it appears that the Department defunded at least 365 public safety grants on April 22, 2025. A review of this information reveals that these grants provide support for victims of crime and resources for communities to ensure public safety,” the Senators continued.
For example, with these grant terminations, the Department has defunded programs that support victims of crime, combat rape in prison, assist people with mental health disorders, reduce and prevent violence, and support successful reentry. These examples offer only a sample of the critical funding that DOJ abruptly terminated. In Washington state, DOJ cancelled six grants totaling over $55 million. These grants included:
Three awards worth over $48 million to the National CASA Association to train court appointed special advocates (CASA) who represent abused and neglected children in legal proceedings.
Two awards totaling $6 million to the Children and Youth Justice Center to prevent violent crime by creating on-the-ground partnerships with community members, law enforcement, victim service providers, and other local stakeholders.
One award worth $250,000 to the Washington State Department of Corrections to reduce sexual abuse in state correctional facilities.
“The magnitude of these defunding measures, Congress’ role in authorizing and appropriating grant funds, and the negative impacts that the sudden termination of funding will have on public safety in communities across the country, requires the immediate review of the processes and decisions that led to the cancellation of these critical grants,” the Senators wrote.
The Senators requested answers to nine questions about the cancellations, including whether the Department has reallocated the money to other programs and how officials determined which grants should be cancelled.
A DOJ JMD spreadsheet lists 365 grants totaling $811 million that were terminated on April 22.
Does this spreadsheet represent the entire universe of grants that were terminated?
Are there grants that were terminated that are not reflected on the list? If so, provide the information in every column for these grants.
Which grants that were terminated on April 22 have since been restored? For each grant restored, please provide the reason for its restoration.
How were the grants that were terminated chosen? What were the factors considered in making the determination to terminate? Where the affected grantees were state or local jurisdictions, did the political party of state or local officials in those jurisdictions influence the determination to terminate?
Were there entire categories of grants that were terminated? If so, provide the categories.
What is the legal basis for terminating grant funds that are statutorily required?
Has DOJ reallocated the funds it rescinded on April 22? Provide any specific programs or purposes to which these funds will be reallocated.
Will DOJ terminate any more grants, from any of its funding components, that have been obligated or are in cycle? If so, provide the grant-making component and the grants that will be terminated or are under consideration to be terminated.
Was former Tesla employee turned-DOGE staffer Tarak Makecha solely responsible for selecting which grants to terminate? Provide the names of all individuals within DOJ who reviewed or approved the cancellation of the grants.
Did any White House officials review the grants to be terminated or otherwise have any involvement in the decision to terminate the grants? Provide their names.
“Additionally, we advise that the Department restore immediately the grants terminated on April 22. The cursory termination of these programs imperils the public safety of the victims and communities that rely on these critical resources,” the Senators concluded.
The letter was led by U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and is cosigned by Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Chris Coons (D-DE), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Peter Welch (D-VT), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Patty Murray (D-WA), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Gary Peters (D-MI), and Chris Murphy (D-CT).
The full text of the letter is available HERE.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Randy Feenstra (IA-04)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Hull) voted for the ACES Act, which would require the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to conduct a study on the prevalence of cancer in veterans who served as active-duty aircrew members in our nation’s Armed Forces.
“Providing our veterans, especially those who were exposed to toxic chemicals, with the high-quality healthcare that they have earned is non-negotiable. These patriotic and selfless Americans answered the call to serve our country and protect the freedoms that we hold dear. Caring for these men and women after their service is our duty as a grateful nation,” said Rep. Feenstra. “That’s why I voted for legislation to study the prevalence of cancer in U.S. troops who served as active-duty aircrew where exposure to chemicals and other synthetic compounds is a real risk. In Congress, I will always be a strong voice for our veterans and their families.”
Source: United States Senator for North Carolina Thom Tillis
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Thom Tillis applauded the announcement from Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins that Ron Garrett has been appointed as State Executive Director of the North Carolina Farm Service Agency and Robert Hosford has been appointed as State Director of North Carolina Rural Development.
“Ron and Robert are fantastic choices to lead the NC Farm Service Agency and Rural Development,”said Senator Tillis. “I was proud to advocate on behalf of both of them and I look forward to working with them to support North Carolina’s farmers and rural communities.”
Background:
Ron Garrett will serve as the State Executive Director for the Farm Service Agency in North Carolina. Most recently Ron served as a County Executive Director for FSA for over 33 years. Ron earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Business Management from North Carolina State University.
Robert Hosford will serve as State Director for Rural Development in North Carolina, a position he held during President Trump’s first term. In 2003 he was appointed the Chief of Staff for the USDA Farm Service Agency through 2009. After earning a B.S. from Mississippi State University, Hosford relocated to Washington D.C., as a part of the Government Affairs team for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.
One moment, your spaghetti is happily bubbling away in the pot. A minute later, after busying yourself with something else, you turn around to find a hot mess all over your stove.
Boiling liquid can rocket up very quickly, and we often only have a split second to act. But are there ways to prevent the pot boiling over in the first place? One kitchen hack you may have seen on social media is to place a wooden spoon across the top of the pot.
Does it work? As with many kitchen science questions, there is an answer – and there’s lots of nuance, too.
In short, it will work, but not for long periods of time. Let’s dig into the why.
What causes the bubbles?
Interestingly, a pot of rapidly boiling pure water will not rise up the sides of the pot.
Ingredients added to the water are the culprits for overflow and spillage. Pots of pasta, rice, porridge or milk are the most prone to boiling over and making a mess. A heavy stew is less likely to bubble over – unless you overfill the pot.
In cookery, the key food molecules are water, carbohydrates, proteins, lipids (the collective term for fats and oils) and, to a lesser extent, vitamins and minerals.
The main culprits for rapid boiling and overflow are carbohydrates and proteins. When carbohydrates or proteins (or a combination of both) come into contact with heated water molecules, their properties change and structures rearrange.
Changes can happen quickly if the heat is high. Excited by lots of heat, the water molecules begin to boil rapidly. As this occurs, bubbles form.
Why do the bubbles rise so quickly?
The carbohydrates involved in bubbling up and messing up your kitchen are primarily plant starches. Pasta or porridge products are derived from plant starches such as wheat, rice, potato or corn. If you’re boiling anything with milk, a protein called casein can contribute to the bubbles, too.
Casein and starches are known as colloids. “Colloidal dispersion” means that not all such particles will dissolve into a water solution, because some of these particles are too large. As bubbles form, the larger starch and/or protein particles start to coat the bubbles.
For pasta water or porridge, the heat and starch solution starts to form a gel. This gel becomes sticky and, depending on the type of starch and other additives, the temperature of the boiling solution can rise above 100°C.
So, they’re not just bubbles – they’re hot, sticky bubbles. Filled with air and coated with a sticky starch gel, as the solution continues to boil, the bubbles build on top of each other and rise up the sides of the pot.
It’s a little different with milk. Have you ever noticed a film across the top of boiled milk? Milk skin is formed by heated casein. When heated, the casein can become quite strong – like plastic – and coat each bubble. Milk bubbles are smaller and become more of a foam, but they can still rise quickly.
Boiling milk forms smaller bubbles – more like a foam – because of the cassein in the milk. Ahanov Michael/Shutterstock
So, how does a wooden spoon stop the bubbles?
Placing a wooden spoon over a boiling pot acts as an interruption to the bubbles – it lowers the surface temperature and provides a porous surface to burst the bubbles. This stops them from climbing over the edge of the pot.
To understand why, picture another porous surface: the structure of a sponge. Because the sponge has a lot of holes in it, you can blow air through a dry sponge. However, air does not pass through a wet sponge because the holes are filled with water.
Wood is a porous material, and a dry wooden spoon is more porous than when it’s wet. On contact with the wood, the air in the bubbles is released.
But you can’t just leave a wooden spoon over the pot indefinitely and expect it to not boil over. As the spoon is exposed to heat, moisture, sticky starch or casein bubbles, it will soon become the same temperature as the liquid. That means it won’t reduce the surface temperature any more, nor be porous enough to burst bubbles.
This is why some people claim the spoon hack doesn’t work – because it has a limited window of effectiveness.
What should I do instead?
Stirring the pot or using the wooden spoon as a fan would work equally as well.
Better yet, try not to get distracted in the kitchen and select the correct kitchen tools for the job: use a bigger pot, and turn down the heat so it’s not just going full blast.
We like to treat working in the kitchen like a meditation. Remain present and in the moment. If you do get distracted, turn the stove to its lowest setting, switch it off or remove the pot from the heat. The phrase “a watched pot never boils” doesn’t count in this situation. Indeed, a watchful eye on the pot is essential.
Jay Deagon is affiliated with the International Federation for Home Economics and the Home Economics Institute of Australia.
Gemma Mann does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Press release
British businesses celebrated in third year of The King’s Awards for Enterprise
The recipients of The King’s Awards for Enterprise have been announced today, celebrating the achievements of leading businesses from across the UK and Channel Islands.
197 recipients announced in The King’s Awards for Enterprise – the UK’s most prestigious business awards
Firms from Stirling to Somerset have their excellence recognised with two businesses receiving awards in two categories
These successful businesses are playing a key role in the Government’s mission to go further and faster for economic growth as part of our Plan for Change
The recipients of The King’s Awards for Enterprise have been announced today [6 May], celebrating the achievements of leading businesses from across the UK and Channel Islands and recognising their vital role in growing our economy to improve lives.
This year, 197 businesses representing a diverse range of sectors, have been recognised by His Majesty The King as among the best in the country, highlighting the ambition, ingenuity, and success of our diverse business community.
A total of 199 awards have been issued with two companies, Hampshire-based Sonardyne International and Norfolk-based Delta Fire, being recognised for two Awards each.
Overall, 116 businesses have been recognised for International Trade, 46 for Innovation, 27 for Sustainable Development and 10 for Promoting Opportunity Through Social Mobility.
By supporting more people into work, developing new innovations and exporting the best Britain has to offer around the world, businesses like these are playing a key role in the Government’s mission to go further and faster for economic growth, to put more money in more working people’s pockets as part of our Plan for Change.
Gareth Thomas, Minister for Services, Small Businesses and Exports said:
Congratulations to the recipients of this year’s King’s Awards for Enterprise, who all demonstrate the very best of British business talent.
I wish them every success as they continue to grow, innovate and prosper, and commend the invaluable contributions they have already made to communities at home and abroad, helping to boost the UK economy.
Out of the 197 winning businesses 176 (88%) are SMEs, and of those, 27 (14%) are micro-businesses, with 10 employees or less.
Smaller businesses are the beating heart of this government’s growth mission and providing them with the right support to overcome barriers and reach their full potential is an absolute priority. That is why this Government protected a million small firms from National Insurance increases and extended business rates relief in the Budget.
Since then, we have also launched the new Board of Trade to boost small businesses exports and announced over 200 new Banking Hub locations on top of the existing 100 already open. We have also taken action to tackle the scourge of late payments, and most recently, provided a multi-billion-pound increase in government backed financing to help organisations like the British Business Bank provide vital finance for smaller businesses.
We know that it will only take a 1% increase in SME productivity per year, over the next 5 years, to grow the UK economy by a whopping £94 billion.
Graham Brown, Managing Director of Sonardyne, said:
We’re absolutely delighted to have received this recognition. Receiving two King’s Awards in 2025 really celebrates Sonardyne’s ongoing performance in International Trade delivered by working sustainably.
It’s a testament to the hard work of everyone at Sonardyne in making, selling, and supporting great products operating across our blue planet, whilst all the time caring deeply about how we do business to protect it. I hope we can inspire and help other UK businesses to do the same.
Ian Gardner, Managing Director and Founder of Delta Fire, said:
We are absolutely thrilled to receive two King’s Awards for Enterprise for both Innovation and Sustainable Development. These two highly prestigious awards are a fantastic recognition of the great team work in Delta Fire over the last 35 years from a small workshop unit to a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility using net zero energy.
Innovation and Sustainability has led Delta Fire to exporting fire nozzles all around the world and being used to successfully extinguish the majority of fires in the UK every day.
The King’s Awards for Enterprise were previously known as The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise and were renamed two years ago to reflect His Majesty The King’s desire to continue the legacy of HM Queen Elizabeth II by recognising outstanding UK businesses. The Award programme, now in its 59th year, has awarded over 8,000 companies since its inception in 1965.
His Majesty’s Lord Lieutenants – The King’s representatives in each county – will be presenting the Awards to businesses locally throughout the year. One representative from each winning business will also be invited to a special Royal reception event.
Case-studies
Sonardyne Energy, a Hampshire based firm, transforming what’s possible in offshore energy, maritime defence and ocean science markets through the engineering and manufacturing of their world-leading underwater equipment. They receive the award for International Trade and Sustainable Development.
Delta Fire, a globally recognised designer, manufacturer, and supplier of specialist front-line firefighting products, committed to sustainability and carbon neutrality by 2030. Based in Norfolk, Delta Fire have been recognised in the Innovation and Sustainable Development categories.
Other recipients also include:
Level Peaks, a business based in Hereford, and managed by ex-British Military Special Forces Veterans, which supplies innovative defence and security equipment to the UK Government and governments abroad. The company receives The King’s Award for International Trade.
Mixergy, which has received the Innovation award for their intelligent hot water tank which interacts between homes and the grid to maximise efficiency and reduce energy bills. The business is based in Oxford.
The full list of Awardees across the four categories can be found in the London Gazette.
Written by Denise Buckner, Postdoctoral Fellow at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Over the past few weeks, Perseverance has been investigating some curious spherules peppered across the “Witch Hazel Hill” region along the rim of Jezero crater. A striking cluster of the small bubble-shaped stones were first spotted by the Mastcam-Z instrument on Sol 1442 (March 11, 2025) at “Broom Point,” in a rock named “St. Pauls Bay.” A few sols later, a similar assemblage was discovered by the SuperCam instrument at the “Mattie Mitchell” outcrop near “Puncheon Rock.” As the rover continued along its traverse, spherules continued to appear. At the targets St. Pauls Bay and Mattie Mitchell, the spherules are densely packed and almost look like bunches of grapes. Elsewhere, similar smaller spherules were found intermixed with other grains within the rock. At a target called “Wreck Apple” at the “Sally’s Cove” outcrop, individual spherules were set in a matrix of coarse, dark grains. Even more of these circular features are embedded in finer-grained, layered bedrock at a nearby area called “Dennis Pond.”
Although the team was intrigued by the spherule-rich layers at Sally’s Cove and Dennis Pond, these outcrops were challenging for the rover arm to access. After some searching to find an accessible target, the team decided to perform an abrasion at a neighboring outcrop, called “Pine Pond,” which contained an extension of the Dennis Pond layers. The team picked the target “Hare Bay” in hopes of finding spherules within a rock interior, and conducting proximity science observations with PIXL and SHERLOC to investigate their composition and internal structure. Images of the abrasion patch taken by WATSON show that Hare Bay contains light-toned medium-sized grains, with millimeter-sized spherules dotted throughout the rock! Leading hypotheses for the origin of these spherules include formation by volcanic activity or impact-related processes. Having found an accessible spherule-bearing rock, the team is currently hard at work collecting a spherule-filled sample! Combined with the information already gathered by Mastcam-Z, SuperCam, PIXL, SHERLOC, and WATSON, future laboratory analyses could help solve the mystery of when, where, and how these spherules formed, which can in turn detangle the geological events that formed and transformed the surface of Mars over billions of years!
In the waters off New England, one of Earth’s rarest mammals swims slowly, mouth agape. The North Atlantic right whale filters clouds of tiny reddish zooplankton — called Calanus finmarchicus — from the sea. These zooplankton, no bigger than grains of rice, are the whale’s lifeline. Only about 370 of these massive creatures remain. For decades, tracking the tiny plankton meant sending research vessels out in the ocean, towing nets and counting samples by hand. Now, scientists are looking from above instead. Using NASA satellite data, researchers found a way to detect Calanus swarms at the ocean surface in the Gulf of Maine, picking up on the animals’ natural red pigment. This early-stage approach, described in a new study, may help researchers better estimate where the copepods gather, and where whales might follow. Tracking the zooplankton from space could aid both the whales and maritime industries. By predicting where these mammals are likely to feed, researchers and marine resource managers hope to reduce deadly vessel strikes and fishing gear entanglements — two major threats to the species. Knowing the feeding patterns could also help shipping and fishing industries operate more efficiently.
“NASA invests in this kind of research because it connects space-based observation with real-world challenges,” said Cynthia Hall, a support scientist at NASA headquarters in Washington. She works with the Early Career Research Program, which partly funded the work. “It’s yet another a way to put NASA satellite data to work for science, communities, and ecosystems.” Revealing the Ocean’s Hidden Patterns The new approach uses data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite. The MODIS instrument doesn’t directly see the copepods themselves. Instead, it reads how the spectrum of sunlight reflected from the ocean surface changes in response to what’s in the water. When large numbers of the zooplankton rise to the surface, their reddish pigment — astaxanthin, the same compound that gives salmon its pink color — subtly alters how photons, or particles of light, from the sun are absorbed or scattered in the water. The fate of these photons in the ocean depends on the mix of living and non-living matter in seawater, creating a slight shift in color that MODIS can detect. “We didn’t know to look for Calanus before in this way,” said Catherine Mitchell, a satellite oceanographer at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in East Boothbay, Maine. “Remote sensing has typically focused on smaller things like phytoplankton. But recent research suggested that larger, millimeter-sized organisms like zooplankton can also influence ocean color.” A few years ago, researchers piloted a satellite method for detecting copepods in Norwegian waters. Now, some of those same scientists — along with Mitchell’s team — have refined the approach and applied it to the Gulf of Maine, a crucial feeding ground for right whales during their northern migration. By combining satellite data, a model, and field measurements, they produced enhanced images that revealed Calanus swarms at the sea surface, and were able to estimate numbers of the tiny animals. “We know the right whales are using habitats we don’t fully understand,” said Rebekah Shunmugapandi, also a satellite oceanographer at Bigelow and the study’s lead author. “This satellite-based Calanus information could eventually help identify unknown feeding grounds or better anticipate where whales might travel.” Tracking Elusive Giants Despite decades of study, North Atlantic right whales remain remarkably enigmatic to scientists. Once fairly predictable in their movements along the Eastern Seaboard of North America, these massive mammals began abandoning some traditional feeding grounds in 2010-2011. Their sudden shift to unexpected areas like the Gulf of Saint Lawrence caught people off guard, with deadly consequences. “We’ve had whales getting hit by ships and whales getting stuck in fishing gear,” said Laura Ganley, a research scientist in the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium in Boston, which conducts aerial and boat surveys of the whales. In 2017, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration designated the situation as an “unusual mortality event” in an effort to address the whales’ decline. Since then, 80 North Atlantic right whales have been killed or sustained serious injuries, according to NOAA.
In the Gulf of Maine, there’s less shipping activity, but there can be a complex patchwork of lobster fishing gear, said Sarah Leiter, a scientist with the Maine Department of Marine Resources. “Each fisherman has 800 traps or so,” Leiter explained. “If a larger number of whales shows up suddenly, like they just did in January 2025, it is challenging. Fishermen need time and good weather to adjust that gear.” What excites Leiter the most about the satellite data is the potential to use it in a forecasting tool to help predict where the whales could go. “That would be incredibly useful in giving us that crucial lead time,” she said. PACE: The Next Generation of Ocean Observer For now, the Calanus-tracking method has limitations. Because MODIS detects the copepods’ red pigment, not the animals themselves, that means other small, reddish organisms can be mistaken for the zooplankton. And cloud cover, rough seas, or deeper swarms all limit what satellites can spot. MODIS is also nearing the end of its operational life. But NASA’s next-generation PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) satellite — launched in 2024 — is poised to make dramatic improvements in the detection of zooplankton and phytoplankton.
“The PACE satellite will definitely be able to do this, and maybe even something better,” said Bridget Seegers, an oceanographer and mission scientist with the PACE team at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The PACE mission includes the Ocean Color Instrument, which detects more than 280 wavelengths of light. That’s a big jump from the 10 wavelengths seen by MODIS. More wavelengths mean finer detail and better insights into ocean color and the type of plankton that the satellite can spot. Local knowledge of seasonal plankton patterns will still be essential to interpret the data correctly. But the goal isn’t perfect detection, the scientists say, but rather to provide another tool to inform decision-making, especially when time or resources are limited. By Emily DeMarcoNASA Headquarters
NASA Langley Research Center’s integral role in the past, present, and future of flight was on full display April 25-27 during the Air Power Over Hampton Roads air show. The air show, held at Joint Base Langley-Eustis (JBLE), which neighbors NASA Langley in Hampton, Virginia, attracted thousands of spectators throughout the weekend. The weekend kicked off with a STEM Day on April 25. Langley’s Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM) offered educational and engaging activities, exhibits, and displays to share NASA missions and encourage K-12 students from local schools to explore the possibilities that science, technology, engineering, and math offer. “Participation in the air show allows us to share NASA’s work in aeronautics with the public and provides an opportunity for Langley researchers and engineers to work directly with students and families to share the exciting work they do,” said Bonnie Murray, Langley OSTEM Student Services manager.
Langley OSTEM’s participation continued throughout the weekend as a part of the air show’s STEM Expo, where visitors to the NASA booths tested a paper helicopter in a small-scale wind tunnel to explore flight dynamics, learned how NASA uses X-planes for research and designed their own X-plane, and tested experimental paper airplanes of various designs. By observing flight of the plane designs and making improvements to each one, students participated in the engineering design process. NASA subject matter experts in attendance guided students through these activities, inspired young minds by sharing some of their innovations, and promoted a variety of STEM career paths. “Through engagement in the NASA STEM Zone activities, students had an opportunity to see themselves in the role of a NASA researcher,” Murray said. “Authentic learning experiences such as these help build children’s STEM identity, increasing the likelihood of them pursuing STEM careers in the future.”
The air show’s static aircraft displays included NASA Langley’s Cirrus Design SR22, a research aircraft used to support NASA’s airborne science program, the science community, and aeronautics research. “Reflective of our strong, long-standing partnership with JBLE, NASA Langley was proud to participate in this year’s Air Power Over Hampton Roads air show,” said Glenn Jamison, director of Langley’s Research Services Directorate. “Our relationship spans back to 1917 when NACA and Langley Field evolved together over formative years in aerodynamic research, sharing the airspace and facilities here in Hampton. Today, we continue our collaboration with JBLE in pursuing shared interests and finding innovative solutions to complex problems.” The displays also featured several small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) and NASA’s P-3 Orion, a research aircraft based at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia. Air show visitors could explore a picture display that highlighted NASA Langley’s rich aviation legacy, from its founding in 1917 to Langley’s work today to accelerate advancements in aeronautics, science, and space technology and exploration. Spacey Casey, a crowd favorite, greeted and took pictures with educators, students, and guests throughout the weekend, bringing out-of-this-world smiles to their faces. Members of Langley’s Office of the Director also represented the center at the event. Brittny McGrawNASA Langley Research Center
Though they don’t orbit around our Sun, sub-Neptunes are the most common type of exoplanet, or planet outside our solar system, that have been observed in our galaxy. These small, gassy planets are shrouded in mystery…and often, a lot of haze. Now, by observing exoplanet TOI-421 b, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is helping scientists understand sub-Neptunes in a way that was not possible prior to the telescope’s launch. “I had been waiting my entire career for Webb so that we could meaningfully characterize the atmospheres of these smaller planets,” said principal investigator Eliza Kempton of the University of Maryland, College Park. “By studying their atmospheres, we’re getting a better understanding of how sub-Neptunes formed and evolved, and part of that is understanding why they don’t exist in our solar system.”
The existence of sub-Neptunes was unexpected before they were discovered by NASA’s retired Kepler space telescope in the last decade. Now, astronomers are trying to understand where these planets came from and why are they so common. Before Webb, scientists had very little information on them. While sub-Neptunes are a few times larger than Earth, they are still much smaller than gas-giant planets and typically cooler than hot Jupiters, making them much more challenging to observe than their gas-giant counterparts. A key finding prior to Webb was that most sub-Neptune atmospheres had flat or featureless transmission spectra. This means that when scientists observed the spectrum of the planet as it passed in front of its host star, instead of seeing spectral features – the chemical fingerprints that would reveal the composition of the atmosphere – they saw only a flat-line spectrum. Astronomers concluded from all of those flat-line spectra that at least certain sub-Neptunes were probably very highly obscured by either clouds or hazes.
“Why did we observe this planet, TOI-421 b? It’s because we thought that maybe it wouldn’t have hazes,” said Kempton. “And the reason is that there were some previous data that implied that maybe planets over a certain temperature range were less enshrouded by haze or clouds than others.” That temperature threshold is about 1,070 degrees Fahrenheit. Below that, scientists hypothesized that a complex set of photochemical reactions would occur between sunlight and methane gas, and that would trigger the haze. But hotter planets shouldn’t have methane and therefore perhaps shouldn’t have haze. The temperature of TOI-421 b is about 1,340 degrees Fahrenheit, well above the presumed threshold. Without haze or clouds, researchers expected to see a clear atmosphere – and they did!
“We saw spectral features that we attribute to various gases, and that allowed us to determine the composition of the atmosphere,” said the University of Maryland’s Brian Davenport, a third-year Ph.D. student who conducted the primary data analysis. “Whereas with many of the other sub-Neptunes that had been previously observed, we know their atmospheres are made of something, but they’re being blocked by haze.” The team found water vapor in the planet’s atmosphere, as well as tentative signatures of carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide. Then there are molecules they didn’t detect, such as methane and carbon dioxide. From the data, they can also infer that a large amount of hydrogen is in TOI-421 b’s atmosphere. The lightweight hydrogen atmosphere was the big surprise to the researchers. “We had recently wrapped our mind around the idea that those first few sub-Neptunes observed by Webb had heavy-molecule atmospheres, so that had become our expectation, and then we found the opposite,” said Kempton. This suggests TOI-421 b may have formed and evolved differently from the cooler sub-Neptunes observed previously.
The hydrogen-dominated atmosphere is also interesting because it mimics the composition of TOI-421 b’s host star. “If you just took the same gas that made the host star, plopped it on top of a planet’s atmosphere, and put it at the much cooler temperature of this planet, you would get the same combination of gases. That process is more in line with the giant planets in our solar system, and it is different from other sub-Neptunes that have been observed with Webb so far,” said Kempton. Aside from being hotter than other sub-Neptunes previously observed with Webb, TOI-421 b orbits a Sun-like star. Most of the other sub-Neptunes that have been observed so far orbit smaller, cooler stars called red dwarfs. Is TOI-421b emblematic of hot sub-Neptunes orbiting Sun-like stars, or is it just that exoplanets are very diverse? To find out, the researchers would like to observe more hot sub-Neptunes to determine if this is a unique case or a broader trend. They hope to gain insights into the formation and evolution of these common exoplanets. “We’ve unlocked a new way to look at these sub-Neptunes,” said Davenport. “These high-temperature planets are amenable to characterization. So by looking at sub-Neptunes of this temperature, we’re perhaps more likely to accelerate our ability to learn about these planets.” The team’s findings appear on May 5 in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier space science observatory. Webb is solving mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (Canadian Space Agency). To learn more about Webb, visit: https://science.nasa.gov/webb Downloads Click any image to open a larger version. View/Download all image products at all resolutions for this article from the Space Telescope Science Institute.
Laura Betz – laura.e.betz@nasa.govNASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Ann Jenkins – jenkins@stsci.eduSpace Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md. Hannah Braun – hbraun@stsci.eduSpace Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md.
Webb Blog: Reconnaissance of Potentially Habitable Worlds with NASA’s Webb Video: How to Study Exoplanets Article: Webb’s Impact on Exoplanet Research Video: How do we learn about a planet’s Atmosphere? Learn more about exoplanets More Webb News More Webb Images Webb Science Themes Webb Mission Page
What is the Webb Telescope? SpacePlace for Kids En Español Ciencia de la NASA NASA en español Space Place para niños
SAN FRANCISCO – Vimaan Robotics, Inc. (Vimaan), a San Jose-based company that develops computer vision and AI warehouse management solutions, has agreed to pay $1.5 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by improperly accepting and drawing down funds from a grant award that it was ineligible to receive.
The settlement relates to a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II grant that Vimaan obtained from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The terms and conditions of the SBIR grant preclude companies that are majority-owned by one or more venture capital operating companies from applying for or receiving such an award. The settlement resolves allegations by the United States that at the time Vimaan received the award on April 16, 2020, Vimaan failed to disclose that it had become majority-owned by one or more venture capital companies one month earlier, making it ineligible for the award. Between June 2020 and August 2022, the United States contends, Vimaan submitted 14 separate requests to NSF for disbursement of the award funds and falsely certified its eligibility to receive the award funds in each of these payment requests.
“Federal small business research grants awarded by NSF are designed to support and foster innovative research by small businesses, not to provide taxpayer funding for businesses primarily owned by venture capital firms,” said Acting United States Attorney Patrick D. Robbins. “When companies evade program restrictions and obtain grants even though they are not eligible, this office will vigorously enforce the False Claims Act to ensure that federal dollars go to proper recipients.”
“The SBIR program is a valuable tool in advancing NSF’s mission to promote the progress of science by increasing opportunities for small businesses to undertake cutting-edge scientific research. Entities that misrepresent their eligibility in order to obtain government funding undermine the integrity and effectiveness of the program. The NSF Office of Inspector General is committed to vigorously pursuing oversight of these taxpayer funds and I commend the U.S. Attorney’s Office for its strong support in this effort,” said Megan E. Wallace, NSF’s Acting Inspector General.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Savith Iyengar handled this matter for the government. The investigation and settlement resulted from a coordinated effort by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California and NSF-OIG.
The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrate the government’s emphasis on combating fraud in federal grants. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement involving NSF can be reported to NSF’s Office of Inspector General at https://oig.nsf.gov/contact/hotline.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Press release
More girls to study maths under plans to improve pathway into AI careers
Government invests £8.2m to boost girls’ advanced maths skills and AI careers.
Thousands of the country’s brightest girls will get the opportunity to study advanced maths and progress into AI-related careers, as the government invests in the skills young people need for the jobs of tomorrow.
Currently only a third of A level maths pupils are girls, while currently only 22% of professionals working in AI related roles like software engineer or data science are women.
Now through the government’s Plan for Change around 7,500 girls will be eligible for support as part of £8.2m of funding announced today to improve participation and teaching of advanced maths. The funding, part of the refreshed Advanced Maths Support Programme, will target support to thousands of pupils from 400 disadvantaged secondary schools – breaking the link between background and success so all young people have the chance to progress in careers of the future.
Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said:
Today’s brightest maths minds are tomorrow’s AI pioneers, and this government is opening the door for groups who have so far been left behind in the AI revolution.
Through our Plan for Change we are breaking down barriers to opportunity, backing our young people and going further and faster for AI growth, ensuring the next generation can progress in the exciting careers of the future.
The updated Advanced Maths Support Programme includes pilot teacher training and student enrichment courses on the key maths concepts and skills needed for AI and this will benefit 450 students and 360 teachers from September.
It marks a crucial step in delivering a key commitment in the government’s AI Action Plan – creating a strong talent pipeline and driving greater diversity across the AI talent pool.
It comes as the Education Secretary convenes a group of experts to advise on what changes are needed to the 5-18 education system to improve digital education and give young people the AI-specific skills they need to thrive in a digital world. The Digital, AI and Technology Task and Finish Group chaired by Sir Kevan Collins, non-executive board member at the Department for Education, will provide recommendations to the department and insights for the Curriculum and Assessment Review so they can draw on this expertise.
Members include Rose Luckin, Professor of Learner-Centred Design at University College London and Dr Sue Sentance, Director of the Raspberry Pi Computing Education Research Centre at the University of Cambridge and Chair of the BCS Schools and Colleges Committee.
Science Secretary, Peter Kyle said:
AI is the defining technology of our generation, improving our public services, sparking fresh economic growth, and unlocking the jobs of the future. We can only harness that potential if we have a pipeline of talent equipped with the skills they need for the jobs of tomorrow.
This package of support will help us deliver our Plan for Change and do exactly that. This is the first step in our plan to give every young person in the country the opportunity to develop the tools which will put them front and centre in delivering our AI-powered future.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Scott Perry (PA-10)
Washington D.C.–Today, Congressman Scott Perry (PA-10)’s Falun Gong Protection Act to impose sanctions on the Chinese Communist Party for engaging in forced organ harvesting and other human rights violations against the practitioners of Falun Gong passed the United States House of Representatives.
“The United States, as the beacon of freedom around the world, cannot be silent when the Chinese Community Party is engaged in systemic torturing, incarceration, and forced organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners,” said Congressman Scott Perry.“I’m encouraged by Congress taking steps to hold the CCP accountable for these atrocities.”
In 2020, the Independent Tribunal into Forced Organ Harvesting from Prisoners of Conscience in China found an “incomprehensible gap” between the number of transplant operations in the People’s Republic of China in comparison to the number of eligible registered donors. Falun Gong practitioners are a main source of organs for forced organ harvesting in China.
The Falun Gong Protection Act imposes sanctions on those who participate in or facilitate forced organ harvesting. The bill directs the Secretary of State to determine whether CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong constitutes crimes against humanity or genocide, alongside a required report on CCP organ transplant policies and practices. Additionally, the bill makes it U.S. policy to avoid any cooperation with the CCP as long as its forced organ transplant industry continues.
The world is becoming aware of the atrocities committed against people who simply want the freedom to practice their religious beliefs – like the practitioners of Falun Gong.
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Navy have successfully undertaken combat firing (with reduced explosive) of the indigenously designed and developed Multi-Influence Ground Mine (MIGM). The system is an advanced underwater naval mine developed by the Naval Science & Technological Laboratory, Visakhapatnam in collaboration with other DRDO laboratories – High Energy Materials Research Laboratory, Pune and Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory, Chandigarh.
MIGM is designed to enhance the Indian Navy’s capabilities against modern stealth ships and submarines. Bharat Dynamics Limited, Visakhapatnam and Apollo Microsystems Limited, Hyderabad are the production partners for the system.
Complimenting DRDO, Indian Navy and the Industry, Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh stated that the system will further enhance undersea warfare capabilities of the Indian Navy.
Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr Samir V Kamat said, with this validation trial, the system is now ready for induction into the Indian Navy.
Researchers have developed a novel, cost-effective, metal-free porous organic catalyst for efficient H2 production by harvesting mechanical energy.
In order to reduce the global warming and related impact of fossil fuels, transition towards sustainable alternatives based on renewable energy becomes increasingly critical. Green hydrogen (H₂) fuel has emerged as a game-changing renewable and clean-burning energy source, which generates no direct carbon emissions and only water as a by-product when used in fuel cells. Recognizing the critical role of green H2 in sustainable energy, the Government of India launched the National Green Hydrogen Mission to drive large-scale production, promote research and innovation, and position the country as a global leader in H2 economy.
Among the environmentally benign methods of H2production, overall water splitting stands out as an effective and scalable technique that relies on a catalytic strategy since the reaction is energetically uphill. Piezocatalysis has emerged as a promising catalytic technology which harvests mechanical perturbations with a piezoelectric material to generate charge carriers that are utilized to catalyze water splitting.
In recent groundbreaking research work, Professor Tapas K. Maji from Chemistry and Physics of Materials Unit at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) Bengaluru (an autonomous institution under the Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India) and his research team have developed a metal-free donor-acceptor based covalent-organic framework (COF) for piezocatalytic water splitting. This study published inAdvanced Functional Materialsdemonstrates a Covalent organic framework (COF) built from imide linkages between organic donor molecule tris(4-aminophenyl)amine (TAPA) and acceptor molecule pyromellitic dianhydride (PDA) acceptor exhibiting unique ferrielectric (FiE) ordering, which showed efficient piezocatalytic activity for water splitting to produce H2.
This discovery breaks the traditional notion of solely employing heavy or transition metal-based ferroelectric (FE) materials as piezocatalysts for catalyzing water splitting reaction. Conventional FE materials have limited charges confined at the surface only which usually lead to quick saturation of their piezocatalytic activity. In contrast, FiE ordering in a COF provides a multifold enhanced number of charges at the pore surfaces owing to the large local electric fields. The sponge-like porous structure of a COF allows the diffusion of water molecules to efficiently access and utilize these charge carriers for catalysis, giving ultra-high H2production yields and outperforming all oxide-based inorganic piezocatalysts.
Figure: Schematic showing piezocatalytic water splitting by a metal-free donor-acceptor based covalent organic framework.
Using a simple donor molecule like TAPA and an acceptor molecule like PDA, Prof. Maji and his research team have built a COF system that has strong charge transfer properties, which creates dipoles (separation between positive and negative charges).
The TAPA units have a unique propeller-like shape, where their benzene rings twist and tilt to break the flat symmetry of the structure, helping it reach a more stable, lower-energy state. Prof. Umesh V. Waghmare and his team from JNCASR, who are collaborators of the study, showed using theoretical analyses that this COF has an unusual electronic structure with energy bands that couple and resonate with each other by dipolar ordering. This causes instability in the lattice structure, leading to FiE ordering. These FiE dipoles interact with flexible twisting molecular motion in the material, making them responsive to mechanical pressure. As a result, the material can generate electron-hole pairs when mechanically stimulated, making it a highly efficient piezocatalyst for water splitting for H2 production. The team comprises four other researchers from JNCASR: Ms. Adrija Ghosh, Ms. Surabhi Menon, Dr. Sandip Biswas and Dr. Anupam Dey.
Apart from JNCASR, Dr. Supriya Sahoo and Prof. Ramamoorthy Boomishankar from Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune and Prof. Jan K. Zaręba from Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Poland made important contributions to the present interdisciplinary study.
The utilization of a cost-effective, metal-free system with a high production rate of H2 by harvesting mechanical energy opens up a new route to green H2 based on porous heterogeneous catalysts.
Dr. Jitendra Singh Reviews DST Projects, Calls for AI led innovations, Support for Deep-Tech Startups Minister Champions India’s Own AI Open Stack to Propel Nation into Global Science Leadership
Dr. Jitendra Singh Urges ANRF to Help Medical Colleges Set Up Research Parks to Boost Clinical Innovation
Posted On: 05 MAY 2025 4:53PM by PIB Delhi
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology; Earth Sciences and Minister of State for PMO, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Dr. Jitendra Singh on Monday chaired a comprehensive review of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), calling for bold new directions in science-driven growth, including AI-led innovations, deep tech StartUps and enhanced infrastructure sharing.
The meeting saw the Minister focus particularly on the evolving role of the newly constituted Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), as well as ongoing national missions like the Geospatial initiative.
Dr. Jitendra Singh held detailed discussions with Prof. Abhay Karandikar, ANRF’s newly appointed CEO, Dr. Shivkumar Kalyanaraman and other senior officials of the Ministry. During the meeting, Dr. Kalyanaraman presented an ambitious vision for the ANRF, promising catalytic funding mechanisms, deep integration with private industry, and strategic missions modeled on globally successful institutions such as the National Science Foundation (NSF) and DARPA.
In a significant step aimed at boosting indigenous innovation, ANRF is preparing to launch a “Small Business Deep Tech Innovation” programme, which will empower startups and MSMEs to scale breakthrough technologies for real-world applications.
Recognizing the need to better utilize existing national research infrastructure, the Minister reviewed ANRF’s plan to create a “Cloud of Research and Innovation Infrastructure,” a digital platform that would offer deep-tech startups and academic institutions access to underused scientific equipment and facilities across the country. This move is expected to democratize research capabilities, especially for smaller players who often lack access to high-end lab tools.
Among the major scientific thrusts discussed, the ANRF’s “AI-for-Science” initiative took centre stage. The programme aims to leverage artificial intelligence to accelerate discoveries in physics, chemistry, and biology by using machine learning to model complex scientific equations.
The Minister directed the ANRF leadership to kickstart a few select projects under this initiative and demonstrate tangible outcomes in the near term. He also encouraged the CEO to engage with university Vice Chancellors to raise awareness about the ANRF mission and opportunities for collaboration.
In another key direction, Dr. Jitendra Singh asked the ANRF to explore the possibility of helping medical colleges establish their own medical research parks — a move that could boost clinical innovation and local biotech entrepreneurship. The Minister further underscored the importance of building an indigenous “India AI Open Stack” — a foundational AI architecture embedded with science and engineering models tailored for Indian researchers. This, he noted, could position India as a global frontrunner in AI-driven scientific applications.
Dr. Jitendra Singh also revisited the concept of “deep science-to-deep tech acceleration,” urging the ANRF to focus on converting academic research — such as publications and patents — into commercial technologies. He emphasized the need for partnerships with top-tier industry players and the creation of venture-builder models to ensure that discoveries don’t remain confined to laboratories.
The Minister concluded by asking the ANRF to prioritize key areas of national relevance, including climate forecasting, material science, aerospace, biochemistry, and drug development. He stressed that the time has come for India to move from isolated innovation to a more integrated, impact-driven ecosystem that links research, startups, and industry.
Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich
Published: May 5th, 2025
Request seeks input for building out national AI infrastructure to make science advancements 10 times faster by 2030
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today released a Request for Information (RFI) for the American Science Acceleration Project (ASAP), a bipartisan initiative aimed at making advancements in U.S. science ten times faster by 2030. The RFI invites researchers, innovators, businesses, government agencies and the public to share proposals that will equip American scientists and stakeholders with next-generation data, computing and artificial-intelligence capabilities while removing unnecessary barriers to innovation.
“It’s time to unleash a new era of American discovery — one where we cure cancers, power our grid with fusion energy, and widely deploy superconductors,” said Heinrich. “With the American Science Acceleration Project, we’re setting out to make U.S. science ten times faster by 2030. To get there, we need bold ideas from every corner of the country. This is our moment to dream big, remove outdated barriers, and build the tools that will define the next century of innovation.”
“The United States has always faced grand challenges, from building the interstate highway system to landing on the moon,” said Rounds. “Today, we face a new imperative: creating a superhighway for science that lets our researchers cure cancer, harness fusion energy and defend our country from both physical and cyber threats in record time. Creating a centralized system that involves input from the experts and the public is the first step in turning that vision into reality.”
BACKGROUND:
American innovations routinely take a decade or more to move from laboratory discovery to products that improve lives. Emerging AI-driven research methods have demonstrated 10- to 50-fold improvements in drug design, materials screening and clean-energy development, yet access to the requisite data, compute and regulatory agility remains sparse. ASAP seeks to match the scale of the 1950s interstate build-out with a 21st-century investment in scientific infrastructure so the nation can:
Bring life-saving therapies to patients in months, not years.
Connect net-positive fusion power and next generation nuclear to the grid before 2030.
Deploy affordable superconductors and materials that revolutionize energy and transportation.
Specifically, the RFI invites comment on:
DATA – Creating secure, interoperable platforms that house the world’s largest collection of AI-ready, consented scientific data.
COMPUTING – Making sure U.S. researchers have unrivaled access to advanced computing, networking and energy infrastructure.
AI – Developing scientific artificial intelligence “copilots” that accelerate innovation and discovery—and keep scientists at the heart of the scientific process.
COLLABORATION – Unlocking cross-disciplinary teamwork and tapping wells of talent across the nation.
PROCESSES – Streamlining regulatory pathways and adopting AI-enabled testing protocols to speed time-to-market while raising the bar for safety and establishing clear metrics for measuring success.
The comment window is now open for 60 days. The feedback received will guide ASAP legislation to be introduced this Congress.
Click HERE to read the full RFI and submission instructions.
