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Category: Universities

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why the energy transition won’t be green until mine waste disasters are prevented

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Eva Marquis, Research Fellow in Critical Minerals and Circular Economy, University of Exeter

    On February 18, contamination in the Kafue river, Zambia, led to a mass death of fish. Its water turned a deathly grey and adjacent farmland was poisoned. The drinking water it supplied to half a million residents of the town of Kitwe was suddenly cut off.

    Reports suggest that this catastrophe was caused by the failure of the Chambishi tailings storage facility. Tailings are mixed liquid-solid mine wastes that remain after the valuable materials are removed from the crushed ores.

    They are often stored in impoundments, held in place by dams made of rock (and other mine waste), that ideally are managed and kept safe. This storage is necessary because tailings often contain high concentrations of potentially toxic, radioactive and corrosive elements.

    But tailings storage facilities can and do fail. The Chambishi failure was caused by a break in a wall between two tailings ponds containing acidic water. Fifty million litres of this water, equivalent to 20,000 Olympic swimming pools, spilled into a tributary of the Kafue river, and then into the river itself.

    The Kafue is a lifeline, flowing through 990 miles (1,600km) of Zambia, providing water for around 5 million people and supporting fishing and agriculture. That lifeline is still threatened by the ongoing damage of this failure.

    Chambishi is not alone. It is one of six major tailings incidents documented in the first three months of 2025, with others documented in Bolivia, Ghana, Philippines and Indonesia.

    Tailings and transitions

    Tailings are a produce of society’s voracious appetite for metals and materials. With growing demand for technologies for the energy transition, digitalisation and development, production of metals and materials and the volumes of tailings are set to vastly increase.

    Identifying suitable sites for safe storage is likely to become more challenging. Space will become more of a premium as more tailings are produced, and risks will evolve with changing climate and growing global population. For instance, storage facility plans developed before mining begins may no longer be suitable for their intended use over the life of the operation.

    The ability to safely store and manage tailings is a key factor in the development of metals projects. By extension, that’s fundamental to enabling an equitable and responsible energy transition.

    Initiatives to improve the management and monitoring of tailings, developed by independent organisations and industry bodies, such as the Global Industry Standard for Tailings Management and the International Council on Mining and Mineral’s Tailings Management Good Practice Guide. Although these initiatives are comprehensive, they do not minimise risks from past tailings storage practices or address the full costs involved.

    Tailing ponds.
    iofoto/Shutterstock

    A broad range of technical, social and environmental uncertainties have been linked to the management of tailings storage facilities. These uncertainties, combined with financial practices such as discounting future costs, can result in future costs (such as long-term tailings management and rehabilitation) being underestimated in mining project cash flows, and sizeable costs for future generations.

    Without a fully understanding of the true long-term costs, making the economic case for improved tailings management becomes that much harder.

    Reducing risks and improving outcomes

    Improved mechanisms for quantifying the cost of tailings in the short, medium and long term, whether tailings storage facilities fail or not, are essential for adequately financing these long-term legacies of mining. Mechanisms to reduce volumes of waste produced not only have the potential to improve project economics over the lifetime of a mine but can also enhance social and environmental outcomes both during and beyond the life of a mine.

    Tailings can be used as sources of aggregate materials for construction and critical metals for the green transition, and for carbon capture and storage. These opportunities will be context specific, however, and there will not be a one-size-fits-all approach to tailings reduction and responsible management.

    New mining paradigms, such as selective mining through precision drilling or in-situ electrokinetic “keyhole” techniques and extraction of metals from geothermal waters, may give us the ability to extract some metals without producing tailings.

    Innovations in tailings storage, like using tailings to fill worked-out underground mining tunnels, can remove tailings from the surface environment, eliminating risk from landslides, dust, seepages and other hazards. Even with these efforts, tailings storage facilities will continue to be used and will need to be managed.

    Reducing, reclaiming and regenerating the environments that have been negatively affected by tailings will require collaborative approaches. Financing is a clear barrier to responsible tailings management. Without knowing the true social, environmental and economic costs of tailings legacies, the ability to overcome this barrier to responsible management is hampered.

    Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

    Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 45,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

    Eva Marquis receives funding from EPSRC, NERC, and Innovate UK.

    Karen Hudson-Edwards receives funding from NERC, BBSRC, EPSRC, the Technology Strategy Board (Innovate UK), the Royal Society and the EU Horizon 2020 programme.

    – ref. Why the energy transition won’t be green until mine waste disasters are prevented – https://theconversation.com/why-the-energy-transition-wont-be-green-until-mine-waste-disasters-are-prevented-252436

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Leading by example: how the rich and powerful can inspire more climate action

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Sam Hampton, Researcher, Environmental Geography, University of Oxford

    In a survey covering the UK, China, Sweden and Brazil, a majority of people agreed that we need to drastically change the way we live and how society operates, to address climate change. Another study involving more than 130,000 people across 125 countries found that 69% said they would donate 1% of their income to climate action.

    However, when asked in the same survey what proportion of others in their country would be willing to do the same, the average estimate was only 43%. This underestimation of others’ concern is known as pluralistic ignorance.

    This fuels a vicious cycle: silence begets silence. People hesitate to advocate for policies like cycle lanes or meat taxes, fearing social isolation, while politicians avoid championing measures seen as “career-limiting”. The result is a democracy trapped by unspoken consensus.

    Research on UK MPs reveals how this plays out. Even climate-conscious politicians frame low-carbon lifestyles such as avoiding flying or eating meat as extreme, wary of hypocrisy accusations if their personal choices fall short. This “greenhushing” isn’t just political caution – it’s a failure to recognise that most people are primed to follow bold examples.

    When leaders visibly adopt low-carbon behaviour, they can help address pluralistic ignorance. For instance, MPs who cycle or opt for the train instead of taking short-haul flights don’t just reduce emissions; they signal that such choices are normal, desirable, and shared.

    The invisible transition

    While individual actions matter, systemic change requires policies to steer collective transformation. Consider the UK’s early phase-out of inefficient lightbulbs: a 1.26 million tonne annual CO₂ reduction achieved not through personal sacrifice, but by banning the sale of halogen bulbs that emitted more heat than light.

    Progress on lightbulbs, renewable electricity or more efficient fridges are all part of an “invisible transition” towards a lower-carbon society – a series of changes already woven into our economy that often go unnoticed by the public. Reframing these achievements as collective victories – your home insulation, our renewable grid – can build momentum for tougher measures.

    For decades, fridges got bigger yet became more efficient and used less electricity.
    Prostock-studio / shutterstock

    Building on progress

    Public willingness to make sacrifices for climate action is closely tied to perceptions of fairness and necessity. Crucially, people want to see that their own efforts are being matched by others, especially those with larger carbon footprints. This is why leaders and other high-profile people should visibly lead by example, demonstrating commitment and helping to establish new social norms.

    Research shows that public support for subsidies for heat pumps, solar panels, electric vehicles and other low-carbon technologies often depends on whether these subsidies are perceived as fair and inclusive.

    Most agree that subsidies must help ensure that all households, especially those with lower incomes, can be involved. This makes it especially important for wealthy and high profile people to lead by example.

    Coalitions of the visible: uniting everyday leaders

    Leaders who take low-carbon actions are seen as more credible, not less. The most effective leadership frames climate action as pragmatic and rooted in everyday life, rather than as a test of virtue.

    Research by the NGO Climate Outreach demonstrates that shared, relatable stories – such as parents campaigning for solar panels at their children’s schools – can shift social norms and build momentum for collective action. These “narrative workshops” have shown that people respond most strongly when climate solutions are presented through the lens of their own values and aspirations, rather than as abstract technical fixes.

    The Green Salon Collective’s Mirror Talkers initiative is another creative example: by placing climate conversation prompts on salon mirrors, hairdressers are empowered to spark everyday discussions with clients. This kind of grassroots engagement helps normalise climate conversations in places you wouldn’t expect.

    Overcoming pluralistic ignorance requires leaders to articulate a new story – one that acknowledges the “invisible transition” already underway while inviting everyone to help finish the job.

    This means equipping leaders at every level with the tools and confidence to adopt and advocate for low-carbon choices. It also means normalising the reality that climate leadership is not about perfection, but about consistency and transparency.

    Figures like Clover Hogan, founder of Force of Nature, and Christiana Figueres, former UN climate chief, openly share their own “climate confessions” – acknowledging the challenges, contradictions and imperfect choices that come with striving for a low-carbon life. By embracing and communicating their imperfections, they demonstrate that visible, relatable climate leadership is about honesty and persistence, helping to shift expectations and inspire others to take action in their own lives.

    Authentic climate leadership can transform public understanding of climate solutions. By illuminating the transition already in progress – and their own part in it – leaders can transform pluralistic ignorance into pluralistic action.

    The task is not to convince people to care about climate change, but to show them that they already do, and to make visible the collective progress that is often hidden in plain sight.

    Sam Hampton receives funding from the Economics and Social Research Council. He is affiliated with the University of Oxford and University of Bath.

    Tina Fawcett currently receives funding from UKRI.

    – ref. Leading by example: how the rich and powerful can inspire more climate action – https://theconversation.com/leading-by-example-how-the-rich-and-powerful-can-inspire-more-climate-action-255168

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Tove Jansson’s Moomin books explore the power of adventure and transformation

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Sue Walsh, Lecturer, Department of English Literature, University of Reading

    This year marks the 80th anniversary of the first Moomin tale, The Moomins and the Great Flood. In the book, Moomintroll and his friends embark on a journey to find their home after a great flood devastates Moominvalley, meeting odd creatures and new friends along their journey.

    The book was first published in creator Tove Jansson’s native Swedish in 1945. However, the first Moomin book to have an English edition was in fact the third of the Moomin books, Trollkarlens Hatt (The Hobgoblin’s Hat). It was translated by Jansson’s friend Elizabeth Portch and reached its widest English-speaking audience when it was published by Puffin Books in 1961 as Finn Family Moomintroll.

    At the beginning of the story Moomintroll finds a magical top hat. It can transform anything that is placed inside of it into something else entirely – and so the adventures begin.

    This is part of a series of articles celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Moomins. Want to celebrate their birthday with us? Join The Conversation and a group of experts on May 23 in Bradford for a screening of Moomins on the Riviera and a discussion of the refugee experience in Tove Jansson’s work. Click here for more information and tickets.

    Unlike the Swedish-language edition, Portch’s translation of Finn Family Moomintroll begins with a letter from Moominmamma. It’s written in a curly cursive and dotted with love-hearts and an image of an apparently “hand-drawn” troll. The letter is addressed to a “dear child” who is “overseas”.

    In it, Moominmamma expresses disbelief at the idea that there may not be any Moomins “there over” and that the child she is addressing may “not even know what a troll is” (hence the illustration).

    Moominmamma’s wonder at the differences in custom between her own land and “your country” is based on an assumption that the two must be somewhat alike. Similarly, her explanation of what Moomintrolls are depends on their difference from the “usual common trolls”, which means there must be familial similarity between them.

    The Moomins and the Great Flood was Jansson’s first Moomins book.

    Both Moominmamma’s wonder at and explanation of difference assume an underlying essential similarity or sameness between Moominvalley, where she lives, and the reader’s home. This is significant in a story that explores ideas of foreignness and translation, change and transformation.

    Though the adventures in Finn Family Moomintroll might be said to only truly begin on the spring morning when Moomintroll, Sniff and Snufkin find “a tall black hat”, the book opens with the Moomins settling down for their winter hibernation and closes with the valley in autumn.

    Creator of The Moomins, Tove Jansson in 1970.
    Per Olov Jansson/Wiki Commons, CC BY-SA

    The changes wrought by the Hobgoblin’s hat are “quite different” because “you never know beforehand” what they will be. However, their extreme nature is framed and contained by a world in which there are known and predictable changes in the seasons, as well as routine – though sometimes dramatic – changes in the weather.

    The Hemulen is unperturbed by the hat’s transformation of eggshells into fluffy little clouds that Moomintroll and his friends are able to ride. That’s because he is “so used to [them] doing extraordinary things”. But when Moomintroll is transformed by the hat into “a very strange animal indeed”, so much so that his friends do not recognise him, it’s a very different matter.

    A moment of real jeopardy occurs when Moomintroll’s own mother does not seem to recognise him either. But this is soon dispelled when Moominmamma looks “into his frightened eyes for a very long time” and quietly declares: “Yes, you are my Moomintroll.”

    This moment of recognition breaks the spell and Moomintroll changes back into “his old self again”. One of the crucial features of the hat is the changes it makes are only temporary and this, together with Moominmamma’s reassurance that she will “always know [Moomintroll], whatever happens”, suggests an ultimately unchanging essence to things that cannot be denied.

    Changelessness as deadening

    On the other hand, the book suggests that some change is to be embraced.

    Sniff’s desire for things to stay the same “for ever and ever” is portrayed as immature and wrong-headed. As is the Muskrat’s obsessive quest for peace and stillness which ends up with his apparent, though temporary, transformation into a monster.

    Snufkin’s point that “life is not peaceful” offers a gentle rebuke to the Hemulen, who also wishes to “live his life in peace and quiet”. But perhaps the clearest indication of the book’s attitude to changelessness is the monstrous Groke. She is motivated by an unwavering drive to recover the “King’s Ruby”, not because this thing which “changes colour all the time” is “the most beautiful thing in the world”, but because it is “the most expensive”.

    The Groke’s inability to appreciate the ruby aesthetically is presented as being rooted in her own immutability. That the Groke’s hostility to change is itself deadening, becomes evident when she sits “motionless” before the Moomins and their friends, staring at them in a way that makes them feel “she would wait for ever” and eventually departs leaving the ground behind her frozen in the wrong season.

    This, then, is key. Adventure, transformation and change in Finn Family Moomintroll are both necessary and desirable, but they are also contained within a reassuring frame of reliable predictability. The final lines of the English translation are: “It is autumn in Moomin Valley, for how else can spring come back again?”

    Sue Walsh 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.

    – ref. Tove Jansson’s Moomin books explore the power of adventure and transformation – https://theconversation.com/tove-janssons-moomin-books-explore-the-power-of-adventure-and-transformation-245969

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why you don’t need to stress about cortisol ruining your waistline – or your face

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Craig Doig, Associate Professor of Metabolic Health, Nottingham Trent University

    tommaso lizzul/Shutterstock

    If you’ve been unfortunate enough to scroll through TikTok lately, the algorithm may have convinced you that cortisol, your body’s main stress hormone, is ruining your life.

    Yes, according to social media content creators, stress is giving you a repulsive “cortisol belly” and puffing up your sad “cortisol face.” And, of course, this is what’s holding us all back from achieving the full influencer, ideal dream life. If it weren’t for my raging cortisol levels, I’m sure I’d be knee-deep in Lamborghinis and beating off admirers with a stick by now.

    But is there any scientific evidence behind the cortisol craze? After all, this is just the latest in a long line of reasons social media has given us to believe we are inferior to the living gods of TikTok. Or maybe, just maybe, this is another grift designed to harvest likes, sell dodgy merch and drive engagement. Surely not.

    Cortisol is a natural hormone produced by your adrenal glands, located just above your kidneys. For millennia, humans have relied on cortisol – in fact, we can’t survive without it. Most of the time, it helps regulate our daily rhythms and behaviour.

    And yes, it’s true that stress (whether caused by an approaching sabre toothed tiger or having a high-pressure job) rapidly and reliably triggers cortisol release. But this isn’t bad. Cortisol isn’t trying to ruin your summer body, it’s trying to keep you alive and give you the energy to run or fight.

    That said, chronically elevated cortisol can contribute to some serious health issues, including weight gain. And to be very clear: if you’re experiencing symptoms of consistently high cortisol, you should be in conversation with a qualified healthcare professional.

    So yes, cortisol has its downsides – but then again, so does everything in excess. Even TikTok.

    Research shows that people with sustained high cortisol levels tend to store more fat in the abdominal area and around the face. This was first described nearly a century ago – in 1932, by neurosurgeon Harvey Cushing (don’t bother looking him up, he’s not on socials).

    But this applies to Cushing’s disease, a rare medical disorder. The cortisol released from everyday stress doesn’t even come close to the levels or duration seen in Cushing’s.

    Also, let’s not pretend your face or belly fat is solely cortisol’s fault. Fat distribution is the result of a complex mix of genetics, diet, sleep, exercise and hormones. Blaming one hormone for everything is like blaming the rise of air fryers for global warming.

    Chill out about cortisol

    If you’re genuinely concerned about stress or its effects on your health, I have good news: you don’t need to buy anything or follow the “cortisol detox” advice of social media influencers.

    Here are some stress-reducing tips. They are simple. They are boring. And they work:

    Get decent sleep – regularly.

    Exercise – regularly.

    Eat a balanced diet – regularly.

    Relax – a little.

    And if something feels off, talk to your doctor.

    “Cortisol belly” and “cortisol face” might sound catchy, but they reduce incredibly complex biological processes into bite-sized insecurities. Social media’s obsession with cortisol isn’t about health, it’s about content and clicks.

    Stress is real, but don’t let a billionaire influencer who wakes up at 3:53am to mainline turmeric tell you your face is “hormonal” and your stomach is “inflamed”.

    You don’t need to fix yourself with trendy hacks. Just put the phone down and chill. Which, ironically, might be the most effective cortisol-lowering advice of all.

    Craig Doig has received funding from The Physiological Society, Society for Endocrinology and the Defence Medical Services.

    – ref. Why you don’t need to stress about cortisol ruining your waistline – or your face – https://theconversation.com/why-you-dont-need-to-stress-about-cortisol-ruining-your-waistline-or-your-face-254335

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Jordan joins regional push to sideline Islamist opposition

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Rory McCarthy, Associate Professor in Politics and Islam, Durham University

    The Jordanian authorities have banned the Muslim Brotherhood, the largest opposition movement in the kingdom, in a major new crackdown. On Wednesday April 23, security forces raided Brotherhood offices, confiscating assets and property, and outlawed all of the group’s activities.

    One week earlier, 16 Brotherhood members were arrested for allegedly plotting attacks on targets inside Jordan using rockets and drones. The Brotherhood, whose members Jordanian interior minister Mazen al-Faraya says “operate in the shadows and engage in activities that could undermine stability and security”, has denied any links to the attack plots.

    The ban on the Brotherhood, an Islamist movement that wants a greater role for religion in public life, comes at a time when the Jordanian government is facing intense pressure over the war in Gaza.

    The Brotherhood organised months of demonstrations in solidarity with Palestinians. It has also been vocal in its support for the Palestinian armed group Hamas, and has demanded the cancellation of Jordan’s peace treaty with Israel.

    At the same time, Jordan’s King Abdullah II has come under heavy pressure from the Donald Trump administration in the US to resettle Palestinians from the occupied Gaza Strip and West Bank. If he were to agree, the move would risk being seen as a betrayal of the Palestinian cause.

    The Jordanian authorities have had an uneasy relationship with the Brotherhood since the late 1980s, when the kingdom’s political system opened up. They have looked to curb its influence.

    In 2016, the Brotherhood’s headquarters in the capital, Amman, was closed and its assets were transferred to a new organisation called the Association of the Society of the Muslim Brotherhood, known as the “permitted” Muslim Brotherhood. As ideological splits emerged in the movement, the authorities have tried to exploit internal divisions.

    The latest crackdown represents a striking repressive turn. It marks a shift away from containing the movement to excluding it from public life.

    Yet the Brotherhood remains popular. In September 2024, the Islamic Action Front, the political party affiliated with the movement, surprised observers by winning parliamentary elections. It took 31 seats in the 138-seat parliament, securing victory in constituencies across the country in its best election performance in more than three decades.

    Its success was largely down to the Brotherhood’s demonstrations in support of Palestinians. These demonstrations resonated in Jordan, where around half the population is of Palestinian origin. The party also benefited from changes in the electoral laws prior to the election, which gave more weight to political parties and less to independent candidates.

    But under Jordan’s authoritarian system, the king holds most of the power, especially in internal security and foreign affairs. The palace tightly controls political life. So the Islamic Action Front was not invited to join the new government, which is made up of pro-monarchy parties.

    The key question now is whether the authorities will also ban the Islamic Action Front, despite its electoral gains.

    Conflict with the crown

    Even before the latest crackdown, Islamists in Jordan feared a confrontation with the authorities. Many suspected the palace wanted to close the Brotherhood movement and leave a weakened party that might be more easily contained.

    During a visit to Jordan shortly after the elections in September, one senior Islamic Action Front figure told me: “They [the monarchy] just want a party in a superficial form. A party without any presence.”

    Although the Brotherhood had been under pressure, it was still able to operate most of its activities. Senior party members even took part in a royal committee on “political modernisation” in 2021, which drew up reforms to change the electoral laws to strengthen political parties.

    Yet many in the Brotherhood feared a confrontation with the palace was coming. One senior Brotherhood figure told me in October 2024: “The Brotherhood is a vast, widespread organisation with a social and a political presence. A clash between the state and the Brotherhood would have negative effects on society and on the legitimacy of the political system.”

    Jordan’s Brotherhood is not alone in facing a crisis. Other Islamist organisations across the region are experiencing political setbacks, more than a decade after the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings seemed to offer them new opportunities.

    In Tunisia, where a democratic transition has been sharply reversed since 2021, dozens of leaders from the Islamist Ennahda party have been jailed.

    The arrests were part of a broad wave of repression against regime critics, including politicians, judges, lawyers and human rights activists. Ennahda, which spent a decade in government between 2011 and 2021, has suffered internal splits.

    In Morocco, the Justice and Development party, an Islamist party which also spent a decade in government from 2011, suffered a heavy defeat in the most recent elections in 2021.

    The party’s losses were partly a result of restrictions at the time of the vote. These included new rules about how seats were apportioned and the fact that some party candidates were disqualified from running.

    But the losses were also because of internal disputes after Prime Minister Saadeddine Othmani signed a normalisation agreement with Israel in 2020 to avoid a confrontation with the monarchy, which controls foreign affairs.

    In Kuwait, parliament was suspended in 2024 because the ruling emir, Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah, complained about political gridlock. This kept all opposition parties, including Islamists, out of the political process. And in Algeria, Islamist parties have been co-opted or marginalised since the bitter civil war of the 1990s.

    Opinion polls show that many people in the Middle East want to see a significant role for religion in public life. But rulers across the region are increasingly wary of Islamist parties, which want not only to introduce a more conservative social agenda but to challenge undemocratic regimes.

    Rory McCarthy receives funding for his academic research from the British Academy and the Leverhulme Trust.

    – ref. Jordan joins regional push to sideline Islamist opposition – https://theconversation.com/jordan-joins-regional-push-to-sideline-islamist-opposition-255243

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How Project 2025 became the blueprint for Donald Trump’s second term

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Dafydd Townley, Teaching Fellow in US politics and international security, University of Portsmouth

    Throughout the 2024 presidential election campaign, Donald Trump denied claims he intended to shape his second administration’s policies around Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation’s blueprint for a renewed conservative America. But despite his repeated denials, Trump 2.0 has adopted much of Project 2025 into the White House’s agenda.

    The Heritage Foundation, the right-wing Washington think tank which published Project 2025, has provided policy guidance for Republican presidents since the Reagan administration. Despite the foundation’s longevity, Project 2025 has met with opposition from many quarters.

    The 900-page publication, Mandate for Leadership: the Conservative Promise, was published in 2023. It went largely under the radar until Democrats and civil liberty champions established Stop Project 2025 during the presidential campaign. Essentially, Project 2025 consists of policy recommendations for each department of the executive branch.

    The project has several broad objectives. It aims to reassert presidential power by removing federal agencies’ independence and appointing political loyalists rather than career civil servants. It sets out to dismantle the administrative state by cancelling initiatives and projects that do not match conservative aims.

    It reinforces traditional conservative family values and rolls back on LGBTQ+ and reproductive rights. It removes regulatory constraints aligned with climate and environmental protections and weakens consumer protection laws. And it calls for increased deportations of illegal aliens and the imposition of harsh immigration restrictions.

    Even before he had taken office, Trump and his team sought to replace career-long specialists in federal agencies with those that matched his own beliefs. His transition team used Project 2025 to guide its appointment of officials for the forthcoming administration. Reports quoting insiders within Trump’s team say that the team consulted a database of Trump loyalists created by the Heritage Foundation to fill vacancies.

    Contributors to Project 2025 were also appointed to key roles. These have included including border tsar, Tom Homan, and CIA director John Ratcliffe. Brendan Carr, the Trump-appointed chairman of the Federal Communications Committee, wrote a chapter of Project 2025 on the committee.

    The principal author of Project 2025, Russ Vought, has been appointed as director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) – the nerve centre of the federal government’s expenditure. Vought’s influence within the administration has led one journalist to call him “the real mastermind behind Trump’s imperial presidency”.


    How is Donald Trump’s presidency shaping up after 100 days? Here’s what the experts think. If you like what you see, sign up to receive our weekly World Affairs Briefing newsletter.

    The alignment of Trump’s policy decisions and Project 2025’s objectives continued after he was inaugurated on January 20. The raft of executive orders issued by Trump during the first few weeks reflected many of Project 2025’s ambitions.

    CNN analysed the 53 executive orders signed by Trump in his first week as president and concluded that 36 of those orders mirrored proposals within the Heritage Foundation’s brief. The alignment spread across numerous departments.

    Trump’s controversial reciprocal tariffs on US imported goods match Project 2025’s desire for free trade and its belief that the World Trade Organization’s most favoured nation principle is unfair. Although both Trump tariffs and Project 2025 have a foundation in economic nationalism, Trump has favoured a broad and aggressive approach compared to Project 2025’s more targeted aims.

    The savings to federal expenditure proposed by Doge, the unofficial Department of Government Efficiency led by Elon Musk, are also broadly covered within the paper. A theme running throughout Project 2025 is ensuring value for taxpayers by reducing unnecessary government expenditure.

    But while a large amount of Project 2025 has already been incorporated into the administration’s policies, there is still a significant number of recommendations and initiatives that remain to be implemented.

    What’s still to come?

    While Trump has already ended the use of federal taxpayer dollars to fund or promote elective abortion through Executive Order 14182, Project 2025 calls for stronger initiatives to support a pro-life position by threatening to withhold funding to states if they fail to adhere to new guidelines. These penalties could be incurred through states failing to report to the Center for Disease and Control Prevention (CDC) data on how many abortions take place within the state, for example.

    The administration has also not yet matched Project 2025’s calls for increasing the defence budget to 5% of GDP. Earlier this month, however, Trump and his defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, promised that their next budget proposal would include a $1 trillion defence budget. Hegseth posted on X that the money would be spent on ‘lethality and readiness.’

    Trump’s recent criticisms of the refusal by Federal Reserve chair, Jerome Powell, to lower interest rates might suggest that he agrees with Project 2025’s criticism of the Federal Reserve and its recommendation that it be abolished. But the market’s negative reaction to Trump’s attack on Powell looks likely to end any prospect of eradicating the Fed.

    Perhaps a greater concern to Americans is Project 2025’s designs for social security. As part of the focus on fiscal stability, the authors of Project 2025 have recommended that the retirement age be increased from 67 to 69. Social security reforms have been discussed by the administration but yet to be put into place.

    When questioned, Republican legislators have stopped short of telling constituents that Social Security is safe from change. After all, Trump maintained that he has no plans to either reduce social security payments or increase the retirement age.

    However, just this week, Trump and Doge have announced cuts to the Social Security Administration (SSA), the body that administers payments. This has led to concerns for the former SSA director, Martin O’Malley, who suggested that the cuts would mean that future payments of vital benefits might be delayed.

    Where the administration turns next is unclear. There are hundreds of policy recommendations within the 900-page document, some of which have been implemented in full, others only in part.

    Nonetheless, Project 2025 has acted as a blueprint for much of the new Trump administration’s policies, even though the White House has shown some reluctance to incorporate all of the recommendations within the project.

    There are signs, however, that the administration has not yet finished with Project 2025 and that the conservative wishlist continues to influence the administration’s policymaking decisions.

    Dafydd Townley 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.

    – ref. How Project 2025 became the blueprint for Donald Trump’s second term – https://theconversation.com/how-project-2025-became-the-blueprint-for-donald-trumps-second-term-255149

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: McClellan Announces 2025 Women of Excellence Award Winners

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (Virginia 4th District)

    Washington, D.C. –Today, Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA-04) announced the winners of the Second Annual Women of Excellence Awards. The awards recognize outstanding women or women’s organizations residing, studying, working, or serving Virginia’s Fourth District that have made a profound impact on the district and have meaningfully contributed to their communities. 

    “I am excited to recognize the work these incredible women have done to make Virginia’s Fourth District a better place,” said Congresswoman McClellan. “Women shaped our Commonwealth — and our nation — from the beginning, even when they have gone unseen and unnoticed. This year’s award recipients uplift our communities every day. They inspire me and remind us all that women can achieve.”

    Businesswoman of the Year – Monica Mueller

    Monica Mueller is Chief Strategy Officer of Softensity, a leading provider of software development and IT consulting services. As Softensity’s EVP, she spent five years transforming multiple departments, leveraging technology to streamline operations and improve performance.

    Non-Profit of the Year – Little Hands VA

    Little Hands Virginia’s mission is to ensure children in Central Virginia have essentials from birth to improve outcomes for life. They support families by providing items, like diapers, pack n’ plays for safe sleep, and strollers, to children newborn to three years old in need in Central Virginia.

    The Women of Impact in Education Award – Kayla Diaz

    Kayla Diaz is a Spanish-language interpreter for Colonial Heights Public Schools. While serving as a family resource coordinator at Colonial Heights Public Schools, she successfully advocated for the creation of a dedicated interpreter position translating conversations between school staff and families with developing English skills.        

    Women in Action Volunteer Award – Fatima Smith

    Fatima M. Smith is the founder of FMS Speaks, LLC, a platform through which she facilitates crucial conversations within institutions, government, and educational settings. She has committed herself to interpersonal violence prevention, child advocacy and more.

    The Dr. Gladys West Women in STEM Award – Pamela Bingham

    Pamela R. Bingham is a “social impact” environmental engineer and currently the Operations Manager for The Health, Environmental, and Economic Justice Lab in the University of Maryland School of Public Health.

    Law and Government Champion Award – Gray Montrose

    Gray Montrose is currently the Deputy Director of Land Conservation with the Capital Region Land Conservancy, a nonprofit land trust currently stewarding over fifteen thousand acres of priority forest, farm, and park land in central Virginia. Her role involves providing legal counsel to the organization and providing critical support to the development of new projects.

    Media and Communications Champion Award – Claudia Massey

    Claudia R. Massey is the co-founder of Patience for Patients, LLC, a non-medical homecare agency that provides personal care and companionship services to the geriatric population. She is a columnist for Diva Dynasty Magazine, a best-selling author, a radio host, and a TV host at Preach the Word Worldwide Network where she serves as their brand ambassador.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: GUU and ACIM combine competencies to form a digital economy

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    On April 23, 2025, a meeting of the Board of the Association “Digital Innovations in Mechanical Engineering” (ACIM) was held, at which a decision was made to admit a new founder to ACIM – the State University of Management, as well as to include the rector of the State University of Management Vladimir Stroyev in the Board of Trustees of the Association.

    The unification of the competencies of the State University of Management and the Center for Information Technologies and Communications will promote active innovation in the development of digital enterprise management models, the search for new forms of digital interaction between enterprises to form value chains, ensuring interoperability and cybersecurity of automated control systems, as well as the development of new educational programs for training specialists and managers in the field of digital transformation and digital enterprise management.

    Participation in the activities of the Board of Trustees of the Rector of the State University of Management Vladimir Stroev will accelerate the development of interaction between the university and leading Russian IT companies, and will also allow acquiring new competencies in the field of managing complex processes of digital transformation of industry, will facilitate the introduction of new IT systems in the educational process and the development of new educational programs for training personnel in the interests of developing the digital economy.

    The Association “Digital Innovations in Mechanical Engineering” was founded in 2019. Currently, it is one of the leading competence centers in the field of digital transformation and the formation of an ecosystem of digital mechanical engineering and related industries. The founders of the Association are leading universities (Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia B.N. Yeltsin, Ulyanovsk State University, MSTU “STANKIN” and others), large domestic IT companies (1C, GC “TSIFRA”, JSC “Iteko”, JSC “ASCON”, LLC “Tesis” and others), high-tech industrial enterprises and corporations (JSC “USC”).

    Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 04/25/2025

    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.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NCDIT Announces Artificial Intelligence Governance and Policy Leader

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: NCDIT Announces Artificial Intelligence Governance and Policy Leader

    NCDIT Announces Artificial Intelligence Governance and Policy Leader
    aljohnson

    The N.C. Department of Information Technology (NCDIT) has named I-Sah Hsieh as its first artificial intelligence governance and policy executive. Hsieh will advance North Carolina’s use of artificial intelligence (AI) to help the state become more efficient and effective while also maintaining digital safety. 

    “I-Sah’s appointment marks a significant step forward in North Carolina’s commitment to harnessing the power of AI for the benefit and protection of our residents, businesses, and visitors,” said NCDIT Secretary and State Chief Information Officer Teena Piccione. “By overseeing governance structures that prioritize ethics and security, I-Sah will play a pivotal role in shaping how the state uses this technology and collaborating with the General Assembly, private industry, and government users to ensure we are able to innovate and grow with AI while protecting our residents’ data and privacy.”

    As an AI governance and ethics expert with more than 25 years of experience, Hsieh joins NCDIT from SAS where he most recently served as the company’s AI governance and data ethics practice principal. Previously, he has helped develop AI strategies and solutions as a consultant for policymakers, the United Nations, Fortune 1000 executives, and nonprofits. He holds a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Cornell University.

    Last year, NCDIT led development of the North Carolina Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence Framework. The framework, in alignment with existing state privacy laws and IT policies, highlights principles, practices, and guidance to provide a consistent approach for state agencies to innovate while ensuring privacy and limiting data protection risks. Hsieh’s hiring is part of NCDIT’s initiative to promote responsible use of AI in North Carolina.

    To help state employees navigate the potential use of generative AI, NCDIT has posted guidance, training and other resources on its website. The department is also developing comprehensive training for state employees.

    For more information and resources regarding the state’s use of AI, visit it.nc.gov/AI.

    Apr 25, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Sen. Markey, Rep. McGovern, Rep. Pressley Op-Ed in The New York Times: “We Visited Rümeysa Öztürk in Detention. What We Saw Was a Warning to Us All.”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
    Read the full piece in The New York Times
    Washington (April 25, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Representatives Jim McGovern (MA-02) and Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) this morning published an op-ed in The New York Times titled: “We Visited Rümeysa Öztürk in Detention. What We Saw Was a Warning to Us All.”
    This week, Senator Markey and Representatives McGovern and Pressley met with Ms. Öztürk, a Turkish national and fifth-year doctoral student at Tufts University, who has been unlawfully detained by ICE and transported to Louisiana from her Somerville, Massachusetts, community in retaliation for her protected speech. The lawmakers called on the Trump administration to immediately release Ms. Öztürk and urged every American to defend the Constitution.
    We Visited Rümeysa Öztürk in Detention. What We Saw Was a Warning to Us All.
    By Edward J. Markey, Jim McGovern, and Ayanna Pressley
    Published April 25, 2025, by The New York Times
    We recently visited Ms. Öztürk at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Basile, La., operated by the for-profit company Geo Secure Services, contracted by the federal government. It’s part of the network of ICE facilities in Louisiana that the American Civil Liberties Union has described as a “black hole” — hard to reach and isolated, making visits from attorneys and family members prohibitively difficult and expensive.
    What we found was not just a young woman locked up without charge but also a democracy being put to the test.
    Read the full opinion piece in The New York Times.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Tensions over Kashmir and a warming planet have placed the Indus Waters Treaty on life support

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Fazlul Haq, Postdoctoral Scholar at the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, The Ohio State University

    The Indus River Valley in the cold desert of Ladakh, India. Pallava Bagla/Getty Images

    In 1995, World Bank Vice President Ismail Serageldin warned that whereas the conflicts of the previous 100 years had been over oil, “the wars of the next century will be fought over water.”

    Thirty years on, that prediction is being tested in one of the world’s most volatile regions: Kashmir.

    On April 24, 2025, the government of India announced that it would downgrade diplomatic ties with its neighbor Pakistan over an attack by militants in Kashmir that killed 26 tourists. As part of that cooling of relations, India said it would immediately suspend the Indus Waters Treaty – a decades-old agreement that allowed both countries to share water use from the rivers that flow from India into Pakistan. Pakistan has promised reciprocal moves and warned that any disruption to its water supply would be considered “an act of war.”

    The current flareup escalated quickly, but has a long history. At the Indus Basin Water Project at the Ohio State University, we are engaged in a multiyear project investigating the transboundary water dispute between Pakistan and India.

    Fazlul Haq walks through the Gargo Glacier floodplain in the Upper Indus Basin.
    Fazlul Haq/Indus Basin Water Project/Ohio State University, CC BY-SA

    I am currently in Pakistan conducting fieldwork in Kashmir and across the Indus Basin. Geopolitical tensions in the region, which have been worsened by the recent attack in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir, do pose a major threat to the water treaty. So too does another factor that is helping escalate the tensions: climate change

    A fair solution to water disputes

    The Indus River has supported life for thousands of years since the Harappan civilization, which flourished around 2600 to 1900 B.C.E. in what is now Pakistan and northwest India.

    After the partition of India in 1947, control of the Indus River system became a major source of tension between the two nations that emerged from partition: India and Pakistan. Disputes arose almost immediately, particularly when India temporarily halted water flow to Pakistan in 1948, prompting fears over agricultural collapse. These early confrontations led to years of negotiations, culminating in the signing of the Indus Waters Treaty in 1960.


    Fazlul Haq/Bryan Mark/Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center/Ohio State University, CC BY

    Brokered by the World Bank, the Indus Waters Treaty has long been hailed as one of the most successful transboundary water agreements.

    It divided the Indus Basin between the two countries, giving India control over the eastern rivers – Ravi, Beas and Sutlej – and Pakistan control over the western rivers: Indus, Jhelum and Chenab.

    At the time, this was seen as a fair solution. But the treaty was designed for a very different world. Back then, India and Pakistan were newly independent countries working to establish themselves amid a world divided by the Cold War.

    When it was signed, Pakistan’s population was 46 million, and India’s was 436 million. Today, those numbers have surged to over 240 million and 1.4 billion, respectively.

    Today, more than 300 million people rely on the Indus River Basin for their survival.

    This has put increased pressure on the precious source of water that sits between the two nuclear rivals. The effects of global warming, and the continued fighting over the disputed region of Kashmir, has only added to those tensions.

    Impact of melting glaciers

    Many of the problems of today are down to what wasn’t included in the treaty, rather than what was.

    At the time of signing, there was a lack of comprehensive studies on glacier mass balance. The assumption was that the Himalayan glaciers, which feed the Indus River system, were relatively stable.

    This lack of detailed measurements meant that future changes due to climate variability and glacial melt were not factored into the treaty’s design, nor were factors such as groundwater depletion, water pollution from pesticides, fertilizer use and industrial waste. Similarly, the potential for large-scale hydraulic development of the region through dams, reservoirs, canals and hydroelectricity were largely ignored in the treaty.

    Reflecting contemporary assumptions about the stability of glaciers, the negotiators assumed that hydrological patterns would remain persistent with the historic flows.

    Instead, the glaciers feeding the Indus Basin began to melt. In fact, they are now melting at record rates.

    Construction site of the Diamer-Bhasha Dam along the Indus River.
    Fazlul Haq/Indus Basin Water Project/Ohio State University

    The World Meteorological Organization reported that 2023 was globally the driest year in over three decades, with below-normal river flows disrupting agriculture and ecosystems. Global glaciers also saw their largest mass loss in 50 years, releasing over 600 gigatons of water into rivers and oceans.

    The Himalayan glaciers, which supply 60-70% of the Indus River’s summer flow, are shrinking rapidly. A 2019 study estimates they are losing 8 billion tons of ice annually.

    And a study by the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development found that Hindu Kush-Karakoram-Himalayan glaciers melted 65% faster in 2011–2020 compared with the previous decade.

    The rate of glacier melt poses a significant challenge to the treaty’s long-term effectiveness to ensure essential water for all the people who rely on the Indus River Basin. While it may temporarily increase river flow, it threatens the long-term availability of water.

    Indeed, if this trend continues, water shortages will intensify, particularly for Pakistan, which depends heavily on the Indus during dry seasons.

    Another failing of the Indus Waters Treaty is that it only addresses surface water distribution and does not include provisions for managing groundwater extraction, which has become a significant issue in both India and Pakistan.

    In the Punjab region – often referred to as the breadbasket of both nations – heavy reliance on groundwater is leading to overexploitation and depletion.

    Groundwater now contributes a large portion – about 48% – of water withdrawals in the Indus Basin, particularly during dry seasons. Yet there is no transboundary framework to oversee the shared management of this resource as reported by the World Bank.

    A disputed region

    It wasn’t just climate change and groundwater that were ignored by the drafters of the Indus Waters Treaty. Indian and Pakistan negotiators also neglected the issue and status of Kashmir.

    Kashmir has been at the heart of India-Pakistan tensions since Partition in 1947. At the time of independence, the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir was given the option to accede to either India or Pakistan. Though the region had a Muslim majority, the Hindu ruler chose to accede to India, triggering the first India-Pakistan war.

    This led to a U.N.-mediated ceasefire in 1949 and the creation of the Line of Control, effectively dividing the territory between Indian-administered and Pakistani-administered Kashmir. Since then, Kashmir has remained a disputed territory, claimed in full by both countries and serving as the flashpoint for two additional wars in 1965 and 1999, and numerous skirmishes.

    A ruined village in Jammu and Kashmir, India, during the war between India and Pakistan in 1965.
    Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis via Getty Images

    Despite being the primary source of water for the basin, Kashmiris have had no role in negotiations or decision-making under the treaty.

    The region’s agricultural and hydropower potential has been limited due to restrictions on the use of its water resources, with only 19.8% of hydropower potential utilized. This means that Kashmiris on both sides — despite living in a water-rich region — have been unable to fully benefit from the resources flowing through their land, as water infrastructure has primarily served downstream users and broader national interests rather than local development.

    Some scholars argue that the treaty intentionally facilitated hydraulic development in Jammu and Kashmir, but not necessarily in ways that served local interests.

    India’s hydropower projects in Kashmir — such as the Baglihar and Kishanganga dams — have been a major point of contention. Pakistan has repeatedly raised concerns that these projects could alter water flows, particularly during crucial agricultural seasons.

    However, the Indus Waters Treaty does not provide explicit mechanisms for resolving such regional disputes, leaving Kashmir’s hydrological and political concerns unaddressed.

    Tensions over hydropower projects in Kashmir were bringing India and Pakistan toward diplomatic deadlock long before the recent attack.

    The Kishanganga and Ratle dam disputes, now under arbitration in The Hague, exposed the treaty’s growing inability to manage transboundary water conflicts.

    Then in September 2024, India formally called for a review of the Indus Waters Treaty, citing demographic shifts, energy needs and security concerns over Kashmir.

    Indian Border Security Force soldiers patrol on a boat along the Pargwal area of the India-Pakistan international border.
    Nitin Kanotra/Hindustan Times via Getty Images

    The treaty now exists in a state of limbo. While it technically remains in force, India’s formal notice for review has introduced uncertainty, halting key cooperative mechanisms and casting doubt on the treaty’s long-term durability.

    An equitable and sustainable treaty?

    Moving forward, I argue, any reform or renegotiation of the Indus Waters Treaty will, if it is to have lasting success, need to acknowledge the hydrological significance of Kashmir while engaging voices from across the region.

    Excluding Kashmir from future discussions – and neither India nor Pakistan has formally proposed including Kashmiri stakeholders – would only reinforce a long-standing pattern of marginalization, where decisions about its resources are made without considering the needs of its people.

    As debates on “climate-proofing” the treaty continue, ensuring Kashmiri perspectives are included will be critical for building a more equitable and sustainable transboundary water framework.

    Nicholas Breyfogle, Madhumita Dutta, Alexander Thompson, and Bryan G. Mark at the Indus Basin Water Project at the Ohio State University contributed to this article.

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

    – ref. Tensions over Kashmir and a warming planet have placed the Indus Waters Treaty on life support – https://theconversation.com/tensions-over-kashmir-and-a-warming-planet-have-placed-the-indus-waters-treaty-on-life-support-244699

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why sitting down – and getting back up – might be the most important health test you do today

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Catherine Norton, Associate Professor Sport & Exercise Nutrition, University of Limerick

    Ruslan Huzau/Shutterstock

    If you or someone you love finds it difficult to stand up from the toilet without using your hands, it might seem like a small issue. But in health and ageing, this movement – known as the “sit-to-stand” – can be a red flag. It’s one of the strongest indicators of frailty, a condition that can threaten independence and quality of life.

    Frailty increases the risk of falls, hospital stays, slower recovery from illness, and early death. It’s more than just about being thin or weak – it’s about reduced muscle mass, strength and energy – and it’s one of the main reasons older adults lose the ability to live on their own.

    This loss of muscle strength and function isn’t just about growing old. It often begins as early as your 30s and accelerates after 60. The good news? It’s not inevitable. Frailty can be prevented – and even reversed – with simple, targeted changes in diet and physical activity.

    Surprisingly, carrying a bit of extra weight in older age can be beneficial. Studies suggest that being in the “overweight” BMI range is often linked to better outcomes than being underweight – as long as you’re carrying muscle, not just fat.

    What matters most is body composition – the ratio of muscle to fat. Lean muscle supports mobility, balance and resilience during illness or injury. In contrast, excess visceral fat (around the internal organs) increases the risk of disease.

    Muscle is made of protein and, as we age, our bodies become less efficient at using it. That means older adults need to eat more protein than younger people – not less. Aim for 1 to 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. For a 70kg person, that’s around 70–85 grams daily, ideally spread across all meals.

    Good protein sources include:
    • Eggs, milk, cheese and yoghurt
    • Chicken, turkey, beef and oily fish
    • Lentils, beans, tofu and soy products
    • Nuts, seeds, and whole grains

    Also, don’t forget total calorie intake. If you’re undereating overall – especially during illness – your body will break down muscle to compensate, even if protein intake is adequate.

    Move it or lose it

    Muscle only stays if you use it – the “move it or lose it” mantra applies here. Regular strength training is one of the best things you can do to stay independent and strong.

    Aim for two to three sessions per week focused on strength. You don’t need a gym – bodyweight exercises at home count too.

    Effective strength activities include:

    • Sit-to-stand repetitions from a chair
    • Functional movements like stair climbing, gardening, or carrying groceries
    • Squats, lunges and push-ups
    • Using resistance bands or light weights

    Walking, swimming and cycling are great for cardiovascular and joint health, but they aren’t enough on their own to maintain muscle mass. Challenge your muscles regularly – even in small ways.

    Things to watch out for:

    • Struggling to stand up from low chairs or the toilet
    • Clothes feeling looser around the thighs or arms
    • Feeling weaker carrying bags or household items
    • Avoiding stairs or certain movements you used to do easily

    Catching these signs early can help you act before it affects your independence.

    Here are five things you can do for healthy ageing

    1. Prioritise protein: include it in every meal. Think eggs for breakfast, beans at lunch, and fish or chicken for dinner.
    2. Strength train weekly: find something you enjoy and can stick with – gardening, resistance bands, or a local class.
    3. Don’t fear healthy weight gain: especially if you’ve recently lost weight unintentionally. Focus on building muscle, not fat.
    4. Stay active daily: every movement counts – walking, stretching, or lifting household objects.
    5. Monitor your function: the sit-to-stand test is a simple way to track your strength. If it’s getting harder, take action.

    We can’t stop ageing, but we can age well. That means making muscle health a priority – not just for appearance, but for independence, dignity and quality of life.

    So, whether you’re thinking about your future or supporting an older loved one, remember this: building and maintaining muscle is one of the most powerful tools we have for healthy ageing.

    With the right habits, you can protect your strength, mobility and independence.

    And next time you sit down – think about how easily you get back up. That small action might be the most important health check you do all day.

    Catherine Norton receives funding organisations e.g. Food for Health Ireland, DAFM, Enterprise Ireland

    – ref. Why sitting down – and getting back up – might be the most important health test you do today – https://theconversation.com/why-sitting-down-and-getting-back-up-might-be-the-most-important-health-test-you-do-today-255057

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Trump can’t decide who to blame for a failing peace deal that would only lead to further conflict

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Stefan Wolff, Professor of International Security, University of Birmingham

    After a second consecutive night of deadly Russian air attacks – against the capital Kyiv on April 23 and the eastern Ukrainian city of Pavlohrad on April 24 – a ceasefire in Ukraine seems as unrealistic as ever.

    With Russian commitment to a deal clearly lacking, the situation is not helped by US president Donald Trump. He can’t quite seem to decide who he will ultimately blame if his efforts to agree a ceasefire fall apart.

    Before the strikes on Kyiv, Trump blamed Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, for holding up a deal by refusing to recognise Crimea as Russian. The following day, he chided Vladimir Putin for the attacks, calling them “not necessary, and very bad timing” and imploring Putin to stop.

    The main stumbling bloc on the path to a ceasefire is what a final peace agreement might look like and what concessions Kyiv – and its European allies – will accept. Ukraine’s and Europe’s position on this is unequivocal: no recognition of the illegal Russian annexation.

    This position is also backed by opinion polls in Ukraine, which indicate only limited support for some, temporary concessions to Russia. The mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, also suggested that temporarily giving up territory “can be a solution”.

    The deal that Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff apparently negotiated over three rounds of talks in Russia was roundly rejected by Ukraine and Britain, France and Germany, who lead the “coalition of the willing” of countries pledging support for Ukraine.



    Read more:
    Could Trump be leading the world into recession?

    This prompted Witkoff and US secretary of state Marco Rubio to pull out of follow-up talks in London on April 24. These ended with a fairly vacuous statement about a commitment to continuing “close coordination and … further talks soon”.

    And even this now appears as quite a stretch. Coinciding with Witkoff’s fourth trip to see Putin on April 25, European and Ukrainian counterproposals were released that reject most of the terms offered by Trump or at least defer their negotiation until after a ceasefire is in place.

    Why is it failing?

    The impasse is unsurprising. Washington’s proposal included a US commitment to recognise Crimea as Russian, a promise that Ukraine would not join Nato and accept Moscow’s control of the territories in eastern Ukraine that it currently illegally occupies. It also included lifting all sanctions against Russia.

    In other words, Ukraine would give up large parts of territory and receive no security guarantees, while Russia is rewarded with reintegration into the global economy.

    It is the territorial concessions asked of Kyiv which are especially problematic. Quite apart from the fact that they are in fundamental breach of basic principles of international law – the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states – they are unlikely to provide solid foundations for a durable peace.

    Much like the idea of Trump’s Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, to divide Ukraine like post-1945 Berlin, it betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of what, and who, drives this war.

    Recent London peace talks in April failed to make progress.

    Kellogg later clarified that he was not suggesting a partition of Ukraine, but his proposal would have exactly the same effect as Trump’s most recent offer.

    Both proposals accept the permanent loss to Ukraine of territory that Russia currently controls. Where they differ is that Kellogg wants to introduce a European-led reassurance force west of the river Dnipro, while leaving the defence of remaining Ukrainian-controlled territory to Kyiv’s armed forces.

    If accepted by Russia – unlikely as this is given Russia’s repeated and unequivocal rejection of European peacekeeping troops in Ukraine – it would provide at best a minimal security guarantee for a part of Ukrainian territory.

    What it would almost inevitably mean, however, is a repeat of the permanent ceasefire violations along the disengagement zone in eastern Ukraine where Russian and Ukrainian forces would continue to face each other.

    This is what happened after the ill-fated Minsk accords of 2014 and 2015, which were meant to settle the conflict after Russia’s invasion of Donbas in 2014. A further Russian invasion could be just around the corner once the Kremlin felt that it had sufficiently recovered from the current war.



    Read more:
    Ukraine deal: Europe has learned from the failed 2015 Minsk accords with Putin. Trump has not

    The lack of a credible deterrent is one key difference between the situation in Ukraine as envisaged by Washington and other historical and contemporary parallels, including Korea and Cyprus.

    Korea was partitioned in 1945 and has been protected by a large US military presence since the Korean war in 1953. After the Turkish invasion of 1974, Cyprus was divided between Greek and Turkish Cypriots along a partition line secured by an armed UN peacekeeping mission.

    Trump has ruled out any US troop commitment as part of securing a ceasefire in Ukraine. And the idea of a UN force in Ukraine, briefly floated during the presidency of Petro Poroshenko between 2014 and 2019, never got any traction, and is not likely to be accepted by Putin now.

    The assumed parallels with the situation in Germany after the second world war are even more tenuous. Not only did Nazi Germany unconditionally surrender in May 1945 but its division into allied zones of occupation was formally and unanimously agreed by the victorious allies in Potsdam in August 1945.

    Muddling up Potsdam and Munich?

    By the time two separate German states of East and West Germany were established in 1949, the western allies had fallen out with Stalin but remained firmly united in Nato and western Europe. So the west German state was firmly protected under the US nuclear umbrella.

    The agreements made in Potsdam didn’t have the same implication of permanence as the US suggestion to formally recognise Crimea as Russian territory. The suggestion was always that the allied forces would pull out of Germany at some stage, and restore the country’s sovereignty.

    Most importantly, the allies did not reward the aggressor in the war or create the conditions for merely a brief interruption for an aggressor’s revisionist agenda.

    After all, what has driven Putin’s war against Ukraine is his conviction that “the collapse of the Soviet Union was the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century”.

    The Trump administration deludes itself that it is applying the lessons of Potsdam by recognising Russia’s territorial conquests in Ukraine and handing them over. Instead it is falling into the trap of the 1938 Munich Agreement. Negotiators in Munich tried, but failed, to avoid the second world war by appeasing and not deterring an insatiable aggressor – a historical lesson that doesn’t need repeating.

    Stefan Wolff is a past recipient of grant funding from the Natural Environment Research Council of the UK, the United States Institute of Peace, the Economic and Social Research Council of the UK, the British Academy, the NATO Science for Peace Programme, the EU Framework Programmes 6 and 7 and Horizon 2020, as well as the EU’s Jean Monnet Programme. He is a Trustee and Honorary Treasurer of the Political Studies Association of the UK and a Senior Research Fellow at the Foreign Policy Centre in London.

    Tetyana Malyarenko 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.

    – ref. Trump can’t decide who to blame for a failing peace deal that would only lead to further conflict – https://theconversation.com/trump-cant-decide-who-to-blame-for-a-failing-peace-deal-that-would-only-lead-to-further-conflict-254841

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: ‘Plan ahead’ message as city gears up for 2025’s Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon

    Source: City of Leeds

    Thousands of runners are set to take part in the third Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon in partnership with Clarion, which is being held on Sunday, May 11.

    Organised by the not-for-profit sporting events company Jane Tomlinson’s Run For All with support from Leeds City Council, the marathon will raise funds for a whole host of good causes while giving people an opportunity to celebrate the life and achievements of the late rugby league legend Rob Burrow.

    Large crowds are expected to line the 26.2-mile route to cheer on the runners as they make their way through some of the city’s most scenic communities and picturesque areas of countryside.

    As is standard practice for an event on this scale, a wide-ranging programme of temporary road closures and other traffic measures will be in place to help ensure the day goes safely and smoothly.

    E-mails and letters giving details of the restrictions have already been sent directly to people living or working along the route.

    And, with the event just over a fortnight away, the wider Leeds public are now being asked to take the time to familiarise themselves with how the traffic and travel plans could affect any journeys they might be looking to make on the day.

    The marathon will start and end at AMT Headingley Rugby Stadium, with runners following a circular route that initially winds around Woodhouse Moor before striking out for Adel, Lawnswood, Bramhope, Pool in Wharfedale and Otley. The Leeds Half Marathon, which is also on May 11, will use much of the same route. The two events have together attracted more than 12,000 entrants.

    Part of St Michael’s Lane in Headingley will close to vehicles from 4am on the 11th before sections of Cardigan Road and Kirkstall Lane/North Lane follow suit at 6am. Closures of selected roads will kick in between 6am and 8am in other parts of Headingley and Far Headingley.

    Further closures will then come into force from 8.30am in the Adel, Lawnswood and Bramhope areas, and from 9am around Pool in Wharfedale and Otley.

    The marathon will get under way at 9am, with competitors in the half marathon setting off from Headingley at 10am.

    Affected roads along the route will be reopened on a rolling basis through the day as soon as it is safe to do so.

    Further road closure information – including a list of vehicle crossing points and leaflets giving access details for individual areas – can be found here.

    People travelling to Headingley – either to take part or support the runners – are being encouraged to use park and ride services that will be operating from Elland Road and Stourton. Shuttle buses will also be operating between the city centre and Headingley. There will be no dedicated event parking in Headingley itself.

    Councillor Jonathan Pryor, Leeds City Council’s deputy leader and executive member for economy, transport and sustainable development, said:

    “The Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon is a wonderful occasion that has to date raised more than £9m for charity while shining a really positive light on our city.

    “We have been working hard alongside our partners at Run For All to ensure that this year’s event is another huge success, with traffic planning forming an important element of those preparations.

    “We’re encouraging everyone to find the time between now and May 11 to see how they might be affected by the temporary road closures that are needed for the safe and smooth delivery of the marathon.

    “We will be doing everything we can to minimise the impact of these measures, and thank residents in advance for their patience and understanding.

    “Having taken part in the first two marathons, I’m looking forward to running again next month and enjoying the fantastic sense of camaraderie and excitement that the event brings.”

    The marathon’s partner charities and good causes are the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association, Leeds Hospitals Charity, 4Ed, Alzheimer’s Society, Candlelighters, Happy Days Children’s Charity, Jane Tomlinson Appeal, Leeds North & West Foodbank, Leeds Rhinos Foundation, Macmillan Cancer Support, My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, Stand Against MND and St Gemma’s Hospice.

    After being diagnosed with MND in 2019, Leeds Rhinos great Rob worked tirelessly to raise awareness of the condition and deliver improved care for those affected by it.

    This year’s marathon will be the first since his death and as a result the atmosphere out on the course is expected to be even more emotional than usual.

    The day will feature a new addition for 2025 in the shape of the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon Relay, which will see teams of seven tackling different legs of the full route.

    And, in another first, Run For All have teamed up with Leeds Beckett University to organise the inaugural MND Mile. Taking place at Leeds Beckett’s Headingley campus on Saturday, May 10, the event’s mile-long course has been designed to cater for participants of all ages and abilities.

    Tristan Batley-Kyle, operations director at Run For All, said:

    “Here at Run For All, we’re once again honoured to be organising the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon in partnership with Clarion, which not only showcases the strength and spirit of the running community but also raises crucial awareness and funds in the fight against MND.

    “The addition of the MND Mile and Relay provides a fantastic opportunity for everyone to be part of such an inspirational weekend and we encourage as many as possible to come along and get involved.

    “As with other events of this scale, significant road closures will be in place to ensure the safety of all involved and we’re working in partnership with Leeds City Council, emergency services and multi-agency planning groups to make sure the event is operated safely and securely.

    “We would like to thank all residents in advance for their understanding and we apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused. Please be assured that all closures will be lifted as soon as possible.”

    Note to editors:

    Run For All is a not-for-profit company that forms part of the lasting legacy of the late amateur athlete and fundraiser Jane Tomlinson CBE. Jane, from Leeds, made headlines around the world by taking part in a series of incredible endurance events despite being diagnosed with an incurable cancer.

    ENDS

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Trump’s ‘Garden of American Heroes’ is a monument to celebrity and achievement – paid for with humanities funding that benefits everyday Americans

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Jennifer Tucker, Professor of History, Wesleyan University

    Donald Trump speaks in front of a wax statue of John Wayne at the John Wayne Museum in Winterset, Iowa, during the 2016 GOP primaries. Al Drago/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images

    Donald Trump first came up with his plan for a “National Garden of American Heroes” at the end of his first term, before President Joe Biden quietly tabled it upon replacing Trump in the White House.

    Now, with Trump back in the Oval Office – and with the country’s 250th anniversary fast approaching – the project is back. The National Endowment for the Humanities is seeking to commission 250 statues of famous Americans from a predetermined list, to be displayed at a location yet to be determined.

    It isn’t clear who compiled the list of 250 to be honored. It includes names that are largely recognizable and whose accomplishments are well-known: politicians like Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy; jurists Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia; activists such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Harriet Tubman; celebrities such as John Wayne and Julia Child; and sports stars like Kobe Bryant and Babe Ruth.

    Donald Trump announces some famous Black Americans he plans to include in his ‘National Garden of American Heroes’ during a Black History Month event on Feb. 20, 2025, at the White House.

    The statue garden coincides with an executive order from March 2025 in which the Trump administration denounced what it saw as historical revisionism that had recast the country’s “unparalleled legacy of advancing liberty, individual rights, and human happiness.” Instead, it had constructed a story of the nation that portrayed it “as inherently racist, sexist, oppressive, or otherwise irredeemably flawed,” which “fosters a sense of national shame.”

    “We don’t need to overemphasize the negative,” explained Lindsey Halligan, a 35-year-old insurance lawyer who is named in the order as one of the people tasked with reforming museums that receive government funds.

    Trump often casts himself as a man of the people. But as historians, we don’t see a garden of heroes as a populist effort. To us, it represents a top-down approach to U.S. history, akin to the hagiography that Americans already regularly get from movies, television and professional sports.

    And it comes at a cost: It’s going to be paid for with funds that had been previously allotted to tell stories about people and places that may be less familiar than the proposed figures for Trump’s garden. But they’re nonetheless meaningful to countless communities across the nation.

    Only the movers and shakers matter

    Trump’s fixation on America’s luminaries is adjacent to the “great man” theory of history.

    In 1840, Scottish philosopher and historian Thomas Carlyle published “On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History,” in which he argued that “The History of the world is but the Biography of great men.”

    American biologist and eugenicist Frederick Adams Woods embraced the great man theory in his 1913 work, “The Influence of Monarchs: Steps in a New Science of History.” In it, he investigated 386 rulers in Western Europe from the 12th century until the French Revolution. He proposed a scientific measurement to quantify the relative impact these rulers had on the course of civilization.

    Then and now, many other historians and sociologists have pushed back, arguing that the “Great Man” view of history oversimplifies the past by attributing major historical events to the actions of a few influential individuals, while ignoring broader social, economic and cultural forces.

    Nonetheless, it continues to have broad appeal. It’s very popular among corporate leaders, for example, many of whom like to portray themselves as visionaries, with their business successes proof of their genius.

    Trump’s garden of heroes reflects his penchant for celebrating wealth, champions and successes, akin to what Walt Disney tried to capture with his Disney World ride Carousel of Progress, which highlights American technological advances.

    A national redundancy?

    However, the U.S. already has a national statuary hall, which opened in the U.S. Capitol in 1870. Each state has contributed two statues; for example, Massachusetts honors Samuel Adams and John Winthrop, while Ohio celebrates James Garfield and Thomas Edison.

    Today there are 102 statutes, though just 14 women.

    Importantly, the roster is fluid – not set in stone – and reflects debates over whom the nation ought to celebrate.

    Over time, the representation has become slightly more inclusive. The first woman, Illinois educator Frances Willard, was added in 1905. Only in 2022 did a Black American appear, when educator Mary Bethune replaced a Confederate general from Florida. And in 2024, Johnny Cash replaced James Paul Clarke, a former governor and senator from Arkansas with Confederate sympathies.

    Family members and elected officials attend the unveiling of the statue of Johnny Cash at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 24, 2024.
    Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

    What about everyday Americans?

    We don’t think there’s anything wrong with celebrating and honoring popular figures in American history. But we do think there’s an issue when it comes at the expense of other historical and archival projects.

    The New York Times reported that US$34 million for the project would come from funds formerly allocated to the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities, whose budget has been cut by 85%.

    Many of the grants that have been slashed explore, celebrate and preserve history in ways that stand in stark contrast to a statue garden. They involve, as Gal Beckerman writes in the Atlantic, efforts that “are about asking questions, about uncovering hidden or overlooked experiences, about closely examining texts or adding to the public record.”

    They include one that supports the digitization of local newspapers and archival records; another to collect and preserve oral histories of local communities; a grant that funds the production of documentaries and podcasts about local communities; traveling exhibitions that bring items from the Smithsonian’s collection to small towns and rural areas; and a grant to fund the collection of first-person accounts of Native Americans who attended U.S. government-run boarding schools.

    These and countless similar history projects serve millions of people far from Washington, and they have broad support from lawmakers and citizens of all political stripes.

    In 1938, as forces of fascism gathered in Europe, a Connecticut high school social science teacher said, “The greatest need of America, on the threshold of the greatest epoch of its history, is citizens who understand the past out of which the nation has grown. … Let us look into the souls of the leaders and the common people who have made America great.”

    In his 2016 campaign, Trump promised to work on behalf of everyday Americans – the “forgotten man and woman.” But the proposed statue garden of famous figures cuts out the common people from America’s story – not just as subjects of history, but as its stewards for future generations.

    With funds slashed from organizations dedicated to local history, we wonder how many more stories will go untold.

    Jennifer Tucker has received funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities for research that examines the social and cultural role of modern technology, such as facial recognition, through a historical lens.

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

    – ref. Trump’s ‘Garden of American Heroes’ is a monument to celebrity and achievement – paid for with humanities funding that benefits everyday Americans – https://theconversation.com/trumps-garden-of-american-heroes-is-a-monument-to-celebrity-and-achievement-paid-for-with-humanities-funding-that-benefits-everyday-americans-254564

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Iowa Man Arrested on Federal Stalking Charge

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

    DES MOINES, Iowa – A Nevada, Iowa man made his initial appearance before a United States Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa today.

    According to allegations in the criminal complaint, between January and April 2025, Tanner Dean Bandy, 28, engaged in a pattern of threatening conduct against a former romantic partner through text messages and voicemails. Two days prior to his arrest, on April 17, 2025, Bandy left a voicemail message discussing his intention to conduct a mass shooting at an Iowa State University commencement ceremony. On April 17, 2025, law enforcement searched Bandy’s residence and vehicle and located two firearms and ammunition. Bandy will remain detained in federal custody pending further proceedings.

    United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Federal Bureau of Investigations, Iowa State University Police Department, and Story County Sheriff’s Office are investigating this case.

    A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Explore insights from the AI in Education Report

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: Explore insights from the AI in Education Report

    The swift rise of generative AI is reshaping how schools approach creation, problem-solving, learning, and communication. Your schools are in a pivotal moment when critical thinking and metacognitive skills are more important than ever as new technology develops

    The swift rise of generative AI is reshaping how schools approach creation, problem-solving, learning, and communication. Your schools are in a pivotal moment when critical thinking and metacognitive skills are more important than ever as new technology develops.

    As we continue to learn, Microsoft believes it is important to share our early findings from our AI in Education Report. In this report, we highlight insights from our research, as well as research from partner organizations.

    Key takeaways from the AI in Education Report include:

    • Start AI conversations today. There is an urgent need to communicate clearly and openly about AI, increase AI literacy, and create usage guidelines at educational organizations.
    • Learn how AI can help. There is a clear opportunity for AI to help educators and administrators lighten workloads, boost productivity, and improve efficiency.
    • Explore new ways to learn with AI. Early studies demonstrate the potential of AI to improve educational experiences and learning outcomes.
    • Prepare for the workplace of the future. Students need to build people skills and technical capacity to prepare for a world transformed by AI.

    Explore the AI in Education Report for resources and recommendations that help represent the opportunities that come with this unique moment.

    Start AI conversations today

    When you’re getting started with using AI tools, it’s common to begin with figuring out ways to make everyday tasks easier. In education, AI also brings opportunities to provide actionable insights, improve learning outcomes, and make more time for human connection and collaboration. But there are also challenges to navigate and overcome to realize that potential. To better understand the needs and opportunities around AI in education, Microsoft surveyed educators, academic and IT leaders, and students from K-12 schools and higher education institutions about their perceptions, familiarity, uses, and concerns around AI tools.

    Sample findings from the survey include:

    • 47% of education leaders use AI every day
    • 68% of all educators have used AI at least once or twice
    • 62% of all students have used AI at least once or twice

    Survey results from the AI in Education Report show a comparison of the familiarity and usage of AI between leaders, all educators, and students in school settings. It highlights the significant difference in daily use of AI among these groups.

    Despite generally low familiarity with AI, especially among students, it’s noteworthy that respondents from each group are using AI. This widespread adoption underscores the need for clear guidance and practical frameworks to help navigate the complexities of AI in education. Concerns about cheating are prevalent across all groups, including students, further highlighting the importance of establishing transparent and consistent guidance.

    Take these next steps to start AI conversations at your school or institution:

    1. Request that your school or district leaders create clear guidelines and policies and provide professional learning opportunities. Consider sharing the TeachAI Toolkit as a resource.
    2. Help students learn how to use AI responsibly without compromising their academic integrity by setting clear expectations.

    AI can enable personalized learning, free up time for educators to focus on what matters most, and help address issues of equity and accessibility. It can also improve operational efficiency, bringing much-needed support to overburdened administrators and IT teams. There is a clear opportunity for AI to help educators and administrators lighten workloads, boost productivity, and improve efficiency.

    Among respondents who report using AI, some of the most common tasks they use it for include:

    • Leaders use AI tools mostly to improve efficiency of operational and administrative processes, improve access to resources, support communication with students, and identify opportunities for student improvement.
    • Educators use AI tools mainly to create or update lesson plans, brainstorm new ideas, simplify complex topics, free up their time, and differentiate instruction to address students’ needs.
    • Students use AI tools mostly to summarize information, help them brainstorm, get answers or information quickly, get initial feedback, and improve their writing skills.

    Survey results from the AI in Education Report show the widespread use and potential of AI in enhancing learning experiences and outcomes for different roles.

    Learn how AI can help your school

    Each month, the heaviest Microsoft 365 Education users receive hundreds of emails and chat messages to get things done. AI can enable greater productivity in tasks like lesson planning and curriculum development, which make up 45% of teachers’ responsibilities. That frees up time for educators to do the things only humans can do—like connect with students.

    Educational institutions are moving fast when it comes to AI, and they’re seeing significant returns on their investment. However, an IDC study on the opportunity of AI in education found that education leaders feel less prepared for AI-driven change than their peers in other industries.

    Education organizations can take these steps to increase preparedness and develop a strategy:

    • Establish a guiding committee that defines and steers AI strategy, responsible use policies, governance models, and priorities.
    • Prepare for change by building a centralized, cross-functional AI team that can connect AI initiatives to the organization’s existing priorities and create training opportunities.
    • Prioritize high-value, low-complexity AI use cases. Start small, collect, and respond to feedback, and plan for scalable and impactful solutions.

    To hear more IDC insights from a Microsoft sponsored study, explore the following resources:

    Explore new ways to learn with AI

    Students and educators alike have already made a discovery about the benefits of using generative AI in the classroom, particularly when used as a personalized academic coach that encourages learning and engagement rather than simply giving responses.

    Explore these key takeaways from early studies about the potential impact of generative AI on learning:

    • In December 2023, Microsoft Research and Harsh Kumar of the University of Toronto discovered that AI-generated explanations enhanced learning compared to solely viewing correct answers. The advantages were most significant for students who first attempted problems independently before receiving assistance.
    • A 2023 study by Harvard University and Yale University professors found that AI chatbots can give students in large classes an experience that approximates an ideal one-to-one relationship between educator and student.

    One student shared that it “felt like having a personal tutor…I love how AI bots will answer questions without ego and without judgment, generally entertaining even the stupidest of questions without treating them like they’re stupid.”

    Take these next steps to explore how AI can support student learning:

    • Model and encourage a growth mindset that includes learning, iteration, and curiosity.
    • Learn from others and explore educational AI resources.
    • Be intentional in your design of new AI experiences. What is your goal and how might AI help you achieve it?

    Prepare for the workplace of the future

    Workplaces, like classrooms, have been altered by the rise of generative AI tools. As a result, the skills that students need to learn have changed, too.

    Important findings about the evolution of workplace skills include that 82% of leaders surveyed for Microsoft’s 2023 Work Trend Index say employees will need new skills to be prepared for the growth of AI. And learning to work alongside AI won’t just be about building technical capacity. It will be necessary to prioritize people skills, and new analytical, emotional, and critical thinking skills. According to the 2023 LinkedIn Future of Work Report, 92% of U.S. executives agree that people skills are more important than ever.

    Survey results from Microsoft’s 2023 Work Trend Index show that skills like analytical judgment, flexibility, emotional intelligence, creative evaluation, intellectual curiosity, bias detection and handling, and AI delegation will be essential.

    Take these steps to help prepare your students for future-ready skills:

    • Teach students metacognitive and human-centered skills including the ability to analyze, understand, and control their own thought processes. You can start by asking students why they agree or disagree with AI-generated content.
    • Model using AI tools to spark discussion and explore alternative views instead of only providing answers.

    The rapid ascent of generative AI is revolutionizing how schools foster creativity, approach challenges, and enhance learning. Discover insights, resources, and recommendations in our AI in Education Report to seize the potential of this transformative era.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: University of Dundee Taskforce holds first meeting

    Source: Scottish Government

    Commitment to ensure vital institution thrives.

    An external advisory group established to advise on the future success of  the University of Dundee held its first meeting in the city.

    The group, which is chaired by Sir Alan Langlands, agreed on the urgency of action required to advise and support the university to address its current financial difficulties during the meeting yesterday.

    Representatives from the University, Dundee City Council, business, trades unions, student union, enterprise and skills bodies and the Scottish Government were among those who took part. 

    Sir Alan Langlands, chair of the Advisory group, said:

    “All members were clear that the University of Dundee is a leading research intensive institution, providing highly rated education, and playing a crucial role in the economic, cultural and social life of the City, region, and the country as a whole. There was a collective commitment to support the University in ensuring its short, medium and long term sustainability. 

    “Our discussion focussed on the context in which it is operating, and the urgent need to tackle its financial difficulties, build on its strengths, and set out a clear plan for the medium and long term future. 

    “The group respects the autonomy of the University, the decision making responsibilities of the University Court, and the role of the Scottish Funding Council in navigating the future. We hope that the support and advice we provide will be considered by the decision makers in a timely manner.” 

    Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said: 

    “I am determined that the University of Dundee – with a vibrant community of staff and students at its heart – will thrive long into the future and the work of this Taskforce will help contribute to that.

    “The Scottish Funding Council has already provided £22 million to University of Dundee as support for liquidity, which is giving them the space and time to work through a plan for financial stability. Ministers have been clear we will carefully consider any further asks made to the Government. 

    “Students should accept their offers from the University and can be confident in its future.”

    Professor Shane O’Neill, Interim Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Dundee, said:  

    “We welcome the support of Sir Alan and all parties involved with the Advisory Taskforce, which reflects the importance of the University to Dundee, the Tay Cities region and beyond, and the collective will to establish a more sustainable and successful future for the University.

    “We will work with the Taskforce, the Scottish Government, the Scottish Funding Council and others to ensure we achieve that goal.”

    Background

    Attendees at the meeting  included:

    • trade union representatives , including national and local representation
    • the leader of Dundee City Council  
    •  principals of Abertay and St Andrews Universities and Dundee & Angus College  
    • the Convenor of Universities Scotland 
    • the Dundee University Student Association President  
    • local representatives of Scottish Enterprise, Skills Development Scotland and Developing the Young Workforce 
    • the Chair of NHS Education for Scotland 
    • for business interests, Tim Allan, Chair of V&A Dundee

    In addition to the advisory Taskforce, the Deputy First Minister is chairing a cross-Ministerial group to consider what further action the Scottish Government may be able to take to support the University as it continues to develop its Financial Recovery Plan.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Mayor of Derry and Strabane and Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council receive Honorary Degrees fro

    Source: Northern Ireland – City of Derry

    Mayor of Derry and Strabane and Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council receive Honorary Degrees fro

    25 April 2025

    The Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Cllr Lilian Seenoi Barr and the Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council, Cllr Niamh Kennedy were in the United States this week where they were awarded Honorary Doctoral degrees from the Worcester State University.
    The honorary degrees are in recognition of their outstanding contributions to civic leadership, community engagement, and cross-border collaboration as part of  The North West Tertiary Education Cluster (NWTEC) a strategic alliance comprising the four publicly funded tertiary education providers in the North West City Region – the Atlantic Technological University (ATU) , Ulster University (UU) , North West Regional College (NWRC)  and Donegal Education and Training Board (ETB).

    The North West Tertiary Education Cluster was established to foster greater coherence and collaboration in the education and skills provision across the region and enhance the educational landscape and contribute to the economic and social development of the North West City Region. The cluster has the support and collaboration of the two Councils of Derry City and Strabane District Council and Donegal County Council who are leading partners in the North West Strategic Growth Partnership that brings together the two local authorities alongside further and higher education providers, and representatives from the NI Executive Office and the Irish Government to foster regional growth.

    Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Cllr Lilian Barr said it was a huge honour and privilege to be recognised by the university. She said: “The conferral of the honorary degrees underscores the strong and growing connections between Worcester State University and the regions of Derry and Strabane and County Donegal. It also highlights the importance of international cooperation and the positive impact of dedicated civic leadership. I am proud that my commitment to fostering growth, promoting community cohesion and championing social justice, equality and human rights has been instrumental in building bridges across communities. Worcester State University is a vibrant, student-centred public university committed to academic excellence, community engagement, and preparing students for success in a diverse and global society and it is a fantastic honour for me to receive an honorary degree from this education centre of excellence.”

    Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council, Cllr. Niamh Kennedy said “I am deeply honoured to receive this prestigious recognition from Worcester State University. The honorary degree reflects not only my own personal commitment but also the collective efforts of our region in building stronger, more cohesive cross-border partnerships. This honour highlights the ongoing importance of collaboration between the North West Tertiary Education Cluster and the wider community. Together, we are fostering a more inclusive and prosperous future for our region. Worcester State University’s dedication to academic excellence and community engagement aligns closely with our values, and it’s a privilege to be acknowledged by such an esteemed institution.”

    President of Worchester State University, Barry M. Maloneys said: “We are deeply honoured to recognise Mayor Barr and Cathaoirleach Kennedy with honorary degrees – Doctorates of Humane Letters, honoris causa, – and formally acknowledge their dedication to public service and their commitment to fostering positive relationships across borders align perfectly with the values of Worcester State University. Their work serves as an inspiration to our students and the wider community. Our university has a very longstanding and positive working relationship with ATU, Ulster University and the wider education cluster and the honorary degrees awarded today further cement our commitment to fostering that connection.”

    The special ceremony took at Worcester State University and was led by the University President Barry M. Maloney. Members of the university community, local dignitaries, and invited guests were in attendance at the event which was part of the college’s annual academic achievement celebrations. 

    During their visit to Boston, the two Mayors also attended a reception hosted by the University where they had the opportunity to engage with students.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New wave of jazz talent to star at City of Derry Jazz Festival

    Source: Northern Ireland – City of Derry

    New wave of jazz talent to star at City of Derry Jazz Festival

    25 April 2025

    The City of Derry Jazz Festival is just weeks away and Dery is looking forward to a bumper Bank Holiday weekend of music featuring some of the biggest names on the jazz circuit, from May 01 – 05.

    Now turning 24, the festival has established itself as one of the very best platforms for up and coming talent, welcoming new artists to the line up each year who relish the opportunity to play alongside some of the greats.

    Among the new wave of talent this year is award winning Sligo pianist Nils Kavanagh, already a sensation on the circuit, after scooping the title of Young Irish Jazz Musician of the Year in 2022.

    Nils will play alongside acclaimed local Jazz legend and academic, Dr Paul McIntyre, in the EY Jazz Lounge in one of the city’s most iconic music venues, St Columb’s Hall. The late night shows offer the chance to kick back and enjoy some of the very best music in an intimate and atmospheric setting, perfect for soaking up some authentic jazz.

    It’s festivals like this that give younger performers the opportunity to learn from more seasoned artists as Paul explains. “The Derry Jazz Festival provides wonderful opportunities for young jazz performers to cut their teeth! On Saturday 3rd May, Nils will be performing with the Quartet in the EY Jazz Lounge, which I’m really looking forward to. Welcoming junior players keeps jazz vibrant and fresh.

    “While teaching in Universities and Music Schools I’ve found and encouraged many young players as I can over the years. The legacy of supporting young jazz players goes back to my father Gay McIntyre, who always encouraged and showcased up and coming jazz players including Darren Beckett and Joseph Leighton.”

    Nils first became interested in jazz at the age of 16 through the Sligo Jazz Project Festival, and with a bit of gentle persuasion from his parents. After some initial reluctance, he joined the SJP summer school, and has never looked back, as it opened up a whole new world of music. “It’s safe to say it’s changed my life,” Nils admits. “I had never heard music being played like that before, with such joy and excitement. From then on, I was completely hooked.”

    As Nils continued his academic studies he realised that his love for music would lead naturally into a career. So he took a year out from education, practiced hard, and eventually was accepted to study at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Winning the Young Irish Jazz Musician of the Year award in 2022, and reaching the finals of the BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year 2024, has led to even further opportunities to perform and bring his own material to audiences.

    As well as studying and teaching music, Nils also leads an energetic and innovative trio of Ireland’s top jazz performers. “It’s honestly been transformative for my career. It gave me the clout and confidence I needed to book an Irish tour in 2023, playing six dates across the country with my trio. The award also included a bursary, which I used to cover some of the costs of recording my debut album, which is releasing on May 14th, with some dates in Ireland set to happen later in the year, including playing in Bennigan’s Bar, Derry, on the 1st of November 2025.”

    Since it first launched 24 years ago the City of Derry Jazz Festival has always had a strong focus on inspiring and showcasing new talent, with opportunities to perform through the Live Music Now programme in local secondary schools, and the recent addition of the Gay McIntyre stage where younger performers can shine. And opportunities like this really do make a difference according to Nils.

    “Events like the City of Derry Jazz Festival are so important for introducing younger people to Jazz music. If I hadn’t gone to a similar festival in my own home town, I would have gone down a whole other career path. As someone who was directly affected by a Jazz Festival, I can with confidence say that events such as these are pivotal for the development of the Jazz scene. 

    “If I would give one piece of advice to young musicians, it would be this – don’t be afraid to ask. This industry and scene is all about putting yourself out there. Ask that older musician if they would like to play with you. Ask that venue for a gig. Ask the person you admire for a lesson, or some constructive criticism. You would be amazed how much you can get just by asking, and the worst that can happen is that someone says, “No”! In that case, you move on, and then in a couple years time, you might be ready.”

    You can catch Nils Kavanagh as he plays with the Paul McIntyre Quartet on Saturday May 03 in the EY Jazz Lounge at 11pm, featuring Curtis Efoua (Paris) on drums and Brian Questa (ÚSA) on Double bass, Phil Robson (UK) on Guitar on Sunday and the guest vocalist on both nights is the acclaimed Winnie Ama!

    The City of Derry Jazz and Big Band Festival is organised and funded by Derry City and Strabane District Council with support from Diageo and EY. 

    Tickets for the EY Jazz Lounge events, taking place on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th May at 11pm, are priced £10 and will be available to buy online at www.cityofderryjazzfestival.com/tickets.

    For regular updates follow the City of Derry Jazz Festival on Facebook Instagram and X @derryjazzfest.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: $15M Awarded in Grants for Resilient Reforestation

    Source: US State of New York

    overnor Kathy Hochul today celebrated Arbor Day 2025 by announcing $15 million in grant awards through New York State’s new Community Reforestation (CoRe) program. Sixteen of the funded projects will establish and expand resilient forests in and near New York’s urban communities, contributing to the 2024 State of the State “25 Million Trees Initiative” launched by Governor Hochul to recognize the importance of trees and forests for climate resiliency and community health.

    “Resilient urban forests support community health, well-being and sustainability,” Governor Hochul said. “I’m celebrating Arbor Day 2025 by awarding $15 million in new grants to support projects across the State that will bring the countless ecological and economic benefits of trees to urban areas.”

    Trees in urban areas help reduce high temperatures created by the urban heat island effect. CoRe-funded projects are predominantly located in communities with high heat vulnerability. Studies show that forested natural areas can be as much as 10 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than under the shade of a street tree just a few hundred feet away. The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) administers the new CoRe grant program, which supports the State’s efforts to plant 25 million trees by 2033.

    New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Acting Commissioner Amanda Lefton said, “The CoRe grant-funded projects announced today will help make New York’s communities cooler — expanding forest canopies, improving forest health, and moderating temperatures, all while engaging New Yorkers at the local, regional, and watershed levels. In addition to significant climate benefits, trees enhance biodiversity and improve overall community health and well-being for residents statewide.”

    All CoRe-funded projects will record tree planting input into DEC’s Tree Tracker, the GIS tool available for the public to upload every tree planted in New York State. Every New Yorker that uploads a tree planting to the Tree Tracker in the months of April and May 2025 will be automatically entered in a 25 Million Trees sweepstakes for a chance to win a year-long subscription to The Conservationist magazine and 25 Million Trees swag.

    DEC is awarding more than $7.4 million to municipalities, particularly to restore woodlands in public parks. Invasive species removal and expansion of native forests in these open spaces intends to enhance the ecosystem services provided to local residents, particularly enhanced canopy that provides shade and recreational opportunities.

    A total of $5.3 million is awarded to not-for-profit organizations for a variety of volunteer-driven projects focused on promoting forest health at the ecosystem-level, from riparian zone enhancement along the Upper Susquehanna watershed to protecting Bronx River ecological health.

    Four projects totaling approximately $1.7 million will be awarded to the State University of New York (SUNY) for reforestation projects on college campuses. Projects will serve as “living labs” for students to research best practices in tree planting, sustainable forest management and ecological monitoring.

    Many projects feature youth engagement and workforce development opportunities in their reforestation efforts. The Natural Areas Conservancy, awarded approximately $3 million for their restoration of parks across the five boroughs, plans to include field technicians as part of the City University of New York (CUNY) fellowship program. The city of Syracuse awarded $2 million to restore forests across the city and establish a resilient “food forest,” will enlist the help of Onondaga Earth Corps crews for plantings using youth volunteers.

    Funding for this round of the CoRe grant program was allocated by the Governor in the FY25 Enacted Budget. In addition to the $15 million allocation for the CoRe grant program, the Governor’s initial commitment to the 25 Million Trees Initiative came with $32 million to modernize the Saratoga Tree Nursery and enhance DEC’s technological capabilities for tracking tree planting and forest management across the state. The initiative is working to invigorate the State’s tree planting efforts by scaling up public-sector tree planting efforts, invigorating the private sector, harnessing technology and engaging the next generation of environmental stewards.

    Community Reforestation (CoRe) Grant Awards

    NEW YORK CITY

    Bronx County

    Bronx River Alliance – $500,000 for Bronx River Forest Restoration

    The Bronx River Alliance will restore riparian forests historically dominated by ash trees along the watershed by planting nearly 2,000 hardwood trees with the help of more than 300 volunteers.

    The New York Botanical Garden – $429,285 for Bronx River Riparian Forest Restoration

    As part of their Bronx River Riparian Forest Restoration Project, the NYBG and partners will enhance six degraded sites across the watershed — two sites on NYBG forestlands, three Westchester County Parks sites and a reservoir site in North Castle.

    New York County

    City of New York – $2,995,707 for NYC Parks Reforestation

    The city will restore canopy gaps in seven parks in four boroughs by planting more than 10,000 trees.

    Natural Areas Conservancy (NAC) Inc. – $2,958,846 for Restoration at Forest Park, Highbridge Park and Prospect Park

    NAC and partners will restore 37 acres of invasive species-dominated, degraded and not-regenerating forests across three parks in New York City.

    MID-HUDSON VALLEY

    Putnam County

    Cornell Cooperative Extension of Putnam County – $300,000 for Tilly Foster Farm Forest Restoration

    Veteran citizen scientists will install a one-acre Miyawaki miniforest at Tilly Foster Farm.

    Ulster County

    City of Kingston – $1,608,947 for Restoration of Kingston Parks

    The city of Kingston will re-establish healthy forests across Kingston’s public parks by planting 8,100 trees across 72 acres in five parks.

    Westchester County

    The Research Foundation for the State of New York – $499,942 for Afforestation at SUNY Purchase

    The college will restore and reforest a three-acre plot on campus, and students will study comparative planting practices across three different sites.

    Village of Irvington – $382,316 for Irvington Woods Restoration

    The village’s community-driven task force will restore degraded forest stands in Irvington Woods, home to the largest remaining wetlands in southern Westchester County.

    Village of Hastings on Hudson – $356,511 for Restoration of Hillside Park Woodlands

    The village will restore Hillside Park’s woodlands to a native forest ecosystem by reforesting degraded stands, planting more than 6,500 trees and implementing protective fencing to prevent deer from browsing in the area.

    CAPITAL REGION

    Columbia County

    Columbia Land Conservancy Inc – $368,426 for High Falls Conservation Area Restoration and Reforestation

    The Columbia Land Conservancy will restore 13 acres of early successional forest in High Falls Park by planting trees, treating invasive species and controlling for deer over-browse.

    CENTRAL NEW YORK

    Onondaga County

    City of Syracuse – $2,080,083 for Forest Stand Restoration

    The city will restore eight degraded forest sites, totaling more than 38 acres, by planting trees in order to contribute to the goal of increasing the city’s tree canopy by seven percent.

    MOHAWK VALLEY

    Schoharie County

    The Research Foundation for the State of New York – $423,092 for SUNY Cobleskill Forest Restoration

    SUNY Cobleskill will create natural areas on campus by planting more than 5,300 trees across five acres of abandoned agricultural land, providing hands-on educational experiences for students.

    NORTH COUNTRY

    St. Lawrence County

    Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe – $498,000 for Forest Conservation Area Restoration

    The Tribe will restore a culturally significant conserved forest where much of the canopy was lost to the Emerald Ash Borer.

    SOUTHERN TIER

    Broome County

    The Research Foundation for the State of New York – $311,841 for Nuthatch Hollow Forest Restoration

    SUNY Binghamton will plant native trees and shrubs across 29 acres at Nuthatch Hollow, restoring regraded forestland while supporting research, education and public engagement.

    Delaware County

    The Research Foundation for the State of New York – $484,910 for SUNY Oneonta Forest Restoration

    SUNY Oneonta will plant more than 9,600 native trees and remove invasive species to enhance carbon sequestration and recreation opportunities on campus, as well as host student internships and service-learning opportunities.

    Tioga County

    Tioga County Soil and Water Conservation District – $802,091 for Upper Susquehanna Coalition Forest Restoration

    The Upper Susquehanna Coalition, in collaboration with Soil and Water Conservation Districts and municipalities, will reforest 71 acres of riparian forests at 48 different sites within the Chesapeake Bay watershed, planting more than 22,000 trees.

    Assemblymember Deborah J. Glick said, “Strengthening urban forestry around the state will not only absorb carbon in our atmosphere and absorb stormwater runoff, but also will bring a greater pastoral sense to even urban environments. I am glad that SUNY will be partnering in several projects so students will receive a valuable learning experience in arboriculture and urban forestry. Whenever we can simultaneously combat climate change and make our communities more beautiful and livable, we ought to do so.”

    Assemblymember George Alvarez said, “I’m proud to celebrate this critical investment in the Bronx’s natural resources through the CoRe grant program. The funding awarded to the Bronx River Alliance and The New York Botanical Garden will help restore our urban forests, improve air quality, and provide cooler, greener spaces for our residents. These projects not only strengthen our local environment but also engage our communities, especially our youth—in building a healthier, more resilient Bronx.”

    Assemblymember Karines Reyes said, “I applaud Governor Hochul and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation for this vital investment in the Bronx’s habitat and communities. The Borough of Parks’, as it is affectionately-known, is more than worthy of funding to improve the ecological health of our county. The nearly $1 million investment in Bronx-based institutions, like the Bronx River Alliance and The Bronx Zoo, will be well spent in service to keeping our borough’s trees clean and healthy. This investment in our local environment will have positive impacts on health and wellness, as we seek to reverse the disastrous impacts of pollution and the prolonged disinvestment of previous decades.”

    Assemblymember Emérita Torres said, “This is great news for the Bronx. Amid cuts from the current federal administration, it is more important than ever that our state invests in environmental restoration. This reforestation funding provides critical support for our environmental partners in the community, especially for the restoration along the Bronx River. Our communities continue to bear the brunt of long-term disinvestment and pollution. This funding is a step in the right direction.”

    Assemblymember John Zaccaro, Jr. said, “I applaud Governor Hochul for her commitment to expanding, restoring, and creating more forested natural areas to support our urban neighborhoods through the Community Restoration Grant Awards. Communities like those I represent in the Bronx have some of the worst health outcomes in the state and trees are an invaluable tool to bolster community resilience. Every tree that gets planted means a little more fresh air and a little more shade. We’re excited to get started as we work toward the state’s ambitious goal of planting 25 million trees by 2033.”

    Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson said, “We are grateful to Governor Kathy Hochul for her continued commitment to environmental justice and urban resilience through the launch of the Community Reforestation (CoRe) program and the historic 25 Million Trees Initiative. The Governor`s work on this effort aligns with our Greening the Bronx initiative, with investments that not only plant trees but also plant hope, healing, and long-term health in our communities. Projects such as the Bronx River Riparian Forest Restoration, led by the Bronx River Alliance and NYBG, are powerful examples of what can happen when government, institutions, and local volunteers work together to rebuild natural ecosystems and restore our borough’s green infrastructure. These nearly 2,000 new trees are a win for the Bronx and for improving our environment and our borough`s public health.”

    Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine said, “Urban trees are essential climate infrastructure and help create a greener, healthier, future for New York. These investments in our community through the CoRe program will help keep neighborhoods cooler, protect against the impacts of climate change, and improve mental health. Thank you to Governor Hochul and the Department of Environmental Conservation for celebrating this Arbor Day by investing in urban trees in Manhattan and beyond.”

    Chief Executive Officer and William C. Steere Sr. President of the New York Botanical Garden Jennifer Bernstein said, “The New York Botanical Garden applauds Governor Kathy Hochul for her vision and leadership in creating the inaugural Community Reforestation program. By supporting NYBG’s restoration work in the Bronx River corridor, families and neighbors will experience the benefits of forests for generations to come. Thank you Governor Hochul.”

    Bronx River Alliance Executive Director Siddhartha Sánchez said, “Thank you Governor Hochul for developing new funding opportunities to increase and improve tree canopy coverage in communities like the Bronx. Investing in reforesting dense urban areas benefits communities in numerous ways – mitigating heat island impacts and localized flooding while improving community health by increasing access to nature. These resources provide the Bronx River Alliance with the ability to do targeted reforestation over multiple years in Westchester and the Bronx, making our work more sustainable.”

    To further Governor Hochul’s goal of planting 25 million trees by 2033, the New York Power Authority (NYPA) will begin its Tree Power program 2025 season today. NYPA’s Tree Power program, first established in 1992, helps customers plant native tree varieties to provide wind breaks surrounding buildings, shading that reduces building energy use and removes carbon from the atmosphere. In 2024, the Power Authority planted more than 1,400 trees in 50 communities throughout the state under the program. Since 2016, more than 8,000 trees have been planted under the program, sequestering more than 400 metric tons of carbon emissions.

    NYPA customers that are eligible to participate in the Tree Power program include municipal electric utilities, rural electric cooperatives and State and local government customers, including the State University of New York and the City University of New York. For every tree that a customer purchases, NYPA will offer tree matches up to $5,000 in value. NYPA is accepting orders for the 2025 program through mid-September.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Construction industry specialists presented the results of their research at a conference at St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Opening of the conference. In the presidium, from left to right: Olga Pastukh, Andrey Nikulin, Evgeny Korolev, Director of the Soil Testing Center, Head of the Geotechnics Department of SPbGASU Anatoly Osokin

    The III National (All-Russian) Scientific and Technical Conference “Prospects of Modern Construction” was held at the Construction Faculty of St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering from April 21 to 23.

    The welcoming part of the plenary session opened with the showing of two videos, the first of which introduced the conference participants to our university. The other video was prepared by the creative team of the construction faculty for the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War and told about how the university lived during the difficult years of the Leningrad blockade.

    The moderator, Deputy Dean for Research, Associate Professor of the Department of Architectural and Construction Structures Olga Pastukh addressed the participants of the plenary session. Olga Aleksandrovna introduced the members of the conference organizing committee and invited them to visit the exhibition dedicated to safety in the construction industry that opened as part of the conference.

    On behalf of and on behalf of the rector of SPbGASU Evgeny Rybnov, the vice-rector for research activities Evgeny Korolev delivered a welcoming speech. Evgeny Valerievich noted that the conference could become a driver for the development of the national project “Infrastructure for Life”. The project, aimed at improving the comfort of housing, ensuring the safety of the urban environment, requires new, scientifically sound scientific solutions that will be implemented in practice.

    The Vice-Rector also emphasized the successes of the SPbGASU construction faculty team. Thus, on April 16, by decree of the President of Russia, Rashid Mangushev, professor of the geotechnical department, was awarded the title of “Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation”. Separate words of greeting were addressed to young researchers, whose presence in the hall, according to the Vice-Rector, is the key to the sustainability of science and the university. In conclusion, Evgeny Valerievich wished everyone fruitful work and constructive discussions.

    Dean of the Faculty of Construction Andrey Nikulin spoke about the activities of our university. Andrey Nikolaevich also introduced the faculty he heads, informed about its departments, laboratories, and partners.

    At the plenary session, the round table “Fire-safe construction – in the hands of youth” and six sections, scientists and specialists in the construction industry informed about new promising research results, exchanged experiences and ideas, and expanded their circle of professional acquaintances.

    The chairman of the metal and wooden structures section, head of the metal and wooden structures department, Yegor Danilov, spoke about the work of the section: “The section, which worked for three days, brought together more than 300 listeners, and about 90 people spoke as authors of reports. Among the participants were representatives of three construction companies, specialists from universities from Vologda, Yoshkar-Ola, Novocherkassk and other Russian cities, three foreign guests (Kazakhstan, China). The current problems of ensuring the spatial rigidity of modern multi-story wooden buildings, technical aspects of improving the standards of metal structures were discussed, and new methods for calculating joints were proposed. All days of the conference were eventful. The exchange of experience was extremely useful for both the students and the respected scientists-speakers.”

    Associate Professor of the Department of Technosphere Safety Olga Gorbunova was the Deputy Chairperson of the Occupational Safety in Construction section at the conference. According to her, the section was held in two stages: on the first day, representatives of professional communities in the field of occupational safety and faculty from universities in our country presented scientific reports, and on the second day, students did so. The topics of the reports touched upon current issues of ensuring human safety in the modern world, and issues of ensuring occupational safety in the construction industry. Olga Vladimirovna named some of the topics of student research: “The effects of man-made accidents using fuel oil on the state of the environment”; “Use of vacuum waste removal systems for collecting hazardous medical waste”; “On a unified system of cadastral control and fire safety”.

    Mikhail Zhavoronkov, Deputy Chairman and Associate Professor of the Department of Construction Materials and Metrology, reported on what was happening in the section on technology of building materials and metrology: “15 reports were announced. The work was held in a mixed mode: some reports were presented in person, and some – remotely. The speakers were teachers, postgraduates and master’s students of the department of TSMiM SPbGASU and other universities, representatives of organizations carrying out scientific and practical activities in the areas of work of the section. The reports were devoted to the study of the properties of concrete made using various fillers, various binders and using special additives; issues of formation of micro- and macrostructure of these concretes; development of a quality management system in construction, shortcomings of modern regulatory documentation and ways to overcome them. Of great interest were the works describing the properties of dispersion-reinforced concrete and dedicated to counteracting the explosive destruction of concrete during heating.”

    The reports at the section of the Department of Structural Mechanics raised issues of modeling geotechnical structures and earthquake-resistant construction.

    The section of the departments of construction organization and construction production technology started with the speeches of the heads of departments Roman Motylev and Anton Gaido, who spoke about the main areas of their scientific work. Particular attention was drawn to the reports “Formation of a resource-saving complex of machines for the construction of a roadbed by hydromechanization” by Vladimir Vanzha (associate professor of the Kuban State Agrarian University), “Application of modular heat-protective panels to ensure the reliability of installation of steel structures in the conditions of the Far North” by Milana Raslambekova (master’s student of St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering) and others. The participants of the scientific section noted the breadth of topics of the reports and the relevance of the choice of research topics by master’s and postgraduate students of the departments.

    Representatives of various Russian universities took part in the work of the section of the Department of Architectural and Building Structures. The presentations of Irina Chernyshkova (Associate Professor of the South-Russian Polytechnic University) on the topic of “Acoustic Features of Atrium Spaces” and Nikolay Cherepanov (Student of the St. Petersburg State University of Railway Engineering) on the topic of “Requirements for Architectural Structures of a Building for the Integration of Unmanned Delivery into an Urban Environment” aroused particular interest among the audience and a lively professional discussion.

    The students also presented reports on modular technologies, recycled materials and structures, the features of thermal insulation materials for various building structures and unique construction in the Arctic zone.

    In addition to the engineering and technical aspects of construction, there were reports on the renovation of industrial heritage from the point of view of architectural and urban planning, innovation, environmental and socio-economic aspects. Olga Pastukh and Qu Rulan (candidate of architecture, senior lecturer at Zhengzhou University, China) analyzed both the experience of historical Russian cities and the influence of Soviet urban planning ideas on the growth and development of industrial cities in China in the mid-20th century, as well as their current state. Their presentation was prepared based on the results of a joint research project, “The Influence of Soviet Urban Planning Concepts and Ideas on the Formation and Development of Industrial Cities in China in the Mid-20th Century.”

    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.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: GUU at a meeting at AFK Sistema: joint promotion of scientific projects

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    On April 23, representatives of the State University of Management took part in an open dialogue on the topic of “Systemic communications: features of promoting innovative, knowledge-intensive and socially significant projects”, which was held at the head office of AFK Sistema

    The meeting with the executive vice president for public relations of AFK Sistema Sergey Kopytov brought together representatives of Lomonosov Moscow State University, RUDN University, HSE, RANEPA, Moscow Polytechnic University, State University of Management, Moscow State Institute of Culture, as well as the First Student Agency, a youth media outlet.

    The following took part from the State University of Management: Head of the Department for Coordination of Scientific Research Maxim Pletnev, Director of the Business Incubator Dmitry Rogov, Junior Researcher of the Department for Coordination of Scientific Research Anna Sotnikova and Analyst of the Center for Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Anna Grishkina.

    During the meeting, the Head of the Corporate Communications Department of AFK Sistema shared practical cases. In particular, he spoke about covering the corporation’s contribution to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and the formation of a high-tech pharmaceutical holding, information support for the IPO of forestry and microelectronic assets, as well as about the promotion of AFK Sistema Group projects that shape the technological future of the country in such areas as: hydrogen and satellite technologies, computer vision and microchip production, the creation of electric river vessels and charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.

    The event was a continuation of the educational project implemented by the Sistema Charitable Foundation together with industrial partners from among the country’s leading high-tech companies as part of the Decade of Science and Technology in Russia. The project, which started in March 2025 at the R site

    Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 04/25/2025

    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.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why predicting battery performance is like forecasting traffic − and how researchers are making progress

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Emmanuel Olugbade, Ph.D. Candidate in Mechanical Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology

    How much charge is left? It can be hard to know for sure. Olemedia/E+ via Getty Images

    Lithium-ion batteries are quietly powering large parts of the world, including electric vehicles and smartphones. They have revolutionized how people store and use energy. But as these batteries become more central to daily life, they bring more attention to the challenges of managing them and the energy they store safely, efficiently and intelligently.

    I’m a mechanical engineer who studies these nearly ubiquitous batteries. They have been around for decades, yet researchers like me are still trying to fully understand how these batteries behave – especially when they are working hard.

    Batteries may seem simple, but they are as complicated as the real-world uses people devise for them.

    The big picture

    At their core, lithium-ion batteries rely on the movement of charged particles, called ions, of the element lithium between two electric poles, or electrodes. The lithium ions move from the positive electrode to the negative one through a conductive substance called an electrolyte, which can be a solid or a liquid.

    The basics of how a lithium-ion battery works.

    How much energy these batteries store and how well they work depends on a tangle of factors, including the temperature, physical structure of the battery and how the materials age over time.

    Around the world, researchers are trying to answer questions about each of these factors individually and in concert with each other. Some research focuses on improving lifespan and calculating how batteries degrade over time. Other projects are tackling safety under extreme conditions, such as fast-charging use in extreme climates – either hot or cold. Many are exploring entirely new materials that could make batteries cheaper, longer-lasting or safer. And a significant group – including me – are working with computer simulations to improve real-time battery monitoring.

    Real‑time monitoring in your electric vehicle’s battery system functions like a health check: It tracks voltage, current and temperature to estimate how much energy remains so you won’t be stranded with a dead battery.

    But it’s difficult to precisely measure how well each of the energy cells within the battery is performing as they age or as the weather changes from cold in winter to hotter in summer. So the battery management system uses a computer simulation to estimate those factors. When combined with real-time monitoring, the system can prevent overusing the battery, balance charging speed with long-term health, avoid power failures and keep performance high. But there are a lot of variables.

    The traffic analogy

    One of the best ways to understand this challenge is to think about city traffic.

    Let’s say you want to drive across town and need to determine whether your car has enough charge to travel the best route. If your navigation simulator accounted for every stoplight, every construction zone and every vehicle on the road, it would give you a very accurate answer. But it might take an hour to run, by which time the circumstances would have changed and the answer would likely be wrong. That’s not helpful if you’re trying to make a decision right now.

    A simpler model might assume that every road is clear and every car is moving at the speed limit. That simulation delivers a result instantly – but its results are very inaccurate when traffic is heavy or a road is closed. It doesn’t capture the reality of rush hour.

    While you’re driving, the battery management system would do a similar set of calculations to see how much charge is available for the rest of the trip. It would look at the battery’s temperature, how old it is and how much energy the car is asking for, like when going up a steep hill or accelerating quickly to keep up with other cars. But like the navigation simulations, it has to strike a balance between being extremely accurate and giving you useful information before your battery runs out in the middle of your trip.

    The most accurate models, which simulate every chemical reaction inside the battery, are too slow for real-time use. The faster models simplify things so much that they miss key behaviors – especially under stress, such as fast charging or sudden bursts of energy use.

    Managing the flow of electrons to and from a battery is as complicated as managing the flow of traffic on local streets.
    AP Photo/Julio Cortez

    How researchers are bridging the gap

    This trade-off between speed and accuracy is at the heart of battery modeling research today. Scientists and engineers are exploring many ways to solve it.

    Some are rewriting modeling software to make the physics calculations more efficient, reducing complexity without losing the key details. Others, like me, are turning to machine learning – training computers to recognize patterns in data and make fast, accurate predictions without having to solve every underlying equation.

    In my recent work, I used a high-accuracy battery simulator – one of the ones that’s really accurate but very slow – to generate a massive amount of data about how a battery functions when charging and discharging. I used that data to train a machine learning algorithm called XGBoost, which is particularly good at finding patterns in data.

    Then I used software to pair the XGBoost system with a simple, fast-running battery model that captures the basic physics but can miss finer details. The simpler model puts out an initial set of results, and the XGBoost element fine-tunes those to make corrections on the fly, especially when the battery is under strain.

    The result is a hybrid model that is able to respond both quickly and accurately to changes in driving conditions. A driver who floors the accelerator with just the simple model wouldn’t get enough energy; a more detailed model would give the right amount of energy only after it finished all its calculations. My hybrid model delivers a rapid boost of energy without delays.

    Other teams are working on similar hybrid approaches, blending physics and artificial intelligence in creative ways. Some are even building digital twins – real-time virtual replicas of physical batteries – to offer sophisticated simulations that update constantly as conditions change.

    Battery storage pods like these in Arizona can store electricity between when it is generated and when it is needed.
    AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin

    What’s next

    Battery research is moving quickly, and the field is already seeing signs of change. Models are becoming more reliable across a wider range of conditions. Engineers are using real-time monitoring to extend battery life, prevent overheating and improve energy efficiency. Machine learning lets researchers train battery management systems to optimize performance for specific applications, such as high power demands in electric vehicles, daily cycles of home electricity use, short power bursts for drones, or long-duration requirements for building-scale battery systems.

    And there’s more to come: Researchers are working to include other important factors into their battery models, such as heat generation and mechanical stress.

    Some teams are taking hybrid models and compiling their software into lightweight code that runs on microcontrollers inside battery hardware. In practice, that means each battery pack carries its own brain on-board, calculating state-of-charge, estimating aging and tracking thermal or mechanical stress in near-real time. By embedding the model in the device’s electronics, the pack can autonomously adjust its charging and discharging strategy on the fly, making every battery smarter, safer and more efficient.

    As the energy landscape evolves – with more electric vehicles on the road, more renewable energy sources feeding into the grid, and more people relying on batteries in daily life – the ability to understand what a battery is doing in real time becomes more critical than ever.

    Emmanuel Olugbade receives funding from the National Science Foundation.

    – ref. Why predicting battery performance is like forecasting traffic − and how researchers are making progress – https://theconversation.com/why-predicting-battery-performance-is-like-forecasting-traffic-and-how-researchers-are-making-progress-253572

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: ‘Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence’ − an astronomer explains how much evidence scientists need to claim discoveries like extraterrestrial life

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Chris Impey, University Distinguished Professor of Astronomy, University of Arizona

    The universe is filled with countless galaxies, stars and planets. Astronomers may find life one day, but they will need extraordinary proof. ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA, image processing by J.-C. Cuillandre (CEA Paris-Saclay), G. Anselmi

    The detection of life beyond Earth would be one of the most profound discoveries in the history of science. The Milky Way galaxy alone hosts hundreds of millions of potentially habitable planets. Astronomers are using powerful space telescopes to look for molecular indicators of biology in the atmospheres of the most Earth-like of these planets.

    But so far, no solid evidence of life has ever been found beyond the Earth. A paper published in April 2025 claimed to detect a signature of life in the atmosphere of the planet K2-18b. And while this discovery is intriguing, most astronomers – including the paper’s authors – aren’t ready to claim that it means extraterrestrial life exists. A detection of life would be a remarkable development.

    The astronomer Carl Sagan used the phrase, “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence,” in regard to searching for alien life. It conveys the idea that there should be a high bar for evidence to support a remarkable claim.

    I’m an astronomer who has written a book about astrobiology. Over my career, I’ve seen some compelling scientific discoveries. But to reach this threshold of finding life beyond Earth, a result needs to fit several important criteria.

    When is a result important and reliable?

    There are three criteria for a scientific result to represent a true discovery and not be subject to uncertainty and doubt. How does the claim of life on K2-18b measure up?

    First, the experiment needs to measure a meaningful and important quantity. Researchers observed K2-18b’s atmosphere with the James Webb Space Telescope and saw a spectral feature that they identified as dimethyl sulfide.

    On Earth, dimethyl sulfide is associated with biology, in particular bacteria and plankton in the oceans. However, it can also arise by other means, so this single molecule is not conclusive proof of life.

    Second, the detection needs to be strong. Every detector has some noise from the random motion of electrons. The signal should be strong enough to have a low probability of arising by chance from this noise.

    The K2-18b detection has a significance of 3-sigma, which means it has a 0.3% probability of arising by chance.

    That sounds low, but most scientists would consider that a weak detection. There are many molecules that could create a feature in the same spectral range.

    The “gold standard” for scientific detection is 5-sigma, which means the probability of the finding happening by chance is less than 0.00006%. For example, physicists at CERN gathered data patiently for two years until they had a 5-sigma detection of the Higgs boson particle, leading to a Nobel Prize one year later in 2013.

    The announcement of the discovery of the Higgs boson took decades from the time Peter Higgs first predicted the existence of the particle. Scientists, such as Joe Incandela shown here, waited until they’d reached that 5-sigma level to say, ‘I think we have it.’

    Third, a result needs to be repeatable. Results are considered reliable when they’ve been repeated – ideally corroborated by other investigators or confirmed using a different instrument. For K2-18b, this might mean detecting other molecules that indicate biology, such as oxygen in the planet’s atmosphere. Without more and better data, most researchers are viewing the claim of life on K2-18b with skepticism.

    Claims of life on Mars

    In the past, some scientists have claimed to have found life much closer to home, on the planet Mars.

    Over a century ago, retired Boston merchant turned astronomer Percival Lowell claimed that linear features he saw on the surface of Mars were canals, constructed by a dying civilization to transport water from the poles to the equator. Artificial waterways on Mars would certainly have been a major discovery, but this example failed the other two criteria: strong evidence and repeatability.

    Lowell was misled by his visual observations, and he was engaging in wishful thinking. No other astronomers could confirm his findings.

    Mars, as taken by the OSIRIS instrument on the ESA Rosetta spacecraft during its February 2007 flyby of the planet and adjusted to show color.
    ESA & MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/RSSD/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA, CC BY-SA

    In 1996, NASA held a press conference where a team of scientists presented evidence for biology in the Martian meteorite ALH 84001. Their evidence included an evocative image that seemed to show microfossils in the meteorite.

    However, scientists have come up with explanations for the meteorite’s unusual features that do not involve biology. That extraordinary claim has dissipated.

    More recently, astronomers detected low levels of methane in the atmosphere of Mars. Like dimethyl sulfide and oxygen, methane on Earth is made primarily – but not exclusively – by life. Different spacecraft and rovers on the Martian surface have returned conflicting results, where a detection with one spacecraft was not confirmed by another.

    The low level and variability of methane on Mars is still a mystery. And in the absence of definitive evidence that this very low level of methane has a biological origin, nobody is claiming definitive evidence of life on Mars.

    Claims of advanced civilizations

    Detecting microbial life on Mars or an exoplanet would be dramatic, but the discovery of extraterrestrial civilizations would be truly spectacular.

    The search for extraterrestrial intelligence, or SETI, has been underway for 75 years. No messages have ever been received, but in 1977 a radio telescope in Ohio detected a strong signal that lasted only for a minute.

    This signal was so unusual that an astronomer working at the telescope wrote “Wow!” on the printout, giving the signal its name. Unfortunately, nothing like it has since been detected from that region of the sky, so the Wow! Signal fails the test of repeatability.

    ‘Oumuamua is the first object passing through the solar system that astronomers have identified as having interstellar origins.
    European Southern Observatory/M. Kornmesser

    In 2017, a rocky, cigar-shaped object called ‘Oumuamua was the first known interstellar object to visit the solar system. ‘Oumuamua’s strange shape and trajectory led Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb to argue that it was an alien artifact. However, the object has already left the solar system, so there’s no chance for astronomers to observe it again. And some researchers have gathered evidence suggesting that it’s just a comet.

    While many scientists think we aren’t alone, given the enormous amount of habitable real estate beyond Earth, no detection has cleared the threshold enunciated by Carl Sagan.

    Claims about the universe

    These same criteria apply to research about the entire universe. One particular concern in cosmology is the fact that, unlike the case of planets, there is only one universe to study.

    A cautionary tale comes from attempts to show that the universe went through a period of extremely rapid expansion a fraction of a second after the Big Bang. Cosmologists call this event inflation, and it is invoked to explain why the universe is now smooth and flat.

    In 2014, astronomers claimed to have found evidence for inflation in a subtle signal from microwaves left over after the Big Bang. Within a year, however, the team retracted the result because the signal had a mundane explanation: They had confused dust in our galaxy with a signature of inflation.

    On the other hand, the discovery of the universe’s acceleration shows the success of the scientific method. In 1929, astronomer Edwin Hubble found that the universe was expanding. Then, in 1998, evidence emerged that this cosmic expansion is accelerating. Physicists were startled by this result.

    Two research groups used supernovae to separately trace the expansion. In a friendly rivalry, they used different sets of supernovae but got the same result. Independent corroboration increased their confidence that the universe was accelerating. They called the force behind this accelerating expansion dark energy and received a Nobel Prize in 2011 for its discovery.

    On scales large and small, astronomers try to set a high bar of evidence before claiming a discovery.

    Chris Impey receives funding from the Natonal Science Foundation and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

    – ref. ‘Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence’ − an astronomer explains how much evidence scientists need to claim discoveries like extraterrestrial life – https://theconversation.com/extraordinary-claims-require-extraordinary-evidence-an-astronomer-explains-how-much-evidence-scientists-need-to-claim-discoveries-like-extraterrestrial-life-254914

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: ‘I were but little happy, if I could say how much’: Shakespeare’s insights on happiness have held up for more than 400 years

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Cora Fox, Associate Professor of English and Health Humanities, Arizona State University

    Joanna Vanderham as Desdemona and Hugh Quarshie as the title character in a Royal Shakespeare Company production of ‘Othello.’ Robbie Jack/Corbis via Getty Images

    What is “happiness” – and who gets to be happy?

    Since 2012, the World Happiness Report has measured and compared data from 167 countries. The United States currently ranks 24th, between the U.K. and Belize – its lowest position since the report was first issued. But the 2025 edition – released on March 20, the United Nations’ annual “International Day of Happiness” – starts off not with numbers, but with Shakespeare.

    “In this year’s issue, we focus on the impact of caring and sharing on people’s happiness,” the authors explain. “Like ‘mercy’ in Shakespeare’s ‘Merchant of Venice,’ caring is ‘twice-blessed’ – it blesses those who give and those who receive.”

    Shakespeare’s plays offer many reflections on happiness itself. They are a record of how people in early modern England experienced and thought about joy and satisfaction, and they offer a complex look at just how happiness, like mercy, lives in relationships and the caring exchanges between people.

    Contrary to how we might think about happiness in our everyday lives, it is more than the surge of positive feelings after a great meal, or a workout, or even a great date. The experience of emotions is grounded in both the body and the mind, influenced by human physiology and culture in ways that change depending on time and place. What makes a person happy, therefore, depends on who that person is, as well as where and when they belong – or don’t belong.

    Happiness has a history. I study emotions and early modern literature, so I spend a lot of my time thinking about what Shakespeare has to say about what makes people happy, in his own time and in our own. And also, of course, what makes people unhappy.

    From fortune to joy

    Shakespeare’s birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon, England.
    Tony Hisgett/Flickr via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

    “Happiness” derives from the Old Norse word “hap,” which meant “fortune” or “luck,” as historians Phil Withington and Darrin McMahon explain. This earlier sense is found throughout Shakespeare’s works. Today, it survives in the modern word “happenstance” and the expression that something is a “happy accident.”

    But in modern English usage, “happy” as “fortunate” has been almost entirely replaced by a notion of happiness as “joy,” or the more long-term sense of life satisfaction called “well-being.” The term “well-being,” in fact, was introduced into English from the Italian “benessere” around the time of Shakespeare’s birth.

    The word and the concept of happiness were transforming during Shakespeare’s lifetime, and his use of the word in his plays mingles both senses: “fortunate” and “joyful.” That transitional ambiguity emphasizes happiness’ origins in ideas about luck and fate, and it reminds readers and playgoers that happiness is a contingent, fragile thing – something not just individuals, but societies need to carefully cultivate and support.

    For instance, early in “Othello,” the Venetian senator Brabantio describes his daughter Desdemona as “tender, fair, and happy / So opposite to marriage that she shunned / The wealthy, curled darlings of our nation.” Before she elopes with Othello she is “happy” in the sense of “fortunate,” due to her privileged position on the marriage market.

    Later in the same play, though, Othello reunites with his new wife in Cyprus and describes his feelings of joy using this same term:

    …If it were now to die,
    ‘Twere now to be most happy, for I fear
    My soul hath her content so absolute
    That not another comfort like to this
    Succeeds in unknown fate.

    Desdemona responds,

    The heavens forbid
    But that our loves and comforts should increase
    Even as our days do grow!

    They both understand “happy” to mean not just lucky, but “content” and “comfortable,” a more modern understanding. But they also recognize that their comforts depend on “the heavens,” and that happiness is enabled by being fortunate.

    “Othello” is a tragedy, so in the end, the couple will not prove “happy” in either sense. The foreign general is tricked into believing his young wife has been unfaithful. He murders her, then takes his own life.

    The seeds of jealousy are planted and expertly exploited by Othello’s subordinate, Iago, who catalyzes the racial prejudice and misogyny underlying Venetian values to enact his sinister and cruel revenge.

    James Earl Jones playing the title role and Jill Clayburgh as Desdemona in a 1971 production of ‘Othello.’
    Kathleen Ballard/Los Angeles Times/UCLA Library via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

    Happy insiders and outsiders

    “Othello” sheds light on happiness’s history – but also on its politics.

    While happiness is often upheld as a common good, it is also dependent on cultural forces that make it harder for some individuals to experience. Shared cultural fantasies about happiness tend to create what theorist Sara Ahmed calls “affect aliens”: individuals who, by nature of who they are and how they are treated, experience a disconnect between what their culture conditions them to think should make them happy and their disappointment or exclusion from those positive feelings. Othello, for example, rightly worries that he is somehow foreign to the domestic happiness Desdemona describes, excluded from the joy of Venetian marriage. It turns out he is right.

    Because Othello is foreign and Black and Desdemona is Venetian and white, their marriage does not conform to their society’s expectations for happiness, and that makes them vulnerable to Iago’s deceit.

    Similarly, “The Merchant of Venice” examines the potential for happiness to include or exclude, to build or break communities. Take the quote about mercy that opens the World Happiness Report.

    The phrase appears in a famous courtroom scene, as Portia attempts to persuade a Jewish lender, Shylock, to take pity on Antonio, a Christian man who cannot pay his debts. In their contract, Shylock has stipulated that if Antonio defaults on the loan, the fee will be a “pound of flesh.”

    “The quality of mercy is not strained,” Portia lectures him; it is “twice-blessed,” benefiting both giver and receiver.

    It’s a powerful attempt to save Antonio’s life. But it is also hypocritical: Those cultural norms of caring and mercy seem to apply only to other Christians in the play, and not the Jewish people living alongside them in Venice. In that same scene, Shylock reminds his audience that Antonio and the other Venetians in the room have spit on him and called him a dog. He famously asks why Jewish Venetians are not treated as equal human beings: “If you prick us, do we not bleed?”

    Actor Henry Irving as Shylock in a late 19th-century performance of ‘The Merchant of Venice.’
    Lock & Whitfield/Folger Shakespeare Library via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

    Shakespeare’s plays repeatedly make the point that the unjust distribution of rights and care among various social groups – Christians and Jews, men and women, citizens and foreigners – challenges the happy effects of benevolence.

    Those social factors are sometimes overlooked in cultures like the U.S., where contemporary notions of happiness are marketed by wellness gurus, influencers and cosmetic companies. Shakespeare’s plays reveal both how happiness is built through communities of care and how it can be weaponized to destroy individuals and the fabric of the community.

    There are obvious victims of prejudice and abuse in Shakespeare’s plays, but he does not just emphasize their individual tragedies. Instead, the plays record how certain values that promote inequality poison relationships that could otherwise support happy networks of family and friends.

    Systems of support

    Pretty much all objective research points to the fact that long-term happiness depends on community, connections and social support: having systems in place to weather what life throws at us.

    And according to both the World Happiness Report and Shakespeare, contentment isn’t just about the actual support you receive but your expectations about people’s willingness to help you. Societies with high levels of trust, like Finland and the Netherlands, tend to be happier – and to have more evenly distributed levels of happiness in their populations.

    Shakespeare’s plays offer blueprints for trust in happy communities. They also offer warnings about the costs of cultural fantasies about happiness that make it more possible for some, but not for all.

    Cora Fox has received funding from an NEH grant for activities not directly related to this research.

    – ref. ‘I were but little happy, if I could say how much’: Shakespeare’s insights on happiness have held up for more than 400 years – https://theconversation.com/i-were-but-little-happy-if-i-could-say-how-much-shakespeares-insights-on-happiness-have-held-up-for-more-than-400-years-198583

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Trump’s ‘Garden of American Heroes’ is a monument to celebrity and achievement – paid for with history funding that benefits everyday Americans

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Jennifer Tucker, Professor of History, Wesleyan University

    Donald Trump speaks in front of a wax statue of John Wayne at the John Wayne Museum in Winterset, Iowa, during the 2016 GOP primaries. Al Drago/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images

    Donald Trump first came up with his plan for a “National Garden of American Heroes” at the end of his first term, before President Joe Biden quietly tabled it upon replacing Trump in the White House.

    Now, with Trump back in the Oval Office – and with the country’s 250th anniversary fast approaching – the project is back. The National Endowment for the Humanities is seeking to commission 250 statues of famous Americans from a predetermined list, to be displayed at a location yet to be determined.

    It isn’t clear who compiled the list of 250 to be honored. It includes names that are largely recognizable and whose accomplishments are well-known: politicians like Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy; jurists Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia; activists such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Harriet Tubman; celebrities such as John Wayne and Julia Child; and sports stars like Kobe Bryant and Babe Ruth.

    Donald Trump announces some famous Black Americans he plans to include in his ‘National Garden of American Heroes’ during a Black History Month event on Feb. 20, 2025, at the White House.

    The statue garden coincides with an executive order from March 2025 in which the Trump administration denounced what it saw as historical revisionism that had recast the country’s “unparalleled legacy of advancing liberty, individual rights, and human happiness.” Instead, it had constructed a story of the nation that portrayed it “as inherently racist, sexist, oppressive, or otherwise irredeemably flawed,” which “fosters a sense of national shame.”

    “We don’t need to overemphasize the negative,” explained Lindsey Halligan, a 35-year-old insurance lawyer who is named in the order as one of the people tasked with reforming museums that receive government funds.

    Trump often casts himself as a man of the people. But as historians, we don’t see a garden of heroes as a populist effort. To us, it represents a top-down approach to U.S. history, akin to the hagiography that Americans already regularly get from movies, television and professional sports.

    And it comes at a cost: It’s going to be paid for with funds that had been previously allotted to tell stories about people and places that may be less familiar than the proposed figures for Trump’s garden. But they’re nonetheless meaningful to countless communities across the nation.

    Only the movers and shakers matter

    Trump’s fixation on America’s luminaries is adjacent to the “great man” theory of history.

    In 1840, Scottish philosopher and historian Thomas Carlyle published “On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History,” in which he argued that “The History of the world is but the Biography of great men.”

    American biologist and eugenicist Frederick Adams Woods embraced the great man theory in his 1913 work, “The Influence of Monarchs: Steps in a New Science of History.” In it, he investigated 386 rulers in Western Europe from the 12th century until the French Revolution. He proposed a scientific measurement to quantify the relative impact these rulers had on the course of civilization.

    Then and now, many other historians and sociologists have pushed back, arguing that the “Great Man” view of history oversimplifies the past by attributing major historical events to the actions of a few influential individuals, while ignoring broader social, economic and cultural forces.

    Nonetheless, it continues to have broad appeal. It’s very popular among corporate leaders, for example, many of whom like to portray themselves as visionaries, with their business successes proof of their genius.

    Trump’s garden of heroes reflects his penchant for celebrating wealth, champions and successes, akin to what Walt Disney tried to capture with his Disney World ride Carousel of Progress, which highlights American technological advances.

    A national redundancy?

    However, the U.S. already has a national statuary hall, which opened in the U.S. Capitol in 1870. Each state has contributed two statues; for example, Massachusetts honors Samuel Adams and John Winthrop, while Ohio celebrates James Garfield and Thomas Edison.

    Today there are 102 statutes, though just 14 women.

    Importantly, the roster is fluid – not set in stone – and reflects debates over whom the nation ought to celebrate.

    Over time, the representation has become slightly more inclusive. The first woman, Illinois educator Frances Willard, was added in 1905. Only in 2022 did a Black American appear, when educator Mary Bethune replaced a Confederate general from Florida. And in 2024, Johnny Cash replaced James Paul Clarke, a former governor and senator from Arkansas with Confederate sympathies.

    Family members and elected officials attend the unveiling of the statue of Johnny Cash at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 24, 2024.
    Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

    What about everyday Americans?

    We don’t think there’s anything wrong with celebrating and honoring popular figures in American history. But we do think there’s an issue when it comes at the expense of other historical and archival projects.

    The New York Times reported that US$34 million for the project would come from funds formerly allocated to the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities, whose budget has been cut by 85%.

    Many of the grants that have been slashed explore, celebrate and preserve history in ways that stand in stark contrast to a statue garden. They involve, as Gal Beckerman writes in the Atlantic, efforts that “are about asking questions, about uncovering hidden or overlooked experiences, about closely examining texts or adding to the public record.”

    They include one that supports the digitization of local newspapers and archival records; another to collect and preserve oral histories of local communities; a grant that funds the production of documentaries and podcasts about local communities; traveling exhibitions that bring items from the Smithsonian’s collection to small towns and rural areas; and a grant to fund the collection of first-person accounts of Native Americans who attended U.S. government-run boarding schools.

    These and countless similar history projects serve millions of people far from Washington, and they have broad support from lawmakers and citizens of all political stripes.

    In 1938, as forces of fascism gathered in Europe, a Connecticut high school social science teacher said, “The greatest need of America, on the threshold of the greatest epoch of its history, is citizens who understand the past out of which the nation has grown. … Let us look into the souls of the leaders and the common people who have made America great.”

    In his 2016 campaign, Trump promised to work on behalf of everyday Americans – the “forgotten man and woman.” But the proposed statue garden of famous figures cuts out the common people from America’s story – not just as subjects of history, but as its stewards for future generations.

    With funds slashed from organizations dedicated to local history, we wonder how many more stories will go untold.

    Jennifer Tucker has received funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities for research that examines the social and cultural role of modern technology, such as facial recognition, through a historical lens.

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

    – ref. Trump’s ‘Garden of American Heroes’ is a monument to celebrity and achievement – paid for with history funding that benefits everyday Americans – https://theconversation.com/trumps-garden-of-american-heroes-is-a-monument-to-celebrity-and-achievement-paid-for-with-history-funding-that-benefits-everyday-americans-254564

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Colors are objective, according to two philosophers − even though the blue you see doesn’t match what I see

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Elay Shech, Professor of Philosophy, Auburn University

    What appear to be blue and green spirals are actually the same color. Akiyoshi Kitaoka

    Is your green my green? Probably not. What appears as pure green to me will likely look a bit yellowish or blueish to you. This is because visual systems vary from person to person. Moreover, an object’s color may appear differently against different backgrounds or under different lighting.

    These facts might naturally lead you to think that colors are subjective. That, unlike features such as length and temperature, colors are not objective features. Either nothing has a true color, or colors are relative to observers and their viewing conditions.

    But perceptual variation has misled you. We are philosophers who study colors, objectivity and science, and we argue in our book “The Metaphysics of Colors” that colors are as objective as length and temperature.

    Perceptual variation

    There is a surprising amount of variation in how people perceive the world. If you offer a group of people a spectrum of color chips ranging from chartreuse to purple and asked them to pick the unique green chip – the chip with no yellow or blue in it – their choices would vary considerably. Indeed, there wouldn’t be a single chip that most observers would agree is unique green.

    Generally, an object’s background can result in dramatic changes in how you perceive its colors. If you place a gray object against a lighter background, it will appear darker than if you place it against a darker background. This variation in perception is perhaps most striking when viewing an object under different lighting, where a red apple could look green or blue.

    Of course, that you experience something differently does not prove that what is experienced is not objective. Water that feels cold to one person may not feel cold to another. And although we do not know who is feeling the water “correctly,” or whether that question even makes sense, we can know the temperature of the water and presume that this temperature is independent of your experience.

    Similarly, that you can change the appearance of something’s color is not the same as changing its color. You can make an apple look green or blue, but that is not evidence that the apple is not red.

    Under different lighting conditions, objects take on different colors.
    Gyozo Vaczi/iStock via Getty Images Plus

    For comparison, the Moon appears larger when it’s on the horizon than when it appears near its zenith. But the size of the Moon has not changed, only its appearance. Hence, that the appearance of an object’s color or size varies is, by itself, no reason to think that its color and size are not objective features of the object. In other words, the properties of an object are independent of how they appear to you.

    That said, given that there is so much variation in how objects appear, how do you determine what color something actually is? Is there a way to determine the color of something despite the many different experiences you might have of it?

    Matching colors

    Perhaps determining the color of something is to determine whether it is red or blue. But we suggest a different approach. Notice that squares that appear to be the same shade of pink against different backgrounds look different against the same background.

    The smaller squares may appear to be the same color, but if you compare them with the strip of squares at the bottom, they’re actually different shades.
    Shobdohin/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

    It’s easy to assume that to prove colors are objective would require knowing which observers, lighting conditions and backgrounds are the best, or “normal.” But determining the right observers and viewing conditions is not required for determining the very specific color of an object, regardless of its name. And it is not required to determine whether two objects have the same color.

    To determine whether two objects have the same color, an observer would need to view the objects side by side against the same background and under various lighting conditions. If you painted part of a room and find that you don’t have enough paint, for instance, finding a match might be very tricky. A color match requires that no observer under any lighting condition will see a difference between the new paint and the old.

    Is the dress yellow and white or black and blue?

    That two people can determine whether two objects have the same color even if they don’t agree on exactly what that color is – just as a pool of water can have a particular temperature without feeling the same to me and you – seems like compelling evidence to us that colors are objective features of our world.

    Colors, science and indispensability

    Everyday interactions with colors – such as matching paint samples, determining whether your shirt and pants clash, and even your ability to interpret works of art – are hard to explain if colors are not objective features of objects. But if you turn to science and look at the many ways that researchers think about colors, it becomes harder still.

    For example, in the field of color science, scientific laws are used to explain how objects and light affect perception and the colors of other objects. Such laws, for instance, predict what happens when you mix colored pigments, when you view contrasting colors simultaneously or successively, and when you look at colored objects in various lighting conditions.

    The philosophers Hilary Putnam and Willard van Orman Quine made famous what is known as the indispensability argument. The basic idea is that if something is indispensable to science, then it must be real and objective – otherwise, science wouldn’t work as well as it does.

    For example, you may wonder whether unobservable entities such as electrons and electromagnetic fields really exist. But, so the argument goes, the best scientific explanations assume the existence of such entities and so they must exist. Similarly, because mathematics is indispensable to contemporary science, some philosophers argue that this means mathematical objects are objective and exist independently of a person’s mind.

    The color of an animal can exert evolutionary pressure.
    Paul Starosta/Stone via Getty Images

    Likewise, we suggest that color plays an indispensable role in evolutionary biology. For example, researchers have argued that aposematism – the use of colors to signal a warning for predators – also benefits an animal’s ability to gather resources. Here, an animal’s coloration works directly to expand its food-gathering niche insofar as it informs potential predators that the animal is poisonous or venomous.

    In fact, animals can exploit the fact that the same color pattern can be perceived differently by different perceivers. For instance, some damselfish have ultraviolet face patterns that help them be recognized by other members of their species and communicate with potential mates while remaining largely hidden to predators unable to perceive ultraviolet colors.

    In sum, our ability to determine whether objects are colored the same or differently and the indispensable roles they play in science suggest that colors are as real and objective as length and temperature.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Colors are objective, according to two philosophers − even though the blue you see doesn’t match what I see – https://theconversation.com/colors-are-objective-according-to-two-philosophers-even-though-the-blue-you-see-doesnt-match-what-i-see-234467

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: These 4 tips can make screen time good for your kids and even help them learn to talk

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Erika Squires, Assistant Professor, Wayne State University

    Getting involved when your kids are watching digital media can make it an educational experience, rather than just entertainment. damircudic/E+ via Getty Images

    Screen time permeates the lives of toddlers and preschoolers. For many young children, their exposure includes both direct viewing, such as watching a TV show, and indirect viewing, such as when media is on in the background during other daily activities.

    As many parents will know, research points to several negative effects of screen time. As scholars who specialize in speech pathology and early childhood development, we are particularly interested in the recent finding that too much screen time is associated with less parent-child talk, such as fewer conversational turns between parents and children.

    As a result, the American Academy of Pediatrics and World Health Organization suggest limiting screen time for children.

    Beyond quantity, they also emphasize the quality of a child’s engagement with digital media. Used in moderation, certain kinds of media can have educational and social benefits for children – and even contribute to language development.

    These tips may help parents structure and manage screen time more effectively.

    No. 1: Choose high-quality content

    Parents can enhance their children’s screen-time value by choosing high-quality media – that is, content with educational benefit. PBS Kids has many popular shows, from “Nature Cat” to “Sid the Science Kid,” that would qualify as educational.

    Two other elements contribute to the quality of screen time.

    First, screen content should be age-appropriate – that is, parents should choose shows, apps and games that are specifically designed for young children. Using a resource such as Common Sense Media allows parents to check recommended ages for television shows, movies and apps.

    Second, parents can look for shows that use evidence-based educational techniques, such as participatory cues. That’s when characters in shows break the “third wall” by directly talking to their young audience to prompt reflection, action or response. Research shows that children learn new words better when a show has participatory cues – perhaps because it encourages active engagement rather than passive viewing.

    Many classic, high-quality television shows for young children feature participatory cues, including “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse,” “Dora the Explorer,” “Go Diego Go!” and “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.”

    No. 2: Join in on screen time

    The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents and children watch media together whenever possible.

    Screen time doesn’t have to look like this.
    kbeis/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images

    This recommendation is based on the evidence that increased screen media use can reduce parent-child conversation. This, in turn, can affect language development. Intentionally discussing media content with children increases language exposure during screen time.

    Parents may find the following joint media engagement strategies useful:

    • Press pause and ask questions.
    • Point out basic concepts, such as letters and colors.
    • Model more advanced language using a “think aloud” approach, such as, “That surprised me! I wonder what will happen next?”

    No. 3: Connect what’s on screen to real life

    Learning from media is challenging for young children because their brains struggle to transfer information and ideas from screens to the real world. Children learn more from screen media, research shows, when the content connects to their real-life experiences.

    To maximize the benefits of screen time, parents can help children connect what they are viewing with experiences they’ve had. For example, while watching content together, a parent might say, “They’re going to the zoo. Do you remember what we saw when we went to the zoo?”

    This approach promotes language development and cognitive skills, including attention and memory. Children learn better with repeated exposure to words, so selecting media that relates to a child’s real-life experiences can help reinforce new vocabulary.

    No. 4: Enjoy screen-free times

    Ensuring that a child’s day is filled with varied experiences, including periods that don’t involve screens, increases language exposure in children’s daily routines.

    Two ideal screen-free times are mealtimes and bedtime. Mealtimes present opportunities for back-and-forth conversation with children, exposing them to a lot of language. Additionally, bedtime should be screen-free, as using screens near bedtime or having a TV in children’s bedrooms disrupts sleep.

    Alternatively, devoting bedtime to reading children’s books accomplishes the dual goals of helping children wind down and creating a language-rich routine.

    Having additional screen-free, one-on-one, parent-child play for at least 10 minutes at some other point in the day is good for young children. Parents can maximize the benefits of one-on-one play by letting their children decide what and how to play.

    Even in small doses, parent-child playtime is important.
    Vera Livchak/Moment via Getty Images

    A parent’s role here is to follow their child’s lead, play along, give their child their full attention – so no phones for mom or dad, either – and provide language enrichment. They can do this by labeling toys, pointing out shapes, colors and sizes. It can also be done by describing activities – “You’re rolling the car across the floor” – and responding when their child speaks.

    Parent-child playtime is also a great opportunity to extend interests from screen time. Including toys of your child’s favorite characters from the shows or movies they love in playtime transforms that enjoyment from screen time into learning.

    Lucy (Kathleen) McGoron receives funding from Michigan Health Endowment fund and SAMHSA.

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

    – ref. These 4 tips can make screen time good for your kids and even help them learn to talk – https://theconversation.com/these-4-tips-can-make-screen-time-good-for-your-kids-and-even-help-them-learn-to-talk-242580

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Hotter and drier climate in Colorado’s San Luis Valley contributes to kidney disease in agriculture workers, new study shows

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Katherine Ann James, Associate Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

    Agricultural workers exposed to a hotter and drier climate are at an increased risk of kidney damage. George Rose/via Getty Images

    Heat and humidity contributed to kidney damage and disease in the San Luis Valley in Colorado between 1984 and 1998, according to our recently published work in the peer-reviewed journal Weather, Climate, and Society.

    The San Luis Valley is the largest high valley desert in North America. Many of its residents work in agriculture and are exposed to worsening air quality. That decline is due to increased wildfires, dust and temperatures, in combination with low humidity. This change was in part caused by the region’s climate becoming more arid due to a 23-year drought.

    I’m an environmental epidemiologist with an engineering background. For nearly two decades, I have partnered with the San Luis Valley community to investigate how water systems affect human health. Over the past eight years, my team’s research has focused on the far-reaching human health effects of the drought in the area.

    In this study, we used data from a cohort of people in the San Luis Valley who were originally recruited for research on the risk factors for Type 2 diabetes. Researchers often look to established datasets to evaluate new hypotheses because it avoids the need to recruit new study participants. This dataset includes 15 years of clinical, behavioral, demographic, genetic and environmental exposure data. Using it in our recent study allowed us to evaluate the impacts of drought conditions on kidney health.

    Our study suggests that a 10% decline in humidity is associated with a 2% increase in risk for acute kidney injury, while accounting for known risk factors for kidney disease. Those risk factors include age, sex, diabetes and hypertension.

    These findings are supported by our previous study that examined the effects of drought and heat on emergency and urgent care visits for kidney-related issues between 2003 and 2017 in the San Luis Valley.

    The two studies align with growing evidence that climate-related changes, particularly heat and humidity, are contributing to kidney injury. Over time, this means that more people are developing chronic kidney disease.

    Why it matters

    Globally, 10% of the population has kidney disease. In 2021, kidney diseases were the ninth leading cause of death worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. People experiencing poverty or limited access to health care are disproportionately affected.

    In the U.S., more than 1 in 7 adults has chronic kidney disease. That does not account for those with undiagnosed kidney disease.

    Extended exposure to drought conditions coupled with inadequate water intake has been linked to kidney stones, acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease.

    Dehydration, especially in outdoor workers who labor in hot or dry conditions, is a known contributor to both acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease.

    Acute kidney injury is characterized by a reduction in kidney function that is reversible.

    Chronic kidney disease is kidney damage that is progressive and may not be reversible.

    Studies in Florida and California have shown declining kidney health in agriculture workers as working conditions are becoming hotter and drier.

    Outdoor workers in agriculture, forestry, mining, ranching and construction are susceptible to the effects of changing outdoor conditions coupled with physical labor. This combination exacerbates dehydration and leads to acute and chronic kidney disease.

    What other research is being done

    In addition to these studies, our research team is involved in other projects aimed at addressing the health impacts of a changing climate.

    One such initiative is the Mountain West Climate-Health Engagement Hub, which focuses on reducing exposure to decreased air quality. This includes the deployment of do-it-yourself air filters and development of low-cost, point-of-use water filters to mitigate exposure to the secondary effects of drought.

    Do-it-yourself air filters can reduce exposure to decreased air quality.
    The Washington Post/Getty Images

    In the Centers for Health, Work & Environment, where I am affiliated, multiple national and international studies are focused on agriculture workers, farm owners and ranchers.

    These studies examine how heat, air quality and drought affect kidney, cardiovascular and mental health. These broader studies aim to inform policy and interventions to safeguard the health of workers globally and particularly in regions most vulnerable to climate change.

    The Research Brief is a short take on interesting academic work.

    Katherine Ann James receives funding from National Institutes of Health and CDC-National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health

    – ref. Hotter and drier climate in Colorado’s San Luis Valley contributes to kidney disease in agriculture workers, new study shows – https://theconversation.com/hotter-and-drier-climate-in-colorados-san-luis-valley-contributes-to-kidney-disease-in-agriculture-workers-new-study-shows-248402

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –