Category: Universities

MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK-backed AI companies to transform British cancer care and spark new drug breakthroughs
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

New AI models to diagnose and treat cancer and other incurable diseases will be made possible thanks to joint public-private investment giving flexible funding to British AI firms and researchers.
£82 million for 3 UK research projects Match-funding for European compute partnership.

£82.6 million in new flexible forms of research funding to support UK companies tackling cancer and accelerating drug discovery using AI and more

Collaboration between British and European experts on AI and High-Performance Computing gets match-funding boost

Backing for both these schemes shows the UK’s commitment to seizing the potential of new technologies like AI, to drive forward the Plan for Change

The UK government is today (Tuesday 11 February) unveiling £82.6 million in new flexible forms of research funding, plus a new commitment to give UK researchers access to cutting-edge computing resources as part of a plan to unlock the power of AI.

Two of the three projects benefiting from this support, which is helping to pioneer new ways of conducting research, will harness the power of AI to develop treatments and diagnostics for diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s.

Coming as day two of the AI Action Summit gets underway, this is the latest evidence of the government’s commitment to seizing the potential of new technologies like AI to drive forward the Plan for Change, delivering economic growth and progress in key fields like health.

The government is putting £37.9 million backing behind three innovative British research projects, the Research Ventures Catalyst (RVC) programme. Together with a further £44.7 million in co-investment across the three projects, from other sources, this makes for a total £82.6 million backing.

The RVC programme is delivering novel ways of funding groundbreaking research, such as endowments, which are flexible and reflect the real needs of cutting-edge innovators. Too often, inflexible funding has been a barrier to some of the most innovative and creative research or has been an obstacle to new innovative businesses looking to scale-up. The RVC programme will support pioneering work training AI on the NHS’s vast pool of cancer data, drug discovery research, and more.

Today also sees the government expand UK involvement in the European High-Performance Computing (EuroHPC) Joint Undertaking by committing £7.8 million to fund UK researchers and businesses’ participation in EuroHPC research. This will mean British AI and high-performance computing researchers can work unobstructed with their peers across Europe. International collaboration and broad access to computational resources will be key to unlocking the benefits AI promises to deliver across society and the economy.

These announcements come on the final day of the AI Action Summit in France, where world leaders and AI companies have been holding a series of talks focused on the opportunities the technology can deliver for communities across the globe. The opportunities of AI are an area the UK government has placed a heavy focus on to kickstart 2025 – unveiling a new blueprint with 50 proposals in January which will spark a decade of national renewal.

Science and Technology Secretary, Peter Kyle said:

The focus of this Summit has been on how we can put AI to work in the public interest, and today’s announcements are living proof of how the UK is leading that charge through our Plan for Change.

We’ve already set out a bold new blueprint for AI which will help to spark a decade of national renewal, and key to that plan is supporting our expert researchers and businesses with the support they need to drive forward their game-changing innovations.

Today, we open new avenues for them to do exactly that – building bridges with our international partners so the entire global community can share in the boundless opportunities of AI-powered progress and backing new innovative companies applying AI to tackle real-world challenges.

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said:

NHS innovation saved my life when I was diagnosed with cancer and treated by a world-class surgeon equipped with a robot. I want more patients to benefit from this kind of groundbreaking treatment, and AI will be central to our efforts.

This new funding is another step to unlock the enormous potential of AI for cancer research and drug discovery – ensuring more patients like me experience the highest quality care.

AI will help us speed up diagnoses, cut waiting times for patients and free up staff, as we deliver our Plan for Change and shift the NHS from analogue to digital.

EuroHPC is a high-powered compute partnership which pools EU resources with those of participating states. Businesses and researchers will now be supported to participate in EuroHPC research grants in the development of supercomputers and in their deployment to tackle the most pressing scientific challenges, working in tandem with like-minded partners on the continent. UKRI will work with businesses and researchers to support them to apply for grants where match-funding is available.

The three projects being supported by the Research Ventures Catalyst (RVC) programme.

PharosAI

£18.9 million government funding plus £24.7 million co-investment. PharosAI, whose King’s College London site is being visited by AI Minister Clark today, will bring together decades of NHS and Biobank data and host it on a unified, powerful, secure, AI platform. This will revolutionise cancer care by accelerating the development of the next generation of AI models which will deliver new breakthroughs for diagnosing and treating the disease – transforming outcomes for patients and saving lives.

Professor Anita Grigoriadis, Professor of Molecular and Digital Pathology at King’s College London, CEO of PharosAI said:

AI has the potential to revolutionise cancer care. The UK has a real opportunity to be a major innovator, leading to faster diagnosis, novel and more targeted cancer treatments, and better-informed healthcare for patients. PharosAI will democratise cancer AI and create an ecosystem to navigate the path to AI-powered precision medicine. Thanks to the RVC programme, we will build an unique operational approach between King’s College London, Queen Mary University of London, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, Barts Health Trust and industry partners. Our innovative collaboration will accelerate scientific breakthroughs and bring vastly improved cancer care to tomorrow’s patients.

Bind Research

£12.9 million government funding plus £12.9 million co-investment. The team at Bind Research meanwhile will tap into AI to learn the rules of drugging currently undruggable proteins, offering hope to cure diseases that were once thought to be untreatable. It will do this by targeting disordered proteins associated with various diseases which could unlock scores of new avenues for treatment – potentially giving thousands of patients across the country a new lifeline.

Dr Gabi Heller, Dr Thomas Löhr, and Dr Gogulan Karunanithy, scientific co-founders, Bind Research said:

The Research Ventures Catalyst Programme has been a game changer for Bind Research. It allowed us to reimagine our approach by adopting a not-for-profit Focused Research Organisation model – a strategy that, until now, was largely uncharted territory in the UK. This innovative structure enables us to harness collective expertise to deliver AI-enhanced tools and datasets as public goods to advance our mission of making disordered proteins druggable for everyone.

MEMetic

£6.1 million government funding plus £7.1 million co-investment. MEMetic will receive funding for work to revolutionise water management by combining nature’s highly evolved solutions with state-of-the-art polymer chemistry. This will support them to develop new solutions in a range of fields from lithium recovery in battery recycling, to facilitating clean water access – helping the world tackle the climate crisis.

Professor Alan Goddard and Dr Matthew Derry, Aston University said:

MEMetic represents the culmination of years of planning a significant, challenging, interdisciplinary research program which promises massive real-world benefits. This RVC award will allow us to leverage our fundamental science to create bespoke bioinspired filtration membranes for a range of industries. Such research really requires long term funding which is set up to take research to an applied setting and the Research Venture we envisage perfectly matches our philanthropic aims for water treatment for all.

Notes to editors

PharosAI is a joint venture between King’s College London, Queen Mary University of London, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, and Barts Health NHS Trust.

MEMetic is led by researchers at the Aston Institute for Membrane Excellence at Aston University.

DSIT media enquiries

Email press@dsit.gov.uk

Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 6pm 020 7215 300

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Published 11 February 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
February 11, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Is Steve Smith set to become the best? What data says about Test cricket’s elite 10,000+ run club

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ronnie Das, Associate Professor in Data Analytics, The University of Western Australia

In the recent Border-Gavaskar series against India, Steve Smith agonisingly missed out reaching 10,000 Test runs in front of his home crowd at the Sydney Cricket Ground, falling short by just one run.

However he entered the “10K club” in style after hitting his 35th century against Sri Lanka in the series won by Australia, 2-0.

Smith is now the 15th batsman to join the exclusive club and the fourth Australian to do so, after Allan Border, Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting.

The illustrious group of players who have reached 10,000 is headed by Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar (15,921 runs) with Ponting (13,378) second and South African Jacques Kallis (13,289) third.

Among this group, Tendulkar, the West Indies’ Brian Lara and Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara were fastest to 10,000 in terms of innings batted (195), just ahead of Ponting (196). Smith was fifth fastest (205 innings).

But where does Smith sit among this group of truly elite batsmen? How does he compare to his fellow Australians? And can he eventually reach the pinnacle and overtake Tendulkar at the top of the mountain?

The challenges of modern cricket

Modern day cricket is physically, emotionally and psychologically demanding.

The physical demands, coupled with fixture congestion, make it tough on athletes’ bodies. Research also suggests psychological pressures have a heightened impact on players’ thinking, feeling and overall performances.

The evolution of lucrative Twenty20 games has also meant cricketers often play in these shorter-format leagues instead of resting between Test series.

Smith is one of many elite cricketers still playing all three formats of the sport.

While some batsmen continue to score well into their late 30s, more often than not performance declines in these twilight years of a batter’s career.

Smith turns 36 in June.

Judging the best

The 10,000 run club is the hallmark of batting excellence in Test cricket.

It is regarded as the pinnacle of a batsman’s career achievement.

Together (at the time of writing) the players in the 10K club have scored 181,947 runs, with 541 centuries and 818 half centuries.

The highest individual score belongs to Lara, who scored 400 (not out) against England in 2004.

Lara also maintained a very high strike rate (60.51) throughout his career.

A strike rate is a batsman’s run scoring efficiency per 100 balls – the higher the strike rate, the faster the batter scores. A higher strike rate puts more pressure on opposition bowlers and when a batter scores quickly, it allows more time for their team’s bowlers to take the 20 wickets required for a Test victory.

Only Ponting (a strike rate of 58.72 per 100 balls) closely matches Lara’s calibre, but England’s Joe Root (57.47) is enjoying a late-career renaissance and is closing the gap.

Compare that to the Border and Sunil Gavaskar era (late 1970s–early 1990s) when runs were not as easy to come by – these two ended their career with low (41.09 and 43.35 respectively) strike rates.

What about Smith?

In his second match, his strike rate was an exceptionally high 75.75 but, since then it has dipped to 53.58 as Smith has become a more balanced batsman.

Another way to judge a batter’s impact is their centuries per innings rate.

Smith has the highest century per innings rate (17.48%) among the 10K club.
He recently scored his 36th century, matching his modern-day peer, Root. But Root has played 72 additional innings.

In terms of overall centuries, Tendulkar leads the way having scored a staggering 51 centuries during his Test career (six more than Kallis, in second). However, Tendulkar did it over a mammoth 329 innings – 38 more than anyone else on the list.

How the Australians compare

Across generations, the four Australians have shown different styles of play in achieving the landmark.

Data shows Border was the most consistent player among them, with his average remaining relatively steady through his career, while Waugh improved his performance after a lacklustre start to his career.

Smith hit his peak at around his 75th match and Ponting around his 115th match, before their run scoring dropped.

In terms of batting positions, data suggests Smith has scored most of his runs coming in at number four. Border was most dominant coming in at four and five.

Ponting dominated as a number three batsman, while Waugh was very consistent at number five.

How far can Smith go?

Considering Smith’s age (35), current form and the physical demands of modern cricket, our findings suggest it will take him at least another three to four years to surpass Ponting.

That may be achievable but Smith’s year-long ban after the 2018 “sandpapergate saga” makes reaching Tendulkar’s mark extremely unlikely.

However, there is a chance Smith ends up with the best average in the club.

His batting average currently sits at 56.74, with only Sangakkara (57.4) higher.

Considering his current form, with four centuries in his past five Test matches, there’s every chance this modern-day great retires atop the tree in that metric at least.

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

– ref. Is Steve Smith set to become the best? What data says about Test cricket’s elite 10,000+ run club – https://theconversation.com/is-steve-smith-set-to-become-the-best-what-data-says-about-test-crickets-elite-10-000-run-club-248891

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

February 11, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: As Trump abandons the old world order, NZ must find its place in a new ‘Pax Autocratica’

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris Ogden, Associate Professor in Global Studies, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

Donald Trump is moving rapidly to change the contours of contemporary international affairs, with the old US-dominated world order breaking down into a multipolar one with many centres of power.

The shift already includes the US leaving the World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Accords, questioning the value of the United Nations, and radical cuts to the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

Such a new geopolitical age also involves an assertion of raw power, with Trump using the threat of tariffs to assert global authority and negotiating positions.

While the US is not significantly less powerful, this new era may see it wield that power in more openly self-interested and isolationist ways. As new US Secretary of State Marco Rubio put it in January, “the post-war global order is not just obsolete – it is now a weapon being used against us”.

With global democracy in retreat, the emerging international order looks to be moving in an authoritarian direction. As it does, the position of New Zealand’s vibrant democracy will come under mounting pressure.

But world orders have come and gone for millennia, reflecting the ebb and flow of global economic, political and military power. Looking back to previous eras, and how countries and cultures responded to shifting geopolitical realities, can help us understand what is happening more clearly.

An evolving world order

Previous orders have often focused on specific centres – or “poles” – of power. These include the Concert of Europe from 1814 to 1914, the bipolar world of the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union, and the unipolar world of American dominance after the end of the Cold War and since the September 11 attacks in 2001.

Periods of single-power dominance (or hegemony) are referred to as a “pax”, from the Latin for “peace”. We have seen the Pax Romana of the Roman Empire (27 BCE to 180 AD), multiple Pax Sinicas around China (most recently the Qing Dynasty 1644 to 1912), Pax Mongolica (the Mongol Empire from 1271 to 1368) and Pax Britannica (the British Empire from 1815 to 1924).

It is the Pax Americana of the US, from 1945 to the present, that Trump seems bent on dismantling. We now live in an international order that is visibly in flux. With autocracy on the rise and the US at is vanguard, a “Pax Autocratica” is emerging.

This is accentuated by the rapid rise of Asia as the main sphere of economic and military growth, particularly China and India. The world’s two most populous countries had the world’s largest and third largest economies respectively in 2023, and the second and fourth highest levels of military spending.

The simultaneous rise of multiple power centres was already challenging the Pax Americana. Now, a new international order appears to be a certainty, with Trump openly adapting to multipolarity. Several major powers now compete for global influence, rather than any one country dominating.

China’s preference for a multipolar international order is shared by India and Russia. Without one dominant entity, it will be the political and social basis of this order, as determined by its major actors, that matters most – not who leads it.

Pax Democratica

The current (now waning) international order has been underpinned by specific social, political and economic values stemming from the national identity and historical experience of the US.

According to US political expert G. John Ikenberry, former president Woodrow Wilson’s agenda for peace after the first world war sought to “reflect distinctive American ideas and ideals”.

Woodrow imagined an order based on collective security and shared sovereignty, liberal principles of democracy and universal human rights, free trade and international law.

As its dominance and military strength increased in the 20th century, the US also provided security to other countries. Such power enabled Washington to create open global trade markets, as well as build core global institutions like the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organization, United Nations and NATO.

For Ikenberry, this Pax Americana (we might call it a Pax Democratica) rested on consent to the US’s “provision of security, wealth creation, and social advancement”. This was aided by the its more than 800 military bases in over 80 countries.

The democratic deficit

Trump undercuts the central tenets of this liberal world order and accelerates a slide towards authoritarianism. Like Russia, India and China, the US is also actively constraining human rights, attacking minorities and weakening its electoral system.

This democratic retreat leaves a country such as New Zealand in a global minority. If Trump targets the region or country with economic tariffs, that precariousness might increase.

On the other hand, previous world orders have not been truly hegemonic. Pax Britannica did not encompass the entire world. Nor did Pax Americana, which didn’t include China, India, the former Soviet bloc, much of the Islamic world and many developing countries.

This suggests pockets of democracy can survive within a Pax Autocratica, especially in a multipolar world which is more tolerant of political independence.

The Economist Intelligence Unit’s 2023 Democracy Index ranked New Zealand, the Nordic countries, Switzerland, Iceland and Ireland highest because their citizens

choose their political leaders in free and fair elections, enjoy civil liberties, prefer democracy over other political systems, can and do participate in politics, and have a functioning government that acts on their behalf.

It is these countries that can be at the vanguard of democratic resilience.

Chris Ogden is a Senior Research Fellow with The Foreign Policy Centre, London.

– ref. As Trump abandons the old world order, NZ must find its place in a new ‘Pax Autocratica’ – https://theconversation.com/as-trump-abandons-the-old-world-order-nz-must-find-its-place-in-a-new-pax-autocratica-249358

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

February 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: MIL Analysis – Five best articles in Russian for 10.02.2025

MIL Analysis: Here are the top five Russian language articles published today. The analysis consists of five articles that are prioritized at the moment.

Today’s analysis provides us with economic performance and engagement with different communities. There is also a trend towards respect for human rights. The economy in China is growing and prospering.

Education is increasing computerization skills and introducing artificial intelligence.

“Samaraneftegaz” shows the innovative activities of Rosneft. Oil reserves have grown. In addition, science is developing day by day, so NSU scientists have developed a technique for measuring ultra-low concentrations of radioactive substances.

Below you can read one of the articles.

1. Financial news: Rules for managing conflicts of interest for NPFs.

Non-state pension funds (NPFs) will be required to identify and manage conflicts of interest. Funds will be able to allow conflicts to arise only if they have notified their clients and their rights are not violated. The Ministry of Justice of Russia has registered the corresponding decree of the Bank of Russia.

2. Cultural Code of the Celestial Empire: How to Do Business in China.

Higher School of Economics

By 2035, China will overtake the US in terms of GDP and become the world’s largest economy. Today, there are over 108 million entrepreneurs and 50 million industrial enterprises in this country. Last year, the economy grew by 4.8%. This opens up unique opportunities for Russian companies. Vysshka experts tell us how to enter one of the most promising markets.

3. Vyshka launches advanced training course on AI in education.

The Computer Science Department of the National Research University Higher School of Economics is launching an advanced training course on artificial intelligence in education. The program is designed for educators, teachers, methodologists planning to integrate AI technologies into the educational process, as well as for management teams of educational institutions interested in improving educational processes through the introduction of AI.

4. “Samaraneftegaz replenished oil reserves by 180%.

“Samaraneftegaz (part of Rosneft’s oil production complex) added 19 million tons of commercial oil reserves by the end of 2024, which made it possible to replenish oil production 1.8 times.

5. NSU scientists have developed a methodology for determining ultra-low concentrations of radioactive substances.

Scientists of the Physics Department of Novosibirsk State University have developed a technique for measuring ultra-small concentrations of radioactive substances whose decay is accompanied by gamma radiation. Data collection is carried out using a detector made of ultrapure germanium, which is part of the equipment of the NSU Interdepartmental Laboratory of Atomic Physics and Spectrometry; a special hardware and software system has been created for data processing. The first project implemented with the use of this technique is research work to determine the level of radioactive substances (radon) in the soil of mines and coal mines in the Kemerovo region.

Learn more about MIL’s content and data services by visiting milnz.co.nz.

Regards MIL!

MIL OSI Russia News –

February 11, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: News 02/10/2025 Blackburn, Baldwin Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Support Tennessee Small Dairy Businesses
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) introduced the Dairy Business Innovation Act to strengthen the Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives (DBII) to help more American dairy farmers and processors add value to their businesses, including creating new products, expanding their markets, and modernizing their production facilities:

“The dairy industry is an essential part of the American economy. It is crucial that we provide the resources that dairies in Tennessee need to expand and create new products,” said Senator Blackburn. “With many small Tennessee dairies struggling to remain open, this bill will allow these businesses to diversify and expand their market competitiveness.”

“My Dairy Business Innovation Initiative has helped Wisconsin dairy farmers, producers, and cheesemakers grow their operations, tap into new markets, and innovate new products,” said Senator Baldwin. “From expanding facilities and growing their operations to improving packaging and lowering their shipping costs, this program has helped Wisconsin businesses grow their bottom lines and create jobs in our rural communities. I’m fighting to expand this vital program so more farmers, cheesemakers, and dairy processors have the tools to innovate and drive our rural economy forward.”

DAIRY BUSINESS INNOVATION ACT:
- The DBII program was created in the 2018 Farm Bill, establishing multiple dairy business and innovation centers to serve producers across the country. These centers, in partnership with dairy farmers and processors, are spurring innovation in dairy businesses, fostering the development of new dairy products and modernizing existing dairy plants. As a result, the program has gone on to add value to the milk produced by American farmers and expand their market access.
- Each regional initiative is tasked with providing technical assistance and grants to farmers and processors, including:
- The Dairy Business Innovation Act builds on the support for regional dairy research and innovation centers across the country by raising the program’s annual authorization from $20 million to $36 million.
ENDORSEMENTS:

The legislation is endorsed by the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation, University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, National Milk Producers Federation, Organic Valley, and International Dairy Foods Association.

“Tennessee’s dairy farmers are an integral part of our rural economy and provide wholesome, nutritious milk products to consumers. We thank Senators Blackburn and Baldwin for filing the Dairy Business Innovation Initiative which will be a successful opportunity for dairy farmers to add value to their milk and increase on-farm profitability. Further investments into DBII can create increased opportunities for consumers to access local dairy products and support their regional agricultural economy.” – Eric Mayberry, President of the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation

“We are grateful to Senators Blackburn and Baldwin for their support of the Dairy Business Innovation Act. It has had a historic impact on our Tennessee dairy industry and the development of the new Center for Dairy Advancement and Sustainability at the University of Tennessee. These resources will continue to help UTIA provide Real.Life.Solutions. to producers and processors across the region. Additionally, it has provided us with new partnership opportunities around the country.” – Dr. Keith Carver, Senior Vice Chancellor and Senior Vice President of the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture

“The Dairy Business Innovation Act continues to be a critical tool for dairy farms and processors across the Southeast region to overcome a history of low income, limited reinvestment into existing businesses, and high barriers to entry for new dairy businesses. As the program manager for the Southeast region, the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA) strongly supports the continuation and expansion of this valuable assistance to producers, processors, and the allied industries impacted by them. Since 2021, over $17 million has been directly invested into 189 dairy businesses across the 12 states and 1 territory in our region. Within Tennessee, 40 awards totaling almost $3.4 million have supported existing dairy farmers, processors, and emerging value-added dairy ventures. The funding for administration and research around the dairy industry has resulted in 5 new dairy Extension positions across Tennessee, Kentucky, and North Carolina and has increased our understanding of consumer motivations around dairy. The new Center for Dairy Advancement and Sustainability at the University of Tennessee is a direct outcome of these grants, providing a unique hub of food, animal, economic, and consumer interaction to support the dairy industry.” – Dr. Elizabeth Eckelkamp, Southeast Dairy Business Innovation Initiative Program Director and Dairy Extension Specialist at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture

“We thank Senators Baldwin and Blackburn for their continued bipartisan leadership in strengthening the Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives program. Dairy has a storied history of pioneering effective new products and practices as dairy farmers and their cooperatives work to supply the U.S. and the world with nutritious, sustainably produced food. This program helps support researchers and their industry partners working to drive this innovation forward.” – Gregg Doud, President and CEO of National Milk Producers Federation

“Senator Tammy Baldwin and Senator Marsha Blackburn should be commended for a bill that enhances the assets and investments in the U.S. the dairy industry. Dairy is an economic engine in rural communities – we at Organic Valley know dairy processors who are doing more with support from this initiative and American farmers who are better positioned to bring milk to market because of it.” – Adam Warthesen, Vice President of Government and Industry Affairs at Organic Valley

“IDFA applauds Senators Baldwin and Blackburn for introducing the Dairy Business Innovation Act of 2025. The bill promotes innovation in the dairy processing sector and will help industry members work together to address common challenges and create new market opportunities for healthy and nutritious dairy products.” – Michael Dykes, D.V.M., President & CEO of International Dairy Foods Association
MIL OSI USA News –
February 11, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Klobuchar Statement on Cuts to Crucial Health Research Funding

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn)

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) released the following statement on the proposed cut to National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grants. Today, 22 state attorneys general – including Minnesota’s – filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration challenging this action.

“This illegal move endangers critical clinical studies and research, and extinguishes hope for so many Americans looking for cures. At the University of Minnesota alone, it could derail life-saving medical research on cancer, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. NIH research also supports hundreds of thousands of jobs across the country and spurs economic growth, including nearly 8,000 jobs and $1.7 billion of economic activity in Minnesota. This lawsuit is a crucial step to reversing this illegal move that will set back medical innovation and lead to unnecessary suffering.”

MIL OSI USA News –

February 11, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Universities – Covid strategies ‘fell short’ for Pacific people, research finds – UoA

Source: University of Auckland (UoA)

Research on the impacts of Covid-19 highlights high death rates among Pacific people in Aotearoa and the need to provide better support in the future.

A report has just been publicly released – Pacific contribution to the New Zealand COVID-19 response – Strengths, Weaknesses and Missed Opportunities.

It notes that despite the overall success of New Zealand’s response to Covid, Pacific people were hard hit and the response failed to target their needs adequately, says research lead, Professor Sir Collin Tukuitonga, co-director of Te Poutoko Ora a Kiwa – Centre for Pacific and Global Health at the University of Auckland.

“Despite clear and consistent evidence related to the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on Pacific communities, the national response fell short of engaging with Pacific leaders, instead adopting a generic ‘one size fits all’ approach,” the report states.

Pacific people were twice as likely to be hospitalised with Covid as non-Pacific and non-Māori in Aotearoa, according to the research, which was funded by the Ministry of Health and carried out by the Centre for Pacific and Global Health and two Pacific health and social service providers, the Pasifika Medical Association and the Fono.

A far higher percentage of Pacific people aged under 80 died within 28 days of being reported as a case, than those aged under 80 in other ethnic groups. Of the people aged under 59 years who died within 28 days of being reported as a case, 20 percent were Pacific, compared to eight percent of those categorised as European/other ethnicities of the same age.

The experiences of 147 Pacific people were gathered for the report, which states the virus and ensuing lockdowns took a significant toll on the mental health of all the participants.

Media coverage named a Pacific church as central to a large Covid cluster in August 2021, fuelling “racist vilification” of the Sāmoan community, stigma and discrimination, the report says.

“Government officials, media and Pacific community leaders need to collaborate closely and quickly to prevent similar occurrences of racism from media reports for future pandemics,” it states.

Many Pacific people were essential workers, who experienced fear and anxiety of the virus, in addition to racism.

The challenges of lockdowns and self-isolation were exacerbated for many Pacific families living in multi-generational households.

“The findings from the Covid-19 global pandemic emphasise the existing socioeconomic disparities, such as overcrowded living conditions, high rates of co-morbidities, and delayed access to healthcare, contributing to the disproportionate impact on Pacific and Māori communities.

“Recognising and addressing these structural inequalities are essential components of any comprehensive public health strategy aimed at mitigating the impact of pandemics on vulnerable populations,” the report states.

About 28 percent of Pacific peoples felt they couldn’t access mental health support during alert levels two, three and four, and 26 percent felt they could not access healthcare.

The report recommends that in the future, Pacific health services be given clear guidelines as soon as possible, so they can begin outreach work with Pacific communities and ensure patients still receive healthcare for long-term conditions.

It recommends reviewing policies on hospital visitors, because these were the most challenging of all protective measures for Pacific families.

Plans should enable Pacific communities to establish testing and vaccination centres at the beginning of an outbreak and factor in mental health impacts.

The importance of the church in offering guidance, combating misinformation and offering social support during a pandemic is highlighted in the reports.

While vaccine uptake was initially slow among Pacific people, 95 percent were fully vaccinated by December 2021. About 68 percent of the participants said caring for family motivated their decision to get vaccinated.

Pacific households faced disproportionate economic hardship during 2020 compared to the general population, with 18 percent of households losing half of their income or more.

Education also suffered, as online learning replaced classroom teaching. The research found 20 percent of Pacific students did not have or did not know if they had access to a device at home for distance learning.

“Long-term impacts of loss in learning and disengagement from school require further investigation,” the report states.

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

February 11, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Stephanie Getty: Exploring the Universe with Curiosity and Wonder

Source: NASA

Name: Dr. Stephanie Getty
Title: Director of the Solar System Exploration Division, Sciences and Exploration Directorate and Deputy Principal Investigator of the DAVINCI Mission
Formal Job Classification: Planetary scientist
Organization: Solar System Exploration Division, Sciences and Exploration Directorate (Code 690)

What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard? How do you help support Goddard’s mission?
As the Director of the Solar System Exploration Division, I work from a place of management to support our division’s scientists. As the deputy principal investigator of the DAVINCI (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging) mission, I work with the principal investigator to lead the team in implementing this mission to study the atmosphere of Venus.
I love that I get to work from a place of advocacy in support of my truly excellent, talented colleagues. I get to think strategically to make the most of opportunities and do my best to overcome difficulties for the best possible future for our teams. It’s also a fun challenge that no two days are ever the same!
Why did you become a planetary scientist?
In school, I had a lot of interests and space was always one of them. I also loved reading, writing, math, biology, and chemistry. Being a planetary scientist touches on all of these.
My dad inspired me become a scientist because he loved his telescope and photography including of celestial bodies. We watched Carl Sagan’s “Cosmos” often.
I grew up in southeastern Florida, near Fort Lauderdale. I have a B.S. and Ph.D. in physics from the University of Florida.
How did you come to Goddard?

I had a post-doctoral fellowship in the physics department at the University of Maryland, and a local connection and a suggestion from my advisor led me to Goddard in 2004.
What is most important to you as director of the Solar System Exploration Division, Sciences and Exploration Directorate?
My goal is to provide a supportive environment for our incredibly talented science community in the Division to thrive, to push discovery forward and improve the understanding of our solar system. It’s a priority to encourage effective and open communication. I really try to value the whole person, recognizing that each of us is three-dimensional, with full personal lives. The people create the culture that allows our scientists to thrive and explore.
What are your goals as deputy principal investigator of the DAVINCI mission?
DAVINCI’s goal is to fill long-standing gaps about Venus, including whether it looked more like Earth in the past. Our energetic team brings together science, engineering, technology, project management, and business acumen to build a multi-element spacecraft that will explore Venus above the clouds, and during an hour-long descent through the atmosphere into the searingly hot and high pressure deep layers of the atmosphere near the surface. We hope to launch in June 2029.
What is your proudest accomplishment at Goddard?
I am pleased and proud to be deputy principal investigator on a major mission proposal that now gets to fly. It is an enormous privilege to be entrusted as part of the leadership team to bring the first probe mission back to Venus in over four decades.
What makes Goddard’s culture effective?
Goddard’s culture is at its best when we collectively appreciate how each member of the organization works towards solving our problems. The scientists appreciate the hard, detailed work that the engineers do to make designs. The engineers and project managers are energized by the fundamental science questions that underlie everything we do. And we have brilliant support staff that keeps our team organized and focused.

What goes through your mind when you think about which fundamental science question to address and how?
A lot of the research I have done, including my mission work, has been inspired by the question of how life originates, how life originated on Earth, and whether there are or have been other environments in the solar system that could have ever supported life. These questions are profound to any human being. My job allows me to work with incredibly talented teams to make scientific progress on these questions.
It is really humbling.
Who inspired you?
My 10th grade English teacher encouraged us to connect with the natural world and to write down our experiences. Exploring the manifestations of nature connects with the way I approach my small piece of exploring the solar system. I really love the writing parts of my job, crafting the narrative around the science we do and why it is important.
As a mentor, what is the most important lesson you give?
A successful career should reflect both your passion and natural abilities. Know yourself. What feels rewarding to you is important. Learn how to be honest with yourself and let yourself be driven by curiosity.
Our modern lives can be very noisy at work and at home. It can be hard to filter through what is and is not important. Leaving space to connect with the things that satisfy your curiosity can be one way to make the most of the interconnectivity and complexity of life.
Curiosity not only connects us to the natural world, but also to each other. Curiosity is a defining characteristic of a good scientist, never losing a sense of wonder.
I’m looking out my window as we talk. When I can, I try to make time to pause to reflect on how beautiful and special our own planet is.
What are your hobbies?
I love hiking with my kids. Walking through the woods puts me in the moment and clears my mind better than anything else. It gives my brain a chance to relax. Nature gives perspective, it reminds me that I am part of something bigger. Walking in the woods gives me a chance to pause, for example, to notice an interesting rock formation, or watch a spider spinning an impressive web, or spot a frog trying to camouflage itself in a pond, and doing this with my children is my favorite pastime.
Where is your favorite place in the world?
Any campsite at dusk with a fire going and eating s’mores with my family.

Conversations With Goddard is a collection of Q&A profiles highlighting the breadth and depth of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s talented and diverse workforce. The Conversations have been published twice a month on average since May 2011. Read past editions on Goddard’s “Our People” webpage.
By Elizabeth M. JarrellNASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

MIL OSI USA News –

February 11, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Jesse Walsh: Possibility at the Cutting Edge of Flight

Source: NASA

Name: Jesse Walsh
Formal Job Classification: Project Formulation Manager
Organization: Project Formulation and Development Office, Flight Projects Directorate (Code 401.0)
What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard? How do you help support Goddard’s mission?
As a formulation manager, I am the project manager in the room as we are designing science space flight missions. We develop proposals to be competed on the agency level against other NASA centers, and outside institutions.
I am also our office’s representative on the Earth science line of business.

What is your background?
In 2000, I graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy with a B.S. in mechanical engineering. In the Navy I went to flight school in Pensacola, Florida, and became a naval flight officer. I was the “Goose,” not “Maverick,” in the P-3 Orion, a four-engine prop plane that primarily hunts for submarines. I was then stationed in Hawaii as part of Patrol Squadron 9, that deployed to the Far East and Middle East. Next, I worked at the Naval Research Lab in Washington, D.C., as a project officer for science experiments on P-3s from Patuxent River Naval Air Station in Patuxent River, Maryland.
I developed migraines that disqualified me from flying. In 2007, I got a master’s in civil engineering project management from the University of Maryland. I then worked in Bethesda, Maryland, constructing buildings around the beltway, as a physics teacher at our local high school, and as a project manager of secure facilities with the Army Corps of Engineers.
In 2016, I became the assistant branch head for facilities planning at Goddard. I later entered the Flight Projects Development Program, a two-year project manager training program, during which time I worked at the Flight Projects Development Office and as the payload manager for Space Infrastructure Dexterous Robot (SPIDER), a payload on OSAM-1. I had a proposal selected for a second step, and I came back to PFDO to work proposals.
Why is this your dream job?
We are on the cutting edge of what will fly. We are designing the missions and figuring out what the world of possible will be in space in five to seven years. Scientists come to the table with ideas and engineers make those ideas reality. I make sure the whole team is working together and that all these ideas and solutions fit within our budget and schedule. We make ideas realities.
How do you translate between scientists and engineers?
It is primarily about understanding incentives. Everyone is thinking differently with different solutions, but we have the same goal. Some scientists have had an idea for years, but the idea still has to be workable. If the resulting instrument or spacecraft fails, technical issues are often the first to be examined. I help the engineers push what they are comfortable making and help the scientists understand the limits of technology.
Please talk about the competing pressures of your job.
We are responsible for taxpayer’s money. If one thing goes wrong, even on a smaller mission, the monetary loss can run into many millions. The missions we build have cost limits. We fit cutting edge science into a cost-limited opportunity.
NASA is extremely thorough. We safeguard taxpayer funds, but also push cutting-edge science.
We are on a seesaw. The engineers are more focused on technical solutions while the scientists are more focused on scientific results. I help everyone negotiate a balance that fits within the cost and schedule. The diversity between and among scientists, engineers, and financial experts is what creates NASA’s innovative solutions.

What are some of your negotiating techniques?
I try to build trust between team members by understanding everyone’s incentives and making sure all team members understand the different incentives. We may have different angles of approach, but we all have the same goal. People are more likely to compromise the means if they know we will end up at the same place.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
I am proudest of our Dorado proposal because it was cutting edge science. We were trying to discover where heavy metals like gold are created in the universe. We were trying to prove that we could do fundamental science on a very lean budget, $35 million.
We did not win the final proposal, but I was extremely proud of our team, a very small, high-functioning team, that made us feel like we could discover the world.
You recently transferred to support the Geospace Dynamics Constellation (GDC) mission. What do you most enjoy about your new role?
I am still learning what I don’t know about GDC. I am finding is fascinating to see how the plans that are made in early stages of formulation change and adapt as they run into unforeseen obstacles during implementation. I am really enjoying being part of a small, high performing team, that is mission focused.

Who is your favorite author?
I married a librarian, and books and stories are fundamental parts of our life. I love Hemingway because he portrays extremely complex, emotional scenarios in very simplistic terms.
Who is your science hero?
My high school physics teacher, Mr. Finkbeiner, who taught me that you understand science in your gut, not your head. Science is not memorizing equations; it is understanding how the world around you works.
What are your hobbies?
I love flyfishing on the Chesapeake’s tidal rivers and also on fresh water for trout. Flyfishing involves actively engaging with nature; reading the water and the tides, figuring out nature’s puzzle and trying to crack the code.
What is your “six-word memoir”? A six-word memoir describes something in just six words.
I can’t wait for what’s next!
By Elizabeth M. JarrellNASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

Conversations With Goddard is a collection of Q&A profiles highlighting the breadth and depth of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s talented and diverse workforce. The Conversations have been published twice a month on average since May 2011. Read past editions on Goddard’s “Our People” webpage.

MIL OSI USA News –

February 11, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Margaret Dominguez Helps NASA Space Telescopes Open Their ‘Eyes’ to the Universe

Source: NASA

Name: Margaret Dominguez
Formal Job Classification: Optical engineer
Organization: Code 551, Optics Branch, Instrument Systems and Technology Division, Engineering Directorate

What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard? How do you help support Goddard’s mission?
I build space telescopes. I am currently working on building one of the components for the Wide Field Instrument for the Roman Space Telescope. The component is called “Grism.” A grism is a combination of a grating and a prism.
What is unique about your childhood?
I went to high school in Tecamachalco in Puebla, Mexico, which is inland and south of Mexico City. My father raised pigs, chickens, rabbits, and cows. I am the oldest of four girls and two still live on the farm.
Why did you become a physicist?
I was always curious and had a lot of questions and thought that physics helped me answer some of these questions. I was good at math and loved it. When I told my dad I wanted to study physics, he said that I would be able to answer any question in the universe. He thought it was very cool.
What is your educational background? How an internship help you come to Goddard?
I went to the Universidad de las Americas Puebla college in Puebla and got an undergraduate degree in physics. I was very active in extracurricular activities and helped organize a physics conference. We invited Dr. Johnathan Gardner, a Goddard astronomer, who came to speak at the conference. Afterwards I spoke with him and he asked me if I was interested in doing an internship at NASA. I said I had not considered it and would be interested in applying. I applied that same spring of 2008 and got a summer internship in the Optics Branch, where I am still working today.
My branch head at Goddard was a University of Arizona alumnus. He suggested that I apply to the University of Arizona for their excellent optics program. I did, and the university gave me a full fellowship for a master’s and a Ph.D. in optical sciences.
In 2014, I began working full time at Goddard while completing my Ph.D. I graduated in May 2019.
What makes Goddard special?
Goddard has a university campus feel. It’s a place where you can work and also just hang out and socialize. Goddard has many clubs, a gym, cafeterias, and a health clinic.
People are really nice here. They are often excited and happy about working at Goddard. Most people are willing to put in the extra effort if needed. It makes work stimulating and exciting. Management really cares and the employees feel that too.
What are some of the major projects you have worked on?
Early on, I did a little bit of work on Hubble and later on, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Since 2014, I have exclusively been working on Roman. We are building the grism, a slitless spectrograph, which will measure galaxy redshifts to study dark energy.
Presently we are building different grism prototypes. We work with outside vendors to build these prototypes. When we make a prototype, we test it for months. After, we use the results to build an improved prototype. We just finished making the third prototype. We are going to build a flight instrument of which the grism is a component.
What is it like to work in the clean room?
It’s exciting – it likely means I am working on flight hardware. However, because clean rooms must be kept at about 68 degrees Fahrenheit, it can feel chilly in there!
Who are your mentors? What are the most important lessons they have taught you?
Ray Ohl, the head of the Optics Branch, is a mentor to me. He is always encouraging me to get outside my comfort zone. He presents other opportunities to me so that I can grow and listens to my feedback.
Cathy Marx, one of the Roman optical leads, is also a mentor to me. She created a support network for me and is a sounding board for troubleshooting any kind of work-related issues.
What is your role a member of the Hispanic Advisory Committee (HACE)?
I joined HACE in 2010 while I was an intern. It’s a great opportunity to network with other Hispanics and gives us a platform to celebrate specific events like Hispanic Heritage Month. I really enjoy participating in HACE’s events.
What outreach do you do? Why is doing outreach so important to you?
I do educational outreach to teach people about optics. I mainly collaborate with elementary and middle schools.
I think we need more future engineers and scientists. I want to help recruit them. I specifically focus on recruiting minorities and Hispanics. I can make a special connection with women and Hispanics.
Who is your science hero?
It would probably be Marie Curie. She’s the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, and she is the only woman to win two Nobel Prizes and she had to overcome a lot of challenges to achieve that.
What is your “six-word memoir”? A six-word memoir describes something in just six words.
Disciplined. Organized. Diligent. Passionate. Curious. Family-oriented.
Is there something surprising about your hobbies outside of work that people do not generally know?
I am a certified Jazzercise instructor – I normally teach two to three times a week. I can even teach virtually if need be. It is an hour-long exercise class combining strength training and cardio through choreographed dancing. We also use weights and mats.
I also enjoy going for walks with my husband, James Corsetti, who is also an engineer in the Optics Branch.
By Elizabeth M. JarrellNASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

Conversations With Goddard is a collection of Q&A profiles highlighting the breadth and depth of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s talented and diverse workforce. The Conversations have been published twice a month on average since May 2011. Read past editions on Goddard’s “Our People” webpage.

MIL OSI USA News –

February 11, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Melissa Gates: Keeping Goddard Running

Source: NASA

Name: Melissa Gates
Title: Secretary III
Organization: Mission Systems Engineering Branch, Engineering Technology Directorate (Code 599)

What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard? How do you help support Goddard’s mission?
As a branch secretary, I support my branch office by ordering supplies, managing the meeting calendars, onboarding new employees and otherwise supporting the managers. I help keep the office running.
How did you come to work at Goddard?
In 2005, I got a bachelor’s degree in communications from Fairleigh Dickinson University. In 2012, I got a master’s degree in communications from Regis University.
For over 20 years, I managed our family business in New Jersey involving competitive pool. I helped run the competitions and the daily activities, but I never played pool.
In 2016, I moved to Maryland to work in customer service at MGM National Harbor. In 2019, I started at Goddard through Melwood, a non-profit organization that helps disabled people find employment.
What are the most important skills for a good branch secretary?
Listening. Being prompt. Being organized. Prioritizing tasks. Good people skills. I am a people person, and I can relate well to different personalities. I am very flexible. With teleworking, I am always available.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I really want to work in communications, especially NASA TV, because I want to continue my first loves of writing and public relations. I enjoy working with the public and getting people’s stories out to others. I like learning about people and sharing what I have learned.
How has having a disability impacted your job choices?
I have had to make people comfortable with my disability. I use a cane and a scooter to get around. Melwood helped me find a job at Goddard, which fulfilled my 20-year dream.
What are your goals as a member of the GSFC Equal Accessibility Employee Resource Group?
As a member of the GSFC Equal Accessibility Employee Resource Group, my focus is to help promote the Ability One Program, a federal program that assists people with all levels of disability find federal jobs. I have my Melwood job through this program. I am very thankful to Melwood and Goddard for giving me a job that offers good benefits and security.
I offer my life experience as a person with a disability now working at Goddard. I try to make management aware of accessibility needs such as bathrooms, removal of snow from sidewalks and parking lots, assistive technology for hearing and sight impaired people and other issues. Goddard is very responsive to our accessibility needs.
What do you do for fun?
I love to read, especially Terry McMillan’s rom-coms. I love bungee jumping, zip lining and roller coasters. I love adrenaline rushes and am a thrill seeker!
I enjoy traveling and have been to Hawaii and Mexico. I would like to take the train across the country. That way I would not have to move around, the train would be moving and I could still see the country. I would enjoy talking to everyone on the train and have a good time.
What is your “six-word memoir”? A six-word memoir describes something in just six words.
Caring. Outgoing. Loves people. Adventurous. Joyful. Grateful.
By Elizabeth M. JarrellNASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

Conversations With Goddard is a collection of Q&A profiles highlighting the breadth and depth of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s talented and diverse workforce. The Conversations have been published twice a month on average since May 2011. Read past editions on Goddard’s “Our People” webpage

MIL OSI USA News –

February 11, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: John Moisan Studies the Ocean Through the ‘Eyes’ of AI

Source: NASA

Name: John Moisan
Formal Job Classification: Research oceanographer
Organization: Ocean Ecology Laboratory, Hydrosphere, Biosphere, Geophysics (HBG), Earth Science Directorate (Code 616) – duty station at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia’s Eastern Shore
What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard? How do you help support Goddard’s mission?
I develop ecosystem models and satellite algorithms to understand how the ocean’s ecology works. My work has evolved over time from when I coded ocean ecosystem models to the present where I now use artificial intelligence to evolve the ocean ecosystem models.
How did you become an oceanographer?
As a child, I watched a TV series called “Sea Hunt,” which involved looking for treasure in the ocean. It inspired me to want to spend my life scuba diving.
I got a Bachelor of Science in marine biology from the University of New England in Biddeford, Maine, and later got a Ph.D. from the Center for Coastal Physical Oceanography at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia.
Initially, I just wanted to do marine biology which to me meant doing lots of scuba diving, maybe living on a sailboat. Later, when I was starting my graduate schoolwork, I found a book about mathematical biology and a great professor who helped open my eyes to the world of numerical modeling. I found out that instead of scuba diving, I needed instead to spend my days behind a computer, learning how to craft ideas into equations and then code these into a computer to run simulations on ocean ecosystems.
I put myself through my initial education. I went to school fulltime, but I lived at home and hitchhiked to college on a daily basis. When I started my graduate school, I worked to support myself. I was in school during the normal work week, but from Friday evening through Sunday night, I worked 40 hours at a medical center cleaning and sterilizing the operating room instrument carts. This was during the height of the AIDS epidemic.
What was most exciting about your two field trips to the Antarctic?
In 1987, I joined a six-week research expedition to an Antarctic research station to explore how the ozone hole was impacting phytoplankton. These are single-celled algae that are responsible for making half the oxygen we breathe. Traveling to Antarctica is like visiting another planet. There are more types of blue than I’ve ever seen. It is an amazingly beautiful place to visit, with wild landscapes, glaciers, mountains, sea ice, and a wide range of wildlife. After my first trip I returned home and went back in a few months later as a biologist on a joint Polish–U.S. (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) expedition to carry out a biological survey and measure how much fast the phytoplankton was growing in different areas of the Southern Ocean. We used nets to measure the amounts of fish and shrimp and took water samples to measure salinity, the amount of algae and their growth rates. We ate well, for example the Polish cook made up a large batch of smoked ice fish.
What other field work have you done?
While a graduate student, I helped do some benthic work in the Gulf of Maine. This study was focused on understanding the rates of respiration in the muds on the bottom of the ocean and on understanding how much biomass was in the muds. The project lowered a benthic grab device to the bottom where it would push a box core device into the sediments to return it to the surface. This process is sort of like doing a biopsy of the ocean bottom.
What is your goal as a research oceanographer at Goddard?
Ocean scientists measure the amount and variability of chlorophyll a, a pigment in algae, in the ocean because it is an analogue to the amount of algae or phytoplankton in the ocean. Chlorophyll a is used to capture solar energy to make sugars, which the algae use for growth. Generally, areas of the ocean that have more chlorophyll are also areas where growth or primary production is higher. So, by estimating how much chlorophyll is in the ocean we can study how these processes are changing with an aim in understanding why. NASA uses the color of the ocean using satellites to estimate chlorophyll a because chlorophyll absorbs sunlight and changes the color of the ocean. Algae have other kinds of pigments, each of which absorbs light at different wavelengths. Because different groups of algae have different levels of pigments, they are like fingerprints that can reveal the type of algae in the water. Some of my research aims at trying to use artificial intelligence and mathematical techniques to create new ways to measure these pigments from space to understand how ocean ecosystems change.
In 2024, NASA plans to launch the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite, which will measure the color of the ocean at many different wavelengths. The data from this satellite can be used with results from my work on genetic programs and inverse modeling to estimate concentrations of different pigments and possibly concentrations of different types of algae in the ocean.
You have been at Goddard over 22 years. What is most memorable to you?
I develop ecosystem models. But ecosystems do not have laws in the same way that physics has laws. Equations need to be created so that the ecosystem models represent what is observed in the real world. Satellites have been a great source for those observations, but without a lot of other types of observations that are collected in the field, the ocean, it is difficult to develop these equations. In my time at NASA, I have only been able to develop models because of the great but often tedious work that ocean scientists around the world have been doing when they go on ocean expeditions to measure various ocean features, be it simple temperature or the more complicated measurements of algal growth rates. My experience with their willingness to collaborate and share data is especially memorable. This experience is also what I enjoyed with numerous scientists at NASA who have always been willing to support new ideas and point me in the right direction. It has made working at NASA a phenomenal experience.

Related Article: NASA Researcher’s AI ‘Eye’ Could Help Robotic Data-Gathering

What are the philosophical implications of your work?
The human capacity to think rapidly, to test and change our opinions based on what we learn, is slow compared to that of a computer. Computers can help us adapt more quickly. I can put 1,000 students in a room developing ecosystem model models. But I know that this process of developing ecosystem models is slow when compared what a computer can do using an artificial intelligence approach called genetic programming, it is a much faster way to generate ecosystem model solutions.
Philosophically, there is no real ecosystem model that is the best. Life and ecosystems on Earth change and adapt at rates too fast for any present-day model to resolve, especially considering climate change. The only real ecosystem model is the reality itself. No computer model can perfectly simulate ecosystems. By utilizing the fast adaptability that evolutionary computer modeling techniques provide, simulating and ultimately predicting ecosystems can be improved greatly.
How does your work have implications for scientists in general?
I do evolutionary programming. I see a lot of possibility in using evolutionary programming to solve many large problems we are trying to solve. How did life start and evolve? Can these processes be used to evolve intelligence or sentience?
The artificial intelligence (AI) work answers questions, but you need to identify the questions. This is the greater problem when it comes to working with AI. You cannot answer the question of how to create a sentient life if you do not know how to define it. If I cannot measure life, how can I model it? I do not know how to write that equation. How does life evolve? How did the evolutionary process start? These are big questions I enjoy discussing with friends. It can be as frustrating as contemplating “nothing.”
Who inspires you?
Many of the scientists that I was fortunate to work with at various research institutes, such as Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. These are groups of scientists are open to always willing to share their ideas. These are individuals who enjoy doing science. I will always be indebted to them for their kindness in sharing of ideas and data.
Do you still scuba dive?
Yes, I wish I could dive daily, it is a very calming experience. I’m trying to get my kids to join me.
What else do you do for fun?
My wife and I bike and travel. Our next big bike trip will hopefully be to Shangri-La City in China. I also enjoy sailing and trying to grow tropical plants. But, most of all, I enjoy helping raise my children to be resilient, empathic, and intelligent beings.
What are your words to live by?
Life. So much to see. So little time.

Conversations With Goddard is a collection of Q&A profiles highlighting the breadth and depth of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s talented and diverse workforce. The Conversations have been published twice a month on average since May 2011. Read past editions on Goddard’s “Our People” webpage.

MIL OSI USA News –

February 11, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Mark SubbaRao Brings Data to Life Through Art

Source: NASA

Name: Mark SubbaRao
Title: Lead, Scientific Visualization Studio (SVS)
Formal Job Classification: Information Technology Specialist
Organization: SVS, Science Mission Directorate (Code 606.4)
What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard? How do you help support Goddard’s mission?
I have an amazing job. I get to work with all the most interesting NASA science and make it visual to help people can understand it. The Scientific Visualization Studio, the SVS, supports all of NASA and is located at Goddard.
What is your educational background?
I have B.S. in engineering physics, minor in astronomy, from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. I have a Ph.D. in astrophysics from Johns Hopkins University.
What is data visualization? How is it different from animation?
Data visualization is the graphical representation of actual data (in our case usually scientific data). At its most basic it takes the forms of charts, graphs, and maps. In contrast, conceptual animation, such as the work of our colleagues in the CI Lab, is the graphical representation of ideas. Conceptual animation and data visualization are both needed to communicate the full scientific process.
How did your work for the University of Chicago develop your interest in visualization?
I worked on software for the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, a project to create the biggest 3D map of the universe. Our goal was to map 3D positions of a million galaxies, which we did. My role was to develop the software to determine the distance to galaxies. To see the result we needed a way to see how the galaxies were distributed in 3D, which led to my interest in visualization.
Viewing this map, I felt like we had revealed a new world which no one had yet seen altogether. The desire to share that with the public led me a position at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago.

How did planetariums evolve during your 18 years of working for the Adler Planetarium?
I led their visualization efforts for their Space Visualization Laboratory, a laboratory that was on the museum floor and had multiple specialized displays. The local scientific community used our laboratory to present to the public including other scientists and students.
I also produced planetarium shows and designed exhibits. My last project, “Astrographics” for Art on the Mart, was a 2.6-acre, outdoor projection onto a building near the Chicago River. We believe that this is the largest, permanent outdoor digital projection in the world.
I began to see the power of the planetarium as a data visualization environment. Traditionally, a planetarium has been a place to project stars and tell stories about constellations. Planetariums have now evolved into a general-purpose visualization platform to communicate science.
I got more involved with the planetarium community, which led to me becoming president of the International Planetarium Society. A major focus of my presidency was promoting planetariums in Africa.
Why did you come to NASA’s SVS at Goddard?
I came to Goddard in December 2020. I always admired NASA’s SVS and had used their products. I consider the SVS the preeminent group using scientific visualization for public communication.
I wanted to work on visualizations for a broader variety of sciences, in particular, climate science. Our group created visualizations for the United Nations Climate Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, the fall of 2021. In March 2022, I created a visualization called Climate Spiral, which went viral.

[embedded content]
This visualization shows monthly global temperature anomalies (changes from an average) between the years 1880 and 2021. Whites and blues indicate cooler temperatures, while oranges and reds show warmer temperatures.Credits: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center / NASA’s Scientific Visualization StudioDownload high-resolution video and images from NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio

As the lead, how do you hope to inspire your group?
Our group is very talented, experienced, and self-motivated. Data visualization has recently exploded as a communication tool. Our goal is to continue to stay on top of this rapidly evolving field. Coupled with this, there has been an explosion in scientific data from satellites and super computers. As data becomes bigger and more complex, visualization becomes an even more important tool for understanding that data.

Your work combines art and science. What are the benefits of combining art and science?
One huge benefit is that you can reach people through an artistic visual presentation of science who may not be interested in simply reading an article. You can go beyond teaching people, you can move them emotionally through a good, artistic presentation.
For example, in “Climate Spiral,” we did not want to just inform people that global average temperatures have increased, we wanted people to feel that the temperature has increased.
Also, our universe is just beautiful. Why not let the beauty of the universe create something artistic for you? I sometimes feel like I cheat by letting the universe do my design for me.
What do you do for fun?
Since moving to Maryland, and living near the Chesapeake Bay, I have taken up stand up paddleboarding. I like to cook too. My father is Indian, so I cook a lot of Indian food.
Who inspires you?
Arthur C. Clarke, the science fiction writer, also wrote a lot of popular science. He played a big part in my decision to become a scientist.

Conversations With Goddard is a collection of Q&A profiles highlighting the breadth and depth of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s talented and diverse workforce. The Conversations have been published twice a month on average since May 2011. Read past editions on Goddard’s “Our People” webpage.
By Elizabeth M. JarrellNASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

MIL OSI USA News –

February 11, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: NASA Scientists & Historian Named AAAS 2022 Fellows

Source: NASA

Four individuals with NASA affiliations have been named 2022 fellows by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in recognition of their scientifically and socially distinguished achievements in the scientific enterprise.
Election as a Fellow by the AAAS Council honors members whose efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications in service to society have distinguished them among their peers and colleagues. The 2022 Fellows class includes 508 scientists, engineers, and innovators spanning 24 scientific disciplines.
Rita Sambruna from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, was recognized in the AAAS Section on Astronomy, and Jennifer Wiseman, also from Goddard, was recognized in the AAAS Section on Physics. Dorothy Peteet of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York was honored in the AAAS section on Earth Science. Erik Conway of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in southern California was honored for distinguished contributions and public outreach to the history of science and understanding of contemporary science and science policy.

Rita Sambruna
Dr. Rita Sambruna is the acting deputy director of the Science and Exploration Directorate and the deputy director of the Astrophysics Division at Goddard. She also promotes increased participation of underrepresented groups in science.
She worked with a team to position Goddard to lead the decadal top priority missions. She led a team to set into place a vision for a Multi-Messenger Astrophysics Science Support Center at Goddard, to lead the astrophysics community in reaping the most from NASA- and ground-based observations of celestial sources.
She came to Goddard in 2005 to work on multiwavelength observations of jets using the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and other NASA capabilities. From 2010 to 2020 she worked at NASA Headquarters, Washington, as a program scientist for astrophysics. Her research interests include relativistic jets, physics of compact objects, supermassive black holes in galaxies, and multiwavelength and multi-messenger astrophysics.
In December 2022, Sambruna was awarded the Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) as an internationally acclaimed astrophysicist who embodies the RAS mission in promoting the advancement of science, the increased participation of historically underrepresented groups in astronomy, and a broad interest in astronomy. In 2019 she was awarded the NASA Extraordinary Achievement Medal for her leadership on the 2020 Astrophysics Decadal Survey studies. She was named Fellow of the American Physical Society in 2020 and a Fellow of the American Astronomical Society in 2021.

Jennifer Wiseman
Dr. Jennifer Wiseman is a senior astrophysicist at Goddard and a Senior Fellow at Goddard, where she serves as the senior project scientist for the Hubble Space Telescope. Her primary responsibility is to ensure that the Hubble mission is as scientifically productive as possible. Previously, Wiseman headed Goddard’s Laboratory for Exoplanets and Stellar Astrophysics. She started her career at NASA in 2003 as the program scientist for Hubble and several other astrophysics missions at NASA Headquarters.
Wiseman’s scientific expertise is centered on the study of star-forming regions in our galaxy using a variety of tools, including radio, optical, and infrared telescopes. She has a particular interest in dense interstellar gas cloud cores, embedded protostars, and their related outflows as active ingredients of cosmic nurseries where stars and their planetary systems are born. In addition to research in astrophysics, Wiseman is also interested in science policy and public science outreach and engagement. She has served as a congressional science fellow of the American Physical Society, an elected councilor of the American Astronomical Society, and a public dialogue leader for AAAS. She enjoys giving talks on the excitement of astronomy and scientific discovery, and has appeared in many science and news venues, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, NOVA, and National Public Radio.

Dorothy Peteet
Dr. Dorothy M. Peteet is a senior research scientist at GISS and an adjunct professor at Columbia University. She directs the Paleoecology Division of the New Core Lab at Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) of Columbia.
In collaboration with GISS climate modelers and LDEO geochemists, she is studying conditions of the Late Pleistocene and Holocene that are archived in sediments from lakes and wetlands. Peteet documents past changes in vegetation, derived from analyses of pollen and spores, plant and animal macrofossils, carbon, and charcoal embedded in sediments. Her research provides local and regional records of ancient vegetational and climate history. One recent focus has been the sequestration of carbon in northern peatlands and coastal marshes: ecosystems that are now vulnerable to climate change and potentially substantial releases of carbon back into the atmosphere.
Peteet also has performed climate modeling experiments to test hypotheses concerning the last glacial maximum and abrupt climate change. She is interested in climate sensitivity and in how past climate changes and ecological shifts might provide insights on future climate change.

Erik Conway
Erik Conway has served as the historian at JPL since 2004. Prior to that, he was a contract historian at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. He is a historian of science and technology, and has written histories of atmospheric science, supersonic transportation, aviation infrastructure, Mars exploration, and climate change denial.
He is the author of nine books, most recently, “A History of Near-Earth Objects Research” (NASA, 2022), and “The Big Myth” (Bloomsbury, 2023). His book “Merchants of Doubt” with Naomi Oreskes was awarded the Helen Miles Davis and Watson Davis prize from the History of Science Society. He received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2018 and the Athelstan Spilhaus Award from the American Geophysical Union in 2016.
AAAS noted that these honorees have gone above and beyond in their respective disciplines. They bring a broad diversity of perspectives, innovation, curiosity, and passion that will help sustain the scientific field today and into the future. Many of these individuals have broken barriers to achieve successes in their given disciplines.
AAAS is the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals.
For information about NASA and agency programs, visit: https://www.nasa.gov

MIL OSI USA News –

February 11, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Phathom Donald Brings Space Closer as a Hubble Mission Engineer

Source: NASA

Name: Phathom Donald
Title: Mission Engineer
Formal Job Classification: Satellite Systems Engineer
Organization: Astrophysics Project Division, Hubble Space Telescope Operations Project, Code 441
What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard? How do you help support Goddard’s mission?
As a member of the flight operations team for the Hubble Space Telescope, I monitor and evaluate the performance of Hubble’s subsystems through its telemetry. I send commands to Hubble as needed for routine maintenance, maintaining communication with the spacecraft, and recovery from onboard anomalies. I also support ground system maintenance to ensure that operations run smoothly and uninterrupted.
On the flight software team, I build and run simulations to verify flight software changes before they’re installed onto Hubble. Just like how your laptop or your smartphone gets regular updates to add new features or to fix bugs, Hubble gets flight software updates for added capabilities and to address new issues.
Being a flight controller was a dream of mine, so being able to command a spacecraft has been really exciting. I also really enjoy coding, and it’s been interesting seeing how all these critical and complicated activities happen at the same time. I think the work I do outside of my flight controller role has helped me become a better flight controller, because I have a better idea of what’s happening behind the scenes — things feel a bit more intuitive to me.
How did you find your path to Goddard?
During undergrad, I was on a path to become a power systems engineer. But one day in my senior design class, our professor invited the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) project manager at the time to speak to our class about systems engineering and its applications to the mission. Within five minutes of this presentation, I was on the verge of tears. This presentation alone changed the course of my career because it reminded me that I love the stars and I love space. More importantly, it made me feel like a career at NASA was actually possible.
So, I emailed the speaker and asked him for advice, and he responded with excellent guidance and encouragement. I saved that email and essentially used it as a career guide. After graduating, I worked for a NASA contractor first as a quality engineer, then as a model-based systems engineer. While I was in that role, I pursued my master’s, and about a month after graduating, I saw the job posting for Hubble’s flight operations team at Goddard. After a year or so of settling in, I reached out to that same speaker and I let him know I took his advice, I made it to NASA, and that I couldn’t be more grateful for his help. He responded beautifully, saying that he was humbled to have played any role in me getting to where I wanted to be.
What first sparked your interest in space?
My dad used to take my brothers and me to the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles all the time. I loved going to those shows in the planetarium and just feeling engrossed in what they were teaching. I’d always wanted to take an astronomy class, but I didn’t get the chance until my last year of undergrad. I’m so glad I did; it just reaffirmed that space is for me.

What is your educational background?
I graduated from Howard University in Washington, D.C., in 2014 with a bachelor’s in electrical engineering. I also have a master’s in space systems engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey. Right now, I’m pursuing a graduate certificate in control systems from the University of Michigan at Dearborn to prepare for a role supporting Hubble’s pointing and control subsystems. After I’m done, I plan to pursue a graduate certificate in aerospace for that same reason; I want to pick up and hone skills in order to maximize my contributions to Hubble.
How do you keep a cool head when you have a mission-critical situation?
I think I’m generally a pretty calm person, but in moments where Hubble’s mission is at risk, I tend to focus on what is in my power to get done. So I’ll look at the situation and think, “OK, what can we do to either fix or mitigate this problem?” And I do what I can with care, I communicate clearly with those I’m working with, and I trust the abilities of my colleagues. I work with really brilliant, dedicated people who love what they do, so I know that they’re going to do what’s best for the mission.
What is your proudest accomplishment at Goddard?
To be honest, I’m always proud every time I see a new picture taken by Hubble, especially after we’ve recovered it from an anomaly. It feels like an accomplishment and an honor even to be part of a mission that brings those images to people on Earth.
Who are your science role models, and how have they shaped your career in science?
Katherine Johnson: she was an African American mathematician who was pivotal in the success of the early human spaceflight missions carried out by NASA. Her complex trajectory calculations got the first man into space and back unharmed. I also admire Dr. Sian Proctor: she was the first Black woman to pilot a spacecraft.
As a minority, it can be easy to feel like an outlier in the space industry. Seeing people like Katherine and Dr. Proctor succeed and excel in these fields adds a bit of comfort. They show me that these technically demanding roles are attainable.
How do you like to spend your time outside of work? What are your hobbies?
I spend a lot of time with my tiny dog, Chara. I named her after a yellow star in the Hunting Dogs constellation. Chara is Greek for “joy,” and to say she brings me joy would be an understatement.
I actually have a new obsession with snorkeling and freediving. I went snorkeling for the first time in early 2021 and it completely changed my life. Before snorkeling, I was terrified of water. After snorkeling, I wanted to be a fish. I just love the freedom that comes with the lack of equipment. I love the peace that I feel underwater.
What is your “six-word memoir”? A six-word memoir describes something in just six words.
“The stars are not too far.”
What is some advice you would give your 10-year-old self?
You are capable of more than you know, more than what people might try to make you believe. Do what makes you feel fulfilled and define your own success. Your passion is your strength.
By Hannah RichterNASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

Conversations With Goddard is a collection of Q&A profiles highlighting the breadth and depth of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s talented and diverse workforce. The Conversations have been published twice a month on average since May 2011. Read past editions on Goddard’s “Our People” webpage.

MIL OSI USA News –

February 11, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Trena Ferrell Inspires Through Science and Education

Source: NASA

Name: Trena Ferrell
Title: Education and Public Outreach Lead for the Earth Science Division
Formal Job Classification: Environmental Scientist
Organization: Earth Science Division, Earth Science Directorate (Code 610)
What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard?
I interface with the public and educational institutions to share all the great research that our scientists and engineers are doing at NASA. I also support large-scale public events around the country and interact with citizen scientists.
I’ve always been passionate about science and education, so now I get to mesh my two passions together.
What is your educational background?
I have a Bachelor of Science in premedicine from Albright College in Redding, Pennsylvania; a master’s in developmental biology from American University in Washington, D.C.; and a Ph.D. in environmental science from Oklahoma State University in Stillwater.
How did you come to work for Goddard?
Initially I wanted to be a doctor, but I started teaching science at the middle school and high school at the Maya Angelou Public Charter School in Washington, D.C., and found that I loved teaching. (I got to meet her once, and she was phenomenal!)
Around 2000, I asked NASA to send a speaker, Dr. Octavia Tripp. Through her suggestion, I became an aerospace education specialist and then the NASA Explorer Schools Workshop Coordinator at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Around 2005, I became Goddard’s education representative for Maryland. In 2015, I became a public affairs specialist for Goddard’s Office of Communications. In 2016, I started in my current position.
What is your message to students?
I work with students from kindergarten through college. I want them to reach for the stars and realize that they can be scientists or engineers who work at NASA. I want them to know that NASA also offers a plethora of other careers, which I also want them to consider.
What is your message for citizen scientists?
I tell them that they are an important piece of the NASA puzzle who help us with our scientific efforts. For example, the Globe Observer App can be downloaded to a smart phone. Using this app, they can take photos of clouds, land cover, tree height, and mosquito larvae. They can also take tree height measurements.
What was your favorite large-scale event?
I was one of the co-leads for Goddard’s open house in 2015, my first large-scale project of this magnitude. Over 20,000 people attended. We had so many people that the Greenbelt Metro Station had to close. People even came from other states.
I loved seeing all our hard work pay off and how excited all the people were to be at Goddard. I especially enjoyed watching the kids interreacting with our scientists and engineers, asking questions. They are our future.

When did you feel like you were part of the NASA family?
While working on our 2015 open house, I worked with an amazing team. Kudos to the Office of Communications; especially to Michelle Jones, Leslee Scott, Deanna Trask, and Amy Grigg.
This event made me realize that NASA really is a family. Everyone works together for a positive outcome; a shared, common interest. If you need help, someone shows up to help you without asking. And you do the same for others who need help.
World-class scientist and engineers willingly give their time to tell the world about their expertise. They are good with people of all ages and are always particularly kind with kids, our next generation of explorers.
How has working at Goddard changed your life?
While at Goddard, I met my husband Mark Branch, a Goddard engineer. He was our subject matter expert for a student outreach event I organized. We married two years after meeting, in 2010. Someday I’d like to write a book about all the couples who met at Goddard.
I sincerely thank everyone at Goddard who has touched my life and helped me!
Who has guided you the most in life?
My parents did everything they could to give my sister and me the best possible opportunities. They told us to dream big and to do big things. They are always there for us. They are amazing people!
I adore my family. I love that I have added new family members from NASA.
What do you do to relax?
I attended a French high school for my junior year and became an admirer of French culture and cuisine. I like to cook, including French food. I also love traveling. I enjoy reading fiction to relax.

Conversations With Goddard is a collection of Q&A profiles highlighting the breadth and depth of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s talented and diverse workforce. The Conversations have been published twice a month on average since May 2011. Read past editions on Goddard’s “Our People” webpage.
By Elizabeth M. JarrellNASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

MIL OSI USA News –

February 11, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: NASA Scientists Spot Candidate for Speediest Exoplanet System

Source: NASA

Astronomers may have discovered a scrawny star bolting through the middle of our galaxy with a planet in tow. If confirmed, the pair sets a new record for the fastest-moving exoplanet system, nearly double our solar system’s speed through the Milky Way.
The planetary system is thought to move at least 1.2 million miles per hour, or 540 kilometers per second.
“We think this is a so-called super-Neptune world orbiting a low-mass star at a distance that would lie between the orbits of Venus and Earth if it were in our solar system,” said Sean Terry, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Maryland, College Park and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Since the star is so feeble, that’s well outside its habitable zone. “If so, it will be the first planet ever found orbiting a hypervelocity star.”
A paper describing the results, led by Terry, was published in The Astronomical Journal on February 10.
A Star on the Move
The pair of objects was first spotted indirectly in 2011 thanks to a chance alignment. A team of scientists combed through archived data from MOA (Microlensing Observations in Astrophysics) – a collaborative project focused on a microlensing survey conducted using the University of Canterbury Mount John Observatory in New Zealand — in search of light signals that betray the presence of exoplanets, or planets outside our solar system.
Microlensing occurs because the presence of mass warps the fabric of space-time. Any time an intervening object appears to drift near a background star, light from the star curves as it travels through the warped space-time around the nearer object. If the alignment is especially close, the warping around the object can act like a natural lens, amplifying the background star’s light.

In this case, microlensing signals revealed a pair of celestial bodies. Scientists determined their relative masses (one is about 2,300 times heavier than the other), but their exact masses depend on how far away they are from Earth. It’s sort of like how the magnification changes if you hold a magnifying glass over a page and move it up and down.
“Determining the mass ratio is easy,” said David Bennett, a senior research scientist at the University of Maryland, College Park and NASA Goddard, who co-authored the new paper and led the original study in 2011. “It’s much more difficult to calculate their actual masses.”
The 2011 discovery team suspected the microlensed objects were either a star about 20 percent as massive as our Sun and a planet roughly 29 times heavier than Earth, or a nearer “rogue” planet about four times Jupiter’s mass with a moon smaller than Earth.
To figure out which explanation is more likely, astronomers searched through data from the Keck Observatory in Hawaii and ESA’s (European Space Agency’s) Gaia satellite. If the pair were a rogue planet and moon, they’d be effectively invisible – dark objects lost in the inky void of space. But scientists might be able to identify the star if the alternative explanation were correct (though the orbiting planet would be much too faint to see).
They found a strong suspect located about 24,000 light-years away, putting it within the Milky Way’s galactic bulge — the central hub where stars are more densely packed. By comparing the star’s location in 2011 and 2021, the team calculated its high speed.

But that’s just its 2D motion; if it’s also moving toward or away from us, it must be moving even faster. Its true speed may even be high enough to exceed the galaxy’s escape velocity of just over 1.3 million miles per hour, or about 600 kilometers per second. If so, the planetary system is destined to traverse intergalactic space many millions of years in the future.
“To be certain the newly identified star is part of the system that caused the 2011 signal, we’d like to look again in another year and see if it moves the right amount and in the right direction to confirm it came from the point where we detected the signal,” Bennett said.
“If high-resolution observations show that the star just stays in the same position, then we can tell for sure that it is not part of the system that caused the signal,” said Aparna Bhattacharya, a research scientist at the University of Maryland, College Park and NASA Goddard who co-authored the new paper. “That would mean the rogue planet and exomoon model is favored.”
NASA’s upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will help us find out how common planets are around such speedy stars, and may offer clues to how these systems are accelerated. The mission will conduct a survey of the galactic bulge, pairing a large view of space with crisp resolution.
“In this case we used MOA for its broad field of view and then followed up with Keck and Gaia for their sharper resolution, but thanks to Roman’s powerful view and planned survey strategy, we won’t need to rely on additional telescopes,” Terry said. “Roman will do it all.”
Download additional images and video from NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio.
By Ashley BalzerNASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Media contact:
Claire AndreoliNASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.301-286-1940

MIL OSI USA News –

February 11, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Newly Minted Ph.D. Studies Phytoplankton with NASA’s FjordPhyto Project

Source: NASA

FjordPhyto is a collective effort where travelers on tour expedition vessels in Antarctica help scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Universidad Nacional de La Plata study phytoplankton. Now project leader Dr. Allison Cusick has a Ph.D.! . Dr. Cusick studies how melting glaciers influence phytoplankton in the coastal regions. She wrote her doctoral dissertation based on the data collected by FjordPhyto volunteers.
“Travelers adventure to the wild maritime climate of Antarctica and help collect samples from one of the most data-limited regions of the world,” said Cusick. “While on vacation, they can volunteer to join a FjordPhyto science boat experience where they spend an hour collecting water measurements like salinity, temperature, chlorophyll-a, turbidity, as well as physical samples for molecular genetics work, microscopy identification, and carbon biomass estimates. It’s a full immersion into the ecosystem and the importance of polar research!”
Cusick successfully defended her thesis on December 18, 2024, earning a Ph.D. in Oceanography from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Hers is the second Ph.D. based on data from the FjordPhyto project. Martina Mascioni from FjordPhyto team earned her Ph.D. from the National University of La Plata (Argentina) in 2018.
The project is a hit with travelers, too.
“It’s incredibly inspiring to be part of a program like this that’s open to non-specialist involvement,” said one volunteer, a retired biology teacher aboard the Viking Octantis ship, who continued to say, “Thank you for letting us be a part of the science and explaining so clearly why it matters to the bigger picture.”
If you would like to get involved, go to www.fjordphyto.org and reach out to the team!

MIL OSI USA News –

February 11, 2025

MIL-OSI: F&M Bank Welcomes Peter Schork as Market President for Toledo, OH & Birmingham, MI

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

ARCHBOLD, Ohio, Feb. 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — F&M Bank (“F&M”), an Archbold, Ohio-based bank owned by Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc. (Nasdaq: FMAO) announced that Peter Schork has joined F&M as Market President of the Toledo, Ohio and Birmingham, Michigan markets.

Lars Eller, President and CEO of F&M stated, “As a proven community banker, Peter brings a wealth of experience to F&M. His leadership, deep market knowledge, and commitment to building strong relationships will be an invaluable resource to F&M as we continue to grow and serve our communities. We look forward to the impact he will make in driving success for our customers, employees, and stakeholders.”

In his new role, Peter will oversee F&M’s presence in the Toledo, Ohio, and Birmingham, Michigan markets, including offices in Waterville, Swanton, Perrysburg, Sylvania, and Downtown Toledo, as well as F&M’s Loan Production Office in Troy and its Birmingham, Michigan location.

Peter brings over 25 years of banking and financial experience to F&M. Prior to joining the Company, he served as the Ann Arbor President for Oxford Bank and co-founded the Ann Arbor State Bank serving as its President and CEO. In addition to his community bank experience, Peter was the CFO at Catalyst Commercial Real Estate, and the President of a Michigan based title, mortgage, and real estate company. In addition to his business experience, Peter is a proud supporter of various community organizations. Currently he serves on the Michigan Theater Board of Trustees, is a member of the Ray and Eleanor Cross Foundation and the Kiwanis Club of Ann Arbor and is a Board Member and Treasurer for the Homeless/Unhoused Mission. Peter holds a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) with a specialization in Finance from Eastern Michigan University.

About F&M Bank:
F&M Bank is a local independent community bank that has been serving its communities since 1897. F&M Bank provides commercial banking, retail banking and other financial services. Our locations are in Butler, Champaign, Fulton, Defiance, Hancock, Henry, Lucas, Shelby, Williams, and Wood counties in Ohio. In Northeast Indiana, we have offices located in Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Jay, Steuben and Wells counties. The Michigan footprint includes Oakland County, and we have Loan Production Offices in Troy, Michigan; Muncie, Indiana; and Perrysburg and Bryan, Ohio.

Safe harbor statement
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements by F&M, including management’s expectations and comments, may not be based on historical facts and are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21B of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Actual results could vary materially depending on risks and uncertainties inherent in general and local banking conditions, competitive factors specific to markets in which F&M and its subsidiaries operate, future interest rate levels, legislative and regulatory decisions, capital market conditions, or the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and its impacts on our credit quality and business operations, as well as its impact on general economic and financial market conditions. F&M assumes no responsibility to update this information. For more details, please refer to F&M’s SEC filing, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. Such filings can be viewed at the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov or through F&M’s website www.fm.bank.

Company Contact: Lars B. Eller President and Chief Executive Officer Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc. (419) 446-2501 leller@fm.bank	Investor and Media Contact: Andrew M. Berger Managing Director SM Berger & Company, Inc. (216) 464-6400 andrew@smberger.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e11179be-cf20-449e-9416-ca1e8ff1fd2f

The MIL Network –

February 11, 2025

MIL-OSI USA: 2025-20 AG NEWS RELEASE – ATTORNEY GENERAL LOPEZ SUES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FOR DEFUNDING MEDICAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH INNOVATION RESEARCH

Source: US State of Hawaii

2025-20 AG NEWS RELEASE – ATTORNEY GENERAL LOPEZ SUES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FOR DEFUNDING MEDICAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH INNOVATION RESEARCH

Posted on Feb 10, 2025 in Latest Department News, Newsroom

STATE OF HAWAIʻI

KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI

DEPARTMENT OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

KA ʻOIHANA O KA LOIO KUHINA

JOSH GREEN, M.D.
GOVERNOR

KE KIAʻĀINA

ANNE LOPEZ

ATTORNEY GENERAL

LOIO KUHINA

ATTORNEY GENERAL LOPEZ SUES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FOR DEFUNDING MEDICAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH INNOVATION RESEARCH

News Release 2025-20

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 10, 2025

HONOLULU – – Attorney General Anne Lopez and 21 other attorneys general today sued the Trump Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), in an effort to bar them from unlawfully cutting funds that support cutting-edge medical and public health research at universities and research institutions across the country.

On Friday, February 7, the NIH announced it would abruptly slash indirect cost rates to an across-the-board 15% rate, which is significantly less than the cost required to perform cutting edge medical research. The NIH purported to make this cut effective today (February 10), giving universities and institutions no time to plan for the enormous budget gaps they are now facing. Without immediate relief, this action could result in the suspension of lifesaving and life-extending clinical trials, disruption of research programs, layoffs, and laboratory closures.

The coalition is challenging the Trump Administration’s attempt to unilaterally cut “indirect cost” reimbursements at every research institution throughout the country. These reimbursements cover expenses to facilitate biomedical research, like lab, faculty, infrastructure and utility costs. Without them, the lifesaving and life-changing medical research in which the United States has long been a leader, could be compromised.

Indirect cost reimbursements are based on each institution’s unique needs, negotiated with the federal government through a carefully regulated process, and then memorialized in an executed agreement.

“President Trump’s total lack of compassion for all Americans knows no bounds. In just three weeks, he has cut programs providing healthcare and education, resources for climate change and clean air, and policies promoting diversity and equity. Now, he is making massive cuts to lifesaving medical research. Here in Hawai‘i, the University of Hawai‘i is supported by 175 awards and subawards from the NIH with a current value of $211M. I joined this lawsuit with my fellow democratic attorneys general because we are the last line of defense to enforce the rule of law,” said Attorney General Lopez.

The coalition also argues that this action to slash indirect costs violates the Administrative Procedure Act, including a directive Congress passed during President Trump’s first term to fend off his earlier proposal to drastically cut research reimbursements. That statutory language, still in effect, prohibits the NIH from requiring categorial and indiscriminate changes to indirect cost reimbursements.

The NIH is the primary source of federal funding for medical research in the United States. Medical research funding by NIH grants have led to innumerable scientific breakthroughs, including the discovery of treatment for cancers of all types, the first sequencing of DNA and the development of the MRI. Additionally, dozens of NIH-supported scientists have earned Nobel Prizes for their groundbreaking scientific work.

Attorney General Lopez is joined by a coalition of attorneys general from Arizona, California, Connecticut, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.

The lawsuit was filed today in U.S. District Court for Massachusetts and can be found here.

# # #

Media contacts:

Dave Day

Special Assistant to the Attorney General

Office: 808-586-1284

Email: [email protected]

Web: http://ag.hawaii.gov

Toni Schwartz
Public Information Officer
Hawai‘i Department of the Attorney General
Office: 808-586-1252
Cell: 808-379-9249
Email: [email protected]

Web: http://ag.hawaii.gov

MIL OSI USA News –

February 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Former Keshena Resident Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Distribution and Involuntary Manslaughter Related to Overdose Deaths in Tribal Jail

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on February 7, 2025, Senior United States District Judge William C. Griesbach accepted the guilty pleas of Warren J. Grignon to one count of distribution of fentanyl in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841 and one count of involuntary manslaughter in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1111 and 1153(a).

According to the indictment and plea agreement, Grignon was an inmate at the Menominee Tribal Detention Center in Keshena on the Menominee Indian Reservation. On December 23, 2024, Grignon distributed fentanyl he smuggled into the jail to three other inmates. All three inmates overdosed. Two inmates were revived through the efforts of additional inmates, corrections staff, and responding officers from the Menominee Tribal Police Department. One inmate could not be revived and was pronounced dead. A later autopsy revealed the cause of death to be a fentanyl overdose.

The sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 16, 2025, at 10:30 a.m., before Judge Griesbach. Grignon faces a total sentence of up to 28 years in prison as well as fines and assessments for each count. Grignon also faces a minimum term of three years, and up to a lifetime of supervised release after completing any period of imprisonment.

The Menominee Tribal Police Department and FBI investigated the case, with valuable assistance from the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew J. Maier is prosecuting the case in the United States District Court in Green Bay.

# # #

For further information contact:
Public Information Officer
Kenneth.Gales@usdoj.gov
(414) 297-1700
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MIL Security OSI –

February 11, 2025
MIL-OSI NGOs: Saudi Arabia: Leeds student jailed in Saudi for tweeting in support women’s rights released

Source: Amnesty International –

Salma al-Shehab, a Leeds University PhD student and mother of two was arrested in January 2021

‘For more than four years she has been subjected to one gross injustice after another’ – Dana Ahmed

Responding to the release of Salma al-Shehab, a Saudi Arabian woman who has spent more than four years imprisoned on terrorism-related charges for posting tweets in support of women’s rights, Dana Ahmed, Amnesty International’s Middle East Researcher, said:

“Salma al-Shehab’s ordeal in prison is finally over. For more than four years she has been subjected to one gross injustice after another including at one point being handed an egregious 34-year prison sentence for her social media posts.

“Salma spent almost 300 days in prolonged solitary confinement, was denied legal representation, and was then repeatedly convicted on terrorism charges and handed a decades-long sentence. All because she tweeted in support of women’s rights. Saudi Arabia’s authorities must now ensure she is not subjected to a travel ban or any further punitive measures.

“While today is a day to celebrate Salma’s release, it’s also an opportunity to reflect on the many others serving similarly lengthy sentences in Saudi Arabia for their activities online. This includes other women such as such as Manahel al-Otaibi, and Noura al-Qahtani, jailed for speaking out for women’s rights and Abdulrahman al-Sadhan, jailed for 20 years for satirical tweets. We urge the Saudi authorities to immediately release them and end their relentless crackdown on the right to freedom of expression once and for all.

“Salma’s release would not have been possible without the tireless campaigning of human rights activists around the world.”

Leeds uni student

Salma al-Shehab, 36, a Leeds University PhD student and mother of two was arrested on 15 January 2021 for tweeting and retweeting Saudi women’s rights activists on Twitter. Based on these tweets, she was charged, amongst other things, with “disturb[ing] public order, [and] destabilis[ing] the security of society and the stability of the state.”

In March 2022, the Specialised Criminal Court (SCC) sentenced Salma al-Shehab to six years in prison. At her appeal trial in August 2022, the prosecution demanded a harsher punishment, and the SCC drastically increased her prison sentence to 34 years. Salma appealed that judgement and in January 2023 the Supreme Court referred her case back to the SCC’s appeals chamber. The court reduced her sentence to 27 years’ imprisonment. In September 2024, after the Supreme Court sent her case back to the SCC’s appeals chamber again, her prison sentence was reduced from 27 years to four years in prison with an additional four years suspended. Her four-year prison term ended in December 2024, and she was subsequently released this month.

For more information on her case, see here.

MIL OSI NGO –

February 11, 2025
MIL-OSI NGOs: Saudi woman imprisoned for tweeting in support of women’s rights released after four-year ordeal

Source: Amnesty International –

Responding to the release of Salma al-Shehab, a Saudi Arabian woman, who has spent more than four years imprisoned on terrorism-related charges for posting tweets in support of women’s rights, Amnesty International’s Middle East Researcher, Dana Ahmed, said:

“Salma al-Shehab’s ordeal in prison is finally over. For more than four years she has been subjected to one gross injustice after another including at one point being handed an egregious 34-year prison sentence for her social media posts. She spent almost 300 days in prolonged solitary confinement, was denied legal representation, and was then repeatedly convicted on terrorism charges and handed a decades-long sentence. All just because she tweeted in support of women’s rights and retweeted Saudi women’s rights activists. Saudi Arabia’s authorities must now ensure she is not subjected to a travel ban or any further punitive measures.

“While today is a day to celebrate Salma’s release, it’s also an opportunity to reflect on the many others serving similarly lengthy sentences in Saudi Arabia for their activities online” – Dana Ahmed, Middle East Researcher

“While today is a day to celebrate Salma’s release, it’s also an opportunity to reflect on the many others serving similarly lengthy sentences in Saudi Arabia for their activities online. This includes other women such as such as Manahel al-Otaibi, and Noura al-Qahtani, jailed for speaking out for women’s rights and Abdulrahman al-Sadhan, jailed for 20 years for satirical tweets. We urge the Saudi authorities to immediately release them and end their relentless crackdown on the right to freedom of expression once and for all.

“Salma’s release would not have been possible without the tireless campaigning of human rights activists around the world.”

Background

Salma al-Shehab, 36, a Leeds University PhD student and mother of two, was arrested on 15 January 2021 for tweeting and retweeting Saudi women’s rights activists on Twitter. Based on these tweets, she was charged, amongst other things, with “disturb[ing] public order, [and] destabiliz[ing] the security of society and the stability of the state.”

In March 2022, the Specialized Criminal Court (SCC) sentenced Salma al-Shehab to six years in prison. At her appeal trial in August 2022, the prosecution demanded a harsher punishment, and the SCC drastically increased her prison sentence to 34 years. Salma appealed that judgement and in January 2023 the Supreme Court referred her case back to the SCC’s appeals chamber. The court reduced her sentence to 27 years’ imprisonment. In September 2024, after the Supreme Court sent her case back to the SCC’s appeals chamber again, her prison sentence was reduced from 27 years to 4 years in prison with an additional four years suspended. Her four-year prison term ended in December 2024, and she was subsequently released this month.

For more information on her case, see here.

MIL OSI NGO –

February 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: NITI Aayog Releases Policy Report on ‘Expanding Quality Higher Education through States and State Public Universities’

Source: Government of India (2)

Posted On: 10 FEB 2025 8:15PM by PIB Delhi

NITI Aayog today launched a policy report titled ‘Expanding Quality Higher Education through States and State Public Universities’. The report was released by Sh. Suman Bery, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog; Dr. Vinod Kumar Paul, Member (Education); NITI Aayog, Sh. BVR Subrahmanyam, CEO, NITI Aayog; Sh. Vineet Joshi, Secretary, Department of Higher Education; and Dr. (Mrs.) Pankaj Mittal, Secretary General, Association of Indian Universities (AIU).

The report is a first-of-its kind policy document in the higher education sector focused specifically on States and State Public Universities (SPUs). It provides detailed quantitative analysis on vital indicators of Quality, Funding and Financing, Governance and Employability over the last decade across the themes. It provides the distilled essence of the insights gained from extensive stakeholder consultations held with State Government Officers of Higher and Technical Education Departments from over 20 States and Union Territories, Vice Chancellors, and senior academicians of 50 SPUs, and Chairpersons of several State Higher Education Councils.

Speaking on the occasion, NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Suman Bery said that in many global education systems, public universities set the benchmark for excellence, as seen in the U.S. and Brazil. While India has institutions like IITs, SPUs must also strive for high standards. He observed that as directed by the Hon. PM, NITI Aayog’s role is to create evidence through research, while implementation remains the Ministry’s responsibility. He hoped that the recommendations contained in the report would be enthusiastically taken forward by the Ministries in the Central and State Governments.

NITI Aayog Member Dr. Vinod Kumar Paul positioned the report in the context of NEP implementation and India’s vision for Viksit Bharat 2047. He emphasized that with 80% of India’s higher education taking place in SPUs, reforming them is crucial for creating human capital and establishing India as a knowledge hub.

NITI Aayog CEO Sh. BVR Subrahmanyam, highlighted that by 2035, the NEP 2020 target is to double enrolment in the higher education system to nearly 9 crore students. Nearly 7 crore of these will continue to study in SPUs. Hence, it is of utmost importance that these universities transition from focusing only on access to higher education to delivering world class higher education to create the high-quality human resource required to power the vision of becoming a Viksit Bharat by 2047. He pitched the report as a milestone contribution of NITI Aayog that would complement the NEP 2020 in transforming India’s higher education landscape.

Secretary DHE Sh. Vineet Joshi highlighted key initiatives that were announced in the recent budget including the selection of 10,000 PMRF research fellows, addition of 6,500 seats in second-generation IITs, and the Bharatiya Bhasha textbook scheme for regional language education. He highlighted PM-USHA’s allocation of INR13,000 crores for 2023-24 to 2025-26, with INR 100 crores per SPU for transitioning to become MERUs. He said that these would play a role in transforming SPUs.

Dr. (Mrs.) Pankaj Mittal, Secretary General, AIU detailed how the report involved extensive deliberations and stakeholder consultations. She highlighted that the report addresses three major constraints raised by vice-chancellors: funding limitations, governance issues, and the need for capacity building of VCs, teachers, and staff, and is a pioneering policy work on SPUs.

The policy report provides a detailed policy roadmap including nearly 80 policy recommendations, short, medium, and long-term implementation strategies, actors responsible for implementing the recommendations and over 125 Performance Success Indicators. The recommendations assimilated from the consultation process are aimed at improving the quality of research, pedagogy and curriculum, augmenting institutional and systemic funding and financing capacity, upgrading and empowering institutional governance structures, and strengthening industry-academia interface to boost student employability.

The full policy report can be accessed at: https://www.niti.gov.in/sites/default/files/2025-02/Expanding-Quality-Higher-Education-through-SPUs.pdf

The full policy brief can be accessed at: https://www.niti.gov.in/sites/default/files/2025-02/Policy_Brief_Education.pdf

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MJPS/SR

(Release ID: 2101510) Visitor Counter : 41

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

February 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: India and EFTA Strengthen Economic Ties with the Inauguration of the India-EFTA Desk

Source: Government of India

India and EFTA Strengthen Economic Ties with the Inauguration of the India-EFTA Desk

India-EFTA Desk will function as a single-window mechanism to provide support to EFTA businesses looking to invest, expand, or establish operations in India

Business Roundtable Witnessed Participation from Over 100 Companies from India and EFTA Nations

Posted On: 10 FEB 2025 6:27PM by PIB Delhi

India and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) – comprising Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein – have taken a significant step towards deeper economic collaboration with the inauguration of the India-EFTA Desk. This initiative follows the recently concluded India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA), which positions EFTA as the first European bloc to formalize a trade pact with India. Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal hailed TEPA as a landmark agreement, emphasizing India’s growing role in global trade. “This desk will serve as the bridge between businesses on both sides, ensuring transparency, trust, and ease of doing business,” he stated. He underscored India’s ambition to surpass $100 billion in EFTA investments, highlighting the country’s commitment to fostering equitable and mutually beneficial trade relationships.

The India-EFTA Desk will provide structured support to EFTA businesses looking to invest, expand, or establish operations in India. High-ranking dignitaries from all four EFTA nations attended the launch, reaffirming their commitment to strengthening economic ties.

Switzerland’s State Secretary for Economic Affairs, Ms. Helene Budliger Artieda, described TEPA as a “new chapter for investment promotion and cooperation,” citing over CHF 10 billion in Swiss FDI that has created 146,000+ jobs in India, particularly in manufacturing. She projected a surge in investments across precision industries, chemicals, food processing, and pharmaceuticals, suggesting that an Invest India office in Switzerland could further drive investment flows.

Norway’s State Secretary of Trade and Industry, Mr. Tomas Norvoll, likened TEPA to an airport, with the EFTA Desk serving as the landing strip for businesses. He noted that Norwegian companies in India have doubled in the last decade, with sovereign wealth fund assets reaching $31.4 billion.

Iceland’s Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Martin Eyjolfsson, called TEPA “the most significant trade agreement EFTA has signed in decades,” reinforcing India’s role as a key economic partner for Europe. He highlighted growing cooperation in renewable energy, seafood, and pharmaceuticals, positioning TEPA as a stabilizing force amid global economic uncertainty.

Liechtenstein’s Minister of External Affairs, Education, and Sport, Ms. Dominique Hasler, emphasized the Desk’s role in facilitating high-value manufacturing and innovation-driven industries. She pointed to Hilti’s success in India and expressed optimism that TEPA would encourage more Liechtenstein-based firms to expand.

The India-EFTA Desk will drive investment in renewable energy, life sciences, engineering, and digital transformation. Secretary, DPIIT, Shri Amardeep Singh Bhatia, noted that TEPA will spur joint ventures, SME collaborations, and technology partnerships, with the Desk streamlining regulatory navigation for EFTA businesses.

Union Minister of State, Shri Jitin Prasada, highlighted EFTA’s strategic importance to India’s development goals, citing Norway’s expertise in green shipping, Switzerland’s advancements in rail networks, Iceland’s leadership in geothermal energy, and Liechtenstein’s high-value manufacturing. He also pointed to research collaborations between IITs and the Arctic University of Norway, demonstrating TEPA’s broader scope beyond trade.

Following the Desk’s inauguration, a high-level Business Roundtable chaired by Shri Piyush Goyal convened to explore opportunities and address trade challenges. Discussions identified key sectors, including seafood & maritime, energy, financial services, pharmaceuticals, engineering, and food processing.

Looking ahead, the India-EFTA Desk will serve as the primary channel for fostering continuous business-government dialogue. The Indian government has pledged to work closely with EFTA partners to unlock TEPA’s full potential. Concluding the discussions, Shri Piyush Goyal called TEPA a “model agreement” and reaffirmed India’s readiness to build a robust future with EFTA, stating: “India is ready when you are. Let’s build this future together.”

With the official inauguration of the EFTA Desk, India and EFTA have entered a new era of economic cooperation, ensuring that businesses from both regions thrive in an era of sustainable and innovation-driven growth.

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Abhishek Dayal/Abhijith Narayanan/Asmitabha Manna

(Release ID: 2101431) Visitor Counter : 65

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

February 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Celebrating a Decade of Progress
Source: Government of India

Posted On: 10 FEB 2025 5:42PM by PIB Delhi

International Day of Women and Girls in Science

Women have played a pivotal role in shaping the world of science, making groundbreaking discoveries and driving innovation across various fields. With increasing efforts to promote gender equality in education and research, women are now leading scientific advancements, challenging stereotypes, and redefining the landscape of global science. In 2015, the United Nations General Assembly declared 11 February as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. The day serves as a global reminder of the importance of gender equality in STEM fields, and this year we celebrate its 10th anniversary.

India has taken significant steps to promote gender parity in STEM. The Department of Science and Technology (DST) has recently implemented the WISE-KIRAN (Women in Science and Engineering-KIRAN) scheme, a comprehensive program designed to support women at various stages of their scientific careers. Under this scheme, government has launched initiatives like:
- WISE-PhD: The programme aims to provide support to women who want to pursue a Ph.D. in 5 subject areas of basic and applied sciences.
- WISE Post-Doctoral Fellowship (WISE-PDF): The programme aims to provide opportunity to women to continue research after Ph.D. in Basic and Applied Sciences through independent project grant.
- Women’s Instinct for Developing and Ushering in Scientific Heights & Innovations (WIDUSHI): WIDUSHI programme provides support to women scientists who are at the verge of retirement or retired from Government service and also to the women scientists who are not at permanent position but are active researchers and continuously excelling in research field.
- WISE-SCOPE: The programme encourages women scientists and technologists to address societal challenges through S&T interventions.
- WISE Internship in Intellectual Property Rights (WISE-IPR) – WISE-IPR programme provides one-year training to women in the area of Intellectual Property Rights in order to develop a core professional skill in this domain.
- Women International Grant Support (WINGS): The programme provides opportunities to Indian Women scientists to undertake research in the International research labs and academic institutions.
- Consolidation of University Research for Innovation and Excellence (CURIE): CURIE Programme provides support to women institutions for establishing State-of-the art research infrastructure to enhance research facilities and improving R&D activities in order to create excellence in Science & Technology (S&T) domain.
- Vigyan Jyoti: Vigyan Jyoti programme aims to encourage girls to pursue higher education and career in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) especially in the areas where women participation is low in order to balance gender ratio across the streams. Vigyan Jyoti (School Component) is in implementation in 250 districts of 34 States/UTs of the country.
- Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions (GATI): GATI aims to develop an indigenous Charter for Gender Equity in STEMM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics & Medicine), with a focus on bringing about transformational changes at Institutional level.
These efforts collectively aim to bridge the gender gap, empower women in STEM, and create an inclusive scientific ecosystem in India.

Throughout history, women pioneers in science have defied societal norms, challenged conventions, and made groundbreaking contributions to human knowledge. Let us remember the women who dared to dream beyond the societal norms and created a legacy that continues to inspire others!

As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, it is evident that women have made tremendous strides in STEM, overcoming barriers and reshaping the scientific landscape. India’s dedicated efforts—through policies, programs, and institutional support have played a crucial role in increasing female participation in higher education, research, and innovation.

References

https://www.un.org/en/observances/women-and-girls-in-science-day

https://www.indiascienceandtechnology.gov.in/sites/all/themes/vigyan/images/Women’s_Scientist_Brochure_Low_Res.pdf

https://dst.gov.in/scientific-programmes/wise-kiran

https://www.unesco.org/en/days/women-girls-science

Kindly find the pdf file

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Santosh Kumar/Sarla Meena/ Madiha Iqbal

(Release ID: 2101395) Visitor Counter : 46

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –
February 11, 2025

MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Domestic Tourism Growth

Source: Government of India

Posted On: 10 FEB 2025 5:17PM by PIB Delhi

The Ministry of Tourism has formulated a National Strategy for Sustainable Tourism and the following strategic pillars have been identified for development of sustainable tourism:

i. Promoting Environmental Sustainability

ii. Protecting Biodiversity

iii. Promoting Economic Sustainability

iv. Promoting Socio-Cultural Sustainability

v. Scheme for Certification of Sustainable Tourism

vi. IEC and Capacity Building Governance

The Ministry also launched the Travel for LiFE Initiative to promote sustainable tourism in the country and to encourage the tourists and tourism businesses to adopt sustainable tourism practices. Travel for LiFE aims to promote sustainable tourism in the country, through mindful and deliberate actions mobilized toward tourists and tourism businesses in the consumption of tourism resources. The Ministry of Tourism has also revamped its Swadesh Darshan scheme as Swadesh Darshan 2.0 (SD2.0) with the objective of developing sustainable and responsible destinations following a tourist & destination centric approach. Through these initiatives, the Government seeks to ensure that tourism contributes positively to the economy while safeguarding the environment and benefiting local communities. The list of projects sanctioned under the schemes of the Ministry in various States/Union Territories including in South India are placed at Annexure.

This information was given by Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

ANNEXURE

State wise list of projects sanctioned under PRASHAD Scheme.

(Rs. in Crore)
S. No	Name of State/UT	No. of Projects	Sanctioned Amount	Amount released
1	Andhra Pradesh	4	150.22	84.55
2	Arunachal Pradesh	1	37.88	21.95
3	Assam	1	29.8	29.8
4	Bihar	2	33.25	33.25
5	Chhattisgarh	1	48.44	32.13
6	Gujarat	4	152.94	113.48
7	Goa	1	16.46	0
8	Haryana	1	48.53	34.68
9	Jammu & Kashmir	1	40.46	34.3
10	Jharkhand	1	36.79	34.95
11	Karnataka	1	45.71	0
12	Kerala	1	45.19	45.19
13	Madhya Pradesh	2	93.92	78.67
14	Maharashtra	1	42.18	29.93
15	Meghalaya	1	29.29	24.92
16	Mizoram	1	44.89	13.18
17	Nagaland	2	43.38	32.24
18	Odisha	1	50	10
19	Punjab	2	37.97	23.89
20	Rajasthan	1	32.64	26.11
21	Sikkim	1	33.32	28.31
22	Tamil Nadu	2	18.85	18.85
23	Telangana	3	142.28	54.32
24	Tripura	1	34.43	25.62
25	Uttar Pradesh	6	130.27	110.82
26	Uttarakhand	3	145.28	83.37
27	West Bengal	1	30.03	23.39
	Grand Total	47	1594.4	1047.92

State wise list of projects under Swadesh Darshan Scheme till 31.12.2024

(₹ in crore)

S. No	State / UTs	Swadesh Darshan
S. No	State / UTs	No. of Projects	Amount Sanctioned in ₹ Crore	Amount Released / Authorised* in ₹ Crore	Amount Utilised in ₹ Crore (as per UC submitted by the Implementing agency)
1	Andhra Pradesh	3	152.62	147.40	148.81
2	Arunachal Pradesh	2	146.49	139.16	139.16
3	Assam	2	185.66	185.65	176.36
4	Bihar	5	262.72	250.37	247.03
5	Chhattisgarh	1	96.10	94.23	94.23
6	Goa	2	197.00	197.00	195.24
7	Gujarat	3	176.97	165.74	161.11
8	Haryana	1	77.39	76.74	76.74
9	Himachal Pradesh	1	68.34	64.54	62.56
10	Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh	6	519.58	453.46	423.43
11	Jharkhand	1	30.44	28.04	28.04
12	Kerala	5	312.47	259.13	222.05
13	Madhya Pradesh	4	349.70	342.14	342.14
14	Maharashtra	2	64.53	61.29	55.85
15	Manipur	2	117.57	106.65	104.29
16	Meghalaya	2	184.10	184.07	176.08
17	Mizoram	2	158.63	145.35	145.35
18	Nagaland	2	195.50	195.50	190.63
19	Odisha	1	70.82	67.28	59.47
20	Punjab	1	85.32	81.05	81.05
21	Rajasthan	4	283.47	265.88	275.45
22	Sikkim	2	193.37	192.73	187.96
23	Tamil Nadu	1	73.13	71.03	71.03
24	Telangana	3	268.39	241.73	262.10
25	Tripura	2	127.68	113.01	100.13
26	Uttar Pradesh	8	490.95	452.08	437.39
27	Uttarakhand	2	145.49	138.08	138.11
28	West Bengal	1	67.99	65.07	65.07
29	Andaman & Nicobar Islands	1	27.57	22.13	22.08
30	Puducherry	3	142.84	135.54	135.34
31	Wayside Amenities in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar	1	15.07	14.32	15.83
Total		76	5287.90	4956.39	4840.11

* Includes amount of authorization to CNA through TSA Model I for Central Sector Scheme.

List of sanctioned projects under Swadesh Darshan 2.0 as on 31.12.2024

S. No	State	Destination	Name of the Experience	Sanctioned Cost (₹ Crore)	Date of Sanction
1	Andhra Pradesh	Araku-Lambasingi	Borra Cave Experience at Araku	29.87	05-03-2024
2	Arunachal Pradesh	Nacho	Unlock Nacho Expedition	14.02	05-03-2024
3	Arunachal Pradesh	Mechuka	Mechuka Cultural Haat	18.48	05-03-2024
4	Arunachal Pradesh	Mechuka	Mechuka Adventure Park	12.75	05-03-2024
5	Assam	Kokrajhar	Kokrajhar Wetland Experience	26.67	05-03-2024
6	Assam	Jorhat	Reimagining Cinnamara Tea Estate	23.91	05-03-2024
7	Goa	Porvorim	Porvorim Creek Experience	23.56	20-08-2024
8	Goa	Colva	Colva Beach Experience	15.65	20-08-2024
9	Karnataka	Hampi	Setting up of ‘Traveller nooks’	25.64	29-02-2024
10	Karnataka	Mysuru	Tonga ride Heritage experience zone	2.72	29-02-2024
11	Karnataka	Mysuru	Ecological Experience Zone	18.47	05-03-2024
12	Kerala	Kumarakom	Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary Experience	13.92	05-03-2024
13	Ladakh	Leh	Julley Leh Biodiversity Park	24.89	05-03-2024
14	Ladakh	Kargil	Exploring LOC and Hundarman village Experience	12.01	05-03-2024
15	Madhya Pradesh	Gwalior	Phoolbagh Experience Zone	16.73	29-02-2024
16	Madhya Pradesh	Chitrakoot	Spiritual experience at Chitrakoot	27.21	05-03-2024
17	Maharashtra	Pune	Shivsrushti Historical Theme Park- Phase 3	76.22	21-09-2024
18	Meghalaya	Sohra	Waterfall Trails Experience	27.84	05-03-2024
19	Meghalaya	Sohra	Meghalayan Age Cave Experience	32.45	04-03-2024
20	Nagaland	Chumoukedima	Eco-Tourism Exp at Chumoukedima viewpoint	7.87	20-08-2024
21	Nagaland	Chumuoukedima	Tribal Cultural Experience at Midway Retreat	21.56	05-03-2024
22	Puducherry	Karaikal	Karaikal beach and waterfront experience	20.29	05-03-2024
23	Punjab	Kapurthala	Eco Tourism experience at Kanjli wetland	20.06	05-03-2024
24	Punjab	Amritsar	Border Tourism Experience at Attari	25.90	20-08-2024
25	Rajasthan	Bundi	Spiritual Experience, Keshavraipatan	17.37	29-02-2024
26	Sikkim	Gyalshing	Eco-Wellness Experience at Yuksom Cluster	15.40	05-03-2024
27	Sikkim	Gangtok	Gangtok Cultural Village	22.59	29-02-2024
28	Tamil Nadu	Mamallapuram	Immersive experience at Shore Temple	30.02	29-02-2024
29	Telangana	Bhongir	Bhongir Fort Experiential Zone	56.81	29-02-2024
30	Telangana	Ananathagiri	Eco tourism zone at Ananathgiri forest	38.00	05-03-2024
31	Uttar Pradesh	Prayagraj	Azad Park and Dekho Prayagraj Trail Exp	13.02	05-03-2024
32	Uttar Pradesh	Naimisaranya	Vedic- wellness Experience	15.94	05-03-2024
33	Uttarakhand	Pithoragarh	Rural Tourism Cluster Experience at Gunji	32.20	05-03-2024
34	Uttarakhand	Champawat	Tea Garden Experience	11.21	05-03-2024
TOTAL AMOUNT				791.25

List of Destination Identified under Challenge Based Destination Development (CBDD), a sub-scheme of Swadesh Darshan scheme

S. No.	State	Destination	Category	Funding Amount (₹ Crore)
1	Andhra Pradesh	Nagarjuna Sagar	Culture & Heritage	25.00
2	Andhra Pradesh	Ahobilam Temple	Spiritual Tourism	25.00
3	Arunachal Pradesh	Kibitho	Vibrant Village Programme	5.00
4	Arunachal Pradesh	Bichom Dam Site	Ecotourism and Amrit Dharohar Sites	10.00
5	Assam	Sivasagar	Ecotourism and Amrit Dharohar Sites	10.00
6	Bihar	Bhagalpur	Culture & Heritage	25.00
7	Bihar	Saran Dist. (Sonepur Fair)	Culture & Heritage	25.00
8	Chhattisgarh	Mayali Bagicha	Ecotourism and Amrit Dharohar Sites	10.00
9	Goa	Mayem Village	Ecotourism and Amrit Dharohar Sites	10.00
10	Gujarat	Porbandar	Spiritual Tourism	25.00
11	Gujarat	Thol Village	Ecotourism and Amrit Dharohar Sites	10.00
12	Gujarat	Vadnagar	Culture & Heritage	25.00
13	Himachal Pradesh	Kaza	Culture & Heritage	25.00
14	Himachal Pradesh	Rakchham, Chhitkul	Vibrant Village Programme	5.00
15	Jharkhand	Ramrekha Dham	Spiritual Tourism	25.00
16	Kerala	Varkala	Culture & Heritage	25.00
17	Kerala	Thalassery	Spiritual Tourism	25.00
18	Karnataka	Bidar	Culture & Heritage	25.00
19	Karnataka	Udupi	Ecotourism and Amrit Dharohar Sites	10.00
20	Ladakh	Mushkoh Village	Ecotourism and Amrit Dharohar Sites	10.00
21	Lakshadweep	Lakshadweep	Ecotourism and Amrit Dharohar Sites	10.00
22	Madhya Pradesh	Mandu	Culture & Heritage	25.00
23	Madhya Pradesh	Orchha	Spiritual Tourism	25.00
24	Maharashtra	Ahmednagar	Culture & Heritage	25.00
25	Manipur	Langthabal Konug	Culture & Heritage	25.00
26	Meghalaya	Nartiang Village	Spiritual Tourism	25.00
27	Meghalaya	Mawphlang Village	Culture & Heritage	25.00
28	Nagaland	Doyang Reservoir	Ecotourism and Amrit Dharohar Sites	10.00
29	Nagaland	Impur Village	Spiritual Tourism	25.00
30	Puducherry	White Town	Culture & Heritage	25.00
31	Punjab	Ferozpur (Hussainiwala Border)	Culture & Heritage	25.00
32	Punjab	Rupnagar (Anandpur Sahib)	Spiritual Tourism	25.00
33	Sikkim	Gnathang Village	Vibrant Village Programme	5.00
34	Sikkim	Kabi	Spiritual Tourism	25.00
35	Tamil Nadu	Rameswaram Island	Spiritual Tourism	25.00
36	Tamil Nadu	Thanjavur	Culture & Heritage	25.00
37	Telangana	Nalgonda	Culture & Heritage	25.00
38	Telangana	Kamareddy	Ecotourism and Amrit Dharohar Sites	10.00
39	Uttar Pradesh	Mahoba	Culture & Heritage	25.00
40	Uttarakhand	Mana Village	Vibrant Village Programme	5.00
41	Uttarakhand	Jadung	Vibrant Village Programme	5.00
42	Uttarakhand	Kainchidham	Spiritual Tourism	25.00
TOTAL				800.00

List of Project shortlisted by Ministry of Tourism in consultation with the State Governments on the given parameters and funded by Department of Expenditure for development

S. No.	State/UT	Name of the Project	Sanctioned Cost (₹ Crore)	Date of Sanction
1	Andhra Pradesh	Enriching the fort and Gorge Experience in Gandikota	77.91	26-11-2024
2	Andhra Pradesh	Akhanda Godavari- (Havelok Bridge & Pushkar Ghat) in Raja Mahendravaram,	94.44	26-11-2024
3	Arunachal Pradesh	Siang Adventure & Eco-Retreat in Pasighat	46.48	26-11-2024
4	Assam	Assam State Zoo Cum Botanical Garden in Guwahati	97.12	26-11-2024
5	Assam	Beautification of Rang Ghar in Sivasagar	94.76	26-11-2024
6	Bihar	Development of Matsyagandha Lake in Saharsa	97.61	26-11-2024
7	Bihar	Karamchat Eco-Tourism and Adventure Hub in Karamchat	49.51	26-11-2024
8	Chhattisgarh	Development of Chitrotpala Film City in Raipur	95.79	26-11-2024
9	Chhattisgarh	Development of Tribal & Cultural Convention Centre in Raipur	51.87	26-11-2024
10	Goa	Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Museum in Ponda	97.46	26-11-2024
11	Goa	Townsquare in Porvorim	90.74	26-11-2024
12	Gujarat	Ecotourism Destination at Kerly (Mokarsagar) in Porbandar	99.50	26-11-2024
13	Gujarat	Tented City and Convention Centre in Dhordo	51.56	26-11-2024
14	Jharkhand	Eco-Tourism Development of Tilaiyya” in Koderma	34.87	26-11-2024
15	Karnataka	Ecotourism & Cultural Hub at Roerich and Devika Rani Estate Tataguni in Bengaluru	99.17	26-11-2024
16	Karnataka	Development of Savadatti Yallammagudda in Belgavi	100.00	26-11-2024
17	Kerala	Ashtamudi Biodiversity and Eco-recreational Hub in Kollam	59.71	26-11-2024
18	Kerala	Global Gateway to Malabar’s Cultural Crucible in Sargaalayaa	95.34	26-11-2024
19	Madhya Pradesh	Orchha A Medieval Splendour in Orchha	99.92	26-11-2024
20	Madhya Pradesh	International Convention Centre for MICE in Bhopal	99.38	26-11-2024
21	Maharashtra	INS-Guldar Underwater Museum, Artificial Reef, and submarine Tourism in Sindhudurg	46.91	26-11-2024
22	Maharashtra	Development of RAM-KAL PATH in Nashik	99.14	26-11-2024
23	Manipur	Loktak Lake Experience in Loktak	89.48	26-11-2024
24	Meghalaya	MICE Infrastructure in Mawkhanu	99.27	26-11-2024
25	Meghalaya	Redevelopment of Umiam Lake in Shillong	99.27	26-11-2024
26	Odisha	Development of Hirakund	99.90	26-11-2024
27	Odisha	Development of Satkosia	99.99	26-11-2024
28	Punjab	Development of Heritage Street as a tribute to Shaheed-e-Azam, Sardar Bhaghat Singh at Khatkar Kalan in SBS Nagar	53.45	26-11-2024
29	Rajasthan	Development at Amber-Nahargarh and Surrounding Area in Jaipur	49.31	26-11-2024
30	Rajasthan	Development at Jalmahal in Jaipur	96.61	26-11-2024
31	Sikkim	Skywalk, Bhaleydhunga, Yangang in Namchi	97.37	27-11-2024
32	Sikkim	Border Experience in Nathula	68.19	27-11-2024
33	Tamil Nadu	Development of Nandavanam Heritage Park in Mammallapuram	99.67	26-11-2024
34	Tamil Nadu	Garden of Flowers in Devala	70.23	26-11-2024
35	Telangana	Ramappa Region Sustainable Tourism Circuit in Ramappa	73.74	13-12-2024
36	Telangana	Somasilla Wellness & Spiritual Retreat in Nallamala	68.10	13-12-2024
37	Tripura	Shakti Peethas Park at Banduar in Gomati	97.70	26-11-2024
38	Uttar Pradesh	Development of Bateshwar in District-Agra	74.05	26-11-2024
39	Uttar Pradesh	Integrated Buddhist Tourism Development in Shrawasti	80.24	26-11-2024
40	Uttarakhand	Iconic City Rishikesh: Rafting Base Station in Rishikesh	100.00	26-11-2024
TOTAL			3295.76

List of Projects Sanctioned under the Scheme Assistance to Central Agencies

S. No	Name of Project	State	Agency	Sanction Date	Amount sanctioned	Amount Released
1	Sound and Light Show at Dal Lake (Nigeen Lake)	J&K	ITDC	25-06-2012	500	400
2	Cruise Passenger Facilities Centre in the existing Passenger Terminal at Chennai Port.	Tamil Nadu	Chennai Port Trust	24-09-2012	1724.66	1724.66
3	Implementation of Multimedia /Laser show at Tilyar Lake	Haryana	ITDC	30-04-2013	500	224.05
4	Construction of Interpretation Centre at the World Heritage Site of Humayun’s Tomb, New Delhi.	Delhi	Aga Khan Foundation	04-03-2014	4944.84	4944.84
5	Cruise Terminal Building at Mormugao Port Trust	Goa	Mormugao Port Trust	24-06-2014	879.04	767.18
6	Sound & Light Show at Diu Fort, Diu	Daman & Diu	ITDC	28-02-2015	775.54	620.43
7	Illumination of monuments in Varanasi/Sarnath (Dhamekh Stupa in SarnathChaukhandi Stupa in Sarnath, Tomb of Lalkan in Sarnath and Man Mahal in Banaras).	Uttar Pradesh	ITDC	28-02-2015	512.43	381.47
8	Development of Kanoji Angre Lighthouse as a tourist Destination	Maharashtra	Mumbai Port Trust	09-08-2016	1500	1500
9	Development of a Walkway/Promenade on Willingdon Island, Cochin, Kerala	Kerala	Cochin Port Trust	28-10-2016	901	826.29
10	Central Financial Assistance for upgrading of Births & Backup area of Ernakulam Wharf	Kerala	Cochin Port Trust	31-03-2017	2141	1912.8
11	Project for Up-gradation of Golf Course at SAI Trivandrum Golf Club by the Sports Authority of India	Kerala	SAI	31-03-2017	2464.99	1232.49
12	Sound and Light Show at Yadavindra Gardens, Pinjore, Haryana.	Haryana	ITDC	16-10-2017	600	300
13	Sound and Light Show at Puttaparthy, Andhra Pradesh	Andhra Pradesh	ITDC	27-11-2017	708.67	354.34
14	Up-gradation/ modernization to International Cruise terminal at Indira Dock, Mumbai.	Maharashtra	Mumbai Port Trust	29-12-2017	1250	1250
15	Illumination of three monuments in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh- 1. Dashashwamedh Ghat to Darbhanga Ghat (stretch of 300 m) 2. Tulsi Manas Mandir 3. Sarnath Museum	Uttar Pradesh	CPWD	21-12-2017	293.55	293.55
16	Infrastructural Development at JCP Attari, Wagha Border	Punjab	BSF	12-06-2018	1312	1029.59
17	Improvement of immigration facility and deepening of existing cruise berth at Mormugao Port Trust	Goa	Mormugao Port Trust	24-08-2018	1316.4	658.2
18	Developing infrastructure at Cochin Port Cruise Terminal.	Kerala	Cochin Port Trust	12-12-2018	120.79	114.17
19	Creation of additional tourism facilities at the Cochin Port Trust Walkway	Kerala	Cochin Port Trust	12-12-2018	466.47	466.47
20	Construction of Cruise-Cum-Costal Cargo Terminal at Channel berth area in Outer Harbour of Visakhapatnam Port	Andhra Pradesh	Visakhapatnam Port Trust	14-12-2018	3850	2991
21	Restoration/ Renovation of ‘Jallianwala Bagh Memorial’ & Additional work to be taken at Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial at Amritsar, Punjab.	Punjab (GFR)	ASI	08-03-2019	2302	2250
22	Sound and Light Show at (Purana Quila) Delhi	Delhi	ITDC	05-08-2019	1404	685
23	Development of Additional infrastructure in the new Cochin Port Trust Terminal	Kerala	Cochin Port Trust	13-12-2019	1029.7	888.62
24	Illumination of Building of National Gallery of Modern Art	Delhi	NCSM	19-12-2019	380	304
25	Development & renovation of selected facilities of National Museum	Delhi	NCSM	26-12-2019	4373	2186
26	Development of Jetties at 9 main points of embarkation/disembarkation of River Cruize on National Water ways No. 1 & 2	Assam	IWAI	28-04-2020	2803.05	700.76
27	Tourism Infrastructure at Beltaal Lake, Damoh, Madhya Pradesh by ITDC.	Madhya Pradesh	ITDC	29-09-2020	2315.30	1008.27
28	Sound & Light Show at Leh, Ladakh & Water Screen Projection Multimedia Show at Tourist Facilitation Centre, Kargil, Ladakh	Leh & Ladakh	ITDC	26-11-2020	2321.99	765.99
29	3D visual projection mapping of NGMA Building	Delhi	NCSM	31-03-2021	616.27	464.58
30	Development of Convention Centre and associated Infrastructure at Aizawl.	Mizoram	WAPCOS	31-03-2021	3994.75	3057.03
31	Development of International and Domestic Cruse Terminal and allied facilities at Murmugao Port Trust, Goa	Goa	Mormugao Port Trust	10-09-2021	5000	4000
32	Upgradation/Modernization to International Cruise Terminal at Indira Dock, Mumbai Port Trust	Maharashtra	Mumbai Port Trust	20-12-2021	3750	3000
33	Development of 22 viewpoints in North Eastern State (i) Nagaland (2 view points)- Rs.5.77 Crore (ii) Meghalaya (3 view points) – Rs.6.26 Crore (iii) Mizoram (9 view points)- Rs.12.78 Crore (iv) Arunachal Pradesh (4 view points) – Rs.6.25 Crore (v) Manipur (3 view points)- Rs.5.93 Crore (vi) Sikkim/West Bengal (1 view point)- Rs.3.70 Crore	NER	NHIDCL	11-10-2022	4444	3555.4
34	Development of Border Tourism at Shri Tanot Complex, Jaisalmer Sector	Rajasthan	BSF	05-07-2022	1767.66	883.83
35	Multimedia Laser Show with Water Screen and Musical Fountain at Sanjeevaiah Park, Hyderabad, Telangana	Telangana	BECIL	31-10-2022	5000.04	4090
36	Design, Supply, Installation, Testing & Commissioning of Digital Multimedia Technology and Lightings at Osmania Arts University, Hyderabad Telangana	Telangana	BECIL	22-12-2022	1179.93	943.47
37	Project ‘Major Upgradation of National Science Centre	Delhi	NCSM	27-03-2023	3180	18
38	Installation of Musical Fountain & Water Screen Multimedia based projection show at Nawal Sagar Lake, Bundi	Rajasthan	ITDC	04-10-2023	925.67	92.57
39	Development of Light & Sound and Multimedia Show at Rashtrapati Bhawan	Delhi	ITDC	28-03-2024	4712.4	471
40	3D Mapping with Aqua Screen Projection and Sound Show at Buxar, Bihar and Dynamic Lighting & Motif at Ram Rekha Ghat, Bihar	Bihar	BECIL	10-06-2024	599.96	59.99
	Total (Lakhs)				78,861.10	51,416.04

***

Sunil Kumar Tiwari

tourism4pib[at]gmail[dot]com

(Release ID: 2101365) Visitor Counter : 70

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

February 11, 2025

MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Measuring the Pulse of Indian Education
Source: Government of India (2)

Posted On: 10 FEB 2025 5:16PM by PIB Delhi

Union Budget 2025-26 Unveils Transformative Initiatives

“Education is not only the foundation upon which our civilization has been built, but it is also the architect of humanity’s future.”

~Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi

Education has always been a key priority for the government and with the vision to make India a global education hub, the Union Budget 2025-26 introduces innovative initiatives. Focused on expanding medical seats, enhancing skilling infrastructure and growing IITs, these measures aim to provide more opportunities and equip youth with essential skills for the future.

Announcements for a Smarter, Inclusive India
1. Bharatiya Bhasha Pustak Scheme: To provide digital-form Indian language books for school and higher education. This aims to help students understand their subjects better.
2. National Centres of Excellence for Skilling: Building on the July 2024 Budget, five National Centres of Excellence for skilling will be established with global partnerships to equip youth with skills. These centres will focus on curriculum design, trainer training, skills certification, and regular reviews.
3. Expansion of Capacity in IITs: Additional infrastructure will be created in the 5 IITs started after 2014 to facilitate education for 6,500 more students. Hostel and other infrastructure capacity at IIT, Patna will also be expanded. Total number of students in 23 IITs has increased 100 per cent from 65,000 to 1.35 lakh in the past 10 years.
4. Centre of Excellence in AI for Education: A Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence for education will be set up with a total outlay of 500 crore.
5. Expansion of Medical Education: The government had added almost 1.1 lakh UG and PG medical education seats in ten years, an increase of 130 per cent. In the next year, 10,000 additional seats will be added in medical colleges and hospitals, towards the goal of adding 75,000 seats in the next 5 years.
Inside India’s Education System

The Indian education system has undergone significant transformation over the years. Serving 24.8 crore students across 14.72 lakh schools, it is supported by a dedicated workforce of 98 lakh teachers, as reported by the UDISE+ (Unified District Information System for Education Plus 2023-24). Government schools form the backbone of the system, comprising 69% of the total, enrolling 50% of students and employing 51% of teachers. On the other hand, private schools make up 22.5% of institutions, catering to 32.6% of students and employing 38% of teachers. This growing structure reflects the dynamic changes in the Indian education landscape, paving the way for continuous improvements in enrollment and access over the years.

Enrollment Trends in India

The NEP 2020 aims for a 100% Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) by 2030. The GER is near universal at the primary (93 %) and the efforts are underway to bridge the gaps at the secondary (77.4 %) and higher secondary level (56.2 %), driving the nation closer to its vision of inclusive and equitable education for all. In the realm of higher education, India has seen a dramatic rise in student enrollment. The total number of students enrolled in higher education reached 4.33 crore in 2021-22, a 26.5% increase from 3.42 crore in 2014-15. The Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) for the 18-23 age group also rose from 23.7% to 28.4% in the same period.

Women’s participation in higher education has also witnessed significant growth, with female enrollment rising from 1.57 crore in 2014-15 to 2.07 crore in 2021-22, marking a 32% increase. This progress is especially evident in fields like Medical Science, Social Science, and Arts, where women are now leading the charge in enrollment.

Decline in Dropout Rate

However, challenges still persist and the dropout rate remains a critical concern. While there has been a steady decline in dropout rates. School dropout rates have steadily declined in recent years, standing at 1.9 per cent for primary, 5.2 per cent for upper primary and 14.1 per cent for secondary levels. According to AISHE report the dropout rate at the secondary level has also decreased significantly from 21% in 2013-14 to 13% in 2021-22.

Transforming India’s Education Landscape

Over the years, India has seen a remarkable transformation in its higher education ecosystem. The number of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) has grown significantly, increasing by 13.8% from 51,534 in 2014-15 to 58,643 in 2022-23. This expansion reflects the country’s commitment to making higher education more accessible and diverse.
- Growth in Medical Education and Workforce: Medical Colleges grew from 499 in FY19 to 780 in FY25.
- Candidates aspiring to study MBBS increased from 16 lakh in 2019 to 24 lakh in 2024.
- MBBS Seats increased from 70,012 in FY19 to 1,18,137 in FY25.
- Postgraduate Medical Seats grew from 39,583 in FY19 to 73,157 in FY25.
- Doctors Available: 13.86 lakh registered practitioners as of July 2024, with a current ratio of 1:1263 per person. The WHO norm of 1:1000 could be met by 2030 with an annual increase of 50,000 doctors.
- Growth of Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs): The number of IITs increased from 16 in 2014 to 23 in 2023.
- Growth of Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs):The number of IIMs grew from 13 in 2014 to 20 in 2023.
- Expansion of Universities:The number of Universities grew from 723 in 2014 to 1,213 in 2024, marking a 59.6% increase.
- Increase in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs): Total HEIs increased by 13.8%, from 51,534 in 2014-15 to 58,643 in 2022-23.
Progress in Basic Facilities

Education infrastructure has significantly improved, with a rise in the number of higher education institutions. Key areas like medical check-ups, sanitation, and ICT availability have also seen substantial upgrades, highlighting positive progress in school facilities to enhance the quality of education. From 2019-20 to 2023-24, there have been notable improvements in school infrastructure. The percentage of schools with girls’ toilets increased slightly from 96.9% to 97.2%, while access to libraries/reading rooms rose from 84.1% to 89%. The availability of electricity improved from 83.4% to 91.8%, and computers in schools increased from 38.5% to 57.2%. Additionally, internet access grew significantly from 22.3% to 53.9%, marking a positive shift toward better-equipped schools.

Conclusion

The education sector in India is being strengthened through various government initiatives aligned with NEP 2020. Programs like Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, PM SHRI (Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India) and PM POSHAN (Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman) are driving improvements in infrastructure, teacher training and learning outcomes. The Economic Survey highlights the progress and the government’s commitment to making education more inclusive and accessible.

References

Click here to download PDF

*******

Santosh Kumar/ Sarla Meena/ Kamna Lakaria

(Release ID: 2101363) Visitor Counter : 40

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –
February 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Why so many Latino voters supported Donald Trump

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Julia Young, Associate Professor, History, Catholic University of America

For many observers of the 2024 US presidential election, Donald Trump’s ability to harness so much of the Latino vote remains one of the more puzzling issues. Latino voters – men in particular – swung decisively towards Trump last November: increasing by 16 points from 2016 to 42% of the bloc in 2024.

This despite Trump’s consistent history of antagonistic remarks about Latino immigrants. It also appears to fly in the face of the fact that his policies on tariffs, border militarisation and mass deportations will likely affect Mexico, Panama and several other Latin American countries.

Clearly, Latinos swung towards Trump for the same reason many other voters did. Many were unhappy with the economy (particularly inflation). There was also widespread anxiety about a marked increase in immigration at the southern border.

But there are more profound reasons driving the dramatic shift in the Latino vote. A closer look at some of the historical dynamics that have shaped the Latino electorate gives a clue for the reason behind this seeming paradox.

The Latino vote comprises about 14.7% of all eligible US voters. Yet it is far from a monolith. It is a heterogeneous group of people who trace their roots to Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico and the rest of the 21 Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Each of these countries has a different political landscape. They are made up of vastly different people with a different background and distinct cultures. And these differences shape disparate Latino identities in the United States. The term “Latino” itself is a blanket term. It can include extremely different populations: Afro-Dominicans in the Bronx, white Cubans in Miami, indigenous Mexicans in Los Angeles, mestizo Salvadorans in Washington DC and a vast array of others.

Even within these national groups, there are also significant divisions. Partly, this is based on a person’s time of arrival in the US. Mexican-Americans whose families immigrated to California from border cities like Chihuahua and Ciudad Juárez in the early 1940s as seasonal (and legal) agricultural workers will have different experiences and priorities than Mexicans who arrived more recently from the southern states of Chiapas and Oaxaca and settled in New York City without any legal pathway to citizenship. Meanwhile, Nicaraguan-American families who arrived in Miami in the 1980s fleeing the Sandinista revolution will have a different economic outlook from those escaping Daniel Ortega’s current dictatorship.

There’s no such thing as a generic “Latino” voter. The Latino population in the US needs to be understood as a heterogeneous one, made up of people with different experiences, priorities and preferences.

Latino conservatism

For many decades, Latinos were reliable Democratic voters – and many pundits predicted that they would stay that way, tipping the political scales decisively away from the Republican Party. But there has always been a strong strain of Latino conservatives voting Republican.

Religion plays a key role here. The majority of people of Latino heritage are Catholic. But there is a growing population of Evangelicals and other Christian denominations, reflecting a growth of those groups in some Latin American countries.

In El Salvador, for example, the rise of Evangelical religions has produced an increasingly culturally conservative population, who support the “mano dura” (strong hand) policies of Nayib Bukele. A similar trend can be found among Latino communities in the US, where Latino Evangelicals strongly supported Trump in 2024.

The political history of many Latin American countries is a clue to the make-up for migrants to the US. Mexico’s Cristero War in the 1920s prompted thousands of Catholics to flee the country’s anti-clerical government by migrating northwards. Three decades later, the Cuban revolution of 1959 produced large refugee flows of conservative and anticommunist migrants. These exiled groups – most notably, Cubans in South Florida – would ally with Republicans based on their punitive policies towards Cuba. This has helped turn Florida into a Republican stronghold.

More recently, 7 million Venezuelans fled the left-wing government of Nicolás Maduro. This has led to a more general antipathy among many Latino voters towards left-wing politics and politicians. Trump’s condemnation of Maduro and Venezuela has endeared him to politically conservative Latino voters of all national backgrounds.

Race, class, and immigration

Interestingly, it was also clear that some Latino voters are suspicious and resentful of newer waves of migrants, particularly recent asylum-seekers from Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba.

This dynamic between earlier arrivals and new immigrants is nothing new in the US. Earlier waves of immigrants and their descendants, such as Irish or Italian immigrants, also adopted nativist attitudes towards newer arrivals. In some ways, each generation of immigrants has tried to “pull up the bridge” to the generation that comes after them.

Yet these negative reactions also relate to racial and class hierarchies both within and between Latin American countries. Like the US, Latin American countries have a long history of racism and colour discrimination, as well as deep class divides and very high rates of income inequality.

New immigrants who have arrived in recent years from places such as Venezuela, Honduras, Cuba and Nicaragua are poorer than earlier generations of immigrants – and often have darker skin. As a result, cultural divides may impede a strong sense of solidarity between earlier generations of Latino immigrants and recent arrivals.

This is not to suggest that racism and classism are the dominant drivers behind Latino support for Trump. But it may help explain why Trump’s campaign comments about recent Latino immigrants were not a dealbreaker for every Latino voter.

Ultimately, the Latino Trump supporter may not represent such a paradox after all. The so-called “Latino voter” is really a multiethnic, diverse bloc of people. While they share common linguistic and cultural features, Latinos are also motivated by a wide variety of religious, political and cultural factors that can be traced back to their own or their families’ experiences in Latin America.

The Latino vote is complex. Politicians who want to win their support would do well to understand how these complicated identities inform their political decisions and allegiances. It appears at the moment the Republicans are doing this better than their Democratic rivals.

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

– ref. Why so many Latino voters supported Donald Trump – https://theconversation.com/why-so-many-latino-voters-supported-donald-trump-248806

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

February 11, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Earth is already shooting through the 1.5°C global warming limit, two major studies show

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew King, Associate Professor in Climate Science, ARC Centre of Excellence for 21st Century Weather, The University of Melbourne

Earth is crossing the threshold of 1.5°C of global warming, according to two major global studies which together suggest the planet’s climate has likely entered a frightening new phase.

Under the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change, humanity is seeking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and keep planetary heating to no more than 1.5°C above the pre-industrial average. In 2024, temperatures on Earth surpassed that limit.

This was not enough to declare the Paris threshold had been crossed, because the temperature goals under the agreement are measured over several decades, rather than short excursions over the 1.5°C mark.

But the two papers just released use a different measure. Both examined historical climate data to determine whether very hot years in the recent past were a sign that a future, long-term warming threshold would be breached.

The answer, alarmingly, was yes. The researchers say the record-hot 2024 indicates Earth is passing the 1.5°C limit, beyond which scientists predict catastrophic harm to the natural systems that support life on Earth.

2024: the first year of many above 1.5°C

Climate organisations around the world agree last year was the hottest on record. The global average temperature in 2024 was about 1.6°C above the average temperatures in the late-19th century, before humans started burning fossil fuels at large scale.

Earth has also recently experienced individual days and months above the 1.5°C warming mark.

But the global temperature varies from one year to the next. For example, the 2024 temperature spike, while in large part due to climate change, was also driven by a natural El Niño pattern early in the year. That pattern has dissipated for now, and 2025 is forecast to be a little cooler.

These year-to-year fluctuations mean climate scientists don’t view a single year exceeding the 1.5°C mark as a failure to meet the Paris Agreement.

However, the new studies published today in Nature Climate Change suggest even a single month or year at 1.5°C global warming may signify Earth is entering a long-term breach of that vital threshold.

What the studies found

The studies were conducted independently by researchers in Europe and Canada. They tackled the same basic question: is a year above 1.5°C global warming a warning sign that we’re already crossing the Paris Agreement threshold?

Both studies used observations and climate model simulations to address this question, with slightly different approaches.

In the European paper, the researchers looked at historical warming trends. They found when Earth’s average temperature reached a certain threshold, the following 20-year period also reached that threshold.

This pattern suggests that, given Earth reached 1.5°C warming last year, we may have entered a 20-year warming period when average temperatures will also reach 1.5°C.

The Canadian paper involved month-to-month data. June last year was the 12th consecutive month of temperatures above the 1.5°C warming level. The researcher found 12 consecutive months above a climate threshold indicates the threshold will be reached over the long term.

Both studies also demonstrate that even if stringent emissions reduction begins now, Earth is still likely to be crossing the 1.5°C threshold.

Heading in the wrong direction

Given these findings, what humanity does next is crucial.

For decades, climate scientists have warned burning fossil fuels for energy releases carbon dioxide and other gases that are warming the planet.

But humanity’s greenhouse gas emissions have continued to increase. Since the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its first report in 1990, the world’s annual carbon dioxide emissions have risen about 50%.

Put simply, we are not even moving in the right direction, let alone at the required pace.

The science shows greenhouse gas emissions must reach net-zero to end global warming. Even then, some aspects of the climate will continue to change for many centuries, because some regional warming, especially in the oceans, is already locked in and irreversible.

If Earth has indeed already crossed the 1.5°C mark, and humanity wants to get below the threshold again, we will need to cool the planet by reaching “net-negative emissions” – removing more greenhouse gases from the atmosphere than we emit. This would be a highly challenging task.

Feeling the heat

The damaging effects of climate change are already being felt across the globe. The harm will be even worse for future generations.

Australia has already experienced 1.5°C of warming, on average, since 1910.

Our unique ecosystems, such as the Great Barrier Reef, are already suffering because of this warming. Our oceans are hotter and seas are rising, hammering our coastlines and threatening marine life.

Bushfires and extreme weather, especially heatwaves, are becoming more frequent and severe. This puts pressure on nature, society and our economy.

But amid the gloom, there are signs of progress.

Across the world, renewable electricity generation is growing. Fossil fuel use has dropped in many countries. Technological developments are slowing emissions growth in polluting industries such as aviation and construction.

But clearly, there is much more work to be done.

Humanity can turn the tide

These studies are a sobering reminder of how far short humanity is falling in tackling climate change.

They show we must urgently adapt to further global warming. Among the suite of changes needed, richer nations must support the poorer countries set to bear the most severe climate harms. While some progress has been made in this regard, far more is needed.

A major shift is also needed to decarbonise our societies and economies. There is still room for hope, but we must not delay action. Otherwise, humanity will keep warming the planet and causing further damage.

Andrew King receives funding from the ARC Centre of Excellence for 21st Century Weather and the National Environmental Science Program.

Liam Cassidy 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. Earth is already shooting through the 1.5°C global warming limit, two major studies show – https://theconversation.com/earth-is-already-shooting-through-the-1-5-c-global-warming-limit-two-major-studies-show-249133

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

February 11, 2025

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