MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – From left to right: Andrey Nikulin, Sergey Mikhailov, Svetlana Golovina, Inna Sukhanova, Dmitry Ulrikh and Denis Nizhegorodtsev
From October 1 to 4, the International Construction Week was held in Yekaterinburg. It was attended by a delegation from SPbGASU, consisting of First Vice-Rector Svetlana Golovina, Vice-Rector for Educational Activities Sergey Mikhailov, Director of the Educational Center for Digital Competencies Inna Sukhanova, Deputy Director of the Educational Center for Digital Competencies Denis Nizhegorodtsev, Dean of the Faculty of Civil Engineering Andrey Nikulin, Dean of the Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Urban Management Dmitry Ulrikh, Head of the Department of Construction Organization Roman Motylev and fourth-year bachelor’s student of the Faculty of Civil Engineering Angelina Koroleva.
Representatives of our university took part in the IV International Construction Championship, as well as the XI International Construction Forum and Exhibition 100 TechnoBuild, within the framework of which a meeting of the board of the Association of Construction Universities and the presidium of the Federal Educational and Methodological Association was held.
Andrey Nikulin shared his impressions. According to him, the key event of the forum and exhibition was the plenary session “Construction of the Future”, at which representatives of developers and authorities discussed the transformation of residential spaces, the development of small towns, and trends in industrial and infrastructure construction.
– The speakers disagreed on the prospects of the “15-minute city” concept and even noted that this innovative format, actively promoted by Western countries, resembles the Khrushchev period of Soviet development, where all everyday human needs were provided within walking distance within the microdistrict. This is economically beneficial for government bodies and developers, but, of course, it harms the moral and ethical development of a person, artificially confined to the sphere of consumption. At the same time, the speakers noted the need to develop transport infrastructure, which would allow people to leave the microdistricts and reach key cultural and historical centers in 15 minutes. However, this requires significant infrastructure costs, which is beyond the capabilities of regional budgets. As the speakers noted, the city of the future will be managed by artificial intelligence, and for its residents it will become commonplace to accept the delivery of goods, carried out by drones, at floor-by-floor reception points (new residential complexes are designed for this possibility).
Andrey Nikolaevich noted a wide range of modern software products of domestic production that use TIM models of buildings and structures to control construction production, optimize costs for the purchase of building materials and equipment. Particularly memorable were BIM scanners and solutions based on artificial intelligence, which allow improving the quality of design solutions and minimizing the “human factor” in construction.
According to Andrey Nikulin, the main result of participation in events of this level is the professional calibration of knowledge, ideas and vision of the future. In addition, this is, of course, the expansion of business contacts, “building professional bridges” with representatives of the real sector of the economy, which is very important for the development of scientific and educational areas of activity.
Representatives of the companies Ascon, BRIO, PlanRadar, Jetstyle, Gectaro, TehnoPar and others received invitations to international conferences that will be held at SPbGASU in the near future.
Inna Sukhanova and Denis Nizhegorodtsev joined the expert committee of the School League of the International Construction Championship. Roman Motylev acted as an expert of the Professional League. Angelina Koroleva, who participated in the Student League competition in the nomination “Labor Protection”, was awarded third place.
Denis Nizhegorodtsev spoke about his work:
– We were able to listen to and evaluate the works of the participants in the nomination “TIM-specialist”, in which schoolchildren of grades 8–11 from different regions of Russia competed. Their task was to model architectural solutions in the classrooms of a new school in Yekaterinburg. I would like to note the high level of the participants’ works. I am very glad that modern educational projects on construction topics are already available to schoolchildren and allow them to get acquainted with the profession in advance.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Kenneth Evans, Scholar in Science and Technology Policy, Baker Institute for Public Policy, Rice University
Science topics don’t always come up during presidential debates – but they did on Sept. 10, 2024.Mario Tama via Getty Images
For the first time in American history, quantum computing was mentioned by a candidate during a presidential debate, on Sept. 10, 2024. After Vice President Kamala Harris brought up quantum technology, she and former President Donald Trump went on to have a heated back-and-forth about American chipmaking and China’s rise in semiconductor manufacturing. Science and technology policy usually takes a back seat to issues such as immigration, the economy and health care during election season.
What’s changed for 2024?
From COVID-19 to climate change, ChatGPT to, yes, quantum computers, science-related issues are on the minds of American policymakers and voters alike. The federal government spends nearly US$200 billion each year on scientific research and development to address these challenges and many others. Presidents and Congress, however, rarely agree on how – and how much – money should be spent on science.
With the increasing public focus on global competitiveness, the climate crisis and artificial intelligence, a closer look at Trump’s and Harris’ records on science and technology policy could provide a hint about how they’d approach these topics if elected this fall.
Two distinct visions for science funding
If politics can be described as “who gets what and when,” U.S. science and technology policy can be assessed through the annual budget process for R&D. By this measure, the differences between the Trump and Biden-Harris administrations couldn’t be starker.
In his first budget request to Congress, in 2017, Trump spurned decades of precedent, proposing historic cuts across nearly every federal science agency. In particular, Trump targeted climate-related programs at the Department of Energy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Trump’s fiscal policy took a page from Reagan-era conservative orthodoxy, prioritizing military spending over social programs, including R&D. Unlike Reagan, however, Trump also took aim at basic research funding, an area with long-standing bipartisan support in Congress. His three subsequent budget proposals were no different: across-the-board reductions to federal research programs, while pushing for increases to defense technology development and demonstration projects.
Congress rebuked nearly all of Trump’s requests. Instead, it passed some of the largest increases to federal R&D programs in U.S. history, even before accounting for emergency spending packages funded as part of the government’s pandemic response.
In contrast, the Biden-Harris administration made science and innovation a centerpiece of its early policy agenda – with budgets to match. Leveraging the slim Democratic majority during the 117th Congress, Biden and Harris shepherded three landmark bills into law: the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Inflation Reduction Act and the CHIPS and Science Act. These laws contain significant R&D provisions focused on environmental projects (IIJA), clean energy (IRA) and American semiconductor manufacturing (CHIPS).
CHIPS set up programs within the National Science Foundation and the Department of Commerce to create regional technology hubs in support of American manufacturing. The act also set ambitious funding targets for federal science agencies, especially at NSF, calling for its budget to be doubled from $9 billion to over $18 billion over the course of five years.
Despite its initial push for R&D, the Biden-Harris administration’s final two budget proposals offered far less to science. Years of deficit spending and a new Republican majority in the House cast a cloud of budget austerity over Congress. Instead of moving toward doubling NSF’s budget, the agency suffered an 8% decrease in fiscal year 2024 – its biggest cut in over three decades. For FY2025, which runs from Oct. 1, 2024, through Sept. 30, 2025, Biden and Harris requested a meager 3% increase for NSF, billions of dollars short of CHIPS-enacted spending levels.
An emerging consensus on China
On technology policy, Biden and Harris share more with Trump than they let on.
Their approach to competing with China on tech follows Trump’s lead: They’ve expanded tariffs on Chinese goods and severely limited China’s access to American-made computer chips and semiconductor manufacturing equipment.
Semiconductor manufacturing is a key to many technologies; by extension, where it happens can be a security issue. Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images
The Biden-Harris administration has also drawn from Trump-era policy to strengthen America’s leadership in “industries of the future.” The term, coined by Trump’s then-chief science adviser Kelvin Droegemeier, refers to five emerging technology areas: AI, quantum science, advanced manufacturing, advanced communications and biotechnology. This language has been parroted by the Biden-Harris administration as part of its focus on American manufacturing and throughout Harris’ campaign, including during the debate.
In short, both candidates align with the emerging Washington bipartisan consensus on China: innovation policy at home, strategic decoupling abroad.
Science advice not always a welcome resource
Trump’s dismissal of and at times outright contempt for scientific consensus is well documented. From “Sharpiegate,” when he mapped his own projected path for Hurricane Dorian, to pulling out of the Paris climate agreement, World Health Organization and the Iran nuclear deal, Trump has demonstrated an unwillingness to accept any advice, let alone from scientists.
Indeed, Trump took over two years to hire Droegemeier as director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, or OSTP, doubling the previous record for the length of time a president has gone without a scientific adviser. This absence was no doubt reflected in Trump’s short-on-science budget requests to Congress, especially during the beginning of his administration.
On the other hand, the Biden-Harris administration has promoted science and innovation as a core part of its broader economic policy agenda. It elevated the role of OSTP: Biden is the first president to name his science adviser – a position currently held by Arati Prabhakar – as a member of his Cabinet.
By law, the president is required to appoint an OSTP director. But it is up to the president to decide how and when to use their advice. If the new White House wants the U.S. to remain a global leader in R&D, the science adviser will need to continue to fight for it.
Kenneth Evans receives funding from the National Science Foundation, the American Institute of Physics, and the Clinton Foundation. He is affiliated with Rice University and Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.
Foreign influence campaigns, or information operations, have been widespread in the run-up to the 2024 U.S. presidential election. Influence campaigns are large-scale efforts to shift public opinion, push false narratives or change behaviors among a target population. Russia, China, Iran, Israel and other nations have run these campaigns by exploiting social bots, influencers, media companies and generative AI.
At the Indiana University Observatory on Social Media, my colleagues and I study influence campaigns and design technical solutions – algorithms – to detect and counter them. State-of-the-art methods developed in our center use several indicators of this type of online activity, which researchers call inauthentic coordinated behavior. We identify clusters of social media accounts that post in a synchronized fashion, amplify the same groups of users, share identical sets of links, images or hashtags, or perform suspiciously similar sequences of actions.
We have uncovered many examples of coordinated inauthentic behavior. For example, we found accounts that flood the network with tens or hundreds of thousands of posts in a single day. The same campaign can post a message with one account and then have other accounts that its organizers also control “like” and “unlike” it hundreds of times in a short time span. Once the campaign achieves its objective, all these messages can be deleted to evade detection. Using these tricks, foreign governments and their agents can manipulate social media algorithms that determine what is trending and what is engaging to decide what users see in their feeds.
Adversaries such as Russia, China and Iran aren’t the only foreign governments manipulating social media to influence U.S. politics.
Generative AI
One technique increasingly being used is creating and managing armies of fake accounts with generative artificial intelligence. We analyzed 1,420 fake Twitter – now X – accounts that used AI-generated faces for their profile pictures. These accounts were used to spread scams, disseminate spam and amplify coordinated messages, among other activities.
We estimate that at least 10,000 accounts like these were active daily on the platform, and that was before X CEO Elon Musk dramatically cut the platform’s trust and safety teams. We also identified a network of 1,140 bots that used ChatGPT to generate humanlike content to promote fake news websites and cryptocurrency scams.
In addition to posting machine-generated content, harmful comments and stolen images, these bots engaged with each other and with humans through replies and retweets. Current state-of-the-art large language model content detectors are unable to distinguish between AI-enabled social bots and human accounts in the wild.
Model misbehavior
The consequences of such operations are difficult to evaluate due to the challenges posed by collectingdata and carrying out ethical experiments that would influence online communities. Therefore it is unclear, for example, whether online influence campaigns can sway election outcomes. Yet, it is vital to understand society’s vulnerability to different manipulation tactics.
In a recent paper, we introduced a social media model called SimSoM that simulates how information spreads through the social network. The model has the key ingredients of platforms such as Instagram, X, Threads, Bluesky and Mastodon: an empirical follower network, a feed algorithm, sharing and resharing mechanisms, and metrics for content quality, appeal and engagement.
SimSoM allows researchers to explore scenarios in which the network is manipulated by malicious agents who control inauthentic accounts. These bad actors aim to spread low-quality information, such as disinformation, conspiracy theories, malware or other harmful messages. We can estimate the effects of adversarial manipulation tactics by measuring the quality of information that targeted users are exposed to in the network.
We simulated scenarios to evaluate the effect of three manipulation tactics. First, infiltration: having fake accounts create believable interactions with human users in a target community, getting those users to follow them. Second, deception: having the fake accounts post engaging content, likely to be reshared by the target users. Bots can do this by, for example, leveraging emotional responses and political alignment. Third, flooding: posting high volumes of content.
Our model shows that infiltration is the most effective tactic, reducing the average quality of content in the system by more than 50%. Such harm can be further compounded by flooding the network with low-quality yet appealing content, thus reducing quality by 70%.
Curbing coordinated manipulation
We have observed all these tactics in the wild. Of particular concern is that generative AI models can make it much easier and cheaper for malicious agents to create and manage believable accounts. Further, they can use generative AI to interact nonstop with humans and create and post harmful but engaging content on a wide scale. All these capabilities are being used to infiltrate social media users’ networks and flood their feeds with deceptive posts.
These insights suggest that social media platforms should engage in more – not less – content moderation to identify and hinder manipulation campaigns and thereby increase their users’ resilience to the campaigns.
The platforms can do this by making it more difficult for malicious agents to create fake accounts and to post automatically. They can also challenge accounts that post at very high rates to prove that they are human. They can add friction in combination with educational efforts, such as nudging users to reshare accurate information. And they can educate users about their vulnerability to deceptive AI-generated content.
Open-source AI models and data make it possible for malicious agents to build their own generative AI tools. Regulation should therefore target AI content dissemination via social media platforms rather then AI content generation. For instance, before a large number of people can be exposed to some content, a platform could require its creator to prove its accuracy or provenance.
These types of content moderation would protect, rather than censor, free speech in the modern public squares. The right of free speech is not a right of exposure, and since people’s attention is limited, influence operations can be, in effect, a form of censorship by making authentic voices and opinions less visible.
Filippo Menczer receives funding from the Knight Foundation, Sloan Foundation, NSF, DoD, and the Swiss National Science Foundation.
What makes these wildfires so destructive and difficult to contain?
The answer lies in a mix of changing climate, the legacy of past land-management practices, and current human activities that are reshaping fire behavior and increasing the risk they pose.
Fire’s perfect storm
Wildfires rely on three key elements to spread: conducive weather, dry fuel and an ignition source. Each of these factors has undergone pronounced changes in recent decades. While climate change sets the stage for larger and more intense fires, humans are actively fanning the flames.
Climate and weather
Extreme temperatures play a dangerous role in wildfires. Heat dries out vegetation, making it more flammable. Under these conditions, wildfires ignite more easily, spread faster and burn with greater intensity. In the western U.S., aridity attributed to climate change has doubled the amount of forestland that has burned since 1984.
Compounding the problem is the rapid rise in nighttime temperatures, now increasing faster than daytime temperatures. Nights, which used to offer a reprieve with cooler conditions and higher humidity, do so less often, allowing fires to continue raging without pause.
Ranchers watch as firefighting planes battle the Park Fire, which was fueled by extremely hot, dry conditions in Butte County, Calif. AP Photo/Noah Berger
Fuel
Fire is a natural process that has shaped ecosystems for over 420 million years. Indigenous people historically used controlled burns to manage landscapes and reduce fuel buildup. However, a century of fire suppression has allowed vast areas to accumulate dense fuels, priming them for larger and more intense wildfires.
Additionally, human development in fire-prone regions, especially in the wildland-urban interface, where neighborhoods intermingle with forest and grassland vegetation, has introduced new, highly flammable fuels. Buildings, vehicles and infrastructure often ignite easily and burn hotter and faster than natural vegetation. These changes have significantly altered fuel patterns, creating conditions conducive to more severe and harder-to-control wildfires.
More than 600 homes and buildings burned in the Park Fire, one of California’s largest fires on record. Officials say the fire was started by a man pushing a burning car into a ravine near Chico. AP Photo/Eugene Garcia
Lightning-started fires often coincide with storms that carry rain or higher humidity, which slows fires’ spread. Human-started fires, however, typically ignite under more extreme conditions – hotter temperatures, lower humidity and stronger winds. This leads to greater flame heights, faster spread in the critical early days before crews can respond, and more severe ecosystem effects, such as killing more trees and degrading the soil.
Human-ignited fires often occur in or near populated areas, where flammable structures and vegetation create even more hazardous conditions. As urban development expands into wildlands, the probability of human-started fires and the property potentially exposed to fire increase, creating a feedback loop of escalating wildfire risk.
2024 fire season’s whiplash weather
The record-breaking summer heat in 2024 intensified fire hazards, with vegetation rapidly drying out and leaving landscapes parched in many areas. In addition, a phenomenon known as whiplash weather, marked by unusually wet winters and springs followed by extreme summer heat, has been especially pronounced in Southern California.
A wet spring fostered vegetation growth, which then dried out under scorching summer temperatures, turning into highly combustible fuel. Severe heat waves, along with the associated lack of nighttime cooling, created conditions where fires not only spread faster, but were also more difficult to contain.
This cycle has fueled some of the biggest fires of the 2024 season, several of which were started by humans. Atmospheric instability during some of these fires also led to the formation of pyrocumulonimbus clouds – massive, fire-fueled thunderheads that can generate their own weather, including lightning and tornado-like winds that drive flames even further.
As these factors converge, the potential for increasingly severe wildfires looms ever larger. Severe fires also release large amounts of carbon from trees, vegetation and soils into the atmosphere, increasing greenhouse gas emissions and exacerbating climate change, contributing to more extreme fire seasons.
Virginia Iglesias receives funding from the National Science Foundation.
A scratchy, sore throat, a relentless fever, a pounding head and a nasty cough – these symptoms all scream upper respiratory illness. But which one?
Many of the viruses that cause upper respiratory infections such as influenza A or B and the virus that causes COVID-19 all employ similar tactics. They target the same areas in your body – primarily the upper and lower airways – and this shared battleground triggers a similar response from your immune system. Overlapping symptoms – fever, cough, fatigue, aches and pains – make it difficult to determine what may be the underlying cause.
Now, at-home rapid tests can simultaneously determine whether someone has COVID-19 or the flu. Thanks in part to the National Institutes of Health’s Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics, or RADx, program, the Food and Drug Administration has provided emergency use authorization for seven at-home rapid tests that can distinguish between COVID-19, influenza A and influenza B.
Our team in Atlanta – composed of biomedical engineers, clinicians and researchers at Emory University, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Georgia Institute of Technology – is part of the RADx Test Verification Core. We closely collaborate with other institutions and agencies to determine whether and how well COVID-19 and influenza diagnostics work, effectively testing the tests. Our center has worked with almost every COVID and flu diagnostic on the market, and our data helped inform the instructions you might see in many of the home test kits on the market.
While no test is perfect, to now be able to test for certain viruses at home when symptoms begin can help patients and their doctors come up with appropriate care plans sooner.
A new era of at-home tests
Traditionally, identifying the virus causing upper respiratory illness symptoms required going to a clinic or hospital for a trained medical professional to collect a nasopharyngeal sample. This involves inserting a long, fiber-tipped swab that looks like a skinny Q-tip into one of your nostrils and all the way to the back of your nose and throat to collect virus-containing secretions. The sample is then typically sent to a lab for analysis, which could take hours to days for results.
The COVID-19 pandemic made over-the-counter tests for respiratory illnesses commonplace. DuKai/Moment via Getty Images
Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, the possibility of using over-the-counter tests to diagnose respiratory illnesses at home became a reality. These tests used a much gentler and less invasive nasal swab and could also be done by anyone, anytime and in their own home. However, these tests were designed to diagnose only COVID-19 and could not distinguish between other types of illnesses.
Since then, researchers have developed over-the-counter multiplex tests that can screen for more than one respiratory infection at once. In 2023, Pfizer’s Lucira test became the first at-home diagnostic test for both COVID-19 and influenza to gain emergency use authorization.
What are multiplex rapid tests?
There are two primary forms of at-home COVID-19 and COVID-19/flu combination tests: molecular tests such as PCR that detect genetic material from the virus, and antigen tests – commonly referred to as rapid tests – that detect proteins called antigens from the virus.
The majority of over-the-counter COVID-19 and COVID-19/flu tests on the market are antigen tests. They detect the presence of antigens in your nasal secretions that act as a biological signature for a specific virus. If viral antigens are present, that means you’re likely infected.
Respiratory illnesses such as flu, COVID-19 and RSV can be hard to tell apart.
To detect these antigens, rapid tests have paper-like strips coated with specially engineered antibodies that function like a molecular Velcro, sticking only to a specific antigen. Scientists design and manufacture specialized strips to recognize specific viral antigens, like those belonging to influenza A, influenza B or the virus that causes COVID-19.
The antibodies for these viral targets are placed on the strip, and when someone’s nasal sample has viral proteins that are applied to the test strip, a line will appear for that virus in particular.
Advancing rapid antigen tests
Like all technologies, rapid antigen tests have limitations.
Compared with lab-based PCR tests that can detect the presence of small amounts of pathogen by amplifying them, antigen tests are typically less sensitive than PCR and could miss an infection in some cases.
All at-home COVID-19 and COVID-19/flu antigen tests are authorized for repeat use. This means if someone is experiencing symptoms – or has been exposed to someone with COVID-19 but is not experiencing symptoms – and has a negative result for their first test, they should retest 48 hours later.
Another limitation to rapid antigen tests is that currently they are designed to test only for COVID-19, influenza A and influenza B. Currently available over-the-counter tests aren’t able to detect illnesses from pathogens that look like these viruses and cause similar symptoms, such as adenovirus or strep.
Because multiplex texts can detect several different viruses, they can also produce findings that are more complex to interpret than tests for single viruses. This may increase the risk of a patient incorrectly interpreting their results, misreading one infection for another.
Researchers are actively developing even more sophisticated tests that are more sensitive and can simultaneously screen for a wider range of viruses or even bacterial infections. Scientists are also examining the potential of using saliva samples in tests for bacterial or viral infections.
Additionally, scientists are exploring integrating multiplex tests with smartphones for rapid at-home diagnosis and reporting to health care providers. This may increase the accessibility of these tests for people with vision impairment, low dexterity or other challenges with conducting and interpreting at-home tests.
Faster and more accurate diagnoses lead to more targeted and effective treatment plans, potentially reducing unnecessary antibiotic use and improving patient outcomes. The ability to rapidly identify and track outbreaks can also empower public health officials to better mitigate the spread of infectious diseases.
Research conducted by ACME POCT received funding by the National Institutes of Health.
Wilbur Lam receives funding from the National Institutes of Health.
Twenty years ago, when Rebecca Thomas joined the UConn School of Social Work, she didn’t consider herself someone who specialized in global human rights – let alone someone who’d become an expert in the subject matter.
“I was just Rebecca, born and raised in another country, sensitive to issues of global concerns,” she says.
Then Thomas met colleague Lynne Healey, now a professor emeritus from UConn, who became a mentor, friend, and colleague. Together, they coupled on many projects, including the literal writing of their widely recognized textbook, “International Social Work.”
Thomas says her professional development as an international social worker helped shape her sense of self. And soon, “just Rebecca,” became chair of the Council on Social Work Education’s Global Commission, a current board member on the Katherine Kendall Institute of Council of Social Work Education, a Fulbright Scholar, and a representative of the International Association of the Schools of Social Work on the NGO Committee on Migration at the United Nations.
Now, she’s a 2024 PIE Award winner from the Council on Social Work Education, a prestigious honor given annually to a trio of winners – individual, organization, and student – for their innovative work and dedication to international social work.
The Partners in International Education awards precede the Hokenstad International Lecture at the 2024 CSWE Annual Program Meeting in late October.
“I vacillate between feeling like I have a strong knowledge base and being humbled by the vast body of knowledge of colleagues,” says Thomas, a UConn professor and director of the Center for International Social Work Studies, which just celebrated its 30th anniversary. “I recently was with the Southeast Europe Academic Women’s Leadership Network, for instance, and these women were from all over the Balkans and talking about their global perspective on social work. The adage applies, ‘The more you know, the more you realize how much you don’t know.’”
Thomas has just returned from her Fulbright in Bulgaria where she and graduate assistant Fizza Saghir completed 30 interviews with displaced persons, many from Ukraine, and 20 interviews with service providers as part of a study that’s similar to one she did in Armenia.
She says she connected with Yerevan State University in Armenia years ago when UConn helped the school develop its Master of Social Work policy program. Now, Thomas directs a joint academic exchange between UConn and Yerevan.
Despite the leadership opportunities and accolades she’s earned, working with students is perhaps one of the things she’s most proud of, she says.
“I’m passionate about teaching. I get excited about the exchange of ideas,” Thomas says. “Helping students to see the interconnectedness of global issues and the local issues they are trying to address here in Connecticut is so important. Yesterday, I was talking to a doctoral student about a paper we’re writing together, and our discussion was so interesting because we each had different perspectives. Engaging in a dialogue, having off-the-cuff conversations has been meaningful to me.”
She adds that students need to understand they don’t have to spend time overseas to do international global work. Change can happen right here, like when a former student, who was a refugee from Albania via Greece, was in kindergarten and the school saw her struggling because of the language barrier. Her elementary teacher got someone to translate, and her learning exploded.
“As Americans, we see migrants in every sphere of our lives. They are in our classrooms. They are in our health systems. Our NESW code of ethics requires that we understand the perspectives of those who are living together here in community,” Thomas says. “We need to be sensitive to issues of immigration, like for my former student. These are not isolated situations.”
A decade ago, Sercan Canbolat ’17 MA ’23 Ph.D. was a graduate student in his home country of Turkey. His focus was studying the political psychology of leaders.
What makes them think?
How do they make decisions?
What influences them in their decision making?
His particular focus was on political leaders in the Middle East, where he had grown up and completed his undergraduate degrees.
But as a master’s student at Bilkent University in Turkey’s capital city of Ankara, he knew first-hand some of the challenges he would face as he tried to present his research to a broader, international audience.
“I’m from Turkey,” Canbolat says, “and I know in the broader Middle East and North Africa regions, we don’t have a lot of opportunities to get our work published, to present our work to top scholars in the field, and to get good feedback – to learn and acquire the best research skills and presentation skills.”
Sercan Canbolat ’17 MA ’23 Ph.D. at the ISA International Conference 2017 in Hong Kong. (Contributed photo)
It was during his master’s studies that his advisor, Özgür Özdamar, first introduced him to the International Studies Association, or ISA – one of the oldest interdisciplinary organizations dedicated to understanding international, transnational, and global affairs.
“I was writing my MA thesis with him,” Canbolat explains, “and he offered for me to write a paper that we could present at ISA. But I couldn’t get a visa. So, my advisor went to the conference instead, and he presented our paper.”
The following year, though – in 2014 – Canbolat was able to travel to the ISA conference in Toronto, where he put himself in front of a global audience for the first time to present his research.
“I got some feedback from the chair and from the audience, and it was great,” he says. “It helped me to build self-confidence, and actually, through ISA, I met many scholars based in the U.S., Canada, and Western Europe. Those connections helped me to apply for and receive a Fulbright scholarship to come to the U.S. for my Ph.D.”
That Fulbright Ph.D. grant led Canbolat to UConn in 2014, where he started his doctoral studies in political science.
And in 2015, the organization that helped Canbolat make those connections and first share his research on a global stage – the International Studies Association – also came to UConn.
Best-Kept Secret
Founded in 1959, the ISA has long served as a central hub for the exchange of ideas, for networking, and for programmatic initiatives among those involved in the study, teaching, and practice of international studies.
Through its international and regional conferences and its academic journals, the organization works to promote rigorous discussion, research, and writing on a broad range of topics, including foreign policy, environmental studies, global health, diplomacy, human rights, peace studies, law, and religion.
ISA has been headquartered at UConn since 2015. Under agreements with UConn’s Office of Global Affairs, it will remain in residence at UConn until at least 2030.
Sarah Dorr, Ph.D., ISA director of professional development (Contributed photo)
From 2015 to 2024, ISA was under the leadership of Mark Boyer, Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor Emeritus at UConn. As of July 1, 2024, Mike Bosia, professor of political science and international relations and director of gender and sexuality studies at Saint Michael’s College, took over the role of ISA’s executive director.
“ISA is a hidden gem – one of the best kept secrets at UConn,” says Sarah Dorr, the ISA’s director of professional development. “We have over 7,000 members in 120 countries.”
UConn and ISA are a good fit for each other, says Daniel Weiner, a professor of geography and UConn’s vice president for global affairs, because both the organization and the University share similar missions to foster a sense of global-mindedness and facilitate life-transformative educational and research experiences.
“ISA is really a success story about the positive impact of international collaboration,” Weiner says. “One of our major goals in Global Affairs is to support interdisciplinary research and engagement on issues of worldwide importance and impact, so partnership with ISA here at UConn is really a natural pairing.”
Evolving and Growing
In a complex and ever-changing world, adapting to the needs of the time is important for any organization – ISA included.
“Our organization is constantly evolving and growing,” says Dorr, “and we offer different levels of interaction to help people make connections and foster dialogue – something that we feel is particularly critical at this point in time in our increasingly polarized world.”
The ISA publishes seven academic journals, co-sponsors an eighth, and partners with Oxford University Press to publish the International Studies Encyclopedia, the most comprehensive reference work of its kind for the fields of international studies and international relations.
The organization has steadily grown its online and social media presence and, in response to the pandemic in 2020, launched a roster of unique virtual programs to broaden its reach to scholars who might not otherwise have the ability to take part in global opportunities.
Not all students and academics have access to the same resources at their institution. ISA’s virtual initiative provides these programs to level the playing field and create community whilst doing so. — Sarah Dorr, ISA’s director of professional development
“Not all students and academics have access to the same resources at their institution,” says Dorr, who curates virtual programming as part of her role at ISA. “ISA’s virtual initiative provides these programs to level the playing field and create community whilst doing so. Virtual programming allows people to interact with the association throughout the year, and it widens participation and increases accessibility to ISA’s pedagogical and research communities.”
ISA’s virtual programming is available to all members of the UConn community, regardless of membership. To date in 2024, ISA has produced more than 30 programs, with additional virtual events scheduled for the remainder of the calendar year on topics including banal nationalism, Fulbright scholar opportunities, and the impending results of the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election.
But what ISA has historically been known for are its national and regional conferences – gatherings where scholars from all walks of life and levels of experience come together to share their research, build new networks, and contribute to scholarship on a global level.
An Academic Home
Canbolat’s first ISA conference was in Toronto, but in the years since, ISA has taken him to San Francisco, Nashville, Atlanta, and even Hong Kong.
“It was a great experience; my first time in that part of the world,” he recalls about the 2017 Hong Kong conference. “It was amazing. I really enjoyed it.”
ISA supported Canbolat’s travel to its conferences through a grant program that assists junior scholars, senior graduate students, and scholars from low-income countries in attending conferences that would otherwise be out of reach.
“Grad students don’t have a great budget to go to conferences, and it’s expensive,” Canbolat says. “Travel, accommodations – ISA is really great at providing financial help, especially to students and junior scholars. I benefitted a lot from my ISA travel grants. It really helped make it happen, to go and attend the conferences.”
While on those trips, Canbolat says he had opportunities to meet eminent scholars in his field, network and build relationships with them, attend panel discussions, and meet and workshop with both journal editors and book publishers.
UConn President Radenka Maric delivers remarks at the ISA International Conference 2024 at the University of Rijeka in Croatia. (Photo Courtesy of UNIRI)
“Even if you don’t present, it’s still a great experience to go to panels, listen to state-of-the-art research being presented by both prominent scholars and rising scholars,” he says. “I’ve really enjoyed meeting top scholars, prominent scholars, in a personal setting – not in a panel or in a workshop, but at a reception, and to really make personal connections. Tell them about my family. Tell them about my background. Tell them about my plans. And they were very helpful, listening and giving great feedback.
“I think that stands out, meeting those big names. We always read their books, their articles, but it’s something else to meet them, especially in a personal setting, a relaxed environment. Having a coffee with them. That stands out,” he says.
ISA holds a series of regional conferences throughout each year as well as an annual convention, which will be held in Chicago in 2025.
“One of the major benefits of attending ISA regional conferences is they become a source of intellectual community,” says Dorr. “But ISA’s annual convention is where people go to find their ‘academic home.’”
In June 2024, the ISA built on its long-standing collaboration with the Central and Eastern European International Studies Association, or CEEISA, to host a joint international conference at the University of Rijeka in Croatia.
Focused on “Knowing the Global-Local: Imagining Pasts, Debating Futures,” the conference hosted 800 participants – including Weiner and UConn President Radenka Maric – from 65 countries to discuss global and local political science and international relations.
The conference marked the largest gathering of experts in international relations in Croatia to date.
Full Circle
Canbolat wasn’t able to travel to Croatia in June, but earlier this year, he attended an ISA conference in San Francisco – to accept the ISA Foreign Policy Analysis Section Best Book Award for 2024.
In 2023, Canbolat and his co-author, Özdamar, published their book, Leaders in the Middle East and North Africa: How Ideology Shapes Foreign Policy, through Cambridge University Press in 2023.
The book is based on the initial research that Canbolat presented at his very first ISA conference in Toronto in 2014.
Co-authors Sercan Canbolat ’17 MA ’23 Ph.D. (center) and Özgür Özdamar, professor of international relations at Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey, (right) — with Danielle Lupton, associate professor of political science at Colgate University (left) — accept the 2024 ISA Best Book in Foreign Policy Analysis Award at the ISA 2024 Annual Convention in San Francisco. (Contributed photo)
“We published it as a journal article first,” he says. “After I presented at ISA, I got feedback. We published it in a good journal. It was well-received, and we got great feedback. And then, we discussed and decided to turn it into a book, into a larger project, and we worked on it for like five, six years. It was a blast, because it kept giving.”
Also in 2023, Canbolat completed his Ph.D. at UConn. He’s now serving as the inaugural director of Abrahamic Programs at UConn Global Affairs, and he’s teaching as a postdoctoral lecturer in the Department of Political Science.
He says he tells all his students about ISA – how it’s headquartered at UConn and how they can access the programs and opportunities ISA has to offer.
And he tells other faculty at UConn as well.
“I was surprised that some faculty don’t know that ISA is here at UConn,” Canbolat says. “I strongly suggest for anyone to try and at least give ISA a shot. Attend one year, and actually, they will be hooked.”
To learn more about or connect with the International Studies Association, headquartered at UConn Storrs, visitisanet.org. To stay up-to-date on the latest ISA virtual programs, sign up for ISA Connected atisanet.org/Programs/Virtual-Programs/ISA-Connected.
For more information about global learning, research, and entrepreneurship opportunities available through UConn’s Office of Global Affairs, visitglobal.uconn.edu.
The Albanese government on Wednesday will introduce legislation to ensure the NBN remains in government ownership.
The move is designed to set up a test for the Coalition, putting pressure on the opposition ahead of the election to declare whether it would try to privatise the NBN.
The government said in a statement from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Finance Minister Katy Gallagher and Communications Minister Michelle Rowland: “The Coalition rushed to declare the NBN ‘complete’ so they could put it on the block for sale – selling out Australian consumers and regional communities.
“The Albanese government won’t let that happen. This legislation will ensure the NBN is owned by who it belongs to – the Australian people.”
The upgrades the government had undertaken “are already making a real difference in the lives of Australians through faster, more reliable internet access. Keeping the NBN in public hands will lock in affordable and accessible high speed internet for all Australians for generations to come.”
Albanese said:“The Coalition made a mess of the NBN – my government is getting on with the job of fixing it and making sure it stays in public hands, where it belongs.”
Rowland said: “Australians don’t trust the Coalition not to flog off the NBN just like they did with Telstra, resulting in higher prices and poorer services, especially in the regions.”
Downgraded
The Rudd Labor government announced what was to be a predominantly fibre-to-the-home wholesale network in 2009, promising it would cost $43 billion and later be privatised to claw back the expense.
In 2010 Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said Labor “remained firmly committed to selling its stake in NBN Co after the network was fully built and operational, subject to market conditions and security considerations”.
By 2020 the government was estimated to have spent $51 billion on a scaled-down version of the project completed using a mix of technologies.
In June that year a review by the Parliamentary Budget Office put its fair value at $8.7 billion.
Michelle Grattan 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.
NEW YORK, Oct. 07, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Guggenheim Securities, the investment banking and capital markets division of Guggenheim Partners, announced today that Jeff Cohen has joined the firm as a Senior Managing Director. Mr. Cohen brings more than 30 years of investment banking experience to Guggenheim, where he joins the firm’s Consumer & Retail investment banking practice.
Mr. Cohen most recently served as a Senior Advisor at UBS in the Retail Investment Banking group. Prior to his time at UBS, Mr. Cohen served as Vice Chairman of the Global Retail Investment Banking group at Credit Suisse. He previously held the position of Global Head of Retail Investment Banking at Lazard, UBS, and Wasserstein Perella/Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein. Mr. Cohen began his career as an attorney at Cravath, Swaine & Moore.
“We are excited to welcome Jeff to Guggenheim,” said Mark Van Lith, CEO of Guggenheim Securities. “Jeff is a longstanding advisor to some the largest and most influential retail companies globally. His impressive track-record of industry-transforming transactions and deep sector expertise will enhance our ability to deliver world-class solutions to our clients. We look forward to his contributions to the firm.”
Mr. Cohen earned his B.A. and B.S. in economics (Wharton School) from the University of Pennsylvania and his J.D. from Harvard Law School.
About Guggenheim Securities
Guggenheim Securities is the investment banking and capital markets business of Guggenheim Partners, a global investment and advisory firm. Guggenheim Securities offers services that fall into four broad categories: Advisory, Financing, Sales and Trading, and Research. Guggenheim Securities is headquartered in New York, with additional offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, London, Menlo Park, and San Francisco. For more information, please visit GuggenheimSecurities.com, follow us on LinkedIn or contact us at GSinfo@GuggenheimPartners.com or 212.518.9200.
About Guggenheim Partners
Guggenheim Partners is a diversified financial services firm that delivers value to its clients through two primary businesses: Guggenheim Investments, a premier global asset manager and investment advisor, and Guggenheim Securities, a leading investment banking and capital markets business. Guggenheim’s professionals are based in offices around the world, and our commitment is to deliver long-term results with excellence and integrity while advancing the strategic interests of our clients. Learn more at GuggenheimPartners.com, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter @GuggenheimPtnrs.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Ronny Jackson (TX-13)
WASHINGTON, DC — Last week, Representative Ronny Jackson (TX-13) introduced legislation to rename the U.S. Post Office in downtown Amarillo, Texas as the “Mayor Jerry H. Hodge Post Office Building” to honor the life and legacy of Jerry Hodge. Jerry Hodge was a businessman, rancher, and philanthropist who died peacefully in Amarillo, TX at the age of 81 on July 25, 2024.
Jackson said: “Jerry Hodge’s legacy is a testament to his remarkable journey. His dedication and passion for Amarillo was unparalleled. From being elected as the youngest mayor in Amarillo’s history, to turning Maxor Drug into a national leader in pharmacy services, to playing a crucial role in bringing the Sod Poodles, the Texas Tech School of Pharmacy, and the Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine to Amarillo, Jerry Hodge’s leadership and vision left a permanent mark on the city. Beyond his professional achievements, Jerry cared deeply for his wife Margaret, his family, friends, and community, and I am proud to have called him a friend. His generosity and commitment to excellence were evident to all, which is why I am honored to introduce this legislation to rename the downtown post office as the “Mayor Jerry H. Hodge Post Office Building.”
Tedd L. Mitchell, M.D., Chancellor of the Texas Tech University System said: “Jerry was an extraordinary leader, businessman, and philanthropist who made an incredible impact on the people of Amarillo and the surrounding area. A true trailblazer, he took risks and never hesitated to stand tall for the causes he believed in. Jerry and his wife, Margaret, have been instrumental supporters of the Texas Tech University System and our universities. Without the Hodges, Texas Tech University and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center would not have such a crucial presence in Amarillo today. I want to thank Congressman Jackson for his efforts to recognize Jerry’s tremendous contributions to this community.”
Vance Reed, Chairman of Reed Beverage said: “Jerry Hodge was a man of many facets – a lover of land and longhorns, an admirer of good horses, and above all, a person with sincere devotion to mankind. His legacy is etched not only in the businesses he built, but also in the lives he touched. The impact of Jerry and his wife Margaret’s generosity is visible across Amarillo and the states of Texas and Oklahoma, with numerous buildings bearing their names. In a fitting tribute, thanks to District 13 Congressman Ronny Jackson, there are plans to rename the Downtown Post Office in Jerry’s honor. This gesture will serve as a lasting reminder of Jerry Hodge’s contributions and his choice to call Amarillo, Texas his home.”
Alex Fairly, Executive CEO of the Fairly Group said: “Jerry Hodge was an extraordinary human being. He loved his community and he shared his time, influence, and wealth in a passionate pursuit of improving it. Amarillo is better because of Jerry’s unselfish leadership and generosity, and Congressman Jackson is right to mark Jerry’s impact on our community with this honor so that we do not forget his example and impact.”
Richard Ware, Chairman of Amarillo National Bank said: “Amarillo has been blessed and honored to have Jerry Hodge as our leading citizen since the inception of the town. Jerry has served successfully in more positions than anyone – each of these bringing growth and advancement to Amarillo. He was a man of his word and a true friend to many. The Post Office would be a fitting memorial to all that Jerry has done for Amarillo and West Texas.”
The legislation can be found here.
Biography of Jerry H. Hodge: Jerry Hodge was born onSeptember 7, 1942, in Carnegie, OK. His family moved to Amarillo in 1957 where he went on to graduate from Tascosa High School in 1960. He earned a pharmacy degree from Southwestern Oklahoma State University in 1965. At 23, he purchased Maxor Drug, over the next 49 years, he grew Maxor from a single downtown location in Amarillo to a nationwide producer of pharmacy services across the country. At 30, Jerry was elected to the Amarillo City Commission and served two terms. At 34, he was elected as the youngest Mayor of Amarillo in 1977 and later won reelection by one of the most substantial total votes in the history of the city.
In 1991, Jerry met Margaret, the love of his life. Jerry persuaded Margaret to move to Texas following their marriage on July 29, 1994. With Margaret by his side for nearly 30 years, they were an unstoppable team positively influencing the City of Amarillo. Jerry’s passions also included ranching, owning High Card Ranch in Clarendon, TX and Dos Rios Ranch outside of Springer, NM. Jerry was involved in the Coors Ranch Rodeo since it first began in 1988, and the High Card Ranch competes in the Coors Ranch Rodeo to this day.
After 49 years, Jerry retired as CEO of Maxor in 2016 but continued to serve on the board for an additional 7 years. In 2019, he fulfilled a longtime passion by leading the effort to bring minor league baseball to Amarillo, resulting in the creation of Hodgetown Stadium, named in his honor. In Amarillo, Jerry also played a key role in establishing the Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy, which is named in his honor, as well as the Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine. Additionally, he published his memoir, You’re On, Cowboy, in which he shared life lessons both good and bad with honesty and humor.
Jerry is survived by his wife, Margaret Hodge, stepmother, Dolores Hodge, his children Heath Hodge (Donna), Ryan Hodge (Kim), Sunny Hodge-Campbell (Michael Flowers), Angela Serio Harney (Seth), former son-in-law Andrew Campbell, grandchildren Jerry Heath, Jordan, and Jacob Hodge; Josh Hodge; Ellen Campbell; Imogene, Geneva, and Violet Harney, and great-grandchildren Hollis, Lawrence, Cecille, Lola, Jett, Jayton, and River.
NEW YORK, Oct. 07, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Guggenheim Securities, the investment banking and capital markets division of Guggenheim Partners, announced today that Jeff Cohen has joined the firm as a Senior Managing Director. Mr. Cohen brings more than 30 years of investment banking experience to Guggenheim, where he joins the firm’s Consumer & Retail investment banking practice.
Mr. Cohen most recently served as a Senior Advisor at UBS in the Retail Investment Banking group. Prior to his time at UBS, Mr. Cohen served as Vice Chairman of the Global Retail Investment Banking group at Credit Suisse. He previously held the position of Global Head of Retail Investment Banking at Lazard, UBS, and Wasserstein Perella/Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein. Mr. Cohen began his career as an attorney at Cravath, Swaine & Moore.
“We are excited to welcome Jeff to Guggenheim,” said Mark Van Lith, CEO of Guggenheim Securities. “Jeff is a longstanding advisor to some the largest and most influential retail companies globally. His impressive track-record of industry-transforming transactions and deep sector expertise will enhance our ability to deliver world-class solutions to our clients. We look forward to his contributions to the firm.”
Mr. Cohen earned his B.A. and B.S. in economics (Wharton School) from the University of Pennsylvania and his J.D. from Harvard Law School.
About Guggenheim Securities
Guggenheim Securities is the investment banking and capital markets business of Guggenheim Partners, a global investment and advisory firm. Guggenheim Securities offers services that fall into four broad categories: Advisory, Financing, Sales and Trading, and Research. Guggenheim Securities is headquartered in New York, with additional offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, London, Menlo Park, and San Francisco. For more information, please visit GuggenheimSecurities.com, follow us on LinkedIn or contact us at GSinfo@GuggenheimPartners.com or 212.518.9200.
About Guggenheim Partners
Guggenheim Partners is a diversified financial services firm that delivers value to its clients through two primary businesses: Guggenheim Investments, a premier global asset manager and investment advisor, and Guggenheim Securities, a leading investment banking and capital markets business. Guggenheim’s professionals are based in offices around the world, and our commitment is to deliver long-term results with excellence and integrity while advancing the strategic interests of our clients. Learn more at GuggenheimPartners.com, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter @GuggenheimPtnrs.
Microbial communities – vast ecosystems teeming with millions of different cells from different species – play a fundamental role in life on Earth, from producing oxygen to aiding digestion. Despite their importance, it has been a challenge for scientists to fully understand how these intricate communities form and function.
But in a new study, my colleagues and I have developed a new mathematical framework aimed at explaining how microbial relationships emerge. By better understanding these communities, we could better protect and manage them, which could have profound implications for the health of our planet.
Most of our understanding of microbiomes – the collections of thousands of microbes that inhabit different environments and organisms – has come from studies on the differences between them. Researchers often investigate the ecological and evolutionary factors that appear to shape these microbial communities.
But it has been hard to determine whether these factors are actually causing the differences or are merely coincidental. This is why understanding the true drivers behind microbiome formation is so important. It helps us see why these communities exist and how they function.
If, like me, you’ve ever marvelled at the plants and animals thriving in nature, you’ve seen ecological and evolutionary forces in action, just as Charles Darwin did during the 19th century. The same principles that govern these larger ecosystems also apply to the microbial world.
So, for our research, my colleagues and I took a leaf out of Darwin’s book. We examined the ecological and evolutionary factors that could lead to the formation of such diverse microbiomes across many multicellular organisms. These included marine sponges, insects, humans and squid. What we found was striking. Despite the vast differences between species, the same basic rules apply to their microbiomes.
For example, the ability of microbes to move between environments and their rapid rate of evolution are important factors in determining where they live, whether in a plant’s roots or an animal’s gut. There are, of course, exceptions. In giant and red pandas, for instance, diet plays a vital role in shaping gut microbes, while certain plants, like the small brassica Arabidopsis, control their root microbiomes through chemical defences.
Once we had identified these mechanisms, the challenge was to organise our insights into a coherent framework. This is similar to what Darwin did with his theory of evolution by natural selection. And this is where maths came into play.
Maths is essential to our understanding of the world around us, whether we’re talking about quantum mechanics or the complexities of life itself. By applying mathematical models, we could make sense of the complex factors that shape microbiomes.
A new model for microbial ecosystems
Our framework helps explain puzzling observations, such as why some marine sponges are teeming with microbes while others harbour just a few. Our study is unique because it allows us, for the first time, to think about these intricate symbiotic relationships holistically. It integrates both ecological and evolutionary ways of thinking. We hope our framework will form the basis of future studies investigating other microbial ecosystems.
We’re currently expanding our research into marine sponges by exploring how the exchange of metabolic products (like vitamins and amino acids) between microbes, affects their community structure. The flexibility of our framework means it can be adapted to study different systems. It could help provide a deeper understanding of the interactions between microbes and their hosts.
This type of quantitative approach is crucial as humans continue to affect our natural ecosystems. It could help us come up with solutions to those problems.
Better understanding microbial communities could help us better protect the natural world. Damsea/Shutterstock
For example, we recently demonstrated how microbiome studies can improve coral reef conservation efforts by examining the microbial networks that support coral settlement. By manipulating these networks, we could help to restore coral populations more effectively.
Of course, challenges remain. For example, we still don’t understand microbial dormancy, which is a strategy some microbes adopt when under stress. They reduce their activity while at the same time increasing resistance to harsh external conditions. It’s a bit like bears hibernating to avoid the winter.
In spite of issues like those, we’re optimistic that mathematical frameworks like ours will pave the way for future discoveries. It could advance our understanding of ecosystems both large and small – from microbiomes to large ecosystems involving plants and animals. This in turn could help to unlock the secrets of the natural world. That knowledge could be used to preserve biodiversity for future generations.
Miguel Lurgi receives funding from the Leverhulme Trust under Research Project Grant # RPG-2022-114
Imagine this: you’re lounging on the beach, waves crashing in the background. A laptop sits on the table next to your iced coffee. In between meetings, you dip into the ocean or explore a hiking trail. This is the ideal vision of “workations” – a blend of work and vacation that is gaining popularity worldwide.
A workation allows employees to work remotely from a holiday spot, and is part of a larger shift towards more flexible working arrangements, accelerated by the COVID pandemic and the rise of digital technology. Workations can last from a few days to several weeks.
The concept can be appealing to both employees and companies, but there are challenges too. So, understanding its benefits and limitations is important for workers and employers alike.
The most obvious benefit for employees is enjoying a new environment while staying productive. The typical work environment can become monotonous, potentially leading to burnout, decreased creativity and dissatisfaction.
A workation offers an escape from this day-to-day grind, providing a refreshing change of scenery. It combines the mental break of a vacation with the flexibility of working remotely, allowing workers to balance their professional and personal lives and enhance their creativity. This flexibility may be particularly beneficial for those with high workloads or tight schedules, as they no longer need to sacrifice time away from work to relax.
And companies can also reap rewards from approving workations among their staff. One of the most significant advantages is employee retention. Flexible work arrangements are among the top priorities for employees in today’s job market, helping to reduce staff turnover.
Offering the option of a workation could also make a company more attractive to prospective employees. And workers who are free to work from inspiring locations may return to their tasks less stressed, and more motivated and engaged. Studies show that remote workers often demonstrate increased organisational commitment.
Another advantage is the potential for cost savings. With more employees working remotely, companies may reduce their need for large office spaces or the expensive perks offered in corporate environments such as gyms, canteens and the staffing that goes with them.
But there can be challenges too. The boundary between work and leisure can become blurred, and some employees may find it hard to disconnect from work – defeating the object of travelling to a different workplace. The allure of finishing “just one more task” can prevent employees from truly enjoying their surroundings, potentially leading to exhaustion instead of rejuvenation.
Time zone differences can also be a challenge. Juggling meetings and collaborating with colleagues in different time zones can lead to irregular work hours that make it hard to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Distractions are another concern. Beaches, tourist attractions or even the simple novelty of being in a new place can make it difficult to focus on work tasks. Employees need to have a strong sense of discipline to remain productive.
For companies, one of the primary challenges is ensuring that employees remain productive. Monitoring performance without feeling intrusive can be a tricky balance for managers to strike.
Security is another major concern. Remote work often involves accessing company networks and handling sensitive information. When employees work from unfamiliar locations – particularly in public spaces such as cafes – there may be increased risks related to cybersecurity. Ensuring that employees follow security protocols, use secure wifi and protect sensitive data is crucial.
Lastly, workations might not be feasible for all roles. This can lead to disparities in who can take advantage of the opportunity, potentially leading to bad feeling among other staff.
For the concept of workations to succeed, both employees and employers should set clear expectations, establish boundaries, and focus on maintaining productivity while allowing time for relaxation. But, if managed properly, they could become a staple of modern work culture. In a world where flexibility and wellbeing are increasingly valued, workations offer a unique opportunity to blend productivity with personal fulfilment, reshaping how we think about work and leisure.
Nine tips for having a successful workation
1. Choose the right destination
Opt for a location with reliable internet access and where the time difference between colleagues and clients is manageable.
2. Set clear boundaries
Establish dividing lines between your work and vacation time, and communicate these boundaries with your employer and colleagues.
3. Ensure you have the right tech set-up
Bring all the necessary equipment, including noise-cancelling headphones. Double-check that you have remote access to all necessary material before leaving.
4. Plan for cybersecurity
Use a secure virtual private network (VPN) to protect company data, and follow your company’s cybersecurity policies to the letter.
5. Understand your company’s remote work policy
Read up on things like flexibility in terms of location, time zones, working hours and refunds for co-working spaces or tech tools.
6. Set realistic expectations
Don’t expect your workation to feel like a full vacation. Plan your leisure activities around your work schedule. Be prepared to work longer or odd hours if your company operates in a different time zone.
7. Consider the local infrastructure
Research amenities such as medical services, food delivery and transport. These might be important if you stay in a more remote or unfamiliar area. Have a contingency plan for health emergencies and check visa requirements.
8. Prepare for flexibility
Be ready for unexpected issues like slow internet or disruptions due to local events. Back-up plans, such as access to a co-working space or alternative accommodation, can save you from unnecessary stress.
9. Stay organised
Keep a work schedule and a checklist of tasks to ensure that you remain as productive as you are in your regular work environment.
Mariachiara Barzotto 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.
Conservative MP Kemi Badenoch recently caused controversy by claiming that while she was born to a middle-class family, she “became working class” when working in McDonald’s to earn money while she was in college. In fairness to Badenoch, having a diversity of experience is an admirable attribute for an MP – something you wouldn’t associate with someone like recently deposed Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg for example.
Badenoch, who was born in the UK but spent the first part of her life in Nigeria before returning as a teenager, said her time at the fast food chain helped her understand the life of “single mothers” struggling to make ends meet – insight that might have made her object to the policies enacted by her government that made life harder for the working classes. She said of the job:
There’s a humility there as well. You had to wash toilets, there were no special cleaners coming in. You had to wash toilets, you had to flip burgers, you had to handle money.
Badenoch’s assertion – during her bid to become leader of the Conservative party – raises several interesting questions, not least whether you can “become working class”. Part of the issue is that class is increasingly hard to define in 2024.
Is class subjective and something that we feel (as Badenoch’s claim suggests) or is it something objective that we can measure? This is a question that has been troubling sociologists – and others – for years.
Want more politics coverage from academic experts? Every week, we bring you informed analysis of developments in government and fact check the claims being made.
In social sciences, the most widely used measure of social class is the Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) national statistics socioeconomic classification (NS-SEC). It is also the measure used by the UK government, most notably to measure social mobility – the movement of people between classes.
The NS-SEC defines class by placing individuals in one of eight different classes according to their occupation. The scales runs from one (for higher managerial and professional positions) to eight (long-term unemployed).
The classes are further simplified into three categories of professional/managerial (1 and 2), intermediate (3 and 4) and working class (5 to 7). It’s a hierarchy but it also shows that there is no easily identifiable dividing line between classes. Examples of those in professional/managerial would include directors of major companies, those teaching in higher education and journalists. Those in intermediate professions include travel agents, police officers (sergeant and below) and hotel managers. Those in the working class would include farm workers, building site labourers and workers in the service industry, such as in McDonald’s.
Using the NS-SEC occupational coding tool, we can place both Badenoch’s parents (a GP and a professor) in social class 1. While she acknowledges that she is from a middle-class background, it is clear that both her parents occupy positions at the top of the social class hierarchy. As an MP, Badenoch herself is now also clearly social class 1. Her previous roles before entering politics, as a digital director for The Spectator and associate director at private bank Coutts return class 2 and 1 respectively. It is evident that Badenoch has lived, and continues to live, a very privileged, and middle-class, life. Given this, why would she claim to be working class?
The first thing to note is that Badenoch is not unique in citing a working-class identity of some kind. The prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, is by now notorious for his frequent references to his father’s job as a toolmaker. Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, is also regularly photographed in pubs while drinking a pint and smoking a cigarette – something that sociologist Pierre Bourdieu would define as him attempting to evidence a working-class habitus, those tastes and behaviours that we typically associated with members of a particular social class.
The rationale for this is that Britain is quite unique in its perspective on class. People will often claim they are working class, or have working-class roots. This would be unheard of in other parts of the world, where claiming to be middle class is aspirational.
People in Britain will continue to claim they are working class even when evidence indicates that they are, and have been, middle class for several generations. This largely seems to be an inheritance of Britain’s history as an industrial country and the national obsession with “getting on” as well as a the country having a reputation for being particularly divided by social class. British people want to prove that they have been successful on merit rather than because of unearned privilege.
Large fries and a majority in 2029?
Britain’s changing political landscape is also an important part of the picture, as we look back at Badenoch’s McDonald’s career.
Throughout the 20th century the dividing line between political parties was evident. The working classes typically voted for the Labour party and the middle classes typically voted for the Conservative party. The dividing lines between political parties have become more complicated in the 21st century, particularly in the post-Brexit years; notably evidenced by Boris Johnson’s 2019 election win and the crumbling of the red wall.
This helps us understand why Badenoch would want to find a way to show that she is in touch with working-class people – and how she was able to do it, at least according to her own reasoning.
Votes are always on a politician’s mind – and the increasing willingness of voters to switch allegiances means more votes than ever are up for grabs. The nebulous nature of class and the difficulty we have in defining it, becomes the vehicle for appealing for those votes.
Badenoch’s claim that she became working class appears to be a longer-term strategy. She is looking ahead to the next election. Nevertheless, it seems difficult to argue that a short period working in McDonald’s made Badenoch working class. An adulthood of privilege also makes her claim rather insulting to those who, in her own words, struggle to make ends meet.
Michael Rees 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.
Football seems to have a problem with referees. Barely a weekend goes by without someone – a manager, a player, a pundit – making it abundantly clear that many of those who officiate are (apparently) not very good at their jobs.
Arsenal’s manager, Mikel Arteta, for example, was furious with referee Michael Oliver for sending off Leandro Trossard during his side’s top-of-the-table clash with Manchester City on September 22. He described it as “really, really worrying” that referees were giving out cards for what Arteta seemed to regard as trivial offences.
In this case it was Oliver’s decision to award a yellow card to Trossard after the Belgian booted the ball away to stop City taking a quick free kick. On top of a yellow card Trossard had already earned for a foul earlier in the game, the second offence, bringing a second yellow card, added up to a red card, meaning Trossard had to be sent off. Arteta’s criticism came even though it’s crystal clear that such offences merit exactly the punishments that were being meted out.
The previous week, referee Anthony Taylor was the man in the firing line. He dished out 14 yellow cards (a premier league record) for a range of offences committed during the Chelsea v Bournemouth game on 14 September. Perhaps unsurprisingly, a whole host of self-appointed social media experts were quick to express their dissatisfaction with Taylor’s officiating. As a result, the Premier League is currently investigating a number of those social media posts for allegedly making threats against Taylor and his family.
A significant part of the story in both of these cases concerns dissent and player petulance. Taylor, in particular, wasn’t standing for any of that, yellow-carding four players for inappropriately chatting back to the referee and one for excessive celebrations following a goal.
The story, or so one of the narratives around poor referring would have it, is officials are being over-zealous. The players themselves seem to have no agency in this. It’s the referees that are the problem.
If football is going to stop looking like a game primed for spoilt, stroppy schoolboys, then it’s precisely that narrative that needs to change. As I argue in a new book on integrity and football, there are three dimensions to cases like these.
Firstly, players continue – again and again, and at all levels of the game – to think that verbally abusing the referee when they make decisions that the player doesn’t like is part and parcel of football. “Shithousery”, to use the contemporary parlance, is frequently seen as a virtue. It shouldn’t be. Players push and push the rules to their limits and yet when they are called out the instinct is often to whine and bleat about how unfair it all is.
Football doesn’t have to look far to see how this can be done differently. Rugby referees have broadly similar sets of tools at their disposal and yet rugby players treat officials very differently. Diving about to win a free kick, for example, is not just frowned upon in rugby union, players trying it on are openly ridiculed. There is certainly bad behaviour in rugby, but you only very rarely see any players disrespecting the officials.
One way of shifting the balance is by doing what Taylor did in the Chelsea v Bournemouth fixture, which is to pull players up immediately on what he saw as disrespectful behaviour. A few months of rugby-style refereeing and football will be much the better for it.
Secondly, fans need to understand not just how difficult a referee’s job is but also to appreciate that regardless of whether referees get decisions right or wrong they, the fans, need to deal with it. Abusing officials and players is now a depressingly predictable part of football’s story.
And, as the pleayers themselves will tell you, it’s not just the referees who are singled out for abuse. Research by Ofcom and the Alan Turing Institute in 2022 showed that, 34% of all tweets directed at Newcastle United defender Ciaran Clark in the first five months of the 2021-22 season were deemed “offensive” by OfCom. OfCom further claimed that an offensive tweet was sent to a premier league footballer once every four minutes across that same time period. Players getting things wrong is part and parcel of the game – verbally abusing them for it should not be.
Finally, the administrators have a role to play in pushing stakeholders (fans, players, analysts) to show just a bit more spine. The FA needs to come out and explain that football will no longer stand for many of the antics that we currently see on the field. At the beginning of 2023-24 referees started giving yellow cards when players kicked the ball away to stop free kicks being taken. The result was that players for the most part simply stopped doing it. Sadly, no one appeared to tell Trossard.
The FA has long argued that those within football need to show the game more respect. Yet the FA itself needs to show the backbone to stand up and defend, openly and forcefully, those who try to practically implement all these nice words.
Whether Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor thought they were fighting for the game’s integrity is largely irrelevant. They were just doing their job by interpreting the rules as they saw them. But there is something about the reaction of players, fans and indeed the FA that says that too many people still don’t really get it. Integrity matters. And it really is about time that they all start to take it seriously.
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Daniel Hough 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.
Rwanda is in the midst of its first outbreak of Marburg virus – an often fatal disease with symptoms similar to Ebola. So far, 46 cases have been recorded and 12 deaths. The source of the outbreak is still not known.
Seven hundred doses of an experimental vaccine against the virus have just been shipped from the US to Rwanda. The vaccine is currently being administered, largely to healthcare workers, who have made up the bulk of the victims so far.
The roll out is part of a clinical trial, so it will be a while before the vaccine’s efficacy is known.
Marburg virus is named after the town in Germany where it first emerged. In 1967, there were simultaneous outbreaks at laboratories in Marburg and Belgrade in Serbia (then part of Yugoslavia). The outbreak was caused by African green monkeys imported from Uganda for use in experiments. Seven people died.
Since then, there have been several Marburg virus outbreaks in sub-Saharan Africa, including in countries bordering Rwanda.
Previous outbreaks have been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Tanzania. The most recent outbreaks were reported in Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania between February and June 2023, where nine cases were reported and six deaths.
Other countries that previously reported outbreaks include Angola, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya and South Africa. The outbreak in Angola in 2005 killed 300 people.
Outbreaks typically occur when people come in contact with infected green monkeys, pigs or Egyptian rousette bats (a type of Old World fruit bat) – a common carrier of the virus. These bats are often found in mines and caves. Once the disease jumps from an infected animal to a human – so-called zoonotic spillover – it can spread from person to person through bodily fluids or by contact with contaminated surfaces, such as bedding.
There are no antiviral drugs to treat patients. People infected with Marburg virus are kept hydrated and any blood loss is replaced through transfusion.
The incubation period, which is the time between the exposure to Marburg virus and the start of symptoms, is five to ten days. Symptoms of Marburg virus disease can appear suddenly and include fever, muscle pains, diarrhoea and vomiting.
The virus damages blood vessels and interferes with the ability of blood to clot, which can lead to uncontrolled bleeding from the nose, eyes, gums, rectum and, in women, the vagina. The disease has a very high “case fatality rate”. Between 24 and 88% of people infected with Marburg virus die – usually through extreme blood loss and shock.
Marburg virus disease is not an airborne illness and is not thought to be contagious before symptoms appear. However, people can remain infectious for months after they have recovered, and pass the disease on through bodily fluids. Men are advised to wear a condom for a year after symptoms first appear.
Looking for clues
The Rwandan authorities are working to identify the source of the outbreak, how far it has spread and when the first case occurred.
Although Marburg virus disease has been reported in seven of 30 districts in the east African nation, the readiness of unaffected districts is also being ensured to mitigate the spread and quickly identify any spillover.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is working with Rwanda’s neighbouring countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, to review their readiness to respond to the outbreak.
The WHO assesses the risk of the Marburg virus outbreak as “very high” at the national level and “high” at the regional level. However, at a global level, the risk remains low.
Manal Mohammed 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.
After years of negotiations and legal pressure, the UK and the Republic of Mauritius have agreed that Mauritius is sovereign over the Chagos Archipelago.
The Chagos Archipelago is a group of seven coral atolls which comprise more than 60 islands in the Indian Ocean. In 1965, as part of negotiations leading to Mauritian independence, the UK government excised the Chagos Archipelago from colonial Mauritius. The UK kept the islands, which are in a globally strategic location, to make the island of Diego Garcia available to the US military for 50 years, later extended by 20 years.
The islands have been the subject of a diplomatic dispute for decades, with Mauritius maintaining its sovereignty and arguing it was illegally forced to give the archipelago away in exchange for independence.
Under the new political agreement, the UK will provide financial support to Mauritius, including a new trust fund for displaced Chagossians. Mauritius will be able to resettle the Chagos islands, other than Diego Garcia. This island will remain the site of a US-UK military facility for at least 99 years.
This is a significant moment for decolonisation (albeit incomplete), and potentially a landmark moment for the displaced Chagossian community. Decades after being forcibly exiled, they may finally be able to resettle on some of the Chagos islands.
Who are the Chagossians?
The Chagos Archipelago was unpopulated before European expansion in the Indian Ocean, when it was administered as a dependency of colonial Mauritius. French, and later British, colonists populated the islands. This took place first with enslaved labourers, mostly from east Africa and Madagascar via Mauritius, and later with contract workers, mostly from India via Mauritius.
The economy relied on coconut plantations, which became central to Chagossian culture. Coconut features in Chagossian cuisine, handicrafts and song.
The population of the Chagos islands rose over the 19th century. It hovered around 1,000 in the first half of the 20th century.
At the request of the US, the UK authorities depopulated the Chagos Archipelago to make way for the military base. From 1967 to 1973, they forcibly evicted more than 1,500 islanders to Mauritius and Seychelles.
They did this first by preventing the return of islanders who had gone on trips to Mauritius and Seychelles. Later, they restricted supplies and wound down work on coconut plantations. Finally, they coerced the remaining islanders onto crowded ships.
By 1973, between 1,328 and 1,522 Chagos islanders had been relocated to Mauritius, and 232 to Seychelles. Their forced displacement led to further economic, psychological and cultural harms.
The British Overseas Territories Act 2002 and the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 awarded UK citizenship to Chagos islanders and their descendants born in exile. Today, several thousand members of the extended Chagossian community live in the UK, while many still live in Mauritius and Seychelles.
Since 2002, I have conducted anthropological research with the extended and geographically dispersed Chagossian communities. I have witnessed their chronic marginalisation firsthand.
My research has studied how members of this dispersed and fractured community have sustained their relationships to Chagos through shared cultural practices.
One example of this is through music. Chagossian sega songs composed on Chagos paint a nuanced picture of the complexities and turbulence of colonial plantation life. Lyrics protest unfavourable social, political, and economic conditions. They lament personal suffering, depict joyful occasions, or jest via suggestive double entendres.
Meanwhile, sega songs are now also composed in exile. They contrast depictions of the island as an idyllic paradise, with the community’s subsequent experiences of displacement, dislocation and loss.
These cultural practices have brought the exiled Chagossian community together, and served as a vehicle for cultural and political mobilisation. They have also, I argue, drawn attention to the Chagossian cause from outside communities.
Resettlement
Chagossian activists have long campaigned for compensation for their forcible displacement and their legal right of return. They secured limited compensation from the UK government in 1978 and 1982. But they have not yet achieved resettlement in practice.
It is not yet clear whether displaced Chagossians will be able to return to the islands under the new agreement.
Members of the Chagossian community hold differing opinions about resettlement and sovereignty. Some are hopeful that the Mauritian government will facilitate resettlement: something the UK refused to do.
Some Mauritian citizens and Chagos islanders from Diego Garcia are critical of the exclusion of Diego Garcia from the agreement. And many Chagossians are worried that Mauritius might prioritise the interests of Mauritian citizens over non-citizens, or that it might prioritise its economic and military interests over resettlement.
Many Chagossians are concerned
that the negotiations involved representatives of the two governments, but not of the displaced Chagossian community.
The political agreement is subject to the finalisation of a treaty and supporting legal documents. This means there is still time for the governments to involve Chagossians in the conversation.
Laura Jeffery has previously received funding for Chagos research from the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).
A number of Strategic Innovation Centers are designed to support R&D, innovation or entrepreneurship
One of the recurring themes throughout Gov. Phil Murphy’s time in office has been an emphasis on building out what he calls the innovation economy with programs overseen by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. At the core of that strategy has been a focus on assembling public-private partners from industry, academia and other stakeholders to collaborate and help catalyze economic growth.
That effort has taken shape in a number of Strategic Innovation Centers, facilities that either directly support research and development, innovation or entrepreneurship. They can also help solve specific problems in new and innovative ways through a combination of services such as mentorship, networking opportunities, hands-on training, business support services, education opportunities and/or access to testing, fabrication, or manufacturing facilities and equipment.
According to the NJEDA, the SICs can be accelerators, incubators or research centers – stressing that having a physical location where entrepreneurs can collaborate will help support new, diverse innovators as well as help drive long-term economic growth.
A June report analyzed the impact of innovation centers and incubators, finding that the New Jersey BioScience Center Incubator – the largest incubator in the state dedicated to life sciences and biotechnology companies – supported companies that created an average of 2,744 jobs per year. In 2023, resident companies generated $32 million in state and local tax revenue.
Situated on Route 1, that North Brunswick incubator is part of the 50-acre research park known as the New Jersey Bioscience Center, offering lab space and much more. “Located alongside New Jersey’s Route 1 Research Corridor, the Incubator at the New Jersey Bioscience Center leverages it close proximity to leading universities and corporations to attract, retain, and grow companies of the future that fuel our highly talented workforce,” said NJEDA Chief Executive Officer Tim Sullivan. “Since taking office, Gov. Phil Murphy has been committed to creating resources for biotech startups to help bring life-saving products to market, and further New Jersey’s legacy as a leader in innovation, especially within the life sciences sector.”
“The BCI is one of many ways the NJEDA is supporting biotech and life sciences businesses and startups by providing them with the space and resources to grow their companies, while encouraging collaboration among like-minded entrepreneurs,” said NJEDA Chief Economic Transformation Officer Kathleen Coviello. “This report shows that New Jersey has what it takes to remain at the forefront of innovation.”
Some examples of recent and impending SICs NJEDA has partnered or invested in include HAX, a Newark hard tech startup accelerator; the New Jersey Health & Life Science Exchange (HELIX) in New Brunswick; the NJ Fintech Accelerator at Stevens Institute of Technology (NJ FAST) in Hoboken; SciTech Scity on the Liberty Science campus in Jersey City; and the recently announced Aerospace Innovation Center in Egg Harbor Township.
‘We’ve got a lot to do’
NJBIZ recently spoke with Coviello, who joined the agency in 2005 and is central to the state’s innovation economy efforts and ambitions. “Usually, a governor this late in his term, we start to soften the pace a little bit,” she said. “But that’s not the case here. It’s rush, rush – we’ve got a lot to do, before the end of the term.”
Coviello noted that she has worked under several different administrations, stressing that there is a lot happening at NJEDA in a number of sectors — from the broader innovation efforts to clean energy/offshore wind, manufacturing, film and television, tech, life sciences and more.
“The organization has put together tremendous toolkits – when you look at each of these segments of the economy that we are supporting, in response to really what we’ve heard from the market,” she explained. “I think, in general, most of what we’ve done has been really well-received. And, if and when needed, we’ll go back and tweak it and get it right. So, yeah, lots of activity.”
Through the first six months of the year, New Jersey hit a major milestone in the innovation/startup space with a $9.8 billion investment in venture capital money, ranking as the No. 3 state in the nation during that stretch, according to PitchBook.
“Timing is right for New Jersey. Some of the major hubs that you think of for innovation are struggling a bit more,” said Coviello. “We’ve got the talent. Certainly, when we talk about those Strategic Innovation Centers, we have the locations. When we think about life science, a lot is location-based. Particularly, we saw it during COVID and coming out of COVID. You can’t do genome predicting and drug discovery in your basement. So having all that lab space and all the talent in New Jersey is critical to that industry. We’re seeing it in film as a new resurgence of another innovation economy in the State of New Jersey. I think that the data around venture capital in New Jersey shows that we’re a good value for investors.”
She said that some of the markets, such as the West Coast, Boston and New York, have “very frothy” deal terms that are overpriced. “But what we find traditionally in New Jersey is you get good value for your investment,” said Coviello. “And we have a lot of investors starting to see that. Of course, the Evergreen Fund, has attracted a lot of national attention. We have investors from California, New York. We just approved an investor from Mexico. Folks are saying – this is a tremendous opportunity to partner with the state and put more capital to work in New Jersey. The Angel Investor Tax Credit program continues to break all kinds of records. Lots and lots of great things going on anywhere you look in the state.”
Growing life science companies
Discussing the SICs, Coviello cited the Bioscience Center Incubator, which she described as the NJEDA’s first SCI – before that term was coined – and almost a proof of concept for the current efforts and projects.
Since 2002, BCI companies have generated over $9 billion in total output and $4 billion in total labor income in the state, according to the recent study. “We’ve had the ability to really prove it out. And that facility came about because the life science industry in the state couldn’t invest in real estate,” she explained. “What I think we’ve proven out there – is the collision that happens when you bring like-minded, innovation-focused, smart people under one roof is really important.
“We kind of took that and said – that’s a great anchor in the state to point to of where and how we grow life science companies in the state,” said Coviello.
She reflected on when Murphy first ran for governor and noted that the state sits between two major metropolitan areas. “It’s the great thing about New Jersey – you have access to New York and the investors, and you have access to Philadelphia and D.C.,” she recounted. “But sometimes we get carved out as suburbs of those locations. And if we want to have our own identity, we need to put these pins in a map where we point to: This is where innovation happens in this part of our economy. What we have found as we have built these out is we really want to make sure we have an academic partner, a corporate partner and we have government. So, it’s all about this public-private partnership. And then part of the sauce, as well, is bringing in an activator – someone who’s going to pull all these pieces together; make sure that folks aren’t working in silos; make sure that there is collaboration.”
Each of the SICs takes on their own identity, Coviello emphasized. “We’ve been very mindful about making sure we play to the strengths of that region,” she added.
Coviello stressed there has been a deliberate process and focus behind the SICs and their different components and partners. “And that’s the only way it’s going to work. Each one has a very unique structure,” she explained. “Each one has very unique purposely articulated and curated partners – each one has a different focus.”
Partners on these ventures include heavy hitters such as Nokia Bell Labs, Rutgers University, Hackensack Meridian Health, DEVCO, Plug and Play, Prudential Financial, Stevens, SOSV, RWJBarnabas Health, Bristol Myers Squibb, EY, Sheba Medical Center and others.
She spoke about the power of partnerships – especially for ventures and initiatives such as these.
“First off, we don’t have big enough pockets in government to do it alone – and it just wouldn’t be smart to do it alone,” said Coviello. “We don’t do everything. And adding that value in experience of the private sector is critical.”
Recently, the first phase of HELIX reached a milestone with a topping off ceremony and NJ FAST held a launch event.
As for other areas of emphasis and focus for Coviello and NJEDA, she pointed to life sciences continuing to be one of the leading sectors as well as technology, especially with Bell Labs at HELIX, and the resurgence of manufacturing. “I think the sky’s the limit. But again, playing to our strengths – fintech, aviation, life sciences, manufacturing,” she said. “And you’ll certainly hear announcements in the next six months about a few more of these centers. We’ve got, I think, 15 months left in the Murphy administration. The total funding pool for innovation centers was $250 million with all of the different appropriations over the years.”
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
The UK Ministry of Defence and Cranfield University will deliver a one-week Strategic Leadership Programme.
Representatives of the Armed forces and civil ministries of Guatemala will attend the course at the Higher Command of Army Education (COSEDE), starting today 7 October.
Participants will develop key strategic leadership skills including decision making under pressure, long-term planning and personal development. The course will also address influencing and motivation and building effective relationships within teams. Participants will also discuss strategic leadership as a tool to understand defence capabilities and the challenges faced by leaders in this arena.
Training will conclude with a certificate presentation by the British Defence Attaché for Mexico and Guatemala, Aviator Colonel Simon Stewart and the British Embassy’s Chargé d’Affaires, Paul Huggins.
Source: United States Senator for North Dakota John Hoeven
10.07.24
Senator Working to Establish UND as Leader in New Initiative, Coordinate with FAA on Site Visit to Ensure Timely Program Implementation
GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven issued the following statement after the University of North Dakota (UND) submitted its application to the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Enhanced Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative (AT-CTI) program. Hoeven has been working to secure the aviation school’s role in the new program, part of his broader efforts to address the air traffic controller (ATC) shortage. Specifically, this effort will allow UND’s ATC program graduates to move directly into the workforce rather than attending the FAA’s ATC Academy in Oklahoma:
This builds upon UND’s current role as an AT-CTI program, which allows graduates to skip the first five weeks of initial qualification training at the FAA Academy.
Under the enhanced program, UND will offer the same curriculum provided by the FAA Academy, making graduates immediately eligible for hire and to begin localized training at an air traffic facility.
Graduates will still be required to pass the Air Traffic Skills Assessment (ATSA) exam and meet medical and security requirements.
UND is aiming to start the Enhanced AT-CTI program in the spring 2025 semester, being one of the first schools in the nation to offer this opportunity to students.
To advance UND’s application, Hoeven made the case to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker for UND to lead the way in this initiative.
The senator stressed the university’s position as a world leader in aviation research, education and training.
This comes in addition to measures Hoeven worked to include in the FAA Reauthorization Bill passed by Congress earlier this year to improve ATC hiring and retention.
With the application submitted, the FAA will begin the review process, which includes a site visit in Grand Forks in the coming months.
The site visit will involve an inspection of UND’s classes, curriculum, equipment and other aspects essential to the Enhanced AT-CTI program.
Hoeven’s office continues working with the FAA to coordinate these next steps in the application process.
“Air traffic controllers are an essential part of our nation’s ability to provide safe, timely air service, and the ongoing labor shortages in this area constrain the operations of airports across the country. The good news is that we have a world-class aviation school at UND, which is primed and ready to tackle this demand for a qualified ATC workforce. As an existing AT-CTI school, UND is well-positioned to move into this new enhanced training initiative, which is a great opportunity for its students to get into the workforce more quickly, bypassing the need to go the ATC Academy in Oklahoma,” said Senator Hoeven. “That’s why we’ve been working to secure UND’s leadership in this program, having raised this priority with both the Transportation Secretary and the FAA Administrator. With the school’s application now submitted to the FAA, we continue our efforts to move this process forward, and ensure the site visit and all required steps are successfully completed in time to begin this program at UND in 2025.”
“We are looking forward to working with the FAA in getting our program approved and graduating Enhanced AT-CTI students to help alleviate the controller shortage,” said Craig Carlson, Associate Professor of Aviation, who has been leading the application efforts at UND. “We appreciate Senator Hoeven and his team for working with us to make this opportunity a reality, which leverages UND’s expertise in aviation to provide a great career opportunity to North Dakota students, while addressing a critical national need.”
Addressing the ATC Shortage
The FAA reauthorization bill includes legislation Hoeven cosponsored that requires the FAA to use a more accurate staffing model developed by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association and the FAA’s Air Traffic Organization. The bill also sets an updated minimum hiring target for new air traffic controllers.
Global warming has the potential to reshuffle the spaces used by life on Earth, across all ecosystems. And our new research shows whale sharks – the world’s largest fish – could be at risk, as warming oceans may force them into busy human shipping lanes.
More than 12,000 marine species are expected to redistribute in future as seas warm up. Those animals that are unable to move to remain within suitable environments risk being wiped out entirely.
But things are different for larger and highly mobile animals that can move freely to find conditions that suit their needs. For them, changing ocean conditions may not be such a huge threat in isolation, as they can migrate to cooler seas. Rather, shifting conditions may force species into new and more dangerous areas where they come into contact with ship propellers and other direct human threats.
We fear this will happen with whale sharks. These huge sharks can reach up to 18 metres – about four cars end to end – but despite their size and robust appearance, their numbers have already declined by over 50% in the last 75 years.
Whale sharks are big and slow (and are sharks not whales). Sean Steininger / shutterstock
In previous research we discovered this decline may be partly due to collisions with large ships. Whale sharks are particularly vulnerable as they cruise around feeding on plankton and other tiny organisms, rarely needing to swim faster than human walking pace. While spending long periods moving slowly near the surface, they’re often struck by ships and killed.
Our new research builds on this previous work. We find that climate change will put these docile giants in even greater danger as their preferred habitats move in into new areas with heavy ship traffic.
An uncertain future
The research was carried out by an international team of over 50 scientists from 18 countries involved in the Global Shark Movement Project, using 15 years’ worth of satellite tracking data from almost 350 individually tagged whale sharks.
Movement tracks were matched to temperature, salinity and other environmental conditions at the time to determine what sort of habitat the sharks preferred. These relationships were then projected forward in time based on climate models (powerful computer programmes that simulate the climate) to reveal which parts of the ocean may in future have similar conditions to those used by the species today.
Our state-of-the-art approach uncovered totally new areas that may be able to support whale sharks in future, such as US waters in the Pacific in the region of the California bight, Japanese waters in the eastern China Sea and the Atlantic waters of many west African countries. We quickly realised that these regions are home to some of the world’s busiest sea ports and shipping highways, so we overlaid our maps of habitat preference with those of global shipping to determine sharks are expected to run into ships.
The world’s main shipping lanes, with the busiest lanes coloured yellow. Areas C (US west coast), D (west Africa) and E (east Asia) are expected to become more suitable for whale sharks as the oceans warm. Womersley et al / Nature Climate Change, CC BY-SA
Through this we project that co-occurrence between sharks and ships will be be 15,000 times greater by the end of this century if we continue to rely heavily on fossil fuels, compared to only 20 times greater if we follow a sustainable development scenario.
This does not mean that collisions will increase by 15,000 times, or even by 20 times, as we can only predict where whale sharks will be in future and the precise number of ships will vary. However, if the sharks do move into these new areas and their busy shipping lanes, increased mortality is a very real possibility.
We’ve already recorded shark-attached satellite tags abruptly stopping transmissions in shipping lanes, with depth-recording tags showing the sharks slowly sinking – likely dead – to the seafloor.
Changing tack
Our results are alarming but highlight that we do have the capacity to change the population trajectory for whale sharks. In this case, through mitigating climate change, we can also indirectly ensure that the ocean is a safer place for some of its largest residents.
We already know which strategies to trial for limiting collisions between ships and sharks. In February 2024 a meeting of signatories to the UN’s convention on the conservation of migratory species put forward a series of recommendations with specific focus on whale sharks. These include slowing speeds and re-routing around key sites, and setting up a collision-reporting network. It is now up to individual governments to take action.
It’s possible that other species will experience similar pressures as a result of climate change. For example, heat waves in the oceans may force other sharks into cooler surface waters which are being exploited by longline fisheries, or into deeper depths where there is less oxygen.
It’s time to shift our focus on to these interacting stressors in future, so that we can start to quantify the mosaic of threats that marine animals must endure in the oceans of tomorrow and protect those most at risk.
Freya Womersley receives funding from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) through a University of Southampton INSPIRE DTP PhD Studentship. She is affiliated with the Marine Biological Association (MBA) in Plymouth, UK and the Global Shark Movement Project, which is based at the MBA.
David Sims receives funding from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), the European Research Council (ERC), and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. He is affiliated with the Marine Biological Association (MBA) in Plymouth, UK, and the Global Shark Movement Project, which is based at the MBA.
If you’re offered a free cookie, you might say yes. But if you’re paid to eat a free cookie, would your response be the same?
In our new research, twice as many people were willing to eat a cookie when they weren’t offered payment compared with when they were.
From a purely economic perspective, our findings reflect irrational decision making. Objectively, a cookie plus money is better than just a cookie.
But people aren’t purely economic. They’re social animals with a tendency to look for hidden reasons behind other people’s behaviours.
In the case of overly generous deals, people are expecting a “phantom cost” – one hidden in the initial offer. And this expectation influences their decision to accept something or not.
Research participants who were offered a free cookie plus payment thought maybe the cookies were poisoned. Or maybe someone spat on them. Or they expected they would then owe a favour to the person handing out the treats once the cookie was eaten.
Too good to be true
Our cookies study was just one of ten experiments involving 4,205 participants in the United States and Iran.
We tested how phantom costs influenced people’s choices to accept or reject overly generous economic offers.
Each study gave people an offer. They had to decide whether to accept or not, and then explain why.
One study asked participants to imagine they were a truck driver and looking online for a job. All the jobs were described the same way, but we varied the wage. People offered the normal US$15 per hour were perfectly willing to take the job.
Others were offered more than the normal wage. The participants in this group imagined phantom costs. And the higher the wage they were offered, the worse the costs they imagined.
When offered $20 or $25 per hour, participants imagined the role involved more responsibilities or harder work. But they considered this to be worth it. Most people preferred a job that paid a bit more than normal, despite the expectation of phantom costs.
However, when we offered way too much money – more than $900 per hour – most people rejected the job they were willing to do for $15.
Why? They imagined far worse phantom costs: driving for the mob, carrying dangerous radioactive waste or smuggling drugs across the border. A suspiciously high hourly rate or wage can end up putting people off.
Suspicion is global
We repeated this experiment with different jobs, different normal wages, and in different countries.
In both the US and Iran, despite very different types of economy, people showed the same pattern of suspicion and rejected very high wages. The only difference was that in Iran the expected wages were lower, so the wages didn’t have to be high by US standards to become suspicious.
Another experiment tested how phantom costs could affect purchases of plane tickets involving a hypothetical choice between three flights.
One cost $235, another $275. When the third option was $205, most people chose that. However, if the third option was $15, hardly anyone chose the cheapest flight. They rejected it because they imagined horrible phantom costs such as terrorists and plane crashes.
However, when we provided a reason for the low price – very uncomfortable seats – most people preferred the $15 flight. Uncomfortable seats are not usually a selling point. But they explained the cheap price, so people didn’t search for other, dangerous explanations.
Sufficient explanations for something being a great deal remove people’s tendency to imagine phantom costs.
A good offer, not a suspicious one
Businesses face a balancing act when it comes to offering customers a good deal.
On the one hand, the expectation of phantom costs decreases interest in the offer. On the other hand, price-sensitive consumers are often looking for ways to get the best deal.
To avoid the pitfalls of phantom costs, businesses need to communicate their reasons for offering a particularly good deal. A “holiday sale” or “end-of-season sale”, for example, may explain why items are discounted.
In the job market, identifying “good performance” as a reason for an employee’s pay raise can sidestep the expectation of hidden downsides – such as an increased workload.
It’s clear people are not merely self-interested economic beings. We’re savvy, psychological beings capable of reading into the motivations of others to protect ourselves from offers that seem too good to be true.
Andrew Vonasch does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Susan Booysen, Visiting Professor and Professor Emeritus, University of the Witwatersrand
South Africa’s long-governing party, the ANC, performed disastrously in the country’s May 2024 elections. Its electoral fortunes are now tied to regaining support in Gauteng, the most populous and economically important province, which it had governed with outright majorities since 1994. In 2024 the ANC’s Gauteng result of 34.8%, along with its 17% in KwaZulu-Natal, sealed the party’s loss of its national outright majority. We asked political scientist Susan Booysen for her perspective on the ANC’s battle for Tshwane, the administrative seat of the national government, where the party used a newly constituted coalition to topple the Democratic Alliance mayor, Cilliers Brink.
What lies behind the Gauteng ANC’s toppling of the DA mayor of Tshwane?
For the ANC (African National Congress) to regain majority electoral support, much will depend on the Gauteng province’s populous base. The three Gauteng metropolitan municipalities of Tshwane, Johannesburg, and Ekurhuleni are key in this project. Besides constituting South Africa’s financial hub and having huge budgets, these metropolitan councils (metros) symbolise the country’s cultural heartbeat, and are a gateway to the rest of the continent.
The ANC’s political control of these bases has been lessening. It fears further lapses may make the losses irreversible. It lost outright control of the Gauteng metros in 2016: it slipped to 49% in Ekurhuleni, 46% in Johannesburg and 41% in Tshwane. The 2021 local elections confirmed both the ANC’s slide and rule by unstable coalition governments.
Since the 2021 elections, the metros have had multiple coalition governments. The ANC has, through coalition, reclaimed control of the top council positions in Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni.
What does the toppling of Brink say about internal ANC party dynamics?
Following their national coalition agreement of June 2024, parties to the coalition government have been discussing cascading the agreement to the provincial and local levels. These talks have been inconclusive.
The ouster of the mayor of Tshwane was not explicitly or publicly condoned by the ANC’s national leadership. Neither did they stop it. The Tshwane crisis exposes the ANC’s internal party dynamics.
Jointly the ANC, EFF and ActionSA hold 117 out of the 214 Tshwane council seats. They used this majority to pass a motion of no confidence against Brink and, in effect, his entire mayoral committee. A small band of one-seat parties reinforced Brink’s ejection.
The Tshwane development highlighted one of the key faultlines in the government of national unity: the Gauteng ANC’s disdain for the unity government agreement. The national unity government comprises the ANC, DA, Inkatha Freedom Party, Patriotic Alliance, Freedom Front Plus and five other tiny parties. The agreement has the support of the majority in the ANC’s national executive committee (NEC), its highest decision-making body between elective conferences.
After being elected Gauteng premier with the support of the DA, Panyaza Lesufi constituted the Gauteng executive with the Patriotic Alliance, Rise Mzansi and Inkatha Freedom Party. It excludes the DA.
Lesufi had offered the DA executive posts that would have placed it in a minor and subjected position in the province. The ANC’s national leadership accepted this. The DA rejected it.
What are the implications for ANC-DA cooperation in the national government and other municipalities?
The DA is fighting to have Cilliers Brink reinstated as mayor of Tshwane. It argues that the ANC’s capturing of the position threatens the unity government.
The DA appears to be angling for a fairer dispensation within the overall coalition formation, given its importance as the second largest party in the coalition government, rather than rejection of the GNU government. The DA needs the coalition as much as the ANC does.
The coalition government’s statement of intent, and how it is reflected in the lower provincial and municipal levels, are the key issue at stake.
The Tshwane crisis stands in the context of other local governments where new alliances are forming outside the formula of the national coalition government.
The crisis is in all probability not threatening the national coalition. But it may result in the fleshing out of the generally vaguely defined and minimalist Statement of Intent (the coalition agreement). In recent weeks more clarity has already emerged regarding conflict resolution in the unity government. The Tshwane crisis is likely to show whether and how the national level agreement resonates provincially and locally.
In fact, the lesson from the Tshwane coalition fiasco might be that there ought to be no expectations that the coalition government’s formula of approximate proportionality among its constituent parties will be reflected in the executives of the lower-level structures.
The DA stressed at the time of Brink’s removal that it had been in discussions with ANC national secretary general Fikile Mbalula and ANC negotiator David Makhura – and progress had been made for the two parties to jointly “stabilise” the Gauteng metros (read “exercise power-sharing”). It may have entailed the DA supporting the ANC in Ekurhuleni, and the ANC the DA in Tshwane.
But the proposal came to naught when the ANC proceeded to capture Tshwane, which it last governed in 2016.
The effect of the Tshwane fallout is likely to be heightened instability in South Africa’s metro councils. Without ANC-DA cooperation, much of the coalitions detente that had become possible in the wake of the national coalition agreement may dissipate. Instead, alternating coalition governments, through motions of no confidence, may proliferate.
The instability caused by such party political tit-for-tats and coalition musical chairs, both in the large metropolitan councils and the local municipalities, will contribute to citizens suffering poor delivery of services – although it is not the sole cause.
What does the ANC’s failure to sing from the same hymn book mean for the party?
The Tshwane crisis goes to the heart of the struggles unfolding in the ANC.
The ANC of 2024 is inherently unstable as it fights for electoral survival.
Its national executive committee and presidency act in ways that hint at them lacking the power to call the shots in relation to coalitions in some provinces and municipalities; and reining in its Gauteng premier and provincial executive committee.
This, as the party is trying to position itself favourably, through leadership changes, ahead of its national general council meeting next year, and its elective conference of 2027, in the hope of reversing electoral declines in local, provincial and national elections.
Besides KwaZulu-Natal’s centrality to this process, Gauteng holds the base of ANC succession given that it is political home to its deputy president, Paul Mashatile, and Lesufi.
The search for a new mayor for Tshwane unleashed a candidacy contest within the ANC. ANC mayoralty candidates are proliferating. They are emerging from the ranks of the politically powerful, anointed by high-level ANC power holders, along with candidates in the local ANC party structures and in the council itself.
The legacy of the 2016 violent struggles and mayhem in the city amid anger about succession are invoked to justify some proposals. These struggles seem oblivious to new coalition contexts, and the ANC’s loss of majority power.
Unless the fractious and divided ANC finds a united and consistent voice on coalitions, it may lose out on the possibility of using coalitions to regain electoral support. Unless the ANC in Gauteng is using the metros to confirm its alternative to the national formula.
Washington, DC – The U.S. Marshals Service for the District of Columbia Superior Court, in cooperation with the Metropolitan Police Department Sexual Assault Cold Case Unit, as well as other law enforcement partners, executed an arrest warrant for Ernesto Ramon Mercado in connection with five sexual offenses that occurred within the District of Columbia between 2008 and 2012.
Following his arrest, Mercado was arraigned at DC Superior Court on three counts of first-degree sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances and five counts of second-degree sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances in connection with a series of six unsolved, forensically linked home invasion burglary/rape offenses. Five of the attacks occurred in the Georgetown area of Northwest Washington and the sixth occurred just off the campus of the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland. Evidence testing in all six cases yielded the same unknown male DNA profile.
Each of the victims had described waking up after a night out to find someone with them in their residence. A man would be on top of them or beside them in their bed, raping or attempting to rape them. The man would run away when the victim screamed or began to fight back.
Investigators suspect Mercado as the perpetrator of dozens of unsolved cases of voyeurism, burglary and other offenses across the region in this same time period, though he has not been charged in those crimes. This is an ongoing investigation led by the Cold Case Sexual Assault Initiative, a collaboration between the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Significant assistance is being provided by the U.S. Marshal’s Service’s Superior Court Unit, the FBI Investigative Genetic Genealogy Team, FBI’s Baltimore and Washington Field Offices, the D.C. Department of Forensic Sciences, and the Arlington County Police Department.
The iconic India Pavilion at the Expo City in Dubai will host the first overseas campus of Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT). An MoU to this effect was signed on 03 October 2024 by Professor Rakesh Mohan Joshi, Vice Chancellor of IIFT and Her Excellency Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and CEO of Expo City Dubai Authority. IIFT is likely to move into its premises by early 2025 with short and medium-term training programmes, research and eventually with lauch of its flagship programme, MBA (International Business).
IIFT, regarded as an academic centre of excellence in international business research, training and education, will establish its first campus outside of India at the former Expo 2020 India Pavilion. The campus will be a boon for the 3.5 million-strong Indian community residing in the UAE. It will also open doorways for the overseas expansion and recognition of the IIFT brand.
The MoU between IIFT and Dubai EXPO City builds on a range of bilateral agreements between India and the UAE, including a mechanism to settle trade in local currencies, the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), Bilateral Investment Treaty and others. On 2nd September, 2024, H.H. Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, inaugurated the campus of IIT Delhi – Abu Dhabi with its the first B Tech Course.
Congratulating the institute, Union Commerce Minister, Piyush Goyal said that IIFT’s new campus at Dubai would be a landmark decision in transforming it into a world class institute in real sense. Moreover, with IIFT’s expertise in the area of foreign trade, it would provide opportunity for students, professionals and government officials not only from UAE but from other parts of the world too for training and research in the area of international trade.
Commerce Secretary and Chancellor of the Institute, Sunil Barthwal expressing his happiness about IIFT’s establishing its maiden overseas campus at Expo City, Dubai, said that institute’s offshore campus in Dubai would be a critical step not only for international expansion of IIFT but it would also facilitate promotion of international trade not only with UAE but also in the entire gulf region and beyond.
IIFT Vice Chancellor, Prof. Rakesh Mohan Joshi said that its first offshore campus at Dubai would be a milestone to transform IIFT into a world-class institute with cutting-edge research, training and academic programmes.
About IIFT:
Established in 1963 as an autonomous body under Ministry of Commerce, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) has gained Deemed University status and is one of the premier business institutions in India focussing on Foreign Trade and highly regarded as an academic centre of excellence in international business research, training and education. IIFT will collaborate with Expo City Dubai on research projects and other knowledge-sharing activities focused on sustainability and innovation.
CCI conducts Regional Workshop on Competition Law in Collaboration with NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad Chairperson, CCI Smt. Ravneet Kaur highlighted the significance of the Competition Amendment Act, 2023 in promoting fair competition and safeguarding consumer interests
Posted On: 07 OCT 2024 6:17PM by PIB Delhi
The Competition Commission of India, in association with NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad, successfully organized a Regional Workshop on Competition Law at the NALSAR Campus in Hyderabad today. The Workshop aimed to enhance the understanding of recent developments in competition law and its enforcement.
The event began with an Inaugural Session where Smt. Ravneet Kaur, the Chairperson of the CCI delivered the keynote address. The Chairperson highlighted the significance of the Competition Amendment Act, 2023, which introduced important changes to India’s competition law framework. The address underscored the role of these amendments in promoting fair competition, safeguarding consumer interests, and ensuring a level playing field for businesses across sectors, including digital markets. Prof. Srikrishna Deva Rao, Vice Chancellor NALSAR delivered the inaugural address.
Following the inaugural session, two technical sessions were conducted by the Members of CCIviz.Shri Anil Agrawal and Ms. Sweta Kakkar. The first session focused on recent amendments to competition law and their implications for businesses and regulators.
The second session delved into cartel investigation and enforcement, with special emphasis on the hub-and-spoke model, where coordination between competitors is facilitated by a central entity.
The workshop attracted a diverse group of participants, including students, researchers and legal professionals, academics. It provided an opportunity for valuable dialogue on the practical challenges of enforcing competition law in India’s rapidly changing economic environment.
The Chairperson of the CCI remarked that the workshop reflected the CCI’s ongoing efforts to engage with stakeholders and strengthen its enforcement capabilities. The workshop also highlighted the importance of collaboration between regulatory bodies, academia, and industry in addressing the challenges posed by modern markets.
3rd edition of Kautilya Economic Conclave 2024 (KEC2024) concludes in New Delhi Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi gave a special address at the KEC2024 to the participants, evoking enthusiasm in its ongoing effort to make India a developed economy by 2047
The Prime Minister emphasised India’s emergence as a preferred global investment destination due to substantial reforms over the last decade
Union Finance Minister gave an overview of India’s high economic growth, fiscal management and investment on infrastructure, manufacturing, and technology while reiterating the government’s commitment to inclusive growth and reforms
Dr. Jaishankar stressed on the emergence of AI and its far-reaching impact on economic and social activities
Prof. Jagdish Bhagwati lauded the Prime Minister for his leadership, emphasising his timely intervention with a shift from inward-looking policies to a more open, productive economy
KEC2024 showcased India’s new role in setting the global agenda, particularly in areas like green energy, technology, and trade reform, and highlighted India’s aspirations for inclusive growth and its evolving role as a strategic leader of the Global South
Over 150 prominent economists, policymakers, and academic pioneers from India and around the globe participated in the KEC2024
Posted On: 07 OCT 2024 8:37PM by PIB Delhi
The third edition of the Kautilya Economic Conclave 2024 (KEC2024) held between October 4-6, 2024, in New Delhi, was successfully concluded yesterday. The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, addressed the KEC2024 with a special address to the participants, evoking enthusiasm in its ongoing effort to make India a developed economy by 2047.
Over 150 prominent economists, policymakers, and academic pioneers from India and around the globe participated in the KEC2024, organised by the Institute of Economic Growth (IEG) in partnership with the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Ministry of Finance (MoF). It featured 11 Plenary Sessions, 12 interactive sessions and bilateral discussions on contemporary economic and social challenges facing both India and the world.
The Prime Minister’s vision for aViksit Bharatis predicated on continued economic growth, structural reforms and harnessing the cutting edge of technology.
In his address, the Prime Minister emphasised India’s emergence as a preferred global investment destination due to substantial reforms over the last decade, including advancements in banking, taxation, and infrastructure, and also discussed India’s commitment to green energy, highlighting initiatives like the green hydrogen mission and the Global Biofuel Alliance, which were critical outcomes of India’s G20 Presidency.
Earlier, the KEC 2024 kicked off with an inaugural address by Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, who emphasised India’s robust macroeconomic fundamentals and its abilities to address multiple uncertainties.
Smt. Sitharaman also gave an overview of India’s high economic growth, fiscal management and investment on infrastructure, manufacturing, and technology while reiterating the government’s commitment to inclusive growth and reforms.
The KEC2024 concluded with the Union Minister for External Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar in conversation with Mr. N.K. Singh, President of the Institute of Economic Growth, where they discussed India’s strategic role in the Global South.
Dr. Jaishankar highlighted how India is seen as a “trusted and articulate member” and spoke on the increasing importance of alternative global frameworks such as the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and the International Solar Alliance (ISA), which are shaping global collaboration beyond traditional structures like the UN. Dr. Jaishankar also stressed on the emergence of AI and it’s far reaching impact on economic and social activities.
A key highlight was the participation of Prof. Jagdish Bhagwati, one of India’s most respected economists, who praised India’s transformation from “taking advice” from global institutions like the World Bank to now “giving advice” to them. He lauded the Prime Minister for his leadership, emphasising that his timely intervention shifted from inward-looking policies to a more open, productive economy given the complexities, strategies have been nibble to grasp new opportunities while addressing ongoing challenges.
Throughout the KEC2024, experts delved into several critical topics like the challenges affecting factors of productivity such as skilling to enhance employment, and growth enhancing strategies; the urgent need to address climate change and strategies for a green transition; best international and domestic practices in industrial policy; the challenges and consequences of geo-economic fragmentation; reforming the international financial architecture; and artificial intelligence and its potential effects on jobs and the economy, to mention a few.
The KEC2024 featured a wide array of distinguished participants, both from India and abroad. Key international participants included, among others, Bhutan’s Finance Minister Mr. Lyonpo Lekey Dorji; Ms. Amelie de Montchalin, Frech Permanent Representative of OECD & former French Minister; Mr. Albert Park, Chief Economist and Director General, Asian Development Bank; Mr. Masood Ahmed, President Emeritus of the Centre for Global Development; Mr. Justin Yifu Lin, Dean of the Institute of New Structural Economics at Peking University; Mr. Erik Berglof, Chief Economist at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank; Lord Nicholas Stern, IG Patel Professor of Economics and Government, London School of Economics; and mr. John Lipsky, Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute, Johns Hopkins University. Among the Indian participants, notable figures included Mr. Arvind Panagariya, Chairman of the 16th Finance Commission; Mr. Suman Bery, Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog; Dr. V. Anantha Nageswaran, Chief Economic Advisor, and Secretaries from the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of External Affairs.
These discussions spanning over three days – centred around the theme of “the Indian Era”. There were sessions on topics such as “Relationship between climate and development goals”; “Geo-economic fragmentation and the implications for growth”; “Financing the green transition”; “The rise of Asia and its implications for development economics”, etc.
The deliberations at the conclave showcased India’s shift from following global directives to setting the global agenda, particularly in areas like green energy, technology, and trade reform, and highlighted India’s aspirations for inclusive growth and its evolving role as a strategic leader of the Global South, while reinforcing its ambition to become a developed economy by 2047.
Question for written answer E-001870/2024 to the Commission Rule 144 Jordan Bardella (PfE)
For years, European farmers have been unfairly singled out and subject to an avalanche of EU directives and regulations on the use of glyphosate. They are thus accused of being primarily responsible for water pollution. A recent study by the University of Tübingen[1] (Germany) indicates that industrial and domestic detergents are what is really causing glyphosate to persist in our rivers, not farming.
These results illustrate how EU policies have not only failed to solve the problem of water pollution – they have also imposed major constraints on farmers without any scientific basis.
1.How does the Commission intend to correct this injustice and revise its environmental policies in order to tackle the real sources of water pollution?
2.What steps does the Commission intend to take to support the search for serious alternatives to glyphosate?
3.More generally, what sustainable measures will be taken to lighten the burden on farmers?
Priority question for written answer P-001922/2024 to the Commission Rule 144 Fabrice Leggeri (PfE)
On 30 September 2024[1], LeJournal du Dimanche reported that the Commission has once again provided funding to a pro-Hamas university through the Erasmus+ programme. The EU had previously given funds to the Islamic University of Gaza, which some call the ‘Hamas campus’.
This time, the Commission has handed over funds to a Turkish university whose rector paid tribute to the ‘martyr’ Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas leader killed by an Israeli airstrike on 31 July 2024. It seems that there was no problem with that, since the Commission renewed its Erasmus+ partnership with the university shortly thereafter, for the third consecutive year.
On 12 September 2024, the university in question even announced that it was to lead a research project funded entirely by the Commission – to the tune of EUR 250 000 – in a partnership with several European universities. A few days later, it was approved to take part in the European Solidarity Corps, a Commission-run international volunteer programme for young people who want to get involved in solidarity projects.
Does the Commission plan to put an end to its partnerships with this university – whose rector paid tribute to the ‘martyr’ Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas leader – and stop financing Islamism in this way?
