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New Online Course by St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences Teaches Adolescents to Approach Social Media Trends Critically

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#fitspiration – Questionable Health Trend for Teens

In the project “FIVE – #Fitspiration Image Verification”, researchers of the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences explore the influence of the social media hashtag #fitspiration on the gender stereotypes, health behaviours, and body perceptions of young people.

ST. PÖLTEN, Austria, Sept. 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — #fitspiration is a global health trend on social media with more than 20 million posts on the platform Instagram alone right now. While the trend behind #fitspiration is supposed, at first glance, to have positive health implications, extreme and unbalanced training and nutrition practices tend to be propagated, and one-sided gender norms communicated under its guise.

“Social media have become a fixed component of Austrian teenagers’ lives. Unfortunately, there are also a playground for alleged health prophets and self-declared nutrition experts. It is, therefore, extremely important to teach adolescents to adopt a critical approach to social media contents and protagonists”, emphasises Elisabeth Höld, project manager and Senior Researcher at the St. Pölten UAS’ Institute of Health Sciences.

Learning to Handle Social Media

Young people in particular use social media as a source of information on numerous topics – health being one of them. To successfully classify this flood of information, they need adequate competencies in dealing with social media (“social media literacy”) and online health information (“ehealth literacy”).

“Although today’s teenagers have grown up with smartphones and social media, they cannot automatically be assumed to have good social media literacy and ehealth literacy. This is problematic because young people are particularly vulnerable”, explains Theres Rathmanner, co-project manager and Researcher at the Institute of Health Sciences of the St. Pölten UAS.

Analysing FitFluencers

The research team of the St. Pölten UAS analysed on which social media channels adolescents aged 14 to 19 consumed the most #fitspiration contents, and how they perceive the images shown there.

“The analysis of #fitspiration photos on social media shows that image patterns tend to be highly problematic in terms of gender stereotypes, a lack of diversity, and unrealistic beauty ideals”, says Bettina Prokop, the external gender expert employed for the project.

Online Course and Tools

Within the framework of a mixed-methods study with teenagers from Vienna and Lower Austria, the researchers conducted an analysis of the social media accounts of the most well-known #fitspiration influencers in the German-speaking area.

Although the teenagers appeared to have very good reflection skills with regard to both social media and societal expectations concerning body and gender, the results of the questionnaire survey showed room for improvement. Furthermore, the researchers found out that the teenagers were more likely to see themselves as overweight than scientific physical measurements suggested.

Based on the results of the study, the team developed an online course and an interactive image forensics tool for 14- to 19-year-olds. The idea of the course is to enable young people to take a critical stance towards body and gender stereotypes, the quality of health information, and marketing tricks used on social media.

About FIVE

The interdisciplinary project was carried out under the leadership of the St. Pölten UAS in collaboration with the publishing company Hölzel and gender expert Bettina Prokop. The project receives funding through the Austrian Research Promotion Agency.

Further information is available on the project website “FIVE – #Fitspiration Image VErification”. 

The online course #fitspiration will be available in German from February 2025. School licences can already be ordered now from https://hoelzel.at/produkt/fitspiration-ebook/.

About the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences

The St. Pölten UAS is a provider of performance-oriented higher education with a strong practical relevance in the areas of Media, Communications, Management, Digital Technologies, Computer Science, Security, Rail Technology, Health Sciences, and Social Sciences. Today the university offers approximately 4,000 students a future-oriented education in six departments with numerous study programmes and continuing education programmes, always cultivating close ties between teaching and research. As a European University, the St. Pölten UAS manages the European university alliance E³UDRES² (Engaged – European – Entrepreneurial University as Driver for European Smart and Sustainable Regions) and works on the development of smart and sustainable regions together with partner universities in nine countries.

Contact for further information and queries:

Mag. Maja Sito, BA
Expert Corporate Communications
Marketing and Communications
M: +43 (676) 847 228 265
E: maja.sito@fhstp.ac.at
I: https://www.fhstp.ac.at/de/presse

Press releases and photos are available for download at https://www.fhstp.ac.at/de/presse.

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ST Engineering iDirect and MBSat Partner to Build Next-Generation Sovereign Connectivity Services Across Oman and the Middle East

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3 minutes ago

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October 25, 2026

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Intuition ground system selected to support MBSat’s planned 2027 service launch, enabling accelerated deployment, dynamic resource management and scalable service growth

HERNDON, Va., Oct. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — ST Engineering iDirect today announced a strategic partnership with Mohammed Al Barwani Satellite Company (MBSat), part of Mohammed Al Barwani Group, to provide the ground system technology foundation for MBSat’s next-generation satellite gateway and network operations across Oman and the wider Middle East region. Intuition will provide a flexible, software-defined foundation to support sovereign connectivity services, enabling efficient service deployment, dynamic resource management and scalable network operations.

Intuition will deliver a turnkey ground segment solution that accelerates deployment, simplifies operations and gives MBSat the flexibility to scale services as demand grows. The software-defined platform enables dynamic resource management, service automation and seamless integration with existing and future operational systems. The solution also includes Ka-band gateway infrastructure, service provisioning and management capabilities, open API integration frameworks, training and full-lifecycle support. Together, these capabilities will help MBSat launch and operate services efficiently while adapting to evolving market requirements.

The network will leverage capacity from MB Sat-1, a sovereign MicroGEO satellite, with planned service launch in 2027, to support flexible, scalable connectivity services across the region.

The partnership reflects growing investment in sovereign communications infrastructure across the Middle East as operators seek greater control over service delivery, network expansion and long-term technology evolution.

“This partnership represents an important milestone in our efforts to build an advanced satellite communications platform in Oman and the region,” said Ammar Al Rawahi, General Manager, MBSat. “Through our collaboration with ST Engineering iDirect, we are establishing the technical infrastructure required to launch services efficiently, respond to evolving customer needs and expand into new markets, supporting the sustainable long-term growth of our business.”

“We are providing MBSat with a flexible, software-defined ground platform that integrates with its existing operational environment,” said Sridhar Kuppanna, Chief Executive Officer, ST Engineering iDirect. “This enables more efficient service deployment and operations today, with the flexibility to scale, introduce new capabilities and evolve as requirements change.”

About ST Engineering iDirect

ST Engineering iDirect, a subsidiary of ST Engineering, is a global leader in satellite communications, providing technology and solutions that enable its customers to expand their business, differentiate their services and optimize their networks. Through its portfolio of ground infrastructure, intelligent networking and advanced satellite communications solutions, the company supports operators, service providers, governments and enterprises worldwide.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/st-engineering-idirect-and-mbsat-partner-to-build-next-generation-sovereign-connectivity-services-across-oman-and-the-middle-east-302918467.html

SOURCE ST Engineering iDirect

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ST Engineering iDirect and MBSat Partner to Build Next-Generation Sovereign Connectivity Services Across Oman and the Middle East

Published

3 minutes ago

on

October 25, 2026

By

Intuition ground system selected to support MBSat’s planned 2027 service launch, enabling accelerated deployment, dynamic resource management and scalable service growth

HERNDON, Va., Oct. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — ST Engineering iDirect today announced a strategic partnership with Mohammed Al Barwani Satellite Company (MBSat), part of Mohammed Al Barwani Group, to provide the ground system technology foundation for MBSat’s next-generation satellite gateway and network operations across Oman and the wider Middle East region. Intuition will provide a flexible, software-defined foundation to support sovereign connectivity services, enabling efficient service deployment, dynamic resource management and scalable network operations.

Intuition will deliver a turnkey ground segment solution that accelerates deployment, simplifies operations and gives MBSat the flexibility to scale services as demand grows. The software-defined platform enables dynamic resource management, service automation and seamless integration with existing and future operational systems. The solution also includes Ka-band gateway infrastructure, service provisioning and management capabilities, open API integration frameworks, training and full-lifecycle support. Together, these capabilities will help MBSat launch and operate services efficiently while adapting to evolving market requirements.

The network will leverage capacity from MB Sat-1, a sovereign MicroGEO satellite, with planned service launch in 2027, to support flexible, scalable connectivity services across the region.

The partnership reflects growing investment in sovereign communications infrastructure across the Middle East as operators seek greater control over service delivery, network expansion and long-term technology evolution.

“This partnership represents an important milestone in our efforts to build an advanced satellite communications platform in Oman and the region,” said Ammar Al Rawahi, General Manager, MBSat. “Through our collaboration with ST Engineering iDirect, we are establishing the technical infrastructure required to launch services efficiently, respond to evolving customer needs and expand into new markets, supporting the sustainable long-term growth of our business.”

“We are providing MBSat with a flexible, software-defined ground platform that integrates with its existing operational environment,” said Sridhar Kuppanna, Chief Executive Officer, ST Engineering iDirect. “This enables more efficient service deployment and operations today, with the flexibility to scale, introduce new capabilities and evolve as requirements change.”

About ST Engineering iDirect

ST Engineering iDirect, a subsidiary of ST Engineering, is a global leader in satellite communications, providing technology and solutions that enable its customers to expand their business, differentiate their services and optimize their networks. Through its portfolio of ground infrastructure, intelligent networking and advanced satellite communications solutions, the company supports operators, service providers, governments and enterprises worldwide.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/st-engineering-idirect-and-mbsat-partner-to-build-next-generation-sovereign-connectivity-services-across-oman-and-the-middle-east-302918467.html

SOURCE ST Engineering iDirect

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Global Security & Technology Summit Unveils Month-Long Program of Activities Ahead of December Event

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7 hours ago

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October 24, 2026

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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Organizing Committee of the Global Security & Technology Summit (GSTS) held an introductory session today at the Ministry of Interior’s headquarters in Riyadh, bringing together representatives from the government, private, and nonprofit sectors to introduce the program of activities leading up to the summit. The upcoming summit will be held in Riyadh under the patronage of HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, under the supervision of HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Minister of Interior, and organized by the Ministry of Interior in cooperation with Tuwaiq Academy.

During the session, the Organizing Committee presented the comprehensive GSTS program, comprising three key components: GSTS Month, running from November 1 to 30, 2026; the Global Security & Innovation Fair (SAIF), taking place from November 24 to 26, 2026; and the main Summit, scheduled for December 18 to 20, 2026, in Riyadh. Together, these events form an integrated program designed to advance security and technology innovation, strengthen national capabilities, and foster international cooperation.

GSTS Month will feature working groups, boot camps, training programs, knowledge-sharing sessions, and technical workshops across Saudi Arabia’s 13 administrative regions, delivered both in person and remotely in collaboration with specialized entities. The month-long program aims to develop national capabilities, identify emerging talent, enrich knowledge-sharing opportunities, and equip professionals with the knowledge and skills needed to develop innovative solutions to future security and technology challenges.

The main Summit will bring together global leaders, decision-makers, experts, and innovators to explore the future of security and technology, promote the integration of advanced technologies within the security sector, strengthen national capabilities, support innovation, and foster international cooperation, further positioning the Kingdom as a global hub for security and technology.

Showcasing the latest technological breakthroughs and security solutions, the summit will bring together government entities, private sector organizations, academic institutions, and research centers to facilitate knowledge exchange and collaboration across key fields, including cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), smart security solutions, emerging technologies, and crisis management. The program will also feature main sessions, specialized discussions, and interactive exhibitions. Registration is available at gsts.sa.

Advisor to HRH the Minister of Interior and Chairman of the GSTS Organizing Committee, Ahmed Altowayan, stated that the summit builds on Saudi Arabia’s efforts to establish an advanced security and technology ecosystem focused on knowledge and innovation, keeping pace with rapid developments and future challenges.

Mr. Altowayan noted that the summit is a global platform for strengthening cooperation and exchanging expertise, anticipating future developments in security and technology, and developing strategic partnerships and innovative solutions that enhance the efficiency and readiness of security systems.

Vice Chairman of the GSTS Organizing Committee, Eng. Abdulaziz Alhammadi, said that the summit will offer a range of integrated programs and activities focused on enhancing national skills, encouraging innovation, and supporting international cooperation.

He added that GSTS Month will help build national capabilities, discover talent, and develop skills, with SAIF providing a platform for innovators and researchers from around the world to showcase leading technological solutions, while the main Summit will bring together leaders and experts to discuss the future of security and technology and explore new strategic partnership opportunities.

SAIF will take place at the Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Center, bringing together innovators, researchers, technology talents, and industry experts from around the world to showcase promising innovations and projects across 14 fields of technology and innovation. The fair will provide opportunities to engage with project owners, including students, graduates, and entrepreneurs, and explore the different stages of innovation development through interactive zones, panel discussions on emerging security and innovation trends, and knowledge-sharing workshops led by specialists. Visitor registration is open to participants from within and outside the Kingdom through saifair.sa.

The introductory session also featured contributions from representatives of government, private, and nonprofit sector entities, alongside members of the media. Discussions focused on developing national capabilities in security and technology, strengthening students’ technical expertise, translating scientific research into practical solutions, and supporting Saudi companies in developing security and technology solutions and advancing digital transformation.

Organized by the Ministry of Interior in cooperation with Tuwaiq Academy, GSTS is produced by Tahaluf, with the Ministry of Education serving as Strategic Scientific Partner, Tahakom as Founding Partner, and Elm as Principal Partner.

Registration for participants from within and outside the Kingdom is available at gsts.sa.

Click here to view the media kit. 

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