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14-year-old Develops Water Filtration System Using Animal Bone Waste to Facilitate Access to Clean Water Globally; Wins $25,000 Top Award at Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge

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Exceptional middle school scientists and engineers rewarded with $100K in prizes for STEM research and innovations that take on global issues

WASHINGTON, Oct. 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Society for Science and Thermo Fisher Scientific today announced the winners of the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge (Thermo Fisher JIC), the nation’s premier middle school science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competition. Tina Jin, 14, from San Jose, Calif., won the $25,000 Thermo Fisher Scientific ASCEND (Aspiring Scientists Cultivating Exciting New Discoveries) Award, the top prize in the competition.

Tina won the ASCEND Award for her research that proved the ability of animal bones to filter water, in addition to demonstrating leadership, collaboration and critical thinking skills throughout the competition. After learning that one in three people globally lack access to clean water, Tina was inspired to create an accessible and scalable water filtration system that could be used anywhere in the world. She used natural materials and common household supplies to create her filter. Third-party testing by the San Jose Water Company showed that her filter achieved potable standards.

The Thermo Fisher JIC, a program of Society for Science, reaches 65,000 middle schoolers nationwide and inspires them to follow their personal STEM passions to exciting college and career paths. The 30 finalists are counted among the nation’s brightest students, with several, including Tina, collectively accepting more than $100,000 at tonight’s award ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Thermo Fisher’s sponsorship of the Junior Innovators Challenge continues the company’s longstanding commitment to widespread and equitable access to STEM education. Together with Society for Science, Thermo Fisher is helping to increase the number of students who enter the competition and nurture a future STEM talent pool that is more diverse than ever.

Each of the 30 finalists participated in team challenges in addition to being judged on their research projects. The challenges leveraged project-based learning and tested their critical thinking, communication, creativity and collaboration skills across a variety of STEM fields. They included creating home automation systems using Raspberry Pi Pico, diagnosing sickle cell disease and using biocubes to analyze ecosystems.

“Congratulations to Tina for using her STEM skills to develop a solution to a worldwide problem: access to clean drinking water. She used animal bone waste and other household supplies to filter water,” said Maya Ajmera, President & CEO, Society for Science and Executive Publisher, Science News. “Tina’s scientific ingenuity coupled with her exceptional leadership, collaboration and critical thinking skills illustrate what we are looking for in the Thermo Fisher JIC. I look forward to seeing how Tina continues to innovate in the years to come.”

The other top winners included:

Gary Allen Montelongo, 14, La Joya, Texas, won the $10,000 Broadcom Coding with Commitment ® Award for combining expert STEM knowledge and passion for helping or improving one’s community through coding. In his project, Gary used his coding and engineering skills to build models of train suspension systems to learn how the vibrations produced by springs and the weight distribution of the train cars contribute to train derailment.

Sophie Tong, 14, Palo Alto, Calif., won the $10,000 DoD STEM Talent Award for demonstrating excellence in science, technology, engineering or math, along with the leadership and technical skills necessary to excel in the 21st Century STEM workforce and build a better community for tomorrow. For her project, Sophie sought to improve the safety of vehicles, such as airplanes and self-driving cars, by understanding how vision is degraded in dark, foggy conditions. She then developed algorithms to accurately analyze scenes during bad weather. 

Samvith Mahadevan, 14, Austin, Texas, won the $10,000 Lemelson Foundation Award for Invention, awarded by The Lemelson Foundation to a young inventor creating promising product-based solutions to real-world problems. Motivated by his own allergies, Samvith developed a chemical “nose” trained with machine learning to detect allergens in food products; and tested it on common allergens including nuts, eggs and processed foods. 

Tyler Malkin, 14, Greenwich, Conn., won the $10,000 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Award for Health Advancement, which recognizes the student whose work and performance shows the most promise in health-related fields and demonstrates an understanding of the many social factors that affect health. Tyler, who has experienced iodine deficiency—a disorder that impacts nearly 2 billion people worldwide—developed a saliva test that makes it easier for people to monitor their iodine levels without medical intervention.

“Congratulations to our 2024 Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge award winners!” said Dr. Karen Nelson, Chief Scientific Officer, Thermo Fisher Scientific. “These exceptionally bright students have demonstrated incredible talent and ingenuity, and they are the foundation for the next generation of leaders in STEM. Thermo Fisher is honored to provide a platform from which these rising leaders can advance their research, connect with peers and expose more young students to the wonder and power of STEM.”

Thermo Fisher JIC winners were chosen from the 30 finalists, who were selected from nearly 2,000 applicants from 48 states, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands. Winners were selected by a panel of distinguished scientists, engineers and educators. All the finalists’ schools also receive a $1,000 grant to support STEM programming.

In addition to the top prizes, Thermo Fisher and the Society announced first- and second-place winners in each STEM category (science, technology, engineering and math), as well as the competition’s Team Award.

First- and second-place winners of STEM Awards demonstrated acumen and promise in science, technology, engineering or math. First-place winners were awarded $3,500 and second-place winners received $2,500 to support their choice of a STEM summer camp experience in the US. All STEM Award winners received an iPad.

Science Award:
First place: Mikah Elizabeth Kaalund, Greenwich, Conn., The Synergistic Improvement of Indoor Air HEPA Filtration Using Concurrent Dehumidification
Second place: Mackensey “Macky” McNeal Wilson, Riverside, Conn., Shedding Light on the Prevalence of Harmful Butylated Hydroxytoluene Preservative in Artificially Formulated Dog Foods

Technology Award:
First place:  Yash Mehta, Durham, N.C. Using Motors To Simulate Braille
Second place: Sophia Yuxin Zhang, Salt Lake City, Utah, Green Solution for Blue Gold: Examining Three Types of Biodegradable Hydrogels on Water Conservation in Irrigation

Engineering Award:
First place: Oliver Nicolas Cottrell, La Jolla, Calif., Automatic Hockey Puck-Passer Machine
Second place: Sophia Hou, Livingston, N.J., The Effect of Methylcobalamin on Vigna radiata Germination Under Heat Stress

Mathematics Award:
First place: Leif Speer, Terre Haute, Ind., Does a Dendroclimatic Reconstruction of the Southern Hemisphere Show a “Hockey Stick Curve”?
Second place: Ezekiel “Zeke” Wheeler, Portland, Ore., An Affordable, Portable Orbital Desktop Satellite Tracker 

Team Award, sponsored by Teaching Institute for Excellence in STEM (TIES): Each member of the Finals Week challenge team that best demonstrates an ability to work together and solve problems through shared decision making, communication and scientific and engineering collaboration received a $200 science supply company gift card to support their interests in STEM. The winning team members are Oliver Nicolas Cottrell, Olivia Huang, Tyler Malkin, Jocelyn Mathew and Samhita Paranthaman.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Leadership Award: Bestowed upon one finalist, this award recognizes the student elected by their peers to speak on behalf of their Thermo Fisher JIC class at the Awards Ceremony. The Class Speaker demonstrates the collegiality and spirited leadership that has earned the collective esteem of the class and united them around common goals.

Zealand Murphy Dobrowski, Dehydration Observation: Can Hyperspectral Remote Sensing Be Used To Estimate Fuel Moisture Content?

Media Kit:  https://www.societyforscience.org/thermo-fisher-jic-2024-media-kit/

About Society for Science
Society for Science is a champion for science, dedicated to promoting the understanding and appreciation of science and the vital role it plays in human advancement. Established in 1921, Society for Science is best known for its award-winning journalism through Science News and Science News Explores, its world-class science research competitions for students, including the Regeneron Science Talent Search, the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair and the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge, and its outreach and equity programming that seeks to ensure that all students have an opportunity to pursue a career in STEM. A 501(c)(3) membership organization, Society for Science is committed to inform, educate and inspire. Learn more at www.societyforscience.org and follow us of Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, LinkedIn and Snapchat (Society4Science).

About Thermo Fisher Scientific
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serving science, with annual revenue over $40 billion. Our Mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. Whether our customers are accelerating life sciences research, solving complex analytical challenges, increasing productivity in their laboratories, improving patient health through diagnostics or the development and manufacture of life-changing therapies, we are here to support them. Our global team delivers an unrivaled combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and pharmaceutical services through our industry-leading brands, including Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific, Unity Lab Services, Patheon and PPD. For more information, please visit www.thermofisher.com.

Media Contact: Gayle Kansagor, gkansagor@societyforScience.org 

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SOURCE Society for Science

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Get into your Aquarium ERA at Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada

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Themed Events, Photo Ops, and More During the Eras Tour in Toronto!

TORONTO, Nov. 5, 2024 /CNW/ – Are You Ready For It? Whether you’re in town for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour or just looking to soak up the vibrant atmosphere, don’t leave a Blank Space in your schedule! Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada is thrilled to bring you special Taylor Swift-themed activities to celebrate the Eras tour landing in TAY-ronto!

Event Details
On November 14th/15th/16th and 21st/22nd/23rd, from 9:00 AM9:00 PM, visitors of all ages can dive into a world of Swiftie fun, where Taylor’s music meets the magic of the deep blue sea. Fans can expect exclusive themed activations, including:

Friendship Bracelet Bead Stations: Create and exchange your own bracelets from 11:00 AM5:00 PM.Eras-Themed Photo Ops: Show off your tour outfit at our Midnights inspired photo-op or snap a picture with our unique underwater friendship bracelet at Rainbow Reef.Mirrorball Lounge: Need a break? Stop by our 19+ lounge to relax before the big show at our magical Mirrorball Lounge.Create a TAY-masterpiece: Join us for Paint and Waves: The Taylor Era on November 15th and 22nd. Led by our expert instructor, this special edition of Paint and Waves will guide participants through creating Taylor-inspired artwork, all with a splash of underwater flair.

Underwater Wonderland Awaits
Immerse yourself in our Bejeweled galleries and stroll along the moving walkway in Dangerous Lagoon while sharks, sawfish, and turtles swim overhead. All this while listening to All Too Well (10-minute version of course!)—a perfect soundtrack to discover your own underwater Wonderland!

Exclusive Ticket Discount
Purchase your tickets in person and share your favourite Taylor Swift album with our team to receive 25% off your admission. (Discount valid November 14-24, for up to 6 tickets)

We’re Enchanted to SEA You!

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.ripleysaquariumofcanada.com 

SOURCE Ripley’s Aquarium Of Canada

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ewpartners Announces $50 Million Strategic Investment in Leshines to Localize Manufacturing in the Middle East

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Leshines is the supply chain solution provider of Lenovo Group, which ranks among the top ten on Gartner’s prestigious Top 25 supply chain list.The move reinforces ewpartners’ and Leshine’s commitment to fostering local industrial growth and empowering enterprises in Saudi Arabia.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Nov. 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — ewpartners (formerly eWTP Arabia Capital), the first international investment firm to establish a Saudi-Asia cross border platform, has announced a USD $50 million investment in Leshines, the supply chain solutions arm of Chinese multinational tech company Lenovo at The Future Investment Initiative (FII), a premier global platform that drives transformative investments and fosters international partnerships for sustainable economic growth.

The investment accelerates the localization of Leshines capabilities in Saudi Arabia, further strengthening the Kingdom’s position as a vital player in sustainable global trade networks and supply chain operations.

Five months ago, Lenovo and PIF-backed company Alat announced a strategic collaboration, including a proposed US$2 billion investment. Today, this partnership is set to advance to the next step.

Leshines is also exploring the option of entering the KSA-Sino Logistics Special Economic Zone at King Salman International Airport in Riyadh, an initiative which was announced by the Saudi Ministry of Transport and Logistics earlier this month. Managed by ewpartners, the Zone will cover a total area of 4 square kilometres and consist of a logistics industrial park, an international commercial and business park, and corresponding living space and facilities. It will enable international companies to manufacture locally in Saudi and then springboard their distribution to other markets worldwide. It is expected to attract over 3,000 wholesalers and retailers and around 200 light industrial manufacturers from China and Asia.

Jerry Li, Founder and Managing Partner at ewpartners said the following on the announcement:

“This investment is a significant step towards building the future of Saudi Arabia that we all envision, and we are actively working to establish this goal. Our investment in Leshines underscores our commitment to this project and our determination to foster local industrial growth and the development of Saudi enterprises. By partnering with Leshines to bring advanced supply chain solutions to Saudi Arabia and the MENA markets, we further assist Chinese companies in exploring localized production and empower local enterprises, aligning with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.”

Alan Zhou, COO of Leshines, commented on the announcement:

As Lenovo’s smart supply chain solution platform, Leshines will take this opportunity to establish roots in Saudi Arabia, focusing on the MENA region, and build the foundational strategic capabilities of an advanced digital supply chain. As a globally leading strategic fund, ewpartners’ strategic resources and unique advantages in KSA, the Middle East, and emerging markets perfectly match Leshines’ strategic vision and development roadmap. With solid support and a strong partnership with ewpartners, we are confident that Saudi Arabia will become an important node in the Smart Supply Chain Platform, contributing to the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

The investment in Leshines marks the first transaction for ewpartners Fund II. Amid the growing synergy between China and the Middle East, ewpartners’ investment model has garnered recognition from key stakeholders in the region. Supported by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, ewpartners has also recently secured commitments from other GCC sovereign wealth funds, including USD 150 million from the Oman Investment Authority.

About ewpartners

ewpartners (formerly eWTP Arabia Capital) is an international investment firm specialising in cross-border investments between Asia and the MENA region. Backed by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), the firm has been active in Saudi Arabia since 2017 and was the first investment firm to launch a cross-border platform between the Kingdom and China.

Headquartered in Riyadh, ewpartners focuses on building value across borders by establishing strategic partnerships with exceptional companies. Our team’s expertise in shaping innovative conducive policy frameworks can support governments in fostering economic transformation and diversification driven by innovation and technology.

ewpartners is committed to investing in, supporting, and growing successful businesses across the Asia and MENA regions, with a focus on key industries and themes such as digital infrastructure & solutions, advanced manufacturing & energy transition, and logistics & consumer enablement.

About Leshines:

Lenovo Group is a global tech giant. For three consecutive years, Lenovo has ranked among the top ten on Gartner’s prestigious Top 25 supply chain list. As the strategic empowerment platform of Lenovo Global Supply Chain, Leshines is tasked with the important mission of driving supply chain transformation and upgrading through technological innovation. Drawing on Lenovo’s global industry strengths and management expertise, Leshines delivers digital international supply chain solutions tailored to the evolving needs of Chinese manufacturers expanding overseas.

About the KSA-Sino Logistics Special Economic Zone

The Special Economic Zone is a collaboration between ewpartners and the King Salman International Airport Development Company (KSIADC) and was announced on 13th of October 2024. The initiative is supported by the Ministry of Transport and Logistics and is one of several recently announced initiatives designed to strengthen supply chains and streamline trade, e-commerce and investment in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. The project aims to create an integrated ecosystem that will encompass global enterprises, logistic facilities, supply chains, and high-end manufacturing, significantly bolstering Saudi Arabia’s regional and global distribution capabilities. International companies will establish manufacturing capabilities within the Zone and collaborate with Saudi enterprises to produce locally for distribution to markets around the world.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2549392/ewpartners_Leshines.jpg

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Two Prime Lending Limited Surpasses $1 Billion in Loan Volume, Marking Milestone in Digital Asset Financing

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Two Prime Lending surpasses $1 billion in loan volume and broadens product line to include both unsecured BTC and secured altcoin lending options.

BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS, Nov. 5, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Two Prime Lending Limited, a BVI-registered leading provider of debt financing for digital assets, has surpassed $1 billion in total loan volume just nine months after entering the market. With a primary focus on secured lending against major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH), the company has recently expanded its offerings to include unsecured BTC and secured loans against top altcoins.

The achievement underscores Two Prime Lending’s commitment to client security, industry-leading rates, and a lending model that prioritizes transparency and client safeguards.

The achievement underscores Two Prime Lending’s commitment to client security, industry-leading rates, and a lending model that prioritizes transparency and client safeguards. In contrast to other failed industry models, Two Prime Lending does not trade or rehypothecate assets. Instead, collateral funds are securely held in bankruptcy-remote custody, providing clients with unmatched peace of mind. Lending, the company emphasizes, should be incredibly boring – a stance that has bolstered confidence among clients and stakeholders alike.

“It’s been amazing to see the demand in the market for lending return,” said Alexander Blume, company spokesperson. “We are just at the beginning of this lending renaissance, with trusted, transparent, and reliable companies leading the charge. From public miners, to crypto OGs, to asset managers, Two Prime Lending is thrilled to see so much traction. Looking at the future pipeline, this is only the start.”

The rapid growth of Two Prime Lending speaks to the resurgence of demand for secure, transparent lending in the digital asset market. Looking ahead, the company anticipates substantial future demand for its offerings. A primary challenge in the market remains sourcing high-quality capital at competitive rates, which the company continues to address through its extensive relationships across capital markets, with access to over $2.5 billion in available credit facilities.

In addition to its core lending services, Two Prime Lending sees strong interest in combining loans with capital-efficient derivatives trading, allowing clients to earn yield on their assets while their loans are active, often offsetting the cost of the loan.

ABOUT TWO PRIME LENDING

Two Prime Lending Limited, incorporated in the British Virgin Islands, is the premier debt financing provider for digital asset markets. The company’s extensive relationships in capital markets and access to over $2.5B in capital have made it the most trusted name for miners, asset managers, family offices, and retail lenders. With a team of seasoned professionals combining decades of financial industry experience with deep crypto market knowledge, Two Prime Lending delivers sophisticated and competitive lending solutions that enable growth and opportunity for its clients.

For more information, visit www.twoprimelending.com or contact info@twoprimelending.com.

Fast Facts:

$1 Billion in loan volume executed in 9 months$2.5 Billion+ in available credit facilities<10% Interest Rate for competitive and accessible lending$30 Million average loan size

Key Features:

Assets are never traded or rehypothecatedCollateral remains in segregated, secured custodyFunds held are bankruptcy-remote for client security

Media Contact

Christina Strauss, Two Prime Lending, 1 865 413 0389, cs@twoprimelending.com, https://www.twoprimelending.com/

View original content:https://www.prweb.com/releases/two-prime-lending-limited-surpasses-1-billion-in-loan-volume-marking-milestone-in-digital-asset-financing-302296137.html

SOURCE Two Prime Lending

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