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STARMUS Launches the Stephen Hawking Medal Junior at The Kennedy Center

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Gitanjali Rao Honoured as the inaugural Recipient of the Stephen Hawking Medal Junior STARMUS cofounders, Garik Israelian and Brian May, introduce the Stephen Hawking Medal Junior Category to Inspire Young Innovators (LINK)STARMUS Celebrates Its US Debut at The Kennedy Center with Panel Discussions, Performances, the Junior Medal Announcement, the Presentation of STARMUS La Palma, and the US Première of the STARMUS VI Film (LINK)

WASHINGTON, April 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — STARMUS Festival proudly announced the launch of the Stephen Hawking Medal Junior Category during the STARMUS x Earth To Space launch event last night at The Kennedy Center. Gitanjali Rao was named the first recipient of this prestigious award. This new category of this prestigious award created by the late Professor Stephen Hawking and STARMUS Festival, represents his last legacy to promote science communication among the younger generation.

Introducing the Stephen Hawking Medal Junior Category

The Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication, established in 2015, honoured individuals who excelled in bridging the gap between science and the public through various disciplines such as music, arts, and cinema. The Junior Category aimed to recognize and encourage young innovators who demonstrated exceptional talent and dedication to science communication. Like the Stephen Hawking Medal, the Junior Medal will recognize such dedication through the categories of music, cinema, or literature.

In its inaugural year, the STARMUS Advisory Board selected a profile that perfectly embodies the type of inspiring young individual deserving of this prestigious recognition. Commencing in 2026, the full nominations process will be open to educational centres worldwide, including universities and secondary schools. These institutions will be invited to nominate their most outstanding students, aged 14 to 20, as candidates.

Winners will be awarded the Stephen Hawking Medal and will have the unique opportunity to enrol in a 4 to 6-week internship at a selected science or arts institution, sponsored by STARMUS and the Stephen Hawking Medal partners. During this internship, they will work on their own scientific communications project, which will be published by STARMUS and the Stephen Hawking Medal collaborators and endorsed by a past winner of the Medal.

STARMUS will announce soon the world-class institutions and centres that will collaborate with the Junior Medal Category.

Gitanjali Rao: The First Recipient

Gitanjali Rao, an American inventor, author, and STEM advocate, was selected as the inaugural recipient of the Stephen Hawking Medal Junior. Rao, known for her groundbreaking inventions and contributions to science at a young age, embodied the spirit of innovation and curiosity that Professor Hawking championed. She was named TIME’s first “Kid of the Year” in 2020 for her work in science and technology. Gitanjali is also the inventor of “Epione”—a device for early diagnosis of prescription opioid addiction using genetic engineering, and “Kindly”—an anti-cyberbullying service using AI and Natural Language processing, which is now a UNICEF “Digital Public Good” service available worldwide.

“Being the first recipient of the Stephen Hawking Medal Junior is an absolute honour, but it also comes with a massive responsibility,” said Rao. “I recognize that I am a trailblazer for thousands of young people beyond me who also have the passion to make a difference in our communities, especially girls of colour.”

Garik Israelian, STARMUS co-founder and Director, celebrated this huge step for the Stephen Hawking Medal in approaching younger generations with the Junior Category. “Stephen always shared that he became interested in science being inspired by his professor Dikran Tahta, who opened his eyes to mathematics and changed his life. Since the esteemed STARMUS Advisory Board and Professor Hawking created this Medal in 2015, we all shared the same dream: to inspire the younger generations, serving as a motivational bridge with science through recognizing exceptional contributions in science communications. We’ve awarded such iconic figures of our time such as Jane Goodall, Hans Zimmer, Christopher Nolan, Buzz Aldrin, David Attenborough, Brian May, The Big Bang Theory, Brian Eno among many other internationally renowned figures of science, space, music, and the film industry. It was a natural step for the medal to create a dedicated category for emerging talents who will actually be responsible for the future.”

“The STARMUS Advisory Board chose Gitanjali Rao as the first recipient because of her exceptional talent, dedication to science communication, and her inspiring role as a young innovator” added Professor Israelian. “The Medal reflects not only Stephen Hawking’s amazing dedication to science communication but also the STARMUS spirit. As our dearest Jane Goodall -founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and STARMUS Board member- said, ‘STARMUS brings together people who can link head with heart’.'”

Brian May, Queen lead guitarist and STARMUS cofounder, celebrated the launch of the Stephen Hawking Medal Junior with these words: “We believe this is going to make a difference in the future by encouraging young minds, young artists, young scientists, and young communicators. We hope that the next generation will be inspired to bring art and science even closer together and make this world a better place.”

Celebrating STARMUS’ US Debut at The Kennedy Center

This announcement was made at the STARMUS x Earth To Space event, a two-day program held as part of the Earth To Space Festival at the prestigious Kennedy Center. The event, being held on April 1-2, 2025, featured an impressive lineup of Nobel Prize-winning scientists, astronauts, and explorers, including former NASA astronauts Nicole Stott and Frank Lee Culbertson Jr., Nobel Laureate Kip Thorne and artist Lia Halloran, world-renowned best-selling author Mario Livio, President of the US National Academy of Sciences Marcia McNutt, renowned astrophysicist Eva Villaver, quantum mind reader David Zambuka and SETI pioneer Jill Tarter.

Attendees also enjoyed the spectacular ‘Explosive Universe’ concert by renowned musicians from the STARMUS All Stars, such as Derek Sherinian, Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal, Tony Franklin, and Vinny Appice. This concert was a highlight of the event, showcasing the fusion of science and music that STARMUS is known for. The celebration of the beauty and mystery of the universe promised to be an unforgettable experience for all attendees.

STARMUS has announced its next edition, ‘STARMUS La Palma, The Island of Stars,’ featuring a short preview of the STARMUS La Palma documentary. This event will be held on the island of La Palma from April 25 to 28, 2025, with a focus on protecting the night skies in collaboration with the Starlight Foundation. The program will include STARMUS Talks with over 40 renowned speakers, such as Jane Goodall, Nobel Laureates, astronauts, and other scientific luminaries. The ‘Sonic Universe’ concert will showcase the STARMUS All Stars with special guest Glenn Hughes, Oscar and 15 Latin Grammy winner Jorge Drexler, and the Spanish pop-rock band Efecto Pasillo, among others. Additionally, there will be two STARMUS Camps and the educational project ‘Interscholar,’ aimed at engaging thousands of young students with science, music, and space.”

The event also included the US première of the STARMUS VI film, which showcases the most exciting moments of the 2022 STARMUS Festival in Armenia. This film perfectly captures the essence of STARMUS and the unique STARMUS experience, merging the gathering of the most brilliant minds and talented artists of our time with the local culture.

Linked Videos:

•  This is STARMUS _ LINK

•  The Stephen Hawking Medal _LINK

About STARMUS 

Created by Garik Israelian PhD, astrophysicist at the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands (IAC) and Sir Brian May PhD, astrophysicist and the lead guitarist of the iconic rock band Queen, Starmus is a festival of science, art and music that features presentations from astronauts, cosmonauts, Nobel Prize winners and prominent figures from various scientific disciplines and musical backgrounds. Starmus brings together Nobel laureates, eminent researchers, astronauts, thinkers and artists to share their knowledge and experiences, as we search for answers to the great questions of our time. 

The STARMUS Advisory Board members are: Jane Goodall, Brian May (co-founder), Garik Israelian (Director and co-founder), Peter Gabriel, Emmanuelle Charpentier, Richard Dawkins, Chris Hadfield, Jill Tarter, Steven Chu, and David Eicher.

Home of the Stephen Hawking Medal 

Stephen Hawking and Alexei Leonov, together with Brian May and Garik Israelian, worked to create the Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication in 2015, which is awarded to individuals and teams who have made significant contributions to science communication. Previous Stephen Hawking Medal winners include Dr. Jane Goodall DBE, David Attenborough, Christopher Nolan, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Jean-Michel Jarre, Brian May, Laurie Anderson, and the Apollo 11 documentary. 

For more information visit Starmus.com   

STARMUS Communications   
Brezo Rodríguez  —  brezo@starmus.com   / press@starmus.com  / +34 678 255 196 

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdbUOyYW3Oc
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWDC3G139Y4
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Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2649772/5249367/STARMUS_Logo.jpg

 

 

 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/starmus-launches-the-stephen-hawking-medal-junior-at-the-kennedy-center-302418857.html

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SSC SECURITY SERVICES CORP. ANNOUNCES SHAREHOLDER APPROVAL OF PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED PLAN OF ARRANGEMENT

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REGINA, SK, July 22, 2026 /CNW/ — SSC Security Services Corp. (TSXV: SECU) (US: SECUF) (“SSC” or the “Company”) today announced the voting results from its special meeting of holders (the “Shareholders”) of common shares (the “Shares”) of the Company held today (the “Meeting”) in connection with the previously announced plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act, 2021 (Saskatchewan) (the “Arrangement”), pursuant to which Universal Protection Service, LP (the “Parent”), through its wholly-owned subsidiary, 102236724 Saskatchewan Ltd. (the “Purchaser”, and together with the Parent, “Allied Universal”), will acquire all of the issued and outstanding Shares for $4.4075 per Share in cash, and pursuant to which certain officers and directors of the Company (the “Management Purchasers”) will purchase the Company’s legacy assets and cyber security business in a management buy-out transaction (the “MBO” and collectively with the Arrangement, the “Transaction”).

The Arrangement requires (i) the approval of 66 2/3% of the votes cast by Shareholders (including the Management Purchasers) present or represented by proxy and entitled to vote at the Meeting and (ii) the approval of a simple majority (more than 50%) of the votes cast by Shareholders present or represented by proxy and entitled to vote at the Meeting, other than the Management Purchasers and any other person required to be excluded from such vote for the purpose of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 – Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions (the “Minority Shareholders”). At the Meeting, the resolution approving the Arrangement was approved by (i) 99.99% of the votes cast by Shareholders, and (ii) 99.97% of the votes cast by the Minority Shareholders.

Remaining Conditions to Completion of the Arrangement

Completion of the Transaction remains subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain closing conditions that are set out in the arrangement agreement entered into between the Company and Allied Universal on May 26, 2026 (the “Arrangement Agreement”), including receipt of final court approval and approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. SSC intends to seek a final order (the “Final Order”) of the Court of King’s Bench for Saskatchewan to approve the Arrangement at a hearing to be held on July 27, 2026.

Subject to obtaining the Final Order and the satisfaction or waiver of the remaining conditions in the Arrangement Agreement, the Transaction is anticipated to close on July 31, 2026.

About SSC

SSC Security Services Corp. is Canada’s largest publicly traded security company. SSC acts as a public holding company investing in physical, electronic and cyber security businesses. The Company has one wholly-owned operating subsidiary: Logixx Security Inc., which provides physical, electronic and cyber security services to primarily commercial, industrial and public sector clients. The Company’s clients include federal and provincial governments, Crown corporations, and many high-profile corporate and public sector clients such as hospitals, airports, utility companies and police forces.

Forward Looking Statements

This release includes forward-looking statements concerning the future results, future performance, intentions, objectives, plans and expectations of the Company. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as “plans”, “expects”, “is expected”, “estimates”, “intends”, “anticipates”, “believes” or variations of such words and phrases (including negative and grammatical variations) or state that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will” be taken, occur or be achieved. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release may not occur and could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risks, uncertainties affecting SSC, including risks regarding economic factors and the equity markets generally and many other factors beyond the control of SSC. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, this release contains forward-looking statements pertaining to: the anticipated timing of the Transaction; receipt of required court and stock exchange approvals; satisfaction of closing conditions; and the anticipated effective date of the Arrangement. Risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially include: failure to obtain court or stock exchange approvals; failure to satisfy closing conditions; failure of the parties to complete the Transaction for any reason, including termination of the Arrangement Agreement; legal challenges to the Arrangement; and risks and uncertainties discussed in SSC’s disclosure documents filed on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the views of SSC as of any date after the date of this Release. Although SSC has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this Release are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements included in this Release are made as of the date of this Release and SSC does not undertake to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE SSC Security Services Corp.

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GMI Cloud Announces Strategic Compute Collaboration With NVIDIA

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The collaboration advances GMI Cloud’s selective partnership strategy and supports its next phase of AI infrastructure growth

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., July 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — GMI Cloud, a leading AI-native cloud provider delivering high-performance GPU infrastructure and inference services, today announced a strategic collaboration with NVIDIA as part of its selective approach to building long-term compute partnerships.

In support of this strategy, GMI Cloud has committed $500 million in CapEx to expand its compute capabilities and serve growing customer demand. The commitment represents a significant investment in the company’s next phase of infrastructure development.

GMI Cloud has also secured nine-figure contracts with a leading U.S. frontier AI enterprise, providing a strong commercial foundation for its continued growth.

GMI Cloud is pursuing a selective partnership model centered on a limited number of strategic relationships. The collaboration builds on GMI Cloud’s continued partnership with NVIDIA and brings together long-term compute planning with contracted customer demand.

GMI Cloud is among the earliest cloud providers to adopt this new compute partnership model, marking an important step in the company’s expansion and partnership strategy.

The $500 million CapEx commitment, nine-figure customer contracts, and selective partnership strategy establish the foundation for GMI Cloud’s next stage of growth. The company is set to continue this trajectory as it expands its compute capabilities and supports the evolving needs of frontier AI customers. For more information, visit www.gmicloud.ai.

About GMI Cloud
GMI Cloud is an AI-native cloud infrastructure company powering the next generation of AI applications. The company provides high-performance GPU infrastructure, Model-as-a-Service, dedicated endpoints, and AI workload deployment solutions for developers and enterprises building production AI systems. GMI Cloud helps teams move from experimentation to production with scalable compute, flexible infrastructure, and an ecosystem built for modern AI builders. For more information visit gmicloud.ai.

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ROKFORM Launches Rugged Case for Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 and Z Fold8 Ultra

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Complete foldable protection with six-foot drop rating, MAGMAX ™ magnetic grip, and RokLock ® twist-lock mounting

IRVINE, Calif., July 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — ROKFORM today launched its Rugged Case for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 and Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra. Built with a slim, two-piece shell design — not just a backplate — the Rugged Case delivers six-foot drop protection, full hinge coverage, and secure RokLock® mounting across both foldable models.

“Users get the full ROKFORM experience with the Rugged Case, including incredible drop protection, RokLock® mounting, and MAGMAX™ magnetic strength, all in a design built specifically around the unique needs of a foldable device,” said Jeff Whitten, ROKFORM CEO.

The two-piece shell locks together to protect the outer screen, back, and spine of the Galaxy Z Fold8. In addition, the case is engineered to guard one of the most critical and vulnerable components on foldable phones — the hinge — from drops and impacts with full hinge coverage. The case exceeds military-grade drop protection standards from six feet, with a dual-layer build and reinforced corners designed to absorb real-world impact.

ROKFORM’s patented RokLock® twist-lock system delivers rock-solid, wobble-free connection to ROKFORM’s full ecosystem of car, bike, and motorcycle mounts. Combined with MAGMAX™ magnets, which deliver 3x more holding strength over standard MagSafe® magnets, users get an ultra-secure magnetic grip for mounting and use with other accessories.

The case is compatible with ROKFORM wireless chargers and compatible wireless charging accessories.

The Rugged Case for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 and Z Fold8 Ultra retails for $79.99 and will be available August 5, 2026 at rokform.com.

About ROKFORM:
Founded in 2010, ROKFORM’s small but dedicated team has bootstrapped its way to becoming a leader in the design and manufacturing of innovative consumer electronics products. It is based in Irvine, California. With nearly 20 patents, ROKFORM remains a leader in the premium active lifestyle consumer electronics niche, with innovative designs to protect and enhance the world’s mobile devices. Products are designed and shipped directly from California headquarters, and customers can visit ROKFORM’s showroom to experience them. Learn more at rokform.com.

Contact:
Haley Lush
775-204-7975
419258@email4pr.com

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