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Launch and Learn: Media Invited to Science Webinar on NASA’s SpaceX CRS-32 Mission

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Register today for the April 16 webinar, featuring cutting-edge biotech, plant biology, and airborne pollutant research sponsored by the ISS National Lab and NASA

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla., April 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory and NASA will host a webinar to discuss upcoming research and technology development projects launching on SpaceX’s 32nd Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) mission for the agency. This webinar will showcase some of the innovative research heading to the space station and how it benefits humanity while driving a sustainable market economy in low Earth orbit (LEO). The webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, April 16, 2025, at 1 p.m. EDT.

SpaceX CRS-32 is slated to launch on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft no earlier than 4:15 a.m. EDT on Monday, April 21, 2025, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

During the webinar, Michael Roberts, chief scientific officer for the ISS National Lab, and Jennifer Buchli, chief scientist for NASA’s ISS Program, will provide programmatic insights and updates. The following speakers will then join them to highlight specific research projects on this mission:

Improving Janus Base Nanomaterial Production in Microgravity: University of Connecticut researcher and Eascra Biotech co-founder Yupeng Chen, along with co-founder Mari Anne Snow, will discuss their research exploring how microgravity improves the production of Janus base nanomaterials (JBNs). These nanomaterials, which consist of molecules that self-assemble into structures that mimic human DNA, could be used to treat diseases like osteoarthritis and cancer. In space, where gravity-driven forces like sedimentation are significantly reduced, the team can manufacture JBNs with a more uniform structure, leading to better therapeutic outcomes. This ISS National Lab-sponsored project builds on previous investigations and is funded through NASA’s In-Space Production Applications program.

Genetically Modified Tomatoes in Space: Major Travis Tubbs from the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) and Heath Mills, co-founder of ISS National Lab Commercial Service Provider Rhodium Scientific, will discuss a project that is part of a series of investigations developed and supported by the U.S. Air Force and USAFA. The project will examine how genetically modified tomato plants grow in the space environment. The team hopes to gain a better understanding of how genetic modifications and gene expression changes influence root and shoot development. Results from this project will be compared with results from investigations on the Polaris Dawn and SpaceX Crew-9 missions, which featured the same Rhodium plant growth hardware. Findings could provide insights into the production of crops on long-duration space missions or in high-radiation environments.

Monitoring Aerosol Pollutants in Space: Claire Fortenberry, research aerospace engineer at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, will discuss an investigation on aerosol monitors, which continuously monitor airborne pollutant particles such as dust inside the space station. These monitors are essential for maintaining safe air quality on future missions in LEO and beyond. Results could help researchers select the monitors used on future missions to protect crew health and mission success.

Studying the Impact of Space Radiation on Plant Biology: Sarah Wyatt, researcher from Ohio University will discuss a NASA-sponsored experiment assessing the effects of space radiation on the genome and telomere activity in Arabidopsis thaliana, a model organism for studying plant biology. Telomeres are repetitive DNA sequences that protect the ends of chromosomes, which become shorter every time a cell divides and serve as markers of plant survivability. Understanding how space radiation affects telomeres could help scientists better equip plants and other organisms for the stress of long-duration missions.

The webinar will be available on Zoom for media. Media who would like to participate must register for Zoom access no later than one hour in advance.

A livestream of the webinar will also be available on the ISS National Lab Livestream page. The public can participate by submitting questions during the webinar using #ISSNationalLab on social media. Following the webinar, a recording will be available on the ISS National Lab YouTube channel. Additional information about investigations launching on SpaceX CRS-32 will be made available in the coming days on our launch page.

Join us to learn more about the exciting investigations heading to the space station to advance science and benefit humanity. To learn more about ISS National Lab-sponsored science and its impact on Earth, visit our website.

Download a high-resolution image for this release: NASA SpaceX Launch

About the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory:
The International Space Station (ISS) is a one-of-a-kind laboratory that enables research and technology development not possible on Earth. As a public service enterprise, the ISS National Laboratory® allows researchers to leverage this multiuser facility to improve quality of life on Earth, mature space-based business models, advance science literacy in the future workforce, and expand a sustainable and scalable market in low Earth orbit. Through this orbiting national laboratory, research resources on the ISS are available to support non-NASA science, technology, and education initiatives from U.S. government agencies, academic institutions, and the private sector. The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space® (CASIS®) manages the ISS National Lab, under Cooperative Agreement with NASA, facilitating access to its permanent microgravity research environment, a powerful vantage point in low Earth orbit, and the extreme and varied conditions of space. To learn more about the ISS National Lab, visit our website.

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, CASIS accepts corporate and individual donations to help advance science in space for the benefit of humanity. For more information, visit our donations page.

Media Contact:   

Patrick O’Neill 

904-806-0035

PONeill@ISSNationalLab.org

 

International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory

Managed by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space® (CASIS®)

1005 Viera Blvd., Suite 101, Rockledge, FL 32955 • 321.253.5101 • www.ISSNationalLab.org

 

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SOURCE International Space Station National Lab

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NEC Vietnam Appoints New General Director to Advance Digital Innovation

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HANOI, Vietnam, May 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — NEC Vietnam announced the appointment of Yasushi Numakura as its new General Director, effective April 1, 2026. The appointment reflects NEC’s continued commitment to expanding trusted technology partnerships and supporting Vietnam’s growing digital ambitions.

Numakura-san joined NEC Group in 1990 and brings over three decades of experience across systems engineering, mobile technology development, and global business leadership. In 2014, he was appointed Head of NEC Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh branch, where he drove business portfolio transformation and strengthened regional partnerships. He subsequently held leadership roles at NEC Solution Innovators and most recently led resource management reform initiatives as part of delivery model transformation efforts.

In his new role, he will lead NEC Vietnam’s business operations and strategic direction, with a focus on strengthening software development capabilities and accelerating digital transformation initiatives across key sectors, serving both the Japanese and APAC markets.

“I am excited to join NEC Vietnam and build on the strong momentum established by the local team over the years. Together with our customers and partners, we look forward to creating what’s ahead through trusted technologies and meaningful solutions that create lasting value for businesses, communities, and society. In line with NEC’s 2030 mid-term direction, we will also advance our capabilities as an AI-native organization with security at the core, ensuring that our innovations are both impactful and resilient,” shares Numakura-san.

Under his leadership, NEC Vietnam will continue providing technologies and solutions spanning software development, biometrics, and public safety.

***

About NEC Vietnam

NEC established its liaison office in Vietnam in the early 1990s under the global business framework of NEC Corporation. It was re-organized as NEC Vietnam Co., Ltd. in 2006, with a newfound commitment to grow the business and contribute towards the people and society of Vietnam.

In a rapidly changing business environment, NEC Vietnam has evolved into a comprehensive solutions provider, leveraging their core competence in delivering Solutions for Society, focused on building social infrastructure that benefits citizens and communities.

Visit https://vn.nec.com to learn more.

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SOURCE NEC Vietnam

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South Asia’s First-ever Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) Demonstration, Led by ISGF in Collaboration with its Technology and Utility Partners

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NEW DELHI, May 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — South Asia’s first ever groundbreaking Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) Technology Demonstration in India implemented by India Smart Grid Forum (ISGF) marks a major advancement in smart Electric Vehicle (EV) charging and grid stability, paving the way for a future of bidirectional energy flows between EVs and the power grid. ISGF, with its utility partners and technical support from the University of Delaware (UDEL), USA, executed this first-of-its-kind Alternating Current (AC) V2G pilot demonstration in South Asia. The demonstration project was implemented at BSES Rajdhani Power Limited, BSES Yamuna Power Limited, TATA Power Delhi Distribution Limited, as well as at the Agency for New and Renewable Energy Research and Technology (ANERT), Kerala. This pilot demonstration has tested a variety of V2G use cases and found it highly relevant for distributed renewable energy integration and grid stability.

As part of the project, four Tata Nexon EVs were retrofitted with on-board bidirectional power modules and connected to the grid through bidirectional AC chargers. The equipment cost of AC V2G is significantly lower than DC V2G. ISGF is working with local technology companies and EV OEMs to build a V2G ecosystem in the country.

For more information, please write to contactus@indiasmartgrid.org

About India Smart Grid Forum (ISGF)

ISGF is a public private partnership initiative of the Govt. of India, with the mandate of accelerating smart grid deployments across the country. With 170+ members comprising of ministries, utilities, technology providers, academia and research, ISGF has evolved as a Think-Tank of global repute on Smart Energy and Smart Cities. The mandate of ISGF is to accelerate energy transition through clean energy, electric grid modernization and electric mobility; work with national and international agencies in standards development and help utilities, regulators and the Industry in technology selection, training and capacity building.

Website: https://indiasmartgrid.org/ 

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2981114/ISGF_V2G_demo_South_Asia.jpg
Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2845462/5972830/ISGF_Logo.jpg

 

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Tencent Cloud and Stream Partner to Accelerate the Development of Real-Time Multimodal AI Agents

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HONG KONG, May 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Tencent Cloud, the cloud business of leading global technology company, Tencent, today announced a strategic collaboration with Stream, the company behind the open-source AI agent framework Vision Agents, to accelerate the development of real-time, multimodal AI agents.

Through this collaboration, Tencent Real-Time Communication (Tencent RTC) becomes an officially supported edge transport plugin for Vision Agents, giving developers worldwide a low-latency path to build and deploy interactive AI applications across global markets, including regions where network complexity and real-time performance are critical.

Unlocking Lower-Latency Transport for Enhanced Experiences Across China and Asia

Vision Agents is an open-source, edge-agnostic Python framework from Stream that helps developers quickly build low-latency vision AI applications. Rather than retrofitting video onto a voice-centric stack, Vision Agents was designed as a video-first solution — running models such as YOLO, Roboflow, OpenAI Realtime, and Google Gemini on every frame, with sub-500ms end-to-end latency and over 25 out-of-the-box integrations across LLM, STT, TTS, vision, RAG, telephony, and avatar providers.

Through this partnership, Tencent RTC becomes an officially supported edge transport plugin for Vision Agents. Developers can use Tencent RTC to replace the default communication layer in Vision Agents and instantly leverage Tencent Cloud’s enterprise-grade backbone — more than 3,200 global nodes, sub-300ms worldwide latency, AI-driven noise suppression, and weak-network resilience — while keeping every existing LLM, STT, TTS, vision, and avatar plugin unchanged.

The integration supports both audio and video, making it suitable for voice agents, video agents, and multimodal scenarios — powering use cases such as gaming assistants, virtual avatars, sports coaching, and robotics. AI agents can join TRTC rooms and interact with participants in real-time through high-quality audio and video streams.

Tencent RTC operates a globally distributed real-time network with particularly strong performance across some markets in Asia where many global real-time stacks face connectivity and latency challenges. By integrating Tencent RTC, Vision Agents gives developers worldwide a reliable transport option for delivering low-latency, multimodal AI experiences to users in Asia. Developers can improve real-time communication performance by simply swapping the interface.

Wison Xie, Head of Product at Tencent RTC, said: “Vision Agents represents exactly where conversational AI is heading, beyond voice-only, into agents that can truly see, hear, and act in real time. By bringing Tencent RTC’s global real-time backbone to the Vision Agents framework, we are giving developers worldwide a turnkey path to ship multimodal agents that perform reliably from Silicon Valley to Shenzhen. This collaboration reinforces our commitment to powering the next generation of real-time AI experiences for enterprises and developers across global market.”

Neevash Ramdial, Director of Marketing and Vision Agents Lead, said, “Our goal with Vision Agents is to make real-time AI development faster, more flexible, and open, giving developers the freedom to choose the models, infrastructure, and plugins that work best for their applications. Developers building global conversational AI applications also need reliable real-time performance in every market, and Tencent RTC brings high-quality, low-latency connectivity across Asia to the Vision Agents ecosystem. We’re excited to work with Tencent RTC to help developers scale multimodal AI experiences worldwide while having the freedom to use whichever plugin or model best fits their app.”

About Tencent Cloud:
Tencent Cloud, one of the world’s leading cloud companies, is committed to creating innovative solutions to resolve real-world issues and enabling digital transformation for smart industries. Through our extensive global infrastructure, Tencent Cloud provides businesses across the globe with stable and secure industry-leading cloud products and services, leveraging technological advancements such as cloud computing, Big Data analytics, AI, IoT, and network security. It is our constant mission to meet the needs of industries across the board, including the fields of gaming, media and entertainment, finance, healthcare, property, retail, travel, and transportation.

About Tencent RTC: 
Tencent RTC provides real-time communication solutions, including audio/video calling, live streaming, and in-game voice. With enterprise-grade security, AI-powered enhancements, and a global network of over 3,200 nodes, Tencent RTC powers mission-critical communication for customers worldwide.

About Vision Agents: 
Vision Agents is Stream’s open-source framework that helps developers quickly build real-time video AI applications. It works out of the box with most major LLM, speech-to-text, text-to-speech, avatar, and infrastructure providers, so teams can go from idea to production in just a few lines of code, building everything from real-time sports coaches to rich, context-aware avatars.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/tencent-cloud-and-stream-partner-to-accelerate-the-development-of-real-time-multimodal-ai-agents-302774565.html

SOURCE Tencent Cloud

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