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SSP International Hires Largest and Most Diverse Faculty Cohort for 2024 Summer Science Program

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Summer Science Program welcomes a record-breaking 48 faculty representing a diversity in age, ethnicity, experience level and field of study.

NEW YORK, June 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Today, SSP International (SSP), a nonprofit offering inspiring science education immersion experiences, announced the hire of 48 faculty for its 2024 Summer Science Program. This faculty class is the largest and most diverse in the organization’s history, reflecting a spectrum of ages, ethnicities, degrees, experience levels, nationalities, fields of study and history with SSP.

“This milestone reflects our steadfast commitment to educating young minds and cultivating a more equitable future in science,” said Frank Steslow, CEO of SSP International. “These 2024 Summer Science Program faculty members will inspire and guide the next generation of scientific leaders. Together, we reaffirm our dedication to creating transformative opportunities and breaking down barriers in STEM education.”

As one of the nation’s longest-running research-based science education programs, Summer Science Program offers highly motivated high school students from around the world intensive science immersion experiences on college campuses. With this diverse new faculty team, the nonprofit will provide both exceptional scientific instruction and a set of role models to inspire passion for science in students of all backgrounds.

SSP International is thrilled to welcome outstanding faculty, including:

Dr. Rachel Avard is an assistant professor at Framingham State University and will serve as an associate academic director of the 2024 Summer Science Program in Biochemistry at Purdue University. Dr. Avard has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Assumption College and a doctorate, master’s in philosophy and master’s in chemistry from Columbia University. Dr. Avard received the Mary Miles Bibb Teaching Fellowship for the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 academic years for her commitment to diversity and inclusion in teaching.

Dr. Donovan Domingue is a professor of physics and astronomy at Georgia College and will serve as the academic director of the 2024 Summer Science Program in Astrophysics at Georgia College & State University. Domingue has a bachelor’s degree in physics from Louisiana State University and a doctorate in physics from the University of Alabama.

Dr. Michael Dubson is associate chair for undergraduate studies and senior instructor in the physics department at University of Colorado Boulder. This summer, he will serve as the academic director of the 2024 Summer Science Program in Astrophysics at the University of Colorado Boulder. Dubson holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign and a doctorate in condensed matter experimental physics from Cornell University.

Dr. Cassie Fallscheer is an astronomer in the Physics Department at Central Washington University and will serve as associate academic director of the 2024 Summer Science Program in Astrophysics at the University of Colorado Boulder. She received her bachelor’s in math and physics from California Polytechnic State University, a master’s of astronomy from Wesleyan University and a doctorate in astrophysics from the University of Heidelberg/Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany.

Dr. Mary Keithly is an associate professor in the Department of Mathematical and Natural Sciences at Chadron State College and will serve as an academic director of the 2024 Summer Science Program in Genomics at Purdue University. Keithly holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Missouri – St. Louis and a doctorate in chemistry from Vanderbilt University. In 2023, she received the Teaching Excellence Award from the Nebraska State College System.

Dr. Melissa Lamanna is an assistant professor at Wagner College and will serve as an associate academic director of the 2024 Summer Science Program in Genomics at Purdue University. She earned an associate’s degree in chemistry and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Indiana University Southeast, as well as a doctorate in microbiology from Indiana University Bloomington.

Dr. Truong Le is senior professorial lecturer for the Department of Physics at American University and will serve as associate academic director of the 2024 Summer at Science Program in Astrophysics at New Mexico State University. Le has a bachelor’s degree in physics and chemical physics and a master’s in gravitational physics from Wichita State University and a doctorate in computational astrophysics from George Mason University.

Barb Martinez will serve as the site director of the 2024 Summer Science Program in Astrophysics at New Mexico Tech, returning for her 15th year with the program. She has a bachelor’s degree in education from the College of Santa Fe and is retired from her career as a high school teacher.

Kim McIntosh is a biology teacher and the chair of the science department at Shadow Mountain High School in Phoenix, Arizona. She will serve as the site director of the 2024 Summer Science Program in Genomics at Georgetown University. McIntosh is a first-generation college graduate and holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in biology from Arizona State University.

Dr. Fortune Ononiwu is an assistant professor of chemistry at Bennington College and will serve as an associate academic director of the 2024 Summer Science Program in Synthetic Chemistry at Southwestern Oklahoma State University. Dr. Ononiwu received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Covenant University in Nigeria and his doctorate from Syracuse University.

Dr. Adam Rengstorf is the interim chair of the Department of Chemistry and Physics and an associate professor of physics and astronomy at Purdue University Northwest. He will serve as an academic director of the 2024 Summer Science Program in Astrophysics at New Mexico State University. Rengstorf is a first-generation college graduate and holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from Binghamton University and a doctorate in astronomy from Indiana University.

Al Shorey is a teacher and head of the math department at Darlington School, a co-ed boarding school in Georgia. He will serve as the site director of the 2024 Summer Science Program in Genomics at Purdue University. Shorey is a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the United States Military Academy, a master’s in engineering management from the University of Missouri at Rolla and a master’s in civil engineering from the University of Tennessee.

Rob Steinman is a science teacher at The Hill School, a coeducational preparatory boarding school in Pennsylvania. He will serve as the site director of the 2024 Summer Science Program in Genomics at New Mexico State University. Steinman has a bachelor’s degree in physics from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in physics from the University of South Carolina.

About SSP International
SSP International is a nonprofit offering inspiring science immersion experiences. Founded in 1959, its mission is to provide opportunities to accelerate learning, doing and belonging in science. SSP International’s flagship program is Summer Science Program, a leading education experience for exceptional high school students in astrophysics, biochemistry, genomics and more. For more information, visit summerscience.org and follow Summer Science Program on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

Contact: Jocelin Leon
Phone: (212) 337-8870
Email: jocelin@thetascgroup.com

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v4c Promotes Michael Gibson to Chief Executive Officer

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Promotion follows 765% year-over-year revenue growth, investment from Databricks Ventures, and recognition as the 2026 Databricks C&SI Emerging Partner of the Year as v4c continues to expand its world-class Databricks practice

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Oct. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — v4c.ai, a strategic boutique pure-play Databricks services partner, today announced the promotion of Michael Gibson from Chief Revenue Officer to Chief Executive Officer. Gibson’s appointment builds on his leadership in scaling v4c’s global sales organization and expands his responsibilities to leadership across the business as the company continues to strengthen its market-leading position in the Databricks ecosystem.

As Chief Revenue Officer, Gibson helped scale v4c’s global sales organization during a period of 765% year-over-year revenue growth and a 350% increase in its worldwide client base. Central to that expansion has been his focus on aligning v4c’s go-to-market strategy with Databricks, building relationships across its field organization, and connecting enterprise customers with the expertise needed to advance their Databricks initiatives.

Gibson brings experience on both sides of the enterprise technology relationship: building sales teams within a global software organization and leading growth within technology services. Having been a driving force behind v4c’s success, he will build on that foundation with broader responsibility for the company’s continued growth and evolution. As CEO, he will work closely with the Board to define v4c’s strategy and vision, uniting leaders across all functions to translate that direction into company-wide execution. His focus will span business performance, leadership development, and a culture of collaboration and accountability, while advancing customer success and delivery excellence as v4c enters its next chapter in the Databricks ecosystem.

“Mike has been a key driving force behind v4c’s meteoric rise, translating our vision into a pace of growth that we believe is unprecedented in the Databricks ecosystem,” said Vijay Rao, Founder and Board Member of v4c. “He has built an organization that earns the confidence of Databricks leaders and field teams, wins the trust of enterprise customers, and turns those relationships into shared success. His understanding of where Databricks is going—and how v4c can help our mutual customers get there—will be critical as we continue to expand our capabilities within the ecosystem. The Board is confident that Mike is the right leader to build on this momentum and advance our vision of becoming the world’s best Databricks SI.”

Previously, Gibson served as Senior Area Vice President at MuleSoft, where he led nationwide sales teams serving enterprise customers across banking, retail, consumer goods, and manufacturing. His leadership and performance earned him multiple MuleSoft Owner’s Awards for management and culture building, two AVP of the Year honors, and Chairman’s Club recognition. His tenure spanned the company’s initial public offering and subsequent acquisition by Salesforce, giving him firsthand experience navigating rapid growth and organizational change. That experience also shaped his understanding of how platform providers and services partners work together to earn customer trust, support complex technology decisions, and expand enterprise adoption.

Gibson transitions into the CEO role following two major milestones in v4c’s relationship with Databricks: an investment from Databricks Ventures and recognition as the 2026 Databricks C&SI Emerging Partner of the Year. Together, these milestones reinforce the strategic alignment between the organizations and provide a foundation for further investment in Databricks expertise, joint field engagement, and global delivery capabilities.

“I’m proud of what this team has built and grateful to Vijay, Venkat and the Board for the opportunity to lead v4c,” said Gibson. “Databricks is at the heart of our go-to-market, and our vision is to become the world’s best Databricks SI partner. That means earning the confidence of Databricks teams in every market we serve and delivering for the customers who trust us with their data and AI priorities. As CEO, I’ll focus on deepening those relationships and investing in the people and capabilities that make v4c a partner Databricks can count on as we grow together.”

In this new role, Gibson will lead v4c’s global strategy and execution, deepening strategic alignment with Databricks and guiding investments in the people and capabilities behind the company’s growth. His leadership will focus on scaling the business while preserving its culture, advancing delivery excellence, and strengthening the trust v4c has earned with customers and partners.

About v4c

v4c.ai is a premier IT services consultancy specializing in Databricks, helping organizations modernize their data platforms and build enterprise AI capabilities. As a Databricks Ventures portfolio company and the 2026 Databricks C&SI Emerging Partner of the Year, v4c brings expertise across data engineering, AI strategy and governance, generative AI, and machine learning. Learn more at www.v4c.ai.

Media Contact

Savannah Cole
press@v4c.ai

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Synteq Launches Apps & Serverless Functions in Developer Platform Expansion

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Synteq brings managed application hosting and serverless compute to its own infrastructure and network, so developers can run their code alongside their VPS instances, GPUs, and storage.

WILMINGTON, Del., Oct. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Synteq today announced the launch of Apps and Serverless Functions, two managed products that let developers deploy applications and code without provisioning or operating servers. The launch is the first release in Synteq’s expansion into developer tools and platform services.

Apps run web services, APIs, and workers directly from source. Users can point Synteq at a GitHub repository or run a single CLI command, and the platform detects the language, builds the image, deploys it, and serves it over HTTPS on a Synteq subdomain or custom domain. Every app runs in its own isolated microVM with dedicated CPU, memory, and network. Deployments use readiness checks and zero-downtime rolling updates with one-command rollback. Live logs, per-replica metrics, and request data live in the Synteq Cloud, where custom domains, automatic HTTPS, and first-class secrets are built in.

Serverless Functions run individual handlers on demand, each invocation isolated in its own microVM. They support Node.js and Python runtimes, can be triggered by HTTP or cron, and deploy from the web editor, CLI, or GitHub.

Apps and Functions run on the same hardware and network as Synteq’s VPS, GPU servers, and block storage, so customers can put their application layer in the same location as the infrastructure it depends on.

“Great infrastructure is only half of a great product. The other half is how it feels to use,” said Ben Haupt, Director of Growth & Product at Synteq. “Functions let teams run scheduled jobs, webhooks, and automation right next to their existing Synteq servers, with every invocation isolated. Apps give developers a git-push path to production. Building a platform that’s easy for developers to operate is at the core of our roadmap, and this is the first step.”

“Our customers already trust us with their most demanding workloads, but have been asking for a broader product ecosystem to migrate their full workloads away from other providers,” said Eric Yingling, Chief Executive Officer of Synteq. “Apps and Functions give developers one place to ship everything, from a weekend project to the production API at the core of their business.”

Launch highlights

Deploy from source: GitHub, direct upload, or a single CLI command, with automatic builds and Dockerfile supportServerless Functions: run scheduled jobs, webhooks, and automation on demand, with no servers to manageFull tenant isolation: every app and function invocation runs in its own Firecracker microVMBudget-bound autoscaling: apps scale with demand up to a spending limit you setLocations at launch: Dallas (DFW) and Chicago (CHI)99.99% uptime SLA

Apps and Functions are available today in Dallas and Chicago and are managed from the same API, CLI, and Synteq Cloud control plane customers already use for GPU servers, virtual machines, and block storage.

In the coming months, Synteq plans to add Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs), floating IPs, load balancers, and cloud firewalls to its platform. Apps will also gain SSO and password protection for preview environments. VPC support will let Apps and Functions connect privately to customers’ existing Synteq servers and storage.

About Synteq

Synteq delivers GPU compute, bare metal, and virtualized infrastructure to enterprises, researchers, and developers worldwide, operating its own network (AS400304) and infrastructure footprint across multiple sites. Synteq combines enterprise-grade infrastructure with exceptional price-performance compute, storage and virtualization. Learn more at synteq.com.

Media Contact: pr@synteq.com, https://www.synteq.com

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NC AI Officially Releases VARCO Sound, the Generative AI Sound Production Service

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Text, image, and video inputs generate audio and enable detailed modification through “Multitrack” Special release promotion offers 50% discount on the first month’s subscription fee and bonus points Conversational AI “Sound Agent” uses natural language processing, allowing intuitive and accurate arrangements Desktop application and Unity plugin allow seamless integration with existing workflows

SEOUL, South Korea, Oct. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Create and arrange a variety of sounds for a single scene with VARCO Sound, the multitrack AI sound generator.

Multimodal AI company NC AI announced the official release of its generative AI platform, VARCO Sound, on the 20th. Users can easily generate and edit scene-appropriate audio using text, images, and videos. VARCO Sound is designed to help developers and producers who are unfamiliar with sound design bring their creative ideas to life with high-quality soundtracks.

Users can also access the web version of VARCO Sound by signing up on the official website.

NC AI also announced a promotion for VARCO Sound and the AI 3D generator VARCO 3D, running until Nov. 30 following the release. The offer supports continued creation by making AI-based content generation tools more accessible and is available to both new members and existing members who have been using the free version.

Users who make their first purchase during the promotion can receive a 50% discount on the first month of their subscription. Additional bonus points will also be provided, with higher-tier subscriptions receiving even more points. This offer is available once per account for VARCO Sound and VARCO 3D each.

Events will also be held in the official VARCO Discord community. Users who join through the dedicated links provided in each service announcement can enjoy one month of free access to the VARCO 3D Plus plan or the VARCO Sound Lite plan. The first 100 users to join the community will receive the exclusive “VARCO OG” title. In addition, the top five users who share game assets created with VARCO 3D in the community will be selected to receive service credits and titles. Event periods and participation details are available in the Discord announcements for each service

VARCO Sound is a comprehensive platform that allows users to generate and fine-tune audio tracks for content such as games, videos, and animations. Users can describe the desired audio through text or upload an image or video, and the AI analyzes the input to generate scene-appropriate Foley sounds, sound effects, ambient audio, and more.

The tool’s most unique feature is its ability to provide separate tracks for each audio source rather than a single audio file. Users can check each track individually, adjust its volume, or replace specific sound effects to further polish the result and better realize their creative vision.

In addition, the “Variation” feature allows users to build on their existing work. Users can upload an original sample to generate variations while preserving its texture and nuance. This substantially reduces the time required to refine ideas and develop prototypes.

The entire generation and editing process can be conducted through natural language using the conversational AI “Sound Agent.” A simple description of the desired outcome is analyzed by the AI agent, which automatically applies the appropriate features, lowering the entry barrier for new users.

Furthermore, VARCO Sound comes with an automatic volume mixer feature that prevents sounds from clashing when multiple tracks are played simultaneously. The AI examines and adjusts the volume balance between different tracks so that no sound is too loud or too quiet.

Currently, the maximum length of an audio file that can be generated is 60 seconds, and NC AI plans to continue improving the tool’s performance to support video inputs of up to 120 seconds.

NC AI has also released a desktop application and a Unity plugin that allows the tool to seamlessly integrate into the existing workflows of creators. Assets created through the desktop application can be dragged and dropped into other DAWs for immediate use. A personalized library search feature based on natural language and audio will be added in the future to further streamline each user’s workflow.

Moreover, the Unity plugin was selected as a Unity Verified Solution, demonstrating its performance and compatibility. The plugin allows game developers to stay within the Unity engine while creating audio tracks using just text and images and immediately apply them to their projects using the built-in editing tools.

NC AI’s CEO Yeonsoo Lee said, “VARCO Sound has evolved into an ‘AI platform designed for professional needs’ that boosts creators’ efficiency without disrupting their existing workflows.” Yeonsoo Lee added, “We will establish a new paradigm in the global audio creation ecosystem through continuous technological advancement and seamless integration with a wide range of external platforms.”

About NC AI

NC AI leverages over a decade of game AI expertise to develop advanced multimodal and Physical

AI solutions for digital content and industrial sectors. Under its proprietary VARCO brand, the company delivers generative AI tools spanning text, audio, and 3D assets. Under the VAETKI brand, NC AI expanding into Physical AI including Digital Twins, World Models, and Robot Foundation Models (RFM). NC AI applies virtual simulation and reinforcement learning to mission-critical industries like defense and smart manufacturing, seamlessly connecting digital intelligence to physical execution.

NC AI Official Website and Social Media

| Websites   Company Website: https://nc-ai.com/  
                    Official LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nc-ai/
                    Official Blog: https://medium.com/nc-ai
                    Official Instagram Account: https://www.instagram.com/ncai_official/
                    Official YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@nc_ai/  
                    Official Discord: https://discord.gg/uTBqazNuKr 

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