Connect with us

Technology

EXPLR ANNOUNCES TOP STUDENT INNOVATORS NAMED NATIONAL STEM CHAMPIONS

Published

on

106 students will receive expense-paid trips to the National STEM Festival in Washington, D.C.
EXPLR is founded by Jenny Buccos and co-founded by Kari Byron (former Discovery Channel Mythbuster) and Andrew Zimmern (Bizarre Foods)

NEW YORK, Dec. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — EXPLR announces the 106 students whose outstanding projects have earned them the title of National STEM Champions. These students will be recognized at the National STEM Festival in Washington, D.C., March 19-22, 2025.

Each student and a guardian will receive an expense-paid trip, including lodging and travel, to attend the Festival and showcase their projects to the public and business and government leaders. In addition, each National STEM Champion will receive free access to EXPLR’s educational streaming video and curriculum platform for the teacher of their choice.

EXPLR invited students in grades 7-12 from across the U.S. and its territories to conceive and submit STEM innovations, inventions, and research across six categories: Aerospace Innovation, Environmental Stewardship, Future Food, Health and Medicine, Powering the Planet, and Tech for Good.

“Congratulations to all the students selected as National STEM Champions! EXPLR created the National STEM Festival to spotlight the next generation of innovators—students who are bold thinkers, dynamic leaders, and creators with the power to make a real impact. I’m incredibly excited to welcome our STEM Champions to the Festival this spring, where their ideas will inspire us all,” said Jenny Buccos, Founder & CEO of EXPLR and Co-Director of the National STEM Festival.

In addition to being selected as National STEM Champions, select students were also recognized for the following special awards:

The AISES Indigenous Ingenuity Award recognizes the creativity, ingenuity, and technical prowess of the first scientists by honoring Indigenous students from North American tribes or the Pacific Islands who have developed research projects that answer burning questions or address real-world challenges from their communities.The Congressional Innovation Award recognizes the creativity, ingenuity, and technical prowess of students who have developed outstanding mobile and web applications that address real-world challenges.EXPLR Catalyst Award recognizes an outstanding entrant who demonstrates exceptional ingenuity and a commitment to solving real-world problems through innovative solutions. This award honors an individual whose project relentlessly pursues practical applications to address significant societal challenges with creativity and innovation.The Autodesk Design & Make Champion Award honors one 2025 National STEM Champion for exceptional creativity and innovation in completing a project that demonstrates outstanding skills throughout the entire design and make process.

The following students were named National STEM Champions:

ALABAMA
Aanchal Behara (Birmingham), Ashu Anand (Birmingham)

ALASKA
Sara DeVolld (Soldotna)

AMERICAN SAMOA
Amelie Chen (Pago Pago)

ARIZONA
Humberto Gil Villalobos (Yuma), Akshay Karthik (Chandler), Carmen Martinez (Yuma)

ARKANSAS
Harshith Guduru (Bentonville), Bennet Chen (Little Rock)

CALIFORNIA
David He (San Diego), Shriya Nedumaran (San Jose), Joanna Deng* (Orinda)
*Joanna Deng is also a recipient of the Congressional Innovation Award

COLORADO
Alexander Zhang (Boulder), Anirudh Rao (Highlands Ranch)

CONNECTICUT
Snigtha Mohanraj (New Haven), Tyler Malkin* (Greenwich)
*Tyler Malkin is also the recipient of the Alumni Award

DELAWARE
Cailyn Pan (Wilmington), Riddik Sri Satya Neetipalli (Wilmington)

FLORIDA
Carson Granese (St. Petersburg), Gabriella Weiner (Melbourne), Rudra Patel (Tampa)

GEORGIA
Daniel Li (Suwanee), Hannah Coley (Conyers)
From the NASEF Farmcraft team from Brookwood High School in Snellville: Nakariana Jones, Evie Moore, Sydney King, Indus Lewis, Layla Young, Wren Hall, Ella Foghis Myers

GUAM
Mitekshi Ghosh (Chalan Pago)

HAWAII
Liam Chattergy* (Honolulu), Jinghao Li (Kapolei)
*Liam Chattergy is also a recipient of the Congressional Innovation Award

ILLINOIS
Manaal Siddiqui (Naperville), Sammit Chidambaram (Dunlap)

INDIANA
Sophia Fu (Carmel), Rohan Bhosale (Carmel), Tara Kim (West Lafayette)

IOWA
Amal Eltayib (Iowa City), Ritvik Gupta (Johnston)

KANSAS
Elizabeth Barnes (Overland Park), Mahi Kohli (Olathe)

KENTUCKY
Lucy Teng (Louisville),  Vallabh Ramesh (Louisville)

LOUISIANA
Abigail Qi (Baton Rouge),  Gyeongyun Min (Lake Charles)
From the NASEF Farmcraft team from University View Academy in Baton Rouge: Alanna Piper, Elison Hebert, Diego Santana, Charles Steele

MAINE
Gabriel Kirmani (Limestone)

MARYLAND
Megan Yeager (Hanover), Bryan Hijam (Baltimore)

MASSACHUSETTS
Nichelle Thinagar (Shrewsbury), Sarah Wang (Andover)

MICHIGAN
Chikanma Okoisor (Midland), Elliot LeClair (Midland), Tanay Panja* (Ann Arbor)
* Tanay Panja is also a recipient of the Congressional Innovation Award

MINNESOTA
Tyler Clair (Minnetonka), Kevin Qiu (Plymouth), Surjosnato Dhar (Plymouth)

MISSISSIPPI
Celia Lane (Ridgeland), Pranav Reddy (Ridgeland)

MISSOURI
Elizabeth Saleeby (Saint Louis), Anikait Rawat (Manchester)

MONTANA
Akira Lanes (Bozeman)

NEBRASKA
Dakota Sage (Central City), Thanvi Bhat (Omaha)

NEVADA
Jordan Chong (Reno), Jayna Kim (Las Vegas)

NEW HAMPSHIRE
Viktor Osadsky (Exeter), Jiaxuan Dai (Exeter)

NEW JERSEY
Ishaan Kunwar (Edison), Krithik Alluri (Medford)

NEW MEXICO
Steven Xu (Roswell), Natashia Anderson*  (Farmington)
* Natashia Anderson is also the recipient of the AISES Indigenous Ingenuity Award

NEW YORK
Tristan Burchett* (Brooklyn),  Mai Tran (New York City), Isabella Wissa (Lincolndale), Chase Ende (Harrison)
*Tristan Burchett is also the recipient of the EXPLR Catalyst Award

NORTH CAROLINA
Sakhyata Gurram (Cary), Swayam Shah (Raleigh), Keertana Ramars Jillella Venkata*  (Raleigh)
* Keertana Ramars Jillella Venkata is also a recipient of the Congressional Innovation Award

NORTH DAKOTA
Fatemeh Saeedi (Grand Forks)

NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS
Misha Kim (Northern Mariana Island, Saipan)

OHIO
Deepthisri Paruchuri (Columbus), Anuki Mudalige (Delaware)

OKLAHOMA
Caytie Couch* (Quapaw), Emma Zhang (Jenks)
* Caytie Couch is also the recipient of the AISES Indigenous Ingenuity Award

OREGON
Anisha Dhoot (Portland), Liam Aranda-Michel (Lake Oswego), Nidhi Yadalam (Portland)

PENNSYLVANIA
Aadi Deshmukh (Bethlehem), Audrey Rozea (West Chester), Dharunish Yugeswardeenoo (Warrington)

PUERTO RICO
Shanti Isaac (Guaynabo)

RHODE ISLAND 
Jimin Shon (Portsmouth)

SOUTH CAROLINA
Karthik  Arumugam (Mauldin), Sydney Poliakoff (Charleston)

SOUTH DAKOTA
Kambria Tamayo* (Lower Brule),  Lila Vanderlei (Avon),  Steven Swallow (Porcupine)
* Kambria Tamayo is also is also the recipient of the AISES Indigenous Ingenuity Award

TENNESSEE 
Benjamin Taylor (Memphis), Shashank Lahoti (Mount Juliet)

TEXAS
Hasini Leo Jayaraj (Leander),  Adel Sisy* (Manvel)
* Adel Sisy is also a recipient of the Congressional Innovation Award

UTAH
Aadhi Umamageswaran (Salt Lake City), Ian JakeKim (Salt Lake City)

VIRGINIA
Ashrita Gandhari (Alexandria), Ani Nishanian (Chantilly), Linda Pistun (Alexandria)

WASHINGTON
Lakshmi Agrawal (Bellevue), Matthew “Jerry” Yao* (Walla Walla)
*Matthew Yao is also the recipient of the Autodesk Design & Make Champion Award

WISCONSIN
Aditi Muduganti* (Onalaska), Ritisha Dey (Shorewood)
*Aditi Muduganti is also a recipient of the Congressional Innovation Award

WYOMING
Padmalakshmi Ramesh (Laramie), Teagan Thomas (Greybull)

The National STEM Festival, presented by EXPLR, is able to offer inspiring and engaging experiences to participants, both in Washington, D.C. and online, thanks to the support of co-presenting sponsors Autodesk and Broadcom Foundation, in addition to a number of supporting organizations that share a commitment to advancing innovation and STEM education. A full list of sponsors and supporters can be found on the National STEM Festival website.

For media and interview requests or inquiries about National STEM Festival coverage, please contact Skai Blue Media at teamexplr@skaibluemedia.com.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/explr-announces-top-student-innovators-named-national-stem-champions-302335311.html

SOURCE EXPLR

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Technology

IMCC Launches “DEEP C” Digital Transformation Program to Advance Operational Excellence

Published

on

By

KUWAIT CITY, April 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — International Marine Construction Company (IMCC) has announced the launch of its company-wide corporate transformation program, “DEEP C,” during a launch event held on 20 April 2026, bringing together employees from across the organization under the ethos of “Think New, Act New.”

 

 

The “DEEP C” program marks a significant milestone in IMCC’s evolution, reinforcing its commitment to operational excellence, strengthened governance, and sustainable growth through the adoption of integrated digital systems and data-driven practices.

At the core of the initiative is a structured transformation model built around five strategic pillars — Drive, Enable, Execute, Perform, and Connect — designed to ensure alignment between strategy, execution, and measurable business outcomes across all functions.

The program reflects IMCC’s ambition to embed a forward-looking, performance-driven culture across the organization, enabling more efficient operations, improved decision-making, and greater alignment across its business functions.

Speaking at the launch, Maen Razouqi, Vice Chairman and CEO of IMCC, emphasized the strategic importance of the initiative, stating that the program represents a step-change in how the company operates, with a clear focus on accountability, integration, and measurable outcomes. As Chair of the DEEP C Steering Committee, he reaffirmed IMCC’s commitment to driving this transformation across all levels of the marine sectors and its solutions.                                             .          

He further noted that the program reflects what IMCC stands for as a business, placing our customers and people at the center, driving performance with discipline, and delivering sustainable returns, while strengthening its commitment to all stakeholders, from clients to employees.

Khalid Al-Bustan, Vice Chair of the DEEP C Steering Committee and Head of the Program, highlighted the execution approach, noting that the initiative will enable the business through digital tools, standardized processes, and stronger cross-functional alignment to deliver sustainable results.                             .

He added that, in line with the vision of the Board of Directors the “DEEP C” Transformation Program will support the business in achieving more consistent and measurable outcomes, while ensuring that our customers and people remain at the core of how the organization operates.

As part of IMCC’s broader commitment to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles, the “DEEP C” program supports the development of more transparent, efficient, and resilient operations across its activities globally. By enhancing governance standards, strengthening operational performance, and investing in people and systems, the initiative contributes to supporting long-term sustainability and reinforcing regional collaboration within the energy and marine sectors.

The program will be rolled out in phases, supported by a structured governance framework and clear performance metrics to ensure effective implementation and long-term value creation.

The launch of “DEEP C” reflects IMCC’s continued focus on innovation and transformation as it strengthens its position as a leading offshore and marine services provider in the region and globally.

About IMCC

International Marine Construction Company (IMCC), established in 1974, is one of Kuwait’s longest-standing offshore and marine service providers supporting the energy, maritime, and infrastructure sectors.

IMCC delivers integrated offshore and marine solutions, including marine construction, subsea services, offshore logistics, vessel operations, and port and terminal support, backed by strong engineering capability and high operational standards.

With over five decades of experience, IMCC has built a strong regional presence across Kuwait and the GCC, supported by strategic partnerships and a commitment to safety, quality, and performance in all operations.

The company continues to invest in modern assets, digital capabilities, and people to support the evolving needs of the energy and marine sectors.

For more information, please visit:
www.1imcc.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/international-marine-construction-co-imcc/

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2965024/Group_Photo.jpg
Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2965025/Maen_Razouqi.jpg

 

 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/imcc-launches-deep-c-digital-transformation-program-to-advance-operational-excellence-302752723.html

Continue Reading

Technology

LexisNexis introduces Protégé General AI in Hong Kong, expanding secure, integrated access to general purpose AI for legal professionals

Published

on

By

HONG KONG, April 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — LexisNexis® Legal & Professional, a leading global provider of AI‑powered analytics and decision tools, today announced the availability of LexisNexis Protégé™ General AI for customers in Hong Kong. Protégé General AI is available within Lexis+® Hong Kong, expanding the personalised agentic AI capabilities of Protégé to provide secure access to general‑purpose AI within a single platform.

As legal work becomes increasingly AI-powered, Protégé General AI offers a private, encrypted solution that enables legal professionals to conduct a wider range of AI-assisted work without switching tools. With the click of a toggle, users can move seamlessly between Protégé Legal AI and Protégé General AI, allowing them to manage both legal-specific and everyday tasks within a single, secure environment.

Protégé General AI is designed for legal professionals and developed with strong levels of privacy, security, and flexibility. It enables users to conduct general research, explore topics, draft communications intended for both legal and non-legal audiences, and enrich legal work with real-world context, while remaining within the LexisNexis ecosystem ensuring data security and privacy.

General AI responses are supported by web content, and where legal context is relevant, currently grounded through LexisNexis verification capabilities, helping users work with greater confidence across a broader range of tasks.

“Legal professionals in Hong Kong are increasingly looking for ways to use AI across more of their day-to-day work, without compromising privacy or control,” said Michael Sit, Managing Director, Hong Kong and Greater China, LexisNexis. “Protégé General AI brings general-purpose AI and authoritative legal AI together in one secure platform, supporting uninterrupted workflows and more consistent outcomes which is very important for HK based lawyers who are often working across multiple continents and matters.”

By securely integrating Protégé General AI and Protégé Legal AI within Lexis+ Hong Kong, LexisNexis enables legal professionals to choose the appropriate AI experience for each task. Legal-specific work continues to be supported by authoritative LexisNexis legal content, while general-purpose tasks are supported within the same secure platform.

The launch of Protégé General AI in Hong Kong marks an important step in LexisNexis’ continued expansion of its agentic AI platform. Following the April availability, LexisNexis plans to progressively introduce additional Protégé capabilities and enhancements in the second half of the year.

Protégé is developed responsibly with human oversight and is built on the LexisNexis global technology platform, which integrates extractive AI, generative AI, and agentic AI. Customer inputs are not used to train any LLM models, and enterprise-grade security and governance are embedded throughout the platform.

As part of the expanding Protégé experience within Lexis+ Hong Kong, LexisNexis has also introduced Protégé Vault for Hong Kong customers. Vault provides a secure, persistent workspace that allows users to upload, store, and revisit documents over time, supporting analysis, drafting, and comparison tasks grounded in their own firm’s materials.

For more information on LexisNexis Protégé™, visit the official website here.

About LexisNexis Legal & Professional

LexisNexis® Legal & Professional provides AI-powered legal, regulatory, business information, analytics, and workflows that help customers increase their productivity, improve decision-making, achieve better outcomes, and advance the rule of law around the world. As a digital pioneer, the company was the first to bring legal and business information online with its Lexis® and Nexis® services. LexisNexis Legal & Professional, which serves customers in more than 150 countries with 11,900 employees worldwide, is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers.

About RELX

RELX is a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. RELX serves customers in more than 180 countries and has offices in about 40 countries. It employs more than 36,000 people over 40% of whom are in North America. The shares of RELX PLC, the parent company, are traded on the London, Amsterdam and New York Stock Exchanges using the following ticker symbols: London: REL; Amsterdam: REN; New York: RELX. The market capitalisation is approximately £72.5bn | €87.4bn | $91.6bn

 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/lexisnexis-introduces-protege-general-ai-in-hong-kong-expanding-secure-integrated-access-to-general-purpose-ai-for-legal-professionals-302752727.html

SOURCE LexisNexis

Continue Reading

Technology

XRP Healthcare: XRPHAI, a Utility Token Rewarding Healthy Actions, to Go Live on MEXC April 27 at 10:00 AM UTC

Published

on

By

DUBAI, UAE, April 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — XRP Ledger-powered utility token driving the XRPH AI ecosystem, with XRPHAI Rewards activating April 28 and enhanced rewards for XRPH holders to follow shortly. See the official MEXC announcement: https://www.mexc.com/announcements/article/17827791535042.

 

 

XRP Healthcare, the first AI healthcare platform built on the XRP Ledger, today confirms that $XRPHAI (the “XRPHAI” utility token) will go live for trading on MEXC at 10:00 AM UTC on April 27, 2026, marking the next phase in the evolution of its unified XRPH AI ecosystem. The XRPH AI Rewards system will activate on April 28, enabling users to begin earning rewards for healthy actions within the XRPH AI App through verified participation.

This marks the first time XRPHAI has been made available for trading, with no prior market activity, private sale, or exchange listing. The initial listing on MEXC provides users with first access to the token as it enters the market.

MEXC has recently undertaken a platform-wide rebrand focused on strengthening its global presence and advancing its position among leading digital asset exchanges. Serving over 40 million users across more than 170 countries, the exchange continues to expand its offering through the introduction of new projects and infrastructure designed to support long-term growth.

XRP Healthcare operates as a connected ecosystem where technology, application, and user engagement work together. XRPH serves as the foundational token layer, while XRPHAI operates as the utility token powering rewards within the XRPH AI App. This structure aligns platform activity with real-world healthcare engagement, ensuring scalability and practical use.

XRPHAI enables a system designed to reward verified healthcare participation within the XRPH AI App. Users can earn XRPHAI through AI-guided health interactions, CalmXRPH wellness sessions, image-based health assessments, educational participation and referrals, as well as through use of the XRPH Prescription Savings Card across more than 68,000 pharmacies in the United States, including Walmart, CVS, and Walgreens. This model introduces a practical approach to digital healthcare, linking real engagement with measurable rewards.

The XRPH AI App and XRPH Wallet are designed to operate seamlessly together, allowing users to earn XRPHAI within the app, transfer rewards directly to the wallet, and hold, manage, or utilise those rewards within the broader ecosystem. This integration connects user participation with underlying infrastructure in a single, unified experience.

Following the initial activation of the rewards system, XRP Healthcare expects to introduce an enhanced rewards layer shortly afterwards. This will enable users holding XRPH in the XRPH Wallet to receive increased XRPHAI rewards, directly linking long-term participation and token holding with greater earning potential across the ecosystem.

Global healthcare represents an estimated $10 trillion market, with digital health continuing to expand rapidly. With over 6.8 billion smartphone users worldwide and growing daily, healthcare delivery is increasingly shifting toward accessible, mobile-first platforms, positioning XRP Healthcare at the intersection of artificial intelligence, mobile technology, and real-world healthcare engagement on a global scale.

XRPHAI will be listed on MEXC at 10:00 AM UTC on April 27, 2026. The XRPH AI Rewards system will go live on April 28, ensuring that market trading and price discovery occur first, followed by reward activation aligned with a live market environment.

XRPHAI has a fixed maximum supply of 1,000,000,000 tokens, with the issuing account permanently disabled (commonly referred to as ‘blackholed’) to prevent any additional minting, reinforcing a transparent and finite token structure. Further details are available in the whitepaper: https://www.xrphealthcare.ai/docs/ai/xrph-ai-white-paper.pdf.

At the core of the system is Proof of Health™, a model designed to reward verified AI-driven healthcare engagement through a structured digital rewards system. Powered by XRPHAI and supported by XRPH infrastructure, this model ensures that participation is measurable, meaningful, and aligned with real-world outcomes.

Following its initial listing, XRP Healthcare intends to pursue additional listings on higher-tier exchanges throughout 2026, supporting broader access, increased liquidity, and continued ecosystem growth.

XRP Healthcare continues to focus on expanding its AI-driven healthcare ecosystem, with ongoing development aimed at increasing user engagement, accessibility, and real-world application.

Kain Roomes, Founder and CEO of XRP Healthcare, said:

“We are building a connected healthcare ecosystem where participation, technology, and real-world use come together. XRPHAI enables us to reward meaningful engagement at scale, while maintaining a strong foundation through XRPH.”

Laban Roomes, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of XRP Healthcare, added:

“This has always been about building one ecosystem. XRPH provides the foundation, and XRPHAI introduces a structured way to reward participation within the XRPH AI App. The integration between the app and the wallet ensures users can move seamlessly across the ecosystem while benefiting from their engagement.”

For more information, visit https://www.xrphealthcare.ai/docs/ai/xrph-ai-white-paper.pdf and https://www.xrphealthcare.ai/xrphai-rewards.

About XRP Healthcare

XRP Healthcare is the first AI healthcare platform built on the XRP Ledger, combining artificial intelligence, digital health infrastructure, and blockchain interoperability to expand global access to healthcare services. Through its XRPH AI platform and healthcare infrastructure strategy, the company is building a scalable model that connects digital engagement with real-world healthcare delivery.

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2965032/XRP_Healthcare_XRPHAI_MEXC.jpg
Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2365357/XRP_Healthcare_Logo.jpg

 

 

Media Contact
Sarah James
info@xrphealthcare.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/xrp-healthcare-xrphai-a-utility-token-rewarding-healthy-actions-to-go-live-on-mexc-april-27-at-1000-am-utc-302752733.html

Continue Reading

Trending