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Breakthrough Prize Foundation Announces Student Winner of 10th Annual Breakthrough Junior Challenge Science Video Competition

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Jasmine Eyal, Age 16, of Singapore, Receives Top Honors and $400,000 in Education Prizes for her Original Video Explaining Mechanogenetic Cellular Engineering

LOS ANGELES, April 5, 2025 /CNW/ — The Breakthrough Prize Foundation today announced Singapore-based Jasmine Eyal as winner of the 10th annual Breakthrough Junior Challenge, a global science video competition designed to inspire creative thinking and communications skills around fundamental concepts in the life sciences, physics, and mathematics.

The Breakthrough Junior Challenge will award a total of $400,000 in educational prizes to Jasmine and her science teacher Julie Li-Eyal. Jasmine will receive a $250,000 college scholarship. In her role as science teacher, Ms. Li-Eyal will receive a $50,000 prize. The prize also includes a state-of-the-art science lab designed by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory valued at $100,000, which will be given to Community High School, part of the Beginning with Children Education Network in Brooklyn, NY.

Jasmine was honored alongside the 2025 Breakthrough Prize laureates at The Breakthrough Prize Ceremony in Los Angeles.

“This is the tenth year of the Junior Challenge, and every year I’m very impressed by the quality of the submissions,” said Julia Milner, co-founder of the Breakthrough Prize. “Jasmine’s video is a great example of where curiosity can lead you. She was researching potential treatments for her grandma’s diabetes, and it inspired her to explain the idea in a really smart, original and funny way.”

Jasmine’s winning entry explains mechanogenetic cellular engineering, an innovative biotechnology, exploring how it works and its potential as a medical tool in the future. The short film can be seen here. The entry marks Jasmine’s second time as a competition finalist, having entered the Breakthrough Junior Challenge in 2023.

“I am so honored to receive this award. My grandma, Popo, struggles with Type 1 diabetes, and I was inspired to learn more about this field of biology because of its potential to revolutionize health and medicine, treat chronic illnesses, and improve health outcomes,” said Jasmine. “The intersection of biology and technology in cellular engineering is an area where breakthroughs can dramatically improve the quality of life for countless individuals, including Popo.”   

Her grandmother, who co-stars in the video, was the first person to share with Jasmine the news of her win, in a video which can be seen here.

“I was so pleased when Jasmine asked me to participate in her entry and was delighted to be the one to share the news with her,” said Anne Li, Jasmine’s grandmother. “Jasmine has been an enthusiastic learner her entire life, and her mother has been an outstanding homeschool educator, connecting everyday experiences to science. She encourages Jasmine to approach the world with scientific curiosity, teaching her to hypothesize, experiment, and analyze results critically.”

“We are incredibly grateful for this generous gift, which will be a true blessing for our students and the entire Community High School family,” said Esosa Ogbahon, Superintendent of Beginning with Children and Community High School Principal. “Science is a critical and ever-evolving field and having access to a dedicated lab will allow our students to engage in hands-on learning, deepen their curiosity, and explore the endless possibilities that science offers. This opportunity will not only enrich our curriculum but also inspire the next generation of scientists, innovators, and problem-solvers.” 

The Breakthrough Junior Challenge is a global initiative to develop and demonstrate young people’s knowledge of science and scientific principles; generate excitement in these fields; support STEM career choices; and engage the imagination and interest of the public-at-large in key concepts of fundamental science.  Each year, students ages 13-18 are invited to create original videos (up to two minutes in length) that illustrate a concept or theory in life sciences, physics or mathematics. Submissions are evaluated based on the students’ ability to communicate complex scientific ideas in the most engaging, illuminating and imaginative ways.

“Jasmine and all the incredible finalists demonstrate a passion for learning – and a passion for sharing learning with others,” said Sal Khan. “Khan Academy is proud to partner with the Challenge to encourage and support students around the world as they explore deep concepts in science and math.”

This year, the Breakthrough Junior Challenge attracted more than 2,300 applicants from around the world. Submissions were narrowed down to 30 semifinalists, which represented the top submissions after two rounds of judging: first, a mandatory peer review, followed by an evaluation panel of judges. Sixteen finalists were selected in September 2024.

Now in its 10th year, the Breakthrough Junior Challenge has attracted more than 100,000 students, parents and teachers, and received applications from more than 30,000 students from over 200 countries across the globe, including Canada, India, Mauritius, Peru, the Philippines, Singapore, and the United States. The Challenge has awarded more than $2.5 million in college scholarships, $1 million for science labs, and $500,000 in awards to inspiring teachers in science or math. Previous winners have created videos about the Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, Circadian Rhythms, Neutrino Astronomy, Quantum Physics, and more. Award alumni have gone on to attend institutions including MIT, Harvard, Princeton, and Stanford. 

This year’s Selection Committee was comprised of: Ian Agol, professor of mathematics, University of California, Berkeley, and Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics laureate; Rachel Crane, former space and science correspondent, CNN; Pascale Ehrenfreund, PhD, president, Committee on Space Research COSPAR; John Grunsfeld, PhD, NASA astronaut and administrator; Mae Jemison, science literacy expert, former astronaut, and principal, 100 Year Starship; Jeffrey W. Kelly, professor of chemistry, Scripps Research Institute and Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences laureate; Scott Kelly, retired NASA astronaut; Salman Khan, founder and CEO, Khan Academy; Ijad Madisch, CEO, co-founder, ResearchGate; Samaya Nissanke, University of Amsterdam, Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics laureate; Nicole Stott, NASA astronaut; Andrew Strominger, professor of physics, Harvard University, and Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics laureate; Terence Tao, UCLA professor and Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics laureate; Esther Wojcicki, founder, Palo Alto High Media Arts Center; Richard Youle, National Institutes of Health, and Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences laureate; and S. Pete Worden, chairman, Breakthrough Prize Foundation and executive director, Breakthrough StarShot.

Submissions for the 2025 Breakthrough Challenge open on May 1st. 

Partners

The Breakthrough Junior Challenge
The Breakthrough Junior Challenge, founded by Julia and Yuri Milner, is a global science video competition, aiming to develop and demonstrate young people’s knowledge of science and scientific principles and communications skills; generate excitement in these fields; support STEM career choices; and engage the imagination and interest of the public-at-large in key concepts of fundamental science.

The Breakthrough Prize
The Breakthrough Prize, renowned as the “Oscars of Science,” recognizes the world’s top scientists. Each prize is $3 million and presented in the fields of Life Sciences, Fundamental Physics (one per year) and Mathematics (one per year). In addition, up to three New Horizons in Physics Prizes, up to three New Horizons in Mathematics Prizes and up to three Maryam Mirzakhani New Frontiers Prizes are given out to early-career researchers each year. Laureates attend a gala award ceremony designed to celebrate their achievements and inspire the next generation of scientists.

The Breakthrough Prizes were founded by Sergey Brin, Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg, Julia and Yuri Milner, and Anne Wojcicki. The Prizes have been sponsored by the personal foundations established by Sergey Brin, Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg, Julia and Yuri Milner and Anne Wojcicki. Selection Committees composed of previous Breakthrough Prize laureates in each field choose the winners. Information on the Breakthrough Prize is available at breakthroughprize.org.

About Khan Academy
Khan Academy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission of providing a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere. Khan Academy is piloting an AI guide called Khanmigo that is a tutor and teaching assistant. Khanmigo is integrated into a platform that includes practice problems, videos and articles that cover a range of subjects. Khan Academy’s free app for young children ages two to eight is Khan Academy Kids. The organization partners with school districts across the country that serve students who are historically under-resourced. Districts use Khan Academy Districts, MAP Accelerator and Khan Academy Kids to help teachers differentiate instruction. Worldwide, more than 160 million registered learners have used Khan Academy in 190 countries and 51 languages. For more information, please see research findings about Khan Academy and our press center.

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL)
The Breakthrough Prize Lab for the winning student’s school is designed in partnership with Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL). Founded in 1890, CSHL is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit that powers transformation discoveries in cancer, neuroscience, plant biology, artificial intelligence, and quantitative biology. Merging world-renowned science and education divisions, CSHL nurtures a culture of curiosity, discovery, and innovation to make lives better. CSHL’s DNA Learning Center (DNALC) is the largest provider of hands-on instruction in genetics and biotechnology – operating five centers in the NY metro area, encompassing 20 teaching and bioinformatics labs. Each year 36,000 middle and high school students conduct experiments with DNALC faculty; an additional 2,000 participate in intensive, 5-day summer camps and mentored research projects. For more information visit www.cshl.edu.

Contact
For more information, including competition rules, video submission guidelines and queries, go to: breakthroughjuniorchallenge.org.

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Lena Johnson Named President of National Brokerage for Douglas Elliman Realty

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Luxury brand executive and real estate industry veteran to lead national brokerage operations and accelerate Douglas Elliman’s leadership in the high-end market

NEW YORK, April 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Douglas Elliman Realty, the preeminent luxury residential real estate brokerage in the United States, today announced the appointment of Lena Johnson as President of National Brokerage. Based at the firm’s New York City headquarters at 575 Madison Avenue in Manhattan, Johnson will lead brokerage operations nationally with a strategic mandate to further strengthen the firm’s position in the global luxury real estate market, elevate agent performance, and deliver a distinctly differentiated experience for both agents and clients. She will report directly to Douglas Elliman Inc. President & CEO Michael S. Liebowitz.

“Lena understands the luxury consumer at the highest level and has repeatedly built businesses that attract elite talent and deliver elevated client experiences,” said Michael S. Liebowitz. “Douglas Elliman has always stood apart through service, relationships, and excellence. Lena’s leadership strengthens that identity and positions us to lead the next era of luxury brokerage.”

Johnson joins Douglas Elliman with a career defined by leadership at brands synonymous with luxury, design, and high-touch client service. Her experience spans premier names in real estate, media, and lifestyle, where she has built platforms that resonate with sophisticated consumers and top-performing talent making her uniquely aligned with Douglas Elliman’s brand and vision.

“From my earliest conversations with Michael, it was clear we share the same vision for where the luxury market is headed and what agents need to succeed in it,” said Johnson. “Douglas Elliman has an extraordinary brand, unmatched heritage, and a powerful opportunity to further define the future of luxury real estate. By investing in our agents and delivering a more elevated, personalized experience, we can continue to be the brokerage of choice for the world’s most discerning clients.”

Johnson most recently served as Chief Marketing Officer at ONE Sotheby’s International Realty, where she led strategic marketing and brand strategy. Prior to that, she was VP of Marketing and Head of Luxury Division at Compass, where she built and led a 150-person in-house marketing and creative services agency. Earlier in her career, Johnson held senior leadership roles at Vogue, overseeing sales and marketing across the Americas, France, and the UK.

Johnson has emphasized accessibility and deep engagement with the firm’s agent community as a cornerstone of her leadership approach. Agents across all markets can expect close partnership, active collaboration, and meaningful investment in tools, support, and growth opportunities.

A key component of Johnson’s strategy will be leveraging Douglas Elliman’s scale and independence to create a differentiated value proposition in a competitive landscape. She sees the firm as uniquely positioned — not as a big-box brokerage, but as a brand with both heritage and agility that can deliver a more tailored and elevated experience than larger, more institutional competitors.

In her role, Johnson will also focus on expanding Douglas Elliman’s presence in key luxury growth markets globally, while continuing to strengthen its leadership in its established markets nationwide. Her mandate includes enhancing agent productivity, modernizing brokerage infrastructure, and attracting top-tier talent aligned with the firm’s long-term vision. She will work alongside the broader executive leadership team as the company executes on its strategy to accelerate growth and reinforce its position as the preeminent luxury residential real estate brokerage in the United States.

Johnson’s appointment underscores Douglas Elliman’s continued commitment to innovation, growth, and leadership in the global luxury real estate sector.

About Douglas Elliman Inc.
Douglas Elliman Inc. (NYSE: DOUG) owns Douglas Elliman Realty, LLC, which is one of the largest residential brokerage companies in the United States with operations in New York City, Long Island, Westchester, Connecticut, New Jersey, the Hamptons, Massachusetts, Florida, California, Texas, Colorado, Nevada, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. In addition, Douglas Elliman Inc. provides other real estate services, including development marketing, mortgage as well as settlement and escrow services in select markets, and uses as well as invests in early-stage, disruptive property technology solutions and companies. Additional information concerning Douglas Elliman Inc. is available on its website, investors.elliman.com.

Investors and others should note that we may post information about Douglas Elliman Inc. on our website at investors.elliman.com or, if applicable, on our accounts on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube or other social media platforms. It is possible that the postings or releases could include information deemed to be material information. Therefore, we encourage investors, the media and others interested in Douglas Elliman Inc. to review the information we post on our website at investors.elliman.com and on our social media accounts.

Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities law. All statements other than statements of historical or current facts made in this press release are forward-looking. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the future growth, plans, strategies and results of Douglas Elliman Inc. We identify forward-looking statements in this press release by using words or phrases such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may be,” “continue” “could,” “potential,” “objective,” “plan,” “seek,” “predict,” “project” and “will be” and similar words or phrases or their negatives. Forward-looking statements reflect our current expectations and are inherently uncertain. Actual results could differ materially for a variety of reasons. Risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ significantly from our current expectations are described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 and our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed thereafter. We undertake no responsibility to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, except as required by applicable law.

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Kaseya Unveils the First Agentic IT Management Platform – Turning Data into Autonomous Action

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Powered by Kaseya Intelligence, Kaseya’s platform combines the industry’s deepest real-world IT dataset with an execution layer that acts with accuracy

MIAMI, April 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Kaseya, the leading global provider of AI-powered IT management and cybersecurity software, today introduced the first agentic IT management platform – powered by Kaseya Intelligence.

Unlike traditional IT management tools that surface insights for humans to act on, Kaseya’s platform combines comprehensive data across IT operations, cybersecurity, and cyber resilience with an execution layer that autonomously takes action – triaging tickets, containing threats, verifying backups, and optimizing workflows without manual intervention.

This is the core architectural difference. Every major technology vendor has added AI. But AI built on partial data and disconnected tools produces recommendations that are frequently inaccurate – creating more work, not less. Kaseya is the only platform with unified data spanning endpoints, help desks, security operations, and backup infrastructure, paired with the ability to execute across all systems from a single platform. The result is not just intelligence. It is accurate, autonomous action.

“The industry doesn’t need another AI feature bolted onto a disconnected tool,” said Rania Succar, Chief Executive Officer of Kaseya. “What MSPs and IT teams need is a platform that runs their operations – one that sees across every system, understands context, and acts autonomously. That’s what we’ve built. Kaseya Intelligence is the engine. The platform is the operating system. And the outcome is IT that manages itself.”

Why Only Kaseya Can Deliver This

Kaseya Intelligence is the engine at the core of the platform – built on more than 1 billion help desk tickets, 3 exabytes of backup data, and 17 million managed endpoints. This is not a general-purpose AI layer. It is a purpose-built system trained on real-world data at a scale no competitor can match.

But data alone is not enough. What separates Kaseya from the rest of the market is what happens after the AI thinks. Competitors surface a recommendation and hand it to a technician. Kaseya’s platform closes the loop – executing the action, validating the outcome, and learning from it. This is the difference between AI as a feature and AI as an operating system.

Today’s Announcements

The platform vision is already being delivered across three major releases announced today at Kaseya Connect Global:

Agentic Digital Specialists

The service delivery layer powered by Intelligence. Kaseya has introduced AI-powered Digital Specialists that autonomously handle high-volume IT tasks – starting with Ticket Triage, which automatically categorizes and routes tickets with high accuracy, reducing errors and accelerating resolution.

“20 to 30% of our tickets aren’t categorized correctly today,” said Koos Ligtenberg, Business Unit Director, Advisor ICT. “That creates all kinds of downstream issues – including billing inaccuracies. From what we’re seeing in early testing, we believe the Ticket Triage Digital Specialist will eliminate up to 80% of those errors. This is a huge deal for us.”

Kaseya’s Ticket Triage Digital Specialist is generally available today for Autotask Ultimate customers. Additional Digital Specialists spanning IT operations, cybersecurity, and cyber resilience will follow.

Unified Cyber Resilience

Kaseya has unified on-prem, SaaS, Endpoint, and Cloud backup into a single integrated portal – eliminating the fragmented tool sprawl that forces technicians to manage recovery across disconnected vendors. Powered by Kaseya Intelligence, the Unified Cyber Resilience Portal delivers actionable insights through connected workflows and intelligent prioritization, AI-driven screenshot verification with greater than 99.9% accuracy, and compliance coverage including FIPS capabilities and FedRAMP readiness.

Coverage is expanding further across cloud and virtualization. Azure Files support is now generally available, extending Azure VM protection to file shares and unstructured data – giving partners a cost-effective way to protect critical Azure workloads beyond a single-cloud environment. Agentless Hyper-V backup follows in June 2026, protecting virtual machines without individual agents to deploy or maintain.

Kaseya SIEM

Kaseya SIEM is now generally available – a purpose-built solution that delivers enterprise-grade security operations for MSPs and IT teams without the complexity and cost of traditional SIEM platforms. It unifies telemetry across endpoint, network, cloud, identity, and email, correlating signals from more than 60 data sources to detect and respond to threats across the full attack surface.

Unlike traditional SIEMs that require dedicated security engineers, or managed-only offerings that limit control, Kaseya SIEM gives IT teams enterprise-grade detection without enterprise-grade staffing. Cross-surface correlation shows technicians the full attack picture in one interface, without a specialist to parse it. Automated response contains threats in minutes, acting across systems instead of bouncing alerts back to a human. Tunable detection cuts noise, and 400-day log retention covers compliance out of the box. For customers who’d rather not run a SOC in-house, a 24/7 team of real security experts – accelerated by Kaseya Intelligence – delivers the coverage of a dedicated SOC without the burden of building one.

Accelerating Innovation

These releases reflect an accelerating pace of innovation, with more than 100 new features and enhancements delivered in the last 90 days. Kaseya Intelligence is embedded across the platform today and will continue to power new capabilities across IT operations, cybersecurity, and cyber resilience – moving the industry from tools that inform to a platform that acts.

About Kaseya

Kaseya is the leading global provider of AI-powered IT management and cybersecurity software, delivering an integrated platform that helps MSPs and businesses manage infrastructure, secure environments, protect data, and streamline operations. Trusted by more than 40,000 organizations worldwide, Kaseya enables customers to improve productivity, reduce complexity, and scale efficiently. To learn more, visit www.kaseya.com.

 

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Canary Speech Introduces Free Voice-Based Check-In for Consumers to Help Identify Early Signs of Mental Health Decline

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As gaps in early detection persist, a 45-second voice analysis offers a new way to identify signals of stress, anxiety, and depression during Mental Health Awareness Month

PROVO, Utah, April 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Canary Speech, a leader in vocal biomarker technology, is introducing a free, voice-based check-in designed to help individuals better understand their mental well-being and identify potential early signs of stress, anxiety, and depression. The 45-second check-in offers a quick, private way for individuals to assess their mental well-being and identify potential early signals. Available at no cost through Mental Health Awareness Month, the tool can also be shared to encourage broader awareness and participation.

Mental health challenges affect a significant portion of the population, yet many cases still go unrecognized or untreated due to a lack of early detection. Nearly one in five U.S. adults lives with a mental illness each year, and only about half receive treatment, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, underscoring a persistent gap between need and care.

Subtle changes in speech patterns, tone, and cadence can reflect underlying mental health conditions, but these signals are frequently missed in everyday life. Canary Speech’s technology analyzes vocal characteristics using artificial intelligence to detect indicators associated with stress, anxiety, and depression. By translating voice data into measurable insights, the platform offers a new way to recognize changes that individuals may not be aware of.

“Too often, people don’t recognize changes in their mental health until symptoms begin to interfere with daily life,” said Henry O’Connell, CEO of Canary Speech. “Voice offers a natural, objective signal that can help identify those changes earlier. By making that insight accessible in a simple way, we can help more people take action sooner.”

This initiative reflects a broader shift toward proactive mental health monitoring, where early detection and ongoing awareness play a more central role in care. While voice-based analysis is not a replacement for clinical diagnosis, it can serve as an initial signal that prompts individuals to seek further evaluation and support. As conversations around mental health continue to evolve, Canary Speech aims to help close the gap between experiencing symptoms and recognizing them. By making these signals more visible and accessible, the company seeks to empower individuals to take a more active role in their mental health.

To learn more about Canary Speech, visit www.canaryspeech.com.

About Canary Speech

Canary Speech is a Utah-based, AI-powered voice biomarker health tech company, utilizing patented real-time vocal analysis to screen for mental health and neurological disorders. Canary’s technology swiftly captures and analyzes speech data, detecting behavioral and cognitive changes—including signs of anxiety, depression, and dementia—often before traditional clinical standards or noticeable symptoms. Recently, Canary Speech launched Canary Ambient™, an API-first solution for real-time voice analysis in healthcare and contact centers. This clinical decision support software provides actionable insights from patient-clinician conversations by tracking speech patterns for real-time assessments of cognitive and behavioral health conditions. Canary Speech advances speech and language applications across health systems, payers, and pharmaceutical markets.

Media Contact:

Caitlyn Brooksby, VP of Marketing
caitlyn@canaryspeech.com

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