Technology

A+ Federal Credit Union Celebrates Fifth Annual A+ Gives Day with Volunteer Service and Community-Driven Giving

Published

1 day ago

October 9, 2026

Team members volunteering across Texas and the nation while community voting initiative awards $10,000 to local nonprofit organizations.

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A+ Federal Credit Union (A+FCU) is celebrating its fifth annual A+ Gives Day by bringing team members together for a coordinated day of volunteer service benefiting nonprofit organizations in Central Texas, across Texas, and throughout the country. The annual initiative also includes a community-wide voting campaign that awards $10,000 to five local nonprofits.

On Monday, October 12, 2026, A+FCU team members will volunteer with nonprofit organizations in the communities where they live and work, supporting causes focused on community outreach, park cleanup, animal welfare, and food insecurity. While many team members will serve at organizations throughout Central Texas, remote team members across Texas and around the country will also participate in volunteer activities in their local communities.

As part of this year’s effort, A+FCU is awarding $10,000 in charitable donations, with five nonprofit organizations each receiving a $2,000 contribution following a public voting campaign that invited community members to help determine the recipients.

“A+ Gives Day reflects the spirit of service that has always been at the heart of A+FCU,” said Eric R. Kase, President/CEO of A+ Federal Credit Union. “Our team members give back throughout the year, but A+ Gives Day is special because it brings us together around a shared purpose. Whether volunteering in Central Texas, elsewhere across the state, or in communities around the country, our team dedicates this day to supporting organizations that make a real difference. As we celebrate five years of A+ Gives Day, we’re proud of what this initiative has become, the partnerships it has fostered, and the collective impact our team members and nonprofit partners continue to make in communities across Texas and beyond.”

Originally created by A+FCU employees in 2019 as part of the credit union’s 70th anniversary celebration, A+ Gives began as a series of acts of kindness and community service projects. Since then, it has evolved into a year-round commitment to volunteerism, charitable giving, and community partnerships, anchored by an annual day of service that brings team members together to support causes that matter most to their communities.

The five nonprofits receiving this year’s $2,000 donations were selected through an online voting campaign that encouraged community members and supporters to rally behind organizations making a positive impact across Central Texas. Donation recipients will be announced during A+ Gives Day activities.

The annual initiative continues to grow in impact. During the 2025 A+ Gives Day, over 490 A+FCU employees volunteered more than 1,500 hours at 74 organizations, including 42 across Central Texas and 32 in communities across the country. As A+FCU celebrates the fifth annual A+ Gives Day, the initiative stands as a reflection of the credit union’s long-standing commitment to serving others through volunteerism, charitable giving, financial education, and community partnerships.

A+ Gives is an ongoing effort that positively impacts community partners and A+FCU team members. Visit aplusfcu.org/gives to learn more about the program’s history and the organizations it supports.

A+ Federal Credit Union was founded in 1949 by 50 Austin, Texas teachers. Over seventy-seven years later, A+FCU is an award-winning institution with more than 190,000 members throughout the community, $2.52 billion in assets, over 520 employees, and 22 branches. A+FCU supports members with a full range of financial products, including home, auto, and business loans, checking and savings accounts, as well as digital banking solutions for banking on the go. Learn more at aplusfcu.org.

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SOURCE A+ Federal Credit Union

Technology

KAPSARC TO JOIN 25TH WPC ENERGY CONGRESS IN RIYADH AS NATIONAL PARTNER

Published

38 minutes ago

October 10, 2026

More than 20 KAPSARC leaders, researchers, and experts to contribute across the Congress’s Executive, Technical, Synergy, and Special Programmes

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — KAPSARC participates as a National Partner in the 25th WPC Energy Congress in Riyadh, bringing its leaders and experts into discussions addressing some of the most important issues shaping the future of energy.

Taking place from 11 to 15 October 2026 under the theme “Pathways to an Energy Future for All,” the Congress will be hosted in Saudi Arabia for the first time in its history. First held in London in 1933, the Congress will bring together government leaders, industry executives, policymakers, researchers, and innovators in Riyadh to examine the forces reshaping global energy systems, from security and investment to technology and sustainability.

KAPSARC’s participation extends across the Congress’s Executive, Technical, Synergy, and Special Programmes, alongside additional sessions and activities, reflecting the breadth of the Center’s research and policy expertise. KAPSARC President Fahad Alajlan and Dr. Ghadah Alarifi, Dean of the KAPSARC School of Public Policy, are among KAPSARC’s speakers in the Executive Programme.

Across the Congress, KAPSARC experts contribute research and policy perspectives on energy supply and demand, energy access, natural gas, ESG and governance, the Circular Carbon Economy, artificial intelligence, mobility, and lower-emission pathways for refining and petrochemicals.

Within the Special Programme, KAPSARC leads a Knowledge Sprint session titled “Generative AI for Evidence-Based Oil Markets,” examining how generative AI can support oil-market analysis and policy research. The session explores AI-assisted data workflows, econometric and scenario analysis, responsible AI practices, and the translation of technical findings into decision-ready insights.

KAPSARC also participates in the World Café through a session on “Carbon Dioxide Removal Technologies,” bringing together experts, policymakers, and practitioners to examine the prospects for scaling engineered carbon-removal solutions. The discussion covers direct air capture, bioenergy with carbon capture and storage, and biochar, alongside the economic, infrastructure, regulatory, carbon-market, and regional considerations influencing their deployment.

In the Synergy Programme, KAPSARC experts contribute to discussions on “Accelerating the Circular Carbon Economy Through Joint Action” and “AI Partnerships for Energy Innovation,” bringing research-based perspectives to the intersection of energy, technology, and sustainability.

KAPSARC’s dedicated pavilion provides another platform for knowledge exchange and engagement throughout the Congress. Structured around five thematic hubs, the pavilion brings together KAPSARC research, analytical tools, and expertise across the Oil Hub, Transportation Hub, Clean Energy Hub, AI Hub, and Collaboration Hub. Together, the hubs provide visitors with an integrated view of selected research areas and emerging issues shaping energy systems, while creating opportunities for engagement with policymakers, industry leaders, researchers, and other Congress participants.

The pavilion also features the KAPSARC School of Public Policy (KSPP) and the Saudi Energy Leaders Assembly (SELA), providing additional platforms for policy education, leadership development, and knowledge exchange.

Through its participation across the Congress’s programmes and sessions, alongside its dedicated thematic pavilion, KAPSARC connects Saudi-based research and policy expertise with international discussions on energy security, investment, technology, and sustainability.

About KAPSARC

KAPSARC is an advisory think tank dedicated to advancing knowledge on energy, environmental and regional economic issues. As an accredited observer to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), KAPSARC actively contributes to global climate action. KAPSARC’s mission is to advance Saudi Arabia’s energy sector and inform global policies through evidence-based advice and applied research.

For more information about KAPSARC:
https://www.kapsarc.org/

Media inquiries:
media@kapsarc.org

Connect with us on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/kapsarc

Subscribe to our newsletter:
https://subscribe.kapsarc.org/kapsarc-newsletter-signup

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SOURCE KAPSARC

Technology

STARMUS VIII Announces Two Young Changemakers as Junior Medal Winners

Published

38 minutes ago

October 10, 2026

Valeria Corrales receives the Junior Stephen Hawking Medal and Aneeshwar Kunchala receives the Junior Jane Goodall Earth Medal

CANARY ISLANDS, Spain, Oct. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — STARMUS VIII, the premier international festival of science, music and exploration, is proud to announce the recipients of two special distinctions celebrating the next generation of scientific and environmental leaders.

Valeria Corrales, from Spain, will receive the Junior Stephen Hawking Medal, in recognition of her exceptional work bringing science, programming and technology to young audiences.

Aneeshwar Kunchala, from the United Kingdom, will receive the Junior Jane Goodall Earth Medal, honouring his remarkable dedication to wildlife conservation, biodiversity and inspiring children to protect the natural world.

Although their work focuses on different fields, both young changemakers share a conviction at the heart of STARMUS: knowledge should inspire action, and age should never be a barrier to making a difference.

Valeria Corrales — Junior Stephen Hawking Medal

Valeria Corrales began her journey in science communication at the age of ten, when she co-founded the educational platform ValPat in 2018 alongside her mentor Patricia Heredia.

What began as an initiative to make science and technology more accessible has grown into a major Spanish-language STEM education platform, with more than 750 videos and 240,000 YouTube subscribers.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Valeria and Patricia offered 100 consecutive days of free online STEM classes, helping thousands of children across Spain and Latin America continue learning during lockdown.

Valeria has since received national and international recognition. She was named among Forbes Spain’s 23 Changemakers in 2023, became a finalist for the Princess of Girona Social Award in 2025, and was selected as a Top 10 finalist for the Global Student Prize from nearly 11,000 applications and nominations across 148 countries.

Now studying Computational Media at the Georgia Institute of Technology, she continues to explore how science, technology, creativity and storytelling can transform education.

Her achievements reflect the spirit of Stephen Hawking’s belief in the power of curiosity and the importance of sharing scientific knowledge with everyone.

Aneeshwar Kunchala — Junior Jane Goodall Earth Medal

At just eleven years old, Aneeshwar Kunchala has already become an internationally recognized voice for wildlife conservation and environmental education.

His extraordinary journey began when he was only four, after learning about a whale that had died because of plastic pollution. That experience inspired a mission to protect animals and encourage others to care for the natural world.

Since then, Aneeshwar has reached international audiences through television documentaries, educational programmes, public speaking, journalism and art.

His work includes appearances and productions for BBC, Sky Kids and Channel 5, while his conservation message has reached audiences at major international events and institutions.

Aneeshwar holds three Guinness World Records and has received honours including the Diana Award and the British Citizen Youth Award. He has also been named a young ambassador for the National Trust and became the first young columnist for National Geographic Kids UK. He has also been recognized with the Young Scientific Explorer honorary award – from the Scientific Exploration Society.

His work combines scientific curiosity, compassion for animals and an extraordinary ability to communicate with younger generations.

His guiding message captures the simplicity and urgency of his mission:

“Save the animals and make sure the world looks beautiful.”

The Junior Jane Goodall Earth Medal recognizes not only his achievements, but also his determination to inspire a generation that sees the protection of biodiversity as a shared responsibility.

Two Young Voices, One Shared Future

Stephen Hawking dedicated his life to understanding the Universe. Jane Goodall transformed our understanding of the natural world and our responsibility to protect it.

Through these two Junior Medals, STARMUS celebrates the continuation of their legacies in a new generation.

Valeria Corrales is helping young people discover the power of science and technology. Aneeshwar Kunchala is inspiring them to protect the extraordinary diversity of life on our planet.

Together, they represent a powerful message: the future of science and the future of our planet belong to those who are curious enough to ask questions and courageous enough to act.

The awards will be presented during STARMUS VIII, taking place in Tenerife and La Palma, Canary Islands, from 17 to 22 October 2026, under the theme The Search for Truth. The Festival will bring together some of the world’s leading figures in science, space exploration, technology, music and the arts to explore the importance of evidence, knowledge, reason and scientific thinking in an increasingly complex world.

More information about the Starmus VIII and tickets available at: www.starmus.com.

US: Dan DuPont, dupont0708@gmail.com, +1 202 380 7558

UK/EU: Nicole Ettinger, nicole@ettingerpr.com +44 7515 394107

Spain: Carlos Esteban, cesteban@llys.global, +34 699 55 2854

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SOURCE Starmus Foundation

Technology

Solvely.ai Makes the Case for AI That Builds Human Capability

Published

38 minutes ago

October 10, 2026

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Solvely.ai, an applied AI company, outlined its approach to AI agents for learning: helping people build understanding and skills, rather than simply completing tasks.

Co-founder Richard Weiqi Zhang shared this perspective at Funding Conviction, a September 18, 2026, webinar on education investment and the future of learning. Hosted by Edtech Insiders, the discussion featured Reach Capital’s Steve Kupfer and Minerva’s Ben Nelson.

“Learning has to make the person more capable,” said Zhang. “The goal is still to empower the learner, not to replace them.”

Building learning-specific intelligence

To support this approach, Solvely develops its own specialized models and agent systems for learning. It uses education-domain post-training to tailor models to specific learning tasks. Its agentic system identifies instructional content in images and documents, segments individual questions and routes each problem to the appropriate solving algorithm and visualization tools. Its agent architecture brings models, context and educational tools together to create explanations, visual exploration and practice. For problem-solving, Solvely cross-checks responses across multiple models.

An Anthropic case study shows how Solvely uses Claude to create interactive visualizations that learners can explore by changing inputs.

From answers to understanding

With Solvely’s AI math solver, learners can work through text or image-based questions with step-by-step explanations, ask follow-up questions and explore problems visually through whiteboard explanations. For exam preparation, they can turn their own course materials into study guides, flashcards and quizzes for review and practice.

For writing review, its AI detector provides signals for closer examination, not proof of authorship. Its published AI-text detection research details how the company develops, fine-tunes and evaluates task-specific models. Users remain responsible for reviewing output and following applicable academic requirements.

Industry recognition

Solvely was named to Nasdaq and Notable Capital’s inaugural Prosumer AI 40, alongside OpenAI, Anthropic, Cursor and Lovable. It was also selected for the 2026 GSV Cup 50, recognizing 50 of the world’s most promising EdTech startups.

Watch the webinar or explore Solvely.ai.

About Solvely.ai

Solvely.ai is an applied AI company amplifying human capability. Its AI agents help people learn, grow and realize their potential in the age of AI. Since launching in San Francisco in 2023, Solvely has served over 15 million users across 180+ countries.

Media contact: Richard Weiqi Zhang, richard@solvely.ai

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SOURCE Aignite Inc.