Latest news with #CRAFT
Time Out Abu Dhabi
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time Out Abu Dhabi
This Southern-style Saturday brunch in Abu Dhabi serves drinks brewed on-site
If you're craving something with a little more bite, a little more character and a selection of hops, this is the brunch that'll blow your basic brunch out of the water. There are brunches – and then there's brunch at CRAFT by Side Hustle. Every Saturday from noon to 4pm, CRAFT throws down a bold feast. It's Southern US-style comfort food done right – smoky, sticky, spicy and slow-cooked perfection. If you're wondering what to get, start with the loaded brisket nachos and warm, house-baked pretzels before diving into the signature smokehouse spread: juicy beef brisket, bourbon garlic burnt ends, jumbo wings and spicy homemade chorizo (okay, we're officially hungry). Add sides like creamy mac 'n' cheese, crunchy slaw, seasoned skinny fries and slices of sourdough pizza and you've got a menu that's made for serious foodies. Dessert brings more American classics – think buttermilk pie and fresh, sugar-dusted beignets. Setting the vibe while you're chowing down on delicious food? The resident DJ who will be spinning the deck from 1-5pm. CRAFT is the UAE's first and only microbrewery restaurant where everything is brewed just metres from your table – and yes, the brunch serves pints. The drinks list doesn't stop at hops though. The premium package comes with a large selection of mixed drinks and spirits, including flavours like popcorn, espresso and many others. Prefer the classics? The house package includes two draft hops, grape and other refreshing mixed drinks. And if you want to continue the party, happy hour starts at 4pm. CRAFT by Side Hustle isn't trying to fit into the usual brunch mould – and that's exactly why it works. It's bold, independent, flavour-first and full of personality. Book now: Dhs199 (soft package), Dhs299 (house package), Dhs399 (premium package). Every Saturday from noon to 4pm. CRAFT by Side Hustle, B3, under Rosewood Hotel. @craft_by_sidehustle
Business Wire
07-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Prudential Fosters Advancement of Fintech Research by Joining CRAFT Industry Board at Stevens Institute of Technology
NEWARK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU) announced today it has joined the Industry Advisory Board of the Center for Research toward Advancing Financial Technologies (CRAFT) at Stevens Institute of Technology. As a board member, Prudential will partner with leading research universities, including Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University of Connecticut, to address the opportunities and challenges in financial technology. With its focus on expanding access to investing, insurance, and retirement security, Prudential sees an opportunity to bring a unique perspective to the center's mission of building partnerships. 'At the heart of everything we do at Prudential is the customer, and our ability to serve a consistent set of needs across different markets globally,' said Bob Bastian, chief information and technology officer for Global Retirement and Insurance businesses at Prudential. 'To meet those evolving needs, we continuously innovate financial technology to create the next generation of financial solutions to help people live better lives, longer.' 'Our partnership with CRAFT demonstrates our ongoing commitment to research and innovation through connecting the financial services industry to leading colleges and universities,' Bastian added. Nariman Farvardin, president of Stevens, said Prudential will bring significant contributions to the industry board. 'This partnership strengthens our academic-industry collaboration in financial technologies, particularly in emerging areas like quantum computing and AI. Prudential's expertise will create valuable opportunities for our students and faculty while advancing innovation in the fintech ecosystem,' he said. Prudential will be represented on the center's board by Ian Mehok, vice president of strategy for the company's Global Retirement and Insurance businesses. Early focuses of research for Prudential will include insurance and investing technology, quantum computing, cyber and data security, artificial intelligence and machine learning. 'CRAFT brings together the best and brightest minds from both industry and academia to create transformative momentum and leverage the latest financial technologies,' said George Calhoun, Stevens School of Business professor and director of the Hanlon Financial Systems Center. Added Steve Yang, CRAFT director, 'CRAFT is committed to building strong partnerships between academia and industry in the fintech space, and Prudential's involvement will amplify this mission — unlocking exciting new opportunities in the financial services and insurance sector.' CRAFT is an industry-university cooperative research organization, with an Industry Board that includes Bank of America, Bank of New York Mellon, Charles Schwab, CME, Goldman Sachs, IBM, Park Avenue Finance, Vanguard Group, and Wells Fargo. Funded by the National Science Foundation, CRAFT convenes industry leaders and engaged students to explore the transformative potential of financial technologies, and advocates for a holistic approach to fintech innovation by integrating societal values into its initiatives. About Prudential Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), a global financial services leader and premier active global investment manager with approximately $1.5 trillion in assets under management as of March 31, 2025, has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Prudential's diverse and talented employees help make lives better and create financial opportunity for more people by expanding access to investing, insurance, and retirement security. Prudential's iconic Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability, expertise and innovation for 150 years. For more information, please visit Prudential, the Prudential logo, and the Rock symbol are service marks of Prudential Financial, Inc. and its related entities, registered in many jurisdictions worldwide. CRAFT is the first fintech-focused industry-university cooperative research center funded by the National Science Foundation. CRAFT's founding universities, Stevens Institute of Technology and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, are premier science and engineering institutions, long-established and experienced in research programs, with a complete portfolio of relevant scientific disciplines appropriate for the fintech focus. Led by these institutions, CRAFT is dedicated to advancing research and innovation in financial technologies to address contemporary challenges in the finance sector. About Stevens Institute of Technology Stevens Institute of Technology is a premier, private research university in Hoboken, New Jersey, overlooking the Manhattan skyline. Since our founding in 1870, technological innovation and entrepreneurship have been the hallmark of Stevens' education and research. Within the university's schools, Stevens prepares its more than 8,000 undergraduate and graduate students for an increasingly complex and technology-centric world. Our exceptional students collaborate closely with world-class faculty in an interdisciplinary, student-centric, entrepreneurial environment, readying them to fuel the innovation economy. Academic and research programs spanning finance, computing, engineering and the arts expand the frontiers of science and leverage technology to confront the most challenging problems of our time. Stevens is consistently ranked among the nation's leaders in ROI and career services and is in the top 1% nationally of colleges with the highest-paid graduates.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Citrus industry, ‘decimated' by greening, clings to hope, Simpson says
Credit: Scott Bauer, USDA A pathway still exists to rebuild a 'robust' citrus industry through continued research and state support, notwithstanding grave environmental challenges, Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson insisted to a Senate committee last month. Hurricanes, real estate development, and citrus greening contributed to a 90% citrus industry decline in Florida over the past 20 years. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Florida farmers produced nearly 300 million boxes of citrus in 2004. By 2024, harvests yielded about 20 million boxes. The forecast for 2025 is 14.1 million boxes, according to the USDA. Citrus greening, the insect-carried tree disease that first hit Florida in 2005, has 'decimated' the industry, Simpson told the Senate Agriculture Committee on Jan. 14. Psyllids, or plant lice, infect citrus trees, damaging yields and ultimately killing the tree. In 2019, citrus farmers reported that about 80% of their trees were infected. 'Losing the citrus industry is not an option,' Matt Joyner, CEO of Florida Citrus Mutual, an industry group, said during the committee hearing. There is good news: The University of Florida last month announced its researchers have 'one of the most promising discoveries to date' related to citrus greening. Those researchers genetically modified trees to kill baby psyllids that make contact with the plant by producing a protein toxic to the bug. They hope to begin field tests in 'about a year,' meaning the university is 'a few years away' from confirming the effectiveness of the method. 'The only way we're going to solve [citrus greening] is to continue to plant and see what works. And unfortunately, it takes three to five years before we get to the answers after we plant,' Simpson said. Joyner figures the 'gold standard' will be a tree resistant to greening, or a tree, like UF just announced, that kills psyllids, preventing the bugs from spreading the disease. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Research is 'critical,' Joyner said, 'but replanting is critical as well.' 'We've got extensive infrastructure in this state that requires us to produce boxes of oranges to keep it going,' he said, including nurseries and packing plants. Decline of Florida's citrus industry hastened by Trump's tariff tiff Simpson advocated for the Citrus Research and Field Trials program (CRAFT), a Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services support organization that researches management practices. 'If we continue with the CRAFT program and the gains that we're making with the various rootstocks and a citrus greening-resistant tree, I believe we can have a robust citrus industry,' Simpson said. Expanding production to 50-70 million boxes per year in 10 years, 'maybe that spells success,' the commissioner said. The citrus industry was worth about $7 billion in the 2020-2021 fiscal year, according to University of Florida researchers. 'Everybody thinks of beaches and Mickey Mouse in the state of Florida, but agriculture, citrus and others, is the heart of this industry, it's the backbone of this industry,' Joyner said. Hurricanes inflicted nearly $1 billion in Florida agriculture production losses in 2024, a year when three hurricanes made landfall in the state, according to UF researchers. 2024 agriculture production losses could near $1 billion, researchers say Total agricultural production losses for the 2024 hurricane season are estimated at between $402.3 million and $975.8 million, with the third storm, Hurricane Milton, costing up to $642.7 million. Forty-one counties experienced at least tropical storm conditions during all three 2024 events. Taylor, Lafayette, Dixie, and Suwannee counties faced hurricane conditions during Debby and Helene — areas that had already experienced Idalia in 2023 and Ian in 2022. Damaged crops paired with the thirst for land development have driven producers out of the industry, such as Alico Inc. The company, which operates in eight counties, said it will cease citrus production after this season. Alico owns more than 50,000 acres of agricultural land but in the face of 'increasing financial challenges from citrus greening disease and environmental factors for many seasons' henceforth 'will focus its resources on creating new opportunities for profitable growth while also acting prudently on behalf of shareholders.' 'The impact of Hurricanes Irma in 2017, Ian in 2022, and Milton in 2024 on our trees, already weakened from years of citrus greening disease, has led Alico to conclude that growing citrus is no longer economically viable for us in Florida,' said John Kiernan, CEO of Alico, in a news release. Sen. Keith Truenow, a Republican from Tavares and chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said he recognizes the struggle. 'I think with everything facing the citrus industry, we have to figure out all the things we can do to encourage farmers to stay in the business,' he said. Truenow added that property taxes and land classification regulations 'need to be tightened up' so producers 'don't feel like they have to pay three or four times or five times the [tax] rate to hold on to their property. Everyone knows they're not going to hold it very long at that rate because they're already losing money for the last 20 years, basically.' While Florida's population grows, and property values increase while farmers wait for a solution to greening, 'it can be a real allure to sell these acres for what they're worth,' Joyner said. 'Committed' growers, he continued, will have to wait years before research produces commercially productive groves. Meanwhile, Alico said it expects to 'entitle certain parcels of its land for commercial and residential development.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
