Latest news with #HeatherWilson
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar blames UTEP president for federal agency canceling $15M grant
UTEP has lost a $15 million federal grant aimed at growing the aerospace and defense manufacturing industries in the El Paso region. The grant, with the potential of growing to $160 million over 10 years, was suspended in spring 2024 by the National Science Foundation after UTEP officials reported the grant proposal had incorrect information that "committed resources that do not exist." The NSF reported in an Aug. 12 website posting that the grant had ended. U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, in a statement issued Friday, Aug. 15, blamed UTEP President Heather Wilson for the lost grant, which Escobar called El Paso's 'moon shot' to greatly advance the local economy. UTEP received no money from the grant, according to the NSF posting. Most of the funding was reallocated "following the initial suspension of the award," Mike England, a spokesman for the NSF, said in an email. "As a result, sufficient funds are no longer available to support the project as originally envisioned, and NSF cancelled the award," he said. Escobar said that a year ago, UTEP President Wilson 'accused highly-respected and beloved El Pasoan' Ahsan Choudhuri, a UTEP professor who oversaw the grant, "of 'incorrect statements' in the (grant) proposal (despite the fact that UTEP was involved in the grant process), demoted him, and set off a series of events that led to the loss of the funding this week." Escobar did not mention that a $40 million federal grant awarded in 2022 to a UTEP-led regional coalition of agencies remains in place. The coalition is using that money and plans to also use the $15 million NSF grant to grow aerospace and defense manufacturing in this region. Choudhuri also led the application for the $40 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce. UTEP officials did not immediately respond to El Paso Times' questions about the lost NSF grant and about Escobar's statement. Choudhuri declined to comment on the lost grant. He previously declined to comment on issues tied to the grant. He recently left UTEP and will retire from the school in December. He started ARC Aerospace, an aerospace and defense technology company, in El Paso. In May 2024, after the NSF grant suspension, Wilson removed Choudhuri as director of the UTEP Aerospace Center. In July 2024, Shery Welsh, an engineer and longtime executive for military research labs, became the new director of the center, which, in the spring, moved into the new, $80 million Advanced Manufacturing and Aerospace Center on the UTEP campus. More: El Paso's Helen of Troy names Scott Uzzell, former Nike, Coca-Cola executive, as new CEO The wrong grant-application information was that UTEP would have access to several county-owned buildings that were not yet built or leased at the county's Fabens Airport, and UTEP did not have 8,000 acres of land for an aerospace test range, according to the May 6 letter from UTEP to the NSF. The letter did not name Choudhuri or any other individuals. After NSF officials suspended the UTEP grant, they referred the matter to the NSF Office of Inspector General for further review, the NSF's England reported in May. A spokesman for the NSF Inspector General said in an email that officials could not confirm or deny if the office investigated the grant issues, even if the case was closed. Escobar, in her statement, said the "accusation" of incorrect grant proposal statements "triggered an OIG investigation, which to date has not announced any wrongdoing by Dr. Choudhuri." Vic Kolenc may be reached at 915-546-6421; vkolenc@ @vickolenc on Twitter, now known as X. This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: U.S. Rep. Escobar blames UTEP president for canceled $15M grant Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
CLARA Analytics launches new AI tools
CLARA Analytics has introduced two AI tools to support insurance claims professionals in making informed decisions and improving outcomes. The newly introduced tools are: CLARA Triage Risk Notes and Claim Event Indicators. The tools, according to the company, are intended to address operational challenges that claims organisations frequently encounter, such as missed opportunities and deviations from established best practices. These AI-powered tools assess every claim within an organisation's portfolio from inception to resolution. Embedded within CLARA Triage, the new tools aid claims teams in identifying and prioritising specific claims, prompting actionable insights. CLARA Triage leverages AI to help adjusters manage claims that demand attention and to streamline the handling of other claims that are less likely to require additional intervention. Risk Notes automatically generate summaries that interpret the complexities of each claim, updating with each new data entry for both structured and unstructured . Claim Event Indicators focus on the temporal aspects of claims management, analysing claims data to pinpoint events throughout the claim life cycle. These indicators are engineered to detect a wide array of critical moments, from the initial stages of loss notification and medical treatment to subsequent phases, including return-to-work planning, treatment monitoring, and culminating events such as litigation and settlement. CLARA Analytics CEO Heather Wilson said: 'We're applying AI strategically to lead the industry forward. 'By taking a more proactive approach, powered by intelligence, every single claim can be handled more efficiently than ever before, with unparalleled accuracy and precision. 'We're not replacing human expertise — we're amplifying it with smarter tools that provide continuous oversight and strategic guidance.' These tools, now available for workers' compensation claims, are set to expand to auto and general liability claims in the coming months. In February 2025, Merchants Insurance Group integrated CLARA Analytics' AI technology to enhance its auto liability claims process. "CLARA Analytics launches new AI tools " was originally created and published by Life Insurance International, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
UTEP breaks ‘Raise Your Pick Giving Day' donation record
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) raised over $390,000 in donations during the third annual Raise Your Pick Giving Day. UTEP hosts annual Raise Your Pick Giving Day Block Party According to the university, it was a record-breaking giving day, as the previous campaign record was $342,000 in 2023. 'Thank you to El Paso and the Miner community for raising your picks and supporting our students and the work we do here,' UTEP President Heather Wilson said. The funds raised will be used to support over 50 areas, including the UTEP Career Closet, the UTEP Food Pantry, the student emergency fund, academic programs, Miner athletics and student scholarships, according to UTEP. 'All of us in the Miner Nation are so thankful for the tremendous support,' Gary Edens, acting vice president for institutional advancement, said. 'Every donation helps to change the lives of our students as they work to earn their degrees and achieve their academic and professional goals.' This year's donation was made through over 2,400 individual gifts from alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends of the university, according to UTEP. According to the university, in addition, matches and giving challenges were contributed by several individual donors as well as community and corporate partners, including premium challenge sponsors Raiz Federal Credit Union, the El Paso Chihuahuas Foundation and Marathon Petroleum Corporation. If you missed the event, you can still donate to UTEP through the university's website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
X-37B Returns To Earth, Space Force Won't Commit To Buying More
After 434 days, the U.S. Space Force's secretive X-37B mini-shuttle has completed its seventh mission, returning to Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, at 2:22 a.m. EST today. The Orbital Test Vehicle-7 (OTV-7) mission was the first launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket — meaning that the X-37B could be placed in a much higher orbit than on previous missions, as TWZ previously explored. OTV-7 was also the first mission to use a highly elliptical orbit. At this point, however, the Space Force has said it won't buy any more X-37Bs beyond the two now in use. OTV-7 was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on December 28, 2023. 'While on orbit, Mission 7 accomplished a range of test and experimentation objectives intended to demonstrate the X-37B's robust maneuver capability while helping characterize the space domain through the testing of space domain awareness technology experiments,' the Space Force said. The Space Force released few details of what the X-37B got up to on its latest mission, which is very much in keeping with the level of classification that surrounds the program. However, OTV-7 included operating the reusable spaceplane 'in new orbital regimes.' As such, the mission took the X-37B beyond the so-called geostationary orbit (GEO) belt around the Earth, as you can read more about here. Orbits that take spacecraft beyond the GEO belt — which is defined as being around 22,236 miles (35,786 kilometers) above sea level — are categorized as high-Earth orbits (HEO). As previously noted, OTV-7 involved taking the X-37B for the first time on a highly elliptical orbit (confusingly, also known as HEO). The egg-shaped HEO trajectory allows the spaceplane to maneuver itself once it's close enough to the atmosphere. This is especially advantageous when it comes to keeping potential adversaries guessing as to where the X-37B is since the spaceplane can reappear unexpectedly in orbit. 'We know that that drives them nuts, and I'm really glad about that,' former Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said back in 2019 in reference to the HEO trajectory. In its statement today, the Space Force referred to the importance of the series of aerobraking maneuvers, used for the first time, which 'demonstrated the agile and flexible capabilities the X-37B provides.' Specifically, aerobraking is used to change the orbit of the spaceplane while expending minimal fuel. Aerobraking involves the spaceplane using the drag of the atmosphere, over the course of multiple passes, to dip into low-Earth orbit (LEO), during which it can separate from its service module. 'Mission 7 broke new ground by showcasing the X-37B's ability to flexibly accomplish its test and experimentation objectives across orbital regimes. The successful execution of the aerobraking maneuver underscores the U.S. Space Force's commitment to pushing the bounds of novel space operations in a safe and responsible manner,' said Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman In a recent interview with Aviation Week, Saltzman also confirmed that the aerobraking maneuver was used to evaluate the Space Force's Space Surveillance Network, a collection of optical and radar sensors used to detect, track, identify, and catalog all human-made objects in orbit. The Space Force's statement today also referred to the fact that Mission 7 included 'space domain awareness technology experiments that aim to improve the United States Space Force's knowledge of the space environment.' FALCON HEAVY TRANSITS THE MOON: Tonight's launch of the USSF-52 mission with seventh mission of the Space Force's X-37B spaceplane. — John Kraus (@johnkrausphotos) December 29, 2023 As is typical for these missions, no further details were provided, although these experiments appear to tie in with the Space Force's broader effort to locate and identify objects in distant orbits, as well as maneuver close to them in order to inspect them or assess their capabilities. The service's Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program, or GSSAP, is intended to achieve just this, and you can read more about it here. 'These technologies are critical to the U.S. Space Force's ability to conduct space operations in an increasingly congested and contested environment of space, to the benefit of all users of the domain,' the service added, in reference to space domain awareness experiments. Other features of OTV-7 include the first release of a photo of Earth taken by an X-37B. In fact, this was likely the first in-orbit shot from the craft of any kind to be officially released by the Pentagon. The image of Earth was taken 'while conducting experiments in a highly elliptical orbit,' and the camera itself is primarily used to 'ensure the health and safety of the vehicle,' the Space Force said. You can read more about it here. At the Air & Space Forces Association's 2025 Warfare Symposium this week, the Space Force told TWZ: 'Any future plans to build additional platforms beyond the two existing test vehicles will be evaluated based upon the nation's need.' The Space Force has also said it has no plans to use the X-37B as an operational vehicle, but the various experiments it has been carrying out will feed into any potential future U.S. spaceplane designs. At the same time, the current two-ship X-37B fleet will also provide a better understanding of how adversaries could use similar systems. In particular, China has been busy testing a spaceplane, named Shenlong (meaning Divine Dragon), which is thought to be broadly comparable to the X-37B. In the meantime, the X-37B has continued to conduct its highly classified missions, with the high level of classification fueling speculation about its potential use as space-based intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance (ISR) or weapons platform. What we know for sure is that the X-37Bs are assigned to the Space Force's main unit tasked with 'orbital warfare,' meaning they have an explicit military role. Notably, the X-37B that returned to Vandenberg today was wearing U.S. Space Force markings, rather than those of the U.S. Air Force, which had been applied during the previous OTV-6 mission. This change may well also reflect a growing effort to communicate to the public about the importance of space to military operations (and daily life) and potential threats outside of the Earth's atmosphere, as well as what the U.S. government is doing about those issues. Nevertheless, there is much more that we don't know about the X-37B than has been revealed to the public. The OTV-7 mission accomplishments are already being praised in terms of milestones in a new orbital regime, the novel aerobraking maneuver, and the testing of space domain awareness experiments. Certainly, however, there are many more significant achievements from OTV-7 that will remain under a veil of secrecy. Contact the author: thomas@
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
UTEP earns ‘R1' status again in latest Carnegie Classification of Institutions
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) has once again earned the highest research classification under the new Carnegie classification criteria, according to the university on Wednesday, Feb. 26. UTEP has earned an 'R1' which stands for 'Research 1: Very high spending and doctorate production,' according to the new methodology established by the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. 'This reaffirmation of our 'R1' status validates UTEP's commitment to conducting research that addresses critical challenges facing our society,' UTEP President Heather Wilson said. 'What makes our achievement particularly remarkable is that we've maintained our open-access mission while building research excellence, remaining the only 'R1' university in the United States with a 100 percent undergraduate admission rate.' UTEP first reached the R1 classification in December 2018, the university said. According to the new Carnegie criteria, R1 universities are required to spend an average of $50 million on research and development annually and award 70 or more research doctorates. UTEP said it has spent an average of $146 million in annual research expenditures across fields including aerospace, health, cybersecurity, water, border issues and more. In addition, UTEP is among 187 R1 universities out of roughly 4,000 accredited degree-granting institutions nationwide, placing in the top 5 percent for research productivity. 'Our research portfolio spans multiple critical areas, creating unique opportunities for our students while delivering meaningful impact to our community and beyond,' Ahmad M. Itani, Ph.D., vice president for research at UTEP, said. 'As one of Texas' 16 R1 institutions — more than any other state — we're proud to contribute to our state's leadership in research and innovation.' According to the university, UTEP is also one of 19 Hispanic-serving institutions to achieve the classification. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
