Latest news with #Zander
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trade classes boom at high school as students eye six-figure jobs
At Middleton High School in Wisconsin, shop class is back — and booming. For three decades, Justin Zander has shaped both wood and minds. "My goal is to teach them comfort and skills so they become comfortable with a few skills and those skills will be transferable from many different trades," Zander told CBS News. The revival is fueled by the demand for tradespeople. With some top earners in blue-collar jobs like electricians and plumbers now making six-figure salaries, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, such positions are now considered gold-collar. "It used to be kids were interested in it as a sideline. Now the kids are interested in it because it could lead to a good-paying job for the future," Zander said. Middleton High School built a $90 million campus in 2022, putting trades in the spotlight. It's part of a larger trend embraced by 27 states that increased spending on technical education by an average of $182 million from 2012 to 2022, according to Advance CTE, a nonprofit that supports career technical education across the United States. Aidan Down is among more than 75% of students at Middleton who take tech education classes. "I think it's a pretty easy option to go into a trade job, especially if you have some experience in these classes," Aidan said. Interest in trade schools has nearly doubled since 2017, according to market research firm Validated Insights, Inc. Meanwhile, university enrollment has declined slightly since the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Center for Education Statistics found. "I think that's really important is showing kids even just from the get-go that college isn't the only option," said Thalia Madden, a senior taking building construction. At Middleton, students can take woodworking, welding and robotics. Students are learning to program the same kind of industrial robots used in factories across the country. Carlo Zwettler got his hands dirty in the same classrooms at Middleton. He landed a job right out of school at Zuern Building Products, putting the skills he learned directly to work. "Shop classes helped a lot," Zwettler said. Now working in the trades as a yard manager, he said he hears the same debate come up often: whether to go straight into the workforce or take on college debt. "Oh yeah, we always give each other a bunch of crap about that," he said, laughing. "Like, you go into a four-year college, you're gonna lose all this money." For Zander, his return on investment is introducing students to a profitable way of life he loves. "I'm not opposed to having kids smiling when they leave the room," Zander said. "There's nothing else," he added. Raw Video: Mexican navy training ship hits Brooklyn Bridge Italy's Trulli: From Past to Present Car bomb outside Palm Springs fertility clinic was act of terrorism, officials say
Business Mayor
19-05-2025
- Business
- Business Mayor
Microsoft just launched an AI that discovered a new chemical in 200 hours instead of years
Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More Microsoft launched a new enterprise platform that harnesses artificial intelligence to dramatically accelerate scientific research and development, potentially compressing years of laboratory work into weeks or even days. The platform, called Microsoft Discovery, leverages specialized AI agents and high-performance computing to help scientists and engineers tackle complex research challenges without requiring them to write code, the company announced Monday at its annual Build developer conference. 'What we're doing is really taking a look at how we can apply advancements in agentic AI and compute work, and then on to quantum computing, and apply it in the really important space, which is science,' said Jason Zander, Corporate Vice President of Strategic Missions and Technologies at Microsoft, in an exclusive interview with VentureBeat. The system has already demonstrated its potential in Microsoft's own research, where it helped discover a novel coolant for immersion cooling of data centers in approximately 200 hours — a process that traditionally would have taken months or years. 'In 200 hours with this framework, we were able to go through and screen 367,000 potential candidates that we came up with,' Zander explained. 'We actually took it to a partner, and they actually synthesized it.' Microsoft Discovery represents a significant step toward democratizing advanced scientific tools, allowing researchers to interact with supercomputers and complex simulations using natural language rather than requiring specialized programming skills. 'It's about empowering scientists to transform the entire discovery process with agentic AI,' Zander emphasized. 'My PhD is in biology. I'm not a computer scientist, but if you can unlock that power of a supercomputer just by allowing me to prompt it, that's very powerful.' The platform addresses a key challenge in scientific research: the disconnect between domain expertise and computational skills. Traditionally, scientists would need to learn programming to leverage advanced computing tools, creating a bottleneck in the research process. This democratization could prove particularly valuable for smaller research institutions that lack the resources to hire computational specialists to augment their scientific teams. By allowing domain experts to directly query complex simulations and run experiments through natural language, Microsoft is effectively lowering the barrier to entry for cutting-edge research techniques. 'As a scientist, I'm a biologist. I don't know how to write computer code. I don't want to spend all my time going into an editor and writing scripts and stuff to ask a supercomputer to do something,' Zander said. 'I just wanted, like, this is what I want in plain English or plain language, and go do it.' Microsoft Discovery operates through what Zander described as a team of AI 'postdocs' — specialized agents that can perform different aspects of the scientific process, from literature review to computational simulations. 'These postdoc agents do that work,' Zander explained. 'It's like having a team of folks that just got their PhD. They're like residents in medicine — you're in the hospital, but you're still finishing.' The platform combines two key components: foundational models that handle planning and specialized models trained for particular scientific domains like physics, chemistry, and biology. What makes this approach unique is how it blends general AI capabilities with deeply specialized scientific knowledge. 'The core process, you'll find two parts of this,' Zander said. 'One is we're using foundational models for doing the planning. The other piece is, on the AI side, a set of models that are designed specifically for particular domains of science, that includes physics, chemistry, biology.' According to a company statement, Microsoft Discovery is built on a 'graph-based knowledge engine' that constructs nuanced relationships between proprietary data and external scientific research. This allows it to understand conflicting theories and diverse experimental results across disciplines, while maintaining transparency by tracking sources and reasoning processes. At the center of the user experience is a Copilot interface that orchestrates these specialized agents based on researcher prompts, identifying which agents to leverage and setting up end-to-end workflows. This interface essentially acts as the central hub where human scientists can guide their virtual research team. To demonstrate the platform's capabilities, Microsoft used Microsoft Discovery to address a pressing challenge in data center technology: finding alternatives to coolants containing PFAS, so-called 'forever chemicals' that are increasingly facing regulatory restrictions. Current data center cooling methods often rely on harmful chemicals that are becoming untenable as global regulations push to ban these substances. Microsoft researchers used the platform to screen hundreds of thousands of potential alternatives. 'We did prototypes on this. Actually, when I owned Azure, I did a prototype eight years ago, and it works super well, actually,' Zander said. 'It's actually like 60 to 90% more efficient than just air cooling. The big problem is that coolant material that's on market has PFAS in it.' After identifying promising candidates, Microsoft synthesized the coolant and demonstrated it cooling a GPU running a video game. While this specific application remains experimental, it illustrates how Microsoft Discovery can compress development timelines for companies facing regulatory challenges. The implications extend far beyond Microsoft's own data centers. Any industry facing similar regulatory pressure to replace established chemicals or materials could potentially use this approach to accelerate their R&D cycles dramatically. What once would have been multi-year development processes might now be completed in a matter of months. Daniel Pope, founder of Submer, a company focused on sustainable data centers, was quoted in the press release saying: 'The speed and depth of molecular screening achieved by Microsoft Discovery would've been impossible with traditional methods. What once took years of lab work and trial-and-error, Microsoft Discovery can accomplish in just weeks, and with greater confidence.' Microsoft is building an ecosystem of partners across diverse industries to implement the platform, indicating its broad applicability beyond the company's internal research needs. Pharmaceutical giant GSK is exploring the platform for its potential to transform medicinal chemistry. The company stated an intent to partner with Microsoft to advance 'GSK's generative platforms for parallel prediction and testing, creating new medicines with greater speed and precision.' In the consumer space, Estée Lauder plans to harness Microsoft Discovery to accelerate product development in skincare, makeup, and fragrance. 'The Microsoft Discovery platform will help us to unleash the power of our data to drive fast, agile, breakthrough innovation and high-quality, personalized products that will delight our consumers,' said Kosmas Kretsos, PhD, MBA, Vice President of R&D and Innovation Technology at Estée Lauder Companies. Microsoft is also expanding its partnership with Nvidia to integrate Nvidia's ALCHEMI and BioNeMo NIM microservices with Microsoft Discovery, enabling faster breakthroughs in materials and life sciences. This partnership will allow researchers to leverage state-of-the-art inference capabilities for candidate identification, property mapping, and synthetic data generation. 'AI is dramatically accelerating the pace of scientific discovery,' said Dion Harris, senior director of accelerated data center solutions at Nvidia. 'By integrating Nvidia ALCHEMI and BioNeMo NIM microservices into Azure Discovery, we're giving scientists the ability to move from data to discovery with unprecedented speed, scale, and efficiency.' Read More Hewlett Packard Enterprise to acquire Juniper Networks - Verdict In the semiconductor space, Microsoft plans to integrate Synopsys' industry solutions to accelerate chip design and development. Sassine Ghazi, President and CEO of Synopsys, described semiconductor engineering as 'among the most complex, consequential and high-stakes scientific endeavors of our time,' making it 'an extremely compelling use case for artificial intelligence.' System integrators Accenture and Capgemini will help customers implement and scale Microsoft Discovery deployments, bridging the gap between Microsoft's technology and industry-specific applications. Microsoft Discovery also represents a stepping stone toward the company's broader quantum computing ambitions. Zander explained that while the platform currently uses conventional high-performance computing, it's designed with future quantum capabilities in mind. 'Science is a hero scenario for a quantum computer,' Zander said. 'If you ask yourself, what can a quantum computer do? It's extremely good at exploring complicated problem spaces that classic computers just aren't able to do.' Microsoft recently announced advancements in quantum computing with its Majorana one chip, which the company claims could potentially fit a million qubits 'in the palm of your hand' — compared to competing approaches that might require 'a football field worth of equipment.' 'General generative chemistry — we think the hero scenario for high-scale quantum computers is actually chemistry,' Zander explained. 'Because what it can do is take a small amount of data and explore a space that would take millions of years for a classic, even the largest supercomputer, to do.' This connection between today's AI-driven discovery platform and tomorrow's quantum computers reveals Microsoft's long-term strategy: building the software infrastructure and user experience today that will eventually harness the revolutionary capabilities of quantum computing when the hardware matures. Zander envisions a future where quantum computers design their own successors: 'One of the first things that I want to do when I get the quantum computer that does that kind of work is I'm going to go give it my material stack for my chip. I'm going to basically say, 'Okay, go simulate that sucker. Tell me how I build a new, a better, new version of you.'' With the powerful capabilities Microsoft Discovery offers, questions about potential misuse naturally arise. Zander emphasized that the platform incorporates Microsoft's responsible AI framework. 'We have the responsible AI program, and it's been around, actually I think we were one of the first companies to actually put that kind of framework into place,' Zander said. 'Discovery absolutely is following all responsible AI guidelines.' These safeguards include ethical use guidelines and content moderation similar to those implemented in consumer AI systems, but tailored for scientific applications. The company appears to be taking a proactive approach to identifying potential misuse scenarios. 'We already look for particular types of algorithms that could be harmful and try and flag those in content moderation style,' Zander explained. 'Again, the analogy would be very similar to what a consumer kind of bot would do.' This focus on responsible innovation reflects the dual-use nature of powerful scientific tools — the same platform that could accelerate lifesaving drug discovery could potentially be misused in other contexts. Microsoft's approach attempts to balance innovation with appropriate safeguards, though the effectiveness of these measures will only become clear as the platform is adopted more widely. Microsoft's entry into scientific AI comes at a time when the field of accelerated discovery is heating up. The ability to compress research timelines could have profound implications for addressing urgent global challenges, from drug discovery to climate change solutions. What differentiates Microsoft's approach is its focus on accessibility for non-computational scientists and its integration with the company's existing cloud infrastructure and future quantum ambitions. By allowing domain experts to directly leverage advanced computing without intermediaries, Microsoft could potentially remove a significant bottleneck in scientific progress. 'The big efficiencies are coming from places where, instead of me cramming additional domain knowledge, in this case, a scientist having learned to code, we're basically saying, 'Actually, we'll let the genetic AI do that, you can do what you do, which is use your PhD and get forward progress,'' Zander explained. This democratization of advanced computational methods could lead to a fundamental shift in how scientific research is conducted globally. Smaller labs and institutions in regions with less computational infrastructure might suddenly gain access to capabilities previously available only to elite research institutions. However, the success of Microsoft Discovery will ultimately depend on how effectively it integrates into complex existing research workflows and whether its AI agents can truly understand the nuances of specialized scientific domains. The scientific community is notoriously rigorous and skeptical of new methodologies – Microsoft will need to demonstrate consistent, reproducible results to gain widespread adoption. The platform enters private preview today, with pricing details yet to be announced. Microsoft indicates that smaller research labs will be able to access the platform through Azure, with costs structured similarly to other cloud services. 'At the end of the day, our goal, from a business perspective, is that it's all about enabling that core platform, as opposed to you having to stand up,' Zander said. 'It'll just basically ride on top of the cloud and make it much easier for people to do.' As Microsoft builds out its ambitious scientific AI platform, it positions itself at a unique juncture in the history of both computing and scientific discovery. The scientific method – a process refined over centuries – is now being augmented by some of the most advanced artificial intelligence ever created. Microsoft Discovery represents a bet that the next era of scientific breakthroughs won't come from either brilliant human minds or powerful AI systems working in isolation, but from their collaboration – where AI handles the computational heavy lifting while human scientists provide the creativity, intuition, and critical thinking that machines still lack. 'If you think about chemistry, materials sciences, materials actually impact about 98% of the world,' Zander noted. 'Everything, the desks, the displays we're using, the clothing that we're wearing. It's all materials.' The implications of accelerating discovery in these domains extend far beyond Microsoft's business interests or even the tech industry. If successful, platforms like Microsoft Discovery could fundamentally alter the pace at which humanity can innovate in response to existential challenges – from climate change to pandemic prevention. The question now isn't whether AI will transform scientific research, but how quickly and how deeply. As Zander put it: 'We need to start working faster.' In a world facing increasingly complex challenges, Microsoft is betting that the combination of human scientific expertise and agentic AI might be exactly the acceleration we need.
Press and Journal
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Press and Journal
Highland League digest: Enforced Huntly retirement, Nairn danger-man's new deal and Banks o' Dee testimonial quartet
Huntly manager Colin Charlesworth is disappointed to have lost Fraser Hobday, but is pleased Zander Jack and Lewis Crosbie will be staying at Christie Park. Goalkeeper Hobday has been forced to retire after sustaining a knee injury last year in pre-season which hasn't healed sufficiently. The 29-year-old is in his second spell with the Black and Golds. His first stint was between 2014 and 2016, and he also turned out for Peterhead, Turriff United and Banks o' Dee before returning to Huntly three years ago. Charlesworth said: 'Initially Fraser's injury didn't seem as serious as we first thought. He rehabbed it and he was able to play games in the early part of the season. 'But it was still unstable and causing Fraser issues. He got it scanned and there was slight damage to the ACL, MCL and meniscus. 'Fraser's job doesn't really allow him to go and get an operation and be off work, so we decided to give him a year of rehabilitation and he's been doing all the work that's in the rehabilitation programme. 'But unfortunately the results show it hasn't got any better, so if Fraser was to continue playing, he'd need the operation. 'He had to make a decision, and sadly Fraser has decided to step away. 'It's a sad way for Fraser's career to come to an end, through no fault of his own. 'We've tried to support him as best we can. 'I know it wasn't an easy decision for him to make, but we respect the decision Fraser has made. 'He's been a really good servant to Huntly and I think he's been one of the best in the Highland League during his time in the league.' Meanwhile, full-back Jack has penned a contract extension to stay with Huntly next season, while midfielder Crosbie has agreed a new deal until the summer of 2027. Charlesworth added: 'With Alex Thoirs retiring this season and us losing that bit of experience, I think it was very important for us to tie Zander down. 'I don't think I've seen Zander have a bad game for us – he's a seven or eight out of 10 every week and he's a leader in the changing room. 'It was a no-brainer for us to give Zander a new deal. 'Lewis is a great talent and a great person to have in the dressing room. We're a better team when Lewis is playing. 'He can cover a few positions, wide and in central areas, and wherever you play him, you get a hard-working performance from him. 'We'll challenge him next season to increase his numbers to help push us on again, but it's a great bit of business for us keeping Lewis.' Meanwhile, Nairn County have secured winger Andrew Greig on a new two-year contract. The 32-year-old former Breedon Highland League player of the year joined the Wee County in January 2022 and impressed this season after missing the whole of last term with injury. Recently-appointed Nairn boss Wayne Mackintosh said: 'He has shown throughout his career in the Highland League the dangerous attacking threat he brings to teams, so we are delighted that he has agreed to extend his stay with the club. 'There are not many players about who can provide what Andrew brings to the table and most teams in the league would happily have him in their squad, so it is great news for us that he has signed up for the next couple of seasons.' Banks o' Dee president Brian Winton has hailed their testimonial men after it was announced four players' long service will be recognised. Captain Kane Winton, Michael Philipson, Lachie MacLeod and Mark Gilmour will all receive testimonials in the coming years, having been important players for the Spain Park side in both the Junior and Breedon Highland League ranks. In addition to that news, Dee have also secured Mark Reynolds on a new contract for next season, while Ally Stark and Magnus Watson have penned deals until the summer of 2028. Club chief Winton said: 'We're delighted to grant testimonials to Kane, Michael, Mark and Lachie. 'They're all Banks o' Dee through and through really – Kane and Michael joined the youth set-up when they were six and have been here ever since. 'Mark and Lachie were also part of our youth development and have also been here for a long time. 'It's great to see players come right through the ranks at the club. 'You need players to show commitment to the club, and they've helped the club be very successful in the Juniors and then in the Highland League during their time with us. 'They all richly deserve their testimonials.' Reynolds joined Dee last summer, while Stark signed in January 2022, and Watson came through the club's youth set-up. Winton added: 'It's good news that players want to stay with us with Mark, Ally and Magnus signing new contracts. 'We look forward to seeing them in action again next season – all three have made important contributions in their time with Banks o' Dee.'
Daily Record
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Celtic announce a special day of events ahead of title homecoming against Hibs
A group of young fans will enjoy a day they'll never forget at Celtic Park Celtic have announced a special day of events for this weekend's title homecoming to celebrate inclusion and accessibility. The newly-crowned champions return to Parkhead for the first time since wrapping up the title two weeks ago at Tannadice. And the club will use the joyous occasion against Hibs to highlight the experiences of supporters with disabilities and empower their matchday experience. The day's activity will begin before kick-off, as players from both teams walk onto the pitch alongside young impaired mascots. Zander, a guide dog puppy in training, will be among the special guests showcasing the vital role service animals play in supporting people to access live football safely and independently. At halftime, a group of inspiring fans will participate in a 10-second challenge to score a goal in front of a sold-out stadium. And to round off the magical day, youngsters will create lifelong memories by meeting their Celtic heroes at full-time for photos and autographs. Proud Disabled Support Liaison Officer, Alexis Dobbin, said: "At Celtic, we believe Football is for All. It's vital that we continue to remove both physical and sensory barriers to ensure everyone – regardless of their ability – can experience the magic of a live match at Celtic Park. "Saturday is about visibility, celebration and commitment – and we're proud to shine a light on our incredible fans with disabilities." Captain Callum McGregor added: "Returning to Celtic Park as Champions is always special – but sharing that moment with these inspirational children makes it even more meaningful. "Their courage and love for the game remind us all why football is such a powerful force for good. We're proud to stand with them today." You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We're also on WhatsApp, where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to your phone. Join our Rangers community here and our Celtic community here.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Fort Gibson honors top scholars
Fort Gibson High School senior Zander Floyd said becoming a Red Scholar took hard work, dedication and friends like Grant Faulkner. 'It was nice to have friends along the way who pushed me to be a Red Scholar,' Zander said. 'I'm a very competitive person, so when I saw Grant made 90 on his test, I wanted to be a 95.' Zander was one of 10 Red Scholars and Grant was one of 27 White Scholars honored Thursday at a Fort Gibson High School honor banquet at Indian Capital Technology Center. Red Scholars have a weighted GPA of more than 4 points and an ACT composite score of 25 or more. White Scholars have a weighted GPA between 3.5 and 4 and an ACT composite of 22 or more. Guest speaker was Oklahoma State Sen. Kristen Thompson, a 2003 Fort Gibson graduate. The Edmond Republican told honorees the world is full of challenges and encouraged them to use their abilities to succeed. 'Don't forget where you came from; don't forget who you are,' Thompson said. Red Scholar Laine Jones said it took a lot of determination to earn her honor. 'Just a lot of hard work through high school to keep your GPA up,' she said. 'For me, I wanted to get a 30 on my ACT, so I took it about six times.' Laine said earning Red Scholar opens scholarship opportunities. She said she plans to attend Northeastern State University as part of the President's Leadership Class, then attend medical school to become an OB/GYN. Chloey White said becoming a White Scholar means, 'I tried hard.' She said she plans to attend University of Arkansas and earn a master's in psychology. 'It's going to be hard work, but I'm very excited,' Chloey said. 'It's definitely going to be worth it to use my skills to help other people.'
