Iwnetim Abatek, an Ethiopian entrepreneur and assistant professor at MIT in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, has been named to the MIT 35 Innovators Under 35 list. The annual list, published by MIT Technology Review, celebrates the world’s most promising young creators in science and technology. Abatek’s research focuses on sodium-ion batteries, a potentially cheaper alternative to lithium-based power for electric vehicles and grids. He’s also exploring ways to use underground heat and pressure to produce ammonia, a key fertilizer ingredient and potential green fuel, according to MIT
Career Karma, the app and community that has helped thousands transition into tech careers, has been acquired by New York-based student platform Climb Credit. Ruben Harris founded Career Karma in 2018 alongside twin brothers Artur and Timur Meyster, building on the success of their earlier podcast that introduced newcomers to the tech industry. With this acquisition, Career Karma’s mission to expand access to tech careers takes on a new scale, helping prospective students gain training programs and career opportunities before and after they graduate. About Credit Karma Before launching Career Karma,
Lagos and San Francisco-based Compound AI has launched KidGPT, an AI agent specifically designed for children aged five to thirteen and their parents. The AI agent assists children in studying and learning various topics, including math, English, and even language learning. It gives children questions and additional prompts rather than giving them answers. “I’ll help you think through how to write the essay yourself first. What do you already know about bees? What do you want to include in your essay? Let’s start with a plan,” it says on their website. AI
Atlanta-based Southface Institute has partnered with the Sustain Our Future Foundation on Building Improvement Toolkits (BIT) for Resilient HBCU, an initiative aiming to advance sustainability efforts within five historically Black colleges and universities. What will the initiative include? Each participating HBCU will receive $150,000 in grants to help each school reach its sustainability goals, as well as for workforce development, training, and hosting 25 paid student fellows, according to Atlanta Business Chronicle. An essential part of the initiative is an online platform, serving as a central hub for tracking performance
Historically Black College, Tennessee State University (TSU), is preparing to build a 70,000-square-foot engineering building. The Tennessee State Building Commission approved the future-ready campus on August 15, and TSU’s commitment to sustainability, workforce development, and leadership among university engineering programs. The $50 million facility will serve as a hub for innovation, collaboration, and cutting-edge research, as stated by a press release. The completion date is summer 2027, with construction expected to begin later this year. “This facility will provide a world-class space that enhances interdisciplinary collaboration across six undergraduate programs,
A federal judge has struck down two Trump administration directives that sought to end diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in schools and universities. Judge Stephanie Gallagher of the US District Court in Maryland ruled that the Department of Education violated the law when it threatened to cut federal funding from educational institutions that would maintain its DEI initiatives, The Guardian reports. The department’s guidance had been on hold since April, when three federal judges temporarily blocked parts of the department’s anti-DEI measures. Gallagher’s ruling followed a motion for summary
Leon Burns III and Open Technology Group are helping Black students pursue careers in data analytics with the DEIB in Black Analytics scholarship. Students attending Hampton University’s James T. George School of Business will be able to receive $25,000 scholarship, which will be split among five full-time junior or senior students ($5,000 per student). “The idea behind the scholarship is to get African American students into careers in data analytics. Data is shaping the way that we’re moving forward as a country business wise, on a sociological scale, economically across
Rep. Ro Khanna of California is on a mission to connect students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities with high-paying tech jobs at leading Silicon Valley companies. Khanna is working with Jackson State University to inspire students at HBCUs to pursue careers at top corporate tech companies, beginning in his district – the 17th congressional district in California, according to WLBT Channel 3 News. He aims to engage Black Southerners in the digital revolution by learning about and working with artificial intelligence and technology. “There are ambitious students at our
President Donald Trump has signed a new order that requires universities to share detailed data on the demographics of their incoming classes each year, according to The Independent. The order will allow Department of Education officials to see if universities are still using banned programs that support underrepresented groups. A fact sheet shared with The Independent by a White House official says Trump’s presidential memorandum to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon gives her permission to require “transparency” from higher education institutions receiving federal funds in the form of student aid with a “revamp” of
Morgan State University, a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution, has unveiled its autonomous wheelchair technology designed to help users navigate congested areas such as airports, hospitals, museums, college campuses, and military bases. Researchers and students spent the past five years developing the technology. How does the wheelchair work? The technology was demonstrated Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI Airport). Passengers can retrieve the autonomous wheelchair through an app by scanning the QR code from the designated areas. To access the wheelchair, passengers will have to register or log into the app.
