PRESS RELEASE
May 8, 2017 – Baltimore, MD

With the growing importance of recognizing academic excellence and, importantly, the hard work, determination, discipline, and strength of character that goes into it, a new honors society called GAMMA HONORS has been formed. Gamma Honors is an international society exclusively for students who graduate with honors. According to the Society’s spokesperson, Gamma Honors is the first of its kind in the world devoted to identifying and recognizing such graduates.

Gamma Honors offers membership in five categories: Doctorate, Master’s Degree, Bachelor’s Degree, Associate’s Degree, and High School Diploma/Certificate. Membership is open to applicants who graduate with honors as verified by an official of the applicant’s school.

Gamma Honors prides itself as a unique honor society whose formation is long overdue. Until now, according to the Society spokesperson, honor students with outstanding academic performance were recognized only within their institutions by listing their names in Honor Rolls and Dean’s Lists. Except for recognitions, announcements, and acknowledgements made on graduation day, no additional widespread recognition was accorded honor graduates, especially at a national or international level. Gamma Honors closes that void. While of course hard work is required to make a school’s Honor Roll or Dean’s list, and covering a span of one or more semesters, much more is required to maintain with consistency the hard work, excellence, and higher level of outstanding academic performance necessary to graduate with honors. The Society considers members of Gamma Honors to be uniquely special and worthy of much wider recognition of their superior academic performance. Members represent the best in academics. It is the goal of Gamma Honors to identify and recognize honor graduates with the hope that their remarkable achievement will inspire other students, regardless of background, environment, school attended, or educational and professional goals.

Membership in Gamma Honors is lifetime and brings such benefits as verification for prospective employers, special product and services discounts, and inclusion by category of membership in the publication Best in Academics among Graduates. Members will also benefit from continued exposure and visibility provided by their association with Gamma Honors. Members receive a Certificate of Membership recognizing and honoring their outstanding academic accomplishments.

To learn more and/or apply for membership, go to www.gammahonors.org

###

Media Contact:
Gladson Nwanna
Phone: 443-405-7838
g.nwanna@gammahonors.org

The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi—the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines—is currently accepting applications for its 2017 Student Vice President Leadership Summit. The Summit will be held July 13-16 in Denver, Colorado.

Now in its third year, the two-day event will bring together student vice presidents from Phi Kappa Phi chapters across the country to engage in activities aimed at bolstering leadership development skills. Participants will also have the opportunity to network with other student vice presidents and learn strategies for enhancing Phi Kappa Phi chapters.

“Being able to network with other student vice presidents from across the country and understanding that we are all going through common things within our chapter was valuable,” said Charlene Gallagher, a previous attendee. “I really feel like the seminars made a huge impact on the way that I view and understand leadership.”

The deadline to apply for the event is May 15, 2017. Nominations will be limited to one student vice president per Phi Kappa Phi chapter.

To be eligible to attend, students must be an active member of Phi Kappa Phi and currently serve as a student vice president within their chapter. Members must also be returning to campus as a full-time student for the full 2017-2018 academic year.

Established in 2013 and hosted every other year, the Student Vice President Leadership Summit was developed to engage Phi Kappa Phi’s student vice presidents in personal and organizational development. Since its creation, more than 125 students have attended the event.

To learn more about the Summit and download an application, visit www.phikappaphi.org/summit.

About Phi Kappa Phi
Founded in 1897, Phi Kappa Phi is the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. Phi Kappa Phi inducts approximately 30,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni annually. The Society has chapters on more than 300 select colleges and universities in North America and the Philippines. Membership is by invitation only to the top 10 percent of seniors and graduate students and 7.5 percent of juniors. Faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction also qualify. The Society’s mission is “To recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and to engage the community of scholars in service to others.” For more information, visit www.phikappaphi.org

Media Contact
Hannah Breaux
Communications Director
hbreaux@phikappaphi.org
225.923.7777

WASHINGTON, DC (May 4, 2017) – USAID’s Center for International Disaster Information (USAID CIDI) is pleased to announce the winners of the 12th annual Public Service Announcements for International Disasters contest (PSAid).

The winning entries were chosen from a pool of submissions from nearly 140 college students across the United States in the categories of broadcast, print and – for the first time – infographic PSAs. (View all submissions at www.psaid.org/portfolio-gallery/2017-submissions.)

The selected PSAs, which will be distributed through broadcast and print outlets nationwide, convey the importance of practicing “Smart Compassion” and emphasize why monetary donations to relief organizations are the most effective way to help people after disasters.

The 2017 PSAid winners are:

Broadcast

1. “Be the Change, Donate Cash” by Rachel Addington, Arizona State University (www.psaid.org/portfolio-items/video_addington_rachel_2017)
2. “Cash Fits All” by Bradley Parks, Shannon Sweatt, Megan Perkins and Raine Yip, The University of Alabama (www.psaid.org/portfolio-items/parks_bradley)
3. “Donate Effectively” by Emma DeVane and Emily Pina, Arizona State University (www.psaid.org/portfolio-items/devane-pina)

Print

1. “Cash Rebuilds” by Kaitlyn Olivier, Maria Castillo, Ludi Wang, Min Chen and Anna Kate Grosse, Boston University (www.psaid.org/portfolio-items/cash-rebuilds-2)
2. “Cash is Convertible” by Ana Hernandez, Arizona State University (www.psaid.org/portfolio-items/cash-is-convertible)
3. “Cash Keeps Your Donations Fresh” by Jordan Fonseca, Emily Hadfield, Nick Albanese and Daniel Arruda, The University of Rhode Island (www.psaid.org/portfolio-items/cash-keeps-your-donations-fresh)

Honorable Mentions: “Hope for Change” by Anne Miller, Loyola University Chicago (www.psaid.org/portfolio-items/hope-for-change), and “Cash is Best” by Sydni Alaniz, Arizona State University (www.psaid.org/portfolio-items/alaniz-cash-is-best)

Infographic

1. “Make an Impact” by Lauren Schaecher, Arizona State University (www.psaid.org/portfolio-items/make-an-impact)
2. “Donations are Nice, but Cash is Best” by Sacha Rady, Caroline Largey, Courtney Scarboro and Megan Purcell, The University of Alabama (www.psaid.org/portfolio-items/donations-are-nice-but-cash-is-best)
3. “Cash is Key” by Haley-Ann Simpson, Ashley Stults, Cameron Craig and Emily Baker, The University of Alabama (www.psaid.org/portfolio-items/cash-is-key)

Contest entries were judged by a panel of experts from the humanitarian and communications fields. This year’s judges were Jonathan Adashek, Nissan Motor Corporation; Kevin Conroy, Global Giving; Nick Sugai, the Ad Council; Gary Goldhammer, Group SJR; Deborah Willig, InterAction; Marcia Wong, the International Committee of the Red Cross; and Keith Hempel, TV Access.

“For the past 12 years, the PSAid Contest has helped spread the message that monetary donations through relief organizations provide the greatest help to disaster survivors,” said Barlin Ali, USAID CIDI Diaspora and Donations Expert. “The winners of this year’s competition have done a masterful job of creatively illustrating why ‘Cash is Best.’”

Current and past PSAid winners may be viewed on the competition website at www.PSAid.org.

About USAID CIDI
USAID CIDI was created in 1988 by the United States Agency for International Development Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance to educate Americans about the best ways to help people affected by disasters overseas. USAID CIDI provides individuals, groups, embassies, businesses and corporations with information and guidance in support of maximally beneficial public support of international disaster relief efforts. The organization works with other donations management stakeholders, and promotes activities and donations to channel the public’s energy and generosity in ways most helpful to beneficiaries. For more information about USAID CIDI and helping international disaster survivors, please visit USAID CIDI at www.cidi.org.

###

Media Contact
Katie Green
(202) 944-5111
Katie.Green@hkstrategies.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New York, NY (April 24, 2017)

The relentless stream of news around Trump’s presidency has people on both sides of the political isle concerned, and itching to take action, from Elizabeth Warren to John McCain. From the widening controversy over Russia, to Trump’s conflicts of interest and his radical efforts to change America’s course on climate change, the President’s actions are leaving an increasingly anxious citizenry in their wake. In a political climate where a blank book attacking Democrats is an instant bestseller, the growing resistance against President Trump needs an actionable way forward, and Allan J. Lichtman’s THE CASE FOR IMPEACHMENT [Dey Street Books/On-sale April 18th, 2017] provides just that.

Lichtman, eminent political historian and Distinguished Professor of History at American University, is widely known as the “prediction professor” for his historically-based approach to election forecasting. He has correctly predicted every presidential election since 1982 including President Trump’s win, against all conventional wisdom, which predicted that Hillary Clinton would be president.

Using presidential impeachments throughout American history as a lens, including Andrew Johnson and Richard Nixon, and a constitutional analysis, Lichtman shows how Trump is uniquely vulnerable to impeachment in 8 key categories. THE CASE FOR IMPEACHMENT zeroes in on President Trump’s top areas of weakness, including:

• Trump’s stance on climate change – in a unique twist on impeachment law outlined in THE CASE FOR IMPEACHMENT, Lichtman outlines how Trump could be impeached under a “crimes against humanity” scenario if he deliberately fails to protect humanity from the dangerous effects of climate change
• Trump’s dealings with Russia
• Trump’s practice of disregarding the law prior to assuming office, and laws he might break during his presidency
• Trump’s established history of lies, and how lying to the public and Congress can lead to impeachment
• Trump’s treatment of women, and the weaknesses it poses to his presidency
• Trump’s abuse of executive authority
• Trump’s conflicts of interest, past and present
• Trump’s potential psychological issues and how they could trigger the Twenty Fifth Amendment to remove him from office

Many historians and legal scholars agree that we are facing uncharted political waters and most citizens—politics aside—want to know where the country is headed. In THE CASE FOR IMPEACHMENT, Professor Lichtman analyses President Trump’s past and proven behavior, alongside the history of politics and impeachment in our country, to explain how Trump’s presidency could end prematurely.

Contact:
Lauren Janiec
212-207-7498
Lauren.janiec@harpercollins.com

Wait, What? And Life’s Other Essential Questions by James E. Ryan, a unique compilation of help and inspiration, is now a New York Times best selling book. http://bit.ly/2mLdekN

In his commencement address to the graduating class of 2016, James E. Ryan, dean of the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, offered some surprising advice to the crowd of hopeful men and women eager to make their mark on the world. The key to achieving success and happiness, he told them, can be found in five essential questions. His wildly popular and universally praised graduation speech was posted online, and has since been viewed over eight million times. You can watch it here: https://www.facebook.com/HarvardEducation/posts/10154462541616387
and watch the interview Dean Ryan did with CBS This Morning here: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/harvard-dean-on-book-inspired-by-his-popular-graduation-speech/

Wait, What? And Life’s Other Essential Questions (ISBN #9780062664570; $19.99) which Dean Ryan wrote to offer further insights into the art of asking good questions, is available now. In this thoughtful, illuminating book, Ryan builds on his remarks — highlighted by hilarious and surprising anecdotes from his life, as well as stories from politics, social movements, and popular culture. This inspiring book is guaranteed to change the way we all think about questions.

1. Wait, what? is at the root of all understanding.
2. I wonder . . . ? is at the heart of all curiosity.
3. Couldn’t we at least? is the beginning of all progress.
4. How can I help? is the basis of all good relationships.
5. What truly matters? gets you to the heart of life.

By regularly asking these questions and listening to the answers, Ryan promises, you will be in a good position to answer what he calls the “bonus” question, which is ultimately the most important question any of us will face: “And did you get what you wanted out of life, even so?”

James E. Ryan is the eleventh dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Before joining Harvard, Ryan was the Matheson & Morgenthau Distinguished Professor at the University of Virginia School of Law, where he founded the school’s Program in Law and Public Service. Ryan is the author of the nonfiction work Five Miles Away, A World Apart. He graduated summa cum laude from Yale University and first in his class from the University of Virginia Law School. A former clerk for Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, as well as a former rugby player, Ryan has argued before the United States Supreme Court. He and his wife Katie live in Lincoln, Massachusetts with four kids, two dogs, two cats, and nine chickens.

Media Contact
Suzanne Wickham
(310) 498-9289
Suzanne.wickham@harpercollins.com

Riverwoods, IL, April 20, 2017 – School’s almost out, and while summer break is typically reserved for fun, it can also be a prime time to establish smart financial habits—such as budgeting and building a credit history—and set yourself up for financial success next school year and beyond.

Give your finances a boost this summer by doing these three things:

1. Find a job and start budgeting: A summer job is a great résumé builder and an opportunity to add cash to your wallet or savings account for the school year ahead. Once you know how much money you’ll make, create a budget based on your income, what you’ll need to buy each month—such as gas and food—and how much you’d like to save during the summer. Having a budget in place while you’re in college will also make it easier to manage a budget once you graduate and transition to adulthood.

2. Figure out where your credit stands: Your credit score is a three-digit number that is used to assess your credit risk for when applying for a car loan or leasing an apartment. The number is calculated based on data from your credit reports, such as the amount of money you owe to creditors, your payment history, length of credit history and types of credit (e.g. revolving loans like a credit card and/or installment loans like a student loan). Building a credit history takes time, so it’s important to figure out where your score stands, or if you don’t have a credit score, to start building one. Start by checking your FICO® Score and the factors that go into your score at Discover.com/CreditScorecard at no cost, even if you are not a Discover customer. The higher your credit score, the more dependable you are as a borrower in the eyes of a lender, which can give you access to better rates and terms when it comes time to take out a loan.

3. Use a credit card wisely and make sure it fits your needs: Credit history is a key factor in your credit score as it shows your ability to reliably repay your debts. Using a credit card and paying it off on time each month is one way to build a credit history. If you are shopping around for a credit card, it’s important to do your homework and compare various options to determine what’s best for you. Research if there is a student-focused credit card that is right for you. The Discover it® chrome for Students card offers 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter and $20 cash back each school year your GPA is 3.0 or higher for up to the next five years.  To be eligible for the Good Grades Reward, you must indicate on your application that you’re a student and your account must be open when you request the reward. However, the most important thing to remember with a credit card is to always pay your bills on time. Late or missed payments can negatively impact your credit score.

Once you’ve thought through your financial plan for the summer, it’s time to put it into action. Prepare your budget and stick to it, and check your FICO® Score often. Getting your finances in order takes time and energy, so help yourself out and start good habits now that will help you in the future.

Brought to You by Discover

Discover Student Credit Cards
The Discover it® chrome for Students and Discover it® for Students credit cards offer students a great way to build credit early in their lives. These student cards come with many benefits including rewards on popular student categories, options for support if they miss a payment and resources to help students understand their credit information and manage their finances. For more information, visit www.discover.com/student.

About Discover
Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) is a direct banking and payment services company with one of the most recognized brands in U.S. financial services. Since its inception in 1986, the company has become one of the largest card issuers in the United States. The company issues the Discover card, America’s cash rewards pioneer, and offers private student loans, personal loans, home equity loans, checking and savings accounts and certificates of deposit through its direct banking business. It operates the Discover Network, with millions of merchant and cash access locations; PULSE, one of the nation’s leading ATM/debit networks; and Diners Club International, a global payments network with acceptance in more than 185 countries and territories. For more information, visit www.discover.com/company.

FICO^® Credit Scores provided by Credit Scorecard are based on data from Experian and may be different from other credit scores. See http://www.discover.com/creditscorecard to learn more. FICO is a registered trademark of the Fair Isaac Corporation in the United States and other countries.

Media Contact:
Brittney Mitchell
224-405-0730
brittneymitchell@discover.com
@Discover_News

###

Today, the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and PepsiCo kicked off this year’s PepsiCo/SWE Student Engineering Challenge, an annual competition that challenges undergraduate students to deliver innovative ideas and technical solutions in response to real-life business challenges. Teams will be competing for cash prizes and the opportunity to present their ideas in Austin, Texas at WE17, one of the largest professional development and networking conferences for women in engineering.

“Each year, the students who participate in the PepsiCo/SWE Student Engineering Challenge are given a unique opportunity to apply what they’ve learned and help shape the role engineering plays in supporting actual business needs,” said Kevin O’Sullivan, senior vice president, Functional Capability – Beverages R&D: Product, Ingredients, Flavor and Applications, PepsiCo. “Every day, R&D is helping drive PepsiCo’s business by providing unrivaled technical skills and solutions to offer more enjoyable and nutritious foods and beverages to more people, in more places. Now in our third year, partnering with SWE enables us to connect with the future generation of female engineers and through this year’s challenge, we continue to welcome their fresh approaches to improving our operations.”

From now through July 17, 2017, undergraduate teams comprised of up to four participants are encouraged to participate in the PepsiCo/SWE Student Engineering Challenge by responding to one of the following challenges:
•Water: Consider how water is used at different points along the life cycle of PepsiCo products and propose how we can lessen our net environmental, water extraction or overall usage.
•Packaging: Present a sustainable packaging solution applicable to a food or beverage product.
•Equipment: Design what the next core category of PepsiCo beverage equipment will look like to accompany our current offering of coolers, fountains and vending machines.

Among the total submissions across all three categories, the top three teams overall will be selected as finalists and will be invited to present their submissions to a judging panel of PepsiCo R&D leaders at WE17. Winners will officially be announced among WE17 attendees during SWE’s “Celebrate SWE!” event. To learn more about the PepsiCo/SWE Student Engineering Challenge, including submission rules, deadlines and judging criteria, please visit http://pepsicostudentchallenge.swe.org/.

“The innovation we see each year with the PepsiCo/SWE Student Engineering Challenge entries is profound,” said Karen Horting, executive director and CEO at SWE. “These students are the future of engineering, and we look forward to welcoming them to our community and seeing where their creativity and brilliance takes them this year.”

More than 11,000 women engineers are expected at WE17. The conference and career fair is an opportunity for the PepsiCo/SWE Student Engineering Challenge participants to explore graduate school opportunities with leading universities, meet hiring managers from major engineering companies and engage in educational and interactive discussions and events to help women on their career path in engineering.

For more information about the Society of Women Engineers, visit www.swe.org. For more information on PepsiCo and its longstanding commitment to STEM, please visit www.pepsico.com.

About SWE
The Society of Women Engineers (SWE), founded in 1950, is the world’s largest advocate and catalyst for change for women in engineering and technology. The not-for-profit educational and service organization is the driving force that establishes engineering as a highly desirable career aspiration for women. To ensure SWE members reach their full potential as engineers and leaders, the Society offers unique opportunities to network, provides professional development, shapes public policy and provides recognition for the life-changing contributions and achievements of women engineers. As a champion of diversity, SWE empowers women to succeed and advance in their personal and professional lives. For more information about the Society, please visit www.swe.org or call 312.596.5223.

About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated approximately $63 billion in net revenue in 2016, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo’s product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose – our fundamental belief that the success of our company is inextricably linked to the sustainability of the world around. We believe that continuously improving the products we sell, operating responsibly to protect our planet and empowering people around the world is what enables PepsiCo to run a successful global company that creates long-term value for society and our shareholders. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.

###

Dallas Regional Chamber campaign touts diverse job opportunities, welcoming culture, recreational access – issues that millennials say they most want in relocating

DALLAS – The Dallas Regional Chamber (DRC) is putting out the word to millennials around the country: No matter who you are, where you’re from, or what career you want to pursue, there’s no better place to be than the Dallas Region – and there’s no better time to be here.

The Dallas Region has become a shining example to the country for business opportunities, corporate relocations, and job growth. In fact, since 2010, more than 75 companies have relocated to the Dallas Region and hundreds more have expanded operations, creating more than 500,000 new jobs.

To ensure this success continues, the DRC worked with its member companies to create a new Talent Attraction department and develop a national, multi-level, multi-channel marketing initiative, Say Yes to Dallas. The campaign, which formally launched today, will target the influential millennial workforce and highlight why the Dallas Region is a great place to start or continue a career, raise a family, and experience a high quality of life in one of the most affordable and dynamic markets in the country.

Say Yes to Dallas will reach the target demographic by working with member companies’ in-house recruiting executives, partnering with authentic social media influencers, hosting networking mixers and events, and driving digital traffic to its new website, www.SayYesToDallas.com.

“Millennials are the largest generation in the U.S. workforce today and are key to the continued expansion of the Dallas Region’s economy now and in the future,” said Dale Petroskey, President and CEO of the Dallas Regional Chamber. “We want the entire world to know what we know: Dallas truly has something for everyone – from diverse job opportunities and an affordable cost of living, to unique neighborhoods and unlimited access to parks, culture, arts, sports, and entertainment,” Petroskey said.

Petroskey continued, “I spend a lot of time visiting with CEOs and business leaders, who are either here or thinking of moving here, to better understand how we can help them meet their challenges. Far and away, the number one issue they mention is ‘talent.’”

Tiffany Cason, Dallas Market President for Capital One Bank said, “The Dallas Regional Chamber has been a catalyst in getting companies to relocate and helping companies that are already here to grow and expand.”

“With over 6,000 Capital One employees in North Texas and growing, we have a keen interest in building and bringing the best talent here. The Say Yes to Dallas campaign highlights our region in a fantastic way and we are excited to have a front row seat to the growth,” Cason said.

In further building the business case for the Say Yes to Dallas initiative, the DRC conducted focus groups with college and university recruiters, corporate HR professionals, and millennials who recently relocated to the Dallas Region to understand the strengths and opportunities in attracting those who live outside the region.

Additionally, the DRC recently commissioned a nationwide survey to better understand what millennials are searching for in a career – and in life – and as part of a connected community.

Among the key findings of the DRC’s Millennial Survey:
• Dallas starts in a strong position: 61 percent of millennials surveyed have a favorable opinion of the Dallas Region; 58 percent would consider moving to Dallas for the right opportunity
• Competitive careers drive relocation decisions: Compensation ranked as the most important factor affecting decisions to move to a new city; 87 percent of millennials are looking for a pay scale that is better than most cities
• Healthy living ranks high: Millennials (85 percent) want convenient access to parks, green space, and hike and bike trails
• Convenience is key: Millennials (81 percent) want the ability to live within walking distance of restaurants, retail, and entertainment
• Be progressive: Millennials (80 percent) want to live in a city that fosters a socially progressive, welcoming, and inclusive culture

The Say Yes to Dallas website will address these key findings and serve as a resource of information about the region, formulated specifically to answer questions that prospective residents and employees might have. The site includes a jobs portal, a cost-of-living comparison calculator, links exploring unique attributes of neighborhoods around the Dallas Region, feature stories on dining, entertainment and nightlife, and testimonials from millennials who have already made the decision to relocate and now call the Dallas Region ‘home.’

The website will also emphasize the Dallas Region’s vibrant quality of life, including the region’s numerous parks and outdoor activities, rich diversity of people of all backgrounds, and its arts and culture scene that has flourished in recent years.

“If you’re a young professional looking for a city that you can grow in and have a high impact, Dallas is the perfect choice,” said Priya Patel, who relocated to Dallas in 2014 after growing up in Kansas before living and working in Illinois and Missouri. “I’ve had the chance to enjoy first-hand what Dallas provides, such as going to the various food festivals, trying new restaurants on a weekly basis, and shopping for the latest trends. And, Dallas has big city rewards with a cost of living that no city can beat,” Patel says.

For more information about Say Yes to Dallas, visit www.sayyestodallas.com, or explore the campaign’s social pages at:

www.facebook.com/sayyestodallas
http://www.twitter.com/sayyestodallas
www.instagram.com/sayyestodallas

#SayYesToDallas

About the Dallas Regional Chamber
The Dallas Regional Chamber is the voice of business and the champion of economic development and growth in the Dallas Region. We work with our 1,200 member companies and regional partners to strengthen our business community by advocating for pro-growth public policies, improving our educational system, attracting talented workers from around the world, and enhancing the quality of life for all. Our goal is to make Dallas the best place in America to live, work, and do business. For more information, please contact the Dallas Regional Chamber at 214.746.6600 or visit www.dallaschamber.org.

###

Media Contact
Alex Lee
Phone: (214) 613-0025
Email: alex.lee@hkstrategies.com

Students recognized for inventive solutions to challenges in health care, transportation, food and agriculture, and consumer devices

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 19, 2017 – The Lemelson-MIT Program today announced the winners of the Lemelson-MIT Student Prize after a nationwide search for the most inventive college students. The Lemelson-MIT Program awarded $115,000 in prizes to nine collegiate inventors. Each winning team of undergraduates received $10,000, and each graduate student winner received $15,000. The winners of this year’s competition were selected from a diverse and highly competitive applicant pool of students from colleges and universities across the country.

“The 2017 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize winners show exceptional inventiveness and creativity in solving real world problems,” said Stephanie Couch, executive director of the Lemelson-MIT Program. “Through their outstanding accomplishments and commitment to mentoring younger students, these promising inventors are inspiring a new generation of problem-solvers.”

The Lemelson-MIT Student Prize is a national collegiate invention prize program, supported by The Lemelson Foundation, which celebrates young inventors that have designed and built prototypes of inventions to solve social problems.

“These students display the brilliance and hope of their generation,” said Dorothy Lemelson, Lemelson Foundation chair. “We are proud to recognize them for their achievements.”

2017 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize Winners

The “Drive it!” Lemelson-MIT Student Prize: Rewarding students working on technology-based inventions that can improve transportation.

• Tomás Vega Gálvez and Corten Singer, University of California, Berkeley, $10,000 Lemelson-MIT “Drive it!” Undergraduate Team Winner: An Open-Source Smart Add-On System for Wheelchairs
Vega and Singer created WheelSense, a modular, customizable add-on system for wheelchairs that provides spatial awareness for visually impaired users to identify obstacles and ease their navigation. It has three features; frontal staircase detection through auditory feedback, backward obstacle-avoidance assistance through auditory feedback, and lateral ramp-edge detection through haptic feedback. They hope to disrupt the expensive market for assistive technologies for the disabled community by making their technology open source.

• Tony Tao, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, $15,000 Lemelson-MIT “Drive it!” Graduate Winner: A Small, Mid-Air-Deployable, Folding Electric Drone, and Adaptable Aircraft Manufacturing (AAM) Architecture
Tao led the development of a small electric unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The UAV folds to the size of a dollar bill and can be jettisoned from a mothership at high speeds and altitudes. The UAV and its canister are designed to deploy in freefall and fly autonomously to gather data and radio it back to the mothership or to personnel on the ground. Tao’s second invention, AAM architecture, has the potential to reduce manufacturing costs and increase speed of development of new aircraft by generating parts on demand.

The “Use it!” Lemelson-MIT Student Prize: Rewarding students working on technology-based inventions that can improve consumer devices.

• Chandani Doshi, Grace Li, Jessica (Jialin) Shi, Chen (Bonnie) Wang, Charlene Xia and Tania Yu, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, $10,000 Lemelson-MIT “Use it!” Undergraduate Team Winner: A Portable, Real-Time Text to Braille Converter
Doshi, Li, Shi, Wang, Xia and Yu are developing a portable, real-time text to braille converter called Tactile. This device allows people who are visually impaired to take a picture of printed text, and the text will be transcribed to braille on a refreshable display.

• Apoorva Murarka, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, $15,000 Lemelson-MIT “Use it!” Graduate Winner: Contact-Printed Nano-Membrane Transducers for Sound Production
Murarka invented an electrostatic transducer that uses a 125 nanometer thick membrane – which is approximately one thousandth the width of a human hair – to produce high-fidelity sound more efficiently. This technology can be applied to hearing aids, earphones, or other consumer electronic devices, resulting in superior sound quality and longer battery life.

The “Eat it!” Lemelson-MIT Student Prize: Rewarding students working on technology-based inventions that can improve food and agriculture.

• Matthew Rooda and Abraham Espinoza, University of Iowa, $10,000 Lemelson-MIT “Eat it!” Undergraduate Team Winner: SmartGuard Device – Real-time Health Analysis for Farmers
Rooda and Espinoza founded SwineTech, and developed their first product, SmartGuard, a real-time health analysis for pigs, which reduces the incidence of piglet mortality due to “lay-on/crushing” by the mother pig. The device monitors the temperature in the crate and adjusts it to optimize the health environment for the piglet. The proprietary technology also detects when a piglet is getting laid on, and then communicates to a belt on the sow. It will allow farmers to receive real time health analysis of each sow and whether any abnormal activities are occurring within the facility.

• Natasha Wright, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, $15,000 Lemelson-MIT “Eat it!” Graduate Winner: Solar-Powered Desalination System for Off-Grid Water Production in India and Gaza, and Usage Sensor for Household Water Treatment Devices 
Wright invented a solar powered desalination system for off-grid water production in communities in India and Gaza that reduces the required amount of energy and the amount of wasted water. She is working to provide affordable, safe drinking water. Wright was also part of a team that developed Smart Spout, a small, inexpensive, low energy consumption usage sensor that measures the long-term use of household water treatment and safe storage devices. The sensor allows for the collection of large, quantitative data sets, replacing less-reliable, self-reported survey data.

The “Cure it!” Lemelson-MIT Student Prize: Rewarding students working on technology-based inventions that can improve health care.

• Maria Filsinger Interrante, Zachary Rosenthal and Christian Choe, Stanford University, $10,000 Lemelson-MIT “Cure it!” Undergraduate Team Winner: Novel Proteins to Fight Superbug Bacterial Infections
Filsinger Interrante, Rosenthal and Choe developed novel protein drugs to kill multi-drug resistant, gram-negative bacteria – or “superbugs.” Their engineered protein molecules offer a new strategy to combat an urgent global problem projected to kill more people than cancer by 2050.

• Lisa Tostanoski, University of Maryland, $15,000 Lemelson-MIT “Cure it!” Graduate Winner: Innovative Biomaterials-based Strategies to Combat Autoimmune Disease
Tostanoski, a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow in the Jewell lab, developed an innovative approach to deposit microparticles in lymph nodes (LNs) – the tissues that orchestrate immune responses. These particles control the local release of regulatory immune signals and program cells not to attack “self” tissues. Her studies in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS) demonstrate that a single intra-LN dose reverses disease-induced paralysis. These effects were permanent for the duration of the studies and were specific, aiming to eliminate the broad immunosuppressive effects that plague current clinical therapies.

• Katy Olesnavage, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, $15,000 Lemelson-MIT “Cure it!” Graduate Winner: Method to Design a Better Prosthetic Foot
Olesnavage invented a process to create high-performance, mass-producible, low cost prosthetic feet. This process gives prosthetic foot designers rules and guidelines about how to produce a product that will most closely replicate typical walking motion. Her process looks to reproduce the behavior of a biological ankle and foot by determining the shape, size and material of a prosthetic foot structure and then calculating how it will bend in response to a certain amount of weight.

Lemelson-MIT Student Prize applicants were evaluated by screening committees with expertise in the invention categories as well as a national judging panel of industry leaders – who also select the annual $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize winner. Screeners and judges assessed candidates on breadth and depth of inventiveness and creativity; potential for societal benefit and economic commercial success; community and environmental systems impact; and experience as a role model for youth.

Students interested in applying for the 2018 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize can find more information here.
The Lemelson-MIT Program is also seeking partners with interest in sponsoring the competition, in addition to supporting the execution and scaling into new categories. Interested sponsors can find more information here.

ABOUT THE LEMELSON-MIT PROGRAM
Celebrating invention, inspiring youth

The Lemelson-MIT Program celebrates outstanding inventors and inspires young people to pursue creative lives and careers through invention.

Jerome H. Lemelson, one of U.S. history’s most prolific inventors, and his wife Dorothy founded the Lemelson-MIT Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1994. It is funded by The Lemelson Foundation and administered by the School of Engineering at MIT, an institution with a strong ongoing commitment to creating meaningful opportunities for K-12 STEM education. For more information, visit Lemelson.MIT.edu.

ABOUT THE LEMELSON FOUNDATION
Based in Portland, The Lemelson Foundation uses the power of invention to improve lives. Inspired by the belief that invention can solve many of the biggest economic and social challenges of our time, the Foundation helps the next generation of inventors and invention-based businesses to flourish. The Lemelson Foundation was established in the early 1990s by prolific inventor Jerome Lemelson and his wife Dorothy. To date the Foundation has made grants totaling over $200 million in support of its mission. For more information, visit http://lemelson.org.

For More Information about the Lemelson-MIT Program & The Lemelson-MIT Student Prize:
Jennifer Manley
Dewey Square Group
O. (617) 367-9929
C.(339) 927-2277
Jennifer.Manley@deweysquare.com

# # #

Biggest Post College Pay Gaps: Healthcare Administration (22% Pay Gap),
Mathematics (18% Pay Gap) and Biology (13% Pay Gap)

MILL VALLEY, CALIF. (April 19, 2017) – Glassdoor, one of the world’s fastest growing job sites, today revealed how men and women’s college majors contribute to the average gender pay gap in the early stages of careers. Through a unique dataset of more than 46,900 resumes shared on Glassdoor, The Pipeline Problem: How College Majors Contribute to the Gender Pay Gap, shows the impact college majors have on career paths and ultimately gender pay gaps within the first five years after graduation.

This new study follows a 2016 Glassdoor Economic Research study, Demystifying the Gender Pay Gap, which found that the sorting of men and women into different jobs is the largest contributor to the “unadjusted” pay gap. This study shows how sorting into different college majors contributes to the “pipeline problem” — women are less represented in majors that lead to high-paying positions. For example, nine of the 10 highest paying majors we examined are male dominated. By contrast, six of the 10 lowest paying majors are female dominated. Further, even when men and women hold the same degree, women sort into lower-paying jobs and men into higher-paying jobs.

Among the 50 majors examined, the study found that, on average, college-educated workers in the first five years of their careers face an 11.5 percent unadjusted gender pay gap; meaning women, on average, earn about $0.88 for every $1.00 men earn. Men in this sample earned a median base pay of $56,957 per year, while women earned $50,426 per year. That pay gap is well below the overall 24.1 percent unadjusted pay gap in the U.S. reported in the 2016 study, however the data shows the pay gap widens with age.

“You would expect new grads to find a level playing field when it comes to pay, but they generally don’t. Glassdoor’s analysis shows an 11.5 percent average pay gap among new grads in the early years of their careers,” said Dr. Andrew Chamberlain, Glassdoor chief economist. “When we isolate by major, pay gaps remain because men and women are sorting into different jobs after graduating – a clear sign of societal pressures and gender norms at play in the career paths of young workers.”

With Same Degree, Men and Women Sort Into Different Jobs With Different Pay

Even with the same degree, men and women often sort into different jobs — that pay differently — after graduation, resulting in a gender pay gap that persists in the first five years of their careers. For example, the major leading to the largest average pay gap is Healthcare Administration (22 percent pay gap), and the three most common jobs men take after college are implementation consultant, quality specialist and data consultant. For women, the three most common jobs after earning the same degree are lower-paying positions such as administrative assistant, customer care representative and intern.

Beyond Healthcare Administration, Mathematics (18 percent pay gap) and Biology (13 percent pay gap) lead to the largest pay gaps favoring men. The majors resulting in the biggest reverse pay gaps (where women earn more than men) are Architecture (-14 percent pay gap), Music (-10.1 percent pay gap) and Social Work (-8.4 percent pay gap). For a full list of the pay gaps by college majors, see the Glassdoor Blog.

“This new research gives us a chance to reflect on the origin of the pipeline problem that pushes men and women into different career paths. We’ve long known the impact of education on these pathways, but we can now see significant pay gaps emerging from the same majors – and that’s a major problem,” said Dawn Lyon, Glassdoor vice president of corporate affairs and chief equal pay advocate. “We need to better educate college graduates about the power of negotiation and educate employers on their entry-level recruiting and hiring to afford men and women the same opportunities coming out of school.”

The full study can be found on Glassdoor Economic Research, and includes information about the gender divide by major, most common jobs by major, the most and least specialized college majors, what majors lead to which jobs by gender, and how each major stacks up in terms of earning potential by gender.

For job seekers and employees: Tools like Know Your Worth™ by Glassdoor help people gain insights to better understand if they are being paid fairly. The personal market values generated help people determine if they should attempt to negotiate pay and/or explore better paying jobs based on current market hiring data and other personal worth factors like education, relevant experience, location, etc.

For employers: To help analyze pay gaps at any company, download Glassdoor’s 5 Steps to Addressing the Gender Pay Gap and a step-by-step technical guide to analyze payroll data from Dr. Chamberlain.

# # #

About Glassdoor
Glassdoor is the world’s most transparent job and recruiting marketplace that is changing how people search for jobs and how companies recruit top talent. Glassdoor combines job listings with anonymous reviews, ratings and salary data to help people find a job and company they love. This level of transparency with company insights helps employers attract the right candidates for their company and culture. Glassdoor offers employers job advertising, job posting and employer branding solutions in addition to robust talent analytics. Launched in 2008, Glassdoor has job listings and data for approximately 700,000 employers in 190 countries and is available on iOS and Android platforms. For labor market trends and analysis, visit Glassdoor Economic Research. For career advice and job-related news and tips, visit the Glassdoor Blog.

Glassdoor® is a registered trademark of Glassdoor, Inc.