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

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 12, 2016 – The Lemelson-MIT Program today announced the winners of the Lemelson-MIT Student Prize, a nationwide search for the most inventive college students. The Lemelson-MIT Program awarded $90,000 in prizes to 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 77 colleges and universities across the country.

“This year’s Lemelson-MIT Student Prize winners have outstanding portfolios of inventive work.” said Michael Cima, faculty director of the Lemelson-MIT Program. “Their passion for solving problems through invention is matched by their commitment to mentoring the next generation of inventors.”

The Lemelson-MIT Student Prize is a national collegiate invention prize program, supported by The Lemelson Foundation, serving as a catalyst for burgeoning young inventors.

“My husband Jerome always felt passionate about the potential of young collegiate inventors,” said Dorothy Lemelson, chairman of The Lemelson Foundation. “The Lemelson-MIT Student Prize has evolved over the past 20 years to encourage and inspire students around the country to develop their ideas into viable products.”

2016 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize Winners

The “Cure it!” Lemelson-MIT Student Prize: Rewarding students working on technology-based inventions that can improve health care.
• Catalin Voss, Stanford University, $15,000 Lemelson-MIT “Cure it!” Graduate Winner: Voss developed the Autism Glass Project, an emotional learning aid for children with autism based on smart glasses like Google Glass. An individual with autism puts on the glasses and they automatically recognize emotions in other people’s faces using an artificial intelligence system. They then give intelligent social cues to the child right then and there via a heads-up display or audio.

• Jason Kang, Katherine Jin and Kevin Tyan, Columbia University, $10,000 Lemelson-MIT “Cure it!” Undergraduate Team Winner: Kang, studying in Columbia’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, along with Columbia College students Jin and Tyan, formed a startup, Kinnos Inc., to develop Highlight, an easy-to-use powdered additive that can be mixed into disinfectant solutions to make them colorized and highly visible. Their invention allows global health care workers to fully cover contaminated surfaces with disinfectant solutions, eliminating gaps in coverage and reducing evaporation rates. Highlight improves the process of infectious disease decontamination by directly addressing the problems of human error and empowering health care workers to protect themselves and the general public.

The “Drive it!” Lemelson-MIT Student Prize: Rewarding students working on technology-based inventions that can improve transportation.
• Dan Dorsch, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, $15,000 Lemelson-MIT “Drive it!” Graduate Winner: Dorsch invented the world’s first lightweight clutchless transmission for high-performance hybrid vehicles, which are designed to match the performance of existing supercars while achieving higher efficiency. Dorsch has partnered with a leading performance car company to refine his transmission technology for real-world applications. Dorsch believes it will be straightforward for other automotive manufacturers to adapt his technology for their vehicles, creating greater efficiency and performance in mass consumer models.

The “Eat it!” Lemelson-MIT Student Prize: Rewarding students working on technology-based inventions that can improve food and agriculture.
• Heather Hava, University of Colorado Boulder, $15,000 Lemelson-MIT “Eat it!” Graduate Winner: Hava, a self-proclaimed “space gardener,” has focused her studies in bioastronautics, and specifically inventing ways to grow food in space and other extreme environments. She developed robots that can garden in space and patented a geodesic dome structure for on-Earth applications including use for disaster relief, sustainable housing and horticulture. Her invention SmartPot (SPOT), a smart growth chamber, can be teleoperated to help astronauts grow fruits and vegetables during space exploration missions. AgQ, also developed by Hava, is software that will process data from SPOT and provide feedback to the robot for proper plant care.
• Kale Rogers, Michael Farid, Braden Knight and Luke Schlueter, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, $10,000 Lemelson-MIT “Eat it!” Undergraduate Team Winner: Mechanical engineering students Rogers, Farid, Knight and Schlueter created Spyce Kitchen, the world’s first completely automated restaurant. The invention incorporates a refrigerator, dishwasher, stovetop and chef all-in-one, allowing it to cook and serve meals using fresh ingredients without human involvement. The team believes Spyce Kitchen will revolutionize the fast food industry by operating with extremely low overhead while serving high quality, nutritious meals at fast food prices.

The “Use it!” Lemelson-MIT Student Prize: Rewarding students working on technology-based inventions that can improve consumer devices.
• Achuta Kadambi, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, $15,000 Lemelson-MIT “Use it!” Graduate Winner: Kadambi designs advanced cameras that acquire superhuman imagery — he believes that the camera should exceed rather than mimic the human eye. His inventions include ultrafast optics to film light in motion (“Nanophotography”) and an imaging system that relates nearly imperceptible rotations of light with 3D models of the world (“Polarized 3D”). At the intersection of electrical engineering, computer science and optics, Kadambi’s work has applications that span medical imaging, robotic navigation and virtual reality.
• Thomas Pryor and Navid Azodi, University of Washington, $10,000 Lemelson-MIT “Use it!” Undergraduate Winners: Pryor and Azodi created SignAloud, a pair of gloves that have the potential to revolutionize communication for people who cannot speak or hear. SignAloud gloves contain an array of sensors that measure hand position and movement, sending sensor data via Bluetooth for translation from American Sign Language to spoken words instantly. The gloves are lightweight, compact, and worn on the hands, but ergonomic enough to use as an everyday accessory, similar to contact lenses or a hearing aid.

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 2017 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.

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MEDIA CONTACTS

Molly Owen
Cone Communications
(617) 939-8445
mowen@conecomm.com 

Stephanie Martinovich
Lemelson-MIT Program
(617) 258-0632
smartino@mit.edu

Master business fundamentals in ten weeks — from the comfort of your own home

April 11, 2016 — BOSTON — As spring break ends and summer approaches, there is always talk of summer learning loss, but not so much when speaking of college-aged students, or those in or entering graduate school. While those individuals might not be as prone to losing knowledge acquired throughout the year as compared to younger children, summer represents a time for opportunistic learning — to get a head start on the school year and to broaden skill sets in various subjects.

HBX CORe, a three-course online business fundamentals program powered by the faculty of Harvard Business School, is an effective way for students of all majors to master essential business principles (in just eight or 10 weeks) before fall classes begin. HBX CORe gives students the skills and confidence they need to be successful in the business world, regardless of their field of study or future career path. Upon successful completion of the program, students receive a Credential of Readiness from HBX and Harvard Business School – a clear resume-builder and opportunity to get ahead of the curve.

Peter LaBerge, an English major with a concentration in creative writing and a minor in consumer psychology through the University of Pennsylvania’s College of Arts & Sciences and Wharton School of Business, enrolled in CORe after his spring semester to build his business acumen.

“As the end of my freshman year of college drew near, I realized I was at a pivotal point in my academic career: I could either continue to rely on entrepreneurial instinct — which, honestly, had served me fairly well through my founding and developing The Adroit Journal to that point — or I could commit to establishing a strong understanding of economic principle, financial accounting and business analytics,” LaBerge said. “During my summer as an HBX student, I realized that instinct is only one piece of the puzzle. I realized that it is important — no, essential — to understand how to not only process and analyze the proper metrics to make effective decisions, but also communicate and defend these findings to stakeholders and colleagues.”

Unlike other online programs, the unique HBX learning model effectively marries Harvard Business School’s renowned case study method approach to teaching with an interactive, online, community-based curriculum in a way that provides an opportunity for individuals to learn business fundamentals and directly apply their learnings to their respective careers. This means that students can work their summer jobs or at their internships during the day and have the flexibility to participate in HBX CORe in their free time. CORe provides the essential elements individuals need to know to get started in their respective careers — whether it be at a big company, a small start-up, or a nonprofit — and is bundled into three distinct courses: Business Analytics, Economics for Managers and Financial Accounting. There are 10 program starts throughout the year — and two offered this summer.

Participants in HBX CORe will join a supportive global network of HBX learners who are regularly called upon to engage within the course platform through online discussions, shared insights, peer feedback and private Facebook groups. The ability to learn from, and network with, a cohort of committed learners from around the globe is something students won’t find in other online programs.

Applications are now available online through May 15 for June’s 10-week cohort and through June 13 for July’s 8-week session. For more information on how to apply to CORe, visit HBX online.

About HBX
Founded in 2014, HBX — Harvard Business School’s digital learning initiative — is changing the way individuals learn about business. HBX was established to expand the reach of Harvard Business School and to further the school’s mission of educating leaders who make a difference in the world. While still in the early days of online learning on a global scale, HBX has a jumpstart with 100 plus years of business education experience and a passionate faculty whose vision has been reimagined for the digital age. Find us online at hbx.hbs.edu.

Media contact
Deanna Haas for HBX
(774) 773-9571
deanna@hollywoodpr.net

Fuse (www.Fuse.tv), a national television network for the fast-growing Latino and multicultural 18-34 audience, and Voto Latino, the leading nonprofit organization empowering American Latino millennials by engaging them through civic media, today announced the official launch of Crash the Parties, a partnership created to inspire and encourage Latino participation in the upcoming Presidential election.

The Crash the Parties initiative is a nationwide search to identify two aspiring millennial reporters to cover the Democratic and Republican National Conventions for Fuse. Beginning today, those interested in being considered can apply either online at crashtheparties16.com or at live events taking place at college campuses across the nation, the first of which was held at the University of Southern California on March 30. For more location updates, please visit crashtheparties16.com. Submissions are being accepted through May 15.

Key launch elements include the crashtheparties16.com website created exclusively for Crash the Parties reporter submissions, as well as a series of PSAs that will run on the Fuse and FM networks; Fuse.tv; FM.tv; votolatino.org; crashtheparties16.com; social media channels; as well as select cable systems across the U.S.

Following an initial public voting process that will identify the top ten finalists, two winners will be chosen in June by a panel of influential, expert judges. Judges confirmed so far include Jose Antonio Vargas, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, filmmaker and media publisher; Alejandra Campoverdi, current Director of Multicultural Content at the Los Angeles Times and former White House Deputy Director of Hispanic Media; Maria Hinojosa, award-winning host of long-running weekly NPR show Latino USA; Lizza Monet Morales, actor, journalist, producer and social media influencer; and Katherine Vargas, former White House Director of Hispanic Media.

Once identified, the winners will receive media training and serve as Fuse reporters from the Democratic and Republican convention floors – appearing on television and online – offering an authentic perspective on the candidates, the election and issues at the forefront.

About Fuse
Fuse (www.fuse.tv) is a national television network reflecting the wide-ranging tastes and attitudes of the fast-growing, multicultural and Latino 18-34 audience. The network relaunched September 30, 2015, expanding beyond music with original entertainment programming. Fuse is currently available in approximately 70 million households, and reaches consumers across multiple other platforms, from video on demand to online, mobile, social media and live events.

About Voto Latino
Voto Latino is a pioneering civic media organization that seeks to transform America by recognizing Latinos’ innate leadership. Through innovative digital campaigns, pop culture, and grassroots voices, we provide culturally relevant programs that engage, educate and empower Latinos to be agents of change. Together, we aim to build a stronger and more inclusive democracy. To learn more about Voto Latino, visit www.VotoLatino.org. Also engage Voto Latino on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram.

For additional assets, please visit www.fuse.tv/press.

Gourmet Burger Authority is Offering the Red Ramen Burger to the First 22 College Students for 22 cents –Average Cost of Packet of Ramen, a Quintessential College Staple

GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo., March 29, 2016 – The ramen burger – the latest food frenzy to sweep New York and Los Angeles – is going national for the first time! Starting April 4, guests can line up at Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews (Red Robin) restaurants around the country to get a taste of the highly sought after culinary craze. To celebrate the limited time offer, Red Robin has dubbed April 19 Red Ramen Day, and the first 22 college students in the door with an appetite and valid student ID can get the Red Ramen Burger and Bottomless Steak Fries for only 22 cents – the average cost of a packet of ramen, a quintessential college staple.

“We closely follow emerging trends, and when the ramen burger first debuted, our culinary team worked to develop Red Robin’s take on the foodie favorite, enabling us to be the first to offer it nationally,” said Jonathan Muhtar, Red Robin’s senior vice president and chief marketing officer. “At Red Robin, we strive to constantly provide our guests with unique experiences and menu items that they can’t get anywhere else in the casual dining industry.”

The Red Ramen Burger is the latest deliciously daring innovation from Red Robin, which has previously introduced ghost pepper to its menu before it became trendy and mainstreamed the beer milkshake. Available through June 5, the Red Ramen Burger, served on a crispy seasoned ramen bun, is topped with teriyaki and Chiu Chow aioli, a medley of chili-infused shredded cabbage, carrot and onion and garnished with fresh basil. To further celebrate Red Ramen Day on April 19, Red Robin is giving all guests a $2.22 discount off the new burger in participating restaurants.

For more information on Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews, or to find the Red Robin restaurant location nearest you, visit www.redrobin.com. To sign up for the Red Robin Royalty™ loyalty program, visit royalty.redrobin.com.

About Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. (NASDAQ: RRGB)
Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. (www.redrobin.com), a casual dining restaurant chain founded in 1969 that operates through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Red Robin International, Inc., and under the trade name, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews, is the Gourmet Burger Authority™, famous for serving more than two dozen craveable, high-quality burgers with Bottomless Steak Fries® in a fun environment welcoming to guests of all ages. Whether a family dining with kids, adults grabbing a drink at the bar or teens enjoying a meal, Red Robin offers an unparalleled experience for its guests. In addition to its many burger offerings, Red Robin serves a wide variety of salads, soups, appetizers, entrees, desserts and signature beverages. Red Robin offers a variety of options behind the bar, including its extensive selection of local and regional beers, and innovative adult beer shakes and cocktails, earning the restaurant a VIBE Vista Award for Best Beer Program in a Multi-Uni t Chain Restaurant. There are more than 530 Red Robin restaurants across the United States and Canada, including Red Robin Burger Works® locations and those operating under franchise agreements. Red Robin… YUMMM®! Connect with Red Robin on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

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OAKLAND, Calif., March 24, 2016 – Dictionary.com, the leading online and mobile resource dedicated to helping users master the art of language, today released Your College in a Word, the most popular definitions searched at colleges and universities from coast to coast. The list includes top-seeded NCAA March Madness schools, the Ivy League, and campuses in New England, Massachusetts, and Texas.

“From putting polishing touches on final papers to finding the perfect adjective to describe a Friday night party, college students are looking up words that run the gamut from lighthearted to more serious topics,” said Elizabeth McMillan, CEO of Dictionary.com. “These words illuminate the different culture or issues that surround each specific campus, from an Ivy League’s frequent search of the word ‘fat’ to Duke University’s more obscure word, ‘encomium.’”

Dictionary.com’s list of most searched words at colleges are:

Baylor University: phlegmatic
Boston College: irascibly
Boston University: measurement
Brown University: trust
Columbia University: barter
Cornell University: amiable
Dartmouth College: bare
DePaul University: wreaking
Duke University: encomium
Gonzaga University: last
Harvard University: fat
Indiana University Bloomington: comport
Iowa State University: photoautotroph
Northeastern University: metaphor
Princeton University: abode
Providence College: contender
Rice University: hopeful
Sam Houston State University: environment
Smith College: sparkle
Southern Methodist University: godspeed
Texas A&M University: computer
Texas State University: utilitarianism
Tufts College: onomatopoeia
University of Houston: ethics
University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign: imperative
University of Kansas: precipitation
University of Maryland, College Park: exigence
University of Miami: historical novels
University of New Hampshire: awesome
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: chagrined
University of Notre Dame: judeo-christian
University of Oklahoma: hydrate
University of Oregon: hurricane
University of Pennsylvania: niche
University of Texas: masochist
University of Vermont: knowledge
University of Virginia: reprisal
University of Wisconsin-Madison: physique
Villanova University: ambivalent
Wellesley College: dissolve
Yale University: ambiguous

Data for Your College in a Word was determined through zip code matches to search data in 2015. To inquire about the most frequently searched word at a specific university, contact nikki@dottedlinecomm.com.

About Dictionary.com
Dictionary.com, an IAC (NASDAQ: IAC) company, is the world’s leading, definitive online and mobile resource dedicated to helping people master the art of language. We provide tens of millions of global monthly users with reliable access to millions of definitions, synonyms, audio pronunciations, example sentences, translations and spelling help through our services at Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com. Our leading mobile applications for reference and education have been downloaded more than 100 million times.

BATON ROUGE, La.— The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi recently named the six semifinalists for its Excellence in Innovation Award. The new $100,000 award, given once per biennium, will recognize an institution for achievement in finding powerful answers to important local, regional, national or global challenges.

The semifinalists were assessed on the project’s ability to achieve meaningful, measurable outcomes to create systemic large-scale change. The recipient institution will receive $100,000 in tangible recognition of its best practice in response to the changes and challenges facing higher education in the 21st century.

The six semifinalist institutions include:
• Arizona State University
• California State University, Fullerton
• The Evergreen State College
• James Madison University
• The New School
• Tulane University

Since 1933, Phi Kappa Phi has awarded fellowships and grants to members and students on its chapter campuses. Currently, more than $500,000 is awarded annually through programs that last year recognized over 270 individuals. The Excellence in Innovation Award is the Society’s only award for institutions.

Phi Kappa Phi will name the three finalists for the award in May. The inaugural recipient will be announced in late May and presented at the Society’s biennial convention on July 30.

For more information, visit www.PhiKappaPhiInnovation.org.

About Phi Kappa Phi
Phi Kappa Phi annually inducts approximately 30,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni. The Society has chapters at 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 second-term 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 about Phi Kappa Phi, visit us at www.phikappaphi.org.

Media Contact
Hannah Breaux
The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi
(225) 923-7777
hbreaux@phikappaphi.org

Robust data sets and alternative metrics power a new MasterCard for creditworthy international college students overlooked by traditional scoring models

Palo Alto, CA — March 21, 2016 — SelfScore, a Palo Alto-based fintech startup, has launched the first dedicated MasterCard credit card designed for international college students in the U.S. SelfScore determines creditworthiness using alternative data comprised of the borrower’s education, source of funding, and career prospects — no U.S. credit history required. This credit card is the first in a series of products SelfScore is introducing to meet the financial needs of students overlooked by the traditional FICO scoring model.

SelfScore’s model measures potential — not just risk — when connecting with new borrowers. SelfScore CEO Kalpesh Kapadia elaborates: “International students are granted access to the U.S. educational system. However, they’re not offered a clear on-ramp to financial success. Providing that on-ramp is our intention.” Kapadia, a former international student who created a career in the U.S., started SelfScore with the intent of supporting this “deserving, yet underserved” population.

Over one million international students in the U.S. simply have no credit history to demonstrate and are thus considered high-risk customers by lenders using existing scoring models. Citing their $31 billion annual investment into the U.S. economy, as well as international student success stories such as Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, SelfScore’s confidence in this population is its calling card. “The college campus is America’s new Ellis Island,” says SelfScore CEO Kalpesh Kapadia, who is a former international student. “The Statue of Liberty’s motto is no longer, ‘Bring us your tired, your hungry, your sick.’ It’s, ‘Bring us tomorrow’s doctors, inventors, and CEOs.’”

The SelfScore MasterCard is a credit card with no annual fee and no security deposit. This is similar to the kind of introductory credit card that American citizens can easily obtain. Customers can manage payments and view their account balance via an online dashboard. Credit limits for new users are available up to $1,500.*

To apply, visit www.selfscore.com/apply-student-credit-card.

About SelfScore
SelfScore opens the U.S. financial system to deserving but underserved audiences using alternative metrics and data. In 2016, we’re connecting international students with fair credit before expanding into other products and populations. SelfScore is a venture-backed financial startup whose investors include Accel Partners, Aspect Ventures, Fenway Summer Ventures and Pelion Venture Partners. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter, subscribe to our newsletter, The Score, and check out the latest news on our frequently updated blog. Accounts issued by Celtic Bank, a Utah Chartered Industrial Bank, Member FDIC.

*Restrictions apply. New borrowers must be in the continental U.S. at the time of application. Card is only available for purchases inside the U.S.

Media Contact
Stephanie Sibal
selfscore@bulleitgroup.com

‘Majoring in Money: How American College Students Manage Their Finances’ Shows Students are Conscientious, Careful, and Determined to be Financially Aware Consumers

More Than Half of College Students Have a Credit Card; Nearly Two-Thirds Pay Full Balance Each Month

NEWARK, Del., March 17, 2016–Conventional wisdom says young people have a lot to learn when it comes to managing money, but the reality is most American college students are handling their finances carefully and conscientiously, according to “Majoring in Money: How American College Students Manage Their Finances,” a new national study from Sallie Mae, the nation’s saving, planning, and paying for college company, and Ipsos, an independent global market research company.

Taking the Right Steps
“Majoring in Money” compiled the results of online interviews of 800 college students between the ages of 18 and 24, and reveals students are taking the right steps when it comes to managing money. More than three fourths (77 percent) of college students pay bills on time; six in ten (60 percent) never spend more money than they have available. In addition, college students are putting money aside each month. More than half (55 percent) save at least some money every month, and 24 percent report having an emergency fund.

Responsibly Using Credit Cards
While most college students make purchases with debit cards (85 percent), cash (86 percent), and mobile payments (77 percent), more than half–56 percent–have at least one credit card. In fact, roughly six in 10 (59 percent) report their primary reason for getting a credit card was to build their credit history. “Majoring in Money” also finds that the majority of students with credit cards are using them responsibly and paying the bill themselves. Specifically, 63 percent pay the balance in full each month, and 73 percent pay the bill without assistance from a parent or other adult. Roughly seven in 10 (69 percent) report an average monthly balance of $500 or less.

“Having a credit card doesn’t necessarily mean students are overspending,” said Julia Clark, senior vice president, Ipsos Public Affairs. “The reality is they are demonstrating sound reasoning and thoughtful decision-making, and they are managing their payments effectively.”

Understanding Credit Benefits and Behaviors
“Majoring in Money” finds most college students understand the value of good credit, and the majority know how to get and maintain it. Nine in 10 college students (91 percent) know having a good credit record can help them qualify for different types of credit and improve their access to favorable interest rates. The majority know paying bills on time (93 percent) and keeping credit balances low (63 percent) are positive credit behaviors, and opening multiple credit accounts simultaneously (64 percent) and using as much credit as possible (61 percent) are negative credit behaviors.

“It’s clear that today’s college students are focused on effectively managing their finances,” said Raymond J. Quinlan, chairman and CEO, Sallie Mae. “Many of these young people grew up in the wake of a financial crisis and, in turn, have adopted behaviors that promote sound credit management. At the same time, they are eager to learn more to continue on the road to financial stability and success. With free tools and resources to help students better understand credit, and benefits such as free quarterly access to FICO scores, we have the opportunity to help them do just that.”

Looking to Learn More
While the majority of college students express confidence in their current money management skills, 83 percent would like to learn more, especially about saving and budgeting. “Majoring in Money” also reveals college students would benefit from additional education around specific credit topics, including how interest accumulates and how repayment behavior and credit terms affect the cost of credit over time. In fact, when asked to answer multiple choice questions on those topics, only 31 percent answered all three questions correctly.

For the complete report, infographic and video visit SallieMae.com/MajoringInMoney. Join the conversation using #MajoringInMoney.

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About Ipsos
Ipsos is an independent market research company controlled and managed by research professionals. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has grown into a worldwide research group with a strong presence in all key markets, and is the world’s third largest survey-based market research company. Ipsos delivers insightful expertise across five research specializations: advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, and public affairs research. Ipsos researchers assess market potential and interpret market trends. They develop and build brands. They help clients build long-term relationships with their customers. They test advertising and study audience responses to various media and they measure public opinion around the globe. Ipsos has been listed on the Paris Stock Exchange since 1999 and generated global revenues of €1,669.5 billion (2.218 billion USD) in 2014. Visit http://www.ipsos-na.com to l earn more.

About Sallie Mae
Sallie Mae (NASDAQ: SLM) is the nation’s saving, planning, and paying for college company. Whether college is a long way off or just around the corner, Sallie Mae offers products that promote responsible personal finance, including private education loans, Upromise rewards, scholarship search, college financial planning tools, and online retail banking. Learn more at SallieMae.com. Commonly known as Sallie Mae, SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America.

Contacts:
Rick Castellano (Sallie Mae)
302.451.2541
rick.castellano@salliemae.com

Julia Clark (Ipsos Public Affairs)
312.526.4919 (office)
202.560.2014 (mobile)
julia.clark@ipsos.com

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., March 17, 2016 – Today Course Hero, the leading educational technology platform for course-specific study resources and tutoring, unveiled its new Course Advice feature to make the platform an even more holistic learning community for students. This offering—in addition to the company’s study materials and 24/7 tutoring—further improves the community by sharing advice from students who have already “been there and studied that.”

Since soft launching the feature last fall, students from high schools and universities across the nation have shared more than 50,000 entires on how to succeed in specific classes.

“At Course Hero, we believe that a network of knowledge and experience propels everyone forward,” said Course Hero CEO and Co-founder Andrew Grauer. “Choosing the right classes, workload, and instructors whose teaching styles align with your learning style are critical to performing well, learning deeply, and staying on track to graduate. With the Course Advice feature, students can more accurately prepare for their semesters and get the most out of their education because we take a different approach – we focus on advice for how to excel in the course, not on the personality of the professor.”

The new Course Advice feature helps students master their classes by enabling them to share feedback on courses they’ve already taken and offer advice to help others study efficiently and learn deeply. In as little as 60 seconds, students answer a few questions about what they learned, how much time they spent studying, and what they did to succeed. With tags like “requires group work outside of class,” “go to office hours,” “participation counts,” and “great discussions,” students can plan more balanced semesters or get ahead of a tough workload even before their first day of class.

To see Course Hero’s advice feature in action, please visit the Course Advice page.

About Course Hero
Course Hero connects millions of students and educators to share their knowledge by asking and answering questions. Course Hero offers a suite of online educational resources, including crowdsourced study documents, expert tutors, customizable flashcards, and advice. For students exploring new subjects, mastering key concepts—and everything in between—Course Hero offers essential tools to help them achieve their goals and succeed in their courses. To learn more, please visit www.coursehero.com.

For more information, contact:
Grayling PR
(415) 593-1400
coursehero@grayling.com

Contest Offers Scholarships and Travel Prizes to Students who Want to #GoStudyAbroad

NEW YORK, NY, March 17, 2016 – Do you want to study abroad? Or did you just get back from studying abroad, and want to inspire other students to take part in this amazing experience?  The Institute of International Education (IIE), Go Overseas and other leading study abroad and travel organizations are offering scholarships for those who want to study abroad, and travel prizes for those who nominate them. Enter online at GoOverseas.com/GenerationStudyAbroad.

Aside from being one of the most fun and exciting experiences you have in college, study abroad can also improve your career prospects. Studying abroad is one of the best ways you can acquire the international experience necessary to succeed in today’s global marketplace.

You can win a grand prize $10,000 scholarship to study anywhere in the world or one of three $5,000 study abroad scholarships when you sign up and enter to #GoStudyAbroad at GoOverseas.com/GenerationStudyAbroad.

For a chance to win, all you have to do is enter your contact information and explain in 250 characters – that’s shorter than two tweets – why you’d like to study abroad and how it’ll match your goals. The contest link is GoOverseas.com/GenerationStudyAbroad.

Study abroad takes planning, but it’s worth it. Less than 10% of U.S. students study abroad by the time they graduate from college. With 1 in 5 jobs linked to international trade and employers looking for global talent, more U.S. students must study abroad to broaden their perspectives, understand and tolerate different ways of life and succeed in today’s global workforce. College students who studied abroad are hired more quickly after graduation with higher starting salaries, more likely to land jobs in their fields, and less likely to be unemployed five years after graduation, according to several post-study abroad surveys and reports.

The contest is part of the nationwide #GoStudyAbroad campaign that IIE, Go Overseas and four leading study abroad and travel organizations launched today, which calls on alumni of study abroad programs to pay it forward by inspiring college students to consider and/ or commit to studying abroad by the time they graduate.

“I’m asking study abroad alumni to imagine how different their lives would be if they’d never studied abroad and then imagine the impact going abroad could have on a friend’s life if they convinced them to study overseas too,” said Dr. Allan E. Goodman, IIE’s President and CEO. “We need mentors, campus leaders, faculty and relatives, to inspire and motivate students to study abroad so that the next generation of Americans is prepared to thrive in our globalized world.”

In addition to inviting college students to enter the contest directly, IIE and campaign partners AIFS Study Abroad, CET Academic Programs, IFSA-Butler, and STA Travel are reaching out to their study abroad alumni networks to nominate students to #GoStudyAbroad. Alumni who nominate students to study abroad through GoOverseas.com/GenerationStudyAbroad can win prizes as well, including a grand prize roundtrip international flight, sponsored by IFSA-Butler. The more students someone nominates, the better the chances to win. #GoStudyAbroad is part of IIE’s Generation Study Abroad, a five-year initiative to double the number of students who study abroad by the end of the decade.

“Our mission at Go Overseas is to inspire as many students as possible to engage in study abroad programs with meaningful cultural exchange. We passionately live and breathe this mission on a daily basis,” said Mitch Gordon, Go Overseas’ CEO and Co-Founder. “In partnership with IIE, our goal is to connect as many of our 30,000 daily and 900,000 monthly visitors as possible with study abroad programs that will change their lives, and the lives of those with whom they interact.”

The contest runs until March 31, 2016.

See the full terms and conditions at GoOverseas.com/GenerationStudyAbroad for official rules.

About the Institute of International Education
The Institute of International Education (IIE) is a world leader in the international exchange of people and ideas. IIE designs and implements programs of study and training for students, educators, young professionals and trainees from all sectors with funding from government agencies, foundations and corporations. IIE also conducts policy research and program evaluations, and provides advising and counseling on international education and opportunities abroad. An independent, not-for-profit organization founded in 1919, IIE has a network of 19 offices and affiliates worldwide and over 1,400 member institutions.

About Go Overseas
Go Overseas is the leading website for programs abroad. With over 30,000 daily and 900,000 monthly visitors, more people use Go Overseas to find life changing, meaningful travel programs than any other website in the world. Go Overseas incorporates reviews, interviews, articles and other community features to help people make informed and educated decisions when choosing travel programs. Most importantly, Go Overseas inspires people around the world to travel differently and to travel with a purpose.

#GoStudyAbroad Contest

How the #GoStudyAbroad Contest Works: 

1. The contest opens on February 16, 2016 and closes on March 31, 2016. Participants enter to win prizes at GoOverseas.com/GenerationStudyAbroad.

2. College students may enter the contest directly, even without being nominated. To enter directly, enter to #GoStudyAbroad and answer in 250 characters why you want to study abroad and how it will complement your goals at GoOverseas.com/GenerationStudyAbroad.

3. Anyone who wants to nominate a friend to study abroad can register at GoOverseas.com. They will be given a unique link to share that will track how many students they have inspired to #GoStudyAbroad. Share your link by tagging friends on social media and using the hashtag #GoStudyAbroad.

4. After you enter your nominations, the student(s) receive an email asking them to enter to #GoStudyAbroad online. Students who enter and answer in 250 characters why they want to study abroad and how it will complement their goals are automatically entered to win a grand prize $10,000 scholarship to study abroad anywhere in the world. Students are also automatically entered to win $5,000 study abroad scholarships. After the end of the contest period, IIE and Go Overseas will select the winners.

5. The top nominator will win a free roundtrip ticket back to country where s/he studied abroad. The more students you nominate to #GoStudyAbroad, the higher your chance of travel prizes. In order to participate in the chance to win, you must nominate individuals through GoOverseas.com/GenerationStudyAbroad/Alumni.

6. Read the full terms and conditions at GoOverseas.com/GenerationStudyAbroad for official rules.

How to Spread the Word!

Whether you are an alumnus, an organization or just a person who cares about international exchange – here are some ideas for ways to help spread the word about this opportunity on social media!

Want to win a scholarship so that you can #GoStudyAbroad? Enter to win a #GenerationStudyAbroad scholarship: GoOverseas.com/GenerationStudyAbroad

Looking for funding to #GoStudyAbroad? This is your chance! Enter to win a #GenerationStudyAbroad scholarship today: GoOverseas.com/GenerationStudyAbroad

Where would you #GoStudyAbroad if money wasn’t an obstacle? Enter now to win a $10K scholarship: GoOverseas.com/GenerationStudyAbroad