17 High Schoolers from India Live Like Astronauts for Two Weeks at US Space Camp

Honeywell has announced that 17 Indian students were among 292 students from 41 countries to attend a once-in-a-lifetime learning experience at the Honeywell Leadership Challenge Academy (HLCA).

This two-week long unique leadership program at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center (USSRC) in Huntsville, Alabama, encourages students to pursue science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers through real-world, hands-on challenges in coding, computer sciences, and astronautics.

Sakshi Bhavsar, a student-participant from Pune said, “At the academy, I sat in the cockpit of a flight simulator, learned how to fly a jumbo jet, and launched a model rocket – is there anything cooler than this? I felt as if I was part of a Mars exploration mission!”

At the academy, students between 16 to 18 years participated in numerous team-building challenges like assembling, coding and testing rockets, and participating in simulated astronaut training, shuttle missions, and a moonwalk. Students also met scientists, engineers, and former astronauts who reinforced core leadership competencies and shared their first-hand professional experiences.

“Engaging students in science and engineering is now as fundamentally important as learning to read and write,” said Dr. Deborah Barnhart, CEO and executive director, USSRC. “By investing in these young students, Honeywell is helping to prepare them to become the global STEM-literate citizens who will change our world.”

Rohith Tirumalasetti, a Hyderabad participant, who was among the eight students selected globally as ambassadors and mentors to the U.S. Space Camp, said, “Not many students get an opportunity to return to the Space Camp as a student-mentor. I am privileged to have relived my dream of being in a space mission again! Last years’ experience was phenomenal, and this year I was thrilled to share tips with my friends, helping them achieve their goals.”

“Fortune favors the bold! This camp has instilled leadership abilities in me that will help me in the future. It also taught me how to be independent in life,” said Srikar Desu from Bengaluru.

Echoing a similar sentiment, Tanmay Taneja from Gurugram, said, “Meeting students from around the world who share the same passion for rockets, jets, space shuttles, and the moonwalk was extremely exciting. What’s really great is the program combines science and engineering with fun and friendship for life.”

This year, Honeywell chose seven students from Bangalore, eight students from Pune, and one each from the Delhi/NCR and Hyderabad.

“As a world leader in software and industrial technology, Honeywell sees the need to increase educational opportunities for students by blending technical knowledge with team-building, communication and leadership skills. The Honeywell Leadership Challenge Academy aims to do that,” said Mike Bennett, President, Honeywell Hometown Solutions. “In partnership with the USSRC, we’re pleased to offer this program to our future leaders.”

Since 2010, Honeywell Hometown Solutions, the company’s corporate citizenship initiative, has awarded 2,709 scholarships to children of Honeywell employees. Students are selected through a rigorous application and review process based on academic achievement and community involvement. Honeywell and its employees help fund the scholarships, which cover the cost of tuition, meals, accommodations and program materials.

About Honeywell Hometown Solutions India Foundation

Honeywell India is committed to improving the world we live in by creating, supporting, and nurturing outstanding corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs and initiatives that make real, sustainable, and measurable impact on communities that Honeywell serves. Honeywell Hometown Solutions India Foundation (HHSIF) is a not-for-profit organization that deploys Honeywell India’s CSR efforts. Working within the government’s guidelines and the company’s CSR framework, HHSIF builds programs that deliver results it can quantify: one community, one home, one teacher, and one student at a time. To learn more, visit https://www.honeywell.com/worldwide/en-in/csr at a time. To learn more, visit https://www.honeywell.com/worldwide/en-in/csr

New MCAfee Research Reveals 61 Percent of I.T. Professional Have Experienced a Sserious Data Breach

Key Findings

Top three vectors used to exfiltrate data are database leaks, cloud applications and removable USB drives
Nearly three-quarters of all breaches require public disclosure, putting brand reputation at risk
Eighty-one percent of IT professionals report separate policies or management consoles for cloud access security broker (CASB) and data loss prevention (DLP)
Intellectual property (IP) surpasses payment card data to tie personally identifiable information (PII) as top target for thieves

McAfee, the device-to-cloud cybersecurity company, today released Grand Theft Data II – The Drivers and Shifting State of Data Breaches, which revealed that despite improvements in combating cybercrime and threats, IT security professionals are still struggling to fully secure their organization and protect against breaches with 61 percent claiming to have experienced a data breach at their current employer. Adding to this challenge, data breaches are becoming more serious as cybercriminals continue to target intellectual property putting the reputation of the company brand at risk and increasing financial liability.

McAfee’s study demonstrates the need for a cybersecurity strategy that includes implementing integrated security solutions combined with employee training and an overall culture of security throughout the organization to reduce future breaches.

“Threats have evolved and will continue to become even more sophisticated,” said Candace Worley, vice president and chief technical strategist at McAfee. “Organizations need to augment security measures by implementing a culture of security and emphasizing that all employees are part of an organization’s security posture, not just the IT team. To stay ahead of threats, it is critical companies provide a holistic approach to improving security process by not only utilizing an integrated security solution but also practicing good security hygiene.”

The McAfee report highlights the following:

Savvier thieves: Data is now being stolen by a wide range of methods, with no single technique dominating the industry. The top vectors used to exfiltrate data are database leaks, cloud applications and removable USB drives.

IP tied for 1st: Personally identifiable information (PII) and intellectual property (IP) are now tied as the data categories with the highest potential impact to 43% of respondents. Notably, PII is of greater concern in Europe (49%), most likely due to the recent enforcement date of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). In Asia-Pacific countries, intellectual property theft is of greater concern (51%) than PII. 

Blame game: IT is looked at as the culprit with 52 percent of respondents claiming IT is at fault for creating the most data leakage events. Business operations (29 percent) follows as the next most likely to be involved. Highly regulated internal groups including finance (12 percent) and legal (6 percent) were the most secure.
The great divide: Security technology continues to operate in isolation, with 81 percent reporting separate policies or management consoles for cloud access security broker (CASB) and data loss prevention (DLP), resulting in delayed detection and remediation actions.

Taking responsibility: There is a rift in regard to accountability – 55 percent of IT professionals believe that c-level executives should lose their job if a breach is serious enough, yet 61 percent also state that the c-level executives they work with expect more lenient security policies for themselves.
Future proofing: IT professionals are taking action, with almost two-thirds stating they have purchased additional DLP, CASB and endpoint detection solutions over the last 12 months. Respondents believe that between 65 and 80 percent of breaches experienced would have likely been prevented if one or more of these systems had been installed.

The stakes are higher as multiple attack methods are now used in a breach as cybercriminals continue to target personal data and intellectual property. Furthermore, IT security teams are increasingly concerned about external threat actors compromising their network, which has forced more organizations to publicly disclose when breaches occur. The severity of publicly disclosing breaches results not only in financial repercussions but damage to brand and reputation as well.

Resources

Report: Grand Theft Data II – The Drivers and Shifting State of Data Breaches
Executive Summary
Infographic
2015 Report: Grand Theft Data
McAfee MVISION Cloud
McAfee Data Protection
McAfee Database Security
McAfee MVISION EDR
McAfee Secure Web Gateway

Study Methodology

This study was conducted by MSI-ACI Europe, on behalf of McAfee. Survey respondents had to have experienced a serious data breach incident sometime in their career as an IT professional. Data was collected via online interviews between December 12 and 31, 2018. To qualify for the survey, organizations had to have more than 1,000 employees, and were evenly split between commercial (1,000 to 5,000 employees) and enterprise (more than 5,000 employees). The resulting global group represented the Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Singapore, the U.S., the U.K., and a wide range of industries.

A 28 Year Old Girl Suffering from Wilson Disease Successfully Underwent a Liver Transplant at Fortis Hospital

A 28 year old girl suffering from Wilson’s disease successfully underwent a liver transplant at Fortis Hospital, Bannerghatta road. Wilson disease is a rare inherited disorder that causes copper to accumulate in liver, brain and other vital organs. The team of doctors was led by Dr. Mahesh Gopasetty- Sr. Consultant Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary and Liver Transplant Surgery, Fortis Hospitals, Bangalore.

The patient came with a complaint of inability to consume food and water. Being specially-abled since birth, the patient was also unable to perform her daily chores. Further it was diagnosed that she had repeated infections and there was water accumulation in her body. The patient’s condition was deteriorating and there was an urgent need for liver transplant, so a cadaver liver transplant procedure was followed for her.

Dr. Mahesh Gopasetty, Sr. Consultant Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary and Liver Transplant Surgery, Fortis Hospitals, Bangalore, said, “It was a complex case for us as the patient has Wilson disease. It was difficult for us to understand the symptoms, as mostly in such cases, patient with wilson disease also suffer from neurological and psychological disorder. In this case also, the patient had psychological issues since her birth. On diagnosis, we found out that there was copper accumulation in her liver, so we had to perform immediate liver transplant surgery. Post consent from the family, we went ahead with the liver transplant and the patient withstood the procedure well. We hope that with this transplant, she would have a healthy life ahead.”

Ms Hemalatha (name changed), Mother of the patient said, “We are grateful to the doctors, staff and Hospital who guided and treated my daughter well. We are fortunate enough to get the liver transplant done successfully.

According to reports by NCBI, “Approximately Wilson disease affects 1 in 30,000 to 40,000 individuals. Around 15-20 cases are registered annually, out of which two-thirds are a cause of acute liver failure.”

Subex Wins Multi-Year Deal from Econet Wireless Zimbabwe to Deploy Analytics Centre of Trust

Subex, a leading telecom analytics solution provider, has announced a deal with Econet Wireless Zimbabwe (EWZ), a leading telecom operator in Zimbabwe, for the deployment of its Analytics Centre of Trust (ACT) offering. Through the deployment, Econet will be able to transform into an independent data driven organization, thereby improving operational efficiency.

Licensed as a mobile telecommunications operator in 1998, Econet is listed on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange, and is part of the pan-African, diversified Econet Wireless Group. Econet Wireless Zimbabwe is building a strong, consumer-centric ethos that is committed to providing innovative, accessible and refreshingly simple communication solutions that suit customers’ everyday needs.

Econet Wireless Zimbabwe was looking to further improve their operational efficiency by effectively leveraging their data to make business decisions. To this end, Subex was selected based on its proven expertise in implementing an analytics solution which is flexible across business cases around Customer, Technology, Product, Sales & Distribution, Risk and Revenue.

Through the deployment of ACT, Econet will have access to an array of benefits. The ACT deployment, beyond optimizing Econet’s day-to-day operations, will also allow the telecom player to employ predictive & prescriptive analytics in areas such as Customer 360, Product Optimisation and Cell-Site intelligence.

Moreover, Subex’s ‘Man + Machine’ model will provide Econet with the flexibility to shift from one focus area to another and make accurate business decisions faster. ACT will also help Econet build intelligence to analyze performance of products, identify new products, and explore areas where consumption can be increased. The deployment will also help Econet identify potential sites for 4G upgrades, identify critical and competitive zones based on customer segmentation and deliver many other additional benefits.

“Subex has been a pioneer in the telecom analytics domain, and we are delighted to extend our ACT solution to Econet Wireless Zimbabwe. Our expertise in handling large volumes of data to derive digital insights significantly help our customers in both strategic and operational aspects of their business. This win with Econet allows us to increase footprint for our Analytics solution, which is an important part in our growth strategy towards being the leaders in Digital Trust,” said Vinod Kumar, Managing Director & CEO, Subex.

“Econet’s focus is to continue being Zimbabwe’s preferred telecommunications provider, which will be achieved only by evolving into a stronger and future-ready organization. The analytical support from Subex will give impetus to Econet’s strategic expansion. This partnership will further improve the telecom sector in Zimbabwe and reinforce our ability to tap into the power of our services and make demonstrable difference in many areas of our customers’ lives,” said Mr. Douglas Mboweni, CEO, Econet Wireless Zimbabwe Group.

Innoviti Bags ‘Innovation Wizards’ Award at REACH – Mastercard Acceptance Summit 2019, Mumbai

Leading payments company, Innoviti Payment Solutions won “Innovation Wizards” award at REACH – Mastercard Acceptance Summit 2019 in Mumbai for its product Innoviti POS which is designed to accelerate the adoption of digital payments acceptance amongst small retailers in Tier 2/3 towns across India. The prestigious event is one of India’s largest conferences focusing on accelerating merchant digital payment acceptance and witnessed exciting talks and panel discussions with senior executives from Mastercard, leading banks like SBI, RBL Bank, Yes Bank and Axis Bank, and leading fintech players.

The award-winning Innoviti-POS product focuses on specific concerns of merchants who are used to cash acceptance and see little or no benefit in going digital because they feel their cost of doing business goes up by 1-2% due to applicable Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) processing fees.  Further, they perceive an unwanted loss of flexibility in not being able to immediately use their daily sales proceeds from transactions on a given day, as typically settlement of digital transactions happens on the next bank working day, which can be even 2-3 days later in case of intervening holidays. Moreover, they prefer not to get entangled into the intimidating installation-onboarding-activation cycle that takes upwards of 20 days.

To ease the transition from cash-to-cards for such first-time card-accepting merchants, Innoviti-POS is designed as a ready-to-use product which can be unpacked, installed and activated on the spot. In keeping with its positioning, the Innoviti-POS package also relieves the merchant of the need to open new current accounts to receive card settlements or sign new bank agreements, as they can now simply route them to any of their existing bank accounts by entering their basic KYC details into the Innoviti-POS Onboarding App. It transfers settlement funds for all transactions done on a particular day till 6 p.m., to merchants’ accounts by 8 p.m. on the very same day, thus enabling withdrawal of the day’s sales proceeds via an ATM or via issuance of cheques on the very same day. Moreover, Innoviti-POS assures this same day settlement service on all 365-days of the year irrespective of bank holidays.

Innoviti POS is targeted specifically at speeding up the enrolment of such small retail stores in Tier-2 and Tier-3 towns across India, like Jaipur, Jammu, Ambala, Karnal, Dehradun, Surat, Nagpur, Indore, etc. Its unique benefits have attracted over 1500 merchants across 12 mainly Tier 2/3 cities, during the pilot between September 2018 to March 2019, to adopt Innoviti-POS and start migrating their business from cash to card. The average monthly transaction on these terminals is ₹ 98,000.

Innoviti will now be commercially launching this product across the country for smaller retail merchants. The company’s payment platform serves a marquee client base of merchants including Reliance Retail, Titan, Landmark Group, INOX, Indigo, Walmart and several others. Leading banks such as HDFC, ICICI, Axis, SBI, Standard Chartered, Kotak and Citibank use their platform to access customers for processing their payments and distributing loans to them.

“Innovating to find solutions to real-life problems of Indian retail merchants is at the core of Innoviti’s DNA, and we are naturally delighted at receiving the Innovation Wizards award at such a prestigious forum for expanding digital payment acceptance.  Small town merchants till now have only seen the cost side of accepting digital payments and increased hassles. With Innoviti-POS, they are being exposed to the real power of digital technology, where their hard-earned money can earn more money for them. We strongly believe our same day, everyday fund transfer technology will help new merchants enter card acceptance with an experience that is as good, if not better than cash. This potentially holds the key to plugging the currently yawning supply-demand gap in terms of POS infrastructure in India retail.”– said Mr. Rajeev Agrawal, CEO, Innoviti.

Vikas Saraogi, Vice President, Acceptance, Market Development, South Asia, Mastercard, said “Merchants are a critical element of India’s digital economy. In Mastercard’s vision of reaching 10 million merchants by 2020, partnerships with stakeholders in the digital payments ecosystem play a vital role. We are delighted to acknowledge Innoviti’s contributions to help make this vision a reality and congratulate them for winning the award for ‘New Innovation Wizards’. Innoviti’s instantly-installable Innoviti-POS with its Same Day Money promise is an excellent example of innovative acceptance solutions that address key merchant challenges and deliver a more friction-free on-boarding experience. We look forward to strengthening this partnership in the long run.”

New Land Rover Defender Reaches 1.2 Millions Kilometre Test and Development Milestone

Highlights

●      Ready for anything: New Defender reaches development milestone on World Land Rover Day as prototype fleet hits 1.2 million km landmark
●      New challenge awaits: Specially-camouflaged prototype model is preparing to embark on field-testing with global Land Rover conservation partner, the Tusk Trust
●      Unstoppable capability: Prototype will be put to work towing, wading and carrying supplies at the Borana Conservancy in Kenya to support vital conservation work
●      Tested to the extreme: Development fleet will complete more than 45 000 individual tests in some of the world’s most inhospitable places
●      World Land Rover Day: Land Rover celebrates 71 years of all-terrain expertise on 30 April – the anniversary of its original debut at the 1948 Amsterdam Motor Show

To celebrate World Land Rover Day, Land Rover has announced plans for the new Defender to complete a final phase of field testing with the Tusk Trust, on location in Kenya.

A Defender prototype wearing a unique camouflage will experience life at the Borana Conservancy as part of Land Rover’s 15-year partnership with the Tusk Trust.

The prototype will tow heavy loads, wade through rivers and carry supplies across unforgiving terrain in a series of real-world trials at the 14 000 hectare reserve.

By the time the new Defender makes its public debut later this year, it will have passed more than 45 000 individual tests in some of the most extreme environments on earth. Land Rover engineers have taken the test fleet to the 50-degree heat of the desert, the sub 40-degree cold of the Arctic, as well as up to 10 000 ft altitude of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado to ensure the new Defender will take everyday life in its stride, for even its most adventurous customers.

Nick Rogers, Director Group Engineering, Jaguar Land Rover, said: “In addition to the extensive simulation and rig testing, we’ve driven new Defender 1.2 million km across all terrains and in extreme climates to ensure that it is the toughest and most capable Land Rover ever made. The incredible opportunity to put it to the test in the field, supporting operations at the Borana Conservancy in Kenya, with Tusk, will allow our engineers to verify that we are meeting this target as we enter the final phase of our development programme.”

With on-road dynamics honed at the Nürburgring facility in Germany and all-terrain credentials tested on the muddy roads of Eastnor, UK, the rocky trails of Moab in Utah, and the sand dunes of Dubai, the new 4x4 promises to bring unparalleled breadth of capability and new levels of comfort and driveability to the Defender family.

The new Defender has been designed and developed in the UK, at Gaydon, home to Land Rover’s world-class design, engineering and testing facilities. The new home of global Defender production will be Land Rover’s recently opened state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Nitra, Slovakia.

Land Rover has been an official partner of the Tusk Trust wildlife conservation charity for 15 years, helping to reach some of the world’s most remote locations. News of the testing initiative has been announced to mark World Land Rover Day, which is celebrated on 30 April every year to mark the world premiere of the original Land Rover at the Amsterdam Motor Show on this day in 1948.

Submission Period for Green Talents Award has Now Began Globally

Become a Green Talent, connect with an outstanding network of excellent scientists and Germany’s sustainability research elite and promote your ideas.

How can we realise good and healthy living conditions for everyone around the world when global climate change challenges today’s economies and life styles? How can we preserve our planet’s resources for future generations? How can research contribute to more sustainability? These questions are at the centre of the “Green Talents – International Forum for High Potentials in Sustainable Development”. It invites applications from the creative and open-minded scientist to apply with their project to showcase the research to a broader public, to discuss with renowned experts, and to conduct the research in Germany.

With this year’s special focus on the question of how digitalisation can promote more sustainability in science and our societies, the motto of the 2019 competition is “Smart Green Planet – Solutions for a Sustainable Future”. However, applications from all disciplines are highly welcome and the research does not need to have a direct link to digitalisation.

As a successful Green Talent 2019, the winner will receive

-  an invitation to the fully funded two-week Green Talents Science Forum 2019, consisting of

-      visits to leading German sustainability facilities, institutions and companies with exclusive insights into their pioneering research and projects,

-      individual appointments with German experts of your choosing to discuss possibilities for upcoming joint research and cooperation efforts,

-      networking opportunities at the 10-year-anniversary Green Talents alumni conference in Berlin with key representatives of the German sustainability landscape,

-    a fully funded research stay of up to three months at an institution of your own choice in Germany in 2020,

-   exclusive access for you to the prestigious Green Talents alumni network.

Deadline for submission: 22 May 2019, 2 p.m. CEST.

For more information please refer to our website www.greentalents.de where both the competition flyer as well as the award trailer are accessible.

Further information :  The “Green Talents – International Forum for High Potentials in Sustainable Development” programme has been hosted by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research for the past 10 years. It is held under the patronage of the German Minister of Education and Research, Ms Anja Karliczek. Honouring 25 young international researchers each year, the programme has successfully fostered  the global exchange of innovative green ideas within the field of sustainability. Since 2009, 232 outstanding scientists from 65 countries have been awarded for  their achievements and contributions to making their communities, countries and societies more sustainable.Eligible to apply are master students, PhD students, postdocs, as well as young professionals, with no more than three years of professional work experience (excluding professional work experiences gained within the scope of an educational degree) and a strong focus on sustainable development. Applicants must prove excellent command of English and above-average grade. Further, only applications from non-German citizens or residents can be considered.