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Costa Rica Develops Basketball for Good Project

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Sunday, January 1, 2023

Basketball For Good is a program that involves 3×3 basketball and mini basketball to foment equality, hand in hand with sports activities. It’s carried out through FIBA Foundation and its Youth Leadership Program. For the past four years, the Foundation has brought together young leaders from National Federations in the Americas, Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific, providing them with leadership and management skills to help them develop projects in their countries. Additionally, they’re able to address social problems in their communities, such as inactive lifestyles, violence, and lack of access to education, to develop more opportunities and equality in sporting activity. Meilyn Herrera, current national team player and basketball coach graduated from the Youth Leaders of the Americas Program and participated in this year’s seminar in El Salvador. As a youth leader in her country, she works to promote the 3×3 and mini-basketball movement within the Costa Rican Basketball Federation (FECOBA). In one year, she co-founded a 3×3 basketball academy in the country’s capital, San José, while strengthening education, health, and wellness initiatives. “I fell in love with 3×3 basketball in 2018; the modality means so much to me. It caught my attention, and I got involved early on,” said Meilyn. She said that the Youth Leadership program has taught her how to implement a social project linked to sports and has given her the tools to develop her project and create an academy. “We learned, through the Leadership Workshop, that sport is related to sustainable development and that we can contribute to education,” she explained. The Costa Rican learned about the program through FECOBA and quickly became interested because it intertwined environmental and social issues, basketball, and everything related to her chosen career. In July 2022, Meilyn, along with Daniel Rodriguez, also a youth leader from Costa Rica, and the San Jose Sports and Recreation Committee, began developing a 3×3 basketball academy for at-risk boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 11. “We were able to reach an agreement with one of the most important cantonal committees in the country. They have a sports literacy program, where kids are involved with a sports process from age 5 to 11, and it was there that we were able to include 3×3 basketball as part of the project,” they remarked. The FIBA Foundation oversees addressing the role of sport and basketball in society by preserving and promoting the values of basketball and its cultural heritage. The Foundation believes that basketball has the potential to empower, educate and inspire young people and facilitates this through the implementation of Basketball for Good Projects around the world. The post Costa Rica Develops Basketball for Good Project appeared first on The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate.

Basketball For Good is a program that involves 3×3 basketball and mini basketball to foment equality, hand in hand with sports activities. It’s carried out through FIBA Foundation and its Youth Leadership Program. For the past four years, the Foundation has brought together young leaders from National Federations in the Americas, Africa, Southeast Asia, and […] The post Costa Rica Develops Basketball for Good Project appeared first on The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate.

Basketball For Good is a program that involves 3×3 basketball and mini basketball to foment equality, hand in hand with sports activities. It’s carried out through FIBA Foundation and its Youth Leadership Program.

For the past four years, the Foundation has brought together young leaders from National Federations in the Americas, Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific, providing them with leadership and management skills to help them develop projects in their countries.

Additionally, they’re able to address social problems in their communities, such as inactive lifestyles, violence, and lack of access to education, to develop more opportunities and equality in sporting activity.

Meilyn Herrera, current national team player and basketball coach graduated from the Youth Leaders of the Americas Program and participated in this year’s seminar in El Salvador.

As a youth leader in her country, she works to promote the 3×3 and mini-basketball movement within the Costa Rican Basketball Federation (FECOBA). In one year, she co-founded a 3×3 basketball academy in the country’s capital, San José, while strengthening education, health, and wellness initiatives.

“I fell in love with 3×3 basketball in 2018; the modality means so much to me. It caught my attention, and I got involved early on,” said Meilyn.

She said that the Youth Leadership program has taught her how to implement a social project linked to sports and has given her the tools to develop her project and create an academy.

“We learned, through the Leadership Workshop, that sport is related to sustainable development and that we can contribute to education,” she explained.

The Costa Rican learned about the program through FECOBA and quickly became interested because it intertwined environmental and social issues, basketball, and everything related to her chosen career.

In July 2022, Meilyn, along with Daniel Rodriguez, also a youth leader from Costa Rica, and the San Jose Sports and Recreation Committee, began developing a 3×3 basketball academy for at-risk boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 11.

“We were able to reach an agreement with one of the most important cantonal committees in the country. They have a sports literacy program, where kids are involved with a sports process from age 5 to 11, and it was there that we were able to include 3×3 basketball as part of the project,” they remarked.

The FIBA Foundation oversees addressing the role of sport and basketball in society by preserving and promoting the values of basketball and its cultural heritage. The Foundation believes that basketball has the potential to empower, educate and inspire young people and facilitates this through the implementation of Basketball for Good Projects around the world.

The post Costa Rica Develops Basketball for Good Project appeared first on The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate.

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Unlocking global research potential

Center for International Studies Global Seed Funds program fosters collaboration and innovation.

In today’s interconnected world, fostering global collaboration is essential in addressing complex challenges and advancing scientific progress. The Global Seed Funds (GSF) program at the MIT Center for International Studies continues to be a vital catalyst, enabling MIT faculty to engage in cross-border collaborations, fueling groundbreaking research projects, and resulting in innovative solutions. Since its inception in 2008, the GSF program has made transformative global research partnerships possible by enabling access to resources and perspectives that reach beyond the Cambridge, Massachusetts campus. The GSF is comprised of a general fund that can be applied to any country, as well as a number of country, region, and university-specific funds. "The collaboration has been a huge success," explains assistant professor of materials science and engineering Rafael Gomez-Bombarelli, who was a 2017 MIT-Spain INDITEX Sustainability Seed Fund awardee. "We have published a half dozen papers, including a Science article in 2021, and received a couple of patents. Furthermore, we have received funding from Deshpande [Center for Technological Innovation] to explore company creation in this space.” During the 2022-23 GSF funding cycle, 168 proposals were submitted, reflecting the widespread enthusiasm and commitment of faculty and research scientists across the Institute. Ultimately, 91 projects were selected, awarding over $2.1 million in funding. This year's awards further solidify GSF's track record of support, as the program has funded 1,204 projects amounting to $24.7 million over its 15-year lifespan. The GSF program plays a pivotal role in establishing rewarding connections between MIT and other leading research institutions worldwide. These partnerships often transcend the initial project and lead to ongoing collaborations, tackling critical challenges that necessitate international solutions. The research outcomes of seed fund projects frequently culminate in published papers. At the same time, early results leverage additional funding opportunities and attract industry partners, further accelerating the impact of the research. The GSF program serves as a steppingstone for long-term collaborations and opens doors for future joint projects, strengthening the global innovation and knowledge exchange network. Research recently published in Nature was partly funded through a general pool awarded to Canan Dagdeverin, an associate professor at the MIT Media Lab. Her team tested a conformable sensory interface that can be attached to the inside of any user-supplied face mask. Integrating wearable electronics into masks for monitoring personal and public health is a crucial area of research, especially concerning infectious diseases and environmental conditions. “The GSF program recognizes the significance of research like this and its potential to address real-world challenges and advance knowledge and technology,” remarks Jin-Hoon Kim, a postdoc at the MIT Media Lab, and a member of Dagdeverin’s team. The program also provides students with significant educational opportunities. With the majority of GSF teams including students, the program contributes to MIT's educational mission and promotes intercultural learning. Students actively engage in cutting-edge research, gaining valuable skills and contributing to groundbreaking discoveries. Their involvement extends beyond laboratory experiences and enhances their understanding of global challenges, ultimately shaping their future careers. For example, the MIT students who collaborated with 2020 MIT-Israel Zuckerman STEM Seed Fund awardee Leo Anthony Celi “took part in a datathon and actively worked with their teams for two days. The teams were very diverse both in terms of skill sets as well as cultural backgrounds,” says Celi, who is a senior research scientist at the MIT Institute for Medical Engineering and Science. “The students thus not only learned about developing algorithms using real-world health data, but more importantly, gained perspectives about health and disease through multiple lenses.” After 15 successful years, the GSF program continues to evolve and adapt to the changing needs of the global research landscape. By fostering interdisciplinary collaborations, promoting diversity, and addressing pressing societal challenges, the program plays a key role in MIT's commitment to global engagement. Through these seed funds, faculty members and students are empowered to push the boundaries of scientific discovery, nurture global connections, and shape a more interconnected and collaborative world. The next call for proposals will launch on Sept. 12. “We are looking forward to another robust application cycle,” says Justin Leahey, assistant director of GSF. The 2023-24 call will include new funds in additional countries, including but not limited to Armenia, Brazil, India, and Norway. The Center for International Studies produces research that creatively addresses global issues while helping to educate the next generation of global citizens. It is home to many programs, including the Security Studies Program and the MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI), MIT’s flagship international experiential learning program. The CIS Global Seed Funds program was created to help MIT faculty foster new connections by supporting early-stage collaborations with researchers at peer institutions around the world. Since 2008, the CIS GSF program has awarded nearly $22 million to more than 1,000 faculty research projects.

California 'undergrounding' approach leaves lower-income populations disadvantaged

Lower-income communities in California shoulder a disproportionate share of fire-prone overhead power lines and wooden utility poles, a new study has found. While one of the most effective ways to prevent wildfires and improve system resilience is to bury power lines underground, doing so largely occurs at the expense of the local community, the study...

Lower-income communities in California shoulder a disproportionate share of fire-prone overhead power lines and wooden utility poles, a new study has found. While one of the most effective ways to prevent wildfires and improve system resilience is to bury power lines underground, doing so largely occurs at the expense of the local community, the study authors noted. Because decisions about such burial are often based on whether the local population can afford the project costs — up to $5 million per mile — most “undergrounding” has occurred in wealthy areas, according to the study, published on Monday in Nature Energy. “Distribution grids in low-income communities are in a wildfire safety deficit,” lead study author Zhecheng Wang, a postdoctoral scholar in electrical engineering, said in a statement. California’s Public Utilities Commission allows communities, developers and property owners to identify areas for undergrounding, as well as receive funding for a small portion of the cost from their utility. Nonetheless, wildfire threat and income level have not factored into the regulator’s criteria for which projects should advance and who should pay for them, the researchers explained. If California continues with this approach, the per-household cost of burying existing fire-prone overhead lines will soon become significantly higher in lower-income census blocks, according to the study. For blocks in areas where wildfires are most likely to impact power lines, the authors estimated that the cost would be $37,000 per household at the $200,000 income level, and more than three times that at the $50,000 income level. To identify which places might be most vulnerable, the scientists created a first-of-its-kind map depicting wildfire risk of power lines across California. Using an AI-powered model, they identified overhead lines in Google Street View images and filled in gaps in areas where photos weren’t available. The researchers then overlaid their results with maps of tree canopies and census data, which included household income and education levels. Aboveground power lines exacerbate not just the threat of wildfire itself, but they also can jeopardize energy security by trigging preemptive power shut-offs amid severe weather conditions, the authors noted. These shutdowns have a great impact in low-income neighborhoods, where residents are less likely to install solar panels or generators that could keep them powered through an outage, according to the study. “Our current electric infrastructure leaves low-income communities doubly vulnerable,” corresponding author Ram Rajagopal, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University, said in a statement. “They’re more likely to have power lines at risk during wildfires, and they’re less likely to have backup power,” Rajagopal added. Aiming to offer a sustainable policy solution to this imbalance, the researchers worked on a scheme that would allocate the costs of undergrounding based on a neighborhood’s median income. They suggested that the California Public Utilities Commission give communities with lower income levels the opportunity to split the cost of burying power lines among all utility customers. In areas above a certain income threshold, communities would be able to choose between paying for burying power lines locally or implementing other fire prevention methods — such as replacing poles or trimming trees on a routine basis, per the study. “Justification for utility-wide cost allocation goes beyond equity and affordability,” the authors wrote. “Improved grid resilience to wildfires in low-income communities and high-fire-threat areas can benefit all communities” Without such changes wildfire-induced outages could impact other areas downstream or harm adjacent ecosystems and air quality, according to the authors. And because utilities are held liable for blazes caused by their infrastructure, all California utility customers end up shouldering the burden, the scientists added.  “We need to reshape policies to explicitly take the wildfire risk and income levels as eligibility criteria to socialize the cost,” Wang said. 

Prominent ex-Tennessee lawmaker dies after jet ski accident

Roy Herron was the former chair of Tennessee's Democratic Party.

Roy Herron, a longtime Tennessee state lawmaker and former chairperson of the state Democratic Party, died Sunday from injuries sustained in a jet ski accident. He was 69. Herron died at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, according to a statement from his family. He had been hospitalized since a July 1 collision with another jet ski on Kentucky Lake, in which he suffered internal bleeding and extensive injuries to his arm and pelvis, according to his family’s Caring Bridge website. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency was investigating the collision, the details of which were not immediately available. “Roy loved his family with all his might,” Herron’s wife, Rev. Nancy Carol Miller-Herron, said. “He passed doing what he loved most — spending time with our sons and their friends in the Tennessee outdoors where his spirit was always most free.” Herron, an attorney from Dresden, Tennessee, served a combined 26 years in the state’s House and Senate, where he became floor leader and caucus chair for the Democrats. He never missed a day of session, except for when his youngest son was born, according to his website. He chaired the state Democratic Party from 2013 to 2015. A graduate of the University of Tennessee at Martin, Herron was also one of the first students to earn joint degrees in divinity and law from Vanderbilt University. An ordained Methodist minister, Herron also authored three books, including one titled, “God and Politics: How Can a Christian Be in Politics?” Funeral services were planned for Saturday at First United Methodist Church in Martin. Condolences poured in on Sunday. On Twitter, former Vice President Al Gore called his fellow Tennessee Democrat “a dear friend and one of Tennessee’s most devoted citizens.” Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen called Herron “bright, diligent, and honest. A politician destined for greatness.” Republican Rep. David Kustoff said Herron ”dedicated his life to serving West Tennessee, and the entire Volunteer State.” Tennessee House Republican Caucus Chairman Jeremy Faison said on Twitter he was “the kind of guy that you couldn’t help but like.” Joe Hill, a longtime Tennessee Democratic political operative who worked with Herron on multiple campaigns, said he “brought a zeal for making health care more accessible to disadvantaged Tennesseans” when he was elected to the state House. Hill said he also brought that commitment to “education, victims’ rights, environmental quality and so many other things that affect average people.” “His legacy of advocating for ‘the least among us’ will represent the gold standard of service for Democrats and Republicans in Tennessee’s future,” Hill told The Associated Press on Sunday. That nature applied to Herron’s friendships as well, Hill said. He recalled how Herron drove 140 miles to be with him and his family in Memphis, after one of Hill’s children was involved in a car crash. “We left home in such a hurry and didn’t bring extra clothes,” Hill said. “My wife, Susan, was freezing in the cold hospital waiting room, and Roy gave her his shirt so she could be warm. That’s the kind of genuine human being he was.” In 2010, after briefly running for governor, Herron became the Democratic nominee in Tennessee’s 8th Congressional District, when then-Rep. John Tanner announced his retirement, after more than 20 years in the seat. Herron ultimately lost the general election to Republican Stephen Fincher. “I was hoping when I retired, that he would win the seat,” Tanner told the AP on Sunday. After a tornado devastated his hometown of Dresden just before Christmas in 2021, Herron marshaled a fundraising effort, amassing more than $100,000 to aid recovery efforts. “It’s an overused term — that he was a dedicated public servant — but that really was Roy,” Tanner said. “He worked tirelessly for causes that he took up, and he had a good heart.”

How we can teach children so they survive AI – and cope with whatever comes next | George Monbiot

It’s not enough to build learning around a single societal shift. Students should be trained to handle a rapidly changing world“From one day to the next, our profession was wiped out. We woke up and discovered our skills were redundant.” This is what two successful graphic designers told me about the impact of AI. The old promise – creative workers would be better protected than others from mechanisation – imploded overnight. If visual artists can be replaced by machines, who is safe?There’s no talk of a “just transition” for graphic designers, or the other professions about to be destroyed. And while there’s plenty of talk about how education might change, little has been done to equip students for a world whose conditions shift so fast. It’s not just at work that young people will confront sudden changes of state. They are also likely to witness cascading environmental breakdown and the collapse of certain human-made systems.George Monbiot is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

It’s not enough to build learning around a single societal shift. Students should be trained to handle a rapidly changing world“From one day to the next, our profession was wiped out. We woke up and discovered our skills were redundant.” This is what two successful graphic designers told me about the impact of AI. The old promise – creative workers would be better protected than others from mechanisation – imploded overnight. If visual artists can be replaced by machines, who is safe?There’s no talk of a “just transition” for graphic designers, or the other professions about to be destroyed. And while there’s plenty of talk about how education might change, little has been done to equip students for a world whose conditions shift so fast. It’s not just at work that young people will confront sudden changes of state. They are also likely to witness cascading environmental breakdown and the collapse of certain human-made systems.George Monbiot is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

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