Month: March 2023

IBM will support projects that can help improve access to safe drinking water for all, improve water quality by reducing pollution, increase water-use efficiency, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, increase sanitation management, and reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity This year’s RFP will have representatives from Water.org and United Nations Development Programme as part of the selection process

ARMONK, N.Y., March 14, 2023 – IBM (NYSE: IBM) announced today that it is accepting proposals for the next cohort of the IBM Sustainability Accelerator, which will focus on water management solutions. This program applies IBM technologies, such as hybrid cloud and artificial intelligence, and an ecosystem of experts to enhance and scale projects focused on populations vulnerable to environmental threats.

According to the World Health Organization, over 2 billion people live in water-stressed countries. This challenge is expected to be exacerbated in some regions as result of climate change and population growth.

In alignment with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, IBM will look to support projects that help improve equitable access to safe drinking water for all, improve water quality by reducing pollution, increase water-use efficiency across all sectors, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, increase sanitation management, and reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity – among other purposes.

The RFP process will include input from IBM across disciplines, and from representatives from organizations such as Water.org and the United Nations Development Programme. The selection criteria will consider the applicant’s capacity and readiness to support communities who are especially vulnerable to water-related threats, technical feasibility and sustainability for the envisioned solution, and transparency on measurement and reporting – along with others.

“Water management for the world’s most vulnerable communities is a tremendous challenge,” said IBM VP and Chief Impact Officer Justina Nixon-Saintil. “Following our first two cohorts on sustainable agriculture and clean energy, now we look forward to working with organizations with initiatives that scale technology solutions that will support communities in overcoming water challenges, including shortages, pollution, or conservation.”

This year’s RFP process will include input from Ben Mandell, Utility Services Expert at Water.org and Mary M. Matthews, Head of the UNDP Ocean Innovation Challenge and interim Head of Water and Ocean Governance Programme – together with other partner experts. They will share their input and expertise throughout the selection cycle.

“Innovation in the water management space is key for meeting UN SDG 6,” said Mandell, one of the judges for the water cohort selection. “Organization initiatives that are selected to participate in the IBM Sustainability Accelerator will have a significant opportunity to make an impact with the help of IBM’s technology, expertise, and network across its large ecosystem of partners.”

Non-profit and government initiatives focused on water management can apply to the RFP from March 14th until the end of May 2023. The selected participants will be announced in November 2023.

Fernando Arreaza 
IBM Social Impact, ESG Media Relations Manager 
Fernando.arreaza@ibm.com

In 2022, despite ongoing disruptions, technological innovation showed no signs of slowing. And in 2023, organizations will continue their journey to accelerate digital transformation as they strive to drive efficiency gains, improve the user experience, and meet sustainability imperatives.

As we kick off the New Year, the future is top of mind for all of us and in a recent article, I shared my predictions on how marketing technology, talent, and tactics will evolve. In addition, I took the opportunity to talk with my colleagues to get their thoughts on technology trends to be cognizant of in 2023 and beyond. I think you’ll find the conversation illuminating! So, let’s look at what to expect.

Quantum – Building the Foundation

After decades-long hype around quantum computing and quantum systems, the industry will start to realize its potential for creating new opportunities in fields spanning cybersecurity, materials creation, financial analysis, and military receivers. Proactive companies will start investing in quantum, fostering quantum talent within the next generation of workers through university partnerships, hackathons, and other projects. This will create an ancillary boost to DEI initiatives resulting in much-needed diversity in the tech workforce. Recent research revealed that 74% of companies believe they will fall behind if they fail to adopt quantum. As a result, organizations will begin to shift their thinking that quantum is a futuristic technology and begin addressing key challenges, including financial resources and operations, and developing real enterprise applications of quantum by 2026, if not sooner.
Dr. Eric Holland, Director of Quantum Engineering Solutions

Electric Vehicles – The Construction Industry Goes Green

To date, EVs have been associated with climate-conscious consumers, but by 2025, expect adoption to come from some surprising sectors. For example, the construction industry stands to reap numerous benefits from utilizing EVs’ excess energy to power machinery that previously required cumbersome generators or numerous extension cords to function. Thomas Goetzl, VP & GM Automotive & Energy Solutions

Software Quality – Sustainability of Testing

Traditional test automation is based on the need to run many fixed tests at defined periods (overnight, weekends and prior to a release, for example). The execution of each test requires significant computing power and thus has both an energy cost and an environmental impact. With the increase in energy prices and the greater awareness of sustainability, this legacy approach of “non-intelligent” test automation will be replaced by intelligent test optimization – in which the goal is to only run the tests that are known to identify a problem.
Gareth Smith, GM Software Test Automation

6G – New Olympic Sport: The Metaverse

The 2028 Summer Games will welcome 6G to the global stage. As a worldwide Olympic partner, expect Samsung to unveil a 6G deployment, which will be a pivotal part of how viewers consume events. For example, you can expect one of the two opening ceremonies to happen in the metaverse. The metaverse will also feature prominently in the user experience, enabling fans to participate in some Olympic events. We’ll also see certain sports and, potentially, eSports run a 6G Metaverse Olympics in parallel with the actual Games, with at least one medal awarded within the metaverse. As brands draw inspiration from the Olympics, there will be a subsequent explosion of 6G use cases throughout 2028.
Colin Bauer, Market Initiative Manager Wireless Communications

Product Development – DIY Digital Twins Will Drive Up Recalls

Faster 5G rollouts are accelerating demand and expectations for adjacent advancements in complex technologies like autonomous driving, new distributed IoT applications, and the rollout of metaverse capabilities. Products involving this level of complexity need to meet more compliance and connectivity standards, operate across a much wider range of often unknown conditions, and are expected to be backward compatible with other systems that are not yet in the market. As a result, I anticipate that product developers will be tempted to build – known as do-it-yourself, or DIY – vs. buy their digital twins. Those taking DIY shortcuts will be leading the spike in product recalls.
Jeff Harris, Vice President, Corporate & Portfolio Marketing

As I stated in Forbes, it’s vital that organizations think big and make bold decisions. Every business across the globe must understand how the technology landscape is evolving and which innovations can help ensure they’re primed for success. One thing that can’t be disputed is that technology will continue transforming and reshaping our lives in ways we never thought possible. If you want to learn more about emerging technologies, please check out our Learn portal at Keysight University.

Barron’s magazine, sister publication to The Wall Street Journal, is an important investor-focused publication reaching almost 500,000 subscribers with keen interest in the capital markets.

Six years ago, Barron’s began to focus more intently on ESG and sustainable investment topics. Each year Barron’s analyzes the largest U.S. publicly-traded companies and ranks the “100 Most Sustainable U.S. Companies.” The rankings are done in collaboration with Calvert Research and Management, a major mutual fund advisory company that has been focused on sustainable investing for many years.

This year’s results are in the current issue, which is our Top Story below. The methodology to rank the 100 most sustainable companies includes:

Calvert starts with the largest 1,000 publicly-traded U.S. companies by market cap.Calvert analyzes more than 230 ESG performance indicators for these companies using data from seven rating companies, including MSCI, ISS, and Sustainalytics, along with other data and Calvert’s internal research.The data is organized into 28 key topics sorted into five categories based on major stakeholder constituencies (Shareholders, Employees, Customers, Community, the Planet). For example, key topics for shareholders included board structure and exec compensation, while key topics for the planet included GHG emissions and water stress.Calvert assigned a score of zero to 100 in each category based on company performance and then created a weighted average based on how financially material the category was for that company’s industry. Poor performance by a company in any of the key categories that was financially material would be automatically disqualifying.

The featured story is edited by Lauren Foster, who writes: “ESG may sound like a meaningless acronym. To some politicians, it’s nothing less than a threat to American capitalism, and it needs to be reined in.” The story goes on to punch holes in the Republican-led arguments that ESG is a threat to capitalism, or to state employee pension funds, or to investing in general.

Barron’s notes for the investment reader that 63 of the 100 ranked companies outperformed the S&P 500 Index® last year and the list overall outperformed the broad index, delivering a negative 9.5% return in 2022 vs a negative 18.1% for the S&P 500 index.

This is an important feature story you will want to read and share with colleagues. The G&A team is pleased and proud to say that a number of our valued clients appeared on the 2022 list, including some for the first time. Onward, sustainable companies, and upward ESG investing!

This is just the introduction of G&A’s Sustainability Highlights newsletter this week. Click here to view the full issue.

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., March 14, 2023 /3BL Media/ — Ajay Kasarabada, associate vice president and director of environmental solutions for Black & Veatch, has been selected by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo to serve on the secretary’s 2022-2024 Environmental Technologies Trade Advisory Committee (ETTAC).

The ETTAC is a federally established committee that advises the Environmental Trade Working Group of the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee on the policies and procedures of the U.S. government that affect exports of U.S. environmental technology and goods and services.

“ETTAC recommendations will help open markets and reduce barriers to the expansion of clean energy and sustainability opportunities for U.S. companies,” said Mike Orth, president of governments & environment for Black & Veatch.

Kasarabada, a 23-year Black & Veatch veteran, brings experience in air quality and greenhouse gas emissions, distributed generation and renewable energy, electrification and decarbonization road mapping. He has helped deliver resilient, sustainable and cost-effective energy solutions to energy clients, water and wastewater utilities, transit districts and critical infrastructure facilities.

“Black & Veatch brings leadership in renewables, water resilience, decarbonization, built environments, advanced transportation and sustainable fuels to the ETTAC,” Kasarabada said. “As we collaborate with ETTAC members we’ll be able to further advance U.S. environmental initiatives and goals that make a difference around the world.”

Editor’s Notes:

The ETTAC serves as an advisory body to the Environmental Trade Working Group of the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee, reporting through the Secretary of Commerce in her capacity as Chair of the TPCC. The ETTAC was first chartered on May 31, 1994. To learn more, click the link here.For a headshot of Ajay Kasarabada, click here.

About Black & Veatch 
Black & Veatch is a 100-percent employee-owned global engineering, procurement, consulting and construction company with a more than 100-year track record of innovation in sustainable infrastructure. Since 1915, we have helped our clients improve the lives of people around the world by addressing the resilience and reliability of our most important infrastructure assets. Our revenues in 2022 were US$4.3 billion. Follow us on www.bv.com and on social media.

Media Contact Information:

MEGHAN LOCKNER | +1 201-977-1628 | locknerm@bv.com 
24-HOUR MEDIA CONTACT | Media@bv.com

In celebration of the Cadence Women in Technology Scholarship’s fifth year, Cadence highlights 22 scholarship recipients by sharing their outstanding achievements and inspirational stories.

We are delighted to spotlight this first group of highly accomplished women pursuing technical degrees. Recipients were selected to receive a scholarship based on their impressive academic records, work in the community, leadership potential, and recommendations from professors. Get to know our awardees, the future faces of innovation, by reading more about their journeys below.

Adrija Bhattacharya, Georgia Institue of Technology
“My father grew up in an impoverished region with little access to technology and was unable to pursue higher education in order to work and support his family. I wished to take up a technical field to fulfill my father’s dreams and also to be able to directly contribute towards equitable access to low-cost and more efficient technology for all.”

Alana Dee, University of Washington
“This scholarship will give me the financial support to allow me to focus more on my research and studies, rather than spending time trying to find supplemental sources of income. I do truly value the space graduate studies gives me to dive deep into problems and really understand the fundamentals. With this scholarship, I feel a little less like I have to compromise my interest in research to find a full-time job and more like I can focus on thinking critically and learning more about electrical engineering.”

Catherine Lacey, Louisiana Tech University
“My advice for students from underrepresented groups pursuing an engineering-related degree is to build a support group of peers, mentors, faculty, and professionals; ask questions; and participate in extracurricular activities. College is more than just the final grade in a class; it is about applying knowledge to real-life applications. Your support group will provide encouragement, advice, and strength to overcome challenges. Make friends that you can de-stress with and join a study group. Sign up for a mentorship program or talk with upperclassmen and professors. Network with professionals in the field you are interested in.”

Gabriela Setyawan, University of Wisconsin-Madison
“My inspiration to study engineering first came from the MIT Technology Review Magazine. Reading the articles gave me a glimpse into different problems and solutions that various engineering fields offer. One theme that captured my interest was infrastructure essential to human life, such as electricity, water, healthcare, and internet access. I was curious about how they work on a systems level and the basic building blocks. Through my education, I could answer the questions I had in my head before pursuing an engineering degree while fueling my curiosity on how to make things better.”

Kimberly Cummings, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
“I currently have almost no outside support when it comes to paying for college. Now I can use this money to help pay for next year’s tuition. Without this scholarship, I would have had to spend the summer working multiple jobs in hopes that I would be able to pay for future years at my university. Now I can focus more of my energy on schoolwork, which I greatly appreciate.”

Nayanika Biswas, Georgia Institute of Technology
“If I have to advise students from underrepresented communities, I would say, dreaming big is hard, but execution is harder. Keeping our thoughts to ourselves is overwhelming and makes us want to give up even before we start.  Sometimes sharing these dreams and thoughts with a close group of supporters or putting them down on a paper helps break down seemingly unachievable visions to small doable goals. In hindsight, success and failures feel inconsequential. What we remember is the averages of our experiences, so enjoy the process.”

Xinhui Li, Georgia Institute of Technology
“I plan to become a professor in academia or a research scientist in industry to solve challenging scientific questions in my field. I hope to create a supportive and inclusive research environment for the next generations of scientists and engineers, especially underrepresented groups.”

Cadence is proud to support women in technology and thanks everyone who submitted applications this year. We hope to continue to reach STEM students from underrepresented groups with our upcoming scholarships. Congratulations to the talented individuals who were selected for everything they have accomplished thus far. We appreciate them sharing how these programs have impacted their studies and are excited to see where their passions take them next.

Learn more about the Diversity in Technology Scholarship and say hello to other recipients from 2022.

P&G is a company that values diversity and strives to create a world free from bias – both inside our organisation and in wider society. As part of our celebrations for LGBTQ+ History Month, we are proud to share the personal histories of our colleagues through their experiences.

At P&G, we are so fortunate to have people within our organisation from different backgrounds, different parts of the world and with such different life experiences. It is our individual life stories that makes each of us unique, but it’s forming a deep understanding and respect for our uniqueness that unites us.

We are so grateful to members of our GABLE team who have offered to share their stories, to help us all on our journey to strive for an even more inclusive workplace where everyone can bring their true authentic selves to work each day.

Listen to the personal stories of Liam, Joia and Gel below and hear from our UK GABLE leaders about their work on their journey to drive positive change for the LGBTQ+ community and allies.

“I can be the visibility I didn’t have when I was younger”
Liam Gordon, Senior IT Manager, Cobalt – shares his story in the video

“I have a responsibility as a leader to share all the parts of my identity that make me, me”
Joia Spooner-Fleming, Vice President, Research & Development, Global Grooming – shares her story in the video

“It’s ok to be different, it’s ok to be unique”
Gel Dandan, FPSS Regional Process & Systems Expert, Europe – shares her story in the video

How can we make a difference? What needs to be done to create a better, more inclusive world?
Our GABLE team – Boaz, Mikaella and Liam share their story in the video

Detroit refinery Operator Tara Chippewa is inspiring her children, her family and others in the industrial field to pursue their passions and goals, even if it is in a non-traditional role.Chippewa discovered she loved working with her hands as a child, which led her participate in the refinery’s summer program after high school, attend school for welding, and then begin a career at the refinery where she is now double qualified as a field equipment operator and board operator.As she does in her career, Chippewa takes on challenges and explores unexpected paths like working to become top 5 in her designated class in the Highland Games caber toss.

Tara Chippewa loves that she is following in the footsteps of other great operators at Marathon Petroleum’s Detroit refinery. She’s worked hard to prove herself and now she enjoys showing other women that they can accomplish their goals, even if it’s doing something unexpected.

From welding to competing in the Highland Games, Chippewa has always enjoyed a variety of non-traditional jobs and hobbies.

“I like setting the example for my kids that it doesn’t matter what kind of job it is. If you want it, you can go get it,” said Chippewa. 

“I want other girls and women to see people like me working in the industrial field and know they can do it, too. It’s all about empowering women and resetting what’s normal.”

The early years

Growing up, Chippewa spent a lot of time with her grandfather, an oil rigger in the 1990s. She had her own little hard hat and would visit rigs with him. Her uncle ran an autobody shop, and her father worked at the Detroit refinery. She grew up farming and fishing. She loved to watch welders work. She discovered that she enjoyed working with her hands and that she was good at it.

“I used to call her a pocket-sized Hercules,” said Ray Richardson, Chippewa’s father and retired Operator and Training Specialist. “She’s always accepted a challenge. If you tell her she can’t do something, she’ll prove you wrong every time.”

Ray Richardson retired from the Detroit refinery in 2020. He loved his career there and wanted to share the career opportunities he had with his children.

“When my dad was working at the refinery, I participated in the Summer Helper program for employees’ children who had just graduated high school and were enrolled in college,” said Chippewa. “It was 2012, a year the refinery was undergoing a major maintenance event. That’s when I realized I wanted to work in the industrial field.”

Life at the refinery

Chippewa went to school to learn welding. After a year working as a welder, she applied for a position with Marathon Petroleum, which her father agreed was a good decision on her part.

“There’s a level of safety at the refinery that I felt my kids could work there,” said Richardson. “Marathon’s commitment to safety has always been very high. Marathon has been steadfast in keeping their refineries safe.”

Chippewa is now a qualified board operator and a qualified field equipment operator, which requires extra time and training to accomplish.

“We train for at least nine months or longer to be a field equipment operator,” said Chippewa. “Then after two years, you can become a board operator. That’s another six months of training. Then you become qualified, and I’m qualified in both roles.”

Chippewa said being qualified in both roles means that when the refinery is fully staffed, she can help with projects and has stepped up as foreman a few times. She also fills in for other employees when they are on vacation or out sick.

“I like that my routine is that there is no routine,” said Chippewa. “I do different stuff every day.”

She loves her job so much, she convinced her brother Jamieson Richardson to apply for a job at the refinery, because it offered better pay, better insurance and a better work schedule than what he had. Richardson was glad he listened. As a field equipment operator at a different complex at the refinery, he enjoys the opportunities to learn about the refining process and how the equipment works. When he started, he was told he had big shoes to fill in order to be as good as Chippewa.

“Now we have what I call Operators Dinners with my dad and my brother,” said Chippewa. “We get together and talk about work stuff. It’s great to be able to share and ask questions. We’ve bonded in that way.”

Chippewa has also taken a lead at the refinery, speaking on a women’s employee network panel at the refinery hosted during Women’s History Month, and working with the safety team on finding personal protective equipment sized for women.

Extra-curricular activities

Outside of work, Chippewa’s interest in doing the unexpected continues. She’s started competing in the Scottish Highland Games throwing a large, tapered pole called a caber.

“It is typically a male-dominated sport, but I’ve seen more women participating,” said Chippewa. “I work in a job that most women don’t work. Now I’m a class C (amateur) in the Highland Games and ranked 40th in North America in women’s caber toss. My goal is to make the top 5 in the Lightweight class next year.”

As a mother of two, Chippewa strives to set a positive example for her son and daughter and teach them that they can do whatever they set their mind to doing. She also encourages other females to understand what they really like to do and follow that passion.

“She’s just a fantastic human being,” said Jamieson Richardson. “She tries very hard and has succeeded in being a good role model – even for myself and my children.”