Month: April 2025

As we stand on the brink of the next phase in wireless technology evolution, 6G promises to transform how we connect the digital and physical worlds. This technology could revolutionize connectivity by seamlessly integrating applications that will redefine our daily lives, such as smart cities and advanced healthcare.

The potential use cases for 6G are evolving and can be categorized into three broad areas: smart everything, sensing, and global coverage. The transition from smartphones to smart devices to smart everything will continue into the 6G era, creating unprecedented amounts of data and wirelessly connected environments on a greater scale. Adding sensing capabilities to wireless networks will provide new dimensions of data, enabling advanced applications. With the rise of non-terrestrial networks, 6G promises complete global coverage, ensuring connectivity no matter where we are.

Each of these use cases spans various applications, including:

• Advanced Robotics: Enhancing human-robot interactions on manufacturing floors with sensors and more connections to more devices and robots.
• Immersive Communications: Using sensors to communicate data and sense motions for gesture control, creating more immersive experiences.
• Massive Twinning: Leveraging more data sources from more geographically dispersed locations to create highly accurate digital twins.
• Sustainability: By developing more energy-efficient networks and implementing sustainable practices, 6G could play a significant role in meeting Net Zero targets.

Collaborating with industry players, academia, and government agencies around the world is essential to enable these applications. Keysight works with various entities on 6G research projects. Recent announcements include collaborations with the following entities around centimeter-wave (cmWave) / frequency range 3 (FR3):

• Ericsson: Keysight has an ongoing relationship with Ericsson on 6G research. The fruits of this collaboration were showcased at MWC both in 2024 and 2025. This year, the companies worked together to develop a pre-6G test setup using cmWave spectrum, which has garnered significant attention in the industry over the past year due to the availability of large bandwidths in frequencies between 7 and 15 GHz.
• Analog Devices: Showcased at MWC25, this collaboration focuses on component characterization and led to a demonstration on how to streamline the characterization of complex radio frequency front-ends (RFFE) operating at FR3 frequencies in Keysight’s booth.

6G represents a paradigm shift in wireless communications, requiring expertise in new technology areas beyond spectrum like artificial intelligence (AI) / machine learning (ML), sensing, and reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) / intelligent reconfigurable surfaces (IRS). Collaborating with service providers, vendors, research institutions, and universities on research projects for these areas is essential to advance 6G. To that end, Keysight augmented its participation in European 6G projects and collaborated with Northeastern University and NVIDIA on AI-RAN research:

• 6G Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS-JU): Keysight joined UNITY-6G and 6G-VERSUS on top of its involvement in IMAGINE B5G, CENTRIC, 6G-SANDBOX, and 6G-SHINE. Its participation in these projects served as the foundation for our digital twin demonstration at MWC25, where we showed how the digital twin of a large-scale private network could enable researchers to gain insights into the performance of 6G candidate technologies and improve them.
• Northeastern University: At MWC, we demonstrated the dynamic allocation of cloud resources and continuous testing of AI and RAN workloads over the fronthaul interface in collaboration with Northeastern University, leveraging their AI and RAN reference system on a shared O-Cloud compute cluster with our user equipment (UE) / O-RAN radio unit (O-RU) emulation solution.
• NVIDIA: We teamed up with NVIDIA to develop an RF ray tracing solution that can model deployment scenarios in 3D. That solution, RaySim, was on display at MWC to demonstrate how researchers can create site-specific RF propagation across different spectrum environments. Accurate site-specific RF propagation scenarios and channel models are particularly crucial for AI-RAN in the context of 6G because they enable the creation of highly realistic simulations.

Collaborative Synergy: Shaping the Future of 6G Connectivity

When it comes to 6G research, three main technology areas have emerged:

• Spectrum technologies, which include all frequency bands from sub-7 GHz to cmWave, millimeter-wave (mmWave), and sub-THz.
• Novel 6G research, which encompasses new technologies being investigated for 6G, such as AI / ML, integrated sensing and communications (ISAC) / joint communications and sensing (JCAS) and RIS / IRS.
• New network architectures like non-terrestrial networks (NTN) and O-RAN, which started in 5G, and will need to be optimized for 6G.

6G researchers face various challenges in these areas including performing complex simulations and emulations to benchmark spectral optimizations and design at all frequencies, pressure-testing AI / ML algorithms and generating data to train and validate their performance, and optimizing network components and characterizing new systems.

Overcoming these challenges requires high-performance design and test solutions that consistently produce reliable results, along with support from a responsive test partner with deep measurement expertise and extensive industry experience.

Collaborative efforts in 6G research and development are paving the way for groundbreaking advancements in wireless technology. By uniting industry leaders, academic institutions, and government agencies, we are collectively driving innovation and overcoming challenges to realize the full potential of 6G. These partnerships are not only enhancing connectivity but also transforming our digital landscape, ensuring a sustainable and efficient future. As we continue to explore and develop new technologies, the synergy of collaboration will remain a cornerstone in shaping the next generation of wireless technology in the 6G era.

International Olympic Committee news

With the fourth Summer Youth Olympic Games (YOG) now less than two years away, Dakar 2026 presented its latest progress report to the 144^th International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session. The report highlighted key developments in preparation for the first Olympic sports event on African soil. The report underscored progress in venue construction and refurbishment, workforce development, and the growing momentum of youth engagement initiatives across Senegal.

A major highlight was the successful delivery of the third edition of the Dakar en Jeux Festival in November 2024. The celebration of sport, culture and education saw thousands of young people engaged in sporting activities across the three host communities of Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly, while also featuring an international U16 3×3 basketball tournament and health workshops for local children. Plans are underway for the next edition in late 2025, which will coincide with the “One Year to Go” milestone and serve as an important testing opportunity for the YOG.

The Dakar 2026 Organising Committee (YOGOC) continues to strengthen its workforce by incorporating valuable knowledge from the Olympic Games Paris 2024, where staff members were able to gain first-hand experience in the planning and execution of a major international sports event. The YOGOC is also expanding its team, with recruitment efforts bolstered by the newly launched Learning Academy. This initiative will train up to 400 young professionals, equipping them with essential skills to support the delivery of the Dakar 2026 YOG, while creating a lasting legacy of experienced event organisers in Senegal and across Africa.

Infrastructure preparations for the YOG remain on track, with refurbishment work launched at key urban venues in Dakar and construction progressing at the equestrian centre and the Youth Olympic Village in Diamniadio. The completed venue master plan includes seven venues across the three host zones that will accommodate competition sites. Additionally, Dakar 2026 has strengthened its commercial programme, announcing its first domestic sponsorship deal with telecommunications company Sonatel.

Excitement for the Games is also growing with the launch of the mascot design process, which saw nearly 500 schoolchildren from across Senegal take part in a nationwide competition. The official mascot is set to be unveiled in June 2025 to mark 500 days to go until the Games.

Speaking about the energy surrounding Dakar 2026, YOGOC President Mamadou Ndiaye said: “Senegal is honoured, on behalf of Africa, to welcome the world to the first Olympic Games held on the continent. From the outset, our approach has been focused on inclusion and sharing. This inclusive dimension, inspired by our slogan ‘Africa welcomes, Dakar celebrates’, is reflected in every stage of the preparations.”

The YOG Dakar 2026 will take place for two weeks from 31 October, bringing together the world’s best young athletes. The Games will be held across three host sites (Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly).

PotlatchDeltic is committed to independent certification of our forests to demonstrate that they are managed in a sustainable and responsible manner. Independent forest certification plays a vital role in fostering an understanding of the value of properly managed working forests and confirms that science-based stakeholder developed forest management practices and continual improvement are occurring on our forests. In this discussion with Mike Houser, Environmental and Certification Manager, we discuss why we are Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) and Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) certified, and what forest certification means. Our third-party forest certification reflects the rigor of our environmental management system, which includes a continual improvement process. As new information is discovered, practices are adjusted and improved, whether that be in threatened and endangered species management, forest productivity, water quality or climate change. Forest certification challenges us to think long term, and to invest with research organizations to study and improve the industry’s technical knowledge. In addition, it encourages us to engage with the communities and stakeholders who are connected to us through our timberlands and all they have to offer. This is the second podcast in our Impacts podcast series, which focuses on how we execute our mission through the lens of our four Corporate Responsibility pillars: Forest, Planet, People, and Performance.

We believe the actions we take today can help shape a better tomorrow. This Earth Day we’re proud to spotlight our ongoing efforts to reduce our impact on the environment.

From supporting local wildlife surrounding our distilleries, to investing in new technology, to working with those who grow our natural ingredients, we’re always finding ways to be #GoodSpirited.

Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth

Each year, we orchestrate the Global Inclusive Growth Summit to power conversations, propel progress and produce change. But as we prepare for Thursday’s summit in Washington, D.C., the challenges are more complicated and require more collaboration.

More than ever, this summit is a platform for new ways of thinking, more agile strategies and more flexible partnerships purpose-built for the world as it is now — and strong enough to shape how it might be tomorrow.

What we’ll cover 

This year, we remain focused on fostering sustainable growth for communities everywhere, but we understand that there are people who remain overlooked and underestimated — in rural America and in emerging markets across Asia, Africa and Latin America.

We know that the staggering increase in cyberattacks and scams is threatening trust in the digital tools and emerging technologies that power many small and micro businesses.

And we believe that more must be done to enable the transition from financial inclusion to financial health, expanding the global middle class and ensuring long-term financial security for all.

Critical conversation at a critical moment

As billions more people enter the digital economy, we need to work together to ensure that the pathway to prosperity is accessible, secure and wide. We can harness the power of AI to protect and defend our cyber spaces and keep our data safe. We can draw on the potential of open banking to build a fuller picture of creditworthiness and ensure that small businesses can access the financing they deserve. We can marshal the private sector’s entrepreneurial thinking, resources and ability to quickly scale innovation to address issues locally and globally.

We all play a crucial role in this transformation, as evidenced by the group who will be gathering in D.C. — among them, Mastercard CEO Michael Miebach, Queen Maxima of The Netherlands, and Lisa Plaggemier, executive director of the National Cybersecurity Alliance.

Join the dialogue

But the room where it happens is everywhere: You can sign up on our website to get first access to these sessions and subscribe to the LinkedIn and Instagram feeds of the Center for Inclusive Growth for fresh learnings and powerful insights.

Whether you’re in the room or following online, you have the power to spark ideas, challenge assumptions and drive meaningful change. These unique conversations and unexpected connections are how we prepare ourselves for what happening now and what’s coming next.

Agility is our greatest asset. Our ability to look around corners, to drive new ideas and to pivot when necessary will help us prepare for the future — and actively shape it.  

Follow the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth’s journey to advance equitable and sustainable economic growth and financial inclusion around the world by following us on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Sign up here to learn more and get first access to content from the Summit: https://globalinclusivegrowthsummit.com/.

Originally published by Mastercard

CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 23, 2025 /3BL/ – Discovery Education, the creators of indispensable K-12 learning solutions used in classrooms around the world, today announced an exciting new slate of standards-aligned educational content and instructional resources for Back-to-School 2025 that will inspire teachers and engage students. The development of Discovery Education’s newest content is based on feedback from the company’s school-based partners and makes teaching and learning even more relevant, interesting, and personalized for users of Discovery Education products.

Available within Discovery Education Experience, the essential companion for engaged K-12 classrooms, this new content supports instruction in a variety of disciplines including ELA, Math, Social Studies, and Careers Exploration. Designed to work alongside innovative product enhancements announced earlier this year, these new resources empower teachers to create personalized learning experiences with inquiry, excitement, and exploration that will hold students’ attention while challenging them academically.

Among the new content and resources now available to users of Discovery Education Experience are:

Ready-To-Teach Lessons Enhancing Curriculum

• Built around research-based instructional strategies, these new ready-to-teach lessons and activities target critical classroom needs and help teachers create unique learning opportunities for each student. Highlights include new Math Talks for grades 3-5, which feature activities focused on making sense of mathematics through open-ended prompts and rich student discussions, Daily Fix-Its and Weekly Edits, which are teacher-led presentations targeting common student grammar errors, and more.

New Immersive Learning Resources

• Featuring interactive experiences that deeply involve students in their learning journey, the immersive resources recently added to Discovery Education Experience use the award-winning Sandbox app—available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store—to encourage active participation, critical thinking, and real-world application of knowledge. Recently added lessons enable elementary students to explore the phenomena of seasonal change, travel back in time to a medieval castle, investigate animal habitats around the world, and more.

Exclusive Virtual Field Trips Promoting Real-World Connections
These virtual field trips are free and available to all. Register here and find out more.

• The Superpower of Story: A Virtual Field Trip to Warner Bros. Studios (Grades 6-12) This Virtual Field Trip (VFT) introduces students to the exciting world of storytelling with “The Superpower of Story” at DC Comics Headquarters. Students will get a behind-the-scenes look at how comics and films come to life with insight from industry creators.
• “Meet the Magnets” Virtual Field Trip (Grades K-5) Hosted by Sesame Workshop and the National Science Foundation (NSF), this interactive experience takes young learners to NSF’s Magnetic Field Laboratory, igniting their curiosity about the everyday applications of magnet science in our lives.
• Total Health: A Virtual Field Trip with the NBA and WNBA (Grades 3-8) This VFT encourages students to live a healthy lifestyle with a behind-the-scenes look at how professional basketball players from the NBA and WNBA maintain their health on and off the court!

DE Original Series Boosting Literacy Skills 

• With The Writer’s Block, middle school students build grammar, literary analysis, and communication skills with relatable hosts and captivating storytelling. Launching with four exciting episodes featuring lessons on run-on sentences, context clues, and writing purpose, the series is a go-to resource for differentiated ELA instruction.

Need to Know Series Exploring Ancient Wonders and Key Topics in Civics

• The popular social studies series, Need to Know, features dynamic explorations of ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt for middle school students, highlighting geography, culture, and the lasting relevance of ancient civilizations in shaping the modern world. The new civics-focused series, Need to Know Jr., is for grades K-2 and simplifies big societal concepts like laws, voting, and community roles, helping young students understand how our communities and governments function. Both series combine engaging student videos with ready-to-use lessons.

In addition, the Future Ready Career Hub has been expanded with curated career exploration resources including Career Quest, a new series of student-driven explorations that invite learners to explore a range of career opportunities, and Career Profiles 2.0 activities that encourage students to step into a role of interest. These resources map to 14 National Career Clusters® and connect classrooms with Career Connect, which offers students virtual access to industry professionals.

“Discovery Education understands that curiosity is central to the learning experience, as it drives student engagement, motivation, and persistence,” said Lance Rougeux, Discovery Education’s Senior Vice President of Curriculum, Instruction, and Student Engagement. “The new resources we are introducing today for Back-to-School 2025 are designed to pique the curiosity of all students, starting that exciting chain reaction that begins with student engagement and ends with students prepared for success beyond graduation.”

For more information about Discovery Education’s award-winning digital resources and professional learning solutions, visit www.discoveryeducation.com, and stay connected with Discovery Education on social media through X, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

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About Discovery Education 
Discovery Education is the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art, K-12, digital solutions support learning wherever it takes place. Through award-winning multimedia content, instructional supports, innovative classroom tools, and strategic alliances, Discovery Education helps educators deliver powerful learning experiences that engage all students and support higher academic achievement on a global scale. Discovery Education serves approximately 4.5 million educators and 45 million students worldwide, and its resources are accessed in over 100 countries and territories. Through partnerships with districts, states, and trusted organizations, Discovery Education empowers teachers with essential edtech solutions that inspire curiosity, build confidence, and accelerate learning. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.

Contact
Stephen Wakefield
Discovery Education
Phone: 202-316-6615
Email: swakefield@discoveryed.com