Month: January 2026

Each year, the Curiosity Cube™, a mobile science lab from MilliporeSigma, the U.S. and Canada Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, embarks on a mission to spark curiosity in STEM among students ages 8–13.

In 2025, that mission expanded across three continents: the Curiosity Cube™ completed its seventh North American tour, its fourth European tour, and for the first time, brought hands on science to Southern Africa, stopping in Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, and South Africa.

In communities across 18 countries, the Curiosity Cube™’s impact was powered by 2,069 volunteers—company employees and university partners—who stepped out of offices, labs and classrooms to engage 56,035 young minds about artificial intelligence. These volunteers didn’t just teach—they inspired, showing students that science is accessible, exciting and can lead to many different careers.

And the journey isn’t over. The 2026 tour will feature new stops, a new look, and brand-new lessons. Stay tuned for what’s next!

Learn more at TheCuriosityCube.com and follow the Curiosity Cube™ on Instagram @curiositycube_milliporesigma.

Three Points to Remember

1. AI in behavioral health must be ethical, not experimental.
2. Trusted AI enhances care without replacing clinicians.
3. Ethics must be engineered into AI from start to finish.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping the future of healthcare. In behavioral health, where care is as personal as it is vital, AI’s promise must be realized responsibly. Our earlier article, AI as a Force Multiplier in Behavioral Health, explored how technology can expand access and ease clinical workloads. Now we will explore the next essential step of making sure AI is used ethically – because in healthcare, innovation without safeguards is not an option.

AI has potential to improve outcomes for patients, families, and providers, but not at the expense of safety. Recent reports of young people turning to unregulated AI chatbots for mental health support and receiving harmful guidance highlight the critical truth that behavioral health is too important for trial and error.

Turning promise into practice

With decades of behavioral health experience across military and government health programs, Leidos is committed to building solutions with AI that is trusted, ethical, and designed to enhance – not replace – care. By combining innovation with safeguards under our legacy as one of the world’s most ethical companies, Leidos is helping AI fulfil its promise to improve human well-being and mission readiness.

These advances demonstrate what’s possible when innovation and ethics move in lockstep:

• Streamlined case documentation that give clinicians more time with patients
• Predictive insights that help identify at-risk populations earlier
• Secure data environments that protect patient privacy while enabling collaboration 

Leidos believes AI should support care, not replace people. Our trusted AI approach is built on four principles:

• Responsible: We test our solutions for bias and ensure they are overseen by licensed professionals.
• Resilient: We rigorously test our systems to prevent misuse and data drift.
• Explainable: We design our recommendations to be transparent so clinicians and patients can understand how decisions are made.
• Secure: We build on Leidos’ proven cybersecurity expertise to safeguard health data.

Ethics in action: building AI you can trust

At Leidos, ethical AI isn’t a tagline — it’s an engineering principle. Every system we develop is guided by clinical expertise, rigorous testing, and human oversight. Our approach is anchored in two operational frameworks that turn responsible intent into measurable action:

• Framework for AI Resilience and Security (FAIRS): Ensures fairness, accountability, integrity, and resilience in AI models, guarding against bias, drift, and misuse.
• Augment, Automate, Adapt, Assure (4A): A lifecycle model that ensures AI supports clinicians rather than replaces them, adapts to evolving standards of care, and is continuously assured for safety and reliability.

Together, FAIRS and 4A shape systems that are transparent, auditable, and resilient — designed to support care teams while preserving patient trust.

What trusted AI looks like

Trusted AI means systems that are secure, auditable, resilient, and human-centered. In defense applications, it powers mission success. In behavioral health, it means care is safe, equitable, and clinically sound.

At Leidos, innovation and ethics are inseparable. Trusted AI means empowering clinicians to focus where they’re needed most—on people. It can shorten the distance between diagnosis and treatment, expand access in rural communities, and give providers real-time tools to detect early signs of crisis. These are measurable outcomes with human impact.

The future of behavioral health with AI

AI has the potential to help people who need it most. With the right safeguards, it can extend care to those who need it most while giving clinicians back time to focus on healing.

Leidos isn’t just experimenting with AI, we are shaping it responsibly.  For military and Veteran care, our commitment is clear: we’re building AI that will help heal, protect, and earn trust every step of the way.

Ethical AI requires collaboration across technology, clinical, and policy sectors. We invite partners to join us in setting the standard, supporting AI’s goal of delivering results safely, responsibly, and for all.

ST PAUL, Minn., January 8, 2026 /3BL/ – Inogen Alliance today announced it is ranked 37 in Environment Analyst’s latest Global Environmental & Sustainability Consulting Market Assessment. Our collective ranking when combined with Antea Group, which is listed separately at #17, would put the Inogen Alliance at #15 globally

The report, researched and curated by Environment Analyst, the trusted intelligence hub for the environmental and sustainability consulting sector, identifies the leading Global consultancies in the environmental and sustainability (E&S) consulting sector based on their E&S consulting revenue from financial year 2024.

The state-of-the-industry report provides a unique window into market dynamics, competitor rankings, revenue breakdowns, M&A insights and growth opportunities.

“This recognition reflects the strength of our global Alliance now with 25 years of history, and our shared commitment to delivering meaningful impact for clients and communities.” said Angelique Dickson, President of Inogen Alliance. “As we move forward, our focus is firmly on our purpose helping organizations operate more responsibly, resiliently, and sustainably by connecting trusted local expertise with a globally aligned strategy. Through deeper collaboration across our Alliance, continued investment in people and innovation, and a clear focus on client outcomes, we are building the next phase of Inogen Alliance to support organizations navigating accelerating environmental, regulatory, and societal change.”

The report is based on data from 38 leading Global E&S consulting firms, who account for 65% of the total Global market.

The data featured in the report for the Global Top 38 leading companies is based on figures for the latest fiscal year end. The data is submitted via Environment Analyst’s annual survey and/or estimated based on publicly available annual reports and public information sources where gaps exist. Each firm is given the opportunity to review and verify their data on an ongoing basis, to ensure the information is accurate.

Environment Analyst’s definition of environmental and sustainability (E&S) consulting is: “The provision of specialist technical, management, risk, analytics and strategic advisory services to help organisations understand, manage, and minimise their impacts to protect and enhance the environment and communities, and proactively respond to climate change, the nature crisis and associated impacts”.

Environment Analyst members can access the report and data pack here.

About Environment Analyst

Environment Analyst is the trusted intelligence hub for the environmental and sustainability consulting sector, with a global membership community of over 40,000 environmental professionals. Market Intelligence Membership includes access to their entire market intelligence library, featuring bespoke market intelligence reports, data sets, competitor profiles, business news and insights.

For more information about the report contact Editor & Senior Analyst Cameron Franssen at cameron.franssen@environment-analyst.com.

About Inogen Alliance

Inogen Alliance is a global network made up of over 70 of independent local businesses and over 6,000 consultants around the world who can help make your project a success. Our Associates collaborate closely to serve multinational corporations, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations, and we share knowledge and industry experience to provide the highest quality service to our clients. If you want to learn more about how you can work with Inogen Alliance, you can explore our Associates or Contact Us. Watch for more News & Blog updates, listen to our podcast and follow us on LinkedIn.

At Saint-Gobain North America, our top priority is always the safety and well-being of our people. Like Keith Wenger learned when he joined CertainTeed Siding as we started our STONEfaçade operations in Quakertown, Pennsylvania in 2021.

Saint-Gobain is an industry leader with thousands of talented team members who are dedicated to one unified purpose: Making the World a Better Home. With more than 160 manufacturing facilities throughout the United States and Canada, there are so many robust and fulfilling career opportunities available. You’ll have the opportunity to work with colleagues from a wide range of businesses, cultures, and experiences.

About Success in the Making

Anyone can be a manufacturer! Whether you are just starting out or transitioning your career path, the manufacturing industry presents opportunities for success. Saint-Gobain North America’s Success in the Making series features the stories of team members who built their careers in manufacturing and thrived!

Watch the full Success in the Making series on YouTube.

About Saint-Gobain

Worldwide leader in light and sustainable construction, Saint-Gobain designs, manufactures and distributes materials and services for the construction and industrial markets. Its integrated solutions for the renovation of public and private buildings, light construction and the decarbonization of construction and industry are developed through a continuous innovation process and provide sustainability and performance. The Group, celebrating its 360th anniversary in 2025, remains more committed than ever to its purpose “MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER HOME”.

€46.6 billion in sales in 2024 
More than 161,000 employees, locations in 80 countries 
Committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050

The short answer is yes. Trifluoroacetic Acid (TFA) has shifted rapidly from a niche industrial chemical to a substance attracting significant attention from scientists, regulators, and environmentalists. While debate continues around certain aspects of its toxicology, several converging factors—persistence, mobility, volume of use, and emerging regulatory action—indicate that TFA deserves a place on corporate environmental, health, and regulatory risk dashboards. Here are five reasons why:

1. Health Effects: Still Debated, but Signals Are Emerging 

As with many PFAS substances, scientific consensus around TFA’s health effects is still forming. Studies highlighted by PAN Europe and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) report that TFA accumulates in blood and tissues, raising questions about links to liver and reproductive harm. However, conflicting data suggests that current environmental levels may not yet reach thresholds associated with adverse toxicological effects. Despite the uncertainty, the volume of evidence pointing toward potential chronic health risks is growing, and regulators are taking notice.

2. Persistence: TFA Is Treated as a “Forever Chemical”

TFA is not currently classified as a Persistent Organic Pollutant (POP) under the Stockholm Convention. Nevertheless, the EU is already treating TFA as a major emerging risk, identifying characteristics consistent with: Persistent, Mobile, Toxic (PMT) and very Persistent/very Mobile (vPvM). Because TFA does not readily degrade, its environmental footprint accumulates over time—a key driver for future regulatory controls.

3. Mobility: Extremely Mobile and Hard to Remove

TFA is highly soluble and mobile in water. Conventional drinking water treatment methods struggle to remove it, increasing its likelihood of reaching finished water supplies. Mobility means even small releases may disperse widely and persistently.

4. Volume: High Production and Widespread Formation

The scale of TFA generation and use is a key differentiator from other PFAS. TFA is produced directly for various industrial applications, and forms indirectly during manufacturing and breakdown of other fluorinated chemicals. The demand for TFA in manufacturing is on the rise due to increasing recognition of its importance, especially for high-purity chemical intermediates across the pharmaceutical and electronics sectors. Nevertheless, some studies assert a background source that:

• Over 95% of global TFA is naturally generated (e.g., volcanic deep-sea vents).
• More than 200 million tons may already reside in the world’s oceans.

Although there are studies supporting natural background sources, hotspots, (or concentrations above background) may become a target. 

Regardless of origin, regulators focus on presence and risk, not whether a chemical is naturally occurring.

5. Regulatory Landscape: Rapidly Evolving

Although TFA is not currently regulated in the United States, global regulatory momentum is building fast.

European Union 

The EU intends to classify TFA under Category 1B: Presumed Human Reproductive Toxicant. This decision is driven by new evidence of embryo–fetal developmental toxicity in rabbits, and the classification would be a major step toward restrictions or bans.

Drinking Water Guidelines 

• Germany (2020): Set a health-based drinking water guideline at 60 µg/L.
• Netherlands (2023): Established a much stricter indicative value of 2.2 µg/L.

These guidelines demonstrate not only regulatory attention but also increasing global variability—a potential compliance and risk management challenge for multinational companies.

Conclusion: If We Haven’t Reached the Tipping Point Yet—When Will We?

TFA sits at the intersection of several trends that historically precede major regulatory shifts:

• Rising detection in drinking water sources
• Increasing scientific scrutiny
• EU leadership pushing hazard classifications
• Mobility and persistence similar to other PFAS now subject to strict controls
• Large-scale global presence making exposure more likely over time

While the scientific community continues debating the magnitude of TFA’s health risks, regulatory action is no longer hypothetical—and the pattern mirrors early PFAS regulation. In short: TFA may represent the next major PFAS-related risk category. Companies with manufacturing operations, chemical usage, wastewater discharges, or product lines connected to fluorinated compounds should begin evaluating TFA exposure, monitoring, and supply-chain implications now.

Questions? Our PFAS experts are here to help. Reach out to our team today! 

Carlos Merino, CEO of DP World in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, was recently interviewed by Forbes Ecuador on the company’s plan to invest more than US $1.2 billion in port and logistics infrastructure across the Americas by 2028.

The article, “DP World will invest more than US$1.2 billion in ports in the region through 2028,” examines how sustained private investment in ports is strengthening regional supply chains, improving competitiveness and supporting long-term economic growth across Latin America.

Investing Ahead of Demand

In the interview, Merino explains that DP World’s investment strategy is designed to anticipate future trade flows rather than react to short-term market shifts. Ongoing investments focus on deep-water capacity, modern terminal infrastructure, and integrated logistics solutions that enable faster, more reliable access to global markets.

Merino notes that ports must be equipped to manage growing cargo volumes while remaining resilient amid geopolitical uncertainty, climate impacts, and evolving customer expectations.

Ecuador and Peru as Strategic Gateways

Forbes Ecuador highlights DP World’s operations in Posorja as a central pillar of this strategy. Since commencing operations, the deep-water terminal has rapidly become Ecuador’s leading port by market share, supported by continuous infrastructure expansion and the ability to handle post-Panamax vessels at full capacity.

The article also points to DP World’s Callao terminal in Peru, where sustained investment has driven record container volumes and strengthened connectivity between the Pacific coast of South America and global trade routes.

Sustainability as a Competitive Advantage

The interview underscores how sustainability is embedded within DP World’s infrastructure investments. From electrified port equipment and renewable energy to digital systems that reduce congestion and emissions, these initiatives are designed to deliver both environmental and operational performance.

According to Merino, sustainability is increasingly a differentiator for ports as customers and partners seek efficient, low-carbon supply-chain solutions.

Ports Powering Regional Growth

As highlighted in the Forbes coverage, DP World’s investment plan reflects the evolving role of ports as engines of economic development – supporting exports, creating jobs, and enabling regional economies to capitalize on nearshoring and shifting global trade patterns.

Merino emphasizes that long-term infrastructure investment will be critical for Latin America to strengthen its position in global trade and build supply chains that are both competitive and resilient.

Read the full Forbes Ecuador interview to learn more about DP World’s regional investment strategy.