Month: August 2026

Daniel Pellegrom
Director, Corporate Social Responsibility

Why it matters

• Hands-on AI experience makes technology careers tangible.
• Early STEM access expands future career pathways.
• Industry partnerships connect learning with real-world applications.

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Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming how we solve problems, make decisions, and address some of the world’s most complex challenges. Advancing AI responsibly requires more than technology alone. It requires curious, skilled innovators who can build, question and improve the systems shaping the future.

This is why Leidos partnered with North Carolina Central University’s (NCCU) Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Research (IAIER) and Amazon Web Services (AWS) to give the next generation of innovators firsthand experience building with AI.

Real world examples make AI careers tangible

From July 15-17, twenty rising high school juniors and seniors from North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Colorado participated in an immersive AI Career Immersion summer camp on NCCU’s campus in Durham, North Carolina. The three-day program introduced students to generative AI, computer vision, and reinforcement learning through a combination of classroom instruction, hands-on projects, and conversations with technology professionals.

The goal was simple: help students see themselves not only as users of AI, but as the people who will create, improve, and responsibly advance it.

The program was developed under the leadership of Corey Hendricks, Leidos vice president of Solution Architecture and an NCCU alumnus. Working alongside NCCU faculty and AWS technical leaders, Hendricks helped create an experience that connected emerging technology concepts with real-world applications.

Our goal was for students to see that they can build the technologies shaping our future—and that companies like Leidos are eager to help them get there. Being able to work with my alma mater to help introduce these students to the possibilities of AI made this experience especially fun.

Corey Hendricks
VP, Solution Architecture, Leidos

Learning AI by building AI

Throughout the camp, students moved beyond theory and applied AI concepts through hands-on projects. They built generative AI applications using AWS PartyRock, trained autonomous racing models with AWS DeepRacer and explored how technologies such as computer vision and reinforcement learning are being used to solve complex challenges.

The experience culminated in a DeepRacer competition where students optimized their models, evaluated performance and explained their design decisions, reinforcing the importance of experimentation, critical thinking and responsible AI development.

Connecting students with real-world innovation

The camp brought together the strengths of industry and academia to give students a real-world perspective of how AI is developed and applied. NCCU faculty introduced students to the foundations of artificial intelligence and machine learning, while AWS and Leidos experts provided hands-on instruction and connected emerging technologies to real-world applications in areas such as trusted AI, cybersecurity and computer vision.

Preparing tomorrow’s workforce requires more than teaching students about artificial intelligence. It requires giving them opportunities to see themselves as creators, problem-solvers and future leaders in the field. Through partnerships with Leidos and AWS, we connected foundational learning with hands-on application, career exposure and mentorship. These experiences help students recognize that they have a place in the future of AI and can play an active role in shaping it.

Dr. Siobahn Day Grady
Founding Director of the Institute for AI and Emerging Research (IAIER)

AWS solutions architect Caleb Anthony designed the camp’s hands-on technical curriculum, developed the student instructional materials, built the cloud learning environment and led students through interactive experiences using AWS PartyRock and AWS DeepRacer.

Leidos volunteers connected classroom lessons to real-world applications and shared their career journeys, helping students understand the many pathways available in technology.

Through support from Durham Public Schools, students from the local community gained access to an immersive introduction to AI and the opportunities available in this rapidly evolving field.

Investing in the future of technology

By the end of the program, every student had built multiple AI applications, trained a custom reinforcement learning model and presented their work to peers. Each participant earned a certificate of completion and received resources to continue exploring AI beyond the camp.

The experience reflects Leidos’ commitment to expanding access to STEM education, strengthening communities and preparing the next generation of technology leaders. As part of the company’s participation in the White House’s Pledge to America’s Youth, Leidos is helping create meaningful opportunities for students to explore careers in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence.

For Leidos, the camp represents more than a successful summer program, it shows how investing in partnerships with universities, business partners and local communities can build a resilient, diverse workforce prepared to address the future’s complex challenges.

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Three things to remember

1. Twenty rising high school juniors and seniors built generative AI applications and trained reinforcement learning models during a three-day immersive experience.
2. Leidos, North Carolina Central University, and Amazon Web Services combined academic instruction, technical expertise, and real-world applications to bring AI careers to life.
3. Early access to emerging technology can expand career pathways and help build the skilled, diverse workforce needed to advance AI responsibly.

We’re hiring innovators

LONDON, August 20, 2026 /3BL/ – Enhanced capability strengthens SLR’s established expertise with WAP Sustainability’s specialist knowledge in life cycle assessment and product environmental performance.

SLR has enhanced its global Product Sustainability offering, spanning life cycle assessment (LCA), environmental product declarations (EPD), product carbon footprints (PCF), circularity, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), regulatory readiness and digital product passport (DPP) data solutions.

The enhanced offering responds to growing demand from organisations facing a wave of new product sustainability requirements across global markets. In Europe, new regulations such as the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), revised Construction Products Regulation (CPR) the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) are accelerating this shift. Globally, similar pressures are emerging through the adoption of state and federal EPR programs impacting nearly all consumer-facing industries.

Beyond regulatory compliance, increasing numbers of sustainable procurements programmes and consumer led demand for product carbon footprints and supply chain transparency continue to grow across global markets, intensifying commercial pressures on manufacturers to consider the environmental performance of products.

SLR has long supported clients with product sustainability services across sectors including manufacturing, built environment, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, mining, consumer products and energy. The addition of WAP Sustainability further strengthens this capability with additional specialist expertise in LCA, chemical regulations, product environmental performance, circularity and product/supply chain data management.

Together, SLR and WAP Sustainability help organisations to manage product-level data and put it to work: meeting compliance and disclosure requirements, responding to customer expectations, and informing better decisions about product design, sourcing and performance. With strategic advisory, technical consulting and digital solutions, SLR supports clients from initial assessment through to disclosure, compliance reporting, verification and large-scale deployment.

“Product sustainability is rapidly becoming a strategic business requirement rather than a specialist sustainability initiative. It is fundamental to addressing some of the biggest sustainability issues companies face and requires a better understanding and more informed choices at the product level in terms of material selection, manufacturing process and end of life options, among other considerations,” said William Paddock, Managing Director of WAP Sustainability (part of SLR).

“Many organisations are trying to make sense of a growing number of regulations, requests from customers and disclosure obligations. What we see is that much of this ultimately relies on the same product-level data. Our role is to help clients build that foundation once and use it to support compliance, inform business decisions and create long-term value.”

The expanded capability combines deep technical expertise with digital platforms, such as Theta LCA, epd.world, dpp.world and the openEPD database, designed to help organisations manage product sustainability information at scale. SLR has delivered and maintained over one hundred thousand LCAs and related disclosures (EPDs, PCFs, PEPs, PEFs, etc) across global markets, working with clients in almost every industry through one of the largest global teams of dedicated specialists. SLR’s Product Sustainability platform was designed to be a first of its kind global advisory and technology platform to help organisations manage the regulatory and voluntary complexities using a single partner organisation.

“The sustainability market was missing a truly global platform for product sustainability”, added Paddock, “there are too many fragmented regional solutions inhibiting corporate leadership’s ability to make product sustainability decisions strategically. This is what we have solved”.

-ENDS-

For more information, visit slrconsulting.com

Newark, N.J., August 20, 2026 /3BL/ — Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) recently released the company’s 2025 Community Impact Update, highlighting how our business supports New Jersey’s communities, economy and energy infrastructure while reinforcing our longstanding focus on public service. PSEG, founded over 120 years ago, is the parent company of PSE&G, New Jersey’s largest utility, which serves over 2.4 million electric customers and 1.9 million gas customers statewide, and the operator of the state’s only nuclear power plants, delivering over 80% of the state’s carbon-free energy. We are one of New Jersey’s largest employers, and the majority of our approximately 13,000 employees live and work in the communities we serve.

“Public service is not just our name, it’s our purpose, it guides our work and enhances our value to New Jersey,” said Rick Thigpen, PSEG’s Senior Vice President of Corporate Citizenship. “The 2025 Community Impact Update demonstrates how this business and its employees, promote prosperity and strengthen communities across the state while supporting a more reliable energy future.”

PSEG’s 2025 Community Impact Update details how PSEG’s operations span the state and support New Jersey’s economy, including:

• An estimated $16.3 billion in total economic output to New Jersey¹.
• A regulated capital investment program which will invest $22.5 billion to $25.5 billion into our critical infrastructure through 2030 and bolster reliability.
• Our $2.4 billion spend with New Jersey-based suppliers and vendors in 2025.
• About $12.8 million in total philanthropic giving in 2025
• The significant amount of taxes PSEG pays to the state annually, including $37 million in property taxes alone in 2025.

The Community Impact Update also highlights the impact of our nuclear plants, which provide over 40% of the state’s electricity and make important contributions to the Salem County region, and play a large role in the and New Jersey economy. The plants are responsible for about $1.2 billion in annual state GDP.

Additionally, the document shares how PSEG’s award-winning energy efficiency programs have helped customers save more than $1 billion annually.

View the full 2025 Community Impact Update here.

PSEG to Launch Sustainability Report to Further Explore Community and Operational Impact

While the Impact document focuses on PSEG’s statewide economic and community footprint, the forthcoming 2026 Sustainability Report will provide a comprehensive view of the company’s industry leading sustainability program, highlighting PSEG’s work to strengthen the communities we serve, operate responsibly and support a more reliable energy future.

The Sustainability Report, which will launch in the coming weeks, will explore areas such as workforce development, support for our communities, environmental stewardship, customer affordability and support, and the role of our nuclear plants. It will also offer new insights, feature stories about employees and initiatives and provide detailed data on PSEG’s work.

Examples of data found in the 2026 Sustainability Report:

• Our overall sustainability efforts, including the achievement of a 95% reduction in operational emissions from the 2005 baseline
• Our waste management practices, including that in 2025, more than 91 percent of all waste generated by the utility was recycled
• A look at the impact our $1.5 million December 2025 Community Relief initiative had on the nonprofit partners who received funding

Together, the 2025 Impact document and the upcoming Sustainability Report provide a broader view of how PSEG cares for customers, communities, employees and the state of New Jersey while helping build a more reliable and sustainable energy future.
 

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About PSEG

Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) (NYSE: PEG) is a predominantly regulated infrastructure company operating New Jersey’s largest transmission and distribution utility, serving approximately 2.4 million electric and 1.9 million natural gas customers. PSEG also owns an independent fleet of 3,758 MW of carbon-free, baseload nuclear power generating units in NJ and PA. PSEG aims to power a future where people use energy more efficiently, and it’s safer and delivered more reliably than ever. PSEG is a member of the S&P 500 Index and has been named to the Dow Jones Best in Class North America Index for 18 consecutive years. PSEG’s businesses include Public Service Electric and Gas Co. (PSE&G), PSEG Power and PSEG Long Island (https://corporate.pseg.com).

¹ Source: IMPLAN 2024 Data Year for New Jersey model region. For more information on the IMPLAN modeling process, visit IMPLAN.com

IMPLAN is a regional economic analysis software application that is designed to estimate the impact or ripple effect (specifically backward linkages) of a given economic activity within aspecific geographic area through the implementation of its Input-Output and Social Accounting Matrix model. Studies, results, and reports that rely on IMPLAN data or applications are limited by the researcher’s assumptions concerning the subject or event being modeled. Studies such as this one are in no way endorsed or verified by IMPLAN Group LLC unless otherwise stated by a representative of IMPLAN.

IMPLAN provides the estimated Indirect and Induced Effects of the given economic activity as defined by the user’s inputs. Some Direct Effects may be estimated by IMPLAN when such information is not specified by the user. While IMPLAN is an excellent tool for its designed purposes, it is the responsibility of analysts using IMPLAN to be sure inputs are defined appropriately and to be aware of the following assumptions within any I-O and Social Accounting

Matrix Model:

• Constant returns to scale
• No supply constraints
• Fixed input structure
• Industry technology assumption
• Constant byproducts coefficients
• The model is static
• Backward linked
• Time Delineated