Tag: 3BL

SAO PAULO, May 16, 2024 /3BL/ – Qualcomm Incorporated, through its Qualcomm® Wireless Reach™ initiative, and Instituto Crescer announced today the opening of mobile virtual reality laboratories and an expansion of phase 2 of the ASCON Program – Student Always Connected, in four schools in Goiânia (GO). The program aims to close the digital divide by reshaping the way students learn and educators teach. The goal is to bring classrooms to life, modernizing them and enabling a world where all students are connected, intelligently, from home, the classroom or anywhere.

“Connectivity has increasingly proven to be an essential and powerful tool in the daily lives of citizens adapted to modern society, with access to information, diverse content, regardless of their interests, training or area of activity. We believe that its good use is an important aid for teachers in the training of students. Qualcomm Wireless Reach is focused on using advanced wireless technologies to enrich people’s lives through programs that strengthen economic and social development,” explains Milene Franco Pereira, Senior Manager, Government Affairs, Qualcomm Serviços de Telecomunicações Ltda.

The addition of mobile carts/laboratories with virtual reality devices from Beenoculus in each of the four participating schools, furthers achieve the goals of increasing digital inclusion and skills. Beenoculus promotes innovation in education through Extended Reality (XR) immersive experiences and training on devices leveraging the Snapdragon Spaces™ XR Developer Platform.

“At Beenoculus we say that education means taking someone to a world that exists beyond them. With this, we hope that our extended reality solutions will contribute significantly to the educational training of students”, says Rawlinson Peter Terrabuio, co-founder and CEO of Beenoculus.

In this phase, there is an increase in the number of participating students, with an additional class being added per school in 2024. “The program aims to create an environment of digital inclusion, where students have the necessary tools to reach their full potential, increasing digital skills by taking advantage of new learning opportunities. Through virtual reality, students will have access to interactive and immersive content on various educational topics, in addition to the continued use of Always-Connected PCs (ACPCs) for their formative moments, contributing to the digital transformation in schools”, observes Luciana Allan, director of Instituto Crescer.

During the first phase of the project, 120 ACER 511 Chromebooks – equipped with the Snapdragon® 7C processor – were supplied to three school communities in Goiânia. In In total, more than 200 students and teachers received these Always On laptops, ACPCs equipped with Embratel’s mobile LTE connectivity features.

Through the ASCON program, teachers learn about cutting-edge technology and other topics. In phase 1, the topics included cybersecurity, cyberbullying and emotional security, metaverse, Artificial Intelligence, emerging technologies, research and basic programming concepts. In phase 2, the training will include the concepts of designing learning experience, resource curation, spatial learning, and creation/authorship of immersive resources.

The Student Always Connected (ASCON) project is a collaboration between Wireless Reach, ACER, Claro, Embratel, Calriz, Beenoculus, Instituto Crescer and the Goiânia Municipal Department of Education (SME of Goiânia).

ABOUT QUALCOMM

Qualcomm relentlessly innovates to deliver intelligent computing everywhere, helping the world tackle some of its most important challenges. Our proven solutions drive transformation across major industries, and our Snapdragon® branded platforms power extraordinary consumer experiences. Building on our nearly 40-year leadership in setting industry standards and creating era-defining technology breakthroughs, we deliver leading edge AI, high-performance, low-power computing, and unrivaled connectivity. Together with our ecosystem partners, we enable next-generation digital transformation to enrich lives, improve businesses, and advance societies. At Qualcomm, we are engineering human progress.

Qualcomm Incorporated includes our licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of our patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, substantially all of our engineering and research and development functions and substantially all of our products and services businesses, including our QCT semiconductor business.

ABOUT QUALCOMM WIRELESS REACH

Wireless Reach invests in sustainable programs that demonstrate innovative uses of wireless technology to strengthen economic and social development globally. Our programs promote entrepreneurship, aid public safety, improve health care delivery, enrich teaching and learning, and improve environmental sustainability. Since 2006, Wireless Reach has benefited more than 27 million people.

Snapdragon, Snapdragon Spaces and Wireless Reach are trademarks or registered trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated. Snapdragon and Qualcomm branded products are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. Qualcomm patented technologies are licensed by Qualcomm Incorporated.

ABOUT INSTITUTO CRESCER

Founded in 2000, headquartered in São Paulo and operating globally, Instituto Crescer is a laboratory for creating and implementing large-scale social impact projects that contribute to the development and strengthening of communities and people. Counting on the contribution of national and international resources, we work with the following purposes: 1. Contribute to having Brazil’s educational indicators among the best in the world 2. Have minority groups, indigenous peoples, peripheral and rural communities active in democratic spaces for social participation 3. Reduce the economic vulnerability of young people and adults 4. Influence companies to be more socially and environmentally aware.

ABOUT BEENOCULUS

Beenoculus is a Brazilian company that pioneers Extended Reality (XR) solutions for education. The company offers a complete platform that includes immersive virtual reality educational content, active teaching methodologies and data analysis for personalization. Beenoculus is committed to democratizing access to exponential technologies to transform education.

Tapestry, a global house of brand consisting of Coach, kate spade new york and Stuart Weitzman, for the second year in a row, has been recognized as one of America’s 50 most community-minded companies by Points of Light. For the first year, Tapestry has also been named as the Sector Lead for the Consumer Discretionary industry.

Tapestry is committed to driving change on pressing global social issues through strategic investment. We use our collective strengths to help make the fashion industry more sustainable and to build a company that’s equitable, inclusive and diverse.

Our approach to social impact is to invest where we believe our brands and people can create the most impact, in line with the brand’s distinct purposes. We champion causes that are important to Tapestry, our people and our values.

Tapestry’s 19 Bold Goals set targets across key areas that we would achieve by 2025. To date, the “community” pillar, we have met two of our three original goals:

100,000 volunteer hours completed by 2025. This was achieved in 2021. Our new goal is 500,000 volunteer service hours completed by our employees around the world by FY2030.$75 million in financial and product donations to nonprofit organizations globally by FY2025.

Coach, kate spade new york, and Stuart Weitzman are also making change with their respective programs.

Since the launch of Dream it Real in 2018, the Coach Foundation has reached over 170,000 young people; funded 5,279 scholarships funded, paired 250 college students with Tapestry employee mentors and has eight active Dream It Real programs globally, including China, Japan and North America. Dream It Real programs offer scholarship, mentorship, belonging and wrap-around support and partnership to help young people gain access to post-secondary education.

“Volunteering through the Coach Cares program has been transformational,” says Megan Christiansen, a Coach store manager in Southern California. “Not only has the program strengthened connection within each other, our communities and organizations, but it’s also illuminated the power we hold both individually and collectively to shape a brighter tomorrow.”

kate spade new york’s women’s empowerment and mental health journey started in 2013 in Rwanda with its On Purpose initiative. The company set out to use their supply chain to empower women and encourage sustainable practices in their community. Through their business partner Abahizi CBC a B-corporation certified and employee-owned business located in Masoro, Rwanda, over 250 women have full-time employment, 95% of the workforce has attended empowerment and mental health training, and 90% of women feeling they can make a decision regarding family planning by themselves or jointly with their partner.

Divya Kaushal, an area leader with kate spade new york says, “Social impact is important as it empowers us to be powerful, progressive and sensitive leaders by embracing everyone’s true potential and authenticity.”

Stuart Weitzman continued its partnership with Vital Voices through a bespoke program called Bold Movers: Investing in Women Working Toward Gender Equity. This new, seven-week leadership training and mentoring program is dedicated to investing in women advancing inclusive workplace initiatives, specifically to address challenges for working mothers and caregivers. Participants will be eligible to receive a grant to help further their missions.

Morgan LaBar, associate manager at Stuart Weitzman, said, “Celebrating International Women’s Day in our office with the Vital Voices Bold Movers cohort was one of the most meaningful and memorable days I’ve had at Stuart Weitzman. It was incredible to meet a group of women all making a difference in their communities and knowing that our brand supports them in doing this made me proud to work here!”

Tapestry is honored to be recognized for our efforts to stretch what’s possible for our communities. Read more about our efforts in volunteering and community investment here.

Tapestry, a global house of brand consisting of Coach, kate spade new york and Stuart Weitzman, for the second year in a row, has been recognized as one of America’s 50 most community-minded companies by Points of Light. For the first year, Tapestry has also been named as the Sector Lead for the Consumer Discretionary industry.

Tapestry is committed to driving change on pressing global social issues through strategic investment. We use our collective strengths to help make the fashion industry more sustainable and to build a company that’s equitable, inclusive and diverse.

Our approach to social impact is to invest where we believe our brands and people can create the most impact, in line with the brand’s distinct purposes. We champion causes that are important to Tapestry, our people and our values.

Tapestry’s 19 Bold Goals set targets across key areas that we would achieve by 2025. To date, the “community” pillar, we have met two of our three original goals:

100,000 volunteer hours completed by 2025. This was achieved in 2021. Our new goal is 500,000 volunteer service hours completed by our employees around the world by FY2030.$75 million in financial and product donations to nonprofit organizations globally by FY2025.

Coach, kate spade new york, and Stuart Weitzman are also making change with their respective programs.

Since the launch of Dream it Real in 2018, the Coach Foundation has reached over 170,000 young people; funded 5,279 scholarships funded, paired 250 college students with Tapestry employee mentors and has eight active Dream It Real programs globally, including China, Japan and North America. Dream It Real programs offer scholarship, mentorship, belonging and wrap-around support and partnership to help young people gain access to post-secondary education.

“Volunteering through the Coach Cares program has been transformational,” says Megan Christiansen, a Coach store manager in Southern California. “Not only has the program strengthened connection within each other, our communities and organizations, but it’s also illuminated the power we hold both individually and collectively to shape a brighter tomorrow.”

kate spade new york’s women’s empowerment and mental health journey started in 2013 in Rwanda with its On Purpose initiative. The company set out to use their supply chain to empower women and encourage sustainable practices in their community. Through their business partner Abahizi CBC a B-corporation certified and employee-owned business located in Masoro, Rwanda, over 250 women have full-time employment, 95% of the workforce has attended empowerment and mental health training, and 90% of women feeling they can make a decision regarding family planning by themselves or jointly with their partner.

Divya Kaushal, an area leader with kate spade new york says, “Social impact is important as it empowers us to be powerful, progressive and sensitive leaders by embracing everyone’s true potential and authenticity.”

Stuart Weitzman continued its partnership with Vital Voices through a bespoke program called Bold Movers: Investing in Women Working Toward Gender Equity. This new, seven-week leadership training and mentoring program is dedicated to investing in women advancing inclusive workplace initiatives, specifically to address challenges for working mothers and caregivers. Participants will be eligible to receive a grant to help further their missions.

Morgan LaBar, associate manager at Stuart Weitzman, said, “Celebrating International Women’s Day in our office with the Vital Voices Bold Movers cohort was one of the most meaningful and memorable days I’ve had at Stuart Weitzman. It was incredible to meet a group of women all making a difference in their communities and knowing that our brand supports them in doing this made me proud to work here!”

Tapestry is honored to be recognized for our efforts to stretch what’s possible for our communities. Read more about our efforts in volunteering and community investment here.

Our people making a difference is a series featured throughout Owens Corning’s 2023 Sustainability Report.

With a background in polymer chemistry, Ozma Lane could have pursued a career in academia. Luckily for us, though, she brought her talents to Owens Corning nearly six years ago, first developing improvements to our shingle materials and more recently as part of our Asphalt team. Working at our Science & Technology Center in Granville, Ozma is focused on ensuring that we are making sustainability gains while still meeting the high product standards that have made Owens Corning a market leader.

On the importance of sustainability in asphalt

Within the Asphalt team, at least a portion of every scientist’s work is focused on sustainability. The initial reason I was brought into this role was to evaluate ways for us to meet our 2030 sustainability goals, finding more sustainable materials to lower our embodied carbon footprint. Asphalt has an impact on the embodied carbon of our shingle product. Any change we can make to reduce the carbon content of our asphalt can help us meet our 2030 goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This is a project for the long term — this is not a sprint — but we’re seeing a lot of opportunities on different timescales.

On the importance of collaboration at Owens Corning

The connections we have with our colleagues on different products and in different groups means that I can find something useful, even if it’s not what I was originally looking for as an application. That lets us find opportunities for innovation more quickly because we’re applying each new idea or material to a broader field of products.

That is something that you see in a company that has a very cooperative culture. People want to help each other and that’s a real strength that lets us evolve and communicate a lot more quickly. The willingness to cooperate and be supportive of each other lets us make more use of each other’s strengths when people of working with that goal in mind.

On choosing Owens Corning as a career

If you had told me in grad school that I would really dig a job where sometimes I was in head-to-toe PPE and steel-toed boots and working in a shingle factory for 10 or 12 hours at a time — and that I would like it— I would assume you were joking. But I would expect to spend my career in building materials because it’s a very real business. I want to reduce emissions and impact climate change through the work I do. That’s a pretty awesome responsibility, and it means I can make an impact in a way that I couldn’t if I was in a different career.

Our people making a difference is a series featured throughout Owens Corning’s 2023 Sustainability Report.

With a background in polymer chemistry, Ozma Lane could have pursued a career in academia. Luckily for us, though, she brought her talents to Owens Corning nearly six years ago, first developing improvements to our shingle materials and more recently as part of our Asphalt team. Working at our Science & Technology Center in Granville, Ozma is focused on ensuring that we are making sustainability gains while still meeting the high product standards that have made Owens Corning a market leader.

On the importance of sustainability in asphalt

Within the Asphalt team, at least a portion of every scientist’s work is focused on sustainability. The initial reason I was brought into this role was to evaluate ways for us to meet our 2030 sustainability goals, finding more sustainable materials to lower our embodied carbon footprint. Asphalt has an impact on the embodied carbon of our shingle product. Any change we can make to reduce the carbon content of our asphalt can help us meet our 2030 goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This is a project for the long term — this is not a sprint — but we’re seeing a lot of opportunities on different timescales.

On the importance of collaboration at Owens Corning

The connections we have with our colleagues on different products and in different groups means that I can find something useful, even if it’s not what I was originally looking for as an application. That lets us find opportunities for innovation more quickly because we’re applying each new idea or material to a broader field of products.

That is something that you see in a company that has a very cooperative culture. People want to help each other and that’s a real strength that lets us evolve and communicate a lot more quickly. The willingness to cooperate and be supportive of each other lets us make more use of each other’s strengths when people of working with that goal in mind.

On choosing Owens Corning as a career

If you had told me in grad school that I would really dig a job where sometimes I was in head-to-toe PPE and steel-toed boots and working in a shingle factory for 10 or 12 hours at a time — and that I would like it— I would assume you were joking. But I would expect to spend my career in building materials because it’s a very real business. I want to reduce emissions and impact climate change through the work I do. That’s a pretty awesome responsibility, and it means I can make an impact in a way that I couldn’t if I was in a different career.

In Nebraska, one out of every three jobs is agriculture-based.

Focused on developing leaders and innovators for the future, the state association of the national Future Farmers of America (FFA) promotes agricultural education by offering skills training and education in local FFA chapters across Nebraska. Currently, more than 12,000 high school students are members of the FFA in Nebraska.

“It’s important that young people continue to seek agricultural jobs in both rural and urban Nebraska,” says Stacey Agnew, executive director of Nebraska FFA Foundation. “There is a high demand for students to work in the industry, whether they have a high school or post-secondary education.”

The Nebraska FFA Foundation is the fundraising arm for Nebraska FFA, helping to support programs throughout the state that offer educational programming. To be a member, students must be enrolled in an agricultural course at their school. Interest is evident, as the Nebraska FFA has grown from about 150 chapters in the early 2010s to 214 today.

From animal systems to crop production to harvesting and merchandising, many career paths exist in agricultural careers. Students are exposed to such roles through a model of classroom and laboratory instruction, leadership training and experiential learning-based opportunities.

“Over 300,000 jobs exist within agriculture in Nebraska—it’s more than just your ranchers and farmers.”

Contrary to popular belief, Agnew clarifies that students living on a ranch or farm comprise “a very small percentage” of Nebraska FFA membership. In fact, most students in agricultural education in Nebraska are part of the food and natural resource system.

For the past three years, Enbridge has awarded Fueling Futures grants to the Nebraska FFA Foundation as part of our commitment to building vibrant communities near our operations. The funding has supported the annual statewide convention held every April, and helped to put on workshops for members at either a free or reduced cost.

In 2023, Enbridge’s own Michael Howe, a stakeholder engagement specialist based in neighboring Wyoming, participated in the state convention as a judge for a speaking competition.

“It’s incredibly important for us to get industry volunteers every year,” says Agnew.

Enbridge is an enthusiastic supporter of the FFA across the Great Plains and the Midwest, with Fueling Futures grants targeted for the following activities by respective state chapters in 2023:

Safety, diversity and inclusion training and conference support in North Dakota and Iowa.Diversity and inclusion capacity building in Minnesota.Leadership training in Wyoming and Missouri.Environmental education in Montana.

At the heart of it all, the main goal for the Nebraska FFA Foundation is to drive awareness among teachers and students about the career paths available and companies to work for within the agricultural sector.

And the earlier the exposure to the industry, the better. Students who are enrolled in agricultural courses develop greater curiosity around innovation and new technologies relevant to the industry.

“These are the eventual leaders who will be responsible for ensuring a safe and stable food and fiber supply, so it’s extremely important we start them early. High school students often don’t have a point of reference about what sort of jobs are out there until you introduce it to them,” says Agnew.

“It would be quite devastating to our economy and communities if people were not prepared to raise the food to feed the world.”

In Nebraska, one out of every three jobs is agriculture-based.

Focused on developing leaders and innovators for the future, the state association of the national Future Farmers of America (FFA) promotes agricultural education by offering skills training and education in local FFA chapters across Nebraska. Currently, more than 12,000 high school students are members of the FFA in Nebraska.

“It’s important that young people continue to seek agricultural jobs in both rural and urban Nebraska,” says Stacey Agnew, executive director of Nebraska FFA Foundation. “There is a high demand for students to work in the industry, whether they have a high school or post-secondary education.”

The Nebraska FFA Foundation is the fundraising arm for Nebraska FFA, helping to support programs throughout the state that offer educational programming. To be a member, students must be enrolled in an agricultural course at their school. Interest is evident, as the Nebraska FFA has grown from about 150 chapters in the early 2010s to 214 today.

From animal systems to crop production to harvesting and merchandising, many career paths exist in agricultural careers. Students are exposed to such roles through a model of classroom and laboratory instruction, leadership training and experiential learning-based opportunities.

“Over 300,000 jobs exist within agriculture in Nebraska—it’s more than just your ranchers and farmers.”

Contrary to popular belief, Agnew clarifies that students living on a ranch or farm comprise “a very small percentage” of Nebraska FFA membership. In fact, most students in agricultural education in Nebraska are part of the food and natural resource system.

For the past three years, Enbridge has awarded Fueling Futures grants to the Nebraska FFA Foundation as part of our commitment to building vibrant communities near our operations. The funding has supported the annual statewide convention held every April, and helped to put on workshops for members at either a free or reduced cost.

In 2023, Enbridge’s own Michael Howe, a stakeholder engagement specialist based in neighboring Wyoming, participated in the state convention as a judge for a speaking competition.

“It’s incredibly important for us to get industry volunteers every year,” says Agnew.

Enbridge is an enthusiastic supporter of the FFA across the Great Plains and the Midwest, with Fueling Futures grants targeted for the following activities by respective state chapters in 2023:

Safety, diversity and inclusion training and conference support in North Dakota and Iowa.Diversity and inclusion capacity building in Minnesota.Leadership training in Wyoming and Missouri.Environmental education in Montana.

At the heart of it all, the main goal for the Nebraska FFA Foundation is to drive awareness among teachers and students about the career paths available and companies to work for within the agricultural sector.

And the earlier the exposure to the industry, the better. Students who are enrolled in agricultural courses develop greater curiosity around innovation and new technologies relevant to the industry.

“These are the eventual leaders who will be responsible for ensuring a safe and stable food and fiber supply, so it’s extremely important we start them early. High school students often don’t have a point of reference about what sort of jobs are out there until you introduce it to them,” says Agnew.

“It would be quite devastating to our economy and communities if people were not prepared to raise the food to feed the world.”

With nearly 80,000 submissions from students in 47 countries, TCS’ 2023-2024 goIT Global Innovator of the Year competition closed with finalists hailing from Canada and Mexico. Casey S., age 13, from Toronto, Ontario, took first place and had the thrill of receiving her winning title news from astronaut Nicole Stott, goIT Global Innovator of the Year competition ambassador.  

“We are really inspired by all the work going on around the planet that is intended to make life better for all of us, and I’m glad you want to be actively involved in creating solutions,” said Stott after sharing the news with Casey. “Thanks for being a crew mate here on spaceship earth.”

Casey, a grade 8 student, won the global title with her presentation of the concept “Waste Not, Want Not.” The app would use the power of artificial intelligence to make food collection, distribution, and donation fast, efficient, and beneficial to all stakeholders. In doing so, it addresses a trio of issues related mainly to poverty and hunger, but also tied to concerns about global warming.

Competition first and second runners-up, a team from Puebla, Mexico, and another from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, focused on the physical health and wellbeing of individuals, respectively.

Their efforts, and those of other entrants, proved that while today’s youth may be excited about downloading gaming apps and participating in social media dance trends, when it comes to innovating, their priorities are apps that improve people’s quality of life and advance environmental security. Forecasters predict these categories are also poised for major future market growth.

“At the heart of our goIT Global Innovator of the Year competition is TCS’ unwavering belief in the potential of youth to drive significant social and environmental change,” said John Dichiara, TCS Global goIT Program Manager. “We’re encouraged that it’s a priority for so many of these talented students.”

The TCS goIT Global Innovator of the Year competition is part of TCS’ commitment to engage youth with meaningful computer science projects that encourage them to pursue STEM careers. The program is designed to inspire them to think about global citizenship and potentially position them as future leaders committed to driving sustainable and inclusive solutions.

Like the goIT Monthly Challenge and goIT’s popular in-school programs, the goIT Global Innovator of the Year competition invited individual students or student teams to submit a 1-to-3-minute video pitch, a presentation, or a written proposal describing their ideas and the specific world problem they are addressing. Students target any of the 17 U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the competition and program coordinators can suggest they concentrate on those with either personal or community relevance.

According to Mobile App Daily, apps like those designed by this year’s winners don’t come anywhere near the top 10% in terms of download popularity, but other analysts see the human health and wellbeing category as a significant opportunity for future growth. Buildfire, for instance, identifies Medical and Health and Wellbeing apps among the top money-making opportunities for tech entrepreneurs. MHealth Solutions Market suggests the market for such apps will grow significantly between now and 2033, stating the mobile health app market is “expected to be worth around $187.7 billion by 2033, up from $63.2 billion in 2023.” That’s a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.5% during the nine-year forecast period. Similarly, Smart Industry reports high expectations for the growth of enterprise-level sustainability apps.

“These students have seen what they’re capable of in terms innovation and career readiness skills and, if they continue on the path they’re on, the future looks very bright for them,” said DiChiara.

Learn more about this year’s competition, winners, and their innovations, at https://www.tcs.com/who-we-are/corporate-social-responsibility/article/goit-global-innovator-of-the-year-winners.

ABOUT TATA CONSULTANCY SERVICES (TCS)  
Tata Consultancy Services is an IT services, consulting and business solutions organization that has been partnering with many of the world’s largest businesses in their transformation journeys for over 55 years. Its consulting-led, cognitive powered, portfolio of business, technology and engineering services and solutions is delivered through its unique Location Independent Agile™ delivery model, recognized as a benchmark of excellence in software development.

A part of the Tata group, India’s largest multinational business group, TCS has over 601,000 of the world’s best-trained consultants in 55 countries. The company generated consolidated revenues of US $29 billion in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024, and is listed on the BSE and the NSE in India TCS’ proactive stance on climate change and award-winning work with communities across the world have earned it a place in leading sustainability indices such as the MSCI Global Sustainability Index and the FTSE4Good Emerging Index. For more information, visit www.tcs.com.

ABOUT goIT  
TCS’ Go Innovate Together program (goIT) is TCS’ flagship STEM education program. Focusing on digital innovation and career readiness, goIT engages students from diverse backgrounds with Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) subjects and computer science, design thinking and digital innovation. The program offers an industry-developed, customizable curriculum that teaches students the 21st century skills necessary for a career in technology. Lessons cover topics including design thinking, rapid prototyping, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and more. Visit https://tcsempowers.tcsapps.com/amer/goIT for more information.

With nearly 80,000 submissions from students in 47 countries, TCS’ 2023-2024 goIT Global Innovator of the Year competition closed with finalists hailing from Canada and Mexico. Casey S., age 13, from Toronto, Ontario, took first place and had the thrill of receiving her winning title news from astronaut Nicole Stott, goIT Global Innovator of the Year competition ambassador.  

“We are really inspired by all the work going on around the planet that is intended to make life better for all of us, and I’m glad you want to be actively involved in creating solutions,” said Stott after sharing the news with Casey. “Thanks for being a crew mate here on spaceship earth.”

Casey, a grade 8 student, won the global title with her presentation of the concept “Waste Not, Want Not.” The app would use the power of artificial intelligence to make food collection, distribution, and donation fast, efficient, and beneficial to all stakeholders. In doing so, it addresses a trio of issues related mainly to poverty and hunger, but also tied to concerns about global warming.

Competition first and second runners-up, a team from Puebla, Mexico, and another from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, focused on the physical health and wellbeing of individuals, respectively.

Their efforts, and those of other entrants, proved that while today’s youth may be excited about downloading gaming apps and participating in social media dance trends, when it comes to innovating, their priorities are apps that improve people’s quality of life and advance environmental security. Forecasters predict these categories are also poised for major future market growth.

“At the heart of our goIT Global Innovator of the Year competition is TCS’ unwavering belief in the potential of youth to drive significant social and environmental change,” said John Dichiara, TCS Global goIT Program Manager. “We’re encouraged that it’s a priority for so many of these talented students.”

The TCS goIT Global Innovator of the Year competition is part of TCS’ commitment to engage youth with meaningful computer science projects that encourage them to pursue STEM careers. The program is designed to inspire them to think about global citizenship and potentially position them as future leaders committed to driving sustainable and inclusive solutions.

Like the goIT Monthly Challenge and goIT’s popular in-school programs, the goIT Global Innovator of the Year competition invited individual students or student teams to submit a 1-to-3-minute video pitch, a presentation, or a written proposal describing their ideas and the specific world problem they are addressing. Students target any of the 17 U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the competition and program coordinators can suggest they concentrate on those with either personal or community relevance.

According to Mobile App Daily, apps like those designed by this year’s winners don’t come anywhere near the top 10% in terms of download popularity, but other analysts see the human health and wellbeing category as a significant opportunity for future growth. Buildfire, for instance, identifies Medical and Health and Wellbeing apps among the top money-making opportunities for tech entrepreneurs. MHealth Solutions Market suggests the market for such apps will grow significantly between now and 2033, stating the mobile health app market is “expected to be worth around $187.7 billion by 2033, up from $63.2 billion in 2023.” That’s a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.5% during the nine-year forecast period. Similarly, Smart Industry reports high expectations for the growth of enterprise-level sustainability apps.

“These students have seen what they’re capable of in terms innovation and career readiness skills and, if they continue on the path they’re on, the future looks very bright for them,” said DiChiara.

Learn more about this year’s competition, winners, and their innovations, at https://www.tcs.com/who-we-are/corporate-social-responsibility/article/goit-global-innovator-of-the-year-winners.

ABOUT TATA CONSULTANCY SERVICES (TCS)  
Tata Consultancy Services is an IT services, consulting and business solutions organization that has been partnering with many of the world’s largest businesses in their transformation journeys for over 55 years. Its consulting-led, cognitive powered, portfolio of business, technology and engineering services and solutions is delivered through its unique Location Independent Agile™ delivery model, recognized as a benchmark of excellence in software development.

A part of the Tata group, India’s largest multinational business group, TCS has over 601,000 of the world’s best-trained consultants in 55 countries. The company generated consolidated revenues of US $29 billion in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024, and is listed on the BSE and the NSE in India TCS’ proactive stance on climate change and award-winning work with communities across the world have earned it a place in leading sustainability indices such as the MSCI Global Sustainability Index and the FTSE4Good Emerging Index. For more information, visit www.tcs.com.

ABOUT goIT  
TCS’ Go Innovate Together program (goIT) is TCS’ flagship STEM education program. Focusing on digital innovation and career readiness, goIT engages students from diverse backgrounds with Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) subjects and computer science, design thinking and digital innovation. The program offers an industry-developed, customizable curriculum that teaches students the 21st century skills necessary for a career in technology. Lessons cover topics including design thinking, rapid prototyping, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and more. Visit https://tcsempowers.tcsapps.com/amer/goIT for more information.

In our manufacturing plant in San José, Costa Rica, a quiet shift in best practices is taking place — one that speaks to the power of inclusion in the workplace. At the center of this transformation are Jorge Hernãndez, a packaging plant auxiliary with a hearing disability, and his coworkers and management team committed to ensuring his full participation.

For Jorge, navigating the fast-paced environment of the manufacturing floor presented unique challenges. Despite 12 years of skilled experience working at Clorox, the communication barrier occasionally left him feeling isolated.

Recognizing the need for change, members of the plant’s management team saw an opportunity to bring more inclusive practices to their everyday operations. They understood that true success lies not only in the products they manufacture but in the strength of their workforce. And so, they made the decision to invest in ways that would make their people feel more empowered.

The first step was clear: provide sign language training for Jorge’s coworkers. What started four years ago as brief, informal training for teammates on Costa Rican Sign Language has evolved into a more formal training program with Enseñas Costa Rica, an organization that specializes in corporate education for communicating with the deaf community. Inspired by Clorox’s renewed commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity and allyship, or IDEA, this initiative had a powerful impact throughout the plant. Teammates embraced the opportunity to learn sign language, not just as a means of communication but as a tool for fostering understanding and connection with each other. The plant also enlisted the services of a sign language interpreter for large team meetings, on-the-job training sessions, performance evaluations and company social activities.

“We saw IDEA as a call to action to embrace the unique perspectives and needs of all our teammates, regardless of disability, gender, or age. Making sign language more accessible to our workforce is one way we’re fostering an environment where all voices are heard, and everyone can thrive.”

Mauricio Guerrero Canet, Plant Manager

For Jorge, the transformation was profound. Communication barriers that once seemed insurmountable were replaced by a sense of belonging.

“I feel very proud to work for Clorox. My teammates’ willingness to learn sign language has made me feel supported, accepted and better able to do my job.”

Jorge Hernãndez, Packaging Plant Auxiliary

The journey of our San José plant toward greater day-to-day inclusion reflects the impact that empathy can have in our workplaces and communities. By championing the unique abilities of every individual, we not only enrich the lives of those around us but pave the way for a brighter future for all.