Latest news with #Sciences
Chicago Tribune
3 days ago
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Naperville D203 to spend $7 million on renovations to Kennedy Junior High
A $7 million renovation project at Kennedy Junior High School is to begin next summer under a plan approved Monday by the Naperville District 203 School Board. The project would eliminate four outdoor pod classrooms used for more than 25 years and convert an underutilized, inaccessible interior courtyard into classrooms for Project Lead the Way courses, said Lisa Xagas, the district's assistant superintendent for strategy and engagement. The space should be ready for use by winter/early spring 2027. Family and Consumer Sciences classes also will be renovated for use starting in the 2026-27 school year. The outdoor pods will be decommissioned and removed by the end of 2026-27 school year, according to district documents. Renovation work will increase the classroom capacity at Kennedy Junior High School, 2929 Green Trails Drive, Lisle, which is one of the highest enrolled junior high schools in the district. The school is projected to house more than 900 students annually for the next three years, Xagas said. It also provides students with more technology, space and opportunities to discover their passions through problem-solving learning, she said. 'What we do is give students experiences that set them up for success when they leave us,' she said. In the Family and Consumer Sciences, students learn topics such as culinary and nutrition studies and hospitality and food service industry work. By 8th grade, they become entrepreneurs and have to create, pitch and market a product. Students have created everything from candles to T-shirts to robots and used 3-D printers or sewing skills as part of their 'Shark Tank'-style entrepreneurship course, Xagas said Project Lead the Way courses include such STEM topics as computer programming and robotics. District officials said the renovations, which also have been done at other junior high schools, help prepare students for college and careers by exposing them to the new technology. In 8th grade, students create a flexible four-year plan for high school to help guide them. 'They start to think even in 8th grade, what is a pathway or an interest that I have for four years of high school,' Xagas said. 'If we give them more exposure to that in middle school, they are more prepared.' The middle school courses also help students better decide which topics they like or don't like, she said. Final renovation design work will be completed this summer, and the project is expected to go to bid in the fall, district documents said. At the Monday meeting, the school board also approved its 2025-26 budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins July 1. Revenue in the new fiscal year is expected to be about $355.6 million, a 3.29% increase over the 2024-25 budget, said Michael Frances, the district's chief financial officer. Expenditures are projected to be $379.5 million, with about $22.2 million spent on one-time capital improvement projects to be funded with money accrued in savings over several years. The projects include an addition to Ranch View Elementary School in Naperville and improvements at Naperville North High School and Connections Transition Services. The budget calls for a new literacy curriculum for all students at a cost of $3.2 million spread out over three years, replacing curriculum that had been implemented in 2024. The update supports foundational reading skills, vocabulary development, advanced comprehension and writing instruction, Xagas said last month. Start-up costs for a girls' flag football program at Naperville Central and Naperville North high schools are also covered in the spending plan. The Illinois High School Association debuted girls flag football in fall 2024. Additionally, funds are also being allocated for a new support staff mentoring program and a staff leadership academy. Newly elected board members Marc Willensky and Holly Blastic said Monday they appreciated that district administrators took the time to explain the budget process to them. The first-time board members were elected in April and sworn in last month. Other board members thanked the administration for its work in preparing the budget. 'You can tell when somebody really understands something because they can explain it to you in 15 different ways,' board President Charles Cush said. '… It's good to know that we are in really great hands.'
Business Standard
4 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Govt announces policy reforms to enhance Ease of Innovation and Ease of Doing Research
Union Minister of State for Science and Technology; Earth Sciences, Jitendra Singh on Sunday announced a set of policy reforms to enhance the "Ease of Innovation" and "Ease of Doing Research", providing long-awaited relief to innovators, researchers scholars, scientists and institutions across the country. Jitendra Singh unveiled decisions that will enable academic and research institutions to bypass some of the most cited hurdles in their day-to-day functioning-particularly around procurement delays and financial ceilings. The announcement follows extensive consultations led by the Principal Scientific Adviser's office, drawing insights from 13 IITs and multiple research bodies across of the most consequential decisions announced is the delegation of procurement powers to institutional heads. Directors of scientific organisations and Vice Chancellors of universities will now be empowered to carry out non-GeM (Government e-Marketplace) purchases for specialized research equipment and materials-a departure from the existing rules which mandated GeM procurement even when suitable items were unavailable.
Ya Biladi
6 days ago
- Science
- Ya Biladi
Moroccan student Omar El Hariri tops 2025 baccalaureate with record score
At just 17 years old, Omar El Hariri, a student specializing in Mathematical Sciences A with a French option, achieved the highest national average in the 2025 baccalaureate exams, earning an impressive score of 19.61, according to the Regional Academy of Education and Training (AREF) of Casablanca-Settat. He attends the private high school L'Ange Bleu in El Jadida, which falls under the Casablanca-Settat regional academy. Omar shares this top distinction with Hiba Bennani, a Physical Sciences student enrolled at the private school Al Ilmia in the Skhirat-Témara area. Speaking to MAP, Omar said he was «very happy» with the result, attributing his success to his hard work, the unwavering support of his parents, and the guidance of his teachers. He is now reflecting on his university options in consultation with his family and mentors. Mohammed Chraïbi, director of L'Ange Bleu, praised Omar's performance, emphasizing the collective effort of the school's educational team in fostering academic excellence. In total, 8,365 school candidates sat for the baccalaureate exam in the provincial directorate of El Jadida, where the success rate reached 59.32%. The province maintains its 9th-place ranking nationally.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Blue Mountain Launches Spring 2025 RAM Release, Advancing Asset Management for Life Sciences
Release enables smarter maintenance, seamless mobile workflows and the introduction of artificial intelligence for improved documentation search STATE COLLEGE, Pa., June 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Blue Mountain, the leader in GMP-compliant Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) software for life sciences, announces the launch of its Spring 2025 RAM Release, introducing advanced capabilities that drive operational excellence, maximize compliance, and empower mobile teams across the Life Sciences industry. The Spring 2025 release builds on RAM's trusted foundation by delivering enhancements in three transformative areas: Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM): Enables organizations to move beyond scheduled routines to smarter, condition-driven workflows. Real-time threshold management and automatic task generation ensure precision interventions, reducing downtime and cutting maintenance costs. RAM Mobile Enhancements: Teams can now execute work plans offline, submit mobile requests with photos, and maintain data integrity on the go. These updates dramatically reduce mean time to detection and improve documentation completeness. Artificial Intelligence: Now available in validation environments, RAMMY AI delivers instant, contextual answers sourced directly from validated documentation—slashing lookup times by up to 98% and unlocking daily productivity gains. 'Our Spring 2025 Release represents a major step toward predictive maintenance and mobile-first efficiency,' said Judy Fainor, Chief Technology Officer. 'With condition-based maintenance, powerful mobile capabilities, and the introduction of AI, we're enabling Life Sciences teams to work smarter, faster, and more compliantly than ever.' About Blue Mountain Blue Mountain is the leader in enterprise asset management for Life Sciences. For over 35 years, Blue Mountain has been committed to delivering innovative and high-quality solutions that ensure regulatory compliance, enable operational efficiency and equipment uptime, and provide insights that optimize asset lifecycle management. Trusted by more than 450+ Life Sciences companies, the Blue Mountain industry-leading cloud platform helps companies master end-to-end GMP asset management from set-up to installation and from training to validation. Blue Mountain is backed by Accel-KKR and headquartered in State College, PA. For more information, please visit and follow the company on LinkedIn. Media Contact: Christian Rockwellcarockwell@ in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
ALS Ltd (CPBLF) (FY 2025) Earnings Call Highlights: Strong Revenue Growth Amidst Strategic ...
Revenue Growth: 16% increase to $3 billion. Underlying EBIT Growth: 4.7% increase, 7.7% on a constant currency basis. EBIT Margin: 19.1% excluding recent acquisitions; overall margin declined to 17.2%. Minerals Margin: Maintained at approximately 31%. Life Sciences Organic Growth: 9.8% in Environmental sector. Cash Conversion: 95% of underlying EBITDA. Net Profit After Tax (NPAT): Declined 1.4% to $312.1 million; increased 2.8% on a constant currency basis. Dividend: Final dividend of $19.7 per share, 60% payout ratio. Commodities Revenue Growth: 0.2% increase; 2.5% on a constant currency basis. Industrial Materials Organic Growth: 11.3% with margin improvements. Life Sciences Revenue Growth: 27.4% total growth; 6.6% organic growth. Leverage: 2.3 times, at the upper end of the target range. Capital Expenditure: $165 million, 5.5% of revenue. Interest Expense: Approximately $82 million in FY25. Debt Maturity: Weighted average debt maturity of 4.7 years. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 10 Warning Sign with CPBLF. Release Date: May 27, 2025 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. ALS Ltd (CPBLF) reported strong revenue growth of 16% to $3 billion for fiscal year '25, demonstrating the strength of its diversified and resilient operating model. The company achieved a robust EBIT margin of 19.1% excluding recent acquisitions, aligning with its strategic plan objectives. Life Sciences division delivered industry-leading organic growth of 9.8% in Environmental, benefiting from increased testing demand for PFAS. ALS Ltd (CPBLF) maintained a strong cash conversion rate of 95% of underlying EBITDA, supporting its capital framework and growth journey. The company declared a final dividend of $19.7 per share, reflecting a 60% payout ratio, supported by solid performance and liquidity. The underlying EBIT margin declined to 17.2% due to dilution from recent acquisitions and cyclical pricing pressures in Minerals. Return on capital employed decreased to 18.9%, impacted by recent acquisitions. Underlying net profit after tax declined by 1.4% to $312.1 million, although it increased by 2.8% on a constant currency basis. The company's leverage ratio was at the upper end of its target range at 2.3 times, reflecting investment and integration activities. ALS Ltd (CPBLF) faces a $5 million to $10 million EBIT risk in fiscal year '26 due to changes in Mexican pharmaceutical testing regulations. Q: Are you expecting recovery from other regions in the minerals sector, and what is your outlook for 2026? A: Malcolm Deane, CEO: Recovery is coming from South America, Australia, and Central Asia. North America shows mixed results, with Eastern Canada performing better than Western Canada. The recovery is driven by majors and mid-tiers, with a slight increase in gold activities. It's too early to determine the full impact from juniors. Q: What are the drivers of the above-average growth in the Environmental sector? A: Malcolm Deane, CEO: Growth is driven by pricing discipline, market share gains due to reliable service, and enforcement of existing regulations. The Environmental business has experienced consistent margin improvement and top-line growth. Q: Can you provide more details on minerals testing volumes and trends in the fourth quarter? A: Malcolm Deane, CEO: Improved momentum began at the start of Q4, with mining activities resuming earlier than usual. Sample volumes have remained steady, allowing for inventory rebuilding and a change in pricing momentum. We raised prices by 4-5% at the beginning of the calendar year. Q: How should we think about the deployment of surplus funds from acquisitions? A: Malcolm Deane, CEO: Expect no major deployments in the next six months as we focus on completing current integrations. We are looking at opportunities in minerals, particularly in non-exploration areas, and expanding our Environmental business. These opportunities may take 12 months to realize. Q: What is the rationale behind moving the head office to Madrid? A: Malcolm Deane, CEO: The move consolidates the executive team in Europe, improving decision-making agility. Europe is a focus area with 40% of our workforce, and Madrid offers cost advantages. The move aligns with recent hires and strategic focus on European markets. For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
