Category Archives: Progress

From being started by a group of students in the spring of 2019 to going to tournaments and making it to the finals last semester, the mens club volleyball team at Montclair State University has been going strong since day one.

They exceeded their expectations when the semester started. Their roster is double the number in comparison to 2019, and their tryouts this past September were extremely successful. President of the team and senior outside hitter/right side hitter Tyler Tavernier was glad to see the expansion.

There were actually more boys that tried out this semester than last semester, we had more than 40 boys try out in comparison to last semester which was 20 boys, Tavernier said. It was amazing to see more boys being interested in joining the club.

Tyler Tavernier, president of the mens club volleyball team.Photo courtesy of Yesennia Fernandez. Photo credit: Yesennia Fernandez

Senior defensive specialist and libero Jorge Ascencio had the thought one day to start something special.

It was me and a few of my playmates who had the idea of starting the mens volleyball club, Ascencio said. We thought it was a great idea to start one because Montclair [State] didnt have one at the time.

Jorge Ascencio at the Student Recreation Center. Photo courtesy of Yesennia Fernandez Photo credit: Yesennia Fernandez

Montclair State never had an official mens volleyball team or club here on campus before, but the school does have a varsity womens volleyball team. Ascensio gave his take as to why.

I believe the reason why there was never a mens volleyball team or club here is that they wanted to make an equal opportunity for the girls here, Ascensio said. I heard there werent as many womens teams here before.

Tavernier broke down his side of the story.

We have tried numerous times to start the mens volleyball team actually, but Montclair [State] believed there were more mens [teams] than there [were] girls [teams], Tavernier said. I didnt think it was fair at all at the time, but now it seems like more mens sports teams are starting to happen here on campus which is a good start for the future.

The team started playing games in the fall of 2019, but they were minimal. Spring 2020 was their first official season but the coronavirus (COVID-19) shut it down and the club, unfortunately, couldnt get their first real season as a team. Ascensio is happy everyone stuck with them through the process.

Although it took us a year to get the club established, we never gave up on the sport and team, Ascencio said. We are all glad we didnt because we are proud of how we are today.

From the start of 2021 to today, the club has had numerous victories. During the fall semester of 2021, they were in the Stockton tournament, and after facing different universities from around the state, they made it to the finals.

They won their first-ever home game as well against the University of New Haven.

In the next semester, they defeated Stevens Institute of Technology, Princeton University and Drexel University.

With this season underway, the team has doubled the roster which allowed them to have two teams, an A team and a B team. Recruiting helped the club become more known on campus.

The club is built on dedication, determination and brotherhood. With no coach or advisor, the whole team is relying on one another when it comes to raising money for their own uniforms, and their own transportation to games and they are all doing this while being full-time students at the university.

The mens volleyball club recently had a Pie Us fundraiser to help raise money for their club, a fun way to get exposure and more attention to the team.

One of players getting pied at the Mens Volleyball Club Pie Us Fundraiser.Photo courtesy of Yesennia Fernandez Photo credit: Yesennia Fernandez

I hope our name gets out there, Tavernier said. I want to come back and see the club become an official mens volleyball team.

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Men's Club Volleyball is Revived After COVID-19 Shuttered Their Progress - The Montclarion

Russian forces have been making some progress recently in their eight-month war in Ukraine, despite being held back by recent successes of Ukrainian counteroffensives, according to the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence.

"In the last three days, pro-Russian forces have made tactical advances towards the centre of the town of Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast," the Defence Ministry said in an intelligence briefing on Friday, adding that Russia also "likely advanced" into the villages of Opytne and Ivangrad.

The ministry also said that there have been "few" settlements taken over by Russian forces or separatist forces since early July, but forces led by the private military company Wagner Group have made some local advances in the Donbas region.

The Wagner Group is likely to be "heavily" involved in the fight in the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. The group is a Russian mercenary organization that has been fighting as part of Russian paramilitary forces in Ukraine.

"Russia likely views seizing Bakhmut as a preliminary to advancing on the Kramatorsk-Sloviansk urban area which is the most significant population centre of Donetsk Oblast held by Ukraine," the intelligence report read.

Russia is also "very slowly" making progress in central Donbas, where it is executing offensive operations, but "its overall operational design is undermined by the Ukrainian pressure against its northern and southern flanks, and by severe shortages of munitions and manpower."

Russian military leaders recently ordered troops in Donetsk to stop fighting temporarily, reportedly over low morale among soldiers and desertion, Alexander tupun, the Ukrainian spokesperson of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said in an update on Wednesday.

"The main reason is the extremely low morale and psychological state of replenishment, numerous facts of desertion from the number of mobilized and non-compliance of combat orders," tupun said.

Ukrainian officials recently said that Russia failed to advance in five cities in Donetsk in one day.

"Over the past 24 hours, units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine have repelled enemy attacks in the areas of Mayorsk, New York, Zaitsev, Nevelske and Pobeda," the operational update read.

Kyle Haynes, associate professor in the Department of Political Science at Purdue University, told Newsweek on Thursday that halting the fight in Donetsk "mostly confirms what everyone already knew: that Russia's mobilization is not going smoothly and will not make a meaningful difference on the battlefield for at least the next several months."

Russian troops have been struggling with obstacles that include poor leadership and recruiting motivated troops, while Ukraine has taken back occupied territories in recent weeks. Russia's hindered progress is also partially caused by the bolstered military support to Ukraine from the West.

Ukrainian authorities said that it took back thousands of square miles of territory in September and continue to make progress in October.

Newsweek reached out to the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry for comment.

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Intelligence Report Reveals Where Russia is Making Progress Amid Failures - Newsweek

For many, America is often seen as a journey of perfection, the ship of state buoyed by American Exceptionalism ingrained into most of us before our teens.

I see things a little bit differently. For me, its a journey of progress as we work toward the promise of, not a perfect union, but a more perfect union.

See, we are far from faultless. From raising wages and improving infrastructure to combating climate change and protecting voting rights, we have our work cut out for us as a nation and as a people.

But we also have much to be thankful for. After all, this isnt my grandparents America anymore. With few exceptions, their struggles are past and the future is ours to write.

Of course, as with any journey, we come to crossroads along the way, where we must choose between left or right and sometimes, forward or backward i.e., progress or regress. This is one of those moments. Will we choose to go forward or backward? Will we choose us or them?

Now, typically I dont like putting any decision in such terms. Its conceited, reductive, dogmatic and divisive. Unfortunately, right now, its also accurate and as much as I dont like it, it doesnt do any good to ignore this choice. So, lets try to understand it.

On the one hand, theres us, with a record of indisputable accomplishment, with one of the slimmest majorities in our nations history, including:

Got it? Good. Now lets look at them because, in addition to opposing every step forward that we Democrats have made since President Biden took office, members of the GOP have:

Of course, if that werent enough, just look at Florida Sens. Rick Scott and Marco Rubio, who, along with some GOP colleagues in the House, voted against disaster relief for their fellow Floridians devastated by the deadliest hurricane to hit America since Kartina. Thats a very them thing to do.

You see, thats what hangs in the balance in the 2022 midterms. Its not a choice between left or right. Its about going forward or turning back. Its about choosing to give in to the worst impulses of our nature or believing in the best.

Thats why, for many of us, this election isnt just an opportunity for community engagement and participation; its an obligation. Some people want to win elections. We cant afford to lose. The stakes are too high to have it any other way.

Antjuan Seawright is a Democratic political strategist, founder and CEO of Blueprint Strategy LLC, a CBS News political contributor, and a senior visiting fellow at Third Way. Follow him on Twitter @antjuansea.

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Progress or regress? The midterm elections are about this choice - The Hill

Earlier this year, LinkedIn co-founder and venture capitalist Reid Hoffman issued a warning mixed with amazement about AI. "There is literally magic happening," said Hoffman, speaking to technology executives across sectors of the economy.

Some of that magic is becoming more apparent in creative spaces, like the visual arts, and the idea of "generative technology" has captured the attention of Silicon Valley. AI has even recently won awards at art exhibitions.

But Hoffman's message was squarely aimed at executives.

"AI will transform all industries," Hoffman told the members of the CNBC Technology Executive Council. "So everyone has to be thinking about it, not just in data science."

The rapid advances being made by Copilot AI, the automated code writing tool from the GitHub open source subsidiary of Microsoft, were an example Hoffman, who is on the Microsoft board, directly cited as a signal that all firms better be prepared for AI in their world. Even if not making big investments today in AI, business leaders must understand the pace of improvement in artificial intelligence and the applications that are coming or they will be "sacrificing the future," he said.

"100,000 developers took 35% of the coding suggestions from Copilot," Hoffman said. "That's a 35% increase in productivity, and off last year's model. ... Across everything we are doing, we will have amplifying tools, it will get there over the next three to 10 years, a baseline for everything we are doing," he added.

Copilot has already added another 5% to the 35% cited by Hoffman. GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke recently told us that Copilot is now handling up to 40% of coding among programmers using the AI in the beta testing period over the past year. Put another way, for every 100 lines of code, 40 are being written by the AI, with total project time cut by up to 55%.

Copilot, trained on massive amounts of open source code, monitors the code being written by a developer and works as an assistant, taking the input from the developer and making suggestions about the next line of code, often multi-line coding suggestions, often "boilerplate" code that is needed but is a waste of time for a human to recreate. We all have some experience with this form of AI now, in places like our email, with both Microsoft and Google mail programs suggesting the next few words we might want to type.

AI can be logical about what may come next in a string of text. But Dohmke said, "It can't do more, it can't capture the meaning of what you want to say."

Whether a company is a supermarket working on checkout technology or a banking company working on customer experience in an app, they are all effectively becoming software companies, all building software, and once a C-suite has developers it needs to be looking at developer productivity and how to continuously improve it.

That's where the 40 lines of code come in. "After a year of Copilot, about 40% of code was written by the AI where Copilot was enabled," Dohmke said. "And if you show that number to executives, it's mind-blowing to them. ... doing the math on how much they are spending on developers."

With the projects being completed in less than half the time, a logical conclusion is that there will be less work to do for humans. But Dohmke says another way of looking at the software developer job is that they do many more high-value tasks than just rewrite code that already exists in the world. "The definition of 'higher value' work is to take away the boiler-plate menial work writing things already done over and over again," he said.

The goal of Copilot is to help developers "stay in the flow" when they are on the task of coding. That's because some of the time spent writing code is really spent looking for existing code to plug in from browsers, "snippets from someone else," Dohmke said. And that can lead coders to get distracted. "Eventually they are back in editor mode and copy and paste a solution, but have to remember what they were working on," he said. "It's like a surfer on a wave in the water and they need to find the next wave. Copilot is keeping them in the editing environment, in the creative environment and suggesting ideas," Dohmke said. "And if the idea doesn't work, you can reject it, or find the closest one and can always edit," he added.

The GitHub CEO expects more of those Copilot code suggestions to be taken in the next five years, up to 80%. Unlike a lot going on in the computer field, Dohmke said of that forecast, "It's not an exact science ... but we think it will tremendously grow."

After being in the market for a year, he said new models are getting better fast. As developers reject some code suggestions from Copilot, the AI learns. And as more developers adopt Copilot it gets smarter by interacting with developers similar to a new coworker, learning from what is accepted or rejected. New models of the AI don't come out every day, but every time a new model is available, "we might have a leap," he said.

But the AI is still far short of replacing humans. "Copilot today can't do 100% of the task," Dohmke said. "It's not sentient. It can't create itself without user input."

With Copilot still in private beta testing among individual developers 400,000 developer signed up to use the AI in the first months it was available and hundreds of thousands of more developers since GitHub has not announced any enterprise clients, but it expects to begin naming business customers before the end of the year. There is no enterprise pricing information being disclosed yet, but in the beta test Copilot pricing has been set at a flat rate per developer $10 per individual per month or $100 annually, often expensed by developers on company cards. "And you can imagine what they earn per month so it's a marginal cost," Dohmke said. "If you look at the 40% and think of the productivity improvement, and take 40% of opex spend on developers, the $10 is not a relevant cost. ... I have 1,000 developers and it's way more money than 1000 x 10," he said.

The GitHub CEO sees what is taking place now with AI as the next logical phase of the productivity advances in a coding world he has been a part of since the late 1980s. That was a time when coding was emerging out of the punch card phase, and there was no internet, and coders like Dohmke had to buy books and magazines, and join computer clubs to gain information. "I had to wait to meet someone to ask questions," he recalled.

That was the first phase of developer productivity, and then came the internet, and now open source, allowing developers to find other developers on the internet who had already "developed the wheel," he said.

Now, whether the coding task is related to payment processing or a social media login, most companies whether startups or established enterprises put in open source code. "There is a huge dependency tree of open source that already exists," Dohmke said.

It's not uncommon for up to 90% of code on mobile phone apps to be pulled from the internet and open source platforms like GitHub. In a coding era of "whatever else is already available," that's not what will differentiate a developer or app.

"AI is just the third wave of this," Dohmke said. "From punch cards to building everything ourselves to open source, to now withina lot of code, AI writing more," he said. "With 40%, soon enough if AI spreads across industries, the innovation on the phone will be created with the help of AI and the developer."

Today, and into the foreseeable future, Copilot remains a technology that is trained on code, and is making proposals based on looking things up in a library of code. It is not inventing any new algorithms, but at the current pace of progress, eventually, "it is entirely possible that with help of a developer it will create new ideas of source code,," Dohmke said.

But even that still requires a human touch. "Copilot is getting closer, but it will always need developers to create innovation," he said.

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Microsoft's GitHub Copilot AI is making rapid progress. Here's how its human leader thinks about it - CNBC

It was a cause for celebration Thursday night in Wilmerding.

The significant progress being made in the adaptive reuse of the Westinghouse Air Brake Co. (WABCO) general offices inside the majestic Castle was enough to inspire a big reveal.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony heralded a moment those behind the project have long been looking forward to.

The public was invited to tour the first two floors of the stately Romanesque/Renaissance Revival building that the Turtle Creek Valley Arts and Westinghouse Arts Academy will soon be using. Turtle Creek Valley Arts is subletting most of the property to the Westinghouse Arts Academy, but is retaining use of the building during non-school hours.

Much needed headway has been made in the restoration effort, a need that was obvious to anyone who attended the ceremony just under a year ago to celebrate the beginning of the Castles refurbishing. There were ceilings and walls down, and only a major effort to secure the building prevented rain from pouring in.

A lot has changed since last November floors have been cleaned and new carpeting laid new lights and ceilings are also in place.

The ground floor has become a cafeteria and classrooms, and there are plans for a small art gallery.

One floor above, disrepair has given way to dance studios. There are also areas for digital arts and esports, and classrooms where ceramics, culinary arts and other skills will be taught.

Its almost miraculous what has happened in the last year, said Bill Pricener, president of the Westinghouse Arts Academy board of trustees. Even when I went downstairs into the cafeteria just a few minutes ago, the last time I was here three months ago it was like a war zone. It is miraculous what theyve done to transform this place.

Developer Joe Lawrence, who has led the project to preserve and repurpose the Castle, said there was more work to do than was expected.

It was very emotional and heartwarming for me to see so many people here from the community, so many people enthusiastic about the building and its history, telling me stories of people who used to work here, Lawrence said.

One of the former Westinghouse employees taking advantage of the opportunity to tour the place where she worked for many years was Elaine Henigan, who was employed by the company from 1966 to 1981. She was the first woman to work in the companys foundry and said it was good to see the Castle coming back to life after years of neglect and deterioration.

Im delighted. I guess I always felt bad that the air brake company abandoned this building some years ago, Henigan said. I thought it was really sad. I know the history of George Westinghouse, and it just broke my heart that this castle, which used to be his home, was going to fall apart.

That is no longer a concern as plans call for restoration work to expand to all four floors over the next few years.

Oh my god, this building is not just important to this community, but its important to the world as a whole, said Richard Fosbrink, Westinghouse Arts Academy CEO. Important historical events happened here so this is a structure that could not be replaced if it had been allowed to fall apart. So, it being saved is a huge event for us.

Fosbrink told a gathering of at least a couple hundred people that the structure has stood here through good times and bad times, just like this community. To me it is a testament to the resilience of the community as a whole that we are reopening this building.

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Ribbon cutting reveals progress in adaptive reuse of Westinghouse Castle - TribLIVE

BOSTON - His family says it is nothing short of a miracle that Massachusetts corrections officer Matthew Tidman is now out of a coma and making steady progress. "He has gotten to the point of full-on conversations, he's walking around, getting his strength back and his memory recall is excellent," said his older brother Nick Tidman.

The memory of a near death on August 31 when an inmate at MCI-Shirley came from behind and beat Tidman in the head with a metal pole from a piece of exercise equipment as he oversaw prisoners in the weight room.

"He has this will and drive within him and he knows how to get things done, push himself to the limit and he's currently doing it," said his brother.

Nick Tidman says these have been stressful weeks for the family, not knowing if his brother on life support would pull through. There's also anger that an inmate serving time for murder out of Virginia, with a lengthy disciplinary record, had been transferred to the facility in the first place.

"It is anger absolutely at this point. Why was he there and why was he allowed to be in that location in the facility," he said.

The case has now prompted the Department of Corrections to remove all free weights from medium and maximum security prisons and modify other equipment to prevent them from being used as weapons.

Corrections officers are also looking to state lawmakers to establish better protections for them. "It's unfortunate over the years we've seen so many reforms in favor of inmates, this is what we're left to deal with," said Kevin Flanagan with the Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union.

His brother says Matthew Tidman, on the job for nearly 10 years, was passionate about his work and even wants to return. But for now, he's making progress.

"He's gone from baby steps to leaps and bounds. He's been transferred to a rehabilitation facility and is making insane progress," Nick Tidman said.

The inmate, Ray Booth, has been indicted in the case and faces several charges including intent to murder.

Emmy award-winning Beth Germano is a general assignment reporter for WBZ-TV News. Born and raised in Massachusetts, Germano has been a New England-based reporter for more than 15 years. She joined WBZ-TV as a freelance reporter in 1996 after reporting for several local television stations including WCVB-TV, New England Cable News, Monitor Cable Channel, WLVI-TV, and WGBH-TV.

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Corrections officer attacked by inmate is making progress in recovery - CBS Boston

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JASPER Aug. 30 and Sept. 1 were a pair of early-season barometers for Jasper volleyball.

The Wildcats (21-12) hosted Castle, followed by Evansville North two days later on the Jasper hardwood.

The Wildcats dropped both of these matches, 3-1 and 3-2, respectively.

In Sectional 16, the Cats are amidst their revenge tour on the same court.

On Thursday, the Cats fell behind 1-0 to North in the opener and didn't flinch. They rallied off three successive set wins.

They did it convincingly the Huskies didn't eclipse 20 points after the opener.

"I think this group has had exponential growth from the beginning of the year until now, skill-wise and on the mental side," said fourth-year coach Jennifer Hopf.

The Wildcats continued the surge in form with a pair of 25-12 wins and 25-19 against Evansville Harrison in the first of their two matches to decide the championship on Saturday.

"A lot of what we've been focusing on later on in the season, the postseason, is our mental toughness," Hopf said. "Making sure that we can stay at the same level of play that we would like to, that we can stay or are capable of staying at."

With Castle knocking off Evansville Reitz 3-1, the stars have aligned for a renewal of the Cats-Castle rivalry with hardware up for grabs at 7 p.m.

"Castle's a very beatable team," Hopf said. "I think for us, our skill level is there, 100%. I do not doubt that. I think for us it will be more of the mental side for preparing to stay up here the entire time and knowing that we are going to make mistakes, but then bouncing back from that."

In the previous title bout, the Knights swept the Cats.

Jasper has won 38 titles, including six straight to move up to Class 4A in 2017. The Cats have been knocking on the door in the early stages of competing in the largest class.

The Knights have ousted the Cats from the postseason at this stage in four of the past five postseasons.

The Knights have been a fixture getting out of this bracket. Since 1993, they've dropped one sectional match against Reitz in 2020.

Castle holds the state record across all classes for consecutive sectional plaques with 26 and has earned 27 of the past 28.

The Cats haven't let off the gas from the program's recent emergence. Not this year, despite returning just three varsity full-timers from the runner-up squad.

Junior Paige Giesler, senior Bailey Lents and junior Ava Englert logged a lot of time on the court, while sophomore Carlee Rogers played limited sets last year.

As Jasper seeks its inaugural 4A crown, Hopf said avoiding five-point lulls is paramount.

"I have all the confidence in our team that today is our day," Hopf said. "We can do that."

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Cats progress to revenge championship tilt with "nemesis" Castle - The Herald

The cement-concrete-construction value chain has seen positive momentum on lowering emissions

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Marking the first time what has been referred to as a "hard to abate emissions sector" has come together to call for a unified approach toward decarbonization, the Portland Cement Association's (PCA) Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality celebrates one year of progress.

With the demand for infrastructure never greater, it's vital for the built environment to advance in a fashion that is sustainable and climate adapted. This need spotlights the importance of the progress PCA representing America's cement manufacturers -- has made on its efforts to reduce emissions.The U.S. cement industry's ambitious plan incorporates the entire cement-concrete-construction value chain, vital for producing lasting change.

"I'm proud that our industry is taking this on," said Mike Ireland, President and CEO of PCA. "Together we've made progress on a bold yet achievable pathway to carbon neutrality. We are creating a win-win scenario to meet demand for durable infrastructure that also has a low carbon footprint, which will result in a more sustainable and resilient world for the next generation."

Notable achievements in the past year across the value chain include:

"Through this Roadmap, we are creating a built environment that is durable and also sustainable," said Ron Henley, President, GCC of America and Chairman of PCA. "We are demonstrating that the cement and concrete industry can address climate change, reduce greenhouse gases, and eliminate barriers that are restricting environmental progress."

The industry is pushing innovation and calling on stakeholders for more collaboration. As legislators and regulators have a role to play in the Roadmap, PCA is working with Congress and federal agencies to maximize the benefits of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, both of which provide significant funding for the clean technologies the cement industry requires to reduce emissions.

PCA is also advocating for the modernization of existing legislation such as the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act to accelerate cement and concrete's path to carbon neutrality, and ensure concrete made with cement remains the sustainable building material of choice.

"Everything we do is thanks to concrete all of our schools, roads, airports and hospitals have their foundations in concrete," said Filiberto Ruiz, President and CEO, Votorantim Cimentos North America and Vice Chairman of PCA. "If consumers demand low-carbon cement and concrete, we can accelerate research and production."

PCA's comprehensive approach will allow for the industry to continue aligning with private partners, government, industry and technology leaders on solutions, regulations and policy changes, empowering the industry and others to realize this shared societal mission.

View the cement industry's full Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality here.

For more information on cement and concrete click here, and to explore the Shaped by Concrete campaign, visit http://www.shapedbyconcrete.com.

The Portland Cement Association (PCA), founded in 1916, is the premier policy, research, education, and market intelligence organization serving America's cement manufacturers. PCA members represent the majority of U.S. cement production capacity, having facilities across the country. The association promotes safety, sustainability, and innovation in all aspects of construction, fosters continuous improvement in cement manufacturing and distribution, promoting economic growth and sound infrastructure investment. For more information, visit http://www.cement.org.

Media Contact: Remi Braden,[emailprotected], 202-235-4163

SOURCE Portland Cement Association

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PORTLAND CEMENT ASSOCIATION MARKS ONE YEAR OF PROGRESS ON ROADMAP TO CARBON NEUTRALITY - PR Newswire

MENASource

October 13, 2022 8:28 am ET

ByShahira Amin

Organizers are racing against time to finalize preparations for the 2022 United NationsFramework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), better known as COP27, which convenes in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el Sheikh from November 6 to 18. More than 35,000 participants and leaders have registered for the eventthe worlds largest annual gathering on climate action.

But skeptics are questioning Egypts leadership of the climate talks, citing human rights concerns and unideal environmental policies. Others are doubtful about the choice of Sharm el Sheikh as the host city. They argue that the holiday resort may not be the most suitable venue for a global conference of this magnitude and scale, given the logistical, organizational, and managerial challenges of hosting such a gathering.

Nevertheless, the opportunity to host COP27 has incentivized Cairo to take steps forward in regard to climate adaptation and human rights, even if a lot more needs to be done to show that authorities are serious about political and environmental reforms. Meanwhile, continued financial and moral support from the United States and other development partnersand further scrutiny of human rights violations committedwould ensure theres no backtracking on the countrys progress in the past year.

Egypt as a host

In anticipation of the convention, Sharm el Sheikh has gotten a facelift: hotels have undergone renovation; a new bridge (for easy access to the conference center) and solar power stations have been constructed; and even electric car charging points are being installed to cater to the new fleet of nearly three hundred gas and electric buses, which will ferry guests to and from the conference center through tree-lined streets.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, who is also President Designate of COP27, hopes the discussions will yield (tangible) results that meet peoples aspirations. In his opening remarks at the Arab Regional Forum to Finance Climate Action hosted by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for West Asia (ESCWA) in Beirut in mid-September, Shoukry urged COP27 delegates to turn pledges into partnerships that create real success stories in tackling climate change.

Egypts leadership is looking to the rich, industrialized countries mainly responsible for climate change to foot the bill for anticipated climate disasters that will wreak havoc in developing countries. Securing finance for developing countries climate adaptation efforts would allow Egypt to position itself as Africas leaderon climate actiona vote of confidence Cairo badly needs as the populous North African country grapples with high inflation, a growing budget deficit, and a shortage in foreign currency reserves that some analysts warn may spark a new uprising.

But COP27 has been shrouded in controversy among environmental campaigners and rights groups. For one, Egypt started off on the wrong footing by choosing Coca-Colaone of the worlds leading plastic polluters, according to Break Free From Plasticto sponsor the climate summit. The decision raised eyebrows among activists and commentators, who called it a greenwashing exercise.

The selection of Egypt as host has put the country under renewed international scrutiny, drawing attention to its environmental policies that some critics lament are not a model to showcase.

Egypts heavy reliance on hydrocarbon-based fossil fuels continues to be a bone of contention with climate activists, who accuse the country of dragging its feet on reducing its carbon emissions. Egypts first Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC)a voluntary plan definingthe countrys commitment to lower its emissionswas submitted in 2020more thana year after Egypt ratified the Paris Climate Agreementand has been slammed by some activists and commentators as too general and void of clear plans to reduce its greenhouse gasemissions (an updated NDC with significant improvements was submitted in July, showing commitment by Egypt to cut its emissions by 33 percent by 2030).

The government has also come under fire for its systematic destruction of green spaces; particularly, the cutting of trees in some of Cairos public parks to make room for parking spots and cafeterias in the name of development.This has occurred despite protests by activists on social media and warnings by environmentalists that, even in best case scenarios, rising sea levels will inundate parts of Alexandria, Port Said, and Nile Delta areas closest to the Mediterranean, potentially displacing millions of people and causing severe water shortages and massive food security challenges.

Human rights at COP

Critics also accuse the Egyptian government of a lack of transparency and of keeping citizens in the dark about the inevitable consequences of climate change. Environmental activists have been among those targeted in the ongoing security crackdown on dissent since 2014. Ahmed Amasha, an environmental rights defender, was arrested in 2017 and reportedly raped and electrocuted while in prison. He was released in 2019 only to be re-arrested the following year and continues to languish behind bars.

Meanwhile, independent civil society organizations critical of the government complain that they have been shut out of the COP27 summit, owing to what they describe as a selective registration process that filtered them out to ensure that only pro-government non-governmental organizations could apply. The move is meant to curb protests, including peaceful demonstrations, traditionally staged at previous climate summits. Authorities have said that they would only allow pre-registered protests to take place and that they would be confined to a designated protest area.

Not surprisingly, Egypts dismal human rights record and the leaderships iron-fist rule is the biggest concernfor those opposing Egypts hosting of the climate talks. Rights groups argue that the imprisonment of tens of thousands of political prisoners, enforced disappearances, and torture in prisons, as well as the dwindling space for freedom of expression and freedom of speech, do not make for a conducive atmosphere in which to hold the summit. Amid theunprecedentedcrackdown on human rights and civil society, the Working Group on Egypt, a bipartisan group of foreign affairs experts and other rights organizations, have urged the Joe Biden administration not tolend its support to the COP27 hosts so as not to whitewash the regimes repressive policies.

To the dismay of the rights groups, Biden has turned a deaf ear to the calls. The American president is among ninety heads of state that have confirmed their attendance. John Kerry, the USSpecial Presidential Envoy on Climate, who has visited Egypt twice this year, has been coordinating with the president designate of COP27 to iron out last-minute details of an agreementto be announced during the conferenceto support Egypts National Nexus of Water, Food and Energy (NWFE), an initiative launched in September to promote green projects and climate-friendly schemes.

While the planned deal may come as a disappointment to the activists who had hoped Biden would live up to his election promise of No more blank checks for Egypts dictator, the Biden administration has not entirely turned a blind eye to the Egyptian regimes rights abuses. In mid-September, the United States announced it would withhold $130 million in military aid to Egypt over its failure to fulfill improved human rights conditions. A remaining $270 million was allowed to go through owing to what US Secretary of State Antony Blinken described as progress made by Cairo on political detainees.

Indeed, theres been a noticeable easing of the security crackdown in recent months, with hundreds of political prisoners released ahead of COP27. The releases were overseen by a presidential pardon committee, reactivated in April on directives from President Sisi. While rights activists dismiss the move as merely cosmetic and say that the number of those released is but a drop in the ocean compared to the tens of thousands languishing behind bars, it is still a welcome step in the right direction. It also shows that Bidens carrot-and-stick approach vis-a-vis its Middle Eastern ally may be bearing fruit.

Progress being made

Egypt has also made progress towards mitigating and adapting to climate change by constructing desalination plants and flood prevention infrastructure and increasing solar and wind energy capacity. It is also the first country in the Middle East and North Africa to issue green bonds to finance green projects.While Egypt has yet to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, it has made marked progress in diversifying its energy sources; the construction of wind and solar farms in strategic locations across Egypt is catalyzing the countrys transition to clean energy. Furthermore, there are plans to increase renewable power capacity by 68 percent or 4 GW in the next five years and to 13.7 GW by 2030.

To achieve its ambitious goal, Egypt has signed several agreements with international development partners, including a Mediterranean Hydrogen Partnership launched with the European Union in April to promote investments in renewable energy generation. The new partnership also focuses on the strengthening and extension of electricity grids, including trans-Mediterranean interconnectors and the production of renewables and low-carbon hydrogen.

While the Biden administrations approachusing a combination of reward and punishmentappears to be working, Cairo needs to keep the momentum going and show that it is actually committed to continuing the progress made so far. To do this, it needs to speed up its green transition, taking steady and concrete steps to lower its emissions and shift towards renewables; thus, fulfilling the pledges spelt out in its updated NDC and National Climate Strategy. Moreover, Cairo needs to free all political detainees, many of whom are imprisoned for nothing more than exercising their right to free speech and free expression. By doing so, it can expect to reap the rewards of its serious efforts: greater support from the international community and prosperity and stability for Egypt and all Egyptians.

Shahira Aminis a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Councils Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative and an independent journalist based in Cairo. A former contributor to CNNs Inside Africa, Amin has been covering the development in post-revolution Egypt for several outlets including Index on Censorship and Al-Monitor. Follow her on Twitter@sherryamin13.

Image: A worker cleans solar cells on a rooftop of a hotel in the resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh, the first to operate a solar-powered plant in a bid to turn to clean energy as the city prepares to host the upcoming COP27 summit in November, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, June 4, 2022. Picture taken June 4, 2022. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

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Egypt has made some progress on human rights and the environment in preparation for COP27. But there's still more to be done. - Atlantic Council

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. The early progress reporting period during fall 2022 saw record high University Park and World Campus instructor participation and continued strong participation among Commonwealth Campuses.

As the Starfish mid-semester progress reporting period continues through Wednesday, Oct. 12, here is a look at some of the numbers from the fall 2022 early progress reporting period, Sept. 6-14.

Commonwealth Campus instructors continued their strong participation numbers with a 64% completion rate, though this rate was lower than in fall 2021. Instructors at World Campus had an all-time high 54% completion rate.

Michael Doncheski, chief academic officer at Penn State Mont Alto, said Starfish progress reports are part of the campus multipronged approach to proactive outreach. During his 26 years at the campus, Mont Alto has always encouraged instructors to check in with students during the first weeks of classes. He said the campus now works to promote Starfish progress reporting and cultivate a culture of commitment to follow up on tracking items.

We recognize that while students should reach out for help when needed, not all of them do, Doncheski said. We are always looking for indications that students need help so that we can be proactive in reaching out. The EPR (early progress reports) and MPR (mid-semester progress reports) are excellent tools for us: completed at critical times when outreach can make a huge difference, completed by the folks most likely to be aware of students facing challenges, and dealt with by all of us.

The University Park campus showed a 25% completion rate, a record high and well above the 18% completion rate in 2019. The early progress reporting period saw a total of 20,012 flags and 115,356 kudos raised University-wide for a total of 135,368 tracking items. Across all of Penn State, there was a 43% completion rate.

Unlike contacting a student or even their adviser through email or Canvas, raising a flag in Starfish helps to activate a broad network of services, known as the Starfish Success Network. Instructors can raise flags if they believe a student is not being successful in a course or has another barrier, such as access to technology or transportation. A kudo is another option for instructors and can be used to let students know that they are seen and that they are on the right track in a given course.

Laura Sapelly, instructor of history and womens, gender and sexuality studies at Penn State World Campus, said she uses Starfish to connect students with their advisers if she believes they are struggling in her courses.

I find this holds me, the student and the adviser accountable, Sapelly said. We can gather all of the facts and if necessary, have a discussion to see what the best choice a student should take regarding the course.

She said that often, after a Starfish communication, the student will have a heart-to-heart with their adviser and come to a decision about what to do regarding the course. That could mean more time given for an assignment, or the realization the student has taken on too much or is struggling with a personal issue.

I also make clear in these communications that I want the best for them, and I do not want them to fail! Sapelly said. It doesn't always work, but I would say eight times out of 10 students do respond positively, even if they have to drop the course. They understand that their instructor and adviser care about them. It makes a difference.

Even though just two of the seven tracking items on Starfish progress reports are kudos, they account for 85% of all tracked items. Kudos can reinforce to students that they belong at Penn State and that their efforts havent gone unnoticed.

David Smith, associate dean for advising and executive director of the Division of Undergraduate Studies, said, Wed like to think that good grades alone would convince students that they belong here. At the same time, we know that students with the same grades in the same class can have very different outcomes in terms of degree completion. Kudos are a way to let students know that someone is aware of them as an individual and cares enough to notice the value theyre already bringing to the classroom.

Although instructors may not think much about the downstream impact of raising kudos for students who are already doing well, academic advisers see firsthand how important this simple intervention can be, said Janet Schulenberg, senior director for curriculum and technology in the Division of Undergraduate Studies.

A first-generation advisee of mine was feeling like they didn't belong here, especially in a STEM area, Schulenberg said. Receiving unsolicited positive feedback from their biology instructor helped the student commit more fully to pursuing a college degree and a science-focused major.

The Division of Undergraduate Studies is part of Penn State Undergraduate Education.

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Starfish early progress reports by the numbers - Pennsylvania State University