Updated as of 5:37 p.m. on April 9 to include video of the event.

Elon Universitys Truitt Center celebrated the end of winter and the warmth of spring with the Holi Festival of Colors at Speakers Corner on April 5. Holi represents hope and new beginnings in the Hindu culture. The spring festival includes colored powder or gulal or colored water.

Holi aims to commemorate connection and companionship, as well as bring the community together to acknowledge diverse cultures. The festival also teaches students about India, Hinduism, and traditional stories reflected in the celebration.

University Chaplain and Dean of Multifaith Engagement Kirstin Boswell encourages students to participate in these events, which offer opportunities to learn about diverse cultures. She said the Holi festival educates students about minoritized religions on campus.

We want to represent the diversity that we see within our community, but within the wider world, Boswell said. Then make sure that a full spectrum of diversity is represented because if we only went with celebrating the religious festivals, holidays, and traditions that are most represented on campus, we would be missing a big swath of religious traditions that are minoritized.

Elon students throw powdered paint into the air in front of the Moseley Center on Young Commons to celebrate Holi on April 5.

Boswell said she wants to connect students with the spiritual and ethical practices of other cultures. She said the Truitt Center provides educational opportunities and religious guidance to support students identities.

It's from a perspective of not standing on the outside peering into someone else's religion or tradition in a way that is negative or voyeuristic, Boswell said. But to engender a true appreciation of the identities that we see in the world around us.

Boswell also said the Holi festival symbolizes the reblooming of beautiful colors as an act of love and community, which allows students to understand the significance and perspective of Hindu culture.

We need to have a healthy respect for people regardless of their tradition, regardless of all the various identity markers that they hold within them, Boswell said. Looking outside of just yourself, but how it is that you're treating and embracing others who are different from yourself?

Hillary Zaken is the interim assistant dean of multifaith engagement and said the Holi festival is a great way to have fun and distress from school. The Holi colors include red, yellow, pink, purple, orange, and blue.

Elon University students celebrate Holi, the Hindu Festival of Colors, on April 5. More than 100 Elon students and community members celebrated on Young Commons.

It has a religious and spiritual significance, but it's also a wonderful way to bring the community together, Zaken said. To welcome spring in what I think is one of the most beautiful moments when everyone throws the paint in the air after the countdown and the sky is full of color. I love it.

Zaken collaborated with students to organize the Holi festival including their multifaith interns and Surtal Bollywood Dance Group. She said the multifaith interns are practitioners who help share diverse perspectives and experiences of religions.

Juniors Morgan Williams and Madison Williams are twins who participated in the Holi festival. As multifaith interns, they had an opportunity to research Hindu culture and learn the significance of light over darkness or good over evil.

The planning and celebration has taught me a lot about learning about other people as far as their different values and traditions, Morgan said. But I also realized that a lot of the values are holy with the different colors and what they represent. I can identify with that even though I'm not Hindu.

Morgan said as a multifaith intern, she became a global citizen and learned about humility for other cultures. She said the festival brings awareness to different regions around the world.

More than 100 students, faculty and staff came to Elon Universitys celebration of Holi, also known as the Festival of Colors, on April 5 held at Speakers Corner.

Madison said this was her first time participating in the festival so she promoted the event to her peers. She said she hopes that students use this opportunity to educate themselves about Hindu culture.

I hope people understand that this is more than just throwing paint and that they're encouraged to look at the meanings of what each color means, Madison said.

Surtal opened the festival with a lively performance of traditional Indian dances, such as

Bollywood and Kathak. Junior Rece Raju, vice president of Surtal, said this was a great opportunity to share her culture with the community.

Growing up, I didn't celebrate any Indian holidays, Raju said. When I got to Elon and got to be a part of Diwali and Holi, it was a whole other thing for me because I wasn't really in tune with that part of my culture. And so that's why it's so special to me because I get to be a part of something that I didn't even realize was missing.

Raju said the Holi festival is an important holiday open to everyone as a great way to immerse themselves in a different culture.

I hope people get out of this event how special Hinduism is, how special the holidays are, and how many people it brings together from all different cultures and religions, Raju said. We welcome everyone.

Freshman Pearson Dyslin said she enjoyed throwing the colors, watching the dance, and taking photos at the festival. This sparked her interest in exploring Hinduism and participating in future events.

I thought that was a fun experience different from what I would normally be doing, Dyslin said. It's really fun to have colors everywhere. And maybe I'll save my shirt.

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Holi celebration educates students about Hindu culture, spreads awareness for diverse religions - Elon News Network

The Angry Hanuman design on a sticker on an autorickshaw in Mumbai (photo via Wikimedia Commons)

In the weeks leading up to the inauguration of the Ram Mandir (temple of Ram) in Ayodhya on January 22, saffron flags dotted streets, marketplaces, and private balconies across the north Indian city. They were attached to bikes, cars, and auto-rickshaws, and forcibly hoisted onto a church by a group of men chanting Hindu nationalist slogans. Featuring an image of the Hindu god Ram standing with a bow and arrow in front of the outline of the temple, the bright-orange flags, a color associated with the Hindutva movement, are a sign of celebration the deitys so-called return to his birthplace. The temple was built on contested land where the 16th-century Babri mosque once stood, before being demolished by a Hindu nationalist mob in 1992. The Ram Mandirs inauguration marked a victory for Hindu nationalists and for the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, spearheaded by right-wing politicians in the late 80s, to reclaim Rams birthplace.

When the Ram Janmabhoomi movement picked up, there was this idea that Hindus are victims of historical invaders, and so they needed to have more aggressive, more muscular figures to represent Hinduism, Indian designer and graphic artist Orijit Sen told Hyperallergic. Lord Ram, the hero of the Hindu epic Ramayana, was transformed from a serenely smiling god into a warrior wielding a bow and arrow and sporting a six-pack. Other Hindu gods have also changed in appearance, from the battle-ready Hanuman to the impossibly muscular Shiva. The qualities associated with them have morphed as well, from softer virtues of devotion and humility to a fiery morality. While the idol inside the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya is of an innocent five-year-old Ram who has returned home, the images on the flags, posters, and banners across the country portray him as a fearsome warrior.

Gone are the curved, graceful figures the Hindu iconography of the 21st century, often in digitally rendered images, conveys a hypermasculine, aggressive new Hinduism to galvanize people into action. And it has become a chilling extension, and tool, of the Hindu right in India.

From the 6th-century rock-cutting in the Ellora caves to the miniature paintings from the 19th century, Hindu gods were portrayed as graceful, rounded, serene figures in art and sculpture. Historian and writer Anirudh Kanisetti explained that during the medieval period, artists often cast them as idealized royals to give kings more authority as lieutenants or partners of the gods. They had lithe bodies, heavily bejeweled and wearing the latest fashions. These renderings also reflected distinct cultural understandings of sex, masculinity, and gender, as in the Bhakti poetry praising the beauty and sensuality of the gods. They are depicted as strong and powerful, Kanisetti told Hyperallergic, but always in a way thats effortless. As though their power emerges from their divinity, rather than from going to the gym.

Raja Ravi Varma, one of Indias first modern artists, incorporated Western realism into his paintings of the gods in the 1890s. Using human models to illustrate deities, his works were mass-produced, and public spaces were soon filled with calendar art of humanistic gods from the Ramayana and Mahabharata epics. Religious iconography continued to evolve over the next century within pop culture and Hindu gods were depicted in media from Amar Chithra Katha comics and to the popular 1987 Ramayan TV show.

This evolution can be clearly traced through depictions of Hanuman, a monkey deity. Traditionally portrayed in Pahari paintings from the 17th to 19th centuries as a full-fledged monkey, Hanumans only human elements were a crown and a dhoti (long loincloth). He is devoted to Ram and portrayed as docile and playful, usually shown sitting at the feet of Ram and Sita, his wife.

But the version of Hanuman that is now ubiquitous across India is starkly different. The image dubbed Angry Hanuman shows a dramatically shadowed, frowning face in saffron and black. Created by 25-year-old graphic designer Karan Acharya in 2015, this scowling sketch of Hanuman went viral within a year. It can be found on the windshields of cars and trucks, flags, t-shirts, watches, and even WhatsApp display photos.

The Angry Hanuman seems to signify a muscular, aggressive Hindutva, said Kanisetti. One of the founding myths of Hindutva is that all Hindus were humiliated by Muslim invaders, and that this was because Hinduism wasnt sufficiently aggressive.

Even before the meteoric rise of the Hindu nationalist movement in 2014 following the election of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the move toward a more contemporary version of Hinduism was already underway. The success of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKON), also known as the Hare Krishna movement, the Art of Living organization, and figures such as Sadhguru shows that younger generations were open to more modern portrayals of their religion. Images of a muscular Shiva smoking weed became an icon of a new, chill version of Hinduism, showing up on posters in cafes, on t-shirts, and as a common tattoo choice. Theres this image of Indian nationhood thats being created, Kanisetti said. One that is simultaneously traditional, based on an imagined idea of a single Hindu tradition, and one that is contemporary, based on a recent aesthetic of coolness, and it taps into 21st-century anxieties about masculinity and inferiority compared to the West.

Extremist groups and political parties, including the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have harnessed the potential of social media to shape religious messaging. Its a successful strategy given the rise of affordable internet and phones in the country, an unemployment crisis, and a fragile democracy in which religious tension is only growing. The imagery that has occupied public spaces in the past few years shows Hindu gods who match the anger and machismo of nationalist groups, frequently led by men. Kanisetti added that they also tap into the insecurities, anger, and fears that some Hindu Indians harbor. On social media, AI-driven retellings of mythological stories offer visuals of a glorious, imagined past, with gods towering over their subjects, muscles rippling and weapons in hand. Commenting on these AI-based visualizations, Kanisetti noted that while they might be unconvincing to many, younger generations might believe in this depiction of Indias glorious past.

There is a kind of imaginary being created to which these figures belong, and its not really an Indian one, Sen added. Its drawing from Hollywood and superhero comics, from Western popular culture. And the reason were seeing it, absolutely without a doubt, is because the Hindu right is creating and pushing it.

Arvind Rajagopal, Media Studies professor at New York University and author of Politics After Television: Hindu Nationalism and the Reshaping of the Public in India (2009), illuminated the transition from an earlier sense of unchanging values into rapidly changing imagery.

There is now a constant revision of how gods are portrayed, throwing aside traditional texts, but always claiming continuity with tradition, Rajagopal told Hyperallergic. And this is something very different. Its meant to terrorize.

Link:

How Hindu Iconography Became an Extension of Right-Wing Nationalism - Hyperallergic

Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff WriterApr 10, 2024, 07:19 PM ET

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Stanford women's basketball coach Tara VanDerveer had flirted with retirement several times before, but she never thought she'd quite be ready to walk away from the job with which she has become synonymous for the better part of the past four decades.

Yet there VanDerveer sat at Stanford's Arrillaga Family Sports Center on Wednesday afternoon, spending roughly 45 minutes answering questions, telling stories and recounting the highs and lows of a legendary career in which she became the NCAA's winningest basketball coach with 1,216 victories at Stanford, Ohio State and Idaho, three national championships and 14 Final Fours at Stanford.

Stanford announced VanDerveer's decision to retire Tuesday night, adding that she will remain affiliated with the university in an advisory role and that Kate Paye, VanDerveer's longtime assistant and former player, was in the middle of negotiations to replace her. VanDerveer's retirement from the coaching position will become official May 8, which will mark exactly 39 years since she was hired as the Cardinal's coach.

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"After every year I really evaluate it, I've probably retired at least 20 times in my mind," VanDerveer said. "I just felt I'm ready. I never really thought I would be. I just felt like maybe I would just keel over on the bench because I love it. ... It kind of just came together."

For VanDerveer, it all came together after a season in which she didn't necessarily know it would be her last but checked plenty of boxes if it was going to be, especially with the diminishment of the Pac-12.

But even with the Pac-12's disintegration and Stanford poised to move to the Atlantic Coast Conference next year, a move that will come with a taxing travel schedule, VanDerveer emphasized that didn't play a role in her decision to step away.

"I want to just say that it has nothing to do with going into the ACC," VanDerveer said. "Really, that was a motivator to want to stay, to play that competition because I think it's going to be a great, great league."

According to VanDerveer, the motto for the 2023-24 Cardinal was simply "best year ever," and she was motivated to make it just that.

Along the way, she surpassed Mike Krzyzewski's NCAA record of 1,202 wins Jan. 21 and, more important, coached a team that ranked in the top 10 most of the year before bowing out in the Sweet 16.

As VanDerveer and her team walked off the Maples Pavilion court following a round of 32 overtime win against Iowa State, she allowed herself to ponder the idea that if it was her last game on the sidelines in Palo Alto, it was a fun way to go out.

According to some of her players, VanDerveer had made a habit throughout the season of savoring every moment. It was, perhaps, a clue that retirement might be forthcoming, but nobody was certain.

After Stanford's 77-67 loss to NC State in the Sweet 16, VanDerveer said she did what she usually does, taking some time to assess where she stood and if she wanted to continue. During that period of reflection, VanDerveer considered the amount of work and dedication it took to succeed at her job.

The thoughts struck a similar tone to 10 years ago, when VanDerveer said she came closest to walking away as she struggled with exhaustion. At a dinner with longtime Stanford supporter John Arrillaga and with the blessing of athletics director Bernard Muir, VanDerveer agreed to return but with the caveat that she would need the summer off.

This time, though, VanDerveer thought of playing bridge with her 97-year-old mother, Rita, and the opportunity to go water skiing and sailing without having to worry about the recruiting or any of the many other endless responsibilities of coaching.

Ultimately, VanDerveer decided she couldn't give her all around the clock anymore. She informed the school of her retirement Tuesday night and called her mother before the news broke.

"It's a bittersweet moment," senior guard Hannah Jump said. "I'm very happy for her and everything she's accomplished and all the lives and relationships she has kind of touched here. But also, it's sad. She had such an impact on this sport and all of our lives as well."

Stanford has not yet formally announced Paye as VanDerveer's successor, but all sides are aiming for that to happen sooner than later. Paye played for VanDerveer from 1991 to 1995 and has been on Stanford's staff for the past 17 seasons, during which she emerged as the obvious choice to one day step into the lead job.

On Wednesday, VanDerveer called Paye her "security blanket," and noted that Paye has paid her dues, passing up other head-coaching opportunities to wait her turn in Palo Alto. Now that time is near, and Paye acknowledged Wednesday the challenge that comes with replacing a legend.

"Tara is one of one," Paye said. "That's plain and simple. Nobody could ever replace her or duplicate her."

Paye said that while there will be plenty of change for the program in the next year, she expects to retain the coaching staff as she hopes to "lean into continuity."

And, as Paye and the Stanford program forge a new path, VanDerveer won't be far away. While VanDerveer is looking forward to doing the things her life in basketball have kept her from doing, she said she has more to contribute to the athletic program, whether that's as an ambassador or in an advisory role in which she helps coach other coaches.

"I want to be involved," VanDerveer said. "But it'll be a balance. When you're a coach ... You're on 24/7, and I'm ready for maybe just the seven, not the 24."

VanDerveer's retirement comes at a time when a handful of some of the most successful coaches in sports have also walked away from high-profile jobs, if not retired altogether. Former Alabama football coach Nick Saban retired after winning seven national championships. Former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick did the same after winning six Super Bowls.

But VanDerveer is also walking away at a time when women's college basketball is thriving at previously unmatched levels. Sunday's NCAA championship game between Iowa Hawkeyes and South Carolina Gamecocks averaged 18.7 million viewers, besting the men's final by nearly four million average viewers, and marking the first time the women's final has drawn a larger number than the men.

While none of that seemed factor into VanDerveer's decision to stay or go, she said it will help her walk away at peace with her choice.

"The support for women's basketball is just growing, and for basketball in general, it's very, very exciting," VanDerveer said. "I feel like I'm leaving it in a good place."

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Stanford's Tara VanDerveer on retirement -- 'Just felt I'm ready' - ESPN

For Vadaire James, a wellness counselor from Winston-Salem, N.C., being single is fine especially right now while she is helping care for her octogenarian parents.

What nags at her, though, is what her life will look like when shes their age.

I moved here six years ago from Washington, D.C., to help support my parents, and since then, my retirement saving priorities have taken a bit of a back burner, the 51-year-old told Yahoo Finance. I feel like I'm way behind the eight ball right now, and I don't feel comfortable at all about what my future might look like.

In 2022, there were 43.5 million single adult women in the US, up from 37 million a decade earlier, according to the most recent figures from the US Census Bureau. Thats the highest level ever and for many of them, like James, the risk of running out of money in retirement is a serious concern.

Heres why single women are uniquely vulnerable: Its the combination of potentially longer life spans and the persistent pay gap when compared to their male peers, along with fewer years in the workforce due to timeout for caregiving all without the fallback of a partners income to rely on.

Single women dont have anybody else to lean on but themselves when it comes to their money, said Cindy Hounsell, president of the advocacy group Women's Institute for a Secure Retirement (WISER).

Now, several new research reports are shedding light on the precarious state of their financial security and retirement savings.

Lets start with the pay gap women in the US earn $0.84 for every $1 earned by men, according to the National Womens Law Center.

That, in turn, translates to less money available to set aside in retirement funds. Many women also tend to take time out of the workforce for caregiving of children and family members, which often means a pause in contributions to retirement accounts. That, combined with the pay issue, results in lower future Social Security checks.

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According to the Social Security Administration, the average monthly retirement benefit for retired men age 65 and older was $2,020 in 2022, and for retired women of the same age, it was $1,638.

In addition, about a quarter of women workers are not offered any retirement benefits by their employers, compared with only 16% of men, according to a 2023 Transamerica Institute report. That discrepancy is due in part to the fact that women are twice as likely as men to work in part-time contract jobs and many employers dont offer retirement benefits to their part-time employees.

The challenge is even greater considering that women tend to live longer than men nearly six years longer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That means women must get by for longer on far less.

See related story: Retirement planning: A step-by-step guide

Among women and men who have never been married, the wealth gap is notable, according to a recent analysis from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. The research focused on the segment (23%) of adults who have never been married, which strips out any outside sources of wealth that could come from being divorced or widowed.

In 2022, never-married women had $19,200 in inflation-adjusted median household wealth, and men in that group had $28,100. These women had $0.68 for every dollar of wealth owned by the men much wider than the broader gender income gap, which stood at $0.90.

The data reveals racial disparities among women as well. Never-married white women had a median $31,000 in wealth, almost 10 times the amount owned by their Black counterparts. Median wealth for never-married white men stood at $40,000.

An early start to retirement savings makes a big difference, but for many women in their 20s, debt can be a stumbling block to getting started.

Women hold an average of $31,276 in student debt, leaving them with a monthly loan payment of $307 the year after graduation.

In fact, women take about two years longer than men to repay student loans, according to an American Association of University Womens analysis. The reason: smaller salaries than their male counterparts. From the moment women graduate from college, most face a gender pay gap which widens as they age.

The upshot is that some women may put off saving for retirement, and even delaying by a few years can make a difference decades down the road when you consider the power of compounding interest and reinvested dividends.

Hounsell added that many single women figure they will just work longer if they are behind on savings. "But you might not be able to work as long as you expect, she said.

Read more: Tips for quickly paying off student loans

Caregiving is a key challenge. Overall, women are more than twice as likely as men to leave the workforce for more than one year to care for children or aging parents, according to new research, Challenges Women Face Saving for Retirement, from Goldman Sachs.

The data found that 40% of working women reported leaving their jobs for caregiving needs (childcare and eldercare), and 21% reported leaving a full-time job for part-time work to provide caregiving.

"Single women may have to step away from a job if they're going to help their parents, Kimberlee Davis, author of The Fiscal Feminist: A Financial Wake-Up Call for Women, told Yahoo Finance. And that could be really detrimental to them because they're the only game in town for saving for their retirement.

Women are programmed to be caregivers, and they also are programmed to put others ahead of themselves at their own financial risk, she said. And at some point, we need to learn that we have to be a little bit more selfish.

Her tip: Women who have enough income should start a taxable brokerage account and make it an automated investment. Whether it's only $250 a month, a hundred dollars a month, it's to get that habit going and get that feeling of seeing your account grow, Davis said. Because taxable accounts are as important as retirement accounts.

Only a quarter of single women have a retirement account vs. half of married women, according to New York Life Wealth Watch data. And two-thirds are not confident that their retirement savings will last the rest of their life. At the same time, 6 in 10 feel very knowledgeable or somewhat knowledgeable about saving for retirement.

James is in that knowledgeable crew now.I needed to make changes in my job so I could be with my parents, and it has been nice, even if they can be a handful, she said.

Her decision meant a significant drop in salary, but she hasnt stopped saving in her retirement account. I add money every month, although I waver on how much I'm able to do, she said. If my income was greater, of course, I would put more aside.

She admits she holds a lingering regret. I remember when I was 21, and my mom sat me down and said, If you put money in a retirement account now, this is how much itll be when you're 30, 40, 50, 60. Of course, that went in one ear and out the other, and while I have saved over the years, it has been inconsistent. I look back on it now and wish I would've taken her advice.

Kerry Hannon is a Senior Columnist at Yahoo Finance. She is a career and retirement strategist, and the author of 14 books, including "In Control at 50+: How to Succeed in The New World of Work" and "Never Too Old To Get Rich." Follow her on X @kerryhannon.

Click here for the latest personal finance news to help you with investing, paying off debt, buying a home, retirement, and more

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For women who stay single, the pressure is higher to save more for retirement - Yahoo Finance

MOREHEAD, Ky. (FOX 56) Not all people know what food decisions are important to them at the age of 10.

For Kennedy Little, a Morehead State University student, that is different. Seeing the harm animals and farm workers endure led her to go vegan.

After completing an internship with The Food Empowerment Project in her sophomore year, she was inspired to create a scholarship in 2023 to help students across America stand for veganism.

The non-profit organization is funding awards of $300$500 for all students ages 1124. The inspiration for the scholarship comes from showcasing the many creative talents of minority students.

The workers are struggling many of the times within these fields and so, to spread awareness on those issues is very important, Little said.

Little, now the youth advocacy coordinator for the project, has brought the scholarship back for another year with a different theme.

The topic of discussion for this scholarship contest is how do we create a kind of world of compassion for non-human animals? And so, it is a pretty broad topic, but its anyones opportunity to use their own personal experiences, to use a direct quote and expand on that, she added.

Scholarship contestants are encouraged to design original artwork that is written or illustrated, representing fostering compassion for animals to create a kinder world. I hope that more young people feel comfortable and confident about being in this space and dont feel ashamed. For fighting for animals, because thats nothing to be ashamed about. Its a very noble thing to do.

Little said that she hopes the scholarship inspires all people to continue the fight for animals and farm workers and to go green.

Scholarship applications are open until 11:59 p.m. on April 25. To apply click here.

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Morehead student launches scholarship competition centered around veganism - Fox 56 News

Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP) events include field days at four organic farms, including Green Things Farm Collective, shown in the photo. (MSU Extension)

EAST LANSING, Mich. If you are curious about transitioning to organic production practices and/or certifying organic, this will be a great year to find out what is involved. The new Michigan Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP) is organizing three field days, six webinars and a workshop at the Great Lakes Fruit & Vegetable EXPO.

The field days include tours of a no-till organic vegetable farm near Ann Arbor, a Detroit farm and compost facility, a blueberry farm in Bangor and an organic vegetable farm in the Upper Peninsula. In addition, TOPP network partners Keep Growing Detroit, Michigan Food and Farming Systems, Michigan Organic Food and Farm Alliance and Crosshatch Center for Art and Ecology are planning for events to connect farmers in their networks to learn more about transitioning to organic.

When: Friday, April 5 from noon to 1 p.m.

Where: Webinar

What: Learn from a panel of farmers who are currently certified organic, or have been in the past, about their decisions to certify. The panel will feature a mix of farm types, including livestock and crop production. The farmers will discuss why organic certification, Certified Naturally Grown, Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program or not being certified is right for them.

Speakers: Shara Trierweiler of Agape Organics, Alex Cacciari of Seeley Farm and Andy Chae of Fisheye Farms in Detroit

Register for the Is Organic Right for Me? webinar

When: Friday, April 19 from noon to 1 p.m.

Where: Webinar

What: Learn from Joanne DeBruhl about key components of organic recordkeeping and how to be prepared for an organic inspection. Example recordkeeping systems and templates will be shared with participants.

Speaker: Joanne DeBruhl of One World Center, former owner and manager of Stone Coop Farm and TOPP mentor

Register for the Organic Recordkeeping webinar

When: Saturday, June 8 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (van transportation from 7:45 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.)

Where: 9 a.m. to noon at Green Things Farm Collective, 3825 Nixon Rd, Ann Arbor, MI 48105; 1 to 4 p.m. at Sanctuary Farms, 3171 Lakeview St, Detroit, MI 48215

What: Learn about soils and composting from two different farm systems in a single day.

Speaker: jn kent of Sanctuary Farms and Nate Lada of Green Things Collective Farm

Register for the Organic Soils and Compost Field Day

When: Monday, July 15 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Where: 65220 Co Rd 380, Bangor, MI 49013, 49013

What: Join this field day focused on organic blueberry marketing. Kyle Mitchell will showcase his growing spaces and post-harvest setup while sharing about his unique marketing strategies for organic blueberries.

Speakers: Kyle Mitchell of Mitchells Patch of Blue and other blueberry farmers from the region who practice sustainable blueberry growing but are not certified organic will provide insights from their businesses.

Register for the Marketing Organic Blueberries Field Day

When: Friday, Aug. 2 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Where: MSU Upper Peninsula Research and Education Center, North Farm, N5431 Rock River Road, Chatham, MI 49816

What: Walk through a certified organic farm and see what records and practices are needed to sell your goods as organic and ensure food safety.

Speakers: James Dedecker and Sarah Hayward of the MSU Upper Peninsula Research and Education Center North Farm. We hope to also have a certification inspector.

Register: Registration coming soon.

When: Friday, Sep. 13, 20 and 27

Where: Webinar

What: This three-part webinar series is primarily focused on training individuals who provide services to farmers, such as MSU Extension staff. However, the program is open to all, including organic-curious farmers.

Speakers: To be announced

Register for The What, Why and How of Organic webinar series

When: Friday, Dec. 6 from noon to 1 p.m.

Where: Webinar

What: You can share your insights and ideas for 2025 workshops, field days and webinars for farmers transitioning to organic. Join this interactive webinar to let your voice be heard.

Register: Registration coming soon.

When: Thursday, Dec. 12 (time to be determined)

Where: Great Lakes Fruit & Vegetable EXPO, Devos Place, 303 Monroe Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503

What: To be announced

Speakers: To be announced

Register: Registration coming soon.

Download flyer of 2024 TOPP events

Michigans TOPP has paired 24 transitioning farmers with experienced organic farm mentors. Apply now to be amentor ortransitioning farmermentee. Mentors will be paid $3,000 and mentees will receive a $500 stipendupon completing the mentorship. Mentors and mentees meet for 40 hours each year, including visiting each others farms at least once per year, monthly meetings, attending an educational event together and answering questions as needed. Mentors and mentees also commit to onboarding, trainings, evaluation, quarterly check-ins with the coordinator and tracking meeting hours. Mentees commit to pursuing organic certification and creating an organic system plan.

The program welcomes farmers from all backgrounds and encourages farmers of color, veterans, women, Spanish speakers, lower income farmers and young and beginning farmers to apply.All crops, livestock species and farm types qualify for this program.

Michigan State University Extension, the Michigan State University Organic Farmer Training Program, Grand Traverse Conservation District and Washtenaw County Conservation District are working together toco-lead this project until 2027.In addition, Keep Growing Detroit, Michigan Food and Farming Systems, Michigan Organic Food and Farm Alliance and Crosshatch Center for Art and Ecology are TOPP network partners who will each host two community-building events to connect with farmers and answer questions about organic farming and certification.

Contact: Katie Brandt brandtk7@msu.edu or Mariel Borgman mborgm@msu.edu

To sign up for TOPP jobs and opportunities emails, email listserv@list.msu.edu with SUBSCRIBE MISUSTAINABLEFARMJOBS in the body of the message (not the Subject line).

Katie Brandt, Michigan State University Extension

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Researchers have developed a groundbreaking light-based processor that enhances the efficiency and scalability of quantum computing and communication. By minimizing light losses, the processor promises significant advancements in secure data transmission and sensing applications. Credit: SciTechDaily.com

A team of scientists has created a reprogrammable light-based quantum processor, reducing light losses and enabling advancements in quantum computing and secure communications.

Scientists have created a reprogrammable light-based processor, a world-first, that they say could usher in a new era of quantum computing and communication.

Technologies in these emerging fields that operate at the atomic level are already realizing big benefits for drug discovery and other small-scale applications.

In the future, large-scale quantum computers promise to be able to solve complex problems that would be impossible for todays computers.

Lead researcher Professor Alberto Peruzzo from RMIT University in Australia said the teams processor a photonics device, which used light particles to carry information could help enable successful quantum computations, by minimizing light losses.

Our design makes the quantum photonic quantum computer more efficient in terms of light losses, which is critical for being able to keep the computation going, said Peruzzo, who heads the ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology (CQC2T) node at RMIT.

If you lose light, you have to restart the computation.

Other potential advances included improved data transmission capabilities for unhackable communications systems and enhanced sensing applications in environmental monitoring and healthcare, Peruzzo said.

The teams reprogrammable light-based processor. Credit: Will Wright, RMIT University

The team reprogrammed a photonics processor in a range of experiments, achieving a performance equivalent to 2,500 devices, by applying varying voltages. Their results and analysis are published in Nature Communications.

This innovation could lead to a more compact and scalable platform for quantum photonic processors, Peruzzo said.

Yang Yang, lead author and RMIT PhD scholar, said the device was fully controllable, enabled fast reprogramming with reduced power consumption, and replaced the need for making many tailored devices.

We experimentally demonstrated different physical dynamics on a single device, he said.

Its like having a switch to control how particles behave, which is useful for both understanding the quantum world and creating new quantum technologies.

Professor Mirko Lobino from the University of Trento in Italy made the innovative photonic device, using a crystal called lithium niobate, and Professor Yogesh Joglekar from Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis in the United States brought his expertise in condensed matter physics.

Lithium niobate has unique optical and electro-optic properties, making it ideal for various applications in optics and photonics.

My group was involved in the fabrication of the device, which was particularly challenging because we had to miniaturize a large number of electrodes on top of the waveguides to achieve this level of reconfigurability, Lobino said.

Programmable photonic processors offer a new route to explore a range of phenomena in these devices that will potentially unlock incredible advancements in technology and science, Joglekar said.

Meanwhile, Peruzzos team has also developed a world-first hybrid system that combines machine learning with modeling to program photonic processors and help control the quantum devices.

Peruzzo said the control of a quantum computer was crucial to ensure the accuracy and efficiency of data processing.

One of the biggest challenges to the devices output accuracy is noise, which describes the interference in the quantum environment that impacts how qubits perform, he said.

Qubits are the basic units of quantum computing.

There are a whole range of industries that are developing full-scale quantum computing, but they are still fighting against the errors and inefficiencies caused by noise, Peruzzo said.

Attempts to control qubits typically relied on assumptions about what noise was and what caused it, Peruzzo said.

Rather than make assumptions, we developed a protocol that uses machine learning to study the noise while also using modelling to predict what the system does in response to the noise, he said.

With the use of the quantum photonic processors, Peruzzo said this hybrid method could help quantum computers perform more precisely and efficiently, impacting how we control quantum devices in the future.

We believe our new hybrid method has the potential to become the mainstream control approach in quantum computing, Peruzzo said.

Lead author Dr. Akram Youssry, from RMIT, said the results of the newly-developed approach showed significant improvement over the traditional methods of modelling and control, and could be applied to other quantum devices beyond photonic processors.

The method helped us uncover and understand aspects of our devices that are beyond the known physical models of this technology, he said.

This will help us design even better devices in the future.

This work is published in Npj Quantum Information.

Peruzzo said startup companies in quantum computing could be created around his teams photonic device design and quantum control method, which they would continue to study in terms of applications and their full potential.

Quantum photonics is one of the most promising quantum industries, because the photonics industry and manufacturing infrastructure are very well established, he said.

Quantum machine-learning algorithms have potential advantages over other methods in certain tasks, especially when dealing with large datasets.

Imagine a world where computers work millions of times faster than they do today, where we can send information securely without any fear of it being intercepted, and where we can solve problems in seconds that would currently take years.

This isnt just fantasy its the potential future powered by quantum technologies, and research like ours is paving the way.

References:

Programmable high-dimensional Hamiltonian in a photonic waveguide array by Yang Yang, Robert J. Chapman, Ben Haylock, Francesco Lenzini, Yogesh N. Joglekar, Mirko Lobino and Alberto Peruzzo, 2 January 2024, Nature Communications. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44185-z

Experimental graybox quantum system identification and control by Akram Youssry, Yang Yang, Robert J. Chapman, Ben Haylock, Francesco Lenzini, Mirko Lobino and Alberto Peruzzo, 13 January 2024, npj Quantum Information. DOI: 10.1038/s41534-023-00795-5

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Quantum Computing Takes a Giant Leap With Light-Based Processors - SciTechDaily

Google, the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA), and XPRIZE launched a competition Monday that will award $5 million over three years to teams who can find real-life applications for quantum computers.

Quantum computers process information differently from the regular, classical computers in use today, which allows them to complete certain tasks in shorter periods of time. Google researchers found in 2019 that a quantum computer took 200 seconds to complete a task that a high-performing supercomputer, which IBM estimates can have a million times more processing power than a standard laptop, would take 10,000 years to complete.

The problem that the XPRIZE competition sets out to solve is the disconnect between quantum algorithms and the real world. Applicants should be working on quantum algorithms that address sustainability and social impact.

The contest is open to anyone across the world working in any field. Winners will have submissions that "most accelerate" quantum algorithms for "positive real-world applications," according to the competition guidelines.

Applicants can submit a new quantum algorithm, a new application of an existing algorithm, or enhanced performance in the form of fewer resources to run an established algorithm. The University of Chicago, IBM, Microsoft, and Purdue University are some of the many institutions that offer courses on quantum computing.

Registration is open on the XPRIZE website.

Related: Quantum Computing Threatens Everything Could it be Worse Than the Apocalypse?

A cryostat from a quantum computer stands during a press tour of the Leibniz Computing Center. Photo: Sven Hoppe/dpa (Photo by Sven Hoppe/picture alliance via Getty Images

Quantum computing is a focus area for many tech giants, with McKinsey estimating a record $2.35 billion in investments in 2022. The McKinsey report further suggests that four industries are likely to see the earliest benefits of quantum computing: automotive, chemicals, financial services, and life sciences.

Related: Why This Technology Will Surge This Year and How You Can Capitalize On It

IBM CEO Arvind Krishna spoke to the Duke Fuqua School of Business last April about the benefits of quantum computing, and about how business minds were essential to determine the right use cases for the technology.

"So, you need to work on what kind of algorithms, which use case can leverage those algorithms, and the technology," Krishna told the outlet.

IBM and Google gave $150 million last year to advance quantum computing research at the University of Chicago and the University of Tokyo.

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Google Is Offering $5 Million in a Quantum Computing Contest - Entrepreneur

READING, England, March 5, 2024 OQC, a global leader in quantum computing-as-a-service (QCaaS), today announced that Chevron Technology Ventures, part of Chevron Corporation (CVX: NYSE), has joined its $100m Series B funding round.

Quantum computing in the energy market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 37.9%, owing to the increasing demand for efficient optimization and simulation across the sector. Chevrons investment marks a significant move by a supermajor into the rapidly evolving field of quantum computing.

OQCs development of the quantum computer has the potential to change the information processing landscape by merging the bounds of engineering and physics, said Jim Gable, Vice President, Innovation and President of Technology Ventures at Chevron. This is the latest investment from our Core Energy Fund, which focuses on high-tech, high-growth startups and breakthrough technologies that could improve Chevrons core oil and gas business performance as well as create new opportunities for growth.

OQC recently launched OQC Toshiko, an upgradable 32-qubit platform and the worlds first Enterprise Ready Quantum Computing Platform. As the first company in the world to integrate quantum computing into commercial data centers, OQC is bringing quantum out of the lab and into the data centre. The company aims to make it possible to offer hybrid computing, integrated quantum and high-performance computing, to the market.

A Quantum Future for Energy

OQCs technology provides several potential groundbreaking opportunities for the energy sector, including the development and optimization of catalysts and the efficiency of transportation and distribution networks. Quantum is anticipated to accelerate the energy industrys discovery and development of new materials through the simulation of complex molecules to lower carbon products.

To realize this future, the energy industry requires secure, accessible and powerful quantum computing that is integrated with existing high-performance computing. Prior to the launch of OQC Toshiko, quantum computers were only available in labs, making secure access for companies and integration with existing high-performance computing the largest barriers to wider business adoption of this groundbreaking technology.

Spearheading Industry-Leading R&D

OQC recently announced that SBI Investment, Japans premier venture capital fund, is leading OQCs $100m Series B raise. Existing investors Oxford Science Enterprises (OSE), The University of Tokyo Edge Capital Partners (UTEC), Lansdowne Partners, and OTIF, acted by manager Oxford Investment Consultants (OIC), are also participating.

The ongoing round is the UKs largest ever Series B in quantum computing enabling industry-leading R&D that could pave the way to quantum advantage and furthers OQCs ability to bring next generation platforms of hundreds of qubits to businesses globally.

Commenting on the news, Ilana Wisby, Chief Executive Officer at OQC, said: Chevrons investment marks a significant milestone in harnessing quantum computing for the energy sector. Were excited to drive innovation and efficiency in exploration and renewables and pioneer enterprise-ready quantum in the energy sector.

About Chevron Technology Ventures

Chevron Technology Ventures identifies and invests in externally developed technologies and new business solutions with the potential to enhance the way Chevron produces and delivers affordable, reliable, and ever-cleaner energy. CTV has more than two decades of being the primary on-ramp for external innovation into Chevron. For more information, visit http://www.chevron.com/technology/technology-ventures.

About OQC

OQC is a global leader in quantum computing-as-a-service, building a brighter future by providing enterprise-ready quantum solutions that seamlessly integrate into digital infrastructures and customer workflows. Its award-winning and world-first integration of quantum computing into colocation facilities removes technical, financial, and geographical barriers to quantum; offering every enterprise a chance to seize a competitive edge. Prior to Series B, OQC raised $52 million including the largest Series A in quantum in the UK at that time. In 2023, OQCs team grew to over 100, attracting talent from across the globe. The team has built and deployed OQC Toshiko platforms to colocation data centers expanding its operations in the UK, Japan and Spain. OQC Toshiko is the worlds first and only enterprise ready platform: a powerful next generation system, deployed to commercial data-centres, enabling businesses to securely tap into ground-breaking technology from anywhere in the world. This new technology is now in private preview and coming soon on public cloud and data centre fabric.

Source: OQC

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OQC Welcomes Chevron Technology Ventures in $100M Series B Funding to Enhance Quantum Computing in the ... - HPCwire

Chevron Technology Ventures has participated in a $100m (78.59m) Series B funding round for Oxford Quantum Circuits (OQC), a UK-based company specialising in quantum computing-as-a-service (QCaaS).

Japans SBI Investment is spearheading OQCs funding round, with existing investors such as Oxford Science Enterprises, the University of Tokyo Edge Capital Partners, Lansdowne Partners and OTIF, managed by Oxford Investment Consultants, also contributing.

OQC said its technology can offer opportunities for the energy sector such as catalyst development and the optimisation of transportation and distribution networks.

Quantum computing is expected to revolutionise the energy industry by accelerating the discovery and development of new materials and the simulation of complex molecules for lower-carbon products.

For decades, the oil and gas industry has relied on traditional computing for mathematical challenges, particularly benefitting the upstream sector with supercomputers processing seismic data to locate viable hydrocarbon reserves.

Despite advancements in classical supercomputers, they sometimes struggle with multi-variable calculations, a limitation that quantum computing could potentially overcome, according to GlobalData.

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Chevron vice-president of innovation and president of technology ventures Jim Gable said: OQCs development of the quantum computer has the potential to change the information processing landscape by merging the bounds of engineering and physics.

This is the latest investment from our Core Energy Fund, which focuses on high-tech, high-growth start-ups and breakthrough technologies that could improve Chevrons core oil and gas business performance as well as create new opportunities for growth.

OQC CEO Ilana Wisby said: Chevrons investment marks a significant milestone in harnessing quantum computing for the energy sector. We are excited to drive innovation and efficiency in exploration and renewables and pioneer enterprise-ready quantum in the energy sector.

Chevrons investment aligns with industry peers such BP and ExxonMobil, which are part of IBMs Q Network, and other companies such as TotalEnergies and Shell that are exploring quantum computing for molecular modelling and emission mitigation.

In a similar development, French quantum computing provider Pasqal secured $108m (99.19m) in Series B funding in January 2023, with Waed Ventures, the venture capital arm of Saudi Aramco, among the investors.

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Chevron invests in OQC to advance quantum computing for energy sector - Offshore Technology