Onward Homes is one of the largest registered providers of social housing in the North West, with 35,000 properties across the region.

We believe that everyone deserves a place to call their own, which is why were committed to building 400 new homes each year. We do more than just provide a roof over our customers heads, were here to make a real difference.

At Onward were working towards creating positive spaces, which extends to not only to the communities we serve but to our workplaces being positive spaces that are open, diverse and inclusive. Onward is committed to being a diverse and inclusive organisation in every aspect of our work.

We are looking for aLandlord Compliance Officer - Fire and Asbestos (1 post)to join our Property team on a fixed term basis for 12 months.

The Compliance Officer will deliver effective management of Fire and Asbestos compliance across the region in accordance with regulatory undertakings to ensure Onward is fully compliant and reduces any residual risk to customers, colleagues and third parties.

Responsibilities include ensuring thatall Fire and Asbestos servicing, testing and inspection processes are carried out correctly, remedial/follow on works are undertaken on a risk basis, that the service, testing and inspection process is fit for purpose and that the records and certification is appropriately recorded, validated and current.

In addition, ensuring effective management and administration of Fire and Asbestos contracts, set and deliver performance standards, monitor progress and resolve issues andup to date information relating to Fire and Asbestos Compliance risks. Take overall health and safety responsibility and compliance with legislative requirements for all investment activities within the region, to include delivery of a comprehensive programme of training in Fire and Asbestos safety.

All posts are recruited to the recruitment salary and movement to the confirmed salary is based on successful completion of a 6 month probation. As well as a competitive salary and a generous annual leave entitlement, we offer a range of benefits for a rewarding career including a health cash plan, pension scheme and personal development.

The base location for this role is Renaissance Court, Didsbury. However please note that due to Covid-19, we have adapted our working arrangements under government guidelines and Safe Systems of Work and the current working arrangements for the role will involve a mixture of home working and occasional site based activity around the Greater Manchester region as required. Discussions around the current working arrangements and Safe Systems of Work specific to the role will take place during the interview process. If candidates have any concerns / questions in relation to Covid-19 and the role at any stage of the recruitment and selection process they can contact the HR team onHumanResourcesTeam@onward.co.ukand a member of the HR Team will be in touch.

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Landlord Compliance Officer - Fire and Asbestos job with Onward Homes | 4642801 - Inside Housing

A job might also help you if you are feeling the mental effects of having left home combined with the disappointment of starting university in semi-lockdown. Alister Gray, life coach and founder of Mindful Talent, says that some level of anxiety is to be expected, and that applies this term more than ever.

Thats true when you start anything new or experience change, says Gray. For some this will be heightened, but either way, acknowledging the feeling is the first step. And, he points out, remind yourself, you are not the only one. All your peers will be feeling some level of stress.

Most universities were already committed to enhancing their mental health provision through Universities UKs Stepchange programme, which advocates a whole-university approach to mental health, so that wellbeing becomes part of the curriculum as well an issue of pastoral care. Some have built on that by making sure that support was accessible remotely, and offering Covid-specific resources to students and staff.

But individuals can support their own mental health too. As you enter university, things will become more clear, Gray explains. Youll meet your peers and start the course itself. Then if you experience a moment of doubt why did I do this course, will I ever make friends? go back to the moment that you filled in your Ucas form and remind yourself of that moment of excitement. That will ground you, he says. and remind you of why you chose your path.

Still feeling anxious? Then dont bottle up those feelings. See who you can speak to, says Gray. whether that be your peers, tutors, family or professional support. Its not a weakness to ask for help.

It can help, he says, also, to think about balance making sure that you schedule in some time every week, in among the studying and social life, to do something that makes you feel good. That could be a walk, meditation or finding a mentor or coach.

Crucially, says Gray, consider your values. That may sound stuffy, but take time to reflect on who you are and what matters to you. Ask yourself, what is important to me? What would make this year successful?

It might be a very different experience to the one that older siblings or parents enjoyed when they were students, but we can only play the cards we are dealt.

And, rest assured, everyone Ive spoken to is convinced that the class of 2020 will look back on their university years as a stimulating, rewarding, exciting and life-enhancing time.

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What university will really be like for the class of 2020 (and there's plenty to be excited about) - Telegraph.co.uk

Quantum Computing (QC) has been gaining huge momentum in the last few years. Recent breakthroughs in affordable technology have seen conversations shift from the theoretical to practical use cases.

As early as 2018, IBM drew attention across the tech world with the creation of its Q System One quantum computer, while D-Wave Technologies went on to announce a QC chip with 5,000 qubits, more than doubling its own previous 2,000-qubit record.

While quantum-computing applications may still be five to ten years down the road, a recent report by McKinsey shows that the automotive and transportation sectors have been quick to capitalize on QCs potential, and have successfully showcased how effective the technology can be with several pilots.

Several OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) and tier-one suppliers are actively discovering how the technology can benefit the industry by resolving existing issues related to route optimization, fuel-cell optimization, and material durability.

Just last year, Volkswagen partnered with D-Wave to demonstrate an efficient traffic-management system that optimized the travel routes of nine public-transit buses during the 2019 Web Summit in Lisbon.

Elsewhere, significant investments have already been made, with German supplier Bosch acquiring a stake in Massachusetts-based quantum start-up Zapata Computing, contributing to a US$21 million Series A investment.

BMW, Daimler, and Volkswagen have announced that they are actively pursuing QC research, including quantum simulation for material sciences, aiming to improve the efficiency, safety, and durability of batteries and fuel cells.

Quantum Computing is being embraced by the automotive sector. Source: Pixabay

The potential for QC in the automotive sector could translate into billions of dollars in value as OEMs and automotive stakeholders hone in on the markets niche and develop a clear QC strategy.

As things stand, automotive will be one of the primary value pools for QC and is expected to have an impact on the automotive industry of up to US$3 billion by 2030, thanks to its potential in solving complex optimization problems that include processing vast amounts of data to accelerate learning in autonomous-vehicle-navigation algorithms.

QC will later have a positive effect on vehicle routing and route optimization, material and process research, as well as help improve the security of connected driving, and help accelerate research into electric vehicles (EV).

Supply routes involving several modes of transport could be optimized using algorithms developed through QC, while other applications will improve energy storage and generative design. QC could also help suppliers improve or refine kinetic properties of materials for lightweight structures and adhesives, as well as develop efficient cooling systems.

QC will be utilized by automakers during vehicle design to produce improvements relating to minimizing drag and improving fuel efficiency. Whats more, QC has the ability to perform advanced simulations in areas such as vehicle crash behavior and cabin soundproofing, as well as to train algorithms used in the development of autonomous-driving software. QCs potential to reduce computing times from several weeks to a few seconds means that OEMs could ensure car-to-car communications in real-time, every time.

HARDWARE

Shared mobility players such as Lyft and Uber also have the potential to use QC to optimize vehicle routing, while improving fleet efficiency and availability. Alternatively, QC can help service providers simulate complex economic scenarios to predict how demand varies by geography.

Within the next five years, the automotive industry will continue to focus on product development and R&D.

QC isnt likely to replace existing high-performance computing (HPC), but will instead rely heavily on hybrid schemes where a conventional HPC can help refine problem-solving more efficiently. A computational problem, for example, to find the most efficient option among billions of possible combinations will initially be iterated with a quantum computer to get an approximate answer before the remainder is handled by an HPC to round off assessments in the subset of solution space.

The pathway for QC is still uncertain despite its potential. Investing in QC is a heavy commitment but will almost certainly put companies ahead of competitors further down the line once it has become more mainstream in use.

Automotive players will need to determine exactly where they fit in the value chain, while building solid partnerships and valuable intellectual property.

The next five to ten years will see players prioritizing application development and building focused capabilities, while making first pilots and prototypes operational. Ten years and beyond will see businesses take full advantage of their technological edge through QC and expand their core capabilities.

As QC continues to make breakthroughs, the automotive sector is set to drive the technology to the next level.

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How quantum computing could drive the future auto industry - TechHQ

Magnon excitation. Credit: Daria Sokol/MIPT Press Office

Physicists from MIPT and the Russian Quantum Center, joined by colleagues from Saratov State University and Michigan Technological University, have demonstrated new methods forcontrolling spin waves in nanostructured bismuth iron garnet films via short laser pulses. Presented inNano Letters, the solution has potential for applications in energy-efficient information transfer and spin-based quantum computing.

Aparticles spin is its intrinsic angular momentum, which always has a direction. Inmagnetized materials, the spins all point in one direction. A local disruption of this magnetic order is accompanied by the propagation of spin waves, whose quanta are known as magnons.

Unlike the electrical current, spin wave propagation does not involve a transfer of matter. Asaresult, using magnons rather than electrons to transmit information leads to much smaller thermal losses. Data can be encoded in the phase or amplitude of a spin wave and processed via wave interference or nonlinear effects.

Simple logical components based on magnons are already available as sample devices. However, one of the challenges of implementing this new technology is the need to control certain spin wave parameters. Inmany regards, exciting magnons optically is more convenient than by other means, with one of the advantages presented in the recent paper in Nano Letters.

The researchers excited spin waves in a nanostructured bismuth iron garnet. Even without nanopatterning, that material has unique optomagnetic properties. It is characterized by low magnetic attenuation, allowing magnons topropagate over large distances even at room temperature. It is also highly optically transparent in the near infrared range and has a high Verdet constant.

The film used in the study had an elaborate structure: a smooth lower layer with a one-dimensional grating formed on top, with a 450-nanometer period (fig.1). This geometry enables the excitation ofmagnons with a very specific spin distribution, which is not possible for an unmodified film.

To excite magnetization precession, the team used linearly polarized pump laser pulses, whose characteristics affected spin dynamics and the type of spin waves generated. Importantly, wave excitation resulted from optomagnetic rather than thermal effects.

Schematic representation of spin wave excitation by optical pulses. The laser pump pulse generates magnons by locally disrupting the ordering of spins shown as violet arrows in bismuth iron garnet (BiIG). A probe pulse is then used to recover information about the excited magnons. GGG denotes gadolinium gallium garnet, which serves as the substrate. Credit: Alexander Chernov et al./Nano Letters

The researchers relied on 250-femtosecond probe pulses to track the state of the sample and extract spin wave characteristics. Aprobe pulse can be directed to any point on the sample with adesired delay relative to the pump pulse. This yields information about the magnetization dynamics in a given point, which can be processed to determine the spin waves spectral frequency, type, and other parameters.

Unlike the previously available methods, the new approach enables controlling the generated wave by varying several parameters of the laser pulse that excites it. In addition to that, thegeometry of the nanostructured film allows the excitation center to be localized inaspot about 10 nanometers in size. The nanopattern also makes it possible to generate multiple distinct types of spin waves. The angle of incidence, the wavelength and polarization of the laser pulses enable the resonant excitation of the waveguide modes of the sample, which are determined by the nanostructure characteristics, so the type of spin waves excited can be controlled. It is possible for each of the characteristics associated with optical excitation to be varied independently to produce the desired effect.

Nanophotonics opens up new possibilities in the area of ultrafast magnetism, said the studys co-author, Alexander Chernov, who heads the Magnetic Heterostructures and Spintronics Lab at MIPT. The creation of practical applications will depend on being able to go beyond the submicrometer scale, increasing operation speed and the capacity for multitasking. We have shown a way to overcome these limitations by nanostructuring a magnetic material. We have successfully localized light in a spot few tens of nanometers across and effectively excited standing spin waves of various orders. This type of spin waves enables the devices operating at high frequencies, up to the terahertz range.

The paper experimentally demonstrates an improved launch efficiency and ability to control spin dynamics under optical excitation by short laser pulses in a specially designed nanopatterned film of bismuth iron garnet. It opens up new prospects for magnetic data processing and quantum computing based on coherent spin oscillations.

Reference: All-Dielectric Nanophotonics Enables Tunable Excitation of the Exchange Spin Waves by Alexander I. Chernov*, Mikhail A. Kozhaev, Daria O. Ignatyeva, Evgeniy N. Beginin, Alexandr V. Sadovnikov, Andrey A. Voronov, Dolendra Karki, Miguel Levy and Vladimir I. Belotelov, 9 June 2020, Nano Letters. DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c01528

The study was supported by the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

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Spin-Based Quantum Computing Breakthrough: Physicists Achieve Tunable Spin Wave Excitation - SciTechDaily

IonQ CEO's bold claim

We could see a quantum PC on the desktop by 2025 according to IonQ CEO Peter Chapman.

Talking to the assembled throngs at TechCrunch Disrupt 2020, Chapman said that in the next five years you will see desktop quantum machines, athough the goal is to get to a rack-mounted quantum computer.

You know, you cant rely on a system which is sitting in a cloud. So it needs to be on the plane itself. If youre going to apply quantum to military applications, then youre going to need edge-deployed quantum computers, he said.

IonQ relies on technology pioneered in atomic clocks for its form of quantum computing. Quantum Machines doesnt build quantum processors. Instead, it builds the hardware and software layer to control these machines, which are reaching a point where that cant be done with classical computers anymore.

Chapman predicted that we could have edge quantum machines in situations such as a military plane, that cannot access the cloud efficiently.

Alan Baratz, CEO at D-Wave Systems thought that was pushing things a bit. He thought it all hinges on the super-conducting technology that his company is building, it requires a special kind of rather large quantum refrigeration unit called a dilution fridge, and that unit would make a five year goal of having a desktop quantum PC highly unlikely.

Itamar Sivan, CEO at Quantum Machines, too, believes we have a lot of steps to go before we see that kind of technology, and a lot of hurdles to overcome to make that happen.

This challenge is not within a specific, singular problem about finding the right material or solving some very specific equation, or anything. Its really a challenge, which is multidisciplinary to be solved here, Sivan said.

D-Wave, on the other hand, uses a concept called quantum annealing, which allows it to create thousands of qubits, but at the cost of higher error rates.

As the technology develops further in the coming decades, these companies believe they are offering value by giving customers a starting point into this powerful form of computing, which when harnessed will change the way we think of computing in a classical sense. But Sivan says there are many steps to get there.

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2025 will be the year of Quantum on the desktop - Fudzilla

Grgoire Ribordy [Image: Courtesy of ID Quantique]

In the second day of OSAs Quantum 2.0 conference, the focus shifted from quantum computing to other aspects of quantum technologyparticularly quantum communications and quantum sensing. On that note, Grgoire Ribordy, the founder of the Switzerland-based quantum crypto firm ID Quantique, looked at how quantum technologies are being employed for the long-term challenges in data security posed by quantum computing itself.

ID Quantique has a long pedigree in quantum technology; the company has been in business since 2001. In retrospect, Ribordy said, we were really crazy to start a company in quantum technology in 2001 It was way too early. But the firm forged ahead and has now developed a suite of applications in the data-security space.

Ribordy stressed thatespecially over the past few monthsits become increasingly clear that digital security, and protecting digital information against hacking, is extremely important. Classical cryptography assembles a set of techniques for hiding information from unauthorized users, which Ribordy compared to building a castle around the data.

The problem, however, is that after quantum computers become reality, one application for them will be to crack the cryptography systems that are currently in use. When that happens, said Ribordy, the walls we have today wont be able to protect the data anymore. The best cryptography techniques for avoiding that baleful outcome, he suggested, are those that themselves rely on quantum technologyand that can provide robust protection, while still allowing the convenience of the prevailing classical private-key encryption systems.

[Image: Grgoire Ribordy/OSA Quantum 2.0 Conference]

Just how much one should worry about all ofthis nowwhen quantum computers powerful enough to do this sort of cracking still lie years in the futuredepends, according toRibordy, on three factors. One, which he labeled factor x, is how long you need current data to be encryptedperhaps only a short time for some kinds of records, decades for other kinds. The second, y, is the time that it will take to retool the current infrastructure to be transformed into somethingquantum-safe. And the third, z, is how long it will actually take for large-scale, encryption-breaking quantum computers to be built.

If x and/or y are longer than z, he suggested, we have a problemand theres a lot of debate today surrounding just what the values of these variables are. One of ID Quantiques services is to take clients through a quantum risk assessment that attempts to suss out how long they need to protect their data, and what the implications are for their cryptography approach.

Ribordy cited three key components to effective long-term quantum encryption. One, and perhaps the oldest, is quantum random number generation (QRNG) to build security keys, whether classical or quantum. A second is something that Ribordy called crypto-agility. (You dont hard-code cryptography, he explained. Instead, you want to upgrade it whenever a new advance comes.) And the third component is quantum key distribution (QKD), which is a technique still under active development, but which is already being deployed in some cases.

On the first component, Ribordy noted that ID Quantique has been active in QRNG since 2014, when the idea arose of using mobile-phone camera sensors as a source for QRNs. These arrays of pixels, he said, can provide both large rates of raw entropy (an obvious necessity for true randomness), and an industry-compatible interface. He walked the audience through the companys efforts to create a low-cost (CMOS-based), low-power, security-compliant chip for QRNGbeginning with early experiments using a Nokia phone and moving through the required efforts at miniaturization, engineering for stability and consistency, and avoiding such pitfalls as correlations between the different camera pixels, which would degrade the randomness of the output.

The result, Ribordy said, is a QRNG chip that has recently been added to a new Samsung mobile phoneappropriately named the Galaxy A71 Quantumthat is now available in the Republic of Korea. And the chip is not just window dressinga Korean software company partnered with Samsung to create apps for pay services, cryptocurrency services and other features that rely on random numbers, and that use the ID Quantique chip to get high-quality instances of them.

Grgoire Ribordy, at the OSA Quantum 2.0 conference.

We think this is very important, said Ribordy, because it shows that quantum technologies can be industrialized and integrated into applications.

In terms of such industrialization, another security application, quantum key distribution (QKD) is not as advanced as QRNG, according to Ribordybut he argued that the experience of QRNG bodes well for QKDs commercialization path. One issue for QKD is the short distance that such secure links can exist in fiber before quantum bit error rates become too high, though Ribordy pointed to recent paper in Nature Photonics in which practical QKD was demonstrated across a fiber link of 307 km.

Ribordy noted a number of areas of particular activity in the QKD sphere. One active area of interest, for example, is developing network topologies that play especially well with QKD. ID Quantique is also working with SK Telecom in the Republic of Korea on how QKD can be integrated into the optical networks underlying next-generation, 5G wireless. In these circumstances, the proverbial last mile, operating at radio frequencies, can only be secured with traditional cryptography, but using QKD on the optical part of the communication change will make the network as a whole more secure.

A number of other projects are in the works as well, Ribordy said, including a European project, Open QKD, the goal of which is to prepare the next generation of QKD deployment in Europe. And large-scale deployment projects are afoot in China as well.

The presence of these diverging global efforts prompted a question in the Q&A session that followed Ribordys talkjust how open are these QKD markets? Ribordy noted that, in the near term they are closing down Since quantum is a new industry, every country or region would like to be a player. The Chinese QKD ecosystem, he suggested, is completely cut offthere is kind of a Galapagos effect, and Europe also is starting to become a more closed ecosystem in the QKD arena. Ribordy views this as a sign of market immaturity, however, and believes things will become more open again in the future with efforts toward certification and standardization.

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Putting the Quantum in Security - Optics & Photonics News

NTT Research, Inc., a division of NTT (TYO:9432), today announced that it has reached an agreement with the University of Notre Dame to conduct joint research between its Physics and Informatics (PHI) Lab and the Universitys Department of Physics. The five-year agreement covers research to be undertaken by Dr. Zoltn Toroczkai, a professor of theoretical physics, on the limits of continuous-time analog computing. Because the Coherent Ising Machine (CIM), an optical device that is key to the PHI Labs research agenda, exhibits characteristics related to those of analog computers, one purpose of this project is to explore avenues for improving CIM performance.

The three primary fields of the PHI Lab include quantum-to-classical crossover physics, neural networks and optical parametric oscillators. The work with Dr. Toroczkai addresses an opportunity for tradeoffs in the classical domain between analog computing performance and controllable variables with arbitrarily high precision. Interest in analog computing has rebounded in recent years thanks to modern manufacturing techniques and the technologys efficient use of energy, which leads to improved computational performance. Implemented with the Ising model, analog computing schemes now figure within some emerging quantum information systems. Special-purpose, continuous time analog devices have been able to outperform state-of-the-art digital algorithms, but they also fail on some classes of problems. Dr. Toroczkais research will explore the theoretical limits of analog computing and focus on two approaches to achieving improved performance using less precise variables, or (in the context of the CIM) a less identical pulse amplitude landscape.

Were very excited to have the University of Notre Dame and Professor Toroczkai, a specialist in analog computing, join our growing consortium of researchers engaged in rethinking the limits and possibilities of computing, said NTT Research PHI Lab Director Yoshihisa Yamamoto. We see his work at the intersection of hard, optimization problems and analog computing systems that can efficiently solve them as very promising.

The agreement identifies research subjects and project milestones between 2020 and 2024. It anticipates Dr. Toroczkai and a graduate student conducting research at Notre Dame, adjacent to South Bend, Indiana, while collaborating with scientists at the PHI Lab in California. Recent work by Dr. Toroczkai related to this topic includes publications in Computer Physics Communications and Nature Communications. Like the PHI Lab itself, he brings to his research both domain expertise and a broad vision.

I work in the general area of complex systems research, bringing and developing tools from mathematics, equilibrium and non-equilibrium statistical physics, nonlinear dynamics and chaos theory to bear on problems in a range of disciplines, including the foundations of computing, said Dr. Toroczkai, who is also a concurrent professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and co-director of the Center for Network and Data Science. This project with NTT Research is an exciting opportunity to engage in basic research that will bear upon the future of computing.

The NTT Research PHI Lab has now reached nine joint research projects as part of its long-range goal to radically redesign artificial neural networks, both classical and quantum. To advance that goal, the PHI Lab has established joint research agreements with six other universities, one government agency and one quantum computing software company. Those universities are California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Cornell University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Stanford University, Swinburne University of Technology and the University of Michigan. The government entity is NASA Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, and the private company is 1Qbit in Canada. In addition to its PHI Lab, NTT Research has two other research labs: its Cryptography and Information Security (CIS) Lab and Medical and Health Informatics (MEI) Lab.

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NTT Research and University of Notre Dame Collaborate to Explore Continuous-Time Analog Computing - Quantaneo, the Quantum Computing Source

The Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering at Indiana University (IU) Bloomington invites applications for a tenure track assistant professor position in Computer Science to begin in Fall 2021. We are particularly interested in candidates with research interests in formal models of computation, algorithms, information theory, and machine learning with connection to quantum computation, quantum simulation, or quantum information science. The successful candidate will also be a Quantum Computing and Information Science Faculty Fellow supported in part for the first three years by an NSF-funded program that aims to grow academic research capacity in the computing and information science fields to support advances in quantum computing and/or communication over the long term. For additional information about the NSF award please visit: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1955027&HistoricalAwards=false. The position allows the faculty member to collaborate actively with colleagues from a variety of outside disciplines including the departments of physics, chemistry, mathematics and intelligent systems engineering, under the umbrella of the Indiana University funded "quantum science and engineering center" (IU-QSEc). We seek candidates prepared to contribute to our commitment to diversity and inclusion in higher education, especially those with experience in teaching or working with diverse student populations. Duties will include research, teaching multi-level courses both online and in person, participating in course design and assessment, and service to the School. Applicants should have a demonstrable potential for excellence in research and teaching and a PhD in Computer Science or a related field expected before August 2021. Candidates should review application requirements, learn more about the Luddy School and apply online at: https://indiana.peopleadmin.com/postings/9841. For full consideration submit online application by December 1, 2020. Applications will be considered until the positions are filled. Questions may be sent to sabry@indiana.edu. Indiana University is an equal employment and affirmative action employer and a provider of ADA services. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ethnicity, color, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, national origin, disability status or protected veteran status.

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Assistant Professor in Computer Science job with Indiana University | 286449 - The Chronicle of Higher Education

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen gives her first State of the Union speech during a plenary session of European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium September 16, 2020. Olivier Hoslet/Pool via REUTERS

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders will ask the EU executive next week to name strategic areas where the bloc relies too much on countries such as China and the United States, and to propose ways to make it more independent, according to a document seen by Reuters.

In draft conclusions for a summit on Sept. 24-25, the member states leaders say they want European industry to be more competitive globally and to increase its autonomy and resilience.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the EUs dependence on Chinese components in the production of drugs, and concern is mounting that it is lagging the United States in the design and manufacture of batteries and in digital cloud storage.

The 27-nation bloc has set digital and green technologies as priorities, goals that were underlined in a state of the union speech on Wednesday by Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, the EU executive.

The bloc wants to finance the transformation to such technologies by using much of its 750-billion-euro ($890-dollar) fund for kick-starting the economy after the pandemic.

The draft conclusions - which could still be subject to change before the Brussels summit - show leaders would name the European Battery Alliance, the Internet of Things and Clean Hydrogen Alliance as projects for the EU to focus on.

They will also call for the development of new industrial alliances, including on raw materials, micro-processors, telecommunication networks, low-carbon industries, and Industrial Clouds and Platforms.

The leaders will also declare they want a significant part of the 1.8 trillion euros that will be available to EU countries under the blocs budget and recovery package over the next seven years to be invested in supercomputers and quantum computing, blockchain, human-centred Artificial Intelligence, microprocessors, 5G mobile networks or protection against cyber threats and secure communications.

Reporting by Jan Strupczewski and Gabriela Baczynska, Editing by John Chalmers and Timothy Heritage

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EU leaders to ask European Commission to name areas of strategic weakness - Reuters

BOSTONand WELLESLEY, Mass., Sept.16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --When the pandemic began, Sun Life and the Celtics had to quickly pivot their annual Fit to Win youth fitness program to a virtual format to accommodate the shutdown and subsequent safety measures. Fit to Win, a four-week program for YMCA youth in Greater Boston, Hartford, and Southern Maine, encourages kids to embrace health and fitness in everyday life. The kids track their fitness and wellness activities throughout the program and receive Celtics gear along the way. This year, the finale event, typically held at the Celtics' practice facility, was offered virtually complete with coached workouts, an interactive discussion with the kids on fitness and nutrition, and even a Lucky the Leprechaun at-home dunk show from his driveway.

"There is no doubt that this pandemic has been hard on children, with school closures and stay-at-home restrictions," said Dan Fishbein, M.D., president of Sun Life U.S. "There are families who depend on community organizations like the YMCA every day, for child care, health and wellness, and community activities. We are pleased that we could continue to collaborate with the Celtics to keep the Fit to Win program going this year, and are thrilled to see that so many kids stuck with the program while at home."

Through the spring and summer, Celtics conditioning coaches and community teams created weekly workout videos on Instagram to engage the program participants and anyone else who wanted to take part in the fun. Each week featured a new workout routine, such as a combination of squats, jumping jacks, and planks, along with a wellness technique, such as meditation or getting enough sleep.

"It was unfortunate that we couldn't run the live program this year, but in the end it turned out to be really exciting because we could reach more kids where they are, and allow more families to become part of the Fit to Win family," said Ted Dalton, senior vice president of Corporate Partnerships and Business Development for the Boston Celtics. "We loved innovating with Sun Life to make sure kids could embrace the program virtually and learn more about health and fitness."

After the success of converting the program to social media and virtual platforms, Sun Life and the Celtics may expand to include this format in the future, allowing more young Celtics fans in New England the opportunity to participate. For more information about the program, visit https://www.nba.com/celtics/video/community/fit-to-win-program-overview.

About Sun Life

Sun Life is a leading international financial services organization providing insurance, wealth and asset management solutions to individual and corporate Clients. Sun Life has operations in a number of markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bermuda. As of June 30, 2020, Sun Life had total assets under management of C$1,122 billion. For more information, please visitwww.sunlife.com.

Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF.

In the United States, Sun Life is one of the largest group benefits providers, serving more than 60,000 employers in small, medium and large workplaces across the country. Sun Life's broad portfolio of insurance products and services in the U.S. includes disability, absence management, life, dental, vision, voluntary and medical stop-loss. Sun Life and its affiliates in asset management businesses in the U.S. employ approximately 5,500 people. Group insurance policies are issued by Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada (Wellesley Hills, Mass.), except in New York, where policies are issued by Sun Life and Health Insurance Company (U.S.) (Lansing, Mich.). For more information, please visit http://www.sunlife.com/us.

About the Boston Celtics

A charter member of the Basketball Association of America (which evolved into the National Basketball Association) since 1946, the Boston Celtics have won a record 17 NBA Championships, including eight (8) in a row from 19591966, winning their first title in 1957 and their most recent in 2008. The Celtics have long stood for equality, and respect, including hiring the first African American Coach and starting the first all-black starting five. In addition, 35 former Celtics players, management or staff have been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In December 2002 the team returned to local ownership for the first time since 1963. For more information on the Celtics, log on to http://www.celtics.com.

Media Contacts:Devon Fernald Sun Life U.S. 781-800-3609 Devon.portney.fernald@sunlife.com

Heather Walker Boston Celtics 617-854-8072 hwalker@celtics.com

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Boston Celtics and Sun Life go virtual to connect with YMCA youth on health and wellness - WFMZ Allentown