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Kavindya Thennakoon: Building Foundational Skills by a Child’s Tenth Birthday

Kavindya Thennakoon: Building Foundational Skills by a Child’s Tenth Birthday
Kavindya: Thanks for having me, Spiffy! Research shows us that one in every three children born in the developing world don’t reach their full developmental potential, both in terms of their cognitive growth and their social-emotional skills. The ages between 0-10 form the most critical developmental window of a human being’s life—did you know that over 80% of a human’s brain development is done before the age of ten?

Tejas Agarwal: Making Train Rides Smoother and Safer for Everyone

Tejas Agarwal: Making Train Rides Smoother and Safer for Everyone
Tejas: Thanks for having me, Spiffy. I am on a mission to make train rides smoother and safer for everyone. Imagine tiny robots, like detectives, exploring subway tracks with their smart artificial intelligence (AI) tools. They can see things we can't, like tiny cracks or things out of place, and they tell us what needs fixing. This way, we can make repairs before anything goes wrong, keeping your subway rides on time and without any hiccups. It's like giving the subway tracks a health check-up, ensuring they're always in top shape for your journey!

Lipoa Kahaleuahi: Striving to Preserve the Stories and Images of Hawai’i

Lipoa Kahaleuahi: Striving to Preserve the Stories and Images of Hawai’i
Lipoa: Thanks for having me, Spiffy! Hāna is among Hawai'i's most remote and underserved regions; the nearest urban facilities are a four hour round trip drive. The community comprises 394 households, and the U.S. Census reported that over 71% of residents are Native Hawaiian. Hāna's remoteness and lack of economic opportunity have resulted in an overall poverty rate of 22%, with the rate falling upwards of 42% for Native Hawaiians.