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Washington State University Vancouver students will soon transform a local art installation into an interactive educational experience, bridging the gap between art, technology and language at the Woodland Community Library . Suspended above the children’s room in the Woodland Community Library is “Phonic Bloom,” an art installation created by Portland-based studio Superfab. This piece repurposed recycled books into a vibrant hanging garden, visually symbolizing the sounds of the International Phonetic Alphabet. Each color-coded bloom represents syllables common to local languages: red for English, yellow for Spanish and blue for Salish — the language spoken by the Cowlitz Tribe for thousands of years. The installation was developed in collaboration with Portland State University linguist Janet Tom Cowell, who worked with Superfab to highlight the shared phonetic elements across these languages. Washington State University Vancouver student and experience team lead James Lesperance showcases a prototype for an app designed to bring an art installation to life through augmented reality during a presentation at WSU Vancouver on Wednesday, Dec. 11. The app allows visitors to interact with an art piece called “Phonic Bloom” at the Woodland library, providing a deeper understanding of phonics in multiple languages. This “data sculpture,” as WSU professor and Digital Technology and Culture lead Dene Grigar explained, presented a special opportunity for her students — developing an augmented reality mobile app to teach visitors about phonics using the installation. Augmented reality uses technology to blend digital content with the real world. The WSU students' app brings “Phonic Bloom” to life similar to the popular mobile app “Pokémon Go.” Visitors can point their phones at the sculpture to see a digital recreation of the garden appear on their screens. Guided by “Bea,” a friendly bee mascot voiced by design team member Bea Calces, users can interact with virtual blooms to learn about the corresponding phonetic sounds. The app features audio and visual representations, including animations of the human vocal system producing sounds like “la” and “shaw.” Mailei Brodniak, the student project manager, described their mission as developing and promoting a mobile app to educate young audiences about phonics. The task came with a steep learning curve, as the team first had to familiarize themselves with the intricacies of phonics before beginning. The students had 16 weeks — one semester — to complete their work. “We had the job of taking that sculpture and then bringing it down to our level and making it so that people from children to families could interact with it and actually understand what it’s saying,” Brodniak said Each year, Digital Technology and Culture students are tasked with a 16-week project using their skillsets to showcase their work on resumes or portfolios. The students learn a variety of skills ranging from videography to game design, choosing one category to be their “superpower.” Their main chosen skill is their focus for the senior project, giving students a chance to add to their portfolio before graduation. “The senior seminar is like a finishing school slash boot camp ... getting them to polish themselves, refine their skills and begin to feel confident so they can have a successful interview. It’s about turning out successful thinkers, makers and doers,” Grigar said. The senior seminar split its 18 students into four teams: • A design team, which conceptualized the app’s appearance and functionality • An experience team, which developed the app, implementing its interactive features • A web development team, which created a complementary website detailing the project’s history and features. • A social media team, which promoted the project across social media The design and experience teams crafted 15 unique 3D models, 26 animations and 20 audio components, supported by over 2,000 lines of code for the project. Student Evan Leyden took on the intricate task of animating a realistic depiction of human vocal anatomy for the app. “I spent over 12 hours just researching the kinematics of how we actually move everything inside our mouth to make sure that the animation was accurate, as well as looking for just the right [animation] plug-in [so] this [Magnetic Resonance Imaging] has fully articulated lips, tongue, velum, jaw and larynx,” Leyden said. The web development team supplemented the app with an interactive website, featuring an interactive phonetic chart and resources about the installation. Meanwhile, the social media team chronicled the project’s development across Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn, garnering over 200,000 views and 2,000 engagements. In a Dec. 11 presentation at WSU Vancouver, students demonstrated the fully functional mobile app as attendees watched the interactive experience. Brodniak emphasized the teamwork that was key to the project’s success. “The thing I’m most proud of is how everyone just came together. Everyone communicated so well, and everyone was so friendly with each other. There’s a lot of unity, which you would hope for since we’re making a project about community, but we were able to foster one,” She said. As part of their coursework, each student incorporated their contributions into their resumés and portfolios, participating in mock interviews with local employers. Brodniak, who also worked on the social media team, plans to pursue roles in social media or project management. “This experience gave me a lot of confidence in being a project manager, so I wouldn’t be opposed to working in the management side of things either,” she added. “There is so much here that we created and that we can bring with us moving forward into the career space.” The Phonic Bloom app will launch by the end of 2024. Readers can download the app and learn more about the project at dtc-wsuv.org/projects/phonic-bloom/index.html . The Phonic Bloom art piece can be found at the Woodland Community Library, which is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday at 411 Lakeshore Dr. Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox.
(The Center Square) – After a few recent recount wins for Republicans in state House races, it is confirmed that Democrats have lost the supermajority in the state House. Yet, on Jan. 8, the first regular session of the 75th General Assembly will open with Democrats still in control of both the state’s Senate and House. “Colorado Democrats held back the red wave that swept much of the country,” the Colorado Democratic Party said in a statement . “We did that by showing up, especially in communities where Democrats aren’t typically competitive. But there’s more to do.” With Democrats also controlling the governor’s seat, the party will have a trifecta in the state. That makes Colorado one of just 15 states with a Democrat trifecta going into 2025. Republicans, on the other hand, will have a trifecta in 23 states. Shad Murib, chair of the Colorado Democratic Party, said that “unusual” campaigning strategies helped Democrats maintain their majorities despite Republican momentum nationwide. “With that refocus on rural Colorado and actually taking a look at counties that have often been left behind ... we found that a little bit goes a long way in some of these communities," Murib said. "So much of the work of politics is really about showing up.” Even though Republicans are still in the minority, they are staying positive going into the 2025 legislative session. “This historic win marks the three seats flipped for the House Republicans this year,” said the Colorado House Republicans after two House Republicans were confirmed to have won their recounts. “We are so excited to welcome them to our House Caucus.” This election marked the first in the past decade that Republicans actually won seats in the state House instead of losing them. Breaking the House supermajority and preventing one in the Senate will also give Republicans more power in the 2025 legislative session. Without a supermajority, Democrats cannot refer constitutional amendments to the ballot without Republican support. It will also prevent potential veto overrides of Gov. Jared Polis, who, though a Democrat, has been labeled a “persistent roadblock” to progressive policies. Ultimately, while the Republicans’ wins will likely not be enough to slow the tide of Democrat policies in the state entirely, it could still lead to more collaboration between the parties, as reported by the publication of the Colorado Chamber of Commerce . “Reducing the number of Democrats ... could have a tangible impact on the kinds of bills coming out of the House.”
Chardan Capital reissued their buy rating on shares of Metagenomi ( NASDAQ:MGX – Free Report ) in a report released on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a $15.00 target price on the stock. Several other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on shares of Metagenomi from $22.00 to $17.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 15th. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $7.00 price target on shares of Metagenomi in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $15.50. View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Metagenomi Metagenomi Trading Up 3.8 % Institutional Investors Weigh In On Metagenomi Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MGX. Rhumbline Advisers purchased a new position in shares of Metagenomi during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of Metagenomi by 130.9% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 12,799 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 7,256 shares in the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Metagenomi during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Metagenomi during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $66,000. Finally, Resolute Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Metagenomi by 165.0% during the 2nd quarter. Resolute Advisors LLC now owns 26,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $108,000 after buying an additional 16,500 shares in the last quarter. Metagenomi Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) Metagenomi, Inc, a genetic medicines company, develops therapeutics for patients using metagenomics-derived genome editing toolbox in the United States. The company's genome editing toolbox includes programmable nucleases, base editors, and RNA and DNA-mediated integration systems, such as prime editing systems and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat-associated transposases. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Metagenomi Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Metagenomi and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
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How to Watch Top 25 College Basketball Games – Monday, November 25NTPC Green Energy IPO: NTPC Green Energy’s initial public offering (IPO) closed on Friday, November 22. According to BSE (Bombay Stock Exchange) data, the IPO was subscribed 2.40 times the issue size. The final day saw the Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIBs) leading the subscription, while the retail category was booked 3.39 times. The issue was subscribed 33% on the first day and 93% on Day 2. The company’s Rs 10,000 crore IPO opened on November 19 and closed on November 22. The price range for the IPO was Rs 102-108 per share. The IPO timeline includes share allotment finalization on November 25, demat account crediting by November 26, and an anticipated listing on the BSE and NSE on November 27, 2024. Bajaj Broking finds it “a pure long-term investment opportunity”. Anand Rathi gave “subscribe for long term” rating to this IPO. Geojit Securities assigned a “subscribe” rating for the issue on a long-term investment basis. Indsec Securities assigned a “Subscribe for Long-Term” rating to the issue. SBICAP Securities recommended subscribing to the IPO at the cut-off price. (Also Read: NTPC Green Energy IPO: Subscription Begins Tomorrow – Here’s What You Should Not Miss ) Written By Aishwarya Samant
TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Tulsa fired football coach Kevin Wilson on Sunday and will elevate wide receivers coach Ryan Switzer on an interim basis for the remainder of the season. The Golden Hurricane lost to South Florida 63-30 on Saturday, dropping their record to 3-8. The school's decision concludes Wilson's two-year tenure with a 7-16 record, including 3-12 in American Athletic Conference play. “With the rapidly evolving landscape of college athletics, we know the importance of positioning our football program and athletic department to thrive and excel in the upcoming years,” athletic director Justin Moore said in a statement. “Our standard will be to play in bowl games every season, compete for conference titles, and build a program that everyone connected to the Golden Hurricane will be proud of." Wilson spent six years as Indiana’s head coach, going 26-47 from 2011 to 2016. He then joined Urban Meyer’s staff at Ohio State and stayed on under Meyer’s successor, Ryan Day, before taking over at Tulsa. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-footballCLOSING HIGHER