The Girl Scouts of the USA is launching its first-ever STEM education initiative for middle and high-school students. CEO Sylvia Acevedo joins Cheddar to discuss what the newly-enrolled girls will get to experience when they sign up for the program. It launches nationwide in Fall 2018 and is sponsored by Raytheon.
Then, we learn about a very special photoshoot that saw Girl Scouts honoring their women-in-STEM heroes. Acevedo explains how five NYC-area girls were transformed into the likes of American computer scientist Grace Hopper, systems engineer Margaret Hamilton, and more. One girl even dressed up as Sylvia Acevedo, a former rocket scientist in her own right.
Finally, we ask the CEO to reveal her "Yes I Will" moment where she decided she'd persevere despite the odds. She gives an inspiring answer about her time in the Girl Scouts, and how it allowed her to pursue her dreams and become a rocket scientist. Acevedo hopes girls will follow in her footsteps and chase their own STEM dreams.
World leaders are currently dealing with a handful of pressing issues, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine, inflation, and not to mention the COVID-19 pandemic; but it could be argued that the most pressing issue is one that has experienced its fair share of neglect in the past -- climate change. As tensions escalate between Russia and Ukraine, there is fear the focus on climate will once again be pushed aside. However, the White House appears to be making some effort to prevent that from happening. The White House Office of Science and Technology held a first-of-its-kind roundtable discussion with some of the nation's leading climate scientists on Thursday. Michael Mann, Director of the Earth System Science Center at Pennsylvania State University, and author of the book 'The New Climate War' joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss his experience as one of the climate scientists at the White House event.
U.S. stocks rebounded to end higher on Thursday after President Biden announced new sanctions against Russia following the country's attack on Ukraine. The Dow was down 859 points at its lowest point of the session, before ultimately finishing the day in the green. Melissa Armo, founder and owner of the Stock Swoosh, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
HearHere bills itself as a mobile audio entertainment app for road trips. The company just announced $3.2 million in seed funding led by Camping World, a retail company that sells recreational vehicles and camping supplies. HearHere's GPS-powered app offers over 8,880 stories across the continental U.S. and serves up the stories based on a users' geographic location and interests. The stories are narrated by some big-name celebrities including actor Kevin Costner, who is a co-founder of the company. Woody Sears, co-founder and CEO of HearHere, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
On December 25, 2021, NASA got into the holiday spirit by launching the James Webb Space Telescope, the largest and most powerful space science observatory in history.
It is intended to succeed the Hubble Space Telescope as NASA's flagship mission in astrophysics and is able to view objects too old and distant for Hubble. Gregory Robinson, director of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope program, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss the mission. "I think a lot of what we don't know today is what I'm expecting to find and certainly really understand what took place more than 13.5 billion years ago and see the formation of some of the first galaxies in our universe," said Robinson.
YouTube creator platform Spotter recently announced $200 million in Series D financing at a valuation of $1.7 billion, led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2. Spotter allows YouTubers to license the rights to their video catalogs in exchange for large sums of cash paid upfront. The company's clients include some of YouTube's most popular personalities, with a combined total of more than 1.2 billion subscribers. Aaron Debevoise, founder and CEO of Spotter, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
The Russia-Ukraine conflict drags on — and global economies could see pandemic-era prices and supply chain issues come back full force. Both countries supply key commodities and materials, including semiconductor production. That sector, in particular, was hit hard by the pandemic and was just beginning to see a recovery when the invasion began. What happens next? Do companies have enough to fall back on and can they rely on pandemic-era measures to stay afloat? Everett Millman, Chief Market Analyst at Gainesville Coins, joins Closing Bell to discuss which sectors are being hit the hardest, rising prices, how consumers could feel the impact, and more.
Jamie Hemmings and Jilea Hemmings, owners and founders of Nourish + Bloom Market, join Cheddar News to talk about the inspiration behind creating their cashierless grocery store.
