*By Michael Teich*
Bayer is turning to Amazon Alexa to find the world's next big scientists, engineers, and mathematicians.
The German pharmaceutical and science giant is launching "Science Studio," an Alexa STEM education skill designed to engage the next generation of students.
"This is now ears-on-science to do the hands-on-science. Let's go to where the kids are and let's help get them excited about science," Ray Kerins, Bayer's SVP of Corporate Affairs said Monday in an interview on Cheddar.
Bayer's efforts caught the attention of six-time Olympic medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee. She sees STEM education as a big opportunity to build a bright future for girls.
"To get young girls to have an interest in science, and then with this Alexa Echo app, it's just amazing," she told Cheddar.
It is projected that nearly 2.5 million STEM jobs will go unfilled in 2018. By introducing science experiment instructions integrated with Amazon's ($AMZN) smart speaker, Bayer thinks investing in STEM education can minimize future vacancies in the field.
"Kids lose interest on STEM and science in the 5th and 6th grade. More importantly, unfortunately, young girls lose it and minorities even worse so," Kerins added.
Targeting smart speakers gives Bayer a foot in the door into millions of homes. In 2017, there were 45 million connected homes using virtual assistants and that number is expected to more than double in the next couple of years. It is estimated that 94.2 million households, or 75 percent of U.S. households, will own a smart speaker by 2020.
Southwest Airlines will pay a $35 million fine as part of a settlement over a 2022 holiday season disaster that saw the airline cancel thousands of flights and leave millions of people stranded.
Cheddar News' Need2Know is brought to you by Securitize, which helps unlock broader access to alternative investments in private businesses, funds, and other alternative assets. The private credit boom is here and the Hamilton Lane Senior Credit Opportunities Fund has tripled in assets under management in just six months from November 2022 through April this year. Visit Securitize.io to learn more.
Stocks opened slightly higher after Monday's opening bell after several weeks of gains as the year closes out.
Big Business This Week is a guided tour through the biggest market stories of the week, from winning stocks to brutal dips to the facts and forecasts generating buzz on Wall Street.
Citi told most of its employees that they could work from home at the end of the month, according to CNBC.
Chobani paid $900 million to purchase ready-to-drink coffee maker La Colombe.
Kerri Quigley, founder of The Fashion Class, spoke with Cheddar News on how to make an ugly sweater on a budget.
With Christmas only 10 days away, some kids may notice that there's a lot of spending going on this holiday season. Dr. Regine Muradian, licensed clinical psychologist, joined Cheddar News to provide tips on how to teach kids the value of gifts and money.
It appears that people are cutting back on tipping with gratuity requests spreading far beyond bars and restaurants.
New data is showing rent prices are on the decline.
