State Representative Matt Shaheen also addresses school choice; he says this session is the session if anything is going to be done around school choice.
TEXAS, USA — After past efforts have failed to replace the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) test or eliminate it from public schools, a Republican is trying again this legislative session.
State Representative Matt Shaheen, whose district covers the western part of Colling County, filed legislation to replace the STAAR test. He’s talked with principals, teachers, parents and students in his state representative district. And he thinks it’s time to let school districts select their own standardized testing.
“The STAAR test is well-meaning, but it really isn’t an effective way to measure the progress of our students and assessing how our students are doing,” Shaheen said on Inside Texas Politics.
Shaheen says there are a lot of different options out there districts could use instead of the STARR test. And he is open to anything.
However, replacing the STARR test could still be difficult or impossible to do. While Shaheen wants the test replaced, Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath defends it and wants to look at ways to make it better. Shaheen has spoken with Morath several times.
“The dialogue with Commissioner Morath, and I think he’s a great commissioner and does a great job - he’s very big on testing and I am too, rating where our students are at, where our schools are at. I just don’t agree with him on the right vehicle,” Shaheen said.
Shaheen also addressed school choice.
School vouchers have had a lot of pushback in previous sessions from legislators who represent rural school districts. However, Gov. Greg Abbott is now supporting something called Education Savings Account (ESA). This will let parents use a portion of tax money to pay for anything education-related such as private schools and tutoring.
Could ESA now be the key to expanding school choice? Shaheen thinks this is the session if anything is going to be done surrounding school choice. Still, bringing lawmakers on board who represent rural areas could be difficult.
“The challenge is more of our rural legislators,” Shaheen said.
SANTA CRUZ, Calif., February 16, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Joby Aviation, Inc. (NYSE:JOBY), a company developing all-electric aircraft for commercial passenger service, today announced it is beginning testing at the National Full-Scale Aerodynamic Complex (NFAC), the world’s largest wind tunnel facility, at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230216005794/en/
A Joby propeller installed at the National Full-Scale Aerodynamic Complex (NFAC), the world’s largest wind tunnel facility, at NASA’s Ames Research Center. Credit: Joby Aviation (c) Joby Aero, Inc.
The NFAC, managed by the U.S. Air Force’s Arnold Engineering Development Complex, contains the two largest operational wind tunnels in the world. Data from propeller testing in the NFAC — widely considered to be the gold standard for aircraft aerodynamics and performance — was instrumental in the development of a range of iconic vehicles, including the space shuttle, the V-22 Osprey, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, and a number of next-generation helicopters.
Joby is believed to be the first electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) company to test its propeller in the NFAC’s 40-by-80 foot wind tunnel.
"Testing is a critical part of our aircraft program and the opportunity to gather data on the performance of our propellers in one of the world’s largest wind tunnels is an exciting step toward commercialization," said JoeBen Bevirt, Founder and CEO of Joby.
"This facility helped introduce historic aircraft to the world, and now it’s doing the same for the next generation of sustainable aviation," he added.
Lt Col Tom Meagher, Lead for AFWERX Prime programs, commented: "A cornerstone of the AFWERX Agility Prime program is fostering interagency partnerships and collaboration to progress the advanced air mobility segment. The NFAC testing is a perfect example of utilizing unique government test resources and infrastructure critical to enabling industry progression."
The test campaign will cover all tilt angles and speeds through the expected flight envelope, providing Joby with consistent and high-fidelity data on the performance, loads, and acoustics of its propeller systems in support of its certification program with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Working in partnership with the U.S. Air Force and NASA, Joby is installing a production-intent electric propulsion unit and propeller assembly in the wind tunnel mounted to a six-degree-of-freedom force and moment balance to capture performance data. The blades are instrumented to measure the loads experienced while rotating, and a representative wing section of the Joby aircraft allows careful analysis of aerodynamic interference effects.
The NFAC propeller test campaign is expected to produce data of unparalleled quality – exceeding what is captured during normal flight testing – due to superior instrumentation and precise control of variables. The full test campaign is expected to take several months to complete.
Joby and NASA previously partnered on a variety of projects exploring electric aircraft technology, including the design of the agency’s all-electric X-57 Maxwell prototype. The agency also completed a two-week acoustic testing program with Joby in 2022 as part of NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility National Campaign.
With more than 1,000 test flights completed, Joby’s piloted, all-electric aircraft is designed to offer a faster and quieter method of aerial transportation across cities and communities with zero operating emissions. Joby expects to launch commercial aerial ridesharing service in the United States in 2025.
About Joby
Joby Aviation, Inc. (NYSE:JOBY) is a California-based transportation company developing an all-electric, vertical take-off and landing aircraft which it intends to operate as part of a fast, quiet, and convenient service in cities around the world. To learn more, visit www.jobyaviation.com.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including but not limited to, statements regarding the development and performance of our aircraft, including our expectation to start commercial passenger service in 2025, the expected benefits of our testing program with NFAC; and our current expectations relating to our business. You can identify forward-looking statements by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. These statements may include words such as "anticipate", "estimate", "expect", "project", "plan", "intend", "believe", "may", "will", "should", "can have", "likely" and other words and terms of similar meaning in connection with any discussion of the timing or nature of future operating or financial performance or other events. All forward looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause genuine results to differ materially, including: our ability to launch our aerial ridesharing service and the growth of the urban air mobility market generally; our ability to produce aircraft that meet our performance expectations in the volumes and on the timelines that we project, and our ability to launch our service; the competitive environment in which we operate; our future capital needs; our ability to adequately protect and enforce our intellectual property rights; our ability to effectively respond to evolving regulations and standards relating to our aircraft; our reliance on third-party suppliers and service partners; uncertainties related to our estimates of the size of the market for our service and future revenue opportunities; and other important factors discussed in the section titled "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on March 28, 2022, and in future filings and other reports we file with or furnish to the SEC. Any such forward-looking statements represent management’s estimates and beliefs as of the date of this presentation. While we may elect to update such forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we disclaim any obligation to do so, even if subsequent events cause our views to change.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230216005794/en/
Contacts
Joby Aviation
Investors:
investors@jobyaviation.com
Media:
press@jobyaviation.com
Before long, it’ll be easier to list the tasks ChatGPT can’t complete than the ones it can. We have already shared reports about ChatGPT passing law school and business school exams, and now a new study reveals that the AI chatbot can also pass the United States Medical Licensing exam (USMLE), though its score isn’t especially impressive.
Researchers from healthcare startup Ansible Health shared the results of their study in the journal PLOS Digital Health on February 9. They found that ChatGPT was able to score “at or around the approximately 60 percent passing threshold” for the licensing exam.
As the website explains, the USMLE is a three-step exam that physicians are required to take for medical licensure in the US. In addition to testing the skills and medical knowledge of prospective physicians, the test also assesses their values and attitudes.
After eliminating image-based questions, the researchers fed ChatGPT 350 of the 376 questions from the June 2022 USMLE. Across the three exams, ChatGPT scored between 52.4% and 75%. In most years, the passing threshold is around 60%. ChatGPT also outscored PubMedGPT — a model trained exclusively on biomedical literature — which scored 50.8%.
The authors say: “Reaching the passing score for this notoriously difficult expert exam, and doing so without any human reinforcement, marks a notable milestone in clinical AI maturation.”
Shortly after the study was published, the Federation of State Medical Boards and National Board of Medical Examiners, both USMLE co-sponsors, shared a statement of their own. They note that two exact studies used test prep material and practice questions as opposed to genuine USMLE exam questions. As such, ChatGPT’s achievement comes with an asterisk:
…it’s important to note that the practice questions used by ChatGPT are not representative of the entire depth and breadth of USMLE exam content as experienced by examinees. For example, certain question types were not included in the studies, such as those using pictures, heart sounds, and computer-based clinical skill simulations. This means that other critical test constructs are not being represented in their entirety in the studies.
“Although there is insufficient evidence to support the current claims that AI can pass the USMLE Step exams, we would not be surprised to see AI models Boost their performance dramatically as the technology evolves,” the groups added. “If utilized correctly, these tools can have a positive impact on how assessments are built and how students learn.”
A NUMBER of Chinese cities have launched door services for Covid-19 antibody testing via e-commerce platforms after canceling mass testing in the country. The service is priced from 299 yuan ($43.82) to 599 yuan per individual, the Global Times learned.
According to product information listed on e-commerce platforms, users can make an appointment after purchasing the product, and they will enjoy the door-to-door service the next day. The test results will be received within 1-2 working days.
The Global Times on Monday learned from a product detail on Meituan, a China-based e-commerce platform providing home and lifestyle services that residents in Beijing, Shanghai and Nanjing can enjoy the home check-up service, with a single service price of 299 yuan per person.
At an online medical flagship store on e-commerce platform JD.com, the price of a single person for the door-to-door Covid-19 antibody test service in Beijing was as high as 599 yuan, much higher than the service provided by hospitals.
A customer service representative from the store told the Global Times on Monday that they offer in-home testing without the need to wait in line, meaning in real terms the product does cost a little more than the current service offered by hospitals.
The representative added that the nurses who conduct the door-to-door sampling are all licensed, and the result will be sent to the customer's email in about 24 hours after the sampling is complete.
According to a notice issued on Feb. 3, 2023, the Hunan Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that the Covid-19 antibody test helps assess the immune status of rehabilitation from the disease and resistance to secondary infection, and can be used as a basis for the auxiliary diagnosis of virus infection.
Chen Cao, a researcher from National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, China CDC, said on February 9 that through the antibody test, the administration can obtain specific antibody levels for each age-group as well as urban and rural residents, so as to estimate the level of antibodies to the virus present in the whole population.
Chen added that people who have recently recovered from an infection can estimate antibody persistence levels through antibody testing; those who are vaccinated but not infected can be tested to estimate the level of antibodies after vaccination.
According to the Beijing CDC, the current situation of the epidemic in the city is stable. Last week, the number of cases dropped a massive 92.21 percent from the peak of the outbreak late last year, and the rate of positive detection of the virus via nucleic acid testing continued to decline.
Indian IT giant Infosys has sacked hundreds of fresher employees after they failed to clear the internal fresher assessment (FA) test, Business Today has learnt.
A fresher who was onboarded at the company in August 2022 told Business Today, “I started working at Infosys in August last year and I was given training for SAP ABAP stream. Out of 150 in my team, only 60 people passed the FA exam. Rest all of us were terminated two weeks ago. From the previous batch (freshers who were onboarded in July 2022 ), nearly 85 freshers were terminated out of 150 after failing the test.”
Also Read: Job seekers in despair allege Infosys, HCL Tech, Tech Mahindra delayed onboarding - BusinessToday
Sources claim that 600 employees have been terminated after failing the internal test. “Two weeks ago, 208 freshers were fired after failing the FA test. In total, around 600 freshers have been fired after failing the FA test in the past few months.”
Business Today reached out to Infosys for a confirmation on the number of employees that have been terminated but the company declined to disclose the same.
The fired employees claim that failing the internal test did not result in termination for freshers who joined before July, 2022. A company representative claims that failing the internal test had always resulted in sackings.
This development comes on the backdrop of hundreds of freshers awaiting onboarding at the company for over 8 months after receiving an offer letter.
Also Read: Infosys, TCS, HCL Tech: Fresher hiring drops across major IT companies in Q3 FY23 - BusinessToday
A techie awaiting onboarding told Business Today, "Even though I have a job offer from India's top IT company Infosys, I am still staring at a grim future. I already have a gap in my resume because of all the waiting and no income from past several months. On top of that Infosys has not given any clarity on timeline of onboarding. And now some of my friends who got onboarded are fired, that makes me feel scared about my prospects as it was always thought that IT sector is mass recruiter and there are always opportunities, but it is changing."
Two weeks ago, Business Today reported that IT services Wipro had laid off hundreds of employees after they failed the company's internal test. Sources allege that 800 freshers were sacked from Wipro while the company claimed that the terminations were limited to 452 people.
Also Read: Wipro sacks freshers; 452 employees fired after internal test - BusinessToday
Olaplex is fighting back against a new lawsuit accusing its products of causing hair and scalp damage, including "bald spots" and blisters.
Immediately after the lawsuit filing last week, the brand added a new section to its website titled "testing results," where it posted records of clinical tests that it said prove its products are "safe and effective" and "do not cause hair loss or hair breakage."
"We have chosen to release these results now in the face of this misinformation because we want to reassure our millions of happy customers that they can continue to use our products with confidence," an Olaplex representative told Insider.
Olaplex said that the "independent third-party laboratory" testing included Human Repeat Insult Patch tests, a form of clinical study often used to gauge allergic reactions to cosmetic products. The company said the tests were conducted on study participants with both normal and sensitive skin, and involved products in its series from Olaplex No. 0 to No. 9.
"When the products pass such a test, it means the product does not cause inflammation or sensitivity," Olaplex wrote on its site. "As such, there is no induced inflammation to the hair follicle, which is the primary cause of hair loss."
The customers who sued Olaplex this month in California federal court alleged that the hair care products contain ingredients like panthenol and sodium benzoate, which they said can cause skin and health problems.
They also alleged that Olaplex's product usage instructions — which in some cases suggest leaving products in the hair for a period of time — can cause skin problems and block hair follicles.
A representative for Olaplex denied the lawsuit's allegations, saying, "We have full confidence and believe in the safety and efficacy of our products, which are thoroughly tested in-house and by independent third-party laboratories."
Olaplex hasn't yet filed a formal response to the allegations in the lawsuit, according to the docket.
The test reports that Olaplex posted were issued by a number of laboratories including BioScreen Testing Services Inc., Consumer Product Testing Company, and Brazil-based Allergisa Pesquisa Dermato Cosmética Ltda.
An attorney for the plaintiffs, Amy Davis, told Insider on Wednesday that testing conditions don't recreate "the real world use of the product."
Some of the test reports posted on the Olaplex site described how a measured quantity of product was applied to the skin, sometimes with filter paper over it, depending on the type of test. Davis said also that such tests would use diluted versions of the product.
"It's like putting a drop of the product in the ocean," Davis said.
A representative for Olaplex said on Wednesday that the HRIPT reports are "industry standard and reflect the use of Olaplex products under real world conditions."
"Any allegation to the contrary is without scientific merit," the representative said.
The company said it posted the results on its website on Feb. 10, the day after customers filed their suit.
"Experiencing hair loss is a difficult and painful experience, and we are sympathetic to anyone in that position, but we remain confident in the overwhelming evidence showing that Olaplex products are safe and effective," the representative said.
Do you work at Olaplex or have information to share? Contact Sindhu Sundar at ssundar@insider.com or on the encrypted messaging app Signal at (984)-377-3887.
SANTA CRUZ, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 16, 2023--
Joby Aviation, Inc. (NYSE:JOBY), a company developing all-electric aircraft for commercial passenger service, today announced it is beginning testing at the National Full-Scale Aerodynamic Complex (NFAC), the world’s largest wind tunnel facility, at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230216005794/en/
A Joby propeller installed at the National Full-Scale Aerodynamic Complex (NFAC), the world’s largest wind tunnel facility, at NASA’s Ames Research Center. Credit: Joby Aviation (c) Joby Aero, Inc.
The NFAC, managed by the U.S. Air Force’s Arnold Engineering Development Complex, contains the two largest operational wind tunnels in the world. Data from propeller testing in the NFAC — widely considered to be the gold standard for aircraft aerodynamics and performance — was instrumental in the development of a range of iconic vehicles, including the space shuttle, the V-22 Osprey, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, and a number of next-generation helicopters.
Joby is believed to be the first electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) company to test its propeller in the NFAC’s 40-by-80 foot wind tunnel.
“Testing is a critical part of our aircraft program and the opportunity to gather data on the performance of our propellers in one of the world’s largest wind tunnels is an exciting step toward commercialization,” said JoeBen Bevirt, Founder and CEO of Joby.
“This facility helped introduce historic aircraft to the world, and now it’s doing the same for the next generation of sustainable aviation,” he added.
Lt Col Tom Meagher, Lead for AFWERX Prime programs, commented: “A cornerstone of the AFWERX Agility Prime program is fostering interagency partnerships and collaboration to progress the advanced air mobility segment. The NFAC testing is a perfect example of utilizing unique government test resources and infrastructure critical to enabling industry progression.”
The test campaign will cover all tilt angles and speeds through the expected flight envelope, providing Joby with consistent and high-fidelity data on the performance, loads, and acoustics of its propeller systems in support of its certification program with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Working in partnership with the U.S. Air Force and NASA, Joby is installing a production-intent electric propulsion unit and propeller assembly in the wind tunnel mounted to a six-degree-of-freedom force and moment balance to capture performance data. The blades are instrumented to measure the loads experienced while rotating, and a representative wing section of the Joby aircraft allows careful analysis of aerodynamic interference effects.
The NFAC propeller test campaign is expected to produce data of unparalleled quality – exceeding what is captured during normal flight testing – due to superior instrumentation and precise control of variables. The full test campaign is expected to take several months to complete.
Joby and NASA previously partnered on a variety of projects exploring electric aircraft technology, including the design of the agency’s all-electric X-57 Maxwell prototype. The agency also completed a two-week acoustic testing program with Joby in 2022 as part of NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility National Campaign.
With more than 1,000 test flights completed, Joby’s piloted, all-electric aircraft is designed to offer a faster and quieter method of aerial transportation across cities and communities with zero operating emissions. Joby expects to launch commercial aerial ridesharing service in the United States in 2025.
About Joby
Joby Aviation, Inc. (NYSE:JOBY) is a California-based transportation company developing an all-electric, vertical take-off and landing aircraft which it intends to operate as part of a fast, quiet, and convenient service in cities around the world. To learn more, visit www.jobyaviation.com.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including but not limited to, statements regarding the development and performance of our aircraft, including our expectation to start commercial passenger service in 2025, the expected benefits of our testing program with NFAC; and our current expectations relating to our business. You can identify forward-looking statements by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. These statements may include words such as “anticipate”, “estimate”, “expect”, “project”, “plan”, “intend”, “believe”, “may”, “will”, “should”, “can have”, “likely” and other words and terms of similar meaning in connection with any discussion of the timing or nature of future operating or financial performance or other events. All forward looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause genuine results to differ materially, including: our ability to launch our aerial ridesharing service and the growth of the urban air mobility market generally; our ability to produce aircraft that meet our performance expectations in the volumes and on the timelines that we project, and our ability to launch our service; the competitive environment in which we operate; our future capital needs; our ability to adequately protect and enforce our intellectual property rights; our ability to effectively respond to evolving regulations and standards relating to our aircraft; our reliance on third-party suppliers and service partners; uncertainties related to our estimates of the size of the market for our service and future revenue opportunities; and other important factors discussed in the section titled “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on March 28, 2022, and in future filings and other reports we file with or furnish to the SEC. Any such forward-looking statements represent management’s estimates and beliefs as of the date of this presentation. While we may elect to update such forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we disclaim any obligation to do so, even if subsequent events cause our views to change.
View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230216005794/en/
CONTACT: Joby Aviation
Investors:
investors@jobyaviation.comMedia:
KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: AEROSPACE MANUFACTURING ALTERNATIVE ENERGY OTHER SCIENCE ENERGY RESEARCH SCIENCE
SOURCE: Joby Aviation, Inc.
Copyright Business Wire 2023.
PUB: 02/16/2023 04:05 PM/DISC: 02/16/2023 04:04 PM
