Barbara Oakley

I'm proud of the partnership taking shape between Purdue Polytechnic and Visual Components to create a digital twin of our Smart Learning Factory. This collaboration gives our students hands-on experience with industry-grade manufacturing simulation—designing, testing, and programming systems virtually before moving to the physical lab. It’s a strong example of how we’re preparing students with the tools and thinking they’ll use in today’s manufacturing environments. https://lnkd.in/gedw5gYe

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Commenting on how Iran–U.S. escalation can be also read as PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE: messaging and signaling designed to shape the other side’s perceptions and calculations without crossing into open conflict. How it works: 1) “Threat + diplomacy” in parallel: negotiate, but keep the military option visible. 2) Agenda control: whether talks stay nuclear-only or expand to missiles and regional policy is itself leverage. 3) Signaling: official/semi-official media messages plus demonstrations (exercises, force movements, reconnaissance flights). Why this is risky: psychological warfare can win bargaining leverage, but it can also slip into real conflict through misperception, miscalculation, or a credibility trap, when rhetoric escalates so far that backing down becomes politically costly. Add accidents (e.g., drone or airspace incidents), and the danger rises. Bottom line: keeping backchannels and mediators active (e.g., Oman, Qatar, Türkiye) matters, not to “solve” everything, but to prevent threats from turning into shots and to keep a negotiating track open. https://lnkd.in/dTVxdMsQ

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Iran Blocks Hundreds of Baha'i Students from University Course Selection Iran's national testing organization has blocked hundreds of Baha'i students from university admission by withholding their entrance exam results. The National Organization for Educational Testing displayed "under review" messages instead of test scores when Baha'i students tried to access their results online. Authorities also prevented them from selecting university courses, researcher Erfan Sabeti reported on X. Sabeti posted a screenshot showing the blocking message that appeared when students logged into the testing organization's website to view their national university entrance exam rankings and scores. The move affects hundreds of Baha'i students seeking admission to higher education during the current academic year. At least 129 Baha'i students were similarly excluded from universities last year, according to reports from rights groups monitoring the community. In previous years, the testing organization used "incomplete file" notifications to deny Baha'i students access to their exam results and university admission. A 2018 confidential decree from Iran's Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution mandated preventing Baha'is from entering universities and expelling any students later identified as Baha'i. Educational discrimination against Baha'is also extends to elementary and secondary levels, where many children face administrative and security pressures that force them to abandon their studies. Iran does not recognize the Baha'i faith as an official religion. The persecuted religious minority faces systematic restrictions on employment, education, and other aspects of public life. #bahaisofiran #persecutionofbahais #denialofeducation #HumanRightsViolations https://lnkd.in/gfe9qbSd

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The International Journal of Applied Operational Research (IJAOR) is an open access, double-blind, peer-reviewed journal established by Publication Office at Islamic Azad University of Lahijan that publishes high-quality, original papers in the field of operational research. Publishing with this journal is free of any charge for the authors. Issues covered in this journal are optimization methods, decision theory, stochastic models,  queueing systems, inventory and reliability, data mining, decision analysis, data envelopment analysis, forecasting, game theory, industrial engineering, logistics, mathematical modeling, optimization, project management, simulation, social network/transportation forecasting models, supply chain management, financial engineering, among other state-of-the-art issues. The International Journal of Applied Operational Research focuses on the following issues: Information technology and operations research theory and applications Effective use of scarce resources under dynamic and uncertain conditions Decision theory and analysis Data Envelopment Analysis Probabilistic and stochastic models Operations research techniques in finance and marketing Manufacturing and operations theory and practice Operations models in services Logistics and OR models and techniques Applications of operations research techniques Military and operations research models Operations research in public sector organizations Statistics modeling OR and telecommunication and networking Optimization in operations research Simulation Fuzzy sets and systems Discrete optimization Production inventory Heuristic Method Stochastic process Intiger programming Sequencing and scheduling

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We conducted a focused SPROUT mentorship session on Türkiye Scholarships to guide our mentees through undergraduate, graduate, and research opportunities in Türkiye. The session was led by Dr. Sheikh Mansoor Shafi, Assistant Professor at Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University, Türkiye, who provided a detailed, practical walkthrough of the Türkiye Scholarships application process. The discussion covered academic qualifications, research interests, social and voluntary activities, and how each component of the application is evaluated. Dr. Sheikh Mansoor Shafi shared valuable insights on crafting a strong, presenting a strong and coherent profile, understanding selection criteria, and avoiding common mistakes during the application process. Our mentees actively engaged throughout the session, reflecting SPROUT’s emphasis on interactive, clarity-driven learning. At SPROUT, an initiative of JK Scientists, we remain committed to expanding global academic awareness and equipping students with informed, practical guidance for international opportunities. We sincerely thank Dr. Sheikh Mansoor Shafi for sharing his time and expertise, and our mentees for their enthusiastic participation.

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