Five MCPS students were recently recognized with Certificates of Accomplishment for the Princeton Prize in Race Relations. The five are:
Featured photo courtesy of MCPS: Pictured left to right, Ila Benson, Suhani Aryal, Jaiden Burney and Maahe Kunvar.
Congratulations to Grace Jennings of Winston Churchill High School, and Etana Heda of Springbrook High School, for winning the 2023 Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association’s (MPSSAA) Minds in Motion Scholar-Athlete Scholarships.
Grace participates in bocce, swimming and diving, track and field, and field hockey, where she serves as team captain. She was one of two student-athletes to represent Churchill on the Student-Athlete Leadership Council and was named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association National Academic Squad. Etana participates in cross country, indoor track, and track and field, serving as team captain. He has received nine Minds in Motion Awards.
Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown announced last week that consumers who were misled by TurboTax’s owner Intuit into paying for free tax services will begin receiving checks from a $141 million multistate settlement announced in May 2022.
All 50 states and the District of Columbia signed onto the agreement. Approximately 4.4 million consumers nationwide will receive checks in the mail from the settlement. Maryland will receive $2,188,255.93 for 71,950 consumers who were unfairly charged. Eligible consumers will be contacted by email about the settlement. Checks will be mailed throughout May 2023.
Montgomery County, MD is commonly known as being a suburb of the nation’s capital, but what might surprise some is that it is also home to a thriving biotech ecosystem. With over 350 life sciences companies, including global brands like AstraZeneca, United Therapeutics, and Novavax, Montgomery County anchors the third largest biophama hub in the U.S., behind only Boston and San Francisco.
Running annually in Washington D.C. for over 25 years, World Vaccine Congress attracts an international audience from over 80 countries and convenes more than 3,000 people to learn about the latest trends, research, and technologies in the vaccine industry. This year, Montgomery County took center stage, with a featured session on the extensive Biologics Value Chain in the County, as well as a session during which County Executive Marc Elrich spoke about the extensive resources available to companies here, and an exhibit space showcasing these resources.
A Complete Biologics Value Chain in One Region
One of the defining strengths of Montgomery County is its ability to support the full lifecycle of biologics, all the way from early research to large-scale manufacturing. During the panel discussion, moderated by Dr. Stefanie Trop, Director of Life Sciences at the Maryland Department of Commerce, local leaders emphasized that the region’s strength lies in its network of partners who work collaboratively across discovery, development, testing, and production. Panelists from companies in all stages of the value chain spectrum included Dr. Andrew Lees, Founder of Fina Biosolutions, Benjamin Moutier, Senior Vice-President, Vaccines and Immune Therapies at AstraZeneca, Dr. Helen Sabzevari President & CEO of Precigen, and Dr. Frederick Holtsberg, Chief Scientific Officer of Integrated BioTherapeutics.
This end-to-end capability in close geographical proximity gives companies a unique advantage and is rare to find in other markets, even established ones like San Francisco and Boston. In fact, only a handful of places worldwide offer the combination of infrastructure, expertise, and collaboration found in Montgomery County and if diversity, education and population density are taken into consideration – then Montgomery County standouts even more.
“Gaithersburg is one of the six places in the world where we can do what we’re doing,” explained Benjamin Moutier, Senior Vice-President, Vaccines and Immune Therapies, AstraZeneca. “We have the right partners at every step of the value chain [in Montgomery County].”
A Strong Partnership Network
Biotech breakthroughs rarely happen in isolation. They depend on strong partnerships between private companies, local and state governments, academic institutions, and workforce training organizations. Montgomery County has intentionally cultivated these connections, making collaboration and coordination defining characteristics of its life sciences ecosystem.
Dr. Frederick Holtsberg, Chief Scientific Officer at IBT Bioservices, a full service CRO offering clinical & preclinical contract research services, says the company’s close partnerships between them and local stakeholders have been crucial to its success. “As a Rockville-based company, we’re grateful for the partnership and support from city, County, and state leaders,” explained Dr. Holtsberg. “These programs have helped fuel our growth, and we’re excited about the continued momentum of our community.” (more…)
Per MCPD: Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – 3rd District Investigations Section are asking for the public’s assistance in locating Ralph Handel Caby, a missing 66-year-old from Silver Spring.
Caby was last seen on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, at approximately 5:30 p.m., in the 8800 block of Piney Branch Rd. Caby is approximately 5-feet, 6-inches tall and weighs 147 pounds. He has brown eyes and black and grey hair. He was last seen wearing a peach-colored shirt, green pants and black Crocs. Police and family are concerned for his welfare.
Program Overview
This 6 week Saturday tennis clinic is designed for middle school players who want to learn and improve their tennis skills in a fun and supportive environment. Players will build confidence on the court while developing strong fundamentals and enjoying the game with other students.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Montgomery County Police are offering a reward of up to $15,000 for information leading to the arrest of individuals that stole seven pistols and five rifles from Atlantic Guns (15813 Frederick Road) in Rockville in November.
Per the ATF: The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division and Montgomery County Police Department are offering a combined reward of up to $15,000 for information leading to the arrest of individuals responsible for burglaries and attempted burglaries of federal firearms licensees (FFLs).
Shirley Yuan, second grade teacher and team leader at Flora M. Singer Elementary School in Silver Spring, is the winner of this year’s Shirley J. Lowrie “Thank You for Teaching” Award. Additional information below, courtesy of MCPS:
A 21-year veteran of MCPS, Yuan is described as a master of teaching. She has a calm and unique way of explaining concepts to her students in a way they fully understand. She naturally differentiates instruction to meet the needs of all learners without creating educational disparity. She is constantly coming up with new ways to present the curriculum to ensure all students are learning, and empowers students to find alternate ways to demonstrate their understanding.
Seventeen MCPS students from seven high schools have been awarded National Merit $2,500 scholarships financed by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. The students are among 44 high school seniors in Maryland to be selected in the latest group of National Merit Scholarship Program recipients. The scholars were selected from a pool of more than 15,000 finalists, and will receive a one-time award of $2,500 for post-secondary education.
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) was established in 1955 to honor scholastically talented youth and encourage academic excellence at all levels of education. The scholarships are privately funded by NMSC, and are underwritten by more than 400 independent corporate and college sponsors.
This week (May 8th), Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) contractors began resurfacing Parklawn Drive in North Bethesda. Crews will be working on weekdays from 9AM to 4PM, resurfacing all lanes of Parklawn Drive between Randolph Road and the CSX Rail bridge (just East of Nebel Street).
Montgomery County-based M. Luis Construction Co., Inc. is performing the work. Crews will be removing the top layer of asphalt and paving a new asphalt surface on top of the existing base course. Work is expected to wrap up in June, as long as the weather cooperates, according to the Montgomery County Department of Transportation.
The department also snagged three Awards of Distinction in the international competition that honors excellence in communications. Montgomery Parks, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), won four Communicator Awards for creative excellence in digital, video, design, and print communications. The 29th Annual Communicator Awards received around 3,000 entries and is considered the largest and most competitive international awards program honoring communications professionals.
Montgomery Parks received an Award of Excellence, the competition’s highest honor, for the Department’s work educating, informing, and engaging audiences through social media. The department also received three Awards of Distinction for the countywide trail map, an e-newsletter and HR recruitment videos. Other winners include Bank of America, PBS, AARP, Groove Jones, George Mason University and Pepsico.
Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County residents who have felt deceived or taken advantage of during a business transaction can turn to the Montgomery County Office of Consumer Protection (OCP) for advice and assistance. OCP and its staff of experts on various matters can help explain complicated terms of a business transaction or get involved when a resident feels they are the victim of deceptive business practices, communication barriers or have experienced a situation when they were treated unfairly by a merchant who does not want to resolve the matter.
Spring is a time that brings out a regular trend of deceptive or fraudulent vendors, especially regarding work to be done around homes. OCP is prepared to help.
Per Montgomery County: The winners of the Montgomery County Commission for Women’s (CFW) sixth annual “Girl Power Contest” have been selected. The contest asked entrants to write/illustrate their thoughts on giving advice to the six new female members of the County Council “to make sure our community is a place where women and girls can feel safe and encouraged.” The winners are Natalie Jean (adult category), Morgen Thompson (high school), Mya Twyman (middle school) and Colette Jaksic (elementary school).
The Girl Power Contest ran from March 1-30 in celebration of Women’s History Month. The contestants were asked to address the following question: “We now have six women on the County Council. What advice would you give them to make sure our community is a place where women and girls can feel safe and encouraged?”