Gitanjali Rao Honoured as the inaugural Recipient of the Stephen Hawking Medal Junior STARMUS cofounders, Garik Israelian and Brian May, introduce the Stephen Hawking Medal Junior Category to Inspire Young Innovators (LINK)STARMUS Celebrates Its US Debut at The Kennedy Center with Panel Discussions, Performances, the Junior Medal Announcement, the Presentation of STARMUS La Palma, and the US Première of the STARMUS VI Film (LINK)

WASHINGTON, April 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — STARMUS Festival proudly announced the launch of the Stephen Hawking Medal Junior Category during the STARMUS x Earth To Space launch event last night at The Kennedy Center. Gitanjali Rao was named the first recipient of this prestigious award. This new category of this prestigious award created by the late Professor Stephen Hawking and STARMUS Festival, represents his last legacy to promote science communication among the younger generation.

Introducing the Stephen Hawking Medal Junior Category

The Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication, established in 2015, honoured individuals who excelled in bridging the gap between science and the public through various disciplines such as music, arts, and cinema. The Junior Category aimed to recognize and encourage young innovators who demonstrated exceptional talent and dedication to science communication. Like the Stephen Hawking Medal, the Junior Medal will recognize such dedication through the categories of music, cinema, or literature.

In its inaugural year, the STARMUS Advisory Board selected a profile that perfectly embodies the type of inspiring young individual deserving of this prestigious recognition. Commencing in 2026, the full nominations process will be open to educational centres worldwide, including universities and secondary schools. These institutions will be invited to nominate their most outstanding students, aged 14 to 20, as candidates.

Winners will be awarded the Stephen Hawking Medal and will have the unique opportunity to enrol in a 4 to 6-week internship at a selected science or arts institution, sponsored by STARMUS and the Stephen Hawking Medal partners. During this internship, they will work on their own scientific communications project, which will be published by STARMUS and the Stephen Hawking Medal collaborators and endorsed by a past winner of the Medal.

STARMUS will announce soon the world-class institutions and centres that will collaborate with the Junior Medal Category.

Gitanjali Rao: The First Recipient

Gitanjali Rao, an American inventor, author, and STEM advocate, was selected as the inaugural recipient of the Stephen Hawking Medal Junior. Rao, known for her groundbreaking inventions and contributions to science at a young age, embodied the spirit of innovation and curiosity that Professor Hawking championed. She was named TIME’s first “Kid of the Year” in 2020 for her work in science and technology. Gitanjali is also the inventor of “Epione”—a device for early diagnosis of prescription opioid addiction using genetic engineering, and “Kindly”—an anti-cyberbullying service using AI and Natural Language processing, which is now a UNICEF “Digital Public Good” service available worldwide.

“Being the first recipient of the Stephen Hawking Medal Junior is an absolute honour, but it also comes with a massive responsibility,” said Rao. “I recognize that I am a trailblazer for thousands of young people beyond me who also have the passion to make a difference in our communities, especially girls of colour.”

Garik Israelian, STARMUS co-founder and Director, celebrated this huge step for the Stephen Hawking Medal in approaching younger generations with the Junior Category. “Stephen always shared that he became interested in science being inspired by his professor Dikran Tahta, who opened his eyes to mathematics and changed his life. Since the esteemed STARMUS Advisory Board and Professor Hawking created this Medal in 2015, we all shared the same dream: to inspire the younger generations, serving as a motivational bridge with science through recognizing exceptional contributions in science communications. We’ve awarded such iconic figures of our time such as Jane Goodall, Hans Zimmer, Christopher Nolan, Buzz Aldrin, David Attenborough, Brian May, The Big Bang Theory, Brian Eno among many other internationally renowned figures of science, space, music, and the film industry. It was a natural step for the medal to create a dedicated category for emerging talents who will actually be responsible for the future.”

“The STARMUS Advisory Board chose Gitanjali Rao as the first recipient because of her exceptional talent, dedication to science communication, and her inspiring role as a young innovator” added Professor Israelian. “The Medal reflects not only Stephen Hawking’s amazing dedication to science communication but also the STARMUS spirit. As our dearest Jane Goodall -founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and STARMUS Board member- said, ‘STARMUS brings together people who can link head with heart’.'”

Brian May, Queen lead guitarist and STARMUS cofounder, celebrated the launch of the Stephen Hawking Medal Junior with these words: “We believe this is going to make a difference in the future by encouraging young minds, young artists, young scientists, and young communicators. We hope that the next generation will be inspired to bring art and science even closer together and make this world a better place.”

Celebrating STARMUS’ US Debut at The Kennedy Center

This announcement was made at the STARMUS x Earth To Space event, a two-day program held as part of the Earth To Space Festival at the prestigious Kennedy Center. The event, being held on April 1-2, 2025, featured an impressive lineup of Nobel Prize-winning scientists, astronauts, and explorers, including former NASA astronauts Nicole Stott and Frank Lee Culbertson Jr., Nobel Laureate Kip Thorne and artist Lia Halloran, world-renowned best-selling author Mario Livio, President of the US National Academy of Sciences Marcia McNutt, renowned astrophysicist Eva Villaver, quantum mind reader David Zambuka and SETI pioneer Jill Tarter.

Attendees also enjoyed the spectacular ‘Explosive Universe’ concert by renowned musicians from the STARMUS All Stars, such as Derek Sherinian, Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal, Tony Franklin, and Vinny Appice. This concert was a highlight of the event, showcasing the fusion of science and music that STARMUS is known for. The celebration of the beauty and mystery of the universe promised to be an unforgettable experience for all attendees.

STARMUS has announced its next edition, ‘STARMUS La Palma, The Island of Stars,’ featuring a short preview of the STARMUS La Palma documentary. This event will be held on the island of La Palma from April 25 to 28, 2025, with a focus on protecting the night skies in collaboration with the Starlight Foundation. The program will include STARMUS Talks with over 40 renowned speakers, such as Jane Goodall, Nobel Laureates, astronauts, and other scientific luminaries. The ‘Sonic Universe’ concert will showcase the STARMUS All Stars with special guest Glenn Hughes, Oscar and 15 Latin Grammy winner Jorge Drexler, and the Spanish pop-rock band Efecto Pasillo, among others. Additionally, there will be two STARMUS Camps and the educational project ‘Interscholar,’ aimed at engaging thousands of young students with science, music, and space.”

The event also included the US première of the STARMUS VI film, which showcases the most exciting moments of the 2022 STARMUS Festival in Armenia. This film perfectly captures the essence of STARMUS and the unique STARMUS experience, merging the gathering of the most brilliant minds and talented artists of our time with the local culture.

Linked Videos:

•  This is STARMUS _ LINK

•  The Stephen Hawking Medal _LINK

About STARMUS 

Created by Garik Israelian PhD, astrophysicist at the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands (IAC) and Sir Brian May PhD, astrophysicist and the lead guitarist of the iconic rock band Queen, Starmus is a festival of science, art and music that features presentations from astronauts, cosmonauts, Nobel Prize winners and prominent figures from various scientific disciplines and musical backgrounds. Starmus brings together Nobel laureates, eminent researchers, astronauts, thinkers and artists to share their knowledge and experiences, as we search for answers to the great questions of our time. 

The STARMUS Advisory Board members are: Jane Goodall, Brian May (co-founder), Garik Israelian (Director and co-founder), Peter Gabriel, Emmanuelle Charpentier, Richard Dawkins, Chris Hadfield, Jill Tarter, Steven Chu, and David Eicher.

Home of the Stephen Hawking Medal 

Stephen Hawking and Alexei Leonov, together with Brian May and Garik Israelian, worked to create the Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication in 2015, which is awarded to individuals and teams who have made significant contributions to science communication. Previous Stephen Hawking Medal winners include Dr. Jane Goodall DBE, David Attenborough, Christopher Nolan, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Jean-Michel Jarre, Brian May, Laurie Anderson, and the Apollo 11 documentary. 

For more information visit Starmus.com   

STARMUS Communications   
Brezo Rodríguez  —  brezo@starmus.com   / press@starmus.com  / +34 678 255 196 

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VOORHEES, N.J., April 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Comar, a trusted U.S. supplier of innovative packaging solutions, proudly introduces its latest product family: Glass Ball Tip Dropper Assemblies. This premium solution combines precision, elegance, and versatility to enhance the application of cosmetic and beauty products.

Designed to deliver both functionality and luxury, Comar’s new Glass Ball Tip Droppers are available in two distinct glass ball tip designs, allowing brands to choose the perfect look and feel for their product lines. With customizable closure colors and optional overshells, clients have endless options to create eye-catching, standout packaging that aligns with their product’s brand identity.

The Bent Ball Tip Dropper Assemblies are available in pipette lengths ranging from 7×50 mm to 7×110 mm; the Straight Ball Tip Dropper Assemblies are available in pipette lengths ranging from 7×34 mm to 7×100 mm, offering compatibility with a wide variety of bottle sizes. This flexibility empowers brands to achieve consistent presentation across their product range while ensuring precise application with each use.

As a leading U.S. supplier, Comar prioritizes dependable service, unwavering product quality, and quicker lead times — enabling customers to bring their products to market faster and with greater confidence.

“Our Glass Ball Tip Dropper Assemblies are designed to meet the growing demand for sophisticated, premium packaging from a domestic supplier in the beauty and cosmetics industry,” said Charles Retif, Senior Product Manager at Comar. “We are excited to offer a solution that combines elegance, precision, and performance to help our customers differentiate their products on the shelf.”

About Comar
Comar, headquartered in Voorhees, NJ, has 11 strategic manufacturing locations and employs a host of plastic molding technologies, including injection molding, injection blow molding, injection stretch blow molding, and extrusion blow molding, which are complemented by a full suite of value-added services. For 75+ years, Comar has partnered with clients to launch high-impact packaging and medical solutions —transforming them from concept to reality, where they can positively impact the world around us. Comar, earning a Silver Medal, ranks among the top 15% of companies assessed by EcoVadis, underscoring its commitment to environmental, social, and ethical responsibility. Comar is majority-owned by Morgan Stanley Capital Partners.

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SOURCE Comar

COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Triple Whale, the leading intelligence platform for brands of all sizes, today unveiled the next generation of its platform — agent-powered intelligence built to help brands make smarter and faster decisions across their entire business.

The launch marks a major milestone in Triple Whale’s vision to help brands grow more efficiently, by transforming overwhelming data into strategic insights and automated action that ultimately drive profitable growth.

“The operating landscape for brands today has never been more complex — or more full of opportunity,” said Maxx Blank, co-founder and COO of Triple Whale. “With AI agents tailored to optimize customer acquisition, conversion, and retention — and even business operations — we’re not just giving brands tools. We’re giving them superpowers to move faster, spend smarter, and scale with confidence.”

Highlights from today’s launch include:

Moby Agents
Triple Whale introduced the first AI agents designed to accelerate every part of a brand’s business—including customer acquisition, conversion, and retention, plus business and inventory decisions. Moby Agents analyze massive volumes of data at scale, detect anomalies before they turn into revenue risks, deliver insights that would have gone unnoticed, and make real-time recommendations to optimize for profitability — saving brands hours of manual analysis every week, and providing insights that never would have been possible before.

A fully re-architected data platform
At the foundation of Triple Whale lies a fully-managed, AI-optimized data warehouse with real-time ingestion, universal schema, raw SQL access, and reverse ETL support. A new Data In API feature allows brands to future-proof their analytics by piping in data from any source — from Walmart orders to post-purchase surveys to TV spend.

New tools for customer acquisition 
From AI agents focused on acquisition strategies (like cross-platform creative analysis), to new advanced measurement models like Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM) and Incrementality Testing, marketers can now easily make faster decisions, backed by data.

With these enhancements, Triple Whale now offers three of the most advanced marketing measurement methods in one easy-to-use platform — empowering brands to quickly pinpoint which tactics and campaigns drive performance across channels and turn strategy into science. And with new ad platform controls, they can act on those decisions in real time — directly from Triple Whale.

The company also announced new tools to significantly improve ad platform targeting. This includes the expansion of their CAPI enrichment tool — Sonar Optimize — to integrate with Google and, coming soon, Sonar Optimize for TikTok. Triple Whale is also building a groundbreaking native analytics integration with Meta that automatically sends a brand’s Triple Whale attribution data to Meta’s optimization engine.

Conversion Add-On 
New advanced web analytics tools like Path & Funnel Analysis, Page Speed Monitoring, Site Search Analysis, and Custom Events, plus CRO-focused Moby Agents, make it easy to optimize site performance and identify potential conversion improvements.

Retention Add-On 
Turn anonymous traffic into high-value repeat customers with enhanced segmentation, Klaviyo Flow enrichment via Sonar Send, and Retention Agents that analyze email and SMS performance for ongoing optimization. Early users of Sonar Send are seeing a 22% average increase in Flow revenue.

Expanding integrations ecosystem 
Triple Whale announced nine new one-click integrations, including AppLovin, Reddit, LinkedIn Ads, StackAdapt, Rakuten, and Impact Radius — giving brands deeper insights across more channels and campaigns.

Triple Whale was founded with a clear mission: make it easier to run a profitable brand.

From the very beginning, AI has been at the heart of that vision — not as a feature, but as the foundation. What began as a single source of truth with advanced attribution and measurement models has evolved into a fully AI-native intelligence platform, now trusted by over 30,000 brands and 2,000 agencies worldwide.

“Triple Whale is no longer just for analyzing performance,” said Jenna Crane, VP of Marketing at Triple Whale. “It’s a command center — with agents that help you make better decisions, faster.”

Expanded early access to Moby Agents opens today, with 300 spots for brands and 200 for agencies. To request a demo, visit triplewhale.com.

About Triple Whale
Triple Whale is the agent-powered intelligence platform built for faster, more confident decisions across your entire brand. Powered by AI agents that sit on top of a fully-managed data warehouse, proprietary identity resolution technology that uncovers rich customer behaviors other platforms miss, and powerful tools for customer acquisition, conversion, and retention, Triple Whale turns complex data into clear guidance for profitable growth.

More than 30,000 innovative brands like True Classic, OUAI, and OLIPOP trust Triple Whale to scale more efficiently.

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