Flood-Risk Communication: An engineer argues that “100-year flood” language can mislead the public into thinking disasters are rare and scheduled, calling for clearer post-flood messaging. Academic Leadership & STEM: Pellissippi State dean Merve Kester Thomas joins a Tennessee Board of Regents leadership program with Vanderbilt to tackle real-world higher-ed challenges. Energy & Software Infrastructure: DUG Technology wins a US$9.3m software and HPC contract with a national oil company, signaling continued demand for high-performance engineering tools. Connected Vehicles: Tata Communications and Tata Motors’ Sierra.ev bring in-built 5G connectivity via a connected-vehicle platform aimed at faster over-the-air updates and safer remote diagnostics. Biotech & Manufacturing: NATCO Pharma invests US$14m in eGenesis to advance genome-engineered transplantable organs, while Aurigene secures a long-term manufacturing deal with a global drugmaker. Quantum Leap Funding: NSF renews Illinois-led HQAN with US$37.5m to push modular quantum computing toward industry-ready pathways. Defense Industrial Base: India’s defense ministry approves DRDO conventional missile technology transfers to private industry to boost domestic production. AI Operations: Dynatrace reports SRE and platform teams are taking on broader AI reliability and oversight roles in production. Smart Parking M&A: Nayax plans to acquire IPS Group to expand cashless parking and curb management reach. Robotics Education: Georgia Southern unveils a humanoid robot for hands-on research in human-robot interaction and autonomous navigation.