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EXXONMOBIL BATON ROUGE TRAILBLAZER TO BE NAMESAKE OF UNIVERSITY ExxonMobil’s longest-serving current employee, Barbara Beckmann, committed a $5 million estate gift to her alma mater, the University of Mississippi, to support high-quality higher education for future generations. With this gift, the University plans to call for the Department of Engineering to bear her name. For nearly six decades, Beckmann has been a trailblazer for women in STEM as the first female to graduate from the School of Engineering at Ole Miss in 1961. In 2021, she celebrated her 60th anniversary working at ExxonMobil. The Barbara Kerr Beckmann Department of Chemical Engineering Endowment will provide monetary resources to support quality teaching, research, and financial assistance for future generations of engineers. ■ umfoundation.com/beckmann
CVS HEALTH OPENS NEW WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER CVS Health announced the opening of a new workforce development and community resource center designed to help the Baton Rouge community overcome employment barriers and increase access to local healthcare services. Located off Essen Lane, the facility includes a Workforce Innovation & Talent Center (WITC), which offers comprehensive career skills training and job placement that includes a CVS Pharmacy mock store, simulated pharmacy environment, and authentic, hands-on externships at local CVS Pharmacy locations. This facility also includes a new Community Resource Center (CRC) supported by Aetna Better Health of Louisiana. The combination of WITC/CRC marks the first time the company has co-located these critical community resources, bridging the gap between career training and health services that help overcome impediments to stable employment. ■ cvshealth.com
JURASSIC QUEST UNLEASHES EPIC EXPERIENCE Experience North America’s most popular can’t-miss prehistoric adventure at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center from June 21-23. Jurassic Quest provides a three- day, unforgettable experience, transporting families through 165 million years of the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods to roam among true-to-life versions of the creatures that once ruled the Earth. This event is filled with hands-on activities and educational fun for kids of all ages. For these migrations, kids can face off with the notoriously fast Jurassic Quest Utahraptors for “Raptor Run” races, and “Rope-a-Raptor.” Take your family on “The Quest,” a self-guided scavenger hunt activity where little paleontologists can become Jr. Dinosaur Trainers! This is an event you won’t want to miss. For one weekend only. ■ jurassicquest.com
Lawmakers in numerous countries have expressed concerns that TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, may expose private user data. The U.S. government in an attempt to protect user data on TikTok, plans to pass legislation to ban the social media platform unless it is sold to a government-approved buyer. Currently, more than 30 states have joined the federal government in the motion to ban TikTok on government-issued devices. Many colleges and other schools have the social media app blocked from campus Wi-Fi networks. President Biden recently signed into law legislation that gives ByteDance up to a year to divest from TikTok. To protect your data and privacy, you can employ the same practices used to protect yourself on other social media platforms, such as not allowing apps the permission to access your location or contacts. ■ nytimes.com TIKTOK MIGHT BE BANNED, HERE’S WHAT WE KNOW
10 JUNE 2024 | BRPARENTS.COM
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