Category: 3. Business

Reuters

MENLO PARK, Calif., Dec. 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — PacBio (NASDAQ: PACB), a leading developer of high-quality, highly accurate sequencing solutions, announced today that management will be presenting at the 44th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference on Monday, January 12, 2026, at 10:30 AM PT (1:30 PM ET) in San Francisco, California.

A live webcast of the event can be accessed at the company’s investors page at investor.pacificbiosciences.com. A replay of the webcast will be available for at least 30 days following the event.

About PacBio

PacBio (NASDAQ: PACB) is a premier life science technology company that designs, develops, and manufactures advanced sequencing solutions to help scientists and clinical researchers resolve genetically complex problems. Our products and technologies, which include our HiFi long-read sequencing, address solutions across a broad set of research applications including human germline sequencing, plant and animal sciences, infectious disease and microbiology, oncology, and other emerging applications. For more information, please visit www.pacb.com and follow @PacBio.

PacBio products are provided for Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

Contacts

Investors:
ir@pacb.com

Media:
pr@pacb.com

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A spring break trip to the Kennedy Space Center 20 years ago set University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine alumnus Eiman Jahangir, MD, on a trajectory that eventually launched him into space. 

“I always had two passions,” says Dr. Jahangir, 45, now a professor of medicine and radiology and the director of the sections of general cardiology and cardio-oncology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. “It was medicine and it was space, and I was able to pursue the second passion once I became a doctor.” 

A 2005 graduate, he says the College of Medicine was the launchpad for both. 

On August 29, 2024, Dr. Jahangir was a member of a six-person team of commercial astronauts onboard Blue Origin’s New Shephard rocket for a 12-minute, sub-orbital flight that climbed approximately 70 miles into space before returning to earth. He was selected by MoonDAO, an organization that supports space exploration, from more than 2,200 applicants for the life-changing excursion. 

“I was the 704th person to ever go into space, and still less than 800 people, I think, have ever done it,” he says. “I was actually the first physician on a commercial spaceflight.” 

It was a wild ride, for sure. Here’s how Dr. Jahangir describes it. 

“It was surprisingly smooth going up; the rockets light up, and the whole inside of the capsule reflects the orange flame of the rocket,” he says. “It takes about seven seconds before the thing has enough power and thrust to lift off. So, you’re sitting on top of that rocket, you hear the countdown, it gets down to one and then zero, and then you hear the engine roar, and after seven seconds you just start lifting off into space.” 

“I think maybe it’s a little shaky, but you’re probably so excited that you don’t know it,” he continues. “It didn’t feel particularly shaky coming back down. It definitely sounded loud. You could hear kind of like the whooshing as you’re coming back into the atmosphere. And it felt like an elephant sitting right on my chest. And you’re just saying, ‘OK, let’s hope these parachutes open up.’” 

Dr. Jahangir is equally descriptive when he speaks of UT Health Science Center’s pivotal role in setting the course that led him to space. 

“In 2005, right before I was graduating medical school, my family and I went down to the Kennedy Space Center, and I was looking at the rockets, and it just kind of rekindled that interest and desire,” he says. “I ran back to the hotel room, looked online to see what the requirements were to become an astronaut, and realized I met the requirements because of my training at the University of Tennessee. By getting the medical degree, that was enough to be able to apply.” He waited until 2008, when the first application cycle became available, and applied, making it as far as the finals. 

In total, Dr. Jahangir has applied to NASA five times to become a U.S. astronaut and made it to the finals twice. 

Dr. Jahangir says his training in the College of Medicine equipped him to think independently and keep a level head and steady heart when faced with complex situations — all assets on his Blue Origin trip. 

“When I was in medical school, we did a lot of work at The Med (now Regional One Health). So, you had a lot of experience managing patients and figuring out complex situations, because people would come in who had not had medical care for a long time and they’d come in with just very progressed or complex diseases,” he explains.  

The proximity to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and opportunity to participate in research as a medical student helped guide him toward his specialty in cardio-oncology. 

“One of the biggest things that the University of Tennessee did, that I don’t think happens at all health science centers or medical schools, is it gave a very strong sense of independence in both learning and practicing as a student,” Dr. Jahangir says. “That independence leads to increased confidence. And that leads to, hopefully, becoming a better physician.” 

He says the College of Medicine also provided him with a group of friends who have stayed in touch, even 20 years since graduation. “I think it is very important that you have those people that can support you through good times and bad, tell you that maybe your idea is crazy, but still be there to lift you up,” Dr. Jahangir says. “And I think the University of Tennessee Health Science Center provided that, because it was very collegial environment, and it was a place that we could all learn together, work hard together, and build those connections and community together.” 

One friend from medical school, Joe Mobley, MD, MPH, a urologist and chief of staff at West Tennessee Healthcare – Henry County Medical Center in Paris, Tennessee, says he and Dr. Jahangir bonded early in medical school over outside activities that helped them de-stress. 

“Medical school can be challenging in and of itself, and for the most part, each of us was laser focused on the next step ahead: the next exam, the next lab, the next clinical task,” Dr. Mobley explains. “Despite this, Eiman had a variety of alternative interests and did communicate early on his love for space and a desire to be a future astronaut. 

“Beyond his initial space flight, he is using his intelligence, kindness, and charisma to share his passion and path with children and others who have high aspirations,” Dr. Mobley says. “He is the perfect role model for balancing a career, while still chasing your dreams and creating the life that you’ve dreamed of.” 

Back on terra firma in Nashville, Dr. Jahangir’s spaceflight has served as a vehicle for outreach to promote STEM education and careers in medicine. “I just got back from Brazil. We spent a week down there with a not-for-profit and went to hospitals with kids with cancer, and we did art with them. All that art is going to be sent up to space on a Soyuz rocket in November.” 

Dr. Jahangir worked for Blue Origin for six months after the spaceflight as an astronaut trainer and in Mission Control doing capsule communication. In addition to his clinical duties at Vanderbilt, he speaks to students, works with companies on aerospace technologies, and lectures on aerospace medicine. 

“It’s great, because it’s always been one of my goals to excite kids and motivate the next generation.” 

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NORTHBROOK, Ill., Dec. 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Stepan Company (NYSE: SCL) today announced that it has successfully closed the previously disclosed sale of its manufacturing assets located in Lake Providence, LA. This transaction follows Stepan’s most recent divestiture of its plant in the Philippines, representing the Company’s ongoing footprint optimization efforts and focus on core growth opportunities.

The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Corporate Profile

Stepan Company is a major manufacturer of specialty and intermediate chemicals used in a broad range of industries. Stepan is a leading merchant producer of surfactants, which are the key ingredients in consumer and industrial cleaning and disinfection compounds and in agricultural and oilfield solutions. The Company is also a leading supplier of polyurethane polyols used in the expanding thermal insulation market, and CASE (Coatings, Adhesives, Sealants, and Elastomers) industries.

Headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois, Stepan utilizes a network of modern production facilities located in North and South America, Europe and Asia. 

The Company’s common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol SCL. For more information about Stepan Company please visit the Company online at www.stepan.com 

More information about Stepan’s sustainability program can be found on the Sustainability page at www.stepan.com 

Certain information in this news release consists of forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements include statements about Stepan Company’s plans, objectives, strategies, financial performance and outlook, trends, the amount and timing of future cash distributions, prospects or future events and involve known and unknown risks that are difficult to predict. As a result, Stepan Company’s actual financial results, performance, achievements or prospects may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as “may,” “could,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “seek,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “guidance,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue,” “likely,” “will,” “would,” “should,” “illustrative” and variations of these terms and similar expressions, or the negative of these terms or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Stepan Company and its management based on their knowledge and understanding of the business and industry, are inherently uncertain. These statements are not guarantees of future performance, and stockholders should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

There are a number of risks, uncertainties and other important factors, many of which are beyond Stepan Company’s control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this news release. Such risks, uncertainties and other important factors include, among other factors, the risks, uncertainties and factors described in Stepan Company’s Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and Form 8-K reports and exhibits to those reports, and include (but are not limited to) risks and uncertainties related to accidents, unplanned production shutdowns or disruptions in manufacturing facilities; reduced demand due to customer product reformulations or new technologies; our inability to successfully develop or introduce new products; compliance with laws; our ability to identify suitable acquisition candidates and successfully complete and integrate acquisitions; global competition; volatility of raw material and energy costs and supply; disruptions in transportation or significant changes in transportation costs; downturns in certain industries and general economic downturns; international business risks, including currency exchange rate fluctuations, legal restrictions and taxes; unfavorable resolution of litigation against us; maintaining and protecting intellectual property rights; our ability to access capital markets; global political, military, security or other instability; costs related to expansion or other capital projects; interruption or breaches of information technology systems; our ability to retain executive management and key personnel; and our debt covenants.

These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date hereof, and Stepan Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE Stepan Company

The Maritimes suffered through intense drought conditions this summer that left farmers with lower crop yields and, in some cases. feeling already set back as they look ahead to the coming year.

Among those who saw lower yields is Kent Coates, owner of Nature’s Route Farm near Sackville in southeastern New Brunswick.

“We’ve got about half as much storage crop going into the storage facilities as we would have normally had or as we wanted,” said Coates, whose farm produces carrots and potatoes, among other vegetables,

Coates said he’s used to relying on 20 to 25 millimetres of rain a week from mid-June to mid-September, but this year the area didn’t get 30 mm that entire stretch.

In what proved a difficult twist, Coates had a record year for sales, and he couldn’t fulfil them all.

“We’ve got a whole bunch of new clients on board, and now we don’t have enough product to hold us through the winter. So it’s rather unfortunate.”

Elsewhere in the Maritimes, potato growers took a hit.

Greg Donald, the general manager of the P.E.I. Potato Board, said that across the Island, yield was down between 15 and 20 per cent and for some farms, 30 per cent.

“We had very little rain and it was hot, dry, windy and it was, I’ll say, a stark reminder how vulnerable we are … when we get conditions like that,” Donald said.

Look at new year

Coates hopes for a better 2026 season but having to constantly irrigate has set him back for next year.

He didn’t get the time to cultivate his farm, meaning the ground isn’t ready to go for next season.

He’ll also start with no vegetables in storage for customers. 

“We’re anticipating 2026 to be much more challenging to start off than 2025. We didn’t have enough time to get some strategic projects done last summer because we were watering so much.”

Coates said the water table is low after he used irrigation ponds on his crops. Half a week’s worth of water is left in one pond, and the other pond is still below where it should be.

For P.E.I., Donald said about 10 per cent of potato crops are irrigated.

He said more potatoes could be irrigated, but the startup cost for a system could be hundreds of thousands of dollars, and there’s no guarantee of usefulness.

“Some years, we don’t need irrigation and other years we do — like last summer — and other years, you know, you only use a little bit,” said Donald.

Some squash varieties ‘did pretty good’

Nova Scotia farmer Danny Dill made some observations during the drought conditions in Windsor.

Dill, the owner of Dill Family Farm, said different varieties of gourds and squash with shorter maturity time fared better.

“Some did pretty good and what I noticed, which may be a trend for next year, the future if we’re going to go through this, is some of these varieties only take 85, 90 days to maturity,” he said.

Varieties that take more than 110 days to mature didn’t fare as well. He thinks it’s because the shorter-growth plants established themselves better in the soil before the drought came.

The 61-year-old Dill hasn’t seen farming conditions this dry in his life, and it especially affected the giant pumpkins he grows.

“They only got about half the size they usually do … I guess that they were in the 500 to 700-pound range, where they could be 1,200 pounds or bigger.”

Indiana, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and Bridging Pennsylvania Constructors (BPC) are announcing an upcoming traffic switch on I-80 westbound from the median side to the completed outside portion of the bridge over Jenks Street in support of the I-80 North Fork Bridges Project in Jefferson County.

The traffic switch is weather permitting and is scheduled to occur on January 7, 2026, at 7:00 AM.  As the switch is weather dependent, it may be delayed to later that week or into the following week if necessary.

Motorists traveling through the area should expect changes in traffic patterns and are reminded to follow all posted signage and use caution while driving through the work zone.

This project is part of the ongoing PennDOT Major Bridges P3 Program. Bridging Pennsylvania Developers – I (BPD-I) is led jointly by Shikun & Binui Ltd and Macquarie Capital as Lead Project Developers and Equity Members. The Bridging Pennsylvania Constructors (BPC) joint venture (JV) consortium includes the design & construction expertise of S&B USA Construction (Pittsburgh, PA) and FCC Construction. S&B USA Construction is the construction arm of Shikun & Binui Ltd and is also the parent company of Fay, S&B USA Construction (Pittsburgh, PA), one of the four BPC Major Bridge subcontractors. Other Major Bridge subcontractors include the H&K Group (Skippack, PA), Kokosing Construction Company (Pittsburgh, PA), Wagman Heavy Civil (York, PA), and Lead Designer, Michael Baker International (Pittsburgh, PA).

Motorists can check conditions on major roadway miles by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information, and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras.

511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional Twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website.

Subscribe to PennDOT news in in Armstrong, Butler, Clarion, Indiana, and Jefferson counties at www.penndot.pa.gov/District10.

Find PennDOT news on X, Facebook, and Instagram.

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Media Contact: Tina Gibbs, chgibbs@pa.gov or 724-357-2829