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NASA's Quantum Lab Aboard Space Station Gets Chilly Upgrade
PASADENA, California, June 17 (TNSres) -- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory issued the following news:
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NASA's Quantum Lab Aboard Space Station Gets Chilly Upgrade
Upgraded hardware will allow the Cold Atom Lab to set new records in quantum physics and help develop new technologies.
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station have switched on NASA's newly upgraded Cold Atom Lab, a one-of-a-kind facility designed to improve how scientists explore the fundamental workings of matter and develop new quantum technologies. By leveraging the unique environment of microgravity in space, the
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PASADENA, California, June 17 (TNSres) -- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory issued the following news:
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NASA's Quantum Lab Aboard Space Station Gets Chilly Upgrade
Upgraded hardware will allow the Cold Atom Lab to set new records in quantum physics and help develop new technologies.
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station have switched on NASA's newly upgraded Cold Atom Lab, a one-of-a-kind facility designed to improve how scientists explore the fundamental workings of matter and develop new quantum technologies. By leveraging the unique environment of microgravity in space, thelab can accomplish cutting-edge science impossible to do anywhere else.
Quantum science is the study of matter at the smallest scales, like atoms, electrons, and single particles of light. While it's easy to imagine atoms as billiard balls bouncing off one another, they also exhibit wave-like behavior, can exist simultaneously in two places at once, and may even pass through one another.
About the size of a minifridge and operated from Earth, the Cold Atom Lab chills atoms to temperatures below minus 459 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 237 degrees Celsius). At this extreme cold, just above absolute zero, atoms form a large quantum object called a Bose Einstein condensate, or BEC, a collection of matter waves that is a fifth state of matter beyond solids, liquids, gases, and plasma. This object follows the rules of quantum mechanics despite being much larger than subatomic particles, and the microgravity of low Earth orbit helps make the waves even larger.
"At the coldest temperatures, matter behaves drastically different from anything we have experienced," said Jason Williams, project scientist for Cold Atom Lab at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which built the facility. "The wavelike nature of matter dominates, and ultracold matter can behave in ways that are not only unexpected, but that also enable extremely precise measurements of time, gravity, and motion. The lab has lots of tools -- especially with this latest upgrade -- to let us probe the nature of the universe."
The project supports five international teams studying fundamental physics. It also tests the space-readiness of quantum tools that could support future Earth science and space exploration missions.
How it works
The heart of the Cold Atom Lab is a complex set of instruments called its science module. An upgraded module launched on April 11 as part of a Commercial Resupply Services mission to the space station, enabling new kinds of experiments.
For each experiment, a strip of rubidium or potassium metal is heated to as high as 750 F (400 C) -- hot enough to form a gas within the facility's vacuum chamber. Lasers tuned to specific frequencies are then fired at the gas, draining the energy from these atoms, and cooling them by slowing them down. Once this gas has completed the laser-cooling stage, a magnetic trap captures and holds the gas in place. Through a series of complex techniques, the laboratory reduces an atom cloud's energy further, bringing it close to a standstill and maximizing its time in microgravity.
While facilities for studying ultracold gases exist on Earth, the Cold Atom Lab can study quantum gases in microgravity for longer periods of time and at even lower temperatures. Conducting these experiments in low gravity allows scientists to study larger quantum waves that also interact for longer times with gravity. To harness these benefits, the Cold Atom Lab essentially shrinks an atom physics lab, typically the size of an entire room filled with lasers and tabletop mirrors, to fit within an experiment rack aboard the space station.
"As the first project to create Bose-Einstein condensates in orbit, we're demonstrating that we can make quantum technology work reliably in space," said Ethan Elliott, deputy project scientist for Cold Atom Lab at JPL. "In the previous century, there was a quantum revolution that led to lasers, cellphones, and MRIs for medical imaging. We're performing quantum 2.0 -- direct manipulation of large quantum states -- and we hope for similar gains in quantum tech by advancing this science in orbit."
The latest upgrade is the fourth since the Cold Atom Lab arrived at the space station in 2018. Key improvements include a newly designed magnetic trap that changes the shape of the quantum gas clouds, allowing scientists to test different properties related to their atoms. The upgrade also features redesigned metal strips that act as sources for those gas clouds.
"It's the closest thing we have to controlling the boundary of the quantum world," said Kamal Oudrhiri, project manager of Cold Atom Lab at JPL, referring to those low temperatures. "This new upgrade pushes that boundary even further."
The upgrade, Oudrhiri added, "demonstrates NASA's ability to maintain U.S. leadership in space-based quantum technologies while maturing future quantum instruments, such as matter-wave interferometers for fundamental physics missions, positioning, navigation, timing, and gravity sensing of Earth, the Moon, and beyond."
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More about Cold Atom Lab
Managed by Caltech in Pasadena, JPL designed, built, and operates the Cold Atom Lab, which is sponsored by the Biological and Physical Sciences division of NASA's Science Mission Directorate at the agency's headquarters in Washington. The division pioneers scientific discovery and enables exploration by using space environments to conduct investigations that are not possible on Earth. Studying biological and physical phenomena under extreme conditions allows researchers to advance the fundamental scientific knowledge required to go farther and stay longer in space, while also benefiting life on Earth.
To learn more about Cold Atom Lab, visit:
https://nasa.gov/cold-atom-laboratory/
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Original text here: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-quantum-lab-aboard-space-station-gets-chilly-upgrade/
Inter-American Development Bank: Exports From Latin America and the Caribbean Rise 15.7% in Early 2026, Extending Growth Trend
WASHINGTON, June 17 (TNSrep) -- The Inter-American Development Bank issued the following news release:
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Exports from Latin America and the Caribbean Rise 15.7% in Early 2026, Extending Growth Trend
The value of goods exported from Latin America and the Caribbean grew by 15.7% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, building on 7.8% growth in 2025, according to the latest edition of "Trade Trends Estimates - Latin America and the Caribbean," a report by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
The increase reflects faster growth in both export volumes and prices. Regional export growth
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WASHINGTON, June 17 (TNSrep) -- The Inter-American Development Bank issued the following news release:
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Exports from Latin America and the Caribbean Rise 15.7% in Early 2026, Extending Growth Trend
The value of goods exported from Latin America and the Caribbean grew by 15.7% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, building on 7.8% growth in 2025, according to the latest edition of "Trade Trends Estimates - Latin America and the Caribbean," a report by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
The increase reflects faster growth in both export volumes and prices. Regional export growthwas driven primarily by mining products, particularly gold and copper, and strong performance in agribusiness products such as soybeans, coffee, and meat. Oil exports also contributed significantly.
"The region continues to strengthen its export performance and is demonstrating a growing capacity to adapt, even amid an uncertain, volatile global trade environment," said Paolo Giordano, principal economist in the IDB's Productivity, Trade, and Innovation Sector and coordinator of the report.
This export momentum creates an opportunity to advance reforms that boost productivity and competitiveness, diversify participation in international markets, and strengthen resilience to external shocks.
The region's trade outlook remains positive despite a highly uncertain environment. Changes in global prices could place additional pressure on countries that import energy and food, while benefiting commodity exporters. However, higher fertilizer and transportation prices could impact production and marketing costs, creating both opportunities and risks for the region's export performance in the coming months.
Total imports in Latin America and the Caribbean grew by an estimated 6.7% in 2025 and 9.7% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026. This acceleration was driven mainly by purchases from outside the region, while intraregional trade expanded more moderately.
Commodity prices followed divergent trends in 2026, reflecting growing fragmentation and shifts in global supply and demand.
Table: Prices of Latin America and the Caribbean's Main Export Products
(Year-on-year growth rate, January - April 2026)
Variation in export values
(Annual growth rate, percentages, 1Q 2026 and 2025)
COUNTRY/SUBREGION ... 1Q 2026 ... 2025
SOUTH AMERICA ... 13.2 ... 7.2
Argentina ... 16.9 ... 9.3
Bolivia ... 100.2 ... 8.3
Brazil ... 7.1 ... 3.3
Chile ... 13.8 ... 11.6
Colombia ... 15.5 ... 1.3
Ecuador ... 1.0 ... 7.9
Paraguay ... 19.7 ... 1.5
Peru ... 33.5 ... 22.1
Uruguay ... 9.9 ... 9.2
Venezuela ... -8.7 ... 0.3
MESOAMERICA ... 17.3 ... 8.0
Mexico ... 17.9 ... 7.6
CENTRAL AMERICA ... 12.6 ... 11.0
Costa Rica ... 6.4 ... 13.8
El Salvador ... 3.6 ... 1.9
Guatemala ... 5.2 ... 7.1
Honduras ... 11.5 ... 10.4
Nicaragua ... 42.3 ... 15.4
Panama ... 0.7 ... 36.9
Dominican Republic ... 18.3 ... 11.3
CARIBBEAN ... n.d. ... 17.9
Bahamas ... n.d. ... -3.2
Barbados ... 0.1 ... -6.5
Belize ... -9.1 ... -15.2
Guyana ... 37.0 ... 20.8
Jamaica ... n.d. ... -11.6
Suriname ... n.d. ... 136.8
Trinidad and Tobago ... n.d. ... 5.1
LATIN AMERICA ... 15.4 ... 7.6
LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN ... 15.7 ... 7.8
Source: IDB Productivity, Trade and Innovation Sector based on official national sources.
Notes: See Methodological Note for further information on the procedures, time periods, and data sources used in the estimates. The arrows indicate the change in trend compared to the previous year.
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About the IDB
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), a member of the IDB Group, is devoted to improving lives across Latin America and the Caribbean. Founded in 1959, the Bank works with the region's public sector to design and enable impactful, innovative solutions for sustainable and inclusive development. Leveraging financing, technical expertise, and knowledge, it promotes growth and well-being in 26 countries. Visit our website: https://www.iadb.org/en.
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View report here: https://publications.iadb.org/en/trade-trends-estimates-latin-america-and-caribbean-2026-edition-q1-update
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Original text here: https://www.iadb.org/en/news/exports-latin-america-and-caribbean-rise-157-early-2026-extending-growth-trend
IDB Group Launches FIFA Arena in Mexico to Expand Opportunities for Children, Youth, and Families
WASHINGTON, June 17 -- The Inter-American Development Bank issued the following news release:
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IDB Group Launches FIFA Arena in Mexico to Expand Opportunities for Children, Youth, and Families
MEXICO CITY - The Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB Group) and FIFA launched FIFA Arena in Mexico, a joint initiative to create eight community mini-pitches and expand opportunities for children, youth, and families through sport in urban and rural communities across Mexico by the end of the year.
The project combines sports infrastructure with community-based programming focused on education,
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WASHINGTON, June 17 -- The Inter-American Development Bank issued the following news release:
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IDB Group Launches FIFA Arena in Mexico to Expand Opportunities for Children, Youth, and Families
MEXICO CITY - The Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB Group) and FIFA launched FIFA Arena in Mexico, a joint initiative to create eight community mini-pitches and expand opportunities for children, youth, and families through sport in urban and rural communities across Mexico by the end of the year.
The project combines sports infrastructure with community-based programming focused on education,skills development, social inclusion, and violence prevention. The initiative will promote girls' participation in soccer and support education and social inclusion through sport. The mini-pitches will remain public assets and will host school sports activities, local tournaments, and community programs.
"Major sporting events create a unique opportunity to invest in people and communities," said IDB Group President Ilan Goldfajn. "Through our work of Sports for Development, and with these eight mini-pitches of FIFA Arena, we are helping ensure that the legacy of the World Cup is measured also by the opportunities created for children and young people."
"Football has a unique ability to bring people together, inspire hope and create opportunities", said FIFA President Gianni Infantino. "Through the FIFA Arena program, together with the IDB Group, the FMF and local partners, we are investing in communities and ensuring that the positive legacy of football is felt where it matters most. By investing in children, young people and families, we are creating safe, inclusive spaces where future generations can play, learn and realize their potential."
In addition, the IDB Group, FIFA, FIFA Foundation, FIFA Member Association, and the Government of Mexico are partnering to use sport for social impact. Through this broader initiative, more than 100 community sites--including the eight FIFA Arena mini-pitches, Centros PILARES, other mini-pitches, schools, and day centers for older adults--will support programs that strengthen care networks for older adults and promote awareness and prevention of violence against women.
The launch builds on the IDB Group's broader Sports for Development agenda. The IDB Group has supported more than 25 Sports-for-Development initiatives across 20 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, reaching more than 100,000 people. These programs reflect growing evidence that sport can be a powerful platform for social development, helping young people stay in school, strengthen skills, build social connections, and access better opportunities.
The IDB Group and FIFA are combining FIFA's global reach and experience in football with the IDB's development expertise and presence across Latin America and the Caribbean. The partnership reflects a shared commitment to converting the visibility and energy of major sporting events into lasting investments in people and communities.
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About the IDB Group
The Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB Group) is the leading source of financing and knowledge for improving lives in Latin America and the Caribbean. It comprises the IDB, which works with the region's public sector and enables the private sector; IDB Invest, which directly supports private companies and projects; and IDB Lab, which spurs entrepreneurial innovation.
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Original text here: https://www.iadb.org/en/news/idb-group-launches-fifa-arena-mexico-expand-opportunities-children-youth-and-families
National Air and Space Museum Accepts Air Racer Into National Collection at "Innovations in Flight" Event
WASHINGTON, June 16 -- The Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum issued the following news release:
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National Air and Space Museum Accepts Air Racer Into National Collection at "Innovations in Flight" Event
The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum has accepted the Aero L-39C Albatros "American Spirit" jet racer into its national collection. The aircraft was donated by owner Ed Noel of the Noel Air Race Team (NART). Between 2002 and 2024, "American Spirit" achieved eight first-place finishes, nine top-five finishes and three closed-course speed records.
The aircraft
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WASHINGTON, June 16 -- The Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum issued the following news release:
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National Air and Space Museum Accepts Air Racer Into National Collection at "Innovations in Flight" Event
The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum has accepted the Aero L-39C Albatros "American Spirit" jet racer into its national collection. The aircraft was donated by owner Ed Noel of the Noel Air Race Team (NART). Between 2002 and 2024, "American Spirit" achieved eight first-place finishes, nine top-five finishes and three closed-course speed records.
The aircraftflew in to the museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center during its popular "Innovations in Flight" event Saturday, June 13, where it was formally transferred to the museum. It will be displayed at the Udvar-Hazy Center later this summer.
"Acquiring 'American Spirit' will allow the museum to tell significant stories," said Jeremy Kinney, associate director for research and curatorial affairs at the museum. "It is a surplus Warsaw Pact trainer and foreign-built warbird enjoyed by many Americans in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. It is also the most common example of a jet used for air racing competition, which has not been represented in the National Collection. Additionally, this specific L-39 has an exceptional and unsurpassed competition history."
The Aero L-39 Albatros, a high-performance jet trainer, was manufactured in Czechoslovakia by Aero Vodochody from 1971 to 1996. In the 1990s, many surplus L-39s were sold to private owners, especially in the United States, where they became popular for recreational flying and air racing. The L-39 became the primary aircraft used in the Jet Class of the National Championship Air Races following its introduction in 2002.
Ed Noel purchased "American Spirit" in 2007 and established NART, undertaking extensive modifications to optimize the aircraft for racing. These enhancements included aerodynamically refinements to the tail and wingtips, removal or replacement of heavy components with lightweight materials, and the addition of a water injection system. Altogether, these changes reduced the aircraft's weight by approximately 1,100 pounds. NART and "American Spirit" came to represent a benchmark for performance in air racing.
"It is the greatest recognition of an aircraft's contribution to flight, pilot's skills and the race team's efforts for 'American Spirit' to join the collection with the Wright brothers' Flyer," Noel said. "I view this event with the same wonderment and excitement of my first visit to the Smithsonian at the age of 9 in 1962."
The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is located in Chantilly, Virginia, near Washington Dulles International Airport and is open every day except Dec. 25 from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Admission is free, timed-entry passes are not required for regular indoor visitation and parking is $15. The National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., is located at Jefferson Drive between Fourth and Seventh streets S.W. and is open every day except Dec. 25 from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Admission is free, but timed-entry passes are required to visit.
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Original text here: https://www.si.edu/newsdesk/releases/national-air-and-space-museum-accepts-air-racer-national-collection-innovations
Explore JPL to Take Place Oct. 10, 11
PASADENA, California, June 16 (TNSres) -- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory issued the following news on June 15, 2026:
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Explore JPL to Take Place Oct. 10, 11
NASA's leading center for the robotic exploration of the universe is opening its doors for a two-day event. Tickets, available in late August, will go fast.
Celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory invites the public to its campus at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains in Southern California for an open-house event, Explore JPL. On Oct. 10 and 11, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. PDT, visitors will get
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PASADENA, California, June 16 (TNSres) -- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory issued the following news on June 15, 2026:
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Explore JPL to Take Place Oct. 10, 11
NASA's leading center for the robotic exploration of the universe is opening its doors for a two-day event. Tickets, available in late August, will go fast.
Celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory invites the public to its campus at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains in Southern California for an open-house event, Explore JPL. On Oct. 10 and 11, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. PDT, visitors will getthe chance to visit JPL's most iconic facilities and explore four thematic areas: Missions That Changed the World, Moon to Mars, In Flight, and Makerspace.
Tickets are free but very limited and have gone quickly for past Explore JPL events. They will be available on the Explore JPL webpage at 9 a.m. PDT Sunday, Aug. 29, and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, with a maximum of five tickets per requestor. Orders for more than five tickets may be subject to cancellation. Tickets will be provided for specific time slots and must be reserved for specific names. Attendees will not be admitted to JPL before the designated time printed on their ticket.
A division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, JPL traces its origins to rocket-propulsion development in 1936. By 1958, the lab had built and helped launch America's first satellite, Explorer 1. That same year, Congress established NASA, and JPL became a part of the agency. Since then, JPL has managed such historic missions as Voyager, Galileo, Cassini, the Mars Exploration Rover program, the Perseverance Mars rover, Europa Clipper, and many more.
Among other highlights, Explore JPL guests will get to:
* Visit JPL's legendary Space Flight Operations Facility, a National Historic Landmark where engineers send commands and receive data from spacecraft billions of miles away.
* Discover the Spacecraft Assembly Facility and JPL Machine Shop, where precision spacecraft components are crafted.
* See the latest cutting-edge innovations in robotics research, from autonomous lunar rovers to search-and-rescue robots.
* Get up close with full-scale models of the Mars Perseverance rover, Voyager, and Galileo.
* Step inside the Microdevices Laboratory to see how miniature technologies developed there are shaping the future of space exploration and Earth science.
To attend Explore JPL, visitors must have their tickets in hand and anyone age 18 or over must show government-issued identification. Tickets are not transferable and cannot be sold. Children under age 2 do not require a ticket, but experiences at the event are not intended for very young guests.
Visitors may not bring these items to JPL: weapons or explosives of any kind, incendiary devices, glass containers, alcohol, cannabis or illegal drugs, pets (except certified service animals), banners or signs, flags, boom boxes, air horns, musical instruments, and professional camera equipment with detachable telephoto lenses. Use of laser pointers or whistles is not allowed. No bags, backpacks, or hard-sided coolers are permitted, either, except small purses and diaper bags. Drones are not allowed to fly over JPL under any circumstances. Skates, skateboards, scooters, Segways, and bicycles are not permitted inside the event, as the venues are crowded with pedestrians.
Vehicles entering JPL property are subject to inspection. Parking is free.
To get a virtual tour of JPL, visit:
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/virtual-tour/
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Original text here: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/explore-jpl-to-take-place-oct-10-11/
Cooper Hewitt Unveils Permanent Collection Galleries Showcasing a Multi-Year Presentation of the National Design Collection
WASHINGTON, June 16 -- The Smithsonian Institution issued the following news release on June 15, 2026:
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Cooper Hewitt Unveils Permanent Collection Galleries Showcasing a Multi-Year Presentation of the National Design Collection
This summer, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum will unveil its permanent collection galleries with a landmark presentation, "Design Across Time: Exploring the Smithsonian's Design Collection." Opening Friday, June 26, and on view for an extended, two-year display, "Design Across Time" will showcase a selection drawn from the national design collection of Cooper
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WASHINGTON, June 16 -- The Smithsonian Institution issued the following news release on June 15, 2026:
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Cooper Hewitt Unveils Permanent Collection Galleries Showcasing a Multi-Year Presentation of the National Design Collection
This summer, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum will unveil its permanent collection galleries with a landmark presentation, "Design Across Time: Exploring the Smithsonian's Design Collection." Opening Friday, June 26, and on view for an extended, two-year display, "Design Across Time" will showcase a selection drawn from the national design collection of CooperHewitt, the New York City-based Smithsonian museum entirely devoted to design. Installed throughout the first floor of the museum's Carnegie Mansion, the exhibition provides visitors with a new thematic take on one of the most diverse and comprehensive design collections in the world.
"Cooper Hewitt holds the nation's design collection, a public resource that belongs to all and that, as is common across museums worldwide, is largely kept in storage," said Maria Nicanor, director of the museum. "Expanding access for all to this rich repository of ideas--at a time when creativity and design can help us navigate uncertainty and complexity--is urgent and inspired the idea to bring this selection into view for an extended period."
The multi-year installation of the permanent collection, which will feature rotations of objects throughout its duration, brings together more than 125 works across multiple design disciplines including product and graphic design, fashion, textiles, digital design, wallcoverings and architecture. "Design Across Time" will include significant works newly brought out of storage, recent acquisitions on public display for the first time and canonical objects of American and global design history.
The dynamic installation is designed by JA Projects with graphic design by Pacific. From an introductory concentration of objects anchored in the central gallery, the exhibition extends through two dramatic axis vitrines that cut across the sequence of first-floor galleries. Combining a rich palette of textures from traditional and contemporary materials and leaning heavily on a graphic system of timeless collection object silhouettes, the display escapes traditional chronological readings. Instead, the presentation provides thematic groupings of a global collection that spans geographies, materials and time periods, ranging from an ancient Egyptian lotus-shaped cup to the recently acquired Toots Zynsky vessel, Aurifero II (2023).
The exhibition is rooted in the idea that design is everywhere, that it serves a civic purpose and that from objects to larger systems, everyone is an expert user and active participant of the built environment.
Organized in six thematic clusters, the exhibition further explores some of the many approaches involved in the creative process and often utilized by designers, including actions like Repeat, Transform, Show Off, Simplify, Tweak and Play.
The works on view in each section include:
* In Repeat, Vlisco's Style Stiletto textile (2011) demonstrates repetition as a key aesthetic feature of pattern design.
* In Transform, Stephen Burks' Roping Stool (2017) made from rope and upholstery trimmings from production waste reflects creative new applications for common or discarded materials.
* In Show Off, the Royal jewel cabinet (1825-26), a gift from Charles X of France to Francis I of Naples in 1830, showcases technical innovation, masterful craftsmanship and artistic vision.
* In Simplify, Art Sims' 1992 film poster for Spike Lee's biographical film Malcolm X focuses on the single letter "X," removing color and increasing scale to achieve bold impact.
* In Tweak, a rarely seen drawing of chalice designs by Giuseppe Barberi from the late 18th century reveals how most designs are the results of small iterative changes.
* In Play, the Bungee digital typeface (2011-16) invites users to play and personalize text by integrating elements of urban signage such as color, outlines, banners and background shapes.
* Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg's "The Substitute," an immersive video and sound installation that digitally resurrects the extinct male Northern white rhino using artificial intelligence and state-of-the-art visual effects, will be on view on the second floor as a featured selection from Cooper Hewitt's Digital collection, which collects born-digital design.
Throughout the span of the exhibition, Cooper Hewitt will offer an extended lineup of talks, panels and hands-on workshops by leading designers and cultural leaders, from deep dives into the exhibition's themes to an analysis of cultural stewardship and what it means to preserve and interpret national museums and collections around the world.
In the coming months, Cooper Hewitt will also launch a redesigned online collections platform, among the first public-facing AI-integrated experiences at the Smithsonian. Designed by Champions Design, with digital strategy, UX and development by Schema Design, the new platform will allow visitors to explore the depth of the Cooper Hewitt collection through new and playful storytelling threads that will provide access to the museum's collection of over 215,000 objects beyond the gallery walls.
Accessibility
Cooper Hewitt is committed to the accessibility of its spaces and materials. Image descriptions of objects on view are available on the exhibition's accessibility webpage and in person in the Large Print Label booklet. Large-print labels and other sensory materials will be available for use in the galleries. Compatible in-gallery digital interactives will have screen reader capability.
More information about accessibility at Cooper Hewitt is available on the museum's website.
Acknowledgments
"Design Across Time" is organized by Matilda McQuaid, acting curatorial director; Susan Brown, acting head of Textiles; Emily Orr, acting head of Product Design and Decorative Arts; and Julie Pastor, curatorial assistant, with the support of all members of the curatorial, exhibitions and director's office departments.
Exhibition design by JA Projects. Graphic design by Pacific.
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About JA Projects
Founded by architect and artist Jayden Ali, JA Projects is a multidisciplinary studio operating at the intersection of architecture, strategy, art and performance. Focused on designing spaces that serve the people who use them, the studio has built a distinctive body of exhibition and gallery design for leading cultural institutions, including the Royal Academy's "Entangled Pasts 1768-Now" (2024), "Fashioning Masculinities" at the V&A (2022), the "Why We Make" galleries at the new V&A East Museum (2026) and the British Pavilion at the 2023 Venice Biennale. JA Projects is currently working on major forthcoming projects for cultural institutions across North and Central America.
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About Pacific
Pacific is a New York-based creative agency working at the intersection of design, culture and communication. Founded by Elizabeth Karp-Evans and Adam Turnbull, the firm partners with brands and institutions to build identities and experiences--on and offline--that are defined by clarity, purpose and meaningful expression. Recent projects include a rebrand for the Studio Museum in Harlem; the exhibition catalog and art direction for "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; a branding campaign for The Armory Show; and a new brand identity, website design and development, and a series of short social films for Julie Mehretu's African Film and Media Arts Collective, developed with Mehret Mandefro and BMW.
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About Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Cooper Hewitt is America's design museum. Inclusive, innovative and experimental, the museum's dynamic exhibitions, education programs, master's program, publications and online resources inspire, educate and empower people through design. An integral part of the Smithsonian Institution--the world's largest museum, education and research complex--Cooper Hewitt is located on New York City's Museum Mile in the landmarked Carnegie Mansion. Steward of one of the world's most diverse and comprehensive design collections--over 215,000 objects that range from an ancient Egyptian faience cup dating to about 1100 BC to contemporary 3D-printed objects and digital code--Cooper Hewitt welcomes everyone to discover the importance of design and its power to change the world.
For more information, visit www.cooperhewitt.org or follow @cooperhewitt on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
Support
"Design Across Time: Exploring the Smithsonian's Design Collection" received major support from Jon and Shigemi Iwata, and Lisa Roberts and David Seltzer. Additional generous support has been made by Amita and Purnendu Chatterjee, the Lily Auchincloss Foundation, the Terra Foundation for American Art, the Arthur F. and Alice E. Adams Foundation, Irene Au and Bradley Horowitz, and Chris and Irma Fralic. This project received funding from the Smithsonian's "Our Shared Future: 250," a Smithsonian-wide initiative supported by private philanthropy and created to commemorate the nation's 250th anniversary and advance the Smithsonian vision for the next 250 years.
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Original text here: https://www.si.edu/newsdesk/releases/cooper-hewitt-unveils-permanent-collection-galleries-showcasing-multi-year
Bringing the First Northeast Regional Airo Trainset to Life
WASHINGTON, June 16 -- Amtrak (National Railroad Passenger Corp.) issued the following news:
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Bringing the First Northeast Regional Airo Trainset to Life
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The Airo journey continues...and this time, you can hear directly from the team behind it.
Following last month's first Northeast Regional departure from Siemens' Sacramento facility for testing, we're going deeper at what makes these trainsets so important for our customers and the future of rail.
From thoughtful design and engineering to a brighter, more open, and comfortable onboard experience, the Airo fleet is built with features
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WASHINGTON, June 16 -- Amtrak (National Railroad Passenger Corp.) issued the following news:
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Bringing the First Northeast Regional Airo Trainset to Life
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The Airo journey continues...and this time, you can hear directly from the team behind it.
Following last month's first Northeast Regional departure from Siemens' Sacramento facility for testing, we're going deeper at what makes these trainsets so important for our customers and the future of rail.
From thoughtful design and engineering to a brighter, more open, and comfortable onboard experience, the Airo fleet is built with featuresthat matter, including integrated propulsion that eliminates the need for engine changes. These first new trainsets will benefit Northeast Regional services, including Amtrak Virginia routes, delivering a more seamless and efficient journey along the Northeast Corridor.
Hear from the team and see how these new trainsets are shaping what's next.
Featuring: Airo AVP Celia Ann Pfleckl, Senior Director, Engineering Fleet Aquisition Derek Maier, and Siemens Mobility Project Manager Nathan Fletcher
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https://media.amtrak.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/NER-First-Shipment-in-Depth.mp4
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Original text here: https://media.amtrak.com/2026/06/bringing-the-first-northeast-regional-airo-trainset-to-life/
