STEM Funding: Philippines’ DOST is proposing a ₱30.9B 2027 budget, with major boosts for R&D and STEM education via grant programs and research institutes. Earth Science Talent: Mongolian students won seven medals at the International Earth Science Olympiad in Italy, led by a gold in Field Research. Microplastics ID: A new spectral library and machine-learning toolkit (PLoPP) helps scientists distinguish paint-derived microplastics from lookalike debris. Health Tech Speed-Up: Children’s National rolled out an automated “conveyor belt” lab line to run common blood tests and deliver results within hours. AI in the Lab: Anthropic says its Model Hardware Standard is helping Claude connect to real lab instruments, aiming to close the gap between AI instructions and experimental measurements. Education Dashboards: Alabama STEM Council launched a Math and Science Proficiency Data Dashboard to show student progress and demographics for families and workforce planning. Plant Heat Resilience: Research highlights how SIZ1 controls heat-stress RNA processing in plants, pointing to new crop tolerance strategies. Public Tech Debate: Charleston activists push for “guardrails” on surveillance tech like license plate readers and camera networks. Nuclear Demo Path: Deployable Energy was selected for full-power nuclear battery demonstrations, including a maritime test with Hornbeck Offshore.