The Nobel Prize in Economics 2025

By Dr. Rosa Hilda Lora M. Advisor at AIU | rosa@aiu.edu

The Nobel Prizes are widely discussed and desired by many. Where do they come from? What do they mean? The Nobel Prizes were created by Alfred Bernhard Nobel, a chemical engineer, inventor, and writer born in 1833 in Stockholm, Sweden, and died in San Remo in 1896. Nobel invented dynamite as part of his research. We know the consequences of this invention, which is why he left a will to create an organization to reward research that would bring the greatest benefit to humanity.

Nobel created the prizes for medicine, physics, chemistry, and the peace prize. The first prizes were awarded in 1901. The Nobel Prize in Economics is awarded by the Bank of Sweden in memory of Nobel. The Swedish Academy was founded by King Gustav III in 1786; it is composed of 18 lifetime members. Various departments of the Swedish Academy elect those to be recognized. These are: Literature Prize –The Swedish Academy. Chemistry and Physics Prize –The Swedish Academy of Sciences. Medicine Prize –The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute. The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded by the Norwegian Nobel Committee and is presented in Oslo. All prizes except the Peace Prize are presented on December 10 in Stockholm, Sweden. The 2025 Nobel Prize in Economics was awarded to Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion, and Peter Howitt. This prize has been awarded by the Bank of Sweden since 1968 and is known as the Nobel Prize.

Joel Mokyr
Born in 1946 in the Netherlands, he holds dual Jewish and American nationality. He studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Yale, United States. He is a Professor of History and Economics at Northwestern University. The period of economic history the studies is from 1750 to 1914. His research focuses on understanding the growth of useful knowledge and the intellectual and economic roots of technological progress in economic well-being. He is a member of the British Academy, the Royal Netherlands Academy, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He can be contacted at this email address: j-mokyr@northwestern. edu

Philippe Aghion
Born in 1956, French. Researcher at the Collège de France and the School of Economics and Political Science in the United Kingdom. A professor at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. According to Aghion, creative destruction occurs when old technologies are replaced by new ones. Aghion, like a true Frenchman, follows the French philosopher Jacques Derrida's concept of deconstruction in his approach to creative destruction. Removing what is not necessary to build the best. It's not about destroying for the sake of destroying but about destroying while considering what elements need to be added without destroying the whole. Creative destruction began with the Industrial Revolution, and for that, new talent is needed. There won’t be a major crisis created by the innovation of Artificial Intelligence (AI), but we must be careful with the investments we make. He says that Europe needs to know how to invest to avoid the crisis of 2008 or 1929.

Peter Howitt
Born in Canada in 1946. Professor of Social Sciences at Brown University, USA. Member of the Royal Canadian Society. Peter Howitt, along with Joel Mokyr, uses self-generation as a basic concept. Let’s recall Ilia Prigogine’s Theory of Dissipative Structures. The system allows for energy that will produce change. Societies must have new ideas and accept change. Peter Howitt, along with Philippe Aghion, created the mathematical model that explains creative destruction. Analyzing where we are going as a society, we conclude that the economy is the foundation of our lives. If there isn’t a good production plan for what we need to live —health, housing, and education— to be able to participate in the production of the goods we need, it’s impossible for us to live. We’re witnesses to the fact that something isn’t working well in the societies that make up today’s world: the wealth produced every day reaches fewer human beings. It’s not necessary to look at the economic growth indicators of large organizations like the World Bank. When we go shopping for the products we need to feed our family, we see that the money we have is enough to buy fewer products every day. It doesn’t matter what country we’re from. All we hear about are conflicts over the production of goods and this price today and that price tomorrow. We also see that every day we need greater scientific knowledge, better academic preparation, and every day we need to study new concepts, but educational institutions don't receive the sufficient resources the education system needs. There’s money for weapons, there’s money for egos, but very little for education and health. If you’re doing a program at Atlantic International University (AIU), focus every day on studying more and better because the world we live in and will continue to live in demands greater scientific training every day. We are witnessing everything the United Nations (UN) is doing through all its departments for the development of human beings. What’s happening with education, even though the COVID-19 pandemic is justified as the cause of the delay in its development programs? What’s happening with healthcare that the necessary programs for citizen care don’t exist? What’s happening with political relations that are only resolved through conflict? Look at how long the Sustainable Development program has been around. Also, look at what’s happening to the source of our life, our planet Earth. What happened to the Paris Agreement? For many, what matters is making money by any means necessary, regardless of the consequences. Study because knowledge will give you the weapons for a satisfactory life. Study so you won’t be used. Study so you can help others have a better life.

BIBLIOGRAPHY. Premios Nobel en Economía 2025. https://www.nobelprize. org/prizes/economic-sciences/2025/press-release/ | ONU. Programa de la ONU de Desarrollo Sostenible. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/es/objetivos-dedesarrollo- sostenible/ | UNAM- El Comité del Premio Nobel otorga el Premio de Economía 2025 a Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion y Peter Howitt. UNAMGlobal Revista- octubre 13- 2025. https://unamglobal.unam.mx/global_revista/ nobel-economia-2025-mokyr-aghion-howitt/

Helping Children with Anxiety deal with the back-to-school transition

Aubrey Moono | Inclusive Education

Introduction
In Africa, Zambia to be specific, school runs for three terms in a year. Each term is usually about three months or thirteen weeks and then a one month school break or holiday follows. The school calendar usually commences at the beginning of the year in January, and wraps up at the end of the year in December. At every beginning of the year or school term, children have to re-adjust for they have to move from home to school every day or some even staying at boarding school for three months, away from family and friends. Some children attend school for the first time at the beginning of the year, while others have to change grades or even teachers. This transition is not easy for children for it cause anxious moments for many. According to Google, anxiety is defined as a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease about something with an uncertain outcome. Many children have these worries and are nervous because they do not know who and what kind of people they will be meeting in their new grades and/or school, are not sure of what they will be learning and the language they will be required to speak in school or new grade; whether the teacher will be as friendly as the one they had in the previous grade or not, and many other issues they are not certain about.

Hurley (2022) explains that, “for children struggling with anxiety, however, the back to school transition is not easy.” Like in Zambia, children will still have to deal with lack of school supplies like school shoes, school uniforms, books, and pens, at the time school opens. The children are not sure if and when they will have the basic school supplies when they get back to school. However, Hurley (2022) states that, ‘for many kids going back to school is exciting, with new pens, books, pencils, school bag or even new uniform, and reuniting with friends.’ Indeed, back to school can be exciting to most children because there is a reduction in home duties, such as herding cows and goats like in rural Zambia, fetching firewood and watering vegetables in the gardens. For children in urban areas, this is the time to stay away from selling on the streets as part of their contributions to the family’s income, such as selling juice ice-blocks, fritters, charcoal, farm or garden produce, and/or any other merchandise parents would like to sell to raise some money for home use.

Much as children are happy to get back to school, they still have a lot within their minds which they rarely speak out especially in the African traditions where children are supposed to show respect and resilience by keeping quite at issues that bother them. This burying of emotions and feelings has dire consequences in the children as it causes anxiety when it’s time to get back to school or transition from one place, class, teacher or grade to another. In modern times, however, parents have learned to listen to the needs of their children so that the children grow emotionally and intellectually strong. Hurley (2022) cautions that, ‘stuffing down anticipatory anxiety will only cause it to spiral internally, but externalizing the worries and processing them helps kids learn to cope.’ For parents who want their children to go to school and be educated, they have learned to listen to their children about things that affect them. Some of those things are about children going back to school. They listen to what their children fear or worry about their school each term schools reopen. This paper, therefore, is going to summarize and analyse the article “Anxiety in Children” and outline pertinent issues raised in relation to what other sources say, suggest how this knowledge about helping children with anxiety deal with get back to school transition could be helpful for anyone studying at AIU and of course discuss any other details highlighted in the article.

Body of assignment
The article on anxiety of children outlines that anxiety is a normal part of childhood development and that many children experience fears and worries at times (Hurley, 2022). Since these fears and worries are normal, it is expected that children will talk about them in anticipation of what will happen if their fears or worries are not taken care of. In most instances, parents will just brush off children’s concerns and give casual assurances that things will be okay to children. In most cases, children will not show their fears and will harbor them in their minds, thus affecting their day to day living. The article further gives examples of some anxiety children may face when it’s time to get back to school, such as worrying about learning itself and how it is going to be like in the next grade or school, how difficult it is going to be understanding new school rules especially if the teacher is different or going to a different school, and establishing new relationships with both other learners and the teacher. The children will also have to think of how difficult it is going to be with the new classroom or school routine and ensure that they have mastered it in no time. Other children can have more worries about the long distance they will have to walk to a new school, in case they have moved school, and ensure that they are at school in time, if not on time. For rural children who have to cross rivers and streams without bridges, like here in Zambia, they have to think of crossing those crocodile infested and overflowing rivers before they can get to school.

Though anxiety is normal part of development in children, some children would develop anxiety symptoms, which call for immediate intervention. Tearne (2017) explains that, “if the worries get out of hand that the child does not even want to go to play we must begin talking about what anxiety is to the child and how to manage it.” This means, parents must prioritize anxiety management when school is about to open so that there is smooth transition for the children. If left unattended to, anxiety can interfere with the children’s abilities to perform normally at all things they do at school and even in their social relationships. A plan must be put in place to help children manage their anxious moments so they do not end up disturbing their back to school transition.

When children are anxious about things they need answers about, they ask questions. This was termed as ‘anticipatory anxiety’. According to Schwartz (2018), when our thoughts are constantly seeking certainty, wanting to know the future in advance, we get anxious, we get fearful, thus asking so many questions. Most children tend to find themselves asking these questions before school starts, especially if they are changing classes, teachers or schools. They tend to be asking ‘what if’ questions repeatedly and so they are seeking an assurance that their questions can quickly and easily be answered. However, parents have in many instances not satisfactorily given reassuring answers to children’s questions. According to Harris (2016), ‘one of the best places to start is actually to ask your child how they feel about going back to school.’ Parents need to talk about the fears and worries of their children. After all, the goal is not to get rid of anxiety but to help your child understand that they can tolerate and manage the distress associated with anxiety so that anxiety itself doesn’t become a scary thing. Kolker 13 (2017) stresses that, one of the solutions to many children’s fears is to ask them to face their fears head on —“embracing the suck”. In order for children not to be too anxious about back to school transition and deal with any anxieties, parents must create deliberate plans that will allow children to mention their fears many weeks, as in our case in Zambia, before schools reopen. This plan must encourage open and honest talks. Hurley (2022) observes that, “a better strategy is to help kids bring their worries to the surface by naming these specific worries, verbalizing the possibilities, and establishing positive counter thoughts to empower your child to work through anxious thoughts.” When a child talks about their fears or worries, do not rush to giving solutions but ask them how best they could come out of such a situation. As parents, we need to help children get into their fearful or worrisome situations and engage them in discussions about how they could conquer the anxiety they have. As we do so, we need to provide practical encouragement by ensuring that we acknowledge children’s worries and that it is okay to worry. Give children plenty of opportunity to practice doing things they are afraid to do again and again (Albano, 2020).

Some anxieties are inflamed by what happens during school holidays, especially if this is so much different from what happens during school days. For some children, school holidays mean no more reading books, playing throughout the day or no play at all, sleeping and waking up late, over-eating or bad eating habits, spending more and more time watching TV and playing computer games, and many such activities. These could be very different from the school days routine. Children tend to be anxious when it’s time for back to school and if not handled carefully by the parents, anxiety creeps in which might even make children hate going back to school. Dave (2020) advises that parents must sit down and have a conversation with their kids about how they are feeling that they are going back to school. Having a conversation with children would also allow parents to validate children’s fears or worries and help come up with a better plan to cope with anxiety. As the holidays are slowly coming to an end, it’s time to have children come back to school routine behaviors. Bradshaw (2021) emphasizes that, if children have been sleeping late during holidays, begin adjusting their sleep times at least two weeks before to normal sleep and wake up times until they are back on schedule. This will lessen the stress of having to sleep or wake up early during school days as opposed to the late sleep and wake up times during the holidays, thus avoiding or coping with the anxiety of back to school transition. This could apply to a student of AIU in that studies are personal and self-driven.

The advisors or tutors are based thousands and thousands of miles away, making it challenging to study and complete tasks in time. The student must cope with the situation, face the fears and worries, and find solutions to the challenges that come with distance or online learning. More still, if the student is working and has to do assignments and research, adjusting time intelligently in the day is key to succeed in the studies. The Covid–19 pandemic has equally brought a lot of anxiety in children. For months more than half a year, for three years consecutively, school calendars were being disturbed in many countries due to the pandemic. Zambian schools closed abruptly three times in two years and children stayed home longer than normal. Government tried to come up with some online lessons for children in primary and secondary school but this did not help out because many children did not have access to internet connectivity as well as TV and radio in their homes. Since most families do not have electricity in their homes, this intervention only worked for less than 15% of the school going children. Teachers, too, had their own challenges of lack of ICT skills to be able to teach lessons online. So, both learners and teachers were anxious to learn and teach online. When the pandemic effects are reducing, schools are reopening and children have to go school again, which is bringing a lot of anxiety especially in learners. After months of online learning and a lack of social connection during the pandemic, some kids and teens are getting anxious about returning to full time, in-person learning (Bradshaw, 2021). The children are anxious and rightly so. But as parents, we have an opportunity to help children set goals and celebrate their accomplishments together with them. Dave (2020) argues that, “if anxiety is preventing a return to school, set attainable goals for your child and celebrate the achievement.” The pandemic has had no or less challenges for an AIU student who is studying online. Studies have not been affected by the pandemic in some way since no physical contacts are required to study with AIU online. All phases are done remotely, including graduation which is conducted virtually. There is no anxiety caused by the pandemic as things have remained the same during the Covid–19 pandemic period.

Parents have a greater task of ensuring that despite their children having anxiety about going back to school transition, ways have to be found for children to get back to school ready to face their fears and worries and cope with the situations they find themselves into. The role of parents is not to find solutions to the children’s anxiety but to equip them with skills on how to deal with their anxiety so that they can learn and move on in their education journey. Parents ought to plan ahead of time, as suggested in the article. This is very important step to take. The children fears and worries are justified in this pandemic era but that does not mean children must not attend school, especially in the third world countries like Zambia, where learning online is a dream far from being realized. Physical school learning is the only sure way of children getting the education. Hurley (2022) stresses that you can help ease the transition by walking around the school campus. For children starting school and those transitioning to new school and new grades, it is imperative that parents take their children for a school visit. This will help remove the fears children might have about their new school, new teacher or new grade. Fears and worries can be more in children going to boarding school, like in the case of Zambia, where some secondary schools host children for the whole school term. Children develop fears about the safety of their property and so will be thinking of how safe their new uniform, shoes, beddings, foodstuff, can be kept safe. For some children this is a very big deal and therefore become anxious about it. Therefore, parents need to listen to such worries and buy strong padlocks for children to be able to secure their property. You can even test the strength of the padlocks before children can trust and use them at school. This reassures children’s safety when they transition back to school.

Online learning could be new to especially students of AIU from Africa, where internet connectivity is usually a challenge, rampant and long hours of power cuts due to load shedding, and learning is always in physical or contact form. AIU needs to continue talking and helping out students to attend to tasks given online and even do the assignments. Anxiety can arise if the connectivity and the use of the ICTs is limited and the student cannot hand in the assignment on due dates. Measures put by AIU to have the learning platform running 24/7 is the way to go so that students like me can have access to it whenever chance allows me to do my work on the student portal or student account. The provision for submitting assignments offline is another awesome feature for it helps the students to save the data bundles for other activities which require working online.

Conclusion
It is therefore safe to say it is not bad to be anxious as anxiety is part of normal development especially in children. Because they are not sure of what is coming next, they ask questions which many times they do not get the answers, thus bringing about anxiety in them. Getting back to school, especially when a child is transitioning from home to a new school, from one grade to another, from being taught by one teacher to another, or even moving from their school to a totally different school can raise a lot of worries and fears in children. Usually, this anxiety can be managed by children if we empower them with skills about how to face and cope with their fears and worries during back to school transitions. Children should not be taught how to avoid things that make them anxious but learn how to deal with their fears and worries for they are normal and sometimes natural. Parents’ role in the children’s anxiety is to help children practice gratitude and redirect their anxious thoughts in a more positive way (Bradshaw, 2021). As parents, we create an anxiety pan which will make us sit with our children, allow them to talk about their fears and worries and how they feel about going back to school, provide practical encouragement so that children can overcome their fears, help them set goals and celebrate with them when they achieve the set goals, and above all let them take care of their basic lifestyles. They must get enough sleep, eat healthy and regular, and do physical activities. Albano (2020) concludes to say parents must help children how to manage anxiety and how to overcome things, and not develop it a dependency on you as parents or the idea that they can’t do things. The children must be empower with the knowledge that anxious moments pass as long as we face them with courage, and sometimes our fears and worries are not a fearful and worrisome as we might have thought, so face them head-on and conquer!

BIBLIOGRAPHY. Albano, M. A. (2020, December 22). How Do I Help My Child Cope With Anxiety. Retrieved March 7, 2022, from Ask the Expert Psych Hub: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNsyudLqjXE | Bradshaw, P. (2021, August 13). Easing Your Child’s Back-To-School Anxiety. Retrieved March 7, 2022, from Health Kids Eugene Pediatric Associates: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=9JFcxxsp5x8 | Dave, I. (2020, September 10). Manage Back-To-School Anxiety for Kids. Retrieved March 7, 2022, from Trillium Health Partners: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_bcuvhhiCl | Google. (n.d.). Google’s English Dictionary. Oxford Languages. | Harris, D. (2016, August 26). How To Help Your Child With Back To School Anxiety. Retrieved March 7, 2022, from St. Louis Children's Hospital YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3ZnCV2MhCQ | Hess, E. (2013, October 9). Helping Your Child with Selective Mutism Transition Back to School. Retrieved March 7, 2022, from Expert Beacon: Center for a Developing Mind: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQ0ex3jx-Ug | Hurley, K. (2022). Anxiety in Children: Helping A Child With Anxiety Deal With The Back To Schoo Transition. Remedy Health Media. | Kolker, J. (2017, June 2). Overcoming Anxiety. Retrieved March 7, 2022, from TEDxTheMastersSchool: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1anXJhVamc | Schwartz, M. (2018, January 12). Breaking Free From Anxiety. Retrieved March 7, 2022, from TEDxBeaconStreet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Qzx9SnG9oU | Tearne, J. (2017, April 26). Children’s Anxiety: 3 Ways To Help Your Anxious Child. Retrieved March 7, 2022, from Telethon Kids Institute: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCQx_ISun5Q

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Artificial Intelligence

How to talk to your teen about it.

Nicholas Munkhbaatar started using ChatGPT shortly after the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot was released in late 2022. He was 14 at the time, and he says, “I would use it for almost everything, like math problems.” At first, Munkhbaatar, who is from Sacramento, Calif., thought it was amazing. But then, he started to see downsides: “I realized it was just giving me an answer without helping me go through the actual process of learning.” Many kids and teens use ChatGPT and other generative AI models like Claude or Google Gemini for everything from dealing with math homework to coping with a mental health crisis, often with little to no guidance from adults. Education and child development experts say parents must take the lead in helping children understand this new technology. “Having conversations now about what is ethical, responsible usage of AI is important, and you need to be a part of that if you are a parent,” says Marc Watkins, a lecturer at the University of Mississippi who researches AI and its impact on education. While early evidence suggests the technology could bolster student learning if deployed correctly, ongoing research and stories about teenagers who died by suicide after talking to AI chatbots indicate significant risks to young users. Experts share advice on how to talk to kids about AI, including its potential benefits and harms. Start the conversation early, use AI together, explore its possibilities, understand the risks ... Read full text:

North

The strange history of why it is always up.

For centuries, world maps have been designed under a widely accepted spatial convention: the “north” goes up, and the “south” goes down. With this perspective largely uncontested, imagining other ways of representing the world might seem irrational or even unscientific. Yet, unquestionable trust in how the world is taught is a barrier to understanding that the purportedly objective activity of mapmaking has long been influenced by different historical and cultural conjunctures and undertaken for specific geopolitical purposes. ... The north and south have never been represented in the same way in all places of the world. For instance, 17th-century Turks would draw maps illustrating the extension of the world known to them, putting the Middle East at the center of the map. ... By situating the map maker at the center, maps have also been subject to practices of pushing foreigners and undesirable places to the peripheries. Cartography has also been used as a tool for colonial expansion or symbolic ethnic erasure, as happened with different settlers and colonial powers who imposed new names over indigenous places while claiming them as part of their territories. ... Encountering an inverted map of the world can be a truly confusing, intimidating, and uncomfortable experience because what has been normalized and naturalized suddenly becomes challenged and destabilized. ... Read full text:

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Leucine

This common nutrient supercharges your cells’ energy.

Scientists have discovered how the amino acid leucine boosts the body’s energy production by protecting key mitochondrial proteins from breaking down. This process allows mitochondria, the cell’s power generators, to function more efficiently. Mitochondria are tiny structures inside cells that act as energy producers, supplying the power the body needs to grow, move, and stay healthy. Because a cell’s energy demand changes constantly, mitochondria must continually adjust their activity to keep up. This flexibility depends on the nutrients available inside the cell at any given time. Until recently, scientists did not fully understand how those nutrients drive the process of adaptation. A team led by Dr. Thorsten Hoppe from the University of Cologne’s Institute for Genetics has uncovered a new biological pathway showing how the amino acid leucine strengthens mitochondrial performance. The researchers found that leucine helps stabilize crucial mitochondrial proteins, leading to more efficient energy production. Their study, titled “Leucine inhibits degradation of outer mitochondrial membrane proteins to adapt mitochondrial respiration,” was published in Nature Cell Biology. Leucine is an essential amino acid that must be obtained through food. It serves as a building block for protein synthesis and is found in protein-rich foods ...
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Cerebroarterial

...pulsatility: Its rol in cerebrovascular and neurodegenerative diseases.

Cerebral arterial pulsation is the rhythmic dilation and constriction of brain arteries with the cardiac cycle, driven by the pressure wave from heart pumping. It was found that higher arterial pulsatility is generally associated with more severe small vessel disease (SVD) and Alzheimer’s disease as well as worse cognitive performance, highlighting the role of cerebroarterial pulsatility in the pathogenesis and progression of cerebrovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Previous studies attempted to understand the function and underlying mechanisms of cerebroarterial pulsation within the brain. Iliff et al. proposed that arterial pulsatility is a key driver of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) movement in the perivascular spaces (PVSs) into and through the brain parenchyma in mice, facilitating the clearance of interstitial solutes and wastes in the brain. In general, arterial pulsation plays a crucial role in driving the glymphatic system, a recently discovered waste clearance system in the brain. Mestre et al. directly observed that hypertension leads to an increase in arterial volumetric pulsatility, which subsequently results in a reduction in CSF flow. This finding underscores the potential influence of alterations in arterial volumetric pulsatility on the glymphatic system and provides a theoretical basis for understanding various cognitive disorders. Additionally, Jammal Salameh et al. found that arterial pulsation can modulate neuronal ... Read full text

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Mazzu

Camping mattress

Engaging in outdoor activities such as hiking or camping offers relaxing experiences that reconnect us with nature, but they can also be a challenge, especially when we think about comfort during the night. One of the most critical aspects is the ability to sleep on a surface that is comfortable, lightweight, easy to transport, and simple to clean. LAYER studio collaborated with the Chinese startup MAZZU, which specializes in sleep products rooted in advanced engineering and sustainable, high-performance design. This camping mattress is made without the use of foam or glue, it offers the same comfort as a domestic mattress in a format designed for the outdoors. ... Read full text

Introvert chair

by Robbie Williams

Designed for those who crave retreat in a world that never stops talking. The Introvert Chair is a sculptural sanctuary that’s curved to cocoon and padded to please. Designed by singersongwriter and cultural icon Robbie Williams, the chair captures the feeling of slipping away into your own little world. Whether you’re reflecting, reading or people-watching without being watched, the Introvert Chair offers a comforting pause from the noise. Its signature fabric – a tactile blend of virgin wool, alpaca, and cotton – is crafted in a warm ivory shade that soothes the nervous system. Each cover is individually stitched using an innovative 3D quilting technique, turning the surface into a sculptural play of texture and light. Optional matching pillows invite you to nest and adjust in your own way. With enveloping curves and a quiet silhouette, the Introvert Chair makes a statement of stillness. Robbie Williams is a visual artist exploring vulnerability, ego and escapism through bold, emotive forms. Following three solo exhibitions with Moco Museum, including 2025’s Radical Honesty in London, he now brings his creative world into design with The Introvert Chair – a sculptural, cocooned seat inspired by his own inner ups and downs. It’s not just a chair. It’s a soft place to land, designed by someone who knows how loud the world can get in and brought to life with Moooi. ... Read full text

walk me

wheelchair with foldable legs

During Japan Mobility Show 2025, Toyota reveals ‘walk me,’ a concept autonomous wheelchair with foldable tentacle legs that can climb stairs and sit on the floor. On view at the event, the assistive device helps people with reduced mobility to move around places where traditional wheelchairs aren’t able to, including walking up and down between floors and lifting the users to their cars. Toyota’s autonomous wheelchair replaces the traditional wheels with four robotic and foldable legs. Each leg can lift, bend, and adjust its position on its own. The seat has a supportive frame that holds the user in a safe and upright position, and the backrest curves to follow the shape of the user’s back. The user asks the device to move around using the small side handles or a control interface that can include buttons. ... Read full text

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Postpartum

...depression: Better remedies, a predictive blood test.

Like many first-time mothers, Lisette Lopez-Rose thought childbirth would usher in a time of joy. Instead, she had panic attacks as she imagined that something bad was going to happen to her baby, and she felt weighed down by a sadness that wouldn’t lift. The San Francisco Bay Area mother knew her extreme emotions weren’t normal, but she was afraid to tell her obstetrician. What if they took her baby away? At about six months postpartum, she discovered an online network of women with similar experiences and ultimately opened up to her primary care doctor. “About two months after I started medication, I started to feel like I was coming out of a deep hole and seeing light again,” she says. Today, Lopez-Rose works at Postpartum Support International, coordinating volunteers to help new mothers form online connections. About one in eight US women go through a period of postpartum depression, making it among the most common complications of childbirth. It typically occurs in the first few weeks after delivery, when there’s a sudden drop in the reproductive hormones estrogen and progesterone. As scientists unravel chemical and genetic changes caused by those shifting hormones, they are discovering new ways to diagnose and treat postpartum depression, and even ways to identify who is at risk for it. ... Read full text

The nocebo effect

We are attributing more to sickness.

While human suffering is an undeniable reality, the idea that we are becoming fundamentally sicker or uncovering previously hidden disorders is, in my opinion, a profound misreading of the situation. We are not discovering more illnesses; we are not uncovering hidden disorders; we are creating them through a powerful process of social suggestion coupled with highly misleading narratives around underlying biology. Are we evolving into a population that increasingly interprets its normal human experience and variance as symptoms of a disorder? A potential driver of this phenomenon is the lesser-known antonym to the placebo effect, the nocebo effect. Just as in the placebo effect, expecting a positive outcome can elicit one, particularly in the more subjective fields of human endeavour, the nocebo effect is the principle by which negative expectations manifest negative outcomes. If you expect a symptom, your brain becomes hyper-vigilant, often interpreting benign symptoms as evidence of disease, or in some cases, generating the symptom from the expectation alone. ... Modern psychiatry, amplified by online culture, has inadvertently weaponised this effect, creating a self-perpetuating cycle of mass pathologisation. Common human experiences such as forgetfulness, social awkwardness, tiredness, distractibility, and emotional sensitivity are no longer interpreted ... Read full text:

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Misinformation

Looks like science, lies like propaganda.

Online climate misinformation often borrows the look and feel of scientific figures and charts to gain legitimacy, according to a new study. The analysis highlights the importance of images and aesthetics in spreading climate misinformation, in contrast to previous studies that have largely focused on its content. “It’s no longer just about what is said, but how it is shown,” says study team member Anton Törnberg, a sociologist at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. The findings reflect the rise of popular internet platforms like Instagram, Tik- Tok, and YouTube that integrate images and text elements so that they amplify and modulate each other’s meanings. Törnberg and Petter Törnberg, a computational social scientist at the University of Amsterdam, analyzed 17,848 online text-and-image posts published between 2010 and 2023 by eight key players in the climate denial movement in Sweden. In the past it has been difficult to analyze large amounts of such multimodal data at once. But now AI can help. The researchers used CLIP, a neural network that allows combined analysis of text and images, and a tool known as BERTopic to organize the posts by topic. The patterns in the data were striking. “Much of this content borrows the look and feel of science: technical graphs, neutral colors, and data-heavy visuals that give an aura of objectivity ... Read full text:

Alaska

Towns are sinking. Government wants to increase drilling.

Less than two weeks ago [Oct. 2025], a typhoon hit an Alaskan village so severely that many of its homes floated out to sea. Strong winds and flooding from the cyclone destroyed houses in at least 15 villages. Residents said the damage looked like a bomb had gone off. At least one person died. The storm and the destruction it wrought are the results of a terrible confluence of events: climate change bringing more frequent and extreme weather; a government shutdown; and a National Weather Service that, decimated by DOGE cuts, had paused important weather balloon data collection. The communities that experienced the worst storm surges were not in the original forecasts, according to reports, and were woefully unprepared. What Alaska faced was a perfect storm —but it has for years been living with the impacts of climate change. ... The current administration last week pledged to send $25 million in immediate storm relief to Alaska. The next day, it announced something else: Parts of Alaska would be reopened for new oil and gas drilling. “We are strengthening energy independence, creating jobs, and supporting Alaska’s communities while driving economic growth across the state,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced. The timing couldn’t feel more insensitive. Kipnuk, an impacted village that lost 90% of its homes during ... Read full text:

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Miracle pill

...for Parkinson’s is 50 years old. Why can’t most of the world get it?

In the late 1960s, scientists discovered a miracle drug for Parkinson’s disease —a simple, inexpensive dopamine-replacement pill called levodopa. It transformed the lives of millions of people. People who could barely rise from a chair could stand, walk, and work again. The late Robin Williams famously brought the drug’s promise into public view in the 1990 movie “Awakenings.” For more than half a century, levodopa has been the gold standard for treating Parkinson’s disease, and the treatment is taught to medical students worldwide. Yet in 2025, most of the world’s 11.8 million people with Parkinson’s cannot reliably get it. Let that sink in. A generic, off-patent medication that costs pennies a dose —one that can restore dignity, mobility, and independence— is out of reach for many people who need it. This is not because we lack the science. It’s because we lack the will, the systems, and the plan. We’ve solved harder problems. Two decades ago, the HIV/AIDS epidemic was devastating the developing world. Lifesaving antiretroviral drugs existed but were locked behind high prices and weak global distribution. Through international coordination, policy changes, and sustained advocacy, we made those drugs available worldwide. ... So why can’t we do the same for Parkinson’s disease? In many low- and middle-income countries, levodopa is not on the shelves, or when it is, the supply is unreliable. This isn’t just a supply chain problem. It’s a political and a moral failure. ... Read full text:

‘Shark Tank’

...for youth-led solutions.

Christelle Kwizera was still a teenager and hadn’t even graduated from her engineering studies when she decided to tackle an urgent problem in her home country: safe water sources for local villages in Eastern Rwanda. “Crocodiles had migrated into the local lakes, and their only source of food was people and animals,” Kwizera learned. She had a serious crush on MacGyver, the 1980s TV hero and genius problem solver who outsmarts his enemies with scientific knowledge. He inspired her to study mechanical engineering in Oklahoma, and in the summer of 2014, at 20 years old, she raised $75,000 to dig 13 new boreholes in Rwanda with a team of young locals. She initially thought of it as a summer project, but fast-forward 10 years, and her social enterprise company, Water Access Rwanda, has secured safe water access for over 165,000 Rwandans through a network of boreholes, purified clean water microgrids and irrigation systems for farmers. Among the investors to believe in Kwizera were the founders of Resolution Project who granted $3,000 to Kwizera for another venture, Ingabo Safe Sites, a program for youth by youth, working to provide affordable and confidential access to sexual and reproductive health. Resolution Project CEO George Tsiatis and his co-founders started the nonprofit in 2009 to support young changemakers. They focus on college students who have a brilliant idea but lack the means to implement ...
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Landscape of fear

It gets weird when people enter the equation.

If you live near squirrels, then you’ve probably witnessed their suicidal tendencies around roads. It can seem like they are waiting for a car to approach before darting across the asphalt, sometimes changing direction multiple times or freezing in the middle of the street, only to be straddled by a car’s wheels. Or, in some unfortunate instances, not. It turns out these rodents, paradoxically, feel safer near roads with lots of traffic. The findings “seem counterintuitive, but show while roads can present a risk of being hit by a vehicle, squirrels living near roads appear to perceive the risk of being caught by a predator as lower,” said Kristin Thompson, who shed light on this phenomenon while earning a PhD at the University of Exeter in the UK. Ecologists coined the phrase “landscape of fear” to describe how animals modify their behavior based on how risky a place seems, particularly when it comes to encounters with predators. But the things species evolved to fear might be a poor match for a world where humans have altered risks in myriad unnatural ways. Thompson discovered just such a dynamic among gray squirrels living in southeast England, according to a paper in Oikos. To gauge how urban squirrels differed in behavior from their country cousins, the scientists visited six locations with differing levels of human presence such as roads and buildings. ...
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Tonga princess

Calls for legal rights for whales.

Tonga’s Princess Angelika Lātūfuipeka Tuku‘aho is calling for whales to have legal rights. “The time has come to recognise whales not merely as resources but as sentient beings with inherent rights,” Princess Angelika told the One Ocean Science Congress in France. Talanoa Tonga reported the global “I’m a Person Too” campaign is asking governments to give whales legal personhood. More than 367,000 people around the world have supported it. Tonga has a strong connection to whales. In 1978, the late Tongan King Tāufa‘āhau Tupou IV banned whale hunting in Tongan waters, creating one of the world’s first whale sanctuaries. The declaration also seeks to protect the rights of tohorā to migrate freely, conserve and grow dwindling populations, establish marine protected areas, and use mātauranga (traditional knowledge) Māori alongside science for better protections and set-up a dedicated fund for whale conservation. After Kiingi Tuheitia’s death, the residents of the Tonga island group of Vava’u promised to honour the late Māori King’s call for whales to be given personhood. A whale watching guide in Vava’u, Siaki Siosifa Fauvao, told RNZ Pacific his community was committed to safeguarding the mammals. “We will protect the whale; the whale is like a family to the Tongan people,” Fauvao said. One of the late Māori King’s closest advisors, Rahui Papa, said the Pacific ...
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How to strip the ‘shoulds’ from your holidays

A guide for neurodivergent families to ward off holiday stress and shame

By Kate Lynch
I don’t need to tell you that the holidays are tricky. The pressure to create pictureperfect moments, the sensory minefield of gatherings, and the worry about being judged by those we love often turns the season of joy into a source of anxiety for neurodivergent families. We try so hard to fit in at family gatherings. We do our best, yet we end up feeling disconnected, misunderstood, and left out when what we most want is belonging and connection. My neurodivergent kid is now a teen. Over the years, I’ve figured out a few things that have saved me during the holidays. I share them with you so that they might save you some agony as you navigate and potentially redefine your family’s holiday traditions.

How to Survive the Holidays: A guide for neurodivergent families
1. Ditch the guilt I used to feel guilty about not being able to do the holidays “right.” But guilt didn’t help me at all, and it won’t help you. You’re doing the absolute best you can, and that’s more than enough! I had to stop agonizing over homemade gifts and mailing out custom photo cards with personalized letters that detailed the year’s achievements. We now skip the family photos in front of our tree, and we happily share some hilarious snapshots of our kid (and us) having a good time instead. I used to beat myself up for not baking cookies, not having a perfectly decorated home, and not organizing every holiday activity. But I didn’t even enjoy doing many of these activities! I’ve learned that it’s OK to let go of the expectations I thought I had to meet. My kid is happy with a few select traditions, and he’s happiest when I’m not freaking out about making things perfect. Perfectionism is the thief of joy.

2. Redefine normal What does a “normal” holiday gathering look like, anyway? Is it perfectly cooked meals? A perfectly behaved family? Or is it a cozy night in, playing board games and watching a favorite movie? Our holiday activities have evolved over time, and today we enjoy a low-key celebration with just our immediate family. We’ve also been known to skip traditional Christmas dinner and opt for Chinese food and a favorite movie (Elf). We may find a nearby hotel with a heated pool. Why not? We’ve created our own rituals that work for our family.
3. Communicate openly with family and friends While it’s never easy, things are a lot smoother when everyone is on the same page in advance. We’ve learned to be upfront about our family’s needs and limitations. We set boundaries and request relaxed expectations for manners and mealtimes. One year at a holiday gathering, I explained my goals to our host (enjoy my meal and have a pleasant conversation). I also decided to take my son’s chair away entirely. At that age he rarely sat to eat, anyway. I asked the other adults to ignore what (and how) he was eating. We had a backup plan (kiddie movie) but we didn’t need it. That was the first year he actually ate some of his dinner and participated in the conversation! Long goodbyes are a thing in my extended family, but sometimes we make a run for it (and explain later) because my child desperately needs a break. When I start to feel ‘othered’ during the holidays, I try to remember that everyone does well when they can. This also applies to my extended family members, who aren’t always as aware of neurodiversity and inclusion as I am —but they can learn!

4. Minimize sensory overload as much as possible
While we can’t take our hammock swing or trampoline with us when we visit family, we can take noise-canceling headphones, weighted blankets, and fidgets. Being neurodivergent myself, I need to minimize noise, bright lights, and strong smells —or I feel stress on top of my stress! I also can only handle so much small talk, so I’m the first to volunteer to walk a dog or take the kids to the playground. That way, we all get fresh air, and we get to swing, jump, and climb!

5. Plan ahead but embrace flexibility We try to think ahead of possible tricky scenarios and have an exit plan. We check in with each other during the event and we make sure to schedule plenty of downtime later. We’ve also learned to adjust our plans based on how intense the gathering feels.

6. Practice radical self-care This holiday season, I urge you to prioritize self-care so you can be the best parent you can be. For me, self-care looks like… …a spontaneous kitchen dance party with our whole extended family …a quick walk around the block …a podcast while cleaning up …or a few minutes of journaling. If a certain activity or event is going to be too stressful, I’ve learned it is better to just say no. Self-care might also mean setting boundaries with family and friends (and not skipping my therapy appointment if I can help it). I’ve also learned the power of taking turns with my partner. When each of us has some time to recharge, holiday trips and events go more smoothly.

7. Focus on what matters most I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about my core values and priorities. It’s important for me to spend time with loved ones, create joyful memories, and practice gratitude. What’s not as important for me during the holidays is to check off a list of tasks. I don’t want to race around and pack my family’s days. I want to allow space for wonder. How about you – what do you value? What ‘shoulds’ will you say no to? No matter your answers, may this holiday season go smoothly for your neurodiverse family.
Read full text by Kate Lynch at ADDitude:

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Le petit chef

Functional kitchen prep set made for kids. Crafted in France, intelligently designed for safe use. Features a rounded tip blade that reduces accidental punctures but cuts and chops like a full-size knife. store.moma.org

Airframe.

This picture frame provides a portal through which once can gaze back onto fond travels. Each package contains three frames. www.designboom.com

Play with Braille

Aimed at kids aged 6+, it helps children with visual impairment practice their skills while giving the whole family a way to play together. The set includes 2 baseplates and over 250 bricks in five colors with studs that correspond to numbers and letters in the braille code. Fully compatible with all other LEGO products. www.lego.com

Toiata Apelu-Uili.

“Small island states are here to demand we honour 1.5C. It is not a political slogan. This is a lifeline for our survival, for our small islands. We’re here because our survival, our people, our lives are not negotiable”.

Toiata Apelu-Uili. Mitigation coordinator for the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) at COP30 summit. November 11, 2025.

Pluto pod

Travel pillow and eye mask, described as a mini sensory deprivation tank. Wear it as a structured padded hood, a comfortable neck pillow, and a pulldown eye mask to have the best sleep of your flight. store.moma.org

Say what?

“I’d be offended, but I’m too busy mentally correcting your grammar.”
Source: 100 Funny sayings that are definitely worth memorizing. www.rd.com

BACHELOR’S DEGREE in Religious Studies

SCHOOL OF SOCIAL AND HUMAN STUD

The Bachelor in Religious Studies offers a comprehensive exploration of the world’s religious traditions, sacred texts, philosophies, rituals, and ethical systems. The program examines religion as a central aspect of human culture, history, and identity, providing a broad understanding of how belief systems shape societies and influence contemporary issues such as politics, education, art, and interfaith dialogue. Students develop critical thinking, analytical, and intercultural communication skills while exploring the spiritual, historical, and social dimensions of religion. The Bachelor of Religious Studies program is offered online via distance learning. After evaluating both academic record and life experience, AIU staff working in conjunction with Faculty and Academic Advisors will assist students in setting up a custom-made program, designed on an individual basis. This flexibility to meet student needs is seldom found in other distance learning programs. Our online program does not require all students to take the same subjects/courses, use the same books, or learning materials. Instead, the online Bachelor of Religious Studies curriculum is designed individually by the student and academic advisor. It specifically addresses strengths and weaknesses with respect to market opportunities in the student’s major and intended field of work. Understanding that industry and geographic factors should influence the content of the curriculum instead of a standardized one-fits-all design is the hallmark of AIU’s unique approach to adult education. This philosophy addresses the dynamic and constantly changing environment of working professionals by helping adult students in reaching their professional and personal goals within the scope of the degree program.

Important:

Below is an example of the topics or areas you may develop and work on during your studies. By no means is it a complete or required list as AIU programs do not follow a standardized curriculum. It is meant solely as a reference point and example. Want to learn more about the curriculum design at AIU? Go ahead and visit our website, especially the Course and Curriculum section: https://www.aiu.edu/academic-freedom-and-open-curriculum/

Orientation Courses:

Communication & Investigation (Comprehensive Resume)
Organization Theory (Portfolio)
Experiential Learning (Autobiography)
Academic Evaluation (Questionnaire)
Fundament of Knowledge (Integration Chart)
Fundamental Principles I (Philosophy of Education)
Professional Evaluation (Self Evaluation Matrix)
Development of Graduate Study (Guarantee of an Academic Degree)

Core Courses and Topics

Philosophy of Religion
Comparative Religion
Sacred Texts: Interpretation
and Analysis
Religion and Ethics
Sociology of Religion
Anthropology of Ritual and Symbolism
Psychology of Religion and Spiritual
Experience
Methods in Religious Research
Contemporary Religious Movements
Religion and Politics in the Modern World

Research Project

Bachelor Thesis Project
MBM300 Thesis Proposal
MBM302 Bachelor Thesis (5,000 words)

Publication

Each graduate is encouraged to publish their research papers either online in the public domain or through professional journals and periodicals worldwide.

Contact us to get started

Submit your Online Application, paste your resume and any additional comments/ questions in the area provided.

aiu.edu/apply-online.html

Pioneer Plaza / 900 Fort Street Mall 905
Honolulu, HI 96813
800-993-0066 (Toll Free in US)
808-924-9567 (Internationally)

Atlantic International University offers distance learning degree programs for adult learners at bachelors, masters, and doctoral level. With self paced program taken online, AIU lifts the obstacles that keep professional adults from completing their educational goals. Programs are available throughout a wide range of majors and areas of study. All of this with a philosophically holistic approach towards education fitting within the balance of your life and acknowledging the key role each individual can play in their community, country, and the world.

AIU Accreditation

Atlantic International University has implemented a paradigm shifting educational model for its academic programs that have allowed it to move closer to this goal through the self-empowerment of its students, decentralization of the learning process, personalized open curriculum design, a sustainable learning model, developing 11 core elements of the Human Condition within MYAIU, and utilizing the quasi-infinite knowledge through the use of information technology combined with our own capacity to find solutions to all types of global issues, dynamic problems, and those of individuals and multidisciplinary teams.

AIU holds International Accreditation from ASIC (Accreditation Service for International Schools, Colleges, and Universities) with Premier Status for its commendable Areas of Operation. ASIC Accreditation is a leading, globally recognized quality standard in international education. Institutions undergo an impartial and independent external assessment process to confirm their provision meets rigorous internationally accepted standards, covering the whole spectrum of its administration, governance, and educational offering.

Achieving ASIC Accreditation demonstrates to students and stakeholders that an institution is a high-quality education provider that delivers safe and rewarding educational experiences and is committed to continuous improvement throughout its operation.

One of the largest international accreditation agencies operating in 70+ countries, ASIC is recognized in the UK by UKVI – UK Visas and Immigration (part of the Home Office of the UK Government), is ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management Systems) Accredited and is a Full Member of The International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE), a member of the BQF (British Quality Foundation), a member of the International Schools Association (ISA), and an institutional member of EDEN (European Distance and E-Learning Network). ASIC Affiliations & Credentials

Due to these differentiations and the university’s mission, only a reputable accrediting agency with the vision and plasticity to integrate and adapt its processes around AIU’s proven and successful innovative programs could be selected.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of accrediting agencies adhere to and follow obsolete processes and requirements that have outlived their usefulness and are in direct conflict with the university’s mission of offering a unique, dynamic, affordable, quality higher education to the non-traditional student (one who must work, study what he really needs for professional advancement, attend family issues, etc.).

We believe that adopting outdated requirements and processes would impose increased financial burdens on students while severely limiting their opportunities to earn their degree and advance in all aspects. Thus, in selecting the ASIC as its accrediting agency, AIU ensured that its unique programs would not be transformed into a copy or clone of those offered by the 10,000+ colleges and universities around the world.

Since ASIC is an international accrediting agency based outside the United States, we are required by statute HRS446E to place the following disclaimer: ATLANTIC INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY IS NOT ACCREDITED BY AN ACCREDITING AGENCY RECOGNIZED BY THE UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF EDUCATION.

NOTE: In the United States and abroad, many licensing authorities accredited degrees as the basis for eligibility for licensing. In some cases, accredited colleges may not accept for transfer courses and degrees completed at unaccredited colleges, and some employers may require an accredited degree as a basis for eligibility for employment. Potential students should consider how the above may affect their interests, AIU respects the unique rules and regulations of each country and does not seek to influence the respective authorities. In the event that a prospective student wishes to carry out any government review or process in regard to his university degree, we recommend that the requirements of such are explored in detail with the relevant authorities by the prospective student as the university does not intervene in such processes. AIU students can be found in over 180 countries; they actively participate and volunteer in their communities as part of their academic program and have allocated thousands of service hours to diverse causes and initiatives. AIU programs follow the standards commonly used by colleges and universities in the United States with regards to the following: academic program structure, degree issued, transcript, and other graduation documents. AIU graduation documents can include an apostille and authentication from the US Department of State to facilitate their use internationally. To see some of our graduates’ opinion of their studies at AIU please see: Video Interviews, Testimonials, and the AIU Press Room.

We encourage all AIU students to participate in the AIU Pledge which is a commitment to give back to their communities, country, and the world. One way is by integrating their academic program and professional dreams as much as possible the 17 UNESCO goals for 2030 as their feasibility and achievement are dependent on the contribution and participation by individuals. The 17 goals are interdisciplinary and cover disciplines from almost all majors and areas of study, learn more.

Transforming learning experience We believe in an open culture of inclusivity, discussion, and collaboration to add value and bring meaning to each student’s educational journey. We analyze each student’s progress with our expert faculty to align all our academic programs with the student’s individual goals to enable them to achieve their objectives in life.

The AIU Difference

It is acknowledged that the act of learning is endogenous, (from within), rather than exogenous. This fact is the underlying rationale for “Distance Learning”, in all of the programs offered by AIU.

The combination of the underlying principles of student “self instruction”, (with guidance), collaborative development of curriculum unique to each student, and flexibility of time and place of study, provides the ideal learning environment to satisfy individual needs.

AIU is an institution of experiential learning and nontraditional education at a distance. There are no classrooms and attendance is not required.

Mission & Vision

MISSION:

To be a higher learning institution concerned about generating cultural development alternatives likely to be sustained in order to lead to a more efficient administration of the world village and its environment; exerting human and community rights through diversity with the ultimate goal of the satisfaction and evolution of the world.

VISION:

The empowerment of the individual towards the convergence of the world through a sustainable educational design based on andragogy and omniology.

Organizational Structure

Dr. Franklin Valcin Presi den t/Academic Dean	Dr. José Mercado Chief Executive Officer Chairman of the Board of Trustees	Ricardo González, PhD Provost

Dr. Ricardo Gonzalez Chief Operation Officer and MKT Director	Linda Collazo Logistics Coordinator	AIU Tutors Coordinators: Deborah Rodriguez Amiakhor Ejaeta Amanda Gutierrez William Mora Miriam James Admissions Coordinators: Amalia Aldrett Sandra Garcia Junko Shimizu Veronica Amuz Alba Ochoa Jenis Garcia Judith Brown Chris Soto René Cordón Dr. Anderas Rissler Academic Coordinators: Dr. Adesida Oluwafemi Dr. Emmanuel Gbagu Dr. Lucia Gorea Dr. Edgar Colon Dr. Mario Rios Freddy Frejus Dr. Nilani Ljunggren De Silva Dr. Scott Wilson Dr. Mohammad Shaidul Islam

Dr. Miriam Garibaldi Vice provost for Research	Carolina Valdes Human Resource Coordinator

Dr. Ofelia Miller Director of AIU	Carlos Aponte Teleco mmunications Coordinator

Clara Margalef Director of Special Projects of AIU	David Jung Corporate/Legal Counsel

Juan Pablo Moreno Director of Operations	Bruce Kim Advisor/Consultant

Paula Viera Director of Intelligence Systems	Thomas Kim Corporate/ Accounting Counsel

Felipe Gomez Design Director / IT Supervisor	Maricela Esparza Administrative Coordinator

Kevin Moll Web Designer	Chris Benjamin IT and Hosting Support

Daritza Ysla IT Coordinator	Maria Pastrana Accounting Coordinator

Daritza Ysla IT Coordinator	Roberto Aldrett Communications Coordinator

Nadeem Awan Chief Programming Officer	Giovanni Castillo IT Support

Dr. Edward Lambert Academic Director	Antonella Fonseca Quality Control & Data Analysis

Dr. Ariadna Romero Advisor Coordinator	Adrián Varela Graphic Design

Jhanzaib Awan Senior Programmer	Vanesa D’Angelo Content Writer

Leonardo Salas Human Resource Manager	Jaime Rotlewicz Dean of Admissions

Benjamin Joseph IT and Technology Support	Michael Phillips Registrar’s Office

Rosie Perez Finance Coordinator

FACULTY AND STAFF PAGE: www.aiu.edu/FacultyStaff.html

School of Business and Economics

The School of Business and Economics allows aspiring and practicing professionals, managers, and entrepreneurs in the private and public sectors to complete a self paced distance learning degree program of the highest academic standard. The ultimate goal is to empower learners and help them take advantage of the enormous array of resources from the world environment in order to eliminate the current continuum of poverty and limitations. Degree programs are designed for those students whose professional experience has been in business, marketing, administration, economics, finance and management.

Areas of Study:

Accounting, Advertising, Banking, Business Administration, Communications, Ecommerce, Finance, Foreign Affairs, Home Economics, Human Resources, International Business, International Finance, Investing, Globalization, Marketing, Management, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Public Administrations, Sustainable Development, Public Relations, Telecommunications, Tourism, Trade.

School of Social and Human Studies

The School of Social and Human Studies is focused on to the development of studies which instill a core commitment to building a society based on social and economic justice and enhancing opportunities for human well being. The founding principles lie on the basic right of education as outlined in the Declaration of Human Rights. We instill in our students a sense of confidence and self reliance in their ability to access the vast opportunities available through information channels, the world wide web, private, public, nonprofit, and nongovernmental organizations in an ever expanding global community. Degree programs are aimed towards those whose professional life has been related to social and human behavior, with the arts, or with cultural studies.

Areas of Study:

Psychology, International Affairs, Sociology, Political Sciences, Architecture, Legal Studies, Public Administration, Literature and languages, Art History, Ministry, African Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, Asian Studies, European Studies, Islamic Studies, Religious Studies.

School of Science and Engineering

The School of Science and Engineering seeks to provide dynamic, integrated, and challenging degree programs designed for those whose experience is in industrial research, scientific production, engineering and the general sciences. Our system for research and education will keep us apace with the twenty-first century reach scientific advance in an environmentally and ecologically responsible manner to allow for the sustainability of the human population. We will foster among our students a demand for ethical behavior, an appreciation for diversity, an understanding of scientific investigation, knowledge of design innovation, a critical appreciation for the importance of technology and technological change for the advancement of humanity.

Areas of Study:

Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics, Communications, Petroleum Science, Information Technology, Telecommunications, Nutrition Science, Agricultural Science, Computer Science, Sports Science, Renewable Energy, Geology, Urban Planning.

Online Library Resources

With access to a global catalog created and maintained collectively by more than 9,000 participating institutions, AIU students have secured excellent research tools for their study programs.

The AIU online library contains over 2 billion records and over 300 million bibliographic records that are increasing day by day. The sources spanning thousands of years and virtually all forms of human expression. There are files of all kinds, from antique inscribed stones to e-books, form wax engravings to MP3s, DVDs and websites. In addition to the archives, the library AIU Online offers electronic access to more than 149,000 e-books, dozens of databases and more than 13 million full-text articles with pictures included. Being able to access 60 databases and 2393 periodicals with more than 18 million items, guarantees the information required to perform the assigned research project. Users will find that many files are enriched with artistic creations on the covers, indexes, reviews, summaries and other information.

The records usually have information attached from important libraries. The user can quickly assess the relevance of the information and decide if it is the right source.

Education on the 21st century

AIU is striving to regain the significance of the concept of education, which is rooted into the Latin “educare”, meaning “to pull out”, breaking loose from the paradigm of most 21st century universities with their focus on “digging and placing information” into students’ heads rather than teaching them to think. For AIU, the generation of “clones” that some traditional universities are spreading throughout the real world is one of the most salient reasons for today’s ills. In fact, students trained at those educational institutions never feel a desire to “change the world” or the current status quo; instead, they adjust to the environment, believe everything is fine, and are proud of it all.

IN A WORLD where knowledge and mostly information expire just like milk, we must reinvent university as a whole in which each student, as the key player, is UNIQUE within an intertwined environment. This century’s university must generate new knowledge bits although this may entail its separation from both the administrative bureaucracy and the faculty that evolve there as well. AIU thinks that a university should be increasingly integrated into the “real world”, society, the economy, and the holistic human being. As such, it should concentrate on its ultimate goal, which is the student, and get him/her deeply immersed into a daily praxis of paradigm shifts, along with the Internet and research, all these being presently accessible only to a small minority of the world community. AIU students must accomplish their self-learning mission while conceptualizing it as the core of daily life values through the type of experiences that lead to a human being’s progress when information is converted into education. The entire AIU family must think of the university as a setting that values diversity and talent in a way that trains mankind not only for the present but above all for a future that calls everyday for professionals who empower themselves in academic and professional areas highly in demand in our modern society. We shall not forget that, at AIU, students are responsible for discovering their own talents and potential, which they must auto-develop in such a way that the whole finish product opens up as a flower that blossoms every year more openly.

THE AIU STANCE is against the idea of the campus as a getaway from day-to-day pressure since we believe reality is the best potential-enhancer ever; one truly learns through thinking, brainstorming ideas, which leads to new solutions, and ultimately the rebirth of a human being fully integrated in a sustainable world environment. Self-learning is actualized more from within than a top-down vantage point, that is to say, to influence instead of requesting, ideas more than power. We need to create a society where solidarity, culture, life, not political or economic rationalism and more than techno structures, are prioritized. In short, the characteristics of AIU students and alumni remain independence, creativity, self-confidence, and ability to take risk towards new endeavors. This is about people’s worth based not on what they know but on what they do with what they know.

AIU Service

AIU offers educational opportunities in the USA to adults from around the world so that they can use their own potential to manage their personal, global cultural development. The foundational axis of our philosophy lies upon self-actualized knowledge and information, with no room for obsoleteness, which is embedded into a DISTANCE LEARNING SYSTEM based on ANDRAGOGY and OMNIOLOGY. The ultimate goal of this paradigm is to empower learners and help them take advantage of the enormous array of resources from the world environment in order to eliminate the current continuum of poverty and limitations.

This will become a crude reality with respect for, and practice of, human and community rights through experiences, investigations, practicum work, and/ or examinations. Everything takes place in a setting that fosters diversity; with advisors and consultants with doctorate degrees and specializations in Human Development monitor learning processes, in addition to a worldwide web of colleagues and associations, so that they can reach the satisfaction and the progress of humanity with peace and harmony.

Contact us to get started

Now, it’s possible to earn your degree in the comfort of your own home. For additional information or to see if you qualify for admissions please contact us.

Pioneer Plaza / 900 Fort Street Mall 410 Honolulu, HI 96813
800-993-0066 (Toll Free in US) info@aiu.edu
808-924-9567 (Internationally) www.aiu.edu

Lucy Gómez Heyliger Master of Human Resources Human Resources Aruba	Earabilwe K. Ketlhanyegile Master of Education Education Botswa na	Alcindo Neckel Doctor of Philosop hy Geography and Environmental Sciences Brazil	Geolber García Reyes Bachelor of Political Science Public Policies Brazil	Fleur Pembe Agbaw Ebai Doctor of Philosop hy Business Management Cameroo n	Abdur Rashid Doctor of Human Rights Human Rights Canada

Juan Carlos Perez Doctor of Economics Economic Development Colombia	Bukasa Musangu Ronsard Master of Business Administration Business Administration Congo	Crephenia James-Turney Bachelor of Social Work Social Work Dominica	Ángel Gonzalo Brito Brito Bachelor of Science Architecture Ecuador	Flor de María Chicas de Cisneros Doctor of Psychology Child Psychology El Salvador	Abraham Ashenafi Alemayehu Bachelor of Science Public Health Ethiop ia

Kalou Zouza Roland Clovis Doctor of Philosop hy International Relations and Diplomacy Germany	Kofi Oduro Twumasi Doctor of Business Administration Project Management and Procurement Ghana	Robert Wemegah Bachelor of Science Mechanical Engineering Ghana	Augustine Agyemang-Duah Bachelor of Science Industrial Engineering Ghana	Alejandro Gudberto Camas Chávez Post-Doctorate of Public Administration Public Administration Guatemala	Daniela Ramirez Iglesias Bachelor of Psychology Clinical Psychology Guatemala

César Iván Rosa Alvarado Doctor of Business Administration Business Administration Guatemala	Amadson Kollie Master of Political Science Political Science and Philosophy Guinea	Aliou Diane Doctor of Philosop hy Project Management Guinea	Luis Enrique Bejarano Nolasco Bachelor of Marketing Market Research Honduras	Jose Ramon Rivera Martinez Doctor of Science Roads and Pavements Projects Honduras	Carlos Alberto Sanarrucia Campos Master of Economics Economics Hondur

Nicola-Ann Marie Brown Pinnock Doctor of Management Management Jamaica	Kyeva Laurent Baraka Doctor of Science Psychology Kenya	Joseph Kimutai Boit Doctor of Philosop hy Project Management Kenya	Saul Davis Sango Doctor of Philosop hy Psychology Kenya	Peter Onyango Doctor of Philosop hy Behavioral Science Kenya	Karaute Jane Bachelor of Project Management Project Management Kenya

Elenah Wachera Kariuki Doctor of Linguistics Linguistics Kenya	Michael Tanoe Nah Master of Science Telecommunications Liberia	Eduardo Rivera León Doctor of Theology Theology Mexico	Francisco Fernando Ruiz Torres Bachelor of Transpersonal Psychology Music Therapy Mexico	Maria del Rocio Martinez Sanchez Post-Doctorate of Science Psychotherap y Mexico	Obed Mayoral Fernández Doctor of Science Biotechnology Mexico

Javier Enrique Rosas Aparicio Doctor of Science Psychology Mexico	Francisco António Xavier Dos Santos Bachelor of Science Mechanical Engineering Mozambique	Ruben Salvador Cossa Master of Science Project Management Mozambique	Elias Carlos Queo Chapungo Master of Science Supply Chain Management Mozambique	Athanase Habuhazi Master of Science Computer Science Mozambique	Bigirimana Zepherin Doctor of Philosop hy Nutrition Mozambique

Friedrich Alpers Doctor of Science Environmental Science Namibia	Gabriel Attah Baba Doctor of Leadership Leadership and Youth Development Nigeria	Jonathan Oga Ukwuru Post-Doctorate of Management Project Management Nigeria	Eke-Samuel Mary Doctor of Science Developmental Psychology Nigeria	Sunday Ademola Adebamiro Doctor of Business Administration International Business Nigeria	Matthew Odinya Onoja Doctor of Philosop hy Population and Reproductive Health Nigeria

Babashehu Abbakawu Doctor of Science Renewable Energy Nigeria	Mohammed Bello Bachelor of Science Computer Engineering Nigeria	Effiong Emmanuel Asuquo Bachelor of Science Human Resources Management Nigeria	Fidelis Nchewi Ekom Doctor of Public Administration Public Policy and Administration Nigeria	Victor Mosquera Rojas Bachelor of Science Electrical Engineering Panama	Sam Mea Atta Doctor of Philosop hy Human Resources Management Pap ua New Gui

Marco Antonio Abad Zapata Bachelor of Science Mechanical Engineering Peru	Grace V. Migriño Master of Business Administration Administration Philipp ines	Marlen Malinao Valencia Master of Science Family and Couple Therapy Philipp ines	Emma Priscilla De Jesús Alvarado Doctor of Science Nutrition Puerto Rico	Herminio Flores Onofre Doctor of Philosop hy Theology Puerto Rico	David Ramos Rodríguez Doctor of Education Education Administration and Management Puerto Rico

Shyaka Rodrigue Bachelor of Science Civil Engineering Rwa nda	Aaron Donovan Bachelor of Science Sustainable Agriculture Saint Lucia	Emmy Mitchel-Joseph Master of Management Project Management Saint Lucia	Donna Evelyn Joyette Bascombe Doctor of Business Administration Business Administration Saint Vincent and the Grenadin	Syed Mukith Ur Rahaman Doctor of Education Higher Education Management Saudi Arab ia	Kingston Elington Mame Doctor of Science Project Management Sierra Leone

Sami Bsoul Doctor of Philosop hy Psychology Slovakia	Maloeto Bella Sepalamelo Doctor of Philosop hy Public Health South Africa	Nomhle Prudence Fihla Post-Doctorate of International Relations International Relations South Africa	Karlo Kuot Madut Deng Master of Science Food Security and Climate Change South Sudan	Moges Belachew Damen Doctor of Business Administration Business Management South Sudan	Rozenhout Wesley Paitoe Doctor of Science Business Management and Economics Suriname

Ashabrick Nantege Doctor of Public Health Environmental Health Uganda	Charles Nwaneri Ekeh Doctor of Philosop hy Project Management United Kingdom	Erwin Semah Kamara Doctor of Philosop hy Public Health US A	Ezéchias Jean Doctor of Philosop hy General Psychology US A	Ally Jean-Francois Doctor of Science Criminal Justice US A	Anyiam Hope Ihuoma Doctor of Philosop hy Public Administration and Int. Relations US A

Nora Pozo Doctor of Nutrition Nutrition Science US A	Carlos Enrique Belisario Ardon Doctor of Philosop hy Private and Public Management US A	Kouadio Richard Kouadio Bachelor of International Relations International Relations US A	Elizabeth Dayanara Obando Gutierrez Bachelor of Legal Studies Legal Studies US A	Protais Kayijuka Master of Science Public Health US	Maria Julia Nunez Bachelor of Education Music Education US A

Engohang Nze Antoine Waldrys Doctor of Science Strategic Human Resources Management US A	Carlos Mario Aragon Sampayo Master of Science Architecture US A	David Victor Chipata Bachelor of Project Management Project Management Zambia	Chimuka Mwiinga Doctor of Science Public Health Zambia

December 2025 Edition!

Other Editions

Special needs and inclusive education

Article published

16 TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON Aging & Social Change

Graduated with Distinction

Modern Criminology

Find More Graduates

Student Testimonials

FIND MORE TESTIMONIALS FROM AIU STUDENTS HERE:

The Nobel Prize in Economics 2025

By Dr. Rosa Hilda Lora M. Advisor at AIU | rosa@aiu.edu

Helping Children with Anxiety deal with the back-to-school transition

Aubrey Moono | Inclusive Education

Learning

Artificial Intelligence

How to talk to your teen about it.

North

The strange history of why it is always up.

Find Open Courses and a world of learning granted by AIU at courses.aiu.edu Help others study and change their lives. Visit MyAIU Pledge.

Leucine

This common nutrient supercharges your cells’ energy.

Cerebroarterial

...pulsatility: Its rol in cerebrovascular and neurodegenerative diseases.

AIU makes a huge contribution to the world by giving new scient ifics the space for original investigations and research. Visit MyAIU Evolution

Mazzu

Camping mattress

Introvert chair

by Robbie Williams

walk me

wheelchair with foldable legs

Get a better knowledge about our rights and the way we can use them on a daily basis to prevent any abuse or limitations of them. Visit MyAIU Human Rights.

Postpartum

...depression: Better remedies, a predictive blood test.

The nocebo effect

We are attributing more to sickness.

Find support for your own unique art and design projects, or support other creative projects at MyAIU Research

Misinformation

Looks like science, lies like propaganda.

Alaska

Towns are sinking. Government wants to increase drilling.

Live a better life learning how to keep your body, mind and soul balanced. Visit regularly MyAIU Body / MyAIU Mind / MyAIU Spirit and MyAIU Energy.

Miracle pill

...for Parkinson’s is 50 years old. Why can’t most of the world get it?

‘Shark Tank’

...for youth-led solutions.

Live a better life learning how to keep your body, mind and soul balanced. Visit regularly MyAIU Body / MyAIU Mind / MyAIU Spirit and MyAIU Energy.

Landscape of fear

It gets weird when people enter the equation.

Tonga princess

Calls for legal rights for whales.

Live a better life learning how to keep your body, mind and soul balanced. Visit regularly MyAIU Body / MyAIU Mind / MyAIU Spirit and MyAIU Energy.

Campus

How to strip the ‘shoulds’ from your holidays

A guide for neurodivergent families to ward off holiday stress and shame

Help others study and change their lives. Visit MyAIU Pledge. Learn how to have a better financial control. Visit MyAIU Money.

Le petit chef

Airframe.

Play with Braille

Toiata Apelu-Uili.

Pluto pod

Travel pillow and eye mask, described as a mini sensory deprivation tank. Wear it as a structured padded hood, a comfortable neck pillow, and a pulldown eye mask to have the best sleep of your flight. store.moma.org

Say what?

“I’d be offended, but I’m too busy mentally correcting your grammar.” Source: 100 Funny sayings that are definitely worth memorizing. www.rd.com

BACHELOR’S DEGREE in Religious Studies

SCHOOL OF SOCIAL AND HUMAN STUD

Important:

Orientation Courses:

Core Courses and Topics

Research Project

Publication

Contact us to get started

aiu.edu/apply-online.html

About Us

AIU Accreditation

The AIU Difference

Mission & Vision

MISSION:

VISION:

Organizational Structure

“I’d be offended, but I’m too busy mentally correcting your grammar.”
Source: 100 Funny sayings that are definitely worth memorizing. www.rd.com