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Stephen Hawking

Professor Stephen Hawking Beacon of Courage and Dedication Award Stephen William Hawking (8 January 1942 – 14 March 2018) was an English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author who, at the time of his death, was director of research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge.[6][17][18] Between 1979 and 2009, he was the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge, widely viewed as one of the most prestigious academic posts in the world.[19] Hawking was born in Oxford into a family of physicians. In October 1959, at the age of 17, he began his university education at University College, Oxford, where he received a first-class BA degree in physics. In October 1962, he began his graduate work at Trinity Hall at the University of Cambridge where, in March 1966, he obtained his PhD degree in applied mathematics and theoretical physics, specializing in general relativity and cosmology. In 1963, at age 21, Hawking was diagnosed with an early-onset slow-progressing form of motor neurone disease that gradually, over decades, paralysed him.[20][21] After the loss of his speech, he communicated through a speech-generating device initially through use of a handheld switch, and eventually by using a single cheek muscle.[22] Hawking’s scientific works included a collaboration with Roger Penrose on gravitational singularity theorems in the framework of general relativity, and the theoretical prediction that black holes emit radiation, often called Hawking radiation. Initially, Hawking radiation was controversial. By the late 1970s and following the publication of further research, the discovery was widely accepted as a major breakthrough in theoretical physics. Hawking was the first to set out a theory of cosmology explained by a union of the general theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. He was a vigorous supporter of the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics.[23][24] Hawking achieved commercial success with several works of popular science in which he discussed his theories and cosmology in general. His book A Brief History of Time appeared on the Sunday Times best-seller list for a record-breaking 237 weeks. Hawking was a Fellow of the Royal Society, a lifetime member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States. In 2002, Hawking was ranked number 25 in the BBC‘s poll of the 100 Greatest Britons. He died in 2018 at the age of 76, after living with motor neurone disease for more than 50 years. Wikipedia

Nicole Hockley & Mark Barden

Nicole Hockley chose to transform unspeakable grief and anguish into action after her youngest son, Dylan, was murdered in his first-grade classroom during the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy. As the co-founder and CEO of the Sandy Hook Promise Foundation, Nicole works every day to protect children from gun and school violence. Sandy Hook Promise Foundation is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to educating and empowering youth and adults to prevent violence in schools, homes, and communities. Under Nicole’s leadership, the research-driven Know The Signs violence prevention programs were created and are now available to schools at no cost. More than 18.5 million have participated in these life-saving programs in 23,000+ schools and youth organizations nationwide. As a result, countless acts of violence have been averted – including at least 15 planned school attacks – saving precious lives and helping youth get much-needed mental health support. Nicole is a leading voice on school safety and gun violence prevention, rising above the political divide over gun control, focusing instead on helping young people get the help they need. She is a sought-after keynote speaker and commenter, sharing expertise on recognizing the warning signs of someone who may be in crisis or at risk of harming themselves or others, and how to safely intervene. She has presented several TEDx Talks, her opinion editorials have been published by Newsweek, CNN, USA Today, and InStyle, and her commentary has been featured in CNN, MSNBC, Newsy, ABC, CBS, and NBC news coverage, among countless other media outlets. Mark Barden is co-founder and CEO of the Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund. Since the tragic murder of his son, Daniel, during the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012, Mark has dedicated himself to sparing other families the pain of losing children to gun violence. Mark believes that thoughtful, sincere dialogue centered on protecting youth will lead us to shared common ground and nonpartisan solutions everyone can agree with. These include expanded background checks, secure storage of firearms, extreme risk protection laws, and other measures that are proven to prevent gun violence. Under his leadership, the Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund successfully advances a holistic policy platform that promotes gun safety, youth mental health, and violence prevention education. The organization works at the state and federal level to pass nonpartisan legislation through inclusive partnerships, diverse grassroots education, and community mobilization. This includes writing and passing the Mental Health Parity Act under President Obama; the Students, Teachers, and Officers Preventing (STOP) School Violence Act under President Trump; and Suicide Training and Awareness Nationally Delivered for Universal Prevention (STANDUP) Act under President Biden. In the summer of 2022, the Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund helped a deeply partisan Congress come together to pass the “Bipartisan Safer Communities Act,” the first gun safety package in nearly 30 years, which included enhanced background checks for buyers under the age of 21, partially closing the dating loophole, funding to support states implementing extreme risk protection orders, and additional funding for mental health services and school safety. Each piece of legislation passed through Congress with bipartisan support helps ensure that cost is never a barrier to school violence prevention.

Poonacha Machaiah

Hello, I’mPoonacha Machaiah SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR Poonacha Machaiah has over 20 years of global experience as a successful serial entrepreneur and business leader in Fortune 100 companies. Poonacha is among the new breed of emerging social entrepreneurs who are using approaches from the commercial world and employing technology to tackle social and environmental problems. Today he is levering his vast global experience and technology domain expertise to bring to communities transformative educational solutions and ubiquitous access to the masses via mobility. Poonacha has co-founded “Jiyo” a wellbeing platform along with internationally renowned physician and author Deepak Chopra M.D. He is founder the founder and CEO of ‘ABOVE – A Bunch of Versatile Entrepreneurs’, a company he had founded in 2008. ABOVE is a company that has delivered industry-leading solutions in the Education, Mobility, Media and Entertainment segments. ABOVE has launched one of the pioneering Social TV/collaboration platforms TangoFX and recently launched ABOVE Learning Platform. Poonacha is also the co-founder of the social enterprise ‘WeightLess Project’, a global movement to address the challenges that plague our communities i.e. lifestyle disorders related to obesity/overweight and hunger/malnutrition. He was instrumental in the founding of India’s leading social media startup along with internationally acclaimed film director Shekhar Kapur and Oscar award winning music composer AR Rahman. During his tenure as CEO, Qyuki was been voted as one of India’s coolest startups (Business Today) and also featured in Fortune (India) and Fast Company. Through the majority of his career, he has held senior leadership positions in Global Sales & Business Development with leading MNC’s like Sasken, Motorola, Visionael, Iridium, and Dimension Enterprises – a leading Internet Data Center services startup in the Washington DC area, which was then acquired by Nortel Networks in 2000. He is on the advisory board of Chopra Foundation and International mentor at XMedia Lab, an internationally acclaimed digital media think tank. Prior to his return to India in 2007, he has been an active member of the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department and Joy of Sports in the Washington DC area. Poonacha holds an MBA from the College of William and Mary in Virginia and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Engineering from the B.M.S. College of Engineering in Bangalore, India.

Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford was born on July 13, 1942 in Chicago, Illinois, to Dorothy (Nidelman), a radio actress, and Christopher Ford (born John William Ford), an actor turned advertising executive. His father was of Irish and German ancestry, while his maternal grandparents were Jewish emigrants from Minsk, Belarus. Harrison was a lackluster student at Maine Township High School East in Park Ridge Illinois (no athletic star, never above a C average). After dropping out of Ripon College in Wisconsin, where he did some acting and later summer stock, he signed a Hollywood contract with Columbia and later Universal. His roles in movies and television (Ironside (1967), The Virginian (1962)) remained secondary and, discouraged, he turned to a career in professional carpentry. He came back big four years later, however, as Bob Falfa in American Graffiti (1973). Four years after that, he hit colossal with the role of Han Solo in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977). Another four years and Ford was Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). Four years later and he received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for his role as John Book in Witness (1985). All he managed four years after that was his third starring success as Indiana Jones; in fact, many of his earlier successful roles led to sequels as did his more recent portrayal of Jack Ryan in Patriot Games (1992). Another Golden Globe nomination came his way for the part of Dr. Richard Kimble in The Fugitive (1993). He is clearly a well-established Hollywood superstar. He also maintains an 800-acre ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Ford is a private pilot of both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, and owns an 800-acre (3.2 km2) ranch in Jackson, Wyoming, approximately half of which he has donated as a nature reserve. On several occasions, Ford has personally provided emergency helicopter services at the request of local authorities, in one instance rescuing a hiker overcome by dehydration. Ford began flight training in the 1960s at Wild Rose Idlewild Airport in Wild Rose, Wisconsin, flying in a Piper PA-22 Tri-Pacer, but at $15 an hour, he could not afford to continue the training. In the mid-1990s, he bought a used Gulfstream II and asked one of his pilots, Terry Bender, to give him flying lessons. They started flying a Cessna 182 out of Jackson, Wyoming, later switching to Teterboro, New Jersey, flying a Cessna 206, the aircraft he soloed in. Ford is an honorary board member of the humanitarian aviation organization Wings of Hope. On March 5, 2015, Ford’s plane, believed to be a Ryan PT-22 Recruit, made an emergency landing on the Penmar Golf Course in Venice, California. Ford had radioed in to report that the plane had suffered engine failure. He was taken to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, where he was reported to be in fair to moderate condition. Ford suffered a broken pelvis and broken ankle during the accident, as well as other injuries.

Gabrielle Giffords

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords Award Presentation: BEACON OF COURAGE AND DEDICATION AWARD and PIONEER IN HEALTHCARE POLICY AWARD (VIDEO)

Gabriella Wright

Gabriella Wright (born 19 June 1982) is an English actress and model, best known for playing Queen Claude of France in the series The Tudors, Viola in the film The Perfect Husband, and Gina in the action thriller The Transporter Refueled. In addition to her acting and modeling careers, she is a humanitarian and activist with contributions to many international campaigns on gender-based violence and suicide prevention. Activism Wright’s humanitarian engagement dates back to 2004. She is the founder of the production company Conscious Intent which supports different media formats to promote “the human story”.[10] In 2019, she produced ‘I am Never Alone’, directed by Michel Pascal,[11] which was the impetus for the Never Alone[12] global campaign, which she founded with Deepak Chopra.[13] Also with Chopra, she contributed the series titled ‘Telepathy and Autism’ to a meditation and yoga application, Mind Dive,[14] which she co-developed as a tool to reduce stress and relieve trauma through meditation, science, yoga and films. She shares her meditation practice with parolees in the greater Los Angeles area, facilitated by the Amity Foundation.[15] She is a goodwill ambassador to Skypower, a solar company with a socio-economic impact model for developing nations, and is the honorary president of a grassroots charity in Myanmar that works in slums in and around Yangon.[citation needed] As a motivational speaker, she advocates for an end to violence against women and girls and has lent her voice to UN Women and the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women[16] in London (2018) and in Los Angeles (2019) with Nicole Kidman. She has been a guest speaker at the Difficult Dialogues forum (2018) which compared the ‘Me too‘ movements in India and Hollywood and has also spoken numerous times at Carnegie Hall on healing trauma, the power of meditation and how to seek fulfillment, irrespective of life circumstances. Her recent engagement featured a powerful story of a young woman survivor of violence from Zimbabwe, which she narrated at the opening of the First UN Trust Fund Grantee Convention held in Bosnia and Herzegovina on 24 October 24 2019,[17] and a seminar on suicide prevention and self-awareness, which she delivered at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham University in India on 3 January 2020.[18] From Wikipedia