In a world grappling with the twin pressures of climate change and rapid industrialization, water has become both a strategic resource and a mounting challenge. For industries that rely heavily on it—from semiconductors to pharmaceuticals—the question is no longer simply one of supply, but of sustainability and reuse. At the center of a growing movement to reengineer the way water is treated and recycled stands Anurag Bajpayee, an engineer and entrepreneur whose company, Gradiant, is gaining global attention for its practical solutions to one of the century’s most urgent environmental concerns.

Bajpayee earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2006 and went on to pursue graduate work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he completed a master’s and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering.

It was during his time at MIT that Bajpayee began working on what would become the foundation for his later career. His research focused on thermal and membrane-free desalination techniques—technologies aimed at extracting clean water from complex sources without the high energy costs typically associated with conventional methods. One of his innovations, a process known as Carrier Gas Extraction (CGE), mimicked natural evaporation and condensation cycles to purify water efficiently. This technology was recognized by Scientific American in 2012 as one of the “Top 10 World-Changing Ideas.”

In 2013, Bajpayee co-founded Gradiant with fellow MIT alumnus Prakash Govindan. The company emerged as an MIT spinout with a mission to develop industrial-scale water treatment solutions based on advanced engineering principles. Gradiant’s focus has been on industries facing high water stress or stringent environmental regulations, offering systems that allow factories and plants to recycle wastewater on-site rather than discharge it or rely on freshwater withdrawals.

Gradiant’s growth over the past decade has mirrored rising global concerns about water scarcity. With operations now spanning the United States, China, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, the company has built treatment plants across sectors including semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, energy, and mining.

Its clients include some of the world’s largest corporations. In Texas, Gradiant provides water reuse technologies to a semiconductor facility located in a drought-prone region. In China, it works with biopharmaceutical producers to ensure wastewater is treated and recycled to rigorous purity requirements.

One of Gradiant’s core offerings is a portfolio of proprietary technologies—developed in-house and backed by over 280 patents—ranging from advanced reverse osmosis to selective contaminant extraction and brine concentration systems. These tools enable customers to recover up to 98% of water from wastewater streams, a significant improvement over traditional methods.

The company has also gained traction among investors. In 2023, Gradiant raised $225 million in a Series D funding round, boosting its valuation to $1 billion.

Despite its commercial momentum, Bajpayee maintains that Gradiant is first and foremost an engineering firm focused on practical problem-solving. The company not only develops but also builds and operates water treatment infrastructure for its clients, offering a vertically integrated model that gives it greater control over performance and reliability.

This emphasis on engineering execution, rather than simply licensing technology, has helped distinguish Gradiant in a crowded market. Bajpayee has noted that while there are many good ideas in water treatment, the challenge lies in scale, reliability, and economics.

Bajpayee’s leadership has been widely recognized within the water industry. In 2019, he was named to MIT Technology Review’s annual list of Innovators Under 35 in the entrepreneur category. Gradiant has been named Desalination Company of the Year by Global Water Intelligence and received the Water Technology Idol award at the Global Water Summit in 2023. Its growing patent portfolio and global project base have earned it a reputation as a “water unicorn” within the climate-tech sector.

Yet Bajpayee himself remains focused on the long game. As water stress intensifies globally—due to both rising consumption and unpredictable climate patterns—he sees industrial water reuse as not just a technical solution, but a necessary evolution in how industries operate.

Looking ahead, Gradiant aims to expand further into emerging markets, where rapid industrialization is outpacing infrastructure. The company is also developing AI-driven systems for real-time water quality monitoring and predictive maintenance, as part of a broader push toward digital transformation in environmental services.

Bajpayee, who now splits his time between Boston, Middle East, Europe and Asia, continues to steer the company’s global strategy while staying involved in technical development. His background as both a scientist and an entrepreneur allows him to navigate the demands of innovation and execution—an increasingly rare combination in a field often divided between lab and boardroom.

At a time when the world’s freshwater systems are under growing strain, Bajpayee’s work sits at the intersection of environmental necessity and industrial efficiency. Whether Gradiant will become the dominant water tech company of its generation remains to be seen, but the approach it represents—of engineering-led, solution-focused sustainability—is already shaping how industries confront one of their most critical challenges

In the 21st century, technology has integrated almost every aspect of our lives. From transport to entertainment, from offices to health, every branch of our life fully incorporates technology and innovation. 

Similarly, although parents are (rightfully so) hesitant in using technology around their children, Elizabeth Fraley Kinder Ready has compiled a list of television shows for children that can boost learning skills and cognitive development. Emotional intelligence is just as important as academics; shows that improve such skills need to be appreciated. 

Following is a list of educational television shows for children, by Elizabeth Fraley Kinder Ready:

Bluey 

Optimum Age: 3 to 7 

Bluey is an Australian animated series that promotes creativity and emotional intelligence. The titular character, Bluey, is a blue heeler pup. This series navigates around her everyday life with family. This television show reinforces the values of family, love and teamwork. 

Dora the Explorer 

Optimum Age: 2 to 7

This television show greatly influences the learning capability of your child. The daily challenges and puzzles the main character faces, help the audience i.e. the children to hone their problem solving skills as well as memory skills. If you’re bilingual and want to incorporate Spanish in your child’s life, this show is definitely a must. 

Peppa Pig 

Optimum Age: 2 to 6 

This family-oriented television show will reinforce home values. This series follows Peppa pig and her family engaging in normal everyday activities; in a way that teaches the children about manners, social skills, friendship and the importance of family. 

Sesame Street

Optimum Age: 2 to 5 

Next on the list by Elizabeth Fraley Kinder Ready is Sesame Street; one of the leading shows that encourage learning, ranging from numbers to social skills. Originally aired in the 1970s, this show uses a slow-paced format that is perfect for your child’s cognitive development. 

Numberblocks

Optimum Age: 3 to 7  

This show is ideal to hone your child’s math skills. It incorporates basic math concepts like counting, addition and subtraction in a fun way. 

Mister Rogers’ Neighbourhood 

Optimum Age: 3 to 8 

This television show follows Fred Rogers as he teaches children about emotional intelligence and life lessons. Labelled as a “timeless classic”, this show develops the feelings of empathy, kindness and confidence in children. 

Paw Patrol 

Optimum Age: 2 to 5 

This enthralling show follows a group of rescue puppies as they band together to save their neighborhood from impending threats and dangers. Paw Patrol fosters teamwork as well as problem solving skills in its viewers. 

WordWorld 

Optimum Age: 2 to 6 

This television show encourages learning through visual aids, focusing on spelling development and phonics. One of the most interesting things about this show is that everything is made up of letters and alphabets. For example, a nest is depicted as N E S T, laid out. Elizabeth Fraley Kinder Ready believes that shows like this are of a great help in your child’s learning journey.

The Magic School Bus 

Optimum Age: 5 to 10 

For slightly older children, this television show inspires curiosity and critical thinking. It follows Ms. Frizzle and her students as they take field trips related to science, in an effort to explain how things, like the human body and ecosystems, work. 

Curious George

Optimum Age: 3 to 10 

If your child is fascinated by science or STEM, this show is a must-watch. It promotes critical thinking skills and elaborates basic physics and engineering concepts, in a fun way. 

Super Why! 

Optimum Age: 3 to 6 

This television show consists of superhero characters who emphasize spelling and phonics in an interactive way. This show also hones reading skills of children, allowing them to identify correct sounds. 

Wild Kratts 

Optimum Age: 4 to 10 

Last in the list by Elizabeth Fraley Kinder Ready is Wild Kratts. This television show follows the Kratt brothers as they explore wildlife habitats and ecosystems. This encourages a passion for life sciences and ecology in children.

Conclusion 

Elizabeth Fraley Kinder Ready, CEO of educational service company, emphasizes on the need for parents to regulate what type of media their children consume. 

Television shows provide more than just entertainment – they can be a great source of education too! Whether it is academics like math skills and reading or values like empathy, confidence, television shows provide a strong foundation of learning. 

For further details on Kinder Ready’s programs, visit their website: https://www.kinderready.com/.

Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ElizabethFraleyKinderReady 

Not long after a huge victory in the 2024 presidential election, president-elect Donald Trump selected former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee to serve as U.S. ambassador to Israel. Huckabee is well known as a staunch Evangelical Christian, a marked departure from Trump’s previous pick in his first term, David Friedman. Friedman is Jewish, as are most U.S. ambassadors to Israel who served under Obama and Biden, such as Daniel Shapiro, Thomas Nides and Jack Lew.

The choice of Huckabee is therefore a telling one. The Evangelical Christian community is highly supportive of Israel for its own theological reasons. Namely, they believe Jews must have their own state in the Holy Land of the Bible in order for the second coming of Christ to occur. Many Jews and Israelis have pragmatically accepted the support of Christian Zionists while others feel this kind of support, and specifically Huckabee’s avowed endorsement of Israelis’ right to permanently settle in Judea and Samaria, is dangerous for Israel.

Regardless of one’s thoughts on Evangelical support of Israel, Trump’s selection of Huckabee over a Jewish diplomat shows how open the new administration will be to a faith-based vision of the region from a Christian perspective. To successful venture philanthropist Adam Milstein, this could be a positive development for Israel. In a recent article for The Jerusalem Post, Milstein urged the Jewish community to be pragmatic and embrace the new Trump administration for the positive gains it could provide Israel, and Huckabee could well prove a boon to Israel’s goals.

Milstein is the co-founder of the Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation, a charitable organization that supports a network of nonprofits that work to strengthen American values, support the U.S.-Israel alliance and combat hatred and bigotry in all forms. The Milstein Family Foundation works with organizations like Christians United for Israel, a leading Christian grassroots movement that supports Israel’s right to exist, and Israel Christian Nexus, which brings Jews and Christians together in support of Israel.

Milstein argues that over the last several decades, “the Jewish community focused political capital almost exclusively on the American left, often rejecting overtures from the right,” where much of the Christian support for Israel comes from. Indeed, a large majority of Jewish Americans voted for Kamala Harris in the presidential election. But in New York, a Fox News exit poll showed only a slight majority of Jews, 56%, voted for Harris while 43% voted for Trump. This may point either to a warmer embrace of Republican policies toward Israel or a turning away from the anti-Zionist and antisemitic creep within the Democratic Party. Milstein has been outspoken on the dangers of left-wing, ideologically-driven frameworks like Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Critical Race Theory (CRT), and intersectionality on Jews as well as on other faith-based communities.

In a March 2023 article in The Jerusalem Post, long before progressives took to the streets in support of Hamas following the October 7th attacks, Milstein explained why these ideologies are such a threat. While the ideas behind frameworks like intersectionality and CRT, such as raising up oppressed peoples, are positive in theory, in practice they “[erode] the core principles that make our country exceptional, such as America’s commitment to individual rights and equality, rule of law, tolerance, pluralism, due process, freedom of speech, and free-market capitalism.” This is because these frameworks classify people based on race and identity groups, promoting an “us” versus “them” mentality that “puts ‘victimhood’ at the center” of politics.

Milstein feels that the greatest targets of CRT are faith-based communities — Jews, Christians, and all those “whose values fall outside the CRT framework.” CRT effectively brands all of Christianity and all of Judaism as “oppressive institutions that need to be radically remade if not dismantled” because of purported wrongs committed against so-called oppressed peoples. It paints religious groups as monoliths and does not leave room for a nuanced picture of diverse and complex religious communities that are often social justice-driven.

CRT also aims to dismantle America’s meritocracy which would disproportionately harm Jews, many of whom have historically found success because of hard work and good grades. Milstein presents the example of California’s ethnic studies curriculum, heavily shaped by leftists who subscribe to DEI, CRT and intersectionality. “Jews and Asians, although minorities and regardless of their individual achievements and life circumstances, are considered ‘white adjacent'” within this curriculum, and therefore are “beneficiaries of the white power structure and contribute to the oppression of people of color.” Milstein argues that this “disallows merit” and ignores the complexity of American society, causing bigotry and ignorance.

When the left wing of a major political party deems Americans who prioritize traditional religious values as promoters of white supremacy, it’s no wonder that party bleeds support. The institutionalization of this kind of bigotry through school curriculums goes hand in hand with the rabid demonization of Israel within the Democratic party following the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. Therefore Milstein’s argument that Jewish Americans should be willing to “engage with a broad spectrum of political thought” and “[work] collaboratively with any leader who supports the Jewish people” cannot be ignored.

Prospective U.S. ambassador Mike Huckabee may hold views that are distasteful to many progressive or liberal-minded Jewish Americans. But with a Democratic party that so often fails to disavow the antisemitism festering on its left wing, Christian Zionism may be a vital source of support for the American Jewish community’s and Israel’s future.