und the country at sporting and other public events from cell phones, shoes, and various surfaces (e.g. keyboards, screens, railings etc.) These will be used for comparison to the ISS samples and for a look at microbial biogeography across a national scale. In collaboration with Jack Gilbert at the Earth Microbiome Project and the Science Cheerleaders who will be organizing and leading the sampling events.
3) Microbial Playoffs. A microbial growth competition on the ISS. A subset of samples collected at public events will be cultured at UC Davis and the “best” microbe from each environment will be sent to the ISS for a “microbial playoffs” competition via Space X on February 22, 2014. A duplicate of this experiment will be conducted on earth and the results compared.
Penn Defibrillator Design Challenge
The Social Media and Health Innovation Lab at the University of Pennsylvania is currently holding a contest called the Penn Defibrillator Design Challenge (www.defibdesignchallenge.com). This project is an initiative at the intersection of public health and public art and is engaging the public to submit designs to surround an AED (Automated External Defibrillator). AEDs are life-saving devices used to shock the heart back to life during cardiac arrest, yet often go unnoticed by passers-by or are misunderstood as only being able to be used by medical professionals. In fact, the devices can be used by anyone and often make the difference between life and death for the cardiac arrest victim.
The first AED design installation launched the contest and is featured now in Philadelphia's iconic 30th Street Station. This design uses "Twitter furniture" spelling #AED to create a conversation space around the AED as well as a conversation space on social media. The below stories show more about the first installation.
Our Radioactive Ocean
The release of radioactive contaminants from Fukushima remains an unprecedented event for the people of Japan and the Pacific Ocean. Help scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution reveal the ongoing spread of radiation across the Pacific and its evolving impacts on the ocean.
Clarification for fundraising costs: shipping is about 20% of the cost, the majority being the cesium extraction steps in the lab, radioactivity detection and data processing, along with managing the web site and database.
There are 3 ways to support us:
1) Help us reach our goal by donating to sample an existing site. Simply click on "HELP FUND A LOCATION" and choose to support one of the many sites that are underway
2) Someone can propose a new sampling site. Click on "PROPOSE A LOCATION" and see what is involved. If accepted (we are trying to get spread of locations up/down coast), we as for a donation of $100 and we'll set up a fundraising webpage, add that page to our website, and send you a sampling kit once your goal of $550 to $600 has been reached.
3) We also seek funds for general capacity building and public education activities at CMER: http://ourradioactiveocean.org/support ($20 minimum donation)
GoViral participants who log in and report symptoms weekly using our website or mobile app will get a Do-It-Yourself flu test kit and a saliva collection system that they can keep and use at home if they are feeling sick. The home test detects 4 different kinds of flu and cold viruses, and all samples will be analyzed at a central laboratory that checks for 20 different viral infections. GoViral participants will get the results of their own tests and as well, through the aggregate data, be able to see in real-time what infections and symptoms are going around near them so they can take appropriate public health measures and understand when something might be abnormal.
Independent Generation of Research
IGoR facilitates scientific research by amateur scientists and science enthusiasts. Anyone (not just professional scientists) can propose their own research questions on the IGoR site. Then, other interested people can share ideas, skills, or time to address the question. In addition, a growing number of prof