3 Dates Scheduled for Students in Chicagoland to Discover Why Matter Matters!

Students learn all about matter with HTHT of Chicagoland!

Butterfield students will learn about “Matter Matters” during an in-school workshop provided by HTHT of Chicagoland. Students will discover all states of matter including plasma, explore evaporation rates, see the cool journey from liquid to gas and discover liquid densities during the hands-on science experience.  The in-school field trip will be held from 1:00-2:30 pm on October 13; from 1:00-2:30 pm on October 25; and from 1:00-2:30pm on October 28th.

To learn more about this event contact:

High Touch High Tech of Chicagoland

Phone- 630.227.4848

Email – info@ScienceMadeFunCHI.net

Website: www.ScienceMadeFunCHI.net

Gamers Help Decipher Structure of AIDS Virus in 3 Weeks!

 

In only three weeks, gamers did what scientists weren’t able to do in a decade: they’ve deciphered the structure of an enzyme of an HIV-like virus. This isn’t some silly “Let’s Cure AIDS!” game or “Science Research Tycoon” we’re talking about here – it’s the real deal. We’re also not talking about charity work. We’re talking about real, honest to goodness, hands on science. It’s the latest example of games for good, and it might just be the key to a better understanding of retroviruses like HIV.

Foldit is a free game developed by the University of Washington in which different competing groups of gamers race to unfold chains of amino acids. Science folks will tell you that amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, and unfolding them will give the scientific community a valuable model to examine and better understand its makeup. Gamers, however, will tell you that unfolding a chain of amino acid is a puzzle. A great big, surprisingly rewarding, puzzle. And gamers completing these puzzles is actually making the world a better place.

But why gamers? Couldn’t a computer just as easily automate the task? “People have spatial reasoning skills, something computers are not yet good at,” says Seth Cooper, one of Foldit’s creators. “We wanted to see if human intuition could succeed where automated methods had failed,” adds Firas Khatib of the university’s biochemistry lab. “The ingenuity of game players is a formidable force that, if properly directed, can be used to solve a wide range of scientific problems.”

So the next time someone tells you that video games are a waste of time, just send them a link to this post.  Better yet – just send them to download Foldit.

Get the full story on Yahoo!

 

Explore The Age of the Dinosaurs with HTHT Chicagoland!

 

High Touch High Tech Chicagoland is making science fun for kids in Frankfort! HTHT Chicagoland  is returning to the Frankfort Public Library for another cool program on Tuesday, September 20th.  More than 50 kids & their parents will go on a Jurassic adventure & step back in time to the age of the dinosaurs in the Jurassic Jr. Classic program. Kids will get an up close look at cool fossils including a giant T-Rex foot. Participants will become Paleontologists for the day as they embark on a Dinosaur Dig using brushes to excavate REAL fossils from the sand to keep!

Image Source: Pixabay.com

Advance registration and valid Frankfort Public Library card required. Sign up online at www.frankfortlibrary.org in the programs and events calendar or call 815-534-6178 for more information.

Get more information on this event & others in the Chicagoland Area!

Contact High Touch High Tech of Chicagoland Today:

High Touch – High Tech Chicagoland

www.ScienceMadeFunCHI.net

Email: info@ScienceMadeFunCHI.net

Ph. 630.227.4848

Fax 630.227.4849

 

Find your local High Touch High Tech to get started having fun with science! Check out our Locations page to find a HTHT near you!

 

 

Meet High Touch High Tech’s New Vice President, Brand Development!

It is with great pleasure that High Touch High Tech announces the promotion of Terri Connolly to her new position of Vice President, Brand Development.  The promotion recognizes Terri’s strong leadership and her contributions to the overall success of the High Touch High Tech brand.

As Vice President of Brand Developement, Terri will oversee all aspects of brand development, as it relates to brand growth, franchise support, licensing, and corporate partnerships as well as manage the local operations within Western North Carolina & the

Terri & Dan, President of HTHT at the Asheville Tourists' Education Day Game
Terri & Dan, President of HTHT at the Asheville Tourists' Education Day Game

Greenville/Spartanburg territories of South Carolina. High Touch High Tech Inc. is currently comprised of 27 offices which make science fun in 5 countries across 3 continents. Over the past 6 years, Terri has consistently proven her ability to impact the highest levels. She provides endless and tireless support to any task she takes on all while maintaining her impeccable work ethic.  Terri’s previous title was Director of Franchise Support & Brand Development.

” Terri’s inspirational leadership and commitment to High Touch High Tech and to each individual franchise location have won her the respect of colleagues, customers and corporate partners,” said Dan Shaw, President of High Touch High Tech Investment Corp. “She has achieved impressive results by building lasting partnerships with current and prospective franchisees, businesses and communities across the world. I am confident Terri will continue to serve as an outstanding ambassador for High Touch High Tech, helping people and businesses realize their full potential.”

During her time at  High Touch High Tech, Terri has been an integral part in pioneering new corporate partnerships, launching numerous corporate initiatives and has successfully grown the HTHT brand to new heights. This includes navigating the company through an innovative and complete brand transformation in 2007 as well as strengthening the corporate partnerships with Royal Carribbean Cruise Lines & Beaches resorts.  She has diligently supported our franchisees in so many ways, equipping them with the right tools, skills, knowledge and innovation they need to grow their business &  become successful. Her leadership has enabled the brand to become a fundamental part of science education for more than 6 million educators & students across the globe.

Terri helps students open Amazing Asteroids at the Science Saturday event at Barnes & Noble

Commenting on the announcement Terri said, “I am very proud to be a part of High Touch High Tech during an exciting time of new challenges and new opportunities for the brand. My goal is to make High Touch High Tech a household name by continuing to expand the brand globally so that children across the world can experience our programs.”

Please join us in congratulating “Terrific Terri” on this milestone in her career!

 

 

 

 

 

 

16 “Super-Earths” Found Outside Solar System

 

Image Source: Pixabay.com

It’s not like aliens put up a welcome banner or anything, but scientists now have newly identified at least one planet that could potentially sustain life.

The European Southern Observatory has just announced the discovery of more than 50 new exoplanets (planets outside our solar system), including 16 super-Earths (planets whose mass is between one and 10 times that of our own planet).

One of these planets in particular could theoretically be home to life if conditions are right. It’s called HD 85512 b, and scientists say it’s about 3.6 times the mass of the Earth. This planet is about 35 light years from Earth. Its location with respect to its star suggests that this planet could have liquid water under certain circumstances.

Don’t get too excited, though; there’s a lot more work to be done to explore whether this planet is truly fit for life, in addition to whether there are alien life forms there.

Read the full article from CNN.com here

 

Unprecedented Scientific City To Be Built in New Mexico!

There are all kinds of ghost towns around the globe. There’s an abandoned city in Latvia that was up for auction.  There are multiple small former communities in Antarctica, which are present day ghost towns. At one point, there was even a ghost town amusement park, abandoned in the heart of New Orleans.  This past  Tuesday, a Washington based technilogical co mpany mad e the big announcement of a new, modern day ghost town that  sounds straight out of the movie- Back To The Future.

There is no doubt that this brand-spanking new “city of the future” would make Doc proud! New Mexico is already home to several of the nation’s premier scientific, nuclear and military institutions.

The 20-square-mile model of a small US city named “The Center,” will be  used to test everything from renewable energy innovations to intelligent traffic systems, next-generation wireless networks and smart-grid cyber security systems.  No one will live in The City but it will be modeled after a typical American town of 35,000 people, complete with highways, houses and commercial buildings, old and new.

The Center is an unprecedented science project that will allow private companies, not for profits, educational institutions and government agencies to test in a unique facility with real world infrastructure, allowing them to better understand the cost and potential limitations of new technologies. For instance, developers of solar technology will be able to assess exactly how their systems would best be delivered and used in one house where the thermostat is set at 78, and another where it’s set at 68. The center could also help show how efficient it might be in an old building versus a new one.

You can read more about the announcement of The Center on the Washington Post website by clicking here:

 

 

 

Kids Go “Bonkers for Blood” with High Touch High Tech of the Bay Area!


High Touch High Tech of the Bay Area provided a scientist Discover Camp at Union City, CA. Operated by Union City Leisure Services, the theme for 2011-2012 was crime fighting “Biology Brad” led the kids through fingerprinting, blood typing, and biological sleuthing with “Forensic Fun” and “Bonkers For Blood.”

The kids lifted fingerprints and typed them, made lip prints, modeled the blood barrier with a density bottle, made simulated blood to take home, and even performed a blood typing puzzle! The campers ranged in grade from 1st through 6th, and everyone learned a lot and had a terrific time.

High Touch High Tech has served Union City Leisure Services’ Discover Camp for three years in a row. The campers are always excited when the scientist arrives with TOTALLY FUN, TOTALLY HANDS-ON science activities! Many thanks to Ms. Ashley “Pecan” Blank for her tireless coordination and support for rigorous science education.

If you are in the Bay Area and want to learn more about High Touch High Tech of the Bay Area, you can visit their website at:

www.ScienceMadeFunSFBA.net

Email: info@sciencemadefunSFBA.net

Phone: 925.999.9611

“Like” HTHT of the Bay Area on Facebook!

Find out how to get your classroom “Bonkers for Blood” by finding a High Touch High Tech near you!

Visit our Locations page to find hands-on science fun in your neighborhood!

 

Parents Magazine Lists 5 Ways To Have FUN with Science!

 

 

How many times a day do you think kids ask “why”? Probably too many to actually keep count even if we tried!  Kids are naturally equipped with a curiosity of how things work. I guess you could say that they are researchers in their own rite. Wired like little sponges, children will absorb any information they come across. You don’t have to take your kids to a research facility or science lab for them to learn how cool science is, a few simple household items is all that’s needed to make science fun!  When it comes to science, its quite simple to entertain and fascinate the kids of all ages. For the September issue, Parents Magazine has listed 5 simple science experiments that are sure to impress by illustrating a few basic scientific principals.

Find out what made the Top 5 Experiments on Parents.com HERE