sciencemadefun Archives - High Touch High Tech

The Hidden Life of Mushrooms

Join High Touch High Tech in celebrating
Mushroom Day
April 14^th!

In a soup, they’re a pleasure. On pizza, a game-changer. Grilled on a bun, they are a vegetarian’s best friend. Mushrooms are one of mother earth’s tastiest foods, but did you know they could also… SAVE THE WORLD? Researchers like Paul Stamets are teaching the truth about mushrooms, and the more we learn, the more it seems that mushrooms are like a swiss army knife of amazing functions! They are an essential, if invisible part of every plant’s growth. They have cancer-destroying properties, and they even give bees the strength they need to pollinate crops.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Mycelial Mat

Mushroom expert Paul Stamets has made the fungus among us his life’s work, revealing that mushrooms are so much more than the “fruiting body” that we purchase in a store. The hidden part of any mushroom is what’s known as the Mycelium, a massive underground network of tiny fungal threads that permeate practically all soil. In fact, even a few cubic inches of soil contain miles of Mycelial threads. These threads do important chemical work, secreting enzymes and compounds that allow them to digest nutrients and grow, but also serve as food for the countless multitudes of tiny invertebrates in the soil. In this way, Mycelium is essential for soil health and the healthy growth of plants, especially their roots. A Mycelial mat of one single fungus can spread for miles, linking its aboveground “community” in a network full of nutrients, moisture, and protection as it goes. The largest known Mycelial mat is the Armillaria in Oregon. It is one fungal organism that spreads for 3.7 miles, weighs 35,000 tons, and is thought to be 8,000 years old! The hidden side of mushrooms is so nourishing, connective, and helpful that it has been characterized as “nature’s internet.”

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Mycelium Threads

The Mycelium may be one reason that mushrooms are so packed with compounds that have been shown to have immune-stimulating, anti-viral, and anti-bacterial compounds. Ancient cultures the world over have long revered medicinal mushrooms, from the prized Lingzhi mushroom of Chinese Medicine to the powerful healer called Agarikon, identified by Ancient Greek doctor Dioscorides. Paul Stamets intriguingly points out a reason why: in humans, our stomachs are on the inside, and secrete compounds and enzymes to help us digest and use nutrients. The “stomach” of mycelium is on the outside, in the soil where they lay. Over 650 million years of evolution, Mycelium and its diverse fruiting bodies have adapted to release compounds that keep away harmful bacteria and toxins, allowing them to digest the soil in peace and health. Their adaptation is a treasure that provides us with mushrooms like Turkey Tail, which has been shown to have strong anti-cancer properties, or Cordyceps, which aids in circulation and heart health.

It’s not just humans who benefit from mushrooms. Research is still ongoing, but it has been
observed that Bees also use certain kinds of mushrooms to stay healthy. In a strong, undisturbed old-growth
ecosystem, mushrooms flourish in many places, as do bees. Currently, Bees are
under attack from pesticides, mites, and viruses that, if unchecked, could end
up spelling doom for our entire agricultural system. Stamets noticed that Bees seemed to love to
congregate on certain kinds of low-to-the ground mushrooms, and on further
research found that the protective, anti-microbial compounds in mushrooms
spelled better health for the bees. He
is formulating a “Mycelial Honey” that Bees can eat and share with their hive,
thus assisting their survival in this toxic modern world! In Science, it is always assumed that there
is more “under the surface” of phenomena we see, and mushrooms and Mycelium are
an excellent example of the bustling, vibrant life that happens right under our
feet.

And with so many varieties of mushrooms, we thought it would be
fun to capture prints of various mushrooms to examine and compare their
“footprint”. Take a look at our Fungi Prints at-home experiment and see if you
recognize any of the fungus among us! Lesson plan and tutorial video links
below:

Lesson Plan:
https://sciencemadefun.net/downloads/Fungi-Prints-Experiment.pdf

Tutorial Video:
https://youtu.be/xxlRswPbgCs

Sources:

Paul Stamets TED Talk:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XI5frPV58tY

How Fungi Changed My View of the World, a documentary by Stephen
Axford: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYunPJQWZ1o

Medical Research into Cancer and Mushrooms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gn7wLIm1SJA

Long Live the Peach

Join High Touch High Tech in celebrating
Peach Blossom Day
March 3, 2021

Imagine a hot summer’s day, sitting in the shade at a picnic with your favorite people. You open your picnic basket to find a gloriously ripe, perfect-in-every-way peach. You take a bite and savor that unique combination of texture, flavor, and juiciness that makes perfectly ripe peaches so wonderful, wipe a little juice off your chin, and smile….

OK, sorry to have to bring you crashing back to snowy late winter, but from that moment of peachy Zen, perhaps you can see why peaches, perfection, and the joy of life have gone hand in hand for centuries. Not only does calling someone “a peach” make a fine compliment, peaches have been immortalized in rock songs, are associated with the entire American state of Georgia, and are even one of the world’s favorite emojis. No culture on earth loves a peach more than Chinese culture, the people who first domesticated and perfected the peach far back in the ancient past. In China, the peach blossom symbolizes happiness, and the peach fruit itself is a symbol of longevity and the full enjoyment of a long, healthy life. Ancient Chinese folk tales tell of an Orchard of the Gods where the Peach Tree of Immortality grows – anyone who manages just one bite of the juicy fruit gets eternal life. The Chinese God of Longevity, Shou Lao, is almost always depicted holding a peach, and peach-themed decorations and cakes are a customary part of any older person’s birthday.

Cultures around the world often turn to the natural world for symbols that can express the joy of life and hope for longevity. In some Indigenous American cultures, the turtle was a sacred symbol of a long, healthy life. The strong, ever-enduring turtle also symbolized the earth itself, the giver of all life. Even today many Indigenous American groups refer to the American Continent as “Turtle Island.” Currently, turtles and their tortoise cousins are known to science as some of the longest-lived animals on the planet, weathering season after season in their slow and steady fashion. The Royal Court of Oyo State, in Nigeria, claimed a tortoise named Alagba, “The Elderly One,” was supposedly 344 years old. There is no 100% proof of this claim; however, the crown of world’s oldest Testudine, or any known animal, in fact, goes to Jonathan, a 187-year-old Tortoise living on St. Helena.

In the European world, many thinkers from Aristotle to Leonardo da Vinci revered the humble salamander, believing that the creature was able to constantly renew itself and was therefore indestructible. Salamanders were thought to be born from fire, live impervious to fire’s damage, and be able to renew themselves constantly through the power of fire. Leonardo da Vinci was particularly fascinated with them, and King Francis I of France adopted the salamander as his personal emblem. Contemporary biologists would never put a salamander under any threat of fire, but the salamander’s well-documented ability to regenerate its limbs may have something to do with its long association with indestructability and longevity.

From peaches to salamanders to evergreen trees and tortoises, people have long looked to the natural world for proof that a long, healthy, and happy life is truly possible. Many scientists around the world are currently working on the issue of longevity, researching many possibilities to unlock the secret of long life. For some researchers, it may lie in psychological and emotional health, in a person’s mindset, upbringing, and relationships. For some researchers it lies in the genes. For others, it is diet and exercise that is the “fountain of youth.” But in today’s world, science does show us that there is yet another animal worthy of admiration (and study) for its longevity: The Immortal Jellyfish, Turritopsis dohrnii. This incredible creature is literal proof that longevity, even immortality, exists in nature. When it dies and sinks to the sea floor, the cells simply regenerate into tiny polyps and continue living. Only recently discovered and not fully understood, this unbelievable animal is indisputable proof that it is within natures design to attain a long, healthy life! So, sit back, relax, and take a bite of that peach. Life is sweet, and it can be long and healthy, too.

Our little insect friends, bees, may not enjoy the long life that other creatures do, but they sure do make an impact while they buzz around! In fact, bees play an important role in the longevity of the peach blossom through pollination! So, in honor of Peach Blossom Day on March 3^rd, we invite you to play our Bee Pollination Game! Check out the lesson plan and supply list link below…and then maybe enjoy one of those delicious, juicy peaches!
h ttps://sciencemadefun.net/downloads/bee_pollination_game.pdf

Sources:

Learn more about the Immortal Jellyfish:
https://www.bbcearth.com/modal/newsletter/#_

The rich tradition of Salamander Lore in the European world:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salamanders_in_folklore

The Oldest Tortoises – BBC News

Turtle Symbolism:
https://blog.nativehope.org/native-american-animals-turtle-k%C3%A9ya

A collection of Indigenous American turtle myths:
http://www.native-languages.org/legends-turtle.htm

Chinese Symbols of Longevity in popular culture:
https://www.wofs.com/8-great-longevity-symbols-for-the-home/

The DEFINITIVE rock anthem about peaches:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvAnQqVJ3XQ

Podcast: Mission to Mars

High Touch High Tech’s February Podcast, Mission to Mars, is live! Join Dinosaur Dan, Narwhal Nina, and special guest Earthquake Ethan as they talk about space exploration, the Mars rover, and the future of humankind!

Recorded live from Dinosaur Dan’s very own Tesla!

Poinsettia Day

Join High Touch High Tech in Celebrating
Poinsettia Day
December 12, 2020

It’s
Poinsettia Day – Yay! What is this day all about? It all started with a
scientist!

John
Roberts Poinsett was a botanist, a scientist who specializes is plants and
trees. He was also a physician, and the 1^st United States Ambassador
to Mexico. Poinsett introduced these beautiful red, white, or pink plants, that
were named after him, poinsettias. This man sent poinsettias from Mexico back
to greenhouses that he owned in South Carolina. Before its renaming as the
poinsettia, the plant was known as the “painted leaf” or the “Mexican flame
flower.” Its scientific name is Euphorbia pulcherrima.

In
Spain, Puerto Rico, and other Central America countries the
poinsettia is known as Flor de Pascua or Pascua, meaning Christmas
Flower. Poinsettias have served important roles throughout
history, for example: The Aztecs used the plant to produce reddish-purple dye
and as an antipyretic (fever reduction) medication.

It’s
Christmas time, and what do you see in the storefront of just about every shop
you pass? Besides sprigs of holly and bright, twinkling lights, you are likely
to see colorful arrangements of poinsettias too.

These breathtaking flowers are common during
the holiday season. However, do you know why? The poinsettia has a deep
cultural and symbolic meaning. Seen as a symbol of purity by the Aztecs, in
today’s language it symbolizes cheer, success, and brings wishes of mirth and
celebration! Recognized as the birth flower for December, poinsettias
are used as decorations to create a festive atmosphere throughout the
entire world, particularly in Europe, but also in the USA, Canada, South
Africa, and Australia.

Paul Ecke Jr is considered the father of the poinsettia
industry due to his discovery of a technique which caused seedlings to branch.
This technique allowed the poinsettia industry to grow! The Paul Ecke Ranch in
California grows over 70% of the poinsettias sold in the USA! The Ecke family
had a secret technique that caused every seedling to split and branch,
resulting in a fuller plant.

A poinsettia fun fact is that in 1952 the NCAA College football
arena in San Diego was named the Poinsettia Bowl! Interestingly, the poinsettia’s main attraction is not its flowers, but its
leaves! The flowers of the plant are the yellow clustered buds in the center
(termed “cyathia”). The colored leafy parts are bracts or modified leaves, that
turn color in response to the plant forming flowers. When buying a poinsettia,
make sure it has the buds, preferably not yet open.

Interested in learning more about plants in general? Check out our Smarty Plants at-home experiment to see if you can extract the chlorophyll out of a plant leaf. If your poinsettia has any green leaves, you can test them for chlorophyll too! Grab your supplies & check out our lesson plan here:
https://sciencemadefun.net/downloads/smarty_plants.pdf

References:

www.urbanext.illinois.edu/poinsettia
www.poinsettiaday.com
www.poinsettiabowl.com
www.ecke.com

Chocolate…it’s a treat, it’s a bean, it’s a PLANT?

Chocolate is not just a sweet glorious ray of edible
sunshine, Chocolate IS A PLANT! It’s
been a 3,000 year journey from the biological roots of chocolate, to today’s
wild chocolate innovations….

When Montezuma met the Spanish conquistadores in 1519, he intended to overwhelm them with a lavish display of royal hospitality. To impress, the emperor of six million people brought out fifty golden jugs of one of his most potent weapons – chocolate. However, what he served to the awed Spanish was not at all like the sweet chocolate we enjoy today. The cacao plant (Theobroma Cacao) is native to the Amazon region, and Montezuma was serving up an elite tradition of chocolate that had begun 3,000 years before the Spanish arrival. The Spanish experienced a drink made of the beans of the cacao pod, ground and mixed with water, vanilla, chile, and cornmeal, which had been poured back and forth at a height to create an enticing, bitter, melt-in-your-mouth froth. In an instant, the global obsession with chocolate was born.

Image Source: Pixabay.com
Cacao seedpods

Chocolate can now be found anywhere in the world, and it’s easy to forget that under the bright wrappers and diverse flavors, chocolate comes from a plant with a very powerful chemical profile. The cacao tree and its precious seedpods only grow in equatorial regions of the world, and produce a bean that is much more than just tasty. Cacao beans are psychoactive, with multiple compounds capable of stimulating the production of neurotransmitters in the brain. Through their bitter and frothy beverage, Mesoamericans were the first to enjoy the stimulating effects of Theobromine, a chemical in cacao that is very similar to caffeine. Theobromine increases blood flow, inducing a feeling of mental alertness, vigor, and overall well-being. On top of this dynamic duo, cacao also has Tryptophan and Phenylethylamine, among many other compounds. Tryptophan assists in the creation of the “feel-good” neurotransmitter Serotonin. Phenylethylamine assists with the creation of another happiness-inducing neurotransmitter, Dopamine. These delightful neurotransmitters, plus a surprising number of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds, can help explain humankind’s passionate three-thousand-year love affair with chocolate.

The cacao beans that furnish this phytochemical feast are actually quite challenging to grow, and need just the right conditions and lots of care to fight the diseases and pests that typically attack them. There are three main varieties of cacao bean available today, and within each variety there are several, often genetically different, hybrid strains. Relatively hardy Forestera beans make up 85 percent of the world’s chocolate. Most prized, rare, and delicate are Criollo beans, which provide 3% of the world’s chocolate. The hybrid of Forestera and Criollo is known as Trinitario, which was created in the 18^th century when a hurricane nearly caused the Criollo variety to go extinct. Although Criollo plants are not productive on a scale that can meet global demand, they produce flavors and aromas that are more complex and rich. Much like wine, Criollo can be described as having notes of fruit, tobacco, or caramel. Criollo was the preferred variety of the Aztec and Maya, and most likely the one that the Spanish enjoyed as part of Montezuma’s hospitality.

Go to the supermarket today, and in the candy aisle you will see an array of chocolate worthy of an Aztec Emperor. If you wish, you can pay a kingly fortune for the best of it — the Guinness World Record holder is about 650 dollars for ONE 80-gram bar made of some of the rarest beans on earth! The West African nation of Cote d’Ivoire produces 2/5ths of the worlds Forestera. By contrast, most Criollo beans today come from small farms in Venezuela or Madagascar. Since the very best beans are so rare and precious, the cost for the finest chocolate in the world can be incredibly high. The world record holder, “La Chuorsa,” is put out by Swiss Chocolatier Attimo, using beans from a small 400 year old family farm in Venezuela. To add to the flavor profile (and price) even further, it is enhanced with orange flavor and another expensive and rare ingredient, saffron. If 650 dollars for one bar is a bit rich for your blood, there are other adventures in chocolate flavors out there. For a mere 250 dollars you can purchase a chocolate truffle with a genuine fungus truffle inside! Compartes Chocolates in California gets high ratings for creativity with less expensive bars of flavors like “Avocado & Chips,” “Fruity Pebbles,” and “Donuts and Coffee.” An Aztec Emperor would surely recoil at the sweet, milky flavors of chocolate today, but that is the beauty in the biology of chocolate. Cacao’s pleasing array of phytochemicals and rich flavors practically guarantee an enjoyable experience. Whether taken bitter by an emperor or sweet by an excited trick-or-treater, on the molecular level, chocolate is sure to satisfy your brain and not just your sweet tooth.

Sources:

An Introduction to the Science of Chocolate
A General history of Chocolate
The different types of Cacao
Africa and the Global Cocoa Trade
Farmer harvesting, fermenting and roasting Cacao beans
The Neurochemistry of Chocolate
Scientific Paper on the Health Benefits of Chocolate
Attimo Chocolate Company
Compartes Chocolate Company
Strange Chocolate Flavors from Around the World

Indigenous People Day: Irrigation Methods of Tenochtitlan

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
El Templo Mayor in Tenochtitlan

Even today, 2,000 years after the heyday of the Roman civilization, tourists flock to Italy to see the iconic Roman Coliseum, the dignified Roman Forum, and the beautiful ruins of the city of Pompeii. Although the average ancient Roman citizen enjoyed these treasures as well, the true pride of the city of Rome was its huge and efficient sewer system, its bountiful aqueducts, and its numerous public baths. Roman civic engineering is world-famous today, and rightly so, but the Romans were not the only pre-modern civilization to reach incredible heights in the field of civic engineering. The Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, which lies just under Mexico City today, supported almost half a million people in a clean, sustainable, easily defensible metropolis that surely would have knocked an ancient Roman’s sandals off! Tenochtitlan was so innovative and yet so well-designed that the Spanish Conquistadores who witnessed the white-painted metropolis firsthand — studded with massive 60 meter tall pyramids, huge markets, and beautiful gardens fed by sophisticated aqueducts — thought that they were dreaming.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
European Map of Tenochtitlan circa 1524

There is an impression common in popular culture today that Native American groups lived in small, isolated, primitive groups, and did not build cities, or possess techniques of engineering or math. In fact, the art of urban planning reached new heights from Bolivia all the way to The Pacific Northwest! Although Tenochtitlan was certainly not the only major city of the Americas, it may have been the biggest, and, like Rome, it was a hub of trade and culture that attracted people from many different parts of their world. The militaristic Romans surely would have been jealous of Tenochtitlan’s most defining feature: it was a “floating city” built in the middle of a large lake. Much of the travel to and around the city was done by canoe, not on foot. There were only three bridges connecting the city to the land, making the entire city an easily defensible fortress in times of war. In the event of siege, the Aztecs had built in an even more astonishing feature: the city produced its own food in floating gardens known as chinampas, which could produce 6 to 7 crops a year. Even the most hardened Roman Centurion’s jaw would be on the floor at the sheer genius of this seamless urban/military planning.

Image Source: Pixabay.com
Map of Tenochtitlan

About a thousand years ago, the Aztec people, who today prefer to be called the Mexica, were considered a rowdy, uncultured tribe among the many groups who populated the Valley of Mexico. The fertile Valley of Mexico had already seen several urban civilizations come and go over the previous centuries, most impressively at the city of Teotihuacan, which boasts a pyramid as large as the ones at Giza. According to legend, it had been prophesized that the Mexica would build their great city on the site where they saw an eagle eating a snake on top of a cactus. This image is now at the center of the Mexican flag, but when originally sighted it presented a problem: the sacred eagle was in the middle of a huge, marshy, mosquito-filled lake! It’s more likely that their neighbors chased the Mexica to this undesirable real estate and trapped them there, but in any case the construction of this unlikely city is all the more incredible because it was the work of people we might call today “the underdogs.”

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Surviving Mexica Chinampa

Undeterred, the Mexica got to work, and around 1376 began the long, laborious process of building their magnificent capital. The chief architect and engineer of Tenochtitlan, Acamapichtli, had the innovative answer to building on marshland. To anchor their buildings, the Mexica used 30 foot stakes of wood, driven into the ground and further surrounded by brick and rock. This provided a surprisingly durable foundation for the city that eventually reached 14 square kilometers using this, and one other, technique. The second technique, chinampas, created agriculturally productive land out of almost nothing. By interweaving reeds and stakes and placing them on the rich, mucky bottom of the lake, the Mexica then piled on more soil until it reached the surface of the lake. This gradually created mats of vegetation that, as the roots grew in, became more and more stable and solid. Over years, the mats, with their built-in irrigation system, became islands that could be planted and harvested up to 7 times per year, making it one of the most effective farming methods ever created. Stocked with food, clean water, and stable ground on which to build, the city of Tenochtitlan boomed, and was larger (and much cleaner) than many major European cities when the Conquistadores arrived. Although Tenochtitlan was razed and Mexico City built in its place, the wonders of the floating city prove without a doubt that the drive to innovate, engineer, experiment, and improve belongs to no one culture around the world, but to all of us.

To learn more:
Overview
Spanish Eyewitness
Engineering an Empire Documentary
In-depth paper on Hydrology and Chinampas
Life in Tenochtitlan

An Interview with Our Founder and CEO: Dinosaur Dan Shaw

We spoke with Dan Shaw to get the scoop on High Touch High Tech’s 25^th anniversary. Dan Shaw lead the industry in STEM education enrichment programming. Dan Shaw has been CEO at High Touch High Tech since the company’s foundation in 1992 and has now been developing franchise locations for 25 marvelous years.

Q: Describe what High Touch High Tech does.

A: High Touch High Tech pulls the science out of books and puts it into the kids’ hands. High Touch High Tech also does exactly what our name implies; High Touch, grabbing the materials and putting it in their hands, and then High Tech preparing students for our high tech world. High Touch High Tech is also a science experience that comes to you, so teachers, parents, after-school directors, special events. They know that when they hear High Touch High Tech we’re coming to their location to provide a science experience for students.

Q: What lead you to create High Touch High Tech?

A: High Touch High Tech was created because my daughter came home from school one day and asked me if I had any good ideas for a schoolwide carnival that they were having, and what their classroom should do for that carnival. I suggested that we create a hands-on science booth! Where the kids could walk up and do a make and take experiment. Now this was in 1992, and it was pretty groundbreaking! We went there, the teachers absolutely loved it, [and] the kids adored the programs that we provided for them. They were able to understand it, they communicated with me well. I created a naming convention, I called myself Dinosaur Dan, figuring that would be a much more approachable term for them. We did some pretty interesting, sophisticated experiments at that booth. The teachers came up to me and told me that they need me to come back to that school, and they will figure out how to pay me, but what they saw me do they had not seen before. And that was [what I had done] pulling the science out of the textbook and putting it into the children’s hands. That was how HIGH TOUCH HIGH TECH was born.

Q: Do you feel that High Touch High Tech’s slogan, “Science Experiences that Come to You,” well represents your company?

A: Absolutely. It really speaks to exactly what we do. We bring a hands-on, totally participatory science experience to wherever the location can be. Often times a teacher will ask us “we want to host your program, but our classroom is not big enough because another teacher wants to join us,” or “we need to do it in another room.” So, we tell them that any multipurpose room, a pavilion outside the school, the cafeteria because we truly believe that real learning can take place wherever learners gather and can engage in exciting ways to learn. And that is exactly what we do at High Touch High Tech. Because of how important that phrase is, not only in our marketing, but we trademarked it [the phrase “Science Experiences That Come to You”] so that it can officially represent our brand, at all of our locations all over the world.

Q: The masses know you as Dinosaur Dan, where did Dinosaur Dan come from?

A: Well Dinosaur Dan is a very approachable, rather than being “oh Mr. Shaw I’ve got a question,” it’s “hey, Dinosaur Dan I don’t understand this, help me out.” It reduces any barrier that a child may have to asking a question, so that it’s easy to approach Dinosaur Dan. We’ve adopted this naming protocol for all of our scientists all over the world. You take the first letter of your first name, and you match it to a science concept. We have a Chemistry Carol, we have an Alkaline Alyssa, we have a Terri-dactyl, we have a Tommy Tsunami. So, it’s very, very important that you have a name that it totally approachable for kids.

Q: Why is the work that High Touch High Tech doing so important?

A: The work that High Touch High Tech does is so important because it stimulates kids’ imaginations and curiosity in science. Even more than that, I feel it addresses an achievement gap that is so prevalent in our schools, and it puts the opportunity for every child to get the science into their hands and to explore and discover at their own pace and learn the science on an equal scale that every student does.

Q: High Touch High Tech is all about hands-on education. How do you learn yourself?

A: Totally the same way. I am a total visual learner. And so, in the early years of developing programming, our initial programs, they were tactile. Everything had to be in your hands, visual images were forefront. That how I learn, and that’s how we’ve prepared a generation of children to start learning.

Q: Why do you believe that STEM education is important?

A: Stem education is among the most important because it is, as we know [the abbreviation of STEM], Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics. And those are the key fundamentals that kids really need to learn at a young age and continue to build [upon] a foundation in those subjects. STEM education itself builds self-esteem; it builds confidence. Once kids can understand that confidence and what they themselves are able to do, it puts them on a course for success.

Q: How has the market for STEM enrichment programming changed in the 25 years that High Touch High Tech has been in operation?

A: STEM is now a very, very popular term. But we like to say that High Touch High Tech was STEM before STEM was a thing. The market has changed as trends in education have changed from every 5 or 6 years or so. It’s important that we see change. From Science Across the Curriculum in the 90’s, to No Child Left Behind in the early 2000’s. It’s so important to stay on top of these trends, but with all these trends, and the terminology may change, the pure and applied, and fundamental science never changes. And that is how we’ve been able to stay current, stay flexible. Whatever the curriculum directions go we provide that reinforcing, fun science for students.

Q: What does 25 years of High Touch High Tech mean to you?

A: 25 year of High Touch High Tech is 25 years of excitement. 25 years of slime. 25 years of volcano eruptions. 25 years of joy on kids’ faces, of that eureka moment where they actually discover something, not only about their experiment but what they themselves are actually able to achieve. 25 years of panning for gems. 25 years of making earthquakes. 25 years of learning about space. 25 years of going to schools and introducing those new administrators to what High Touch High Tech does. 25 years of doing local fairs and festivals and engaging in the community. 25 years of fabulous.

Q: Why did you become an entrepreneur?

A: I’m sort of an unlikely entrepreneur. I was a scientist; I went to a carnival at my daughter’s school. That is where I first encountered working with children and showing them really cool, fun science experiences. I started talking to teachers there, that’s when that teacher came up to me and told me that “this was incredible, we need have you to come back to our school, we’ll figure out how to get you paid, but we need you to come back. You were able to pull the science out of out of the book and put it into the student’s hands.” That’s kind of the beginning.

Q: Has being the founder of High Touch High Tech developed you as an individual?

A: In so many ways. My level of confidence soared. My level of satisfaction [in life] soared as well. What we’re doing at High Touch High Tech is incredible. We’re really changing lives. There’s no complaint department at High Touch High Tech. Because teachers appreciate it, student love it, appreciate it, and can’t get enough of it. So, it’s very much a win-win relationship between teachers and High Touch High Tech, and between students and High Touch High Tech.

Q: Using one word, how would you describe yourself?

A: Passionate… about science.

Q: What was your background prior to founding High Touch High Tech?

A: I had a research position at the University of Miami. So, I was already doing science with a team. After I went to my daughter’s school carnival, I figured out that was an unlikely career path that was kind of chosen for me. If you go way back into a few chapters of my life, you’d find out that I was a huge science enthusiast. For my 4-year-old birthday party, my mother asked me what kind of cake I wanted. I told her a volcano cake! Science has been a huge part of my life! That meaningful day at that [school] carnival, working with those teachers, really opened my eyes to actual business opportunities beyond science with kids. So, after I did that and it was such a huge success, and [the teachers] they wanted me to return to the school, I want to a library and did my research. Of course, this was before the internet [year 1992], and you couldn’t do any of this research at home. The closest library I went to was actually a law library. I used one of those micro-phish that you could look a lot of stuff up on, while using that and gaining information about national science standards and curriculum’s. I looked up at the books on the shelf, and I saw books on franchise law. So, I took a little break from learning about the curriculum and I pulled out one of those books, and I realized that as I was developing the initial business, I was going to poise the business to become a franchisible. If it [a business] can work in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, it could work anywhere else in the world. After two years of proof of concept, we started franchising.

Q: Why did you choose to establish High Touch High Tech as a franchise?

A: The best way to make sure that every child everywhere could experience and benefit from our programming was going to be through individual owned and operated locations. So, franchising was the perfect model for that.

Q: What is the benefit of having franchise locations?

A: That’s the magic here. All the franchisees bring a completely different set of tools, and experiences, and talents to the table. And we discover those during our 5 days of training here at our national office, and we are able to build on that throughout that week of training. Franchisees find out themselves what their strengths are, and what their weaknesses are that they may not have even realized. And we push that all together into talent, and we share with the new franchisees how to take their very specific talents and incorporate it into our business model, which is so flexible. That’s why they become very, very successful themselves.

Q: You even have some international franchise locations, really allowing High Touch High Tech to impact students you wouldn’t have reached otherwise. Would you say you’re proud of that?

A: Oh absolutely, very proud of that. Here in the US, we are a melting pot of so many different cultures. Different cultures have different values, but even when you go and open locations in other countries those cultures there still value will value science, education, and educating their children. It makes for a very easy segway to take our programs overseas.

Q: What are a few of your key accomplishments over the course of High Touch High Tech’s 25 years?

A: My single biggest accomplishment was when we sold our very first franchise, and that was in New Jersey, in Wyckoff Bergen County New Jersey. It meant to me that somebody, that I didn’t know from many states away from where I was, was able to learn about our concept and draw so much interest in it that they contacted me and they were interested in doing it[opening a franchise]. Another big, big accomplishment for me was that faithful day when we brought our High Touch High Tech onto Royal Caribbean Cruise ships. It was in 1998 when I approached Royal Caribbean and they were seeking out, [had] a desire educational, fun experiences for children that were in the youth programming on the ship. Our science programming was perfect for that because it’s super fun for kids, and it’s valued by parents. So, if the parents are sunbathing on the deck, if they’re off on an island, if they’re in the casino, if they’re at a show, they know that their children are not only having fun, but they’re being educated as well.

Q: Describe your partnership and relationship with Royal Caribbean Cruises.

A: Our partnership with Royal Caribbean Cruises is now in its 22^nd year. It was one of the most significant achievements of my career. It was our opportunity to take our highly successfully programs that were deep in the classroom of elementary students nationwide and we were able to move forward with Royal Caribbean Cruises and introduce our brand of programming to the general consumer population. That has proven to be a very, very successful partnership with Royal Caribbean. Since our beginning with them in 1998 through today, the last 8 ships that they’ve come out with they have set up a science lab. Because on a cruise ship, every square inch is designed to be revenue generating. For a cruise line to dedicate space for our brand of hands on science, which is capturing the imagination and curiosity, fueling that imagination with children that are on vacation. And we developed family programs, so that families as a whole could participate in science programming has been extremely successful. I see our partnership with Royal Caribbean Cruises continuing to grow.

Q: Where do see High Touch High Tech in 5- or 10-years’ time?

A: I believe that we’re going to continue to grow. We’re on a beautiful growth trajectory, both domestically and internationally. I see our growth because I’m interested in [making sure] that every child, everywhere can experience our programming. Beyond the child [out] there are entrepreneurs that are looking to change their career or have a second shot at perhaps their dream of owning their own business. Our concept works perfectly for that individual, no matter what skill set they bring. We are able form and mold our franchise concept to meet their strengths and improve upon their weaknesses so that they can have the dream of owning their own business. [Even] Beyond that it’s not only owning your own business, but a business that is changing lives and that’s what we do at High Touch High Tech. So it see that as our definite growth trajectory as we always are very excited as new technologies emerge, and new trends in education emerge, we like to stay on the forefront of that so we can produce the materials to assist the teachers in those classrooms to make science meaningful and memorable to young students.

Q: Would you say you’re excited for the future of High Touch High Tech?

A: Oh absolutely, very excited.

Q: What does success look like to you?

A: Success to me is the satisfaction of seeing students inspired in science and striving to conquer new concepts. Building excitement in children. And also, success for me is seeing our franchisees develop their territories and grow their territories and have the satisfaction of making money from our business [model] and growing and being satisfied with that level of income and ambition. Some of our franchisees have raised their families through High Touch High Tech, [having] weddings for their children. So, it’s been a wonderful experience seeing our franchisees being successful, from a financial point of view, and of course being successful from our business model, which is putting the students’ experiments into their hands.

Q: What has been your secret to success?

A: The secret of my success has been drawing inspiration from our franchisees, because watching them in the field, doing what we taught them from our national office, and seeing their impact on the community, seeing their impact with students. Watching their territory base grow, reading all the testimonials from teachers from their location, is very deeply satisfying for me. And just shows the entire concept being the correct model so we can expand quickly and that our programming can touch the lives of just so many children everywhere. We’re able to be a cheerleader to our franchisees and supporting them, drawing inspiration from the great work that they do is a key success factor.

Q: Who is an influential person that you admire?

A: That person is Neil deGrasse Tyson for sure. He’s amazing, and he inspires everybody to reach for the stars, learn things you never knew you never knew. I just love the guy and think he’s amazing.

Q: What is the best advice you could give a new business owner?

A: Believe in yourself. Maintain high ethics, maintain high quality of whatever product or service that you’re providing. But believe in yourself, have confidence to deliver whatever it is or what you’re trying to do.

From the Field

“From the Field”

Summer Science

Hemlock Hayden, High Touch High Tech of WNC

As a new Scientist to High Touch High Tech, having the opportunity of engaging and inspiring young minds to think about and get excited about science has been a very new, yet extremely rewarding experience. Not just doing fun experiments themselves but seeing the faces of the students light up just when seeing us enter the building gets me excited to teach even more!

In one particular case this summer, I had the opportunity to go to Emmanuel Lutheran’s Summer Rocks! Camp every day for a full week. Starting off, the kids seemed disheartened that they were going to have to learn more outside of school and during a summer camp, but once we started off with explaining all the cool things scientists do and performing a WOW! experiment, they instantly became engaged and wanted to learn more. After that first visit, the students lit up with excitement, yelling “Yay! Science time!” when I would walk through the door.

From doing actual chemical reactions to make chalk and slime in programs like “Mystery Science”, to physics and engineering programs dealing with robots and rocket flight in programs like “Flight Command”, each experiment engaged the students more and more and pushed them to think harder about how each experiment worked on a scientific level. After each day, a new student would walk up to me, explaining how the experiments of that day were so fun and interesting to them, and that it made them want to pursue that respective branch of science when they were older.

Moments like these are truly the moments that make me love working as a Scientist for High Touch High Tech. Inspiring the next generation to even be just A LITTLE more interested in general science than they would have been, to me, is extremely important in an ever-changing world. Science doesn’t have to be hard, or scary. As long as you have an interest in it, then science is FUN!

High Touch High Tech is…..Science Made FUN!

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The History Of Sewing Machines

Sewing Machines

You can trace the origins of sewing all the way back to Central Asia to approximately the year 45,000 BCE. Before sewing, people used strips of furs or animal skins to tie their clothes together, but harsh weather in colder regions caused a search for a better way to keep clothing on. These desperate individuals started by using a sharp stone to pierce a hole in the animal hides, then used their fingers to push thin strips of animal hide through that hole. About 5,000 years after, someone had the idea to put a hole in the tip of this elementary awl so the string could be pulled through with the same motion! Later the first modern needle was invented, most likely carved from bone or ivory, then adapted to cast iron, and finally to sharpened steel needles!

Clothing continued to develop; people began wearing cloth made of yarn instead of animal skins. People began to hand spin yarn using plant, animal, and synthetic fibers into thread, then use this thread to make cloth! After many years of hand spinning yarn, the very first spinning wheel appeared in the 11^th century! The spinning wheel was a much more efficient way to spin yarn and became widespread!

Even after the invention of the spinning wheel, making clothing was a lengthy process. It still took a long time to spin the thread, weave the cloth, dye it, and then sew the material into wearable clothing! Each piece of clothing was fitted for a specific person. The women of the family were left the task sewing and mending clothing for their families. When clothing became faded and worn, the cloth would then be re-purposed into quits or other household fabrics!

Making beautiful clothing and fabric became a form of art. Decorative needlework such as embroidery was a highly valued skill, and young women from wealthy families had time to practice and become adept at this delicate task! These women made beautiful tapestries, or a thick fabric decorated with intricate pictures or designs, and they were hung on walls as artwork. Tapestries also served the purpose of keeping the stone floors and walls warmer in the cold winter. Even small tapestries would take several months design and weave, and the larger tapestries could take longer than a year! At the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, there are many tapestries hanging on the walls and decorative sewn carpets on the floors. The home was built back in 1895, and these tapestries and carpets are still on display today!

In the year 1790, Thomas Saint invented the world’s first sewing machine. With the invention of the sewing machine aided by the Industrial Revolution production of textiles left the home and went into factory mills. Huge cotton plantations were located across the southern United States that produced the cotton necessary to make thread, so many of textile mills were established in this area. Cotton needs a long growing season, and the southern climate was prime! The plantations produced so much cotton that the plantation owners were exporting it all over the world! Europe developed their own mills and weaving factories, but cotton crops couldn’t grow successfully due to Europe’s wet climate. Most weaving in Europe was made of a stronger thread called wool, which is collected by shearing sheep! Wars and the Great Depression had an adverse impact on Europe’s ability to produce fabrics.

In 1863, Ebenezer Butterick, an American tailor, and his wife Ellen began to sell tissue paper dress pattern in graded, or sized, patterns. Ellen was frustrated with one sized patterns and wanted a better variety of style and size. They began selling men’s and boy’s clothing patterns, but they were such a huge success that they added women’s and girls clothing patterns in 1866. At the time these patterns cost anywhere from 0.25 to 0.75 cents apiece, which doesn’t seem like much today, but back in these days the average working person made $1 or $2 for a day’s work!

In the early 1900’s, ready to wear fashion became cheap and common. People no longer had to hand-make their clothes and could buy fashionable clothing from the store! Clothing brands, stores, and fashion designers emerged to create and sell this clothing. While many households still have a sewing machine today, it is no longer a necessity to make your families clothing and household materials. Sewing is still seen as art and a form of self-expression today!

Written By: Tammy Ducker

Pic Source: Pixabay.com

17-Foot-Long Python Found in the Florida Everglades!

That’s what a 17-foot-long snake looks like.

The Florida Everglades are practically overrun with Burmese pythons. The snake, native to Southeast Asia, isn’t supposed to be in Florida, but thanks to consumers releasing exotic reptiles into the wild, Florida is the world capital for invasive reptiles. The python has been a Florida resident for 30 years now, and it’s perhaps more comfortable there as it is in its native Burma. Florida wildlife officials have discovered a 17-foot-7-inch-long python in the Everglades. The 165-pound snake is the largest ever captured.

“This thing is monstrous, it’s about a foot wide,” said Kenneth Krysko, of the Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida. ”It means these snakes are surviving a long time in the wild, there’s nothing stopping them and the native wildlife are in trouble. They were here 25 years ago, but in very low numbers and it was difficult to find one because of their cryptic behavior; now, you can go out to the Everglades nearly any day of the week and find a Burmese python. We’ve found 14 in a single day.”

In addition to being amazingly large, the snake was also very, very fertile. Scientists found a staggering 87 eggs inside the snake’s oviducts, meaning that it is both the largest snake ever discovered in the Everglades AND it was carrying the most amount of eggs of any snake ever caught in Florida’s swamps. For those of you that find snakes like this one fascinating, you can discover all about the slithering serpents in our Sssnake Science program! Click here to find a HTHT location in your neighborhood!