Kites for Kids event at Carnegie Science Center helping lift up community children in need
Children of all ages will be able to see a lot more color and activities with the Kites for Kids event at the Carnegie Science Center.
A space at the museum will be transformed into something special and is all about helping kids just be kids.
Learning and having fun go hand in hand at the Carnegie Science Center with exhibits, technology, and of course, science -- but there are kites, too.
"The kites here are a fun, childhood activity and a symbol of a chance to soar and be lifted up," said Scott Hollander, Executive Director of KidsVoice.
"All five floors, you can see the different kites as you make your way up," said Megan McKenzie, Director of Marketing and Public Relations for the Carnegie Science Center.
With kites big or small, in all colors and designs, made by children in the Allegheny County foster care system, Kites for Kids is an event for at-risk children to anonymously have fun here.
"Many of them have never been to the Science Center," Hollander said.
KidsVoice is a non-profit that helps abused or neglected children get the social services they need and Kites for Kids is their biggest event of the year.
"Thousands of our clients are able to come and see the community supporting them and seeing the Kites for Kids logo means that people believe in them," Hollander said.
Hollander says local support and partnerships have kept the Kites for Kids event running for years.
"We have a lot of support from UPMC for different programs that we do," Hollander said. "They're also a sponsor of the event."
And despite the challenges the children are facing in their personal lives, when they're at the Science Center, they're not thinking about what they're missing or what's going to happen tomorrow, they're just happy they get to be a kid.
"They're coming for fun," McKenzie said. "It's science through play, just having fun, learning something new, but truly having a great time and that's what we're excited to be the backdrop for."
Kites for Kids is happening Saturday from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the Carnegie Science Center.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
21 minutes ago
- CNN
Humans aren't built to remember everything. 5 tips to remember the important stuff
Editor's note: The podcast Chasing Life With Dr. Sanjay Gupta explores the medical science behind some of life's mysteries big and small. You can listen to episodes here. (CNN) — Most of us are familiar with the frustration of forgetting — whether it's struggling with a word on the tip of the tongue, misplacing important items such as keys or glasses, or even disremembering why you came into a room. How can we do anything but forget — especially in a time in which we are subjected to a firehose of information every waking minute, between our life in the physical world and what comes at us electronically via smartphones, TVs, computers and more? The average American is exposed to an estimated 34 gigabytes — or 11.8 hours' worth — of information every day, Dr. Charan Ranganath wrote in his most recent book, 'Why We Remember: Unlocking Memory's Power to Hold on to What Matters.' That figure came from a 2009 report by the Global Information Industry Center at the University of California, San Diego. 'Last time I looked it up, the estimate increased even more since,' Ranganath told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta recently on his podcast Chasing Life. Ranganath directs the Dynamic Memory Lab at the University of California, Davis, where he is also a professor of psychology and neuroscience. Far from remembering all this information, he said the science of memory shows that humans are designed to forget. In fact, Ranganath's book references the work of cognitive psychologist George Miller, who concluded in a 1956 paper that we can only keep seven items (plus or minus two) in mind at a time. (Subsequent research, Ranganath wrote, shows the number to be closer to three or four items.) 'I think one of the misconceptions out there … is that we're supposed to be taking everything in that's around us,' he said. 'In fact, our brains really operate on this principle of economy: to get as little information in as possible and to make as much of that information.' You can learn more about the nature of memory by listening to the podcast's full episode here. 'It's all about this economy and being able to use attention as this big filter, to be able to focus on the things that are most important,' he said. 'Sometimes it's the things that you expect, and sometimes it's the stuff that violates your expectations — and that's where there's the most meaning,' he said. 'But it also means that we miss things sometimes, and we end up with frustration because our attention was directed at the wrong place at the wrong time.' Improving memory isn't about trying to stuff more information inside your head. 'The thing that I like to say is: Don't try to remember more, remember better,' Ranganath said. 'Sometimes remembering better means memorizing less.' One way to do so, Ranganath said, is with a process called chunking — or grouping many things into one. We remember the alphabet this way as well as our Social Security number and the names of the Great Lakes (the acronym HOMES for Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior). By grouping these items, you reduce the number of things you have to remember: Instead of 26 separate items, the alphabet becomes one. Similarly, memory athletes — who compete to memorize as many digits of pi as possible or the order of a deck of cards — 'develop strategies that allow them to meaningfully slot the information that they're trying to remember into this larger structure so that 10 things can become one thing,' Ranganath said. What can you do if you struggle with forgetfulness? Here are Ranganath's five tricks to help form memories for events that matter. All you have to is remember to 'call a MEDIC!' he said via email. Attach what you want to remember to something of importance. 'You can remember information like names if you can tie them into information that has meaning to you,' he said. For instance, if you are a fan of Greek mythology, you can link Ranganath's first name, Charan, to Charon, the ferryman of the underworld who, for a price, transports the souls of the dead across the River Styx. 'And (you can) imagine me ferrying people across the river of the dead,' he said. Such vivid imagery can help you remember a name. Test yourself. Even if you make a mistake, Ranganath said trial and error is one of the best ways to remember something. 'If you're learning a new name or foreign language word, take a guess about what the name could be or guess about the meaning of the word,' he said. When you learn the answer, he said, the brain can 'tweak that memory to make sure it is more closely associated with the right answer and less likely to be associated with competing answers.' Make it pop. 'Just as it's easier to find a hot pink Post-it note on a desk full of yellow notes, it's easier to find memories that have features (that) stand out from other memories,' Ranganath said. For example, 'When you put down your keys, take a moment to attend to a detail like a sound or a unique visual cue,' he said. It will go a long way toward helping you remember where you put them, he said, as you're frantically scrambling to get out the door. Take advantage of the fact that the brain has adapted to flag moments that are significant. 'We retain memories for events that are important — in a biological sense,' Ranganath said. 'When we have experiences that are rewarding, scary or embarrassing, chemicals like dopamine, noradrenaline or serotonin are released, promoting plasticity.' These neurotransmitters help cement the experience in your memory a bit more. Curiosity can also play a role. 'We have found that being curious has a similar effect on memory,' he said, noting that curiosity activates 'dopamine-carrying areas of the brain' and promotes learning. 'So, before you learn, get curious about the subject!' he said. Use your senses to do a little time traveling. 'Our memories for events, or episodic memories, are tied to where and when the event took place,' Ranganath said. 'That's why hearing a song that played during your summer abroad in college or smelling food that your grandmother used to make can immediately transport you back in time.' 'If you are trying to recall a past event, imagine yourself in that place and time — how you felt, what you were thinking about, the sights and sounds of the place — and you'll find yourself pulling up a lot,' he said. We hope these five tips help you remember more and memorize less. Listen to the full episode here. And join us next Tuesday for a new episode of the Chasing Life. CNN Audio's Sofía Sanchez contributed to this report.
Geek Wire
an hour ago
- Geek Wire
Seattle's Allen Institute launches ‘moonshot' to create new approach to cell biology research
A cross-section image of cells forming a hollow sphere, called a lumenoid. The colors mark different proteins expressed by the cells inside and outside of the sphere. (Allen Institute Image) Human cells, like the people they create, are dynamic and complex. And while researchers can create images and videos of how they move, organize and change their properties, it's hard to efficiently and accurately describe all that's happening. So a 75-person team at Seattle nonprofit Allen Institute is embarking on a 10-year project called CellScapes to devise a new language using mathematics to capture these essential processes. 'This is a new way of approaching very fundamental cell biology,' Ru Gunawardane, executive director and vice president of the Allen Institute for Cell Science, told GeekWire. 'We want to combine math and biophysical modeling, which are things that people are doing right now, but in a siloed way in very different systems.' Ru Gunawardane, executive director and vice president of the Allen Institute for Cell Science. (Allen Institute Photo) The Allen Institute was founded more than 20 years ago by the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and his sister Jody Allen to dive into challenging problems in the biosciences. Previous efforts at multiple institutions have created numerical systems for understanding biological processes. That includes BayesSpace, a computational tool that produces data on gene expression in mixed cell types that developed researchers at the Fred Hutch Cancer Center. The Allen Institute has engineered modeling for organelles, which are the various machines packed inside cells that make proteins, produce energy and perform other key operations. 'The exciting thing is that we are trying … to bring different disciplines together,' Gunawardane said, 'because data is everywhere — but how do you make sense out of that data?' The CellScapes researchers are working with human stem cells, which are cells that don't yet have a set identity as, say, a skin or liver cell. The hope is through analysis and experimentation they'll devise mathematics that describe the cell's behavior, ultimately allowing them to predict and manipulate what the cells do. A primary goal would be to use these tools to unravel mysteries such as the intermediate steps to developing cancer, and ultimately discover new cell therapies. 'It's a lot like astronomy and going from 'which planet is that dot in the sky' to 'what are the laws of motion that describe all moving objects?'' said Wallace Marshall, professor of biochemistry and biophysics at the University of California, San Francisco, and a CellScapes advisor, in a statement. The Allen Institute seen from Dexter Yard. (GeekWire File Photo / Charlotte Schubert) The Allen Institute will make its data and innovations in the space publicly available, Gunawardane said, and expects to collaborate with researchers at outside institutions. The research team includes software engineers, computational biologists, program managers and others. There is no set budget for the decade-long effort, and the CellScapes team is simultaneously pursuing three projects that are part of the broader initiative. The effort already has a scientific paper accepted by the journal Nature that will be published in coming months. It's an exciting time, Gunawardane said. 'I also feel a huge responsibility,' she said, 'because Paul [Allen] is not alive anymore, but our work is his legacy, and he asked us to break the code of the cell. And in a way, the code is very complicated — it's more like a program, the cellular program. 'So I feel like we are now actually at the brink,' she said, 'of knowing maybe how to approach that.'
WebMD
an hour ago
- WebMD
FDA OKs New Next-Gen Pill for Rare Lung Cancer
approved a first-of-its-kind oral pill to treat a rare type of advanced lung cancer that often spreads to the brain. The new drug, known as taletrectinib but sold as Ibtrozi, is meant for adults with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that has spread or worsened and is linked to a faulty ROS1 gene. This targeted therapy offers new hope to about 3,000 people in the U.S. and over 1 million globally who are diagnosed each year with advanced ROS1-positive NSCLC. NSCLC is the most common form of lung cancer – a leading cause of cancer-related deaths. About 2% of advanced cases are ROS1-positive, which grow faster and are harder to treat. Most patients are diagnosed in their 50s, often without a history of smoking. The cancer often spreads to the brain, seen in 35% at diagnosis and nearly 50% after treatment. This makes treatment especially challenging and highlights the need for better options. The FDA's decision was based on two clinical studies of people with ROS1-positive NSCLC. One trial involved 113 people who had previously been treated with a drug similar to Ibtrozi, while the other included 157 who had not. About 85% to 90% of those new to treatment responded to Ibtrozi, and at least 63% continued to see benefits for over a year. Among those previously treated, about 52% to 62% improved, with most (up to 83%) continuing to respond for at least six months. Ibtrozi also helped shrink brain tumors in 73% of people who were new to similar treatments, and in 63% of those who had tried one before, according to a news release by Nuvation Bio, the drug's maker. "Ibtrozi's durability of response and ability to effectively penetrate the brain, coupled with a well-characterized and manageable safety profile, further addresses these critical needs for patients," said Nathan Pennell, MD, PhD, a professor of medicine at the Cleveland Clinic and an investigator of the clinical trials. Ibtrozi belongs to a class of medicines called tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). It blocks the faulty ROS1 protein, helping slow cancer growth and spread. Ibtrozi is designed to reach the brain and keep the disease under control for longer. The FDA recommends 600 mg oral Ibtrozi pills once a day on an empty stomach, with no food two hours before or after taking it. Treatment continues until the cancer worsens or side effects become too serious. The most common side effects include things like nausea, diarrhea, tiredness, and dizziness. The FDA also warns about more serious risks, like liver and lung problems, heart rhythm issues, muscle pain, and possible harm to an unborn baby. People who use the drug should tell their doctor about all medications they're taking, including over-the-counter ones – especially anything for acid reflux. Women are advised not to breastfeed during treatment and for three weeks afterward. It's also important to protect your skin from the sun while taking the drug and for at least five days after stopping it.
