ALLENTOWN, Pa., May 20, 2013 – The Da Vinci Science Center’s (DSC) Inventor’s Lab Program – which has helped one young inventor earn a United States Patent and another student submit a United States Provisional Patent application – returns in Oct. 2013 for students in grades 4-8.

Participants will explore the invention process and develop their own invention ideas with the help of active and retired scientists, engineers, and professionals. The students will present their invention ideas before a panel of patent attorneys during the Inventor’s Lab Showcase in May 2014. The panel will select one winning invention that will be considered for a U.S. Provisional Patent application.

A total of twenty (20) program spaces are available for the 2013-2014 program year, which consists of eight Saturday morning sessions from Oct. 2013-May 2014. Da Vinci Science Center members in grades 4-8 will have an exclusive opportunity to register as space remains available through June 18, 2013. Non-members in grades 4-8 will be able to register after June 18, 2013. An $80.00 program fee is required per student. Registration details and program dates are available on the web at www.davincisciencecenter.org/inventors.

William Schopf of Whitehall, Pa., earned a full U.S. Patent in Sept. 2012 for his device that features wind turbine-style blades affixed to the front of a vehicle, is able to produce electricity during the day and at night, and can generate electricity at any wind speed. Ambrose Cavalier, a homeschooled student in Saylorsburg, Pa., has submitted a United States Provisional Patent application for his uniquely-designed bottle cap that allows users to adjust how much syrup or other thick, slow-moving fluid flows from the bottle.
 
News Contact @DSC: Dennis Zehner, 484.664.1002, Ext. 112 l News Media Resources
 

The Da Vinci Science Center’s popular Ocean Touch Tank in its What On Earth? exhibit area has a crack in it and is in serious need for repair to ensure that visitors will be able to enjoy it in the future.



The Center is asking its fans and members to make a powerful difference in inspiring tomorrow’s leaders by making a contribution toward the tank’s repair. Contributions can be made instantly and securely on the web with a major credit card.
 

Researchers at Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pa., say that they have discovered that synthetic anti-inflammatory substances may be able to weaken HIV – the virus that causes AIDS – while the virus hides inside immune cells known as macrophages.

HIV is known to hide within cells such as macrophages and to reproduce itself and cause chronic inflammation, according to the Temple researchers. Their study found that a synthetic compound related distantly to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the man active substance in cannabis, showed an ability to limit such inflammation.

“Our study suggests that the body’s own natural defenses can be made more powerful to fight some of the worst symptoms of HIV,” said Yuri Persidsky, M.D, Ph.D., Chair of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Temple University School of Medicine in a university news release.
 

Bill Nye, the world famous “Science Guy,” will serve as commencement speaker during Lehigh University’s graduation exercises on May 20, 2013.

Nye will address graduates of the Bethlehem, Pa., university in place of its original 2013 commencement speaker, world-renowned Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. Tyson withdrew due to a scheduling conflict.

Nye is the Chief Executive Officer of The Planetary Society in Pasadena, Ca., the world’s largest space interest organization, and was the host of three television series, including Bill Nye the Science Guy, on the Science Channel, PBS, and Planet Green. Nye has been credited with introducing a generation of students to the wonders of science, making it accessible, interesting, and stimulating.
 

The state of New Jersey will be spending more than $1 billion to in the coming years fund higher education projects, with a large portion of that money earmarked for science and technology programs.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie awarded $1.3 billion in funding to several colleges, universities, and community colleges – including all Rutgers University campuses, the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and the New Jersey Institute of Technology. The funding came in part from proceeds of a $750 million bond issue that the state’s voters approved in Nov. 2012.

In announcing the awards, Gov. Christie said in a news release, “To keep more of our best students in the State and to make our colleges more attractive research partners for industries looking to bring good paying jobs and businesses here, we need modern facilities to remain competitive.”
 

As the Da Vinci Science Center prepares to open the blockbuster exhibition GROSSOLOGY: The (Impolite) Science of the Human Body, the Center and its Year of the Human Body Presenting Sponsor St. Luke’s University Health Network have released a list of ten common mistakes people make in their bathrooms that can lead to health risks. The list is shown below.

Poor Hand Washing
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Ga., suggests wetting one’s hands with clean water, applying soap, rubbing one’s hands together to make a lather and to rub for at least 20 seconds, about the time it takes to hum the “Happy Birthday” song to oneself twice.

Using Cotton Swabs Incorrectly
A 2011 study by the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Mich., showed a direct connection between improper cotton swab use and the rupturing of ear drums.

Rinsing Contact Lenses with Water
The CDC has linked the use of tap water on contact lenses with the occurrence of Acanthamoeba keratitis, a serious corneal infection.



Placing Purses or Bags on the Bathroom Floor
Studies indicate that several types of bacteria, including fecal bacteria, can be transferred to the bottom of a purse or bag.

Using the Same Contact Lens Case for Too Long
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in Washington, D.C, suggests replacing one’s contact lens case every 3-6 months.

Flushing the Toilet with the Lid Up
Polluted water vapor erupts out of the flushing toilet bowl and it can take several hours for these particles to finally settle, according to Charles Gerba, Ph.D., Professor of Microbiology at University of Arizona in Tucson, Ariz., speaking in a WebMD article.

Sharing Towels
Sharing towels can spread a variety of diseases, including MRSA (or Staph Infection), according to the Brown University Health Services in Providence, RI.

Using the Wrong Kind of Mouthwash
Mouthwashes containing more than 25 percent alcohol have been linked to an increased risk of mouth and throat cancers according to a 2008 study in the Australian Dental Journal.

Keeping a Dirty Shower Head
Researchers from the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colo., determined in 2009 that shower heads can harbor potentially infectious bacteria and contribute to their growth.

Using PVC Shower Curtains
A 2008 study by the Center for Health, Environment & Justice in Falls Church, Va., asserted that PVC shower curtains contained high concentrations of chemicals that have been linked to liver damage as well as damage to the body’s central nervous, respiratory and reproductive systems.
 

Leonardo da Vinci would have been fascinated by the work of scientists from the University of Maryland who recently took a major step toward artificial bird-like flight.



Professors S.K. Gupta, Ph.D. and Hugh Bruck, Ph.D., have built the first-ever bird robot with independently-moving wings. This development makes the robot’s flight so acrobatic and maneuverable that their “Robo Raven” can do dives and flips and was even attacked by a hawk. To make their robot feasible, Gupta and Bruck not only had to engineer all of the robotic control systems to behave like a bird, but they also had to use advanced manufacturing technology such as 3-D printing, with design inspirations drawn from nature.

Human beings are still a long way from flying with flapping wings, as Leonardo dreamed in his 16th century Codex on the Flight of Birds, but this innovation brings the dream one step closer to becoming a reality.
 

Jennifer Pors joined the Da Vinci Science Center’s full-time staff on April 22, 2013, as its Guest Experience and Volunteer Coordinator.

Part of Jen’s role is to supervise, support, and train its group of more than 150 volunteers ranging in age from 14 to over 80. Many of these volunteers guide and assist visitors of the Center’s exhibit floor.

Jen joined the Center team in 2011 as a part-time educator and guest experience team member. She also spent a year as a learning support aid for autistic students at Brandywine Heights Middle School in Topton, Pa. Jen graduated with a fine arts degree from Alfred University in Alfred, N.Y., and is involved actively in local theater and stage productions.

Jen says she enjoys working at the Da Vinci Science Center because she enjoys its blending of science and art, saying, “It’s always been a passion of mine.”
 

Three of the Da Vinci Science Center’s (DSC) Summer 2013 Camp sessions are sold out already, and spaces are filling quickly for several more sessions in which students entering grades K-8 will explore the amazing.

The following sessions are sold out as of April 30, 2013: The Electronic Fab Lab session for grades 5-8 on July 15-19, 2013; both Mini-Medical School sessions for grades 5-8 on Aug. 19-23, 2013 and on Aug. 12-16, 2013; and the Don’t Try This at Home afternoon session for grades 1-4 on July 22-26, 2013.

Spaces remain available for repeat presentations of the Electronic Fab Lab session from July 22-26, 2013, and the Mini-Medical School session on Aug. 19-23, 2013.

Details and registration forms for all Summer 2013 Camp sessions are available on the web at www.davincisciencecenter.org/camps.

The Da Vinci Science Center and the Baum School of Art in Allentown, Pa., also are presenting a special combined summer camp experience in science and the arts for students ages 10-13. The Dexter Baker Picking Up STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) Camp will be offered from Aug. 12-16 and from Aug. 19-23 for students in ages 10-13. Students will start off the day with teaching artists at The Baum School of Art, then hop on a bus after lunch to the Da Vinci Science Center to work with professional science educators. Students will focus on creative projects that lead to scientific exploration on the exhibit floor and science classrooms of the Da Vinci Science Center.

Campers can be registered through the Baum School website and families can call 610.433.0032 for additional information. The session price will be $300.00 per camper per week.
 

The distinct Philadelphia accent – the one with which … or wit which … the city’s favorite football team is known as the “Iggles,” one of its favorite sandwiches is known as a “hoe-gee,” and the Earth’s most abundant liquid is known as “wooder” – has changed in the past century, according to a highly technical study at the University of Pennsylvania, which is, of course, in Philadelphia, Pa.



The study, led by University of Pennsylvania Professor of Linguistics William Labov, Ph.D., used sophisticated computerized measurements of recordings of Philadelphians ranging in year of birth from 1888 to 1991. Dr. Labov and his colleagues believe that the traditional “southern” inflections of the Philadelphia accent, or dialect, are being replaced by influences for the northern United States.

The study was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation in Washington, D.C.